Ignoring History [Ranger's Apprentice]

Chapter 41

~🌾Will🌾~

Night fell swiftly over Araluen, rendering the bright reds and oranges of autumn a leaden, lifeless shadow. The moon was but a sliver in the sky, a faint silver masked by the veil of dark, wispy clouds. There was no light in the village and definitely no noise. Not a single soul dared to walk the streets in the pitch black.

That was, no soul except for Will and his companions.

With Will in the lead, the four friends walked silently down the main cobblestone street. Castle Gorlan was like a beacon at the end of the road. Torches lined the top of the ramparts, in between the stone parapets. Guards clad in black and gold stood at the ready, their expressions hidden underneath an iron helmet.

"Last chance to turn back," Will said. His voice was barely a whisper in the breeze. Coming to a stop a little ways off the path, he turned back to look at his friends. "I won't hold it against any of you if you want to leave."

Alyss scoffed. She reached out to take Will's hand, gripping it tightly. "Never," she said. "We're in this together."

Horace's strong hand landed on top of theirs. "This is for the revolution," he said. "For Araluen."

All eyes turned to Cassandra, then. For a split second, Will was afraid she would turn back. Instead, a smirk spread onto her face. Her eyes glittered as she added her hand to the pile. "Morgarath won't know what hit him."

Will looked between Alyss, Horace, and Cassandra. Breathing out a sigh of acceptance, he squeezed their hands. "Okay," he said. "According to Alyss, the guards will rotate at midnight. We make our move, then."

"Remember," Alyss continued. "We'll only have two minutes. Since the main gate will be shut, the only way in is up and over."

"Right." Will nodded. "Cassandra and I will scale the wall first. We'll help you and Horace up once we're at the top."

"Then, we split up." Cassandra nodded at Alyss. "Alyss and I will search the upper levels."

"That leaves me and Will with the lower ones," Horace finished.

Alyss tightened her grip on the three. "It's a solid plan," she said. "Just remember to stick with your partner. We meet at the edge of town at first light, with or without Halt."

"We're going to save him," Will said firmly. "There is no without Halt."

"I sure hope you're right."

Will met the eyes of his friends one last time before finally letting go. "Follow my lead," he said.

Getting down on his knees, Will dug his fingers into the ground beneath him. The earth broke easily, rough and crumbly against his skin. Pulling up his hood, he didn't wait for anyone as he began crawling, though it was more like shuffling, closer to the castle.

Trust the cloak. That was the phrase Halt had used the day they had practiced unseen movement, and though he didn't own a ranger cloak, Will hoped his plain brown one would do the trick.

There were no trees around Castle Gorlan, a great tactical advantage for the guards inside and a great annoyance to anyone trying to get in. If it were daytime, Will was sure they would have already been caught. He was careful to keep his head below the blades of tall grass, staying as physically close to the ground as he could. To the eyes of any far-off onlooker, they could have been a couple of dogs or a gust of wind.