Sparks Flying - A Ranger's Apprentice Story

Chapter Twenty-Six

The smell of coffee wormed its way into Will's consciousness.

He was so warm and sleepy. He wished it wasn't morning. It would be a long day of training with Halt, he knew, and much as he loved honing his Ranger skills, he longed for more time curled in bed in his small room in the little cabin in the trees.

Then he heard a strange drumming sound, and opened his eyes. He wasn't in his apprentice days. Far from it. He was leaning against a tree on the edge of a clearing, Maddie a dead weight on his chest. Someone, Halt or maybe Gilan, had erected a shelter of oilcloth over him and his sleeping apprentice. He thanked them silently. It was again pouring. It was the sound of heavy raindrops hitting the tautly stretched oilcloth that was making the strange sound.

He shook Maddie gently, and she stirred slightly, moaning softly.

"Come on, it's time to wake up, Maddie," Will said, moving her again. "We have a long day ahead of us."

Maddie finally opened her eyes, blinking blearily. "Uncle Will? Where are we? What happened?"

"We're on the trail, my girl, searching for Alyss," he reminded her, much as he hated to. He remembered those lovely moments of half-conscious innocent oblivion right after he had woken. But the sound of the rain had stirred the deep-seated anxiety that had painfully knotted into his stomach the moment he got the pigeon message about Alyss's disappearance. The rain would wash the tracks away. They needed to hurry.

Maddie blinked once, instantly awake. "We need to go," she said bluntly, untangling herself from Will's cloak. "Aunt Alyss needs us." She pulled her cowl up over her head, and crawled out of the shelter. She squeaked in protest at the cold rain, but kept going.

Will sighed, and pulled his own cloak tighter around him, preparing to follow Maddie. He shared her opinions - both about Alyss and about the rain - completely. It was time to go.

The rain was heavy, cold, and wet, and began to soak even the pre-treated wool of the Ranger cloaks almost instantly. Will took a moment to pull down the little shelter, bundling the oilcloth around the poles that were the bones of the construction.

The other three Rangers were huddled around another little oilcloth shelter which housed a pitifully small and smoky campfire. Halt looked up at Will as he approached, nodding a grim good morning.

"Good, you're up. We need to talk."

"But first, coffee," Gilan said. He handed Will one of their metal thermoses, wrapped in a thick cloth to insulate the metal. "Then strategy."

Will crouched obediently next to the others, taking a long draught of the coffee.

"All right, let's recap," Gilan began. "So, I followed both tracks a little ways down at first light, while Halt was on watch. Remember how the tracks were of a group of six horses? They've split off into two groups of three horses each. Each horse has one rider, judging from the tracks, but I couldn't get any more information. The rain is beginning to erase them."

"So no matter how we split up, we'll be outnumbered," Maddie said. "It's a divide and conquer strategy, and a win-win situation for them. If we follow, they'll have the numbers. If we stay and wait for backup, they'll have time to get even farther away, and we risk losing their trail."

Will blinked once, impressed at his apprentice's grasp of the situation. "Nicely put, Maddie," he said. "Excellent summary. What do you think we should do?"

Maddie looked shocked at being addressed. "Me? Why would you ask me?"

"Because last time you put together a plan, it worked brilliantly," Gilan pointed out.

"That was luck!" Maddie protested.

"Everything's a risk, and the one you proposed worked out," Halt told her. "So, what would you do in this situation?"

Maddie took a long moment to think. "Well," she said slowly, "we can eliminate the option of waiting for backup. Outnumbered with a trail is infinitely better than greater numbers and no trail."

Will nodded. "Go on," he said. 

Maddie's forehead furrowed. "The problem is, we'd have to split up," she said. "And there's no way to do that evenly. There's only three full Rangers, so one group would be in extra danger."

"Four divides evenly into two groups," Gilan said. "Don't underestimate yourself, Maddie."

"I think we should divide up," Will said. "Halt and Gilan take one trail, and Maddie and I take the other. Masters and apprentices belong together in the field." He shared a small smile with Maddie - very small, but the first in a long time.

"The trail's not getting any clearer while we're sitting here!" Gilan said, straightening to his feet. "Let's go get Alyss."

While Maddie and Gilan headed off toward where the horses were grazing in the shelter of the trees, Halt placed a hand on Will's shoulder. 

"Will, you know I trust you more than anything," he said softly. "Please, watch out for Maddie. Send her for help if you need to."

"You know I will," Will returned. "I refuse to let anything happen to her. She's my goddaughter, and the daughter of my best friend. And the heir to the throne of Araluen."

Halt squeezed Will's shoulder once before releasing him. "Then godspeed, Will. Be safe. Find Alyss."

~

Will and Maddie rode off into the trees, following the trail that split to the east. Maddie glanced nervously over her shoulder in time to see Halt and Gilan disappear in the opposite direction. She felt alone and exposed - and yes, in danger - with the other two Rangers gone. Then she turned to face the front, taking a deep breath. She had Will. And he would never let anything happen to her.

As they followed the trail, Maddie returned to her role of marking their path, both slashing trees and watching to make sure no one was on their immediate tail. 

The morning passed in a strained silence - the only sounds the dull thud of the horses' hooves and the steady murmur of the rain. Even that passed as the rain subsided around midday, leaving only a dreary grayness in its wake. Maddie was constantly on edge, jumping at any unexpected sounds around them.

There had been no changes by the time night fell. The tracks were getting more and more recent. "We're gaining on them," Will remarked grimly as the two swung out of their saddles for the night. 

"Cold camp?" Maddie asked, although she already knew. No point in advertising the fact that they were there for anyone who might be on the lookout for them to come.

"Cold camp," Will answered. 

"I'll take first watch," Maddie volunteered. She recognized the strain and exhaustion on her mentor's face, and knew he needed rest.

Will nodded a wordless thanks, and rolled into his cloak at the base of a tree at the edge of the clearing. Maddie pulled three arrows out of her quiver and concealed herself in the shadows, senses on the alert and at the ready.

It was going to be a long and exhausting night.