Ranger's Apprentice - Rescue

Chapter 11

"George?"

Will's voice came out no more than a hushed whisper, but he still winced at the volume. George's head swiveled lazily toward the sound of Will's voice, and the young man opened his mouth to speak. In the last second, Will darted forward and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh," he hissed. "They know I'm here. Don't make a sound or they might find me. Understand?"

Will stared into George's eyes. The young scholar had never been one with physical strength, and it was obvious by the broken look in the boy's eyes that his capture and torture had weighed heavily on his mind. But he nodded at Will's instructions nonetheless.

Slowly, Will removed his hand. He stepped forward cautiously, pressing his ear against the door and listening carefully. The sound of footsteps and voices had receded outside. Still, he was sure that it would only be a matter of time before someone thought to look in the room. Even if they didn't someone would eventually be along to check on George.

Or to torture him further, Will thought wryly. He turned his attention back to his long time friend. George was watching him closely, a small flicker of the boy's familiar curiosity and analytical light in his eyes once more. It was small, but it reassured Will. Perhaps George would be just fine, once they were safe at home once more.

If, that was, Will could find a way out of this mess without getting one or both of them killed.

"Why are you here?" George asked in a low voice, and Will glared at him, shaking his head in a warning. The boy frowned, but refrained from speaking again. Instead, he mouthed his next question.

Mission?

Will nodded.

Came to find you, he mouthed back. Fifth year mission.

At the mention of his fifth year solo mention, Will saw George's eyes drop. Knowing that his friend was ashamed of his failure to complete his own solo mission, Will stepped forward and placed a gentle, comforting arm on George's shoulder. The scholar looked up and met Will's gaze.

What happened?  Will mouthed. George glanced around, as if nervous that recounting his story would somehow make his torturers appear before him. Will waited patiently.

Treason, George finally mouthed in reply, and Will frowned. Still, he let George continue. Bigger problem than I thought. Alliance with Outsiders.

Again, Will frowned at the last word. He'd never heard of any country or people group known as the Outsiders, but it was obvious by George's fearful expression that the man either had previous knowledge about them or had learned enough to worry him since he'd been captured. Will noticed with some sympathy that George was trembling now. He was held in place by a chain and cuffs, nailed to the wall. They were similar to the ones Will had noticed as he first entered the room, although these allowed George to sit as he was now on an uncomfortable looking wooden bench.

Will took a moment to assess his friend. There were numerous cuts and scars on his arms and face. His clothes were no more than rags now, his scholar's uniform shredded and dirty. His curly hair was longer than Will had ever seen it, falling into the boy's eyes. He smelled awful, a mixture of his own dried blood and his inability to bathe. Will couldn't blame him for that.

Absentmindedly, he used his two knives to pry the lock on George's cuffs open. He caught them before they could clang to the floor, carefully placing them to one side. George gave Will a grateful look, rubbing his wrists painfully.

Will paced as he thought through their current situation. There was no way of knowing if someone was outside waiting for him. A quick, mouthed question to George confirmed his suspicions that there were usually no guards posted outside. After all, with George being so skinny and weak in the first place, and chained to the wall as he had been earlier, there was no need for a guard.

Still, that wasn't to say that men couldn't be roaming the halls looking for Will. He drew a deep breath, closing his eyes to think. Tug was waiting, saddled and ready, a few meters away in the woods. If Will could time it right, he could use the young horse as an element of surprise, calling to him. Tug, he knew, would come running to his master's aid as soon as Will gave the familiar call. With any luck, the men would be too shocked to react, and Will could escape, with George, on Tug. Will sighed. It was a flimsy plan, but it would have to work.

Will nocked an arrow to his bowstring, nodding his head toward the door. He saw George's eyes widen, and the scholar began to shake his head in fear, but Will forced the other man to look into his eyes.

Trust me, he mouthed. George hesitated, and Will allowed him a second to consider the request. George had always been a practical sort of person, trusting logic and reason more than people in general. Here, logic was against them. By asking his friend to put more faith in him than in reason, Will knew he was asking much of George.

Still, they had grown up together, and George had heard many tale's of his wardmate's feats over the years. Finally, deciding to take a chance just this once, he nodded. Will smiled reassuringly and cracked the door open.

No one was in the hall. He snuck out the door quietly, glancing back once to make sure George was following. Will began to feel a bit uneasy at the ease with which they seemed to be escaping. Keeping his nerves taught, he instinctively flattened himself against the stone wall just before they exited the fortress. He stuck one arm out to push George against the wall as well.

The shadows beyond the door frame told will that there were several guards outside. From the sound of their clanking armor and weapons and their raised voices, Will guessed they were still looking for him.

As long as he and George remained silent, Will knew, they would remain unnoticed. Until, that is, they walked outside.

Will felt a tight knot in his stomach at the prospect of what he was about to do. It would have to be loud, so it would carry over the other men's voices. Silence was keeping them safe now, and the thought of breaking that silence didn't settle well with Will. Still, for his plan to work, he needed to yell one word with all the force he had.

He drew a deep breath. Beside him, sensing what he was about to do, George moved to cover his mouth. But he was a fraction of a second too late.

With the loudest call Will could muster, he shouted that one word.

"Tug!"