Rangers Apprentice: Return of the Dead

The Order

"You keep flicking your wrist to the side to much, that's what's causing your knife to veer to the left. Try again only this time without flicking your wrist."

Daniel sighed and retrieved his sax knife. He's been an apprentice for a month now. A month since he had the encounter with the Nightrider; which he told no one about. He was excellent with the bow already, good at un-seen movement and a blossoming skilled tracker. His only downfall was knife throwing.

Taking his ready position, he mimicked throwing the knife before actually throwing it. When he did throw the knife, it was at the exact same time Halt complained to him, "We don't have all day you know."

Daniel watched the knife in slow motion, concentrating so hard in hopes he was able make the knife hit the middle of the target with only his mind. Unfortunately he wasn't able to control the knife with his mind, but it did hit the middle of the target. He looked at Halt with a perfectly raised eyebrow, "You were saying Halt?"

Halt glared at him, "One good throw out of fifteen try's won't be ably to save your life from a on coming opponent." He looked to the sky before he frowned back to his apprentice, "That's enough for today, go get your knife and meet in the cabin," he said gruffly before walking to the cabin.

Daniel sighed, there was no getting on the good side of him ever since he had become his apprentice. He jerked his knife from the target and slipped it back into its scabbard. He trudged slowly to the cabin, thinking hard as he did everyday when he was alone about what had happened that night.

Shock and fear swept through him, causing the bow and the arrow he had pulled back to shake a little. The Nightrider was...he didn't know. There was no way to describe the way it gave off a deathly aura and seemed to look in to his soul. The horse was large and sleek, and yet smaller than a battle horse and had less muscle than one to. Its coat was a glimmering chestnut color, dressed in half battle amour. It's head and neck were covered along with part of its rump. It's legs also had silver braces around them in the same metal as the rest of the amour. The Nightrider wore all black; a hood and what reminded him of a keife like the riders in Arrida wore only much tighter. He wore long cuffs around his arms with metal on them and the strangest recurve bow he had ever seen, half wood, half metal. The riders eyes gleamed in the moonlight and never left Daniel. He stayed were he stood and then curiosity came over him and he spoke to it, "Who are you?" Silence was the only thing that spoke to him for a long time, then it answered him. "I am one of The Order." The voice startled Daniel, the Nightrider was a woman! As he was still recovering from this shock, the Nightrider turned her horse and was about to leave when he called out, "But who is The Order?" She didn't turn around. "We are the shadows of the night." And with that, she was gone.

Daniel had tried to track her but it was useless, she had had a horse while he was on foot and had to be back in the castle before anyone noticed he was gone.

Finally reaching the cabin he opened the door and walked in. Maddie was bent over some maps muttering to herself while Halt and Gilan were talking in the kitchen part of the cabin. Halt turned and looked at him.

"We need to talk." His eyes were barriers and his voice steel.

Daniel froze, There's no way that he knows...