~4~
“WILL!” Horace yelled and raced up to his friend. Will’s face lit up and he waved. Horace hadn’t seen Will for days, and he was getting worried about his close friend. He stopped right in front of Will, not wanting to make any injuries he might have gotten hurt worse. “Where’ve you been?”
“In bed,” Will said grudgingly. “I broke six ribs.” Horace inhaled sharply. That would hurt.
“How?” he asked.
“The wolf pounced me. Those things weigh a lot.” Will hated lying to his friend, but even Halt wasn’t sure what exactly happened. Horace seemed to buy it. It was a very real possibility.
“Ouch,” Horace replied. “No wonder you haven’t been out.” Will nodded. Whatever it was, it had crippled him for the last few days.
“Well, it was good seeing you,” Will said politely. “But I have to get back to Halt.”
“Yeah, okay,” Horace replied. “Be seeing you.” The two parted, leaving each other with their own thoughts. Horace was uneasy on his way home. There had been a rumor going around that there was a wizard living in the outskirts of the city. He didn’t want Will to run into him. But that was just a rumor. Even still, he wasn’t going in there anytime soon.
Will’s musings weren’t much different. He was sifting through his memories, trying to get a grip on what had happened in the forest. The boy didn’t seem scared of Halt, if anything, he seemed angry. Confusion blended his thoughts, trying to get some sense out of them. The boy didn’t respond to Halt. He didn’t notice Will had shot him. He somehow generated white energy from his hands. He was in the woods at night. It didn’t make sense. Will’s thoughts had him so engrossed that he accidentally ran into a wall, hard. White-hot pain rocketed through his chest, making him keel over and yell. He was blinded and agonized, sitting in the street on his knees. He felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder and he looked up.
“Are you okay, Will?” Alyss asked, looking concerned. Will nodded and tried to stand, pain sparking where his bones were fractured. Alyss grabbed his arm and helped him up. He hoped he wasn’t blushing too hard. It was humiliating enough with her finding him on the ground. Once he got into a standing position, he tried his best to smile at her. She smiled back, making Will’s heart jump.
“Thanks,” he said awkwardly.
“Anytime,” Alyss replied. “Where’ve you been? Horace and I have been looking for you.”
“I got pounced on by the wolf,” Will said in what he hoped sounded tough. “Broke six ribs.” Alyss winced.
“Wow,” she said, amazed. “I’m glad you’re okay. We need a Ranger around here, what with the rumors of magic and all.” Will stiffened slightly.
“Magic?” he asked slowly. Alyss nodded.
“White magic. Very dangerous and powerful. We think something’s been using it. But it’s just a rumor,” she added, sensing Will’s nervousness. “It’s not as if it’s actually real.” Will nodded slowly, taking it all in. They fell into an awkward silence for a few seconds before Alyss broke it. “So, you’re okay, right?”
“Yeah,” Will replied. “I’m okay now.” He cracked a smile and Alyss smiled back.
“Well, see you then.”
“Bye.” Will and Alyss parted, both of them blushing fiercely, even though it went against both of their trainings.
