The New Rangers

Chapter Twenty-Three

Alyss gave a short, delicate laugh in response to something one of the guards that rode with her said. The day was bright, the sun warm but not overly hot and she was happy to be returning home after a mission to Celtica to gain their ally's help against Morgan.

The mission had been a success, Celtia agreed to provide soldiers should they be needed.

A cry went up from the guard leading the procession. "Seek cover!" he yelled.

Alyss grasped the reins of her mount and spun her horse toward the sparse trees on the side of the road. The guard closest to her was thrown from his horse when an arrow sank into the horse's flank.

The decision she made was instantaneous, she pulled her horse around and went back, jumped from the saddle and helped the man to his feet. "On the horse, now," she ordered.

The man scrambled into the saddle and held a hand out to pull her up behind him.

She reached up and grasped his hand, allowing him to pull her up behind him in the saddle. The man spurred the horse toward the trees. Just before they reached the safety of the trees, a sharp pain caused her to cry out, then they broke into the cover of the trees.

Hands reached up, helping her from the saddle and lying her carefully on the ground. Voices murmured urgently as the men moved around her. The words were indistinct and she couldn't seem to focus enough to grasp what was being said.

The only thing that was clear to her was that the pain was overwhelming and she knew there was no recovering from it. She was dying. Tears made sudden, hot trails down her cheeks. She would never see Will again. Never see Deva become a Ranger. Never be with those she loved again.

The knight who was leading the expedition stared down at Alyss in horror. Red soaked the bright white of her diplomat's dress. An arrow stuck awkwardly from the center of her back. There was nothing they could do for her. They all liked Alyss Treaty. She was a good-natured, bright woman, always with a kind word for those around her.

He turned to his men. "Did anyone catch sight of the archer, do we know where the man is located?"

One of the men stepped forward, his look grim. "Yes, sir, he was in the trees just behind us, I saw him briefly before he stepped back into the trees. He wore the same uniform the men who rode with Morgan wore, same colors."

The captain swore and looked down at Alyss once more. "He wanted us to know exactly who was responsible. There was no other reason for him to make his presence so obvious when he could have fired from the cover of the trees." He dragged a hand down his face before continuing. "He wanted Ranger Will to know exactly who has taken his wife from him." He shook his head staring down at Alyss. She was gone. The one knight with him that had some medical experience had shaken his head and looked grim after inspecting the wound. It had been only a matter of moments before she took her last breath. "We need to ride quickly back and return Alyss home to her family. The Princess needs to know what has happened. It would appear Morgan lives and he has declared war on us." He sighed. "Remove the arrow," he ordered the man who still knelt beside Alyss.

He turned and mounted his horse, directing a man to hand Alyss up to him once the arrow was removed. He would make certain Alyss was returned home to her family.

"Sir, what if the archer is still out there?" one of the men asked.

He sighed. "I don't think he is. This was his goal. Morgan wanted to strike at the heart of things. Remove Alyss and he believes Ranger Will is going to fall apart. It isn't hard to understand how much he and Alyss loved one another. We are not the targets today. If he kills all of us there will be no one to report back."