Ranger's Apprentice - Rescue

Chapter 7

Will found himself turning the men that Annalise had sent to help him back toward the castle almost as soon as they arrived.

Luckily, Will hadn't asked for more than ten men and arms. If he had, he might have felt rather foolish at turning them back. But as soon as he had looked over the little fortress in the woods, he had shook his head and withdrawn back to the field. There were too many patrols outside the castle walls, and he knew that his ten men at arms would do no good against the twenty-five or so he estimated to be inside the fortress, judging by their horses tethered outside.

That had all been three days ago. Now, he was in the castle library, sifting through books. In truth, Will had no idea what he was looking for in the library. The only connection he had between his current mission and the book-filled room was that he was in the area to rescue a scholar's apprentice.

"Can I help you with anything Ranger?"

Will looked up to see a wiry man with wispy white hair staring down at him. His head was balding on top, but not so much that it was too terribly noticeable. His nose was long and straight. His face and arms were unscathed, a clear sign of someone who had never seen a day of battle before.

Suddenly, Will realized that he hadn't answered the man's question. From within the cowl of his cloak, he cleared his throat.

"I was looking for..." he began slowly, but his voice trailed off. He wasn't completely sure what he was looking for. Shrugging, he lifted the cowl back from his face to look at the man more clearly. Ignoring the jolt of shock that went through the man upon seeing Will's fresh, young face, the young Ranger continued.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking for," he admitted. "More like I'm just sifting through your collection."

The man's eyes seemed to flash with something that Will couldn't quite detect.

"From what I've been told about Rangers, you always have a motive behind your actions," the man said.

Will narrowed his eyes for a fraction of a second before quickly assuming an amused expression. Still, his mind was turning. The man's tone suggested that he was attempting to crack a joke at Will's expense, but his eyes seemed to tell a different story. Once again, there was no amusement in them, only an even gaze. That, on top of his unusual calmness in the presence of a King's Ranger, didn't settle well in Will's mind. Something was suspicious about this man.

Will settled back in the chair that he had been reading in. He feigned a friendly smile as he kept his eyes on the man.

"Name's Will," he said, holding a hand out to the man that Will had now assumed must be the librarian. He saw a flicker of recognition in the librarian's eyes and, for a moment, wondered if he should have used a different name. Over the years, his had become well known throughout the kingdom, especially after his enslavement with the crown princess Cassandra in Skandia some years prior. Quickly, however, Will disregarded the thought. He had already reported to the Baron under his true name. Ten men at arms had met with him in the woods three days ago. In all likelihood, his name had already been spread around the castle. If this librarian hadn't heard Will's name from the Ranger's mouth, he probably would have heard it from somewhere else soon.

All of this went through Will's mind in the span of a few seconds. As the recognition left the librarian's eyes, replaced by interest, the man took Will's hand and shook it firmly.

"Dursby," the man replied. Will frowned inwardly at the name. It was an uncommon one. Still, he shook the man's hand until he felt the librarian's grip lessen. Then Will released him.

"Well, Dursby," Will said, standing. "I appreciate your offer to help, but I-"

"Might I ask what brings such a well-known Ranger to Highcliff?"

Will froze, thankful that his back was now to Dursby so the man wouldn't see the look of surprise on his face. No one, unless it was the king himself or another member of the Corps, dared to interrupt a King's Ranger. For someone as unimportant in status as Dursby...

"Just a simple mission," Will replied, turning to face the librarian with a smile. "Sent by the Commandant to check up on some things here."

Dursby smiled back, but the expression didn't meet his eyes.

"I would have thought the Commandant would trust our own Ranger for such a task," he replied. Again, his tone didn't match his expression.

Will hesitated. He didn't think it wise to explain any part of his mission to this man, after such suspicious behavior. As such, he didn't want to let on that he was only here as part of his fifth year apprenticeship, testing his ability to fly solo on a mission. Instead, he thought, it might be smarter to go another route.

"Oh, he would," Will said, no trace of his internal suspicion in his voice or expression. "Unfortunately, our own fief has been rather slow on activity, and the Commandant wishes to give my mentor and I a chance to practice our skills. He feels we are too comfortable in our cabin back home."

The lie had been far fetched, seeing as how he had no mentor with him. But it had the desired effect. Dursby looked completely taken aback, presumably by the mention of a second Ranger visiting the castle. His next words confirmed Will's thoughts.

"Mentor?" he asked before he could stop himself. "I thought only one of you was coming?"

Will pretended not to notice the slip up. It seemed that Dursby hadn't noticed his mistake either.

Will let out a good-natured laugh.

"Oh, you know how rumors work around the kingdom," Will said carefully, shrugging in a light manner. "You can never trust the word on the street."

He waited until Dursby nodded, distractedly, before he sighed and waved his arm in farewell.

"Well I must be getting back. Nice to meet you, Dursby," Will called before descending the stairwell that led out of the library. "And I am sure I will be seeing you again," he muttered to himself.

It seemed that Will had found yet another lead. Unsure of the details, he knew one thing.

This Dursby was up to no good.