| Halt's Ranger Apprentices | This is War | Volume 2 |

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Gilan rode on Blaze for days on end, abandoning the ranger structure, he did not give Blaze nor Beauty any rest, if he wasn't riding, he was sleeping, but sleeping was unnecessary when you had just lost someone, so he continued to ride. It didn't take as long as it had taken him and Annabelle to get back to where the Kin and his troops were, at the Plains of Uthal.

Arriving on the bring of where the Sun first meets the horizon, he galloped into the camp, only needing to show his silver oakleaf to the front guards to show them he was no intruder. But, as soon as he jumped off his saddle, even with Blaze still trotting to work herself inot a stop with Beauty follwing suit, men still put their hands on their weapons, seeing the sword at his belt, everyone around him knowing that it was an unlikely weapon for a ranger, the person he claimed to be.

"Who are you?" One of the burly men, dressed like a lieutenant, said. Inside his head a voice said, 'Yes Gilan, who are you, to have let Annabelle go?'

The voice was right of course, and the exhaustion mercilessly hung down on his shoulders as more men looked at him with suspicion from the lack of his answer. And then he heard the voice.

"He's my son, stand down!" His father stood before him, but he did not see his father, he saw the burning fire still raging before him, the inevitable danger before him, and the girl, his little sister, was behind those flames.

To torture himself more, he let himself fall to the ground, let himself go into something that was not the darkness he was hoping for, but the nightmare of being back on that bridge and hearing Annabelle's screams.

<-------<<<<-

There was two things that Annabelle needed answered as soon as she opened her eyes.

The first was, where was Gilan?

The second was, why was it so quiet?

The first thing that came into focus was a dry leaf, it tickled her nose when a soft breeze brushed past, and at first it seemed peaceful, until she recalled what had happened from what felt like years ago.

Jolting up made her wish she didn't but ignoring the blur of her sight, she stood. She took in the bridge, where there was no bridge, and in replacement, a big gap where it used to be, and the sheer cliff the loomed below. She was still on the otherside, and looking ahead, only bushed and trees danced from the wind.

Where was Gilan?

She took in the smell of ash and cinders, the feel of where blood trickled down her temple from where she was hit, and her right arm ached from where she must've landed on it.

Where was Gilan?

She found it so quiet, and empty with no fire nor a monstrous construction dominating the land. Until she saw them. Yellow teeth, snarling muzzle, mindless eyes, sharp claws, intimidating build and all.

They had been standing at the cave entry the entire time, watching her, wait for her.

Feeling like a deer being hunted by its predator she stood as still as she could, praying this was a nightmare, that perhaps the fire hadn't even begun and she had drifted off to sleep and none of the fire had begun.

But it hadn't, because the Wargals stalked forward, and being helpless as she was, with only a small dagger hidden in her boot, so she could move wuicker in the night, and her cloak packed on Beauty, she was left to feel the pain of the Wargal's grip, and that's how she knew it was real, because of the pain.

Where was Gilan? He was gone.

And now, she was left die alone, or perhaps she would meet her old friend again, The Lord of Rain and Night, but if it came down to choosing between the two, she would pick the former, because the latter only meant death, only it would come slower, and mroe painful.

Knowing the dagger was useless in her boot, she let small group of five Wargals lead her to the entrance of where the camps had been settled the night before, the place her and Gilan had found together. And now, the place she was left to face alone.

<--------<<<<-

Gilan slept for nearly a whole day. When he felt better and more awake, or at least as awake as he could be after the exhausting nightmares, he made his way toward the Main Tent.

He could feel the tension before he even entered the tent where he knew his father, Halt, Crowley, Sir Rodney, Baron Arald and all the other baron's were waiting. And of course, King Duncan, he thought sorrowfully.

As far as anyone had known, Will and Horace had been with him, and since Gilan and Annabelle had taken longer than they had expected Will and Horace and the two brothers accompanying them, would have arrived earlier than him, leaving everyone to wonder where he was. And, no doubt they would have informed them of Annabelle being with him, and with him returning without her, would no doubt leave tension to stiffen all their shoulders.

And now, he must deliver the news.

But, it was strange how when he entered, Halt stood first and surprised him by asking, "Will," his voice rising in question. Rodney stood up second, "Horace," his face distorted with worry for his second year.

It suddenly dawned on Gilan, as he stood there for a few moments putting everything together. They had no idea. They didn't know anything.

Gilan stood, but felt himself slump in sorrow, for the loss of Annabelle, for the troubling news that Will and Horace had not arrived yet, which brought him horror. For everything they had encountered on the road, from the Wargals, to the Skandians, to the Wargals and the bridge. And now he must tell them everything.

A/N: SHORT CHAPTER I KNOW I'M SORRY, BUT I'VE BEEN MORE BUSY THAN I WOULD LIKE AND I KNOW IT SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME EXCUSE EVERYTIME BUT I SWEAR IT IS THE TRUTH.

I don't want to try and rush this, especially because I'm up to the parts where I've had them from the very beginning of me writing the first book. I knew exactly what I wanted to happen here, and I don't want to rush it and I want to be able to word it all perfectly, and right now I've been left with so much homework from school, year nine is ridiculous! And plus, I want to be able to just take a abreather form having to do homework or write for a while, because I also havemy other book that I'm writing, but I knew i couldn't let you guys down, so it's a small update but it's better than nothing I suppose.

I hope you enjoyed, until next time folks! (:

-Jess