Ranger's Apprentice - The Afterwards

Ch. 20

It was dawn. Will couldn't see the tracks clearly anymore. What little light the sun did provide at this time of day, the trees scattered.
He knew it was hopeless to keep searching. As much as he wanted to look for Maddie through the night, his training told him he would only get lost. So, he set up camp.
He didn't have much; a bedroll from Tug's saddle and his weapons. Even if he'd had the proper supplies, a fire would alert the bandits who took Maddie of his presence. He couldn't risk them running off with Maddie.
Maddie, Will thought.
She wouldn't be in this mess if he had only left her alone. She'd ran way because of him. He had misused his Ranger skills to intervene in her privacy. He had lost all the love, respect, all the trust Maddie had bestowed in him over the years. Maddie was right in saying that he hadn't considered her feelings. He had spied on her and Jason simply for his own satisfaction that she was safe. He should have trusted her. He knew she could take care of herself.
   "I will find you, Maddie." Will said to himself. "And when I do, I will make it up to you."
   Will lay down on his bedroll and faced the direction he would travel in the morning. He stared into the trees, as if searching for answers.
   The leaves rustled and eventually, Will was asleep.

  He was running through the woods as fast as he could, looking for her. He could see a clearing ahead. There were four large men, all huddled over a frail figure curled up on the ground.
   His heart nearly stopped as he recognized the figure to be a girl.
   "Maddie," he whispered. A few feet away, another limp figure laid. This one was a boy.
   "And Jason," he added.
   He notched his arrows and easily picked off the four men. When he got closer to Maddie, he knew instantly that things were bad. He rolled her over and choked back a sob. Her face was blood and tear stained. She wasn't breathing.
   "Maddie!" He wailed. "No! You're not dead, you can't be dead!" But it was no use.
   "Maddie get up!" He cried into her hand. "Wake up Maddie! Wake up!" But she wouldn't.
   It was his fault she had run away. It was his fault she had been taken. And it was his fault she was dead.
   He had killed Maddie.

   Will jerked upright. His was panting and could feel tears sliding down his face.
   Just a dream, he told himself. It was just a dream.
   But he didn't know much about Maddie right now. She could actually be dead.
   No! He chastised. He couldn't let that happen. He would find her. He would.
   Will got up and looked at the sky. It was still dark out, but the sun was bound to come up soon.
   He rolled his bedroll up and threw it over the opposite shoulder of his quiver.
   Once he'd grabbed the last of his things and strung his bow, he took a deep breath of morning air.
   "I'm coming, Maddie. Hang on."
   Something glittery caught his eyes. He peered closer and made his way to the object.
   A small, silver bead lay on the ground. Will knew what it was instantly. He pulled his silver oakleaf out and looked at it.
   From a glance, it looked like nothing special. But when you looked closely, you could see that it was made out of small little silver beads.
   Maddie must have pulled the beads off to leave me a trail, Will thought.
   "Good girl," he said before following the silver trail into the woods.