The Female Ranger

Chapter Eleven

"Something's happened," Halt said quietly, signalling for his two apprentices to rein in their horses.

They stood at the top of a small rise, a rise which hid the Gathering Ground perfectly from any unwanted attention. The open space among the trees lay just below them, a hundred metres away. Small tents stretched in ordered ranks, and the smoke of cooking fires scented the air. An archery range had been set up to one side of the open space and several dozen small and shaggy Ranger horses were grazing close to the trees.

Even from where the three riders sat on their horses, or Gilan's horse in Elizabeth's case, they could make out an air of urgency and activity throughout the camp. In the centre of the camp stood a larger pavilion. The sides were rolled up and a group of men wearing Ranger cloaks gathered around a table, deep in conversation. As they watched, one Ranger ran away to a horse just outside the entrance. He mounted and spun the horse on its back legs, setting out through the camp at a gallop.

He had barely disappeared into the deep shadows under the trees when another rider appeared from the opposite direction, galloping through the lines and reining in outside the large tent. His horse had barely stopped before he jumped down and joined the group inside.

"What is it?" Will asked. Frowning, he realised that several of the small tents were being rolled up by their owners.

"Not sure," Halt replied. "See if you can find us a decent campsite. I'll see what's going on. Don't pitch the tents yet. From the look of things, we may not be needing them."

He urged Abelard forward, but stopped to add: "Elizabeth, leave your hood on. No need to attract attention to you if we're leaving soon anyway." He galloped off, leaving his apprentices to follow him to the Gathering Ground at a slower pace.

Elizabeth and Will found a campsite under a large tree, reasonably close to the central area but also somewhat close to the edge of the Gathering Ground. They hoped this would help in keeping Elizabeth's identity a secret, but still enable Halt to find them quickly. Then, uncertain as to what they should do next, they sat on a log, waiting for Halt's return.

—

Initially, he had planned to take revenge on Elizabeth. It was still going to happen, but given the slight chaos in camp Gilan thought it was best to postpone it. He glared at Blaze for her betrayal, who gave him her best innocent look. He sighed and joined the two apprentices on the log.

"Do you know what's happening?" Will asked him.

"No, I know just as much as you do. Halt's with Crowley?"

"I think so," Will replied.

Gilan shrugged. "Could take a while. Might as well build a small fire to make some coffee."

Elizabeth took the hint and quickly got up. She walked into the forest to gather some firewood.

Gilan stared at her with a confused look on his face. "Why is she still wearing her hood?"

"Halt wants to keep it a secret that she is a girl. Guess he doesn't want to have that discussion while something's going on."

Gilan nodded thoughtfully. Before he could reply, another Ranger joined them. "Any news?" he said immediately.

"Was just about to ask you the same question," Gilan replied. "Merron, isn't it?"

"That's right. And you're Gilan if I remember correctly." Gilan introduced Will, and the newcomer looked at him speculatively.

"So you're Halt's new apprentice," he said. "We wondered what you'd be like. I was going to be one of your assessors, but-"

"Going to be?" Gilan interrupted.

"I doubt we'll continue with the Gathering. You mean you haven't heard?" Gilan shook his head. "Morgarath is up to something again. We only have garbled reports, but it looks as if a force of Wargals broke out of Three Step Pass some days ago. They overran the sentries there and headed north. Crowley's been sending scouts out for the past two days. Could just be a raid, but could also be the start of another war. If so, bad time to lose Lord Lorriac."

Gilan looked up, concerned. "Lorriac is dead?"

"Stroke apparently. Or his heart. Found dead a few days ago, not a mark on him. Stone cold dead, despite being healthy as a bull. I suppose it can happen to anyone."

"Who's Lord Lorriac?" Will quietly asked.

"He was the leader of the King's heavy cavalry. Probably our best cavalry commander. If there's war, he'll be sorely missed." Gilan said.

Will felt a shiver of fear up his spine. All his life he had heard about Morgarath, but as a myth. Now the myth was becoming reality - a terrifying reality. He looked at Gilan for reassurance but saw nothing but doubt and concern for the future.

—

Elizabeth had waited behind the trees until the unknown Ranger left. She joined Gilan and Will, who filled her in on everything she missed. They made some coffee and a meal of bread, cold meat and dried fruit. It had been almost an hour since arriving at the Gathering Ground when Halt joined them. He ate quickly, speaking between mouthfuls.

"Gathering's over. Morgarath is still in the mountains. Could be war, not certain. Wargals were probably a diversion. Crowley thinks two Kalkara slipped out of the mountains and are hiding somewhere on the Solitary Plain."

Gilan gave a low whistle. "I thought they died out years ago."

"Only two left. Enough to worry about."

There was a long silence between them. Then, Will asked: "What are they?"

Halt shook his head sadly. It was not a subject he wanted to discuss with someone as young as his apprentices. But, knowing what lay ahead of them all, he had no choice. They had to know.

"When Morgarath was planning his rebellion, he wanted more than an ordinary army. So he searched the Mountains of Rain and Night for allies: strange beasts and ancient monsters that were rumoured to still live there. The rumours turned out to be true. A Kalkara is a creature somewhere between an ape and a bear that walks upright. They stalk their prey and kill them."

"Prey?" Elizabeth asked. "What sort of prey?"

"The Kalkara are assassins. They are given a specific victim and will do anything in their power to kill them. The Kalkara themselves are extremely difficult to kill. They have thick hair that's matted and bonded together, an arrow will hardly penetrate. A battleaxe, broadsword or heavy spear might do the job."

Gilan spoke up. "Problem is, if you can get close enough to use a sword or spear, the Kalkara can usually stop you before you have a chance. If you look into its eyes, you are frozen and helpless. Paralysed by sheer terror."

"Is there anything you can do to defeat it?" Will asked in a hopeless voice.

Halt shook his head. "Legend has it that they are vulnerable to fire. But they tend to hunt at night, so carrying a naked flame makes it difficult to get close enough before they spot you."

Silence settled over the small group. Around them, Rangers packed their tents and saddled their horses. Halt finally roused them from their thoughts.

"We'd best get moving. Every fief will need to be alerted and the army mobilised. Orders will be distributed in a few minutes. Gilan, you'll need to find someone to stop in your fief."

"Where's Gilan going? Where are we going?" Will asked. As he asked, he already knew what Halt was going to say. But that did not make it any less terrifying when the words were said.

"We're going after the Kalkara."