Halt's Ranger Apprentices- John Flanagan Ranger Apprentice fan-fiction

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Midday had arrived, and still no sign of Halt coming back from the pavilion. Will, Gilan and Belle set up a small cooking fire, and cooked some bread, cold meat and dried fruits. Yay, Belle thought sarcastically. Although she had grown up with these sort of foods, it still didn't make the meal any more tastier.

Gilan and Will were about to start dishing up the food from the fire when the sound of hoof beats alerted the three of them. They all turned to see Halt, grim faced as ever riding on Abelard toward the small camp site.  Belle, who was sitting on a log next to the small fire, drawing patterns in the dirt with a stick, stood up from her seat and inspected Halt's facial expression intently.

There was something in his eyes, Belle thought after Halt had slid down from his saddle. It was... Fear? No, can't be, Halt's not the kind to be scared and be swallowed by fear. Belle eyed Halt suspiciously, the apparent fear that was in Halt's eyes were only vague and was hardly noticeable. Halt caught Belle's eye as he made his way to the small fire and gave a mere shake of his head that made Belle's insides do a back flip, making herself feel fear as well. Obviously something bad has happened.

Merron, who had left to go back to his own camp site a while ago had wondered back when he caught site of Halt. The small group stood in silence for a while, no one wanting to ask the big question, with Halt obviously not making an such move to say anything. Gilan handed Halt a bowl that was filled with cold meat. Everyone watched Halt expectantly as he ate. That's when he decided to talk.

"The gathering is over" Halt said flatly. Halt's voice broke the awkward silence, everyone gladly excepting that the time for silence was over.

"Is it war?" Merron asked hesitantly. Halt turned to face Merron, only seeming to notice him for the first time. As Halt recognised him, they both greeted each other quickly. Then, the silence filled the air once again. Everyone knew, not to rush Halt to answer, they all knew that he would answer in his own time.

Halt had finished the bowl of meat quickly, then laid it down on the ground on front of him. He then took a deep sigh before speaking once again.

"We don't know if it is war for sure, but by all the reports we've received, Morgarath is still in the mountains." Belle felt relief flow through her body, knowing that Morgarath was still trapped in his mountains. But a question was lingering in Belle's mind. But, before Belle could ask, Will had bet her to it.
"The why did the Wargals break out?" Belle glanced at Will when he asked the question, then turned back to Halt. They all sat in silence for several cruel seconds, all of them waiting for Halt to answer. Belle saw Halt hesitate before he answered Will's question. Suspicion now creeping slowly in to Belle.

"There was only a small party of up to fifty Wargals that broke out. But we've discovered that it was only a diversion. So, while our guards were bustling around, chasing the Wargals, Crowley has come to the conclusion that it was so we wouldn't see the two Kalkara slip out of the mountains that are now somewhere on the Solitary Plain."

Gilan whistled in surprise, Merron was also just as shocked as Gilan and jerked a step back in shock. Belle, all trace of relief washed over with fear. Belle felt blood draining from her face, and she knew that she was probably as white as a ghost.

Kalkara, Belle knew were horrible creatures, worse than Wargals. They were disgusting looking things that had the body of an ape and bear mixed together that stood up right. They were almost invincible, and it was said that they could freeze you if you look in their eyes. There was only vague rumours that they had a weakness of fire. The Kalkara, Belle knew, weren't just ugly and disgusting for no reason. They were assassins. They would be given a specific prey to hunt, they will stop at nothing to kill them. They belonged to no one, not even Morgarath. They lived for silver, they craved it. They hadn't been seen for nearly eight years and now, here they were, on the move, most likely with a victim to kill in mind.

"I didn't know they still exist" Merron said, cutting Belle off from her thoughts. Halt shook his head.

"They definitely exist, that's for certain." Halt said "There is only two left, but two is more than enough to keep our hands full" everyone now went quiet, all of them deep in thought. Belle glanced back at Will. Confusion and curiosity covered his facial expression. Then, hesitantly, Belle saw Will say:

"What are Kalkara?" the sound of Will's voice brought everyone out of their thoughts. Everyone hesitated at Will's words. No one wanted to make the first move of explaining what they were, they could make her face cringe, at just the thought of them. Finally Halt gained the courage to explain what they were. 

Belle watched Will's facial expression change from confusion, to fear. Halt was still explaining when Belle got lost in her thoughts.

Fifty Wargals were running around somewhere. The Kalkara were back. A possible war was coming. It couldn't get any worse, can it?

Belle then zoned back in to the conversation where Halt, Gilan, Merron and Will were speaking about the Kalkara still.

"What makes Crowley think that Morgarath is using them?" Will asked. Belle turned to Halt. That's when she saw the fear creep more noticeable in Halt's eyes. Belle furrowed her eyes. There was something Halt wasn't telling them. Halt's hesitation told Belle that he was either scared to tell them something, or that he was debating with himself to tell them the truth or not. That's when Halt let out a deep sigh, and Belle knew even before Halt said anything, that he was going to tell the truth. A shiver went up Belle's spine, Belle was afraid of what he was about to say.

"Because he's already used them twice in the past year- to kill Lord Northolt and Lord Lorriac." Belle then jerked back at his statement. Halt then turned to Will.

"Northolt was thought to be killed by a bear remember?" Will nodded remembering the day his leg got pulled and was tricked that a ranger apprentice was a house cleaner. He remembered when he sat on the decking, after Halt told him that Squirt was fond of him, that he thought it was stranger that Northolt was killed by a bear and that he thought Northolt was too skilled to be killed so easily. Halt's next words confirmed that Will was thinking of that day correctly.

"I thought at the time that he was too skilled to be killed by a bear, and Crowley agrees, so it had to of been the Kalkara." Halt said. Everyone nodded, agreeing that this was the work of the Kalkara.

"What about Lorriac? Everyone said it was a stroke" Merron had said this. Then, before Halt could answer, Belle started to speak, coming to the realisation that the Kalkara have been murdering their people right under their noses.

"It all makes sense." Belle began. Belle hadn't said anything since Halt's arrival. Everyone turned in surprise by her voice. "Lorriac's death was suspicious. It was said that he died of a stroke or a heart attack. He hadn't had a mark on him and he was staring straight ahead, stone cold. I don't think a stroke can do that. But if Halt is saying is true, and that the Kalkara had killed him, he could've died by looking in their eyes. This all makes sense now" Belle said. Halt gave belle an approving look.

"And there were some vague reports that a big animal was spotted in the area of where Lorriac was found dead." Halt added. Everyone stood in silence, realisation storming into them. after a while, Halt spoke once again, breaking everyone out of their thoughts.

"We'd best be moving. Merron," Halt turned to Merron. "You'll need to return to your fief and Crowley wants the army alerted and assembled." Merron nodded and turned to pack away the things at his camp site to go to his fief when something came to mind. He then turned back around with a questioning look on his face.

"What will you three be doing?" He asked.

Belle looked at Halt intently. And that's when it hit her. Belle felt her insides erupt as she heard Halt answer.

"We're going after the Kalkara."

A/N: Hey guys! I told ya I would update every Saturday! Yay me!(: Hope you liked it, and if you are looking for more ranger books, make sure to check out RangerWill's story called: How to get killed by Ranger Apprentice cast (list 1-10 per character)

It's a good book so check it out(:

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Jess-XX-