The Fires of Esus - Ranger's Apprentice

Chapter 25: Can You Live With That?

Will staggered a bit as he slowly backed away from the soldiers. His ear was bleeding now, a thin stream of blood trickling down his neck and into his collar. He could hear out of it still, but only faintly, as if half his head was submerged underwater.

Athol, or Cuinn, whoever he was, was frowning deeply with his eyes locked on Will. Turning to one of the soldiers, he hissed, "How did he get here? I thought he was at the camp? And does he know anything about this?" The soldier could only shrug, and they both broke out in a furious, fast, whispered conversation, much too fast and quiet for Will's muddled head to follow.

"You, move over there." A soldier gestured with his sword towards the wall on the far side of the room. In Will's daze, he squinted as he recognized two figures seated against the wall, with a few soldiers standing nearby guarding them. As Will's eyes finally focused, he sucked in a breath as he met Alyss's worried eyes. He glanced down beside her, and hid his surprise as he recognized the prone figure of Halt, lying completely still, his eyes shut. His head was cradled in Alyss's lap, her hands covered in his blood.

"Drop your weapons here. The bow and the knives. Then wait here until Councilmember Athol is ready for you." The soldiers watched warily as Will stripped off his weapons, leaving them in a heap next to Halt's against the wall near the door. Then they pushed and shoved him diagonally across the room, past the blurry figures of the King and the four other council members sitting in their chairs, all watched carefully by more guards, until he had reached the far wall.

At the guard's word, he slumped down against the wall, a few feet away from Alyss. "Stay here, and don't think about trying anything. Or we'll hurt her and your friend." The soldiers turned away, standing in a semi-circle around them a few feet away. Close enough to prevent them from leaving, but not close enough for them to hear anything they said.

As soon as the guard's back turned, he felt Alyss reach out across the gap between them and seize his hand in her own. "Will, Athol lied. He's going to try to--"

"Kill the King, I know," Will interrupted her. They both whispered as quietly as they could, and Will quickly closed the gap between them, sliding over until he could press his left leg against her right. She gently reached up and rested her hand on his cheek, her eyes watering in the light from the window panes and torches along the wall. "I'm so glad you're back."

"Me too." He leaned into her hand, and then her touch was gone.

"So you figured it out?" she breathed, her tears gone. The fear still shone in her eyes, but it was expertly masked.

He nodded. "Mostly. One of the druids at the camp gave away a little too much. How'd you find out?"

"They moved the meeting up, and Athol lied. I only found out ten minutes ago when they knocked out Halt." She stroked the grizzled Ranger's forehead where the rock had cut him. "They dropped a rock down on him, he had no warning."

"That's why you knew to warn me." He gave her a small grateful smile. "Thanks for that, by the way. I really appreciate not being clobbered by stones at seven in the morning."

"You're quite welcome. Halt wasn't so lucky, and he hasn't moved since. I'm a bit worried."

Will gently felt around the cut on his forehead. No broken bones, and the swelling wasn't too bad. "It's not too bad, he should wake up within an hour."

Alyss's fingers brushed some of the blood of his neck, tracing it up to his ear. "What's this?"

Will winced in both pain and frustration as he realized he was still hearing everything like he was submerged in the castle moat. "That rock blew out my eardrum, I can barely hear anything on that side. But at least I'm not unconscious."