The Ruins of Gorlan (Book One of The Rangers Apprentice Series)

Gathering Grounds

    Over the next few months, Gilan trained Sierra with the bow, double daggers, and the sword. And by the time it was time to leave to the Gathering Ground, she was ready to face all the hate-filled, disrespectful comments that were bound to come her way. Gilan had never told her of Halt, because he wasn't altogether sure if he was her father. He didn't want to give her false hope.

"Ready?" Gilan asked.

"In a second," Sierra replied as she finished packing her small bag.

She opened the door five seconds later and stepped into the small hall. She skipped away to the front door, moving around the outside of the house to the stables that contained the two Ranger horses.

Star and Blaze nickered a greeting to the young girl as she made her way over to them. Daemyn, a grey wolf pup, looked up and barked happily. Sierra had found the wolf pup in her first month of training. Gilan had been reluctant to keep it, but finally relented.

Though he would never say it to her face, Sierra was allowed to get away with many things in his cottage. She could've brought a bear cub and raised it. He wouldn't have made any objections. He loved the girl as though she was his sister. He protected her, kept her safe. He would never let someone hurt her. Not if he had a say.

Gilan came into the stable to find Blaze saddled up already, Sierra now saddling Star.

Swinging up into the saddle, she whistled to let Daemyn know that it was time to leave. The pup stood up and stretched out before following her out of the stables. Gilan swung into his saddle and followed next to her.

"So, which way?" Sierra asked.

"Northwest," Gilan replied.

She nodded and pulled out her northseeker. She quickly aligned it and set off at a canter. Gilan smiled and went after her.

Three days later, they arrived on a well-worn path.

"This the path?" Sierra asked.

Gilan nodded and put a finger to his lips. She stopped both horses and wolf momentarily in time to hear two other horses up ahead.

"I'm going to sneak around that way," Sierra mouthed, pointing to the direction she wished to go.

Gilan nodded and rode off ahead. Sierra climbed a tree nearby and found another young boy in the tree next to her. She was surprised. Then, she took an arrow and nocked it to the string of her bow. When the boy jumped down, she let the arrow fly through the air and land, quivering in the ground between his feet. The boy yelped and jumped, spinning around. He looked at the position of the arrow and looked in the direction the arrow had come from.

"Come down," Gilan called.

Sierra jumped down the tree easily, landing in a crouch.

'Get ready for the disrespectful comments,' she thought.

"What's a girl doing here?" the young boy asked. "I thought Rangers only took males."

"They do," the older Ranger said.

"Sierra, meet Halt, my former master, and Will, his new apprentice. Halt, Will, this is my apprentice, Sierra," Gilan said.

"Nice to meet you, Will," Sierra said, shaking hands firmly with the boy.

"Nice to meet you too, Sierra," Will replied, smiling happily.

"Gilan's spoken frequently of you, Halt. I'm pleased to meet you at last," Sierra said, turning to the older Ranger.