The Rogue Tribe - Ranger's Apprentice

Chapter 17: Reckoning

Halt threw himself down as the second arrow came pelting out of the trees. It struck another Temujai, dropping him instantly next to the first. The shocked rebels stood frozen as yet another arrow struck a third man in the leg. Then they all started babbling frantically, hiding behind one another, trying to figure out where the arrows were coming from. A few tried to shooot back, but the onslaught was too heavy and the Temujai were too panicked. Their numbers had been greatly diminished in the ambush at the Gathering, so there was only about twenty of them left, and with three of them down, only a few remained.

The Temujai may be elite archers, but they sure don't know how to counter archery. They'll shoot at you all day, but fire an arrow back with some accuracy, and they'll break down and panic.

The next thing that dropped from the sky was not arrows, but rocks. Stones fell from the sky, smacking into the men's heads and arms, knocking out a few and breaking the bones of the others. As the rocks hailed down with surprising accuracy, Halt crawled over to the dead Temujai and wrenched the arrow out of his neck. He reached down and struggled to cut the ropes binding his ankles. By the time he got himself free, another few Temujai had been hit by arrows. He used the tree to haul himself to his feet, wincing and groaning as his broken ribs and bruised body protested, but the Temujai were too busy to even notice him. Should I stay? Or do I go find Will? The shooter up in the trees continued his onslaught of arrows, and he seemed to have the situation under control.

I can't lose him, not again.

Halt took one last look at the panicking Temujai, and took off as fast as his injured body would carry him. He ran in the same general direction as Will had, but he had no way of knowing where he really was. Should I call out for him? He can't have gone very far. "Will! Will, where are you?" He paused for a moment, but the answer wasn't long in coming.

"Halt! I'm over here!"

Thank god.

"I'm coming, hold on!" Halt took off running in the direction he had heard his voice from from.

He was running full steam ahead when Will called out again, "Watch out, there's a cliff!"

Halt skidded to a stop, and just in time. Only a few meters away from him, the ground dropped off suddenly, and if Will hadn't called out to him, he would have probably run right over the edge into the dark ravine.

"Where are you?"

"I'm over the edge, but just a little ways down! I would climb, but my hands are still tied. Can you toss a rope?"

"I don't have one! Are you near the top?" Halt knelt down and peered over the edge.

"Yes, I think so. Can you see my hands?" Sure enough, Halt could see two hands clinging tightly to a thick tree root just a few feet down.

"Yes! I'll grab them, and try to use your legs to help me pull you up."

With a lot of grunting and heaving, Halt barely managed to pull Will up most of the way, to a point where Will could swing his legs up and roll away from the edge. They both lay there in the loose rocks, panting and gasping for breath in the darkness. After a minute or so, Will sat up, grabbed one of the sharper rocks nearby, and started cutting at the ropes on his wrists. But his hands were all scraped and bloody, and he couldn't seem to get a good grip on the rock. Halt leaned over and gently took the rock from him, cutting the ropes off in a single movement. Will rubbed his hands greatfully, wrapping his bleeding fingers in his cloak. Halt sat back and leaned heavily against the large rocks, his eyes drooping in exhaustion. "Will, where's Or'kan?"