Will and Halt had been walking around the town, looking for some sign that Catherine had been taken here.
Since they knew that they'd be asking questions, they had to pretend that Catherine was Alyss in disguise to make the search more important. Well, at least Will had to, but Halt wouldn't give Will a single hint that the lie was the truth.
They asked if they've seen her and, so far, none had.
They stopped at the Inn, where they had to request a room, as Will had been on the verge of tears. Once they were inside the room, with the door shut, Will fell to his knees and let the tears fall. "Where is she?!" He sobbed. "She was my everything! She couldn't have just left me!"
Halt knelt beside his former apprentice and rubbed his hand up and down his back. "We'll find her, Will. I know we will." He said.
There was a knock on the door and Will instantly quieted his sobbing. Halt rushed to the door and opened it just a little to see a nervous looking man standing there. "I assume you're Ranger Halt?" The man whispered. Halt nodded.
"I'd like to speak to you and Ranger Will about her." He whispered.
Halt opened the door wider and the man stepped in. "I suggest we keep our voices quiet. You never know who might be listening." The man said.
Will had returned to his former state before he became upset and was sitting on the rug on the floor. Halt gestured for the man to sit on the rug and did so himself.
"So, what about Catherine?" Will asked. Clearly he was eager to know where she was.
The man nodded. "She is safe. For now."
Will tensed. "What do you mean 'for now'?" He asked.
"She is bound by her wrists and placed in a cell, where they only feed her once or twice a week. It's enough to keep her alive, but it weakens her." The man replied solemnly. "I am sorry." He added.
"Where is she?" Halt asked.
"She is in an underground dungeon below the Solitary Plains. She sent me to find and guide you there." The man answered.
Will relaxed a little. "And as far as you know, she's safe?" He asked.
The man nodded. "I will leave tomorrow at dawn. When I leave, follow me. Make sure you are pretending to track me down until we near the Plains. There, you will pretend to capture me and force me to tell you where the girl is." He said. "The rest is up to you."
Will and Halt nodded. "How do we know we can trust you?" Halt asked.
"Because she sent me to find you. She's desperate, Rangers. And I've been in the same situation as her. She needs help, and you two are the only ones who know she's been taken." The man answered.
Halt looked at Will, who was still looking skeptical at the man's information. "Will, we have no choice but to listen to him. We'll just have to see if he's right." He said.
Will looked at Halt, then to the man. He might be Catherine's only chance of survival. He thought.
"Alright." He said. "I'm still skeptical, though, but I'll accept the fact that he's our only chance."
Halt nodded and all three stood up as the man prepared to leave.
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Will woke to a light touch which, he soon discovered, belonged to Halt. "Get up. He left. Let's go." He said.
Will almost launched himself out of the bed. He was itching to get on the road.
Halt and Will left the key and payment for the room on the counter as they left the building.
They left town, exactly at dawn, finding the man's tracks easily. Will stayed silent through the ride as they followed.
It was then that he realized that the man could have been tracked.
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Alyss' Return: She Lives
FanfictionAlyss was said to be dead. At least, that's what a report from the Ranger at Anselm Fief had said. She has gone into hiding as Catherine Altright for the past few weeks in Anselm itself until she earns enough money to travel to Redmont. All seemed w...
