The Surprise Siege - Ranger's Apprentice

Get Him Out

Halt stood with Pauline in the command tent with Gilan and Sir Rodney. The Baron had gone off the check on his wife. Pauline and Rodney were drinking from cups of water, and Gilan ran his hands through his hair thoughtfully. They had just finished talking with Pauline and Rodney, and now they were thinking about everything that and happened.

"So the time limit is gone right? Will got the prisoners out. Now we just need to get him and the jewels out before the assassins get to either one," Gilan said.

Halt nodded. "Will still doesn't have much time. But there is no reason to count minutes anymore."

Alyss came running into the tent. "Will! Have any of you seen Will? I saw the the people escaping, but he wasn't with them. I already checked the medical tent, he's not there either..."

She trailed off as Pauline gave her a sad smile. "He's not here, Alyss, he's still in there."

She looked confused for a moment, then she looked at Halt for confirmation. He just stared at her, stone-faced. She turned back to the group, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "Well, why isn't he here? Why didn't he escape with you?"

There was an awkward silence as neither Ranger really wanted to explain this fact to Alyss, since they knew it would upset her.

"Alyss, come sit with me. I'm going to explain everything to you." Pauline could see that Alyss was struggling, so she patted the bench she was sitting on and beckoned to her. Alyss walked over and sat down next to her mentor, who gave her a warm hug. When Alyss sat back, she looked a little more in control, but she was still a little pale. Pauline started talking to her, giving her a brief summary of everything that had happened.

Gilan and Halt were quietly discussing everything Pauline had told them. "I didn't know there were hooks outside the windows!" Gilan exclaimed. "I would have liked to know that!"

"That's cause you haven't ever been stationed at Redmont. I invented those hooks," Halt muttered.

Gilan scowled at him. "Would have been nice to know..."

"And another thing. Pauline, how did you say that Will hid from that Genovesan in the meeting room after he sent his second message?"

Pauline glanced up from talking with Alyss. "Oh, he hung under the table."

Rodney raised his eyebrows. "Never heard of that before. It's a miracle the Genovesan didn't see him."

"No, the Genovesans saw what he expected to see, which was nothing. He didn't think Will could hide under the table, because normally just laying under a table isn't a hiding place at all," Halt pointed out.

"True, so since he wasn't expecting to see Will hanging from the table..." Gilan said.

"He didn't see him," Halt finished.

"Another thing, about these rubies, how many are there?" Rodney said.

"Twelve. At least, that's what Mario said to Will," Pauline said.

"And you said they were from Picta?"

"Yes."

Gilan glanced at Rodney. "We should go find out more about these rubies."

"Sounds good."

Gilan and Rodney both walked out of the tent, heading for the food tent, in deep conversation about the details of the rubies.

Alyss looked up from her daze. Pauline had finished explaining, and now she was staring off into the distance with unfocused eyes. "Wait, so I still don't understand something. Why isn't he here? I mean, why didn't he escape with the rest of you? Didn't he say that he was going to lead the Genovesans away and then escape himself?"