The Fires of Esus - Ranger's Apprentice

Chapter 24: No Time to Grovel

"Why are there Celtic soldiers on the ramparts?"

Horace, his hand raised to block out the beams of the early morning sun, was squinting tiredly up at the battlements of Castle Redmont. They had ridden through the night as fast as they could, and arrived a few hours after dawn the following morning. Neither of them had slept or eaten in hours, and the sight of the green uniforms instead of the usual red from the Redmont garrison had unsettled them even further. Will, who had been seconds away from suggesting they stop and eat, immediately forgot his hunger as fear knotted up his insides.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered.

Horace glanced sidelong at him worriedly. "Do you think we're too late?"

Will only shook his head with frustration. "Too late, maybe, but for what? I know this Cuinn figure has to be here, and he has to have something to do with the King, but we need more information before we can figure out what exactly is supposed to happen. And there's not enough time for that."

Horace sighed, puffing out his cheeks, and then nudged Kicker's sides. "Well, like I always say, you Rangers are sneaky and great with planning. But right now, we don't have time to be sneaky or make a plan. So I say, we just go and see what happened for ourselves?" He gestured to the Celtic soldiers on the walls above them. "If these guards tell us anything, it's that something has to have happened. Something important enough involving their King that they've been asked to stand watch in a foreign country."

Will and Tug followed close behind as they began a swift trot to the drawbridge. "I suppose, for once, I'll agree that we don't have time for an elaborate plan or lots of head-scratching," and he paused as Horace's shoulders straightened triumphantly, "but thankfully, plans don't have to be long or complicated. And I've already got one."

Horace turned in his saddle, peering back at Will with one eyebrow raised. "How do you have a plan when we don't know what's going on?"

Will shrugged. "I never said it was a very detailed one."

Horace rolled his eyes. "Alright, let's hear it. It has to be better than just barging in there and yelling for someone to tell us what's happening. That was my plan."

Will gazed at him solemnly. "It's definitely better than that."

"Well, of course it is. So what is it? We haven't got all morning!"

"I was thinking we should split up. We can't do this alone, just the pair of us, and we need someone to get help. But we also need someone to go and start figuring out what's happened. So I was going to slip inside and find the King, while you gather the Royal Guard, or whatever group of soldiers you can find that can overpower the Celts. Depending on what we discover, we may end up needing a lot of help."

Horace nodded in agreement. "Definitely better than bursting in and yelling. What do you want me to do when I've got the men together? How will I find you?"

Will flashed a smile. "I'm planning on making a bit of a ruckus once I find the King, so it shouldn't be too hard once the ball starts rolling."

Horace grinned back. "Is this going to be a violent, loud ruckus?"

"Hopefully. It'll deter any other Celts from trying to be sneaky if every servant and noble in the castle has their eye on them. And it should hopefully prevent them from trying to kill me."

Horace's eyes gleamed. "Oh, I'd love to see them try. And if you do end up needing any help, I'll come as soon as I can. I'll head straight for the ruckus, sword ready."

"Perfect."

He and Will shared a mischievous smile.

"Just like old times?" Horace asked, hoisting his shield in front of him.