Ranger's Apprentice - Rescue

Chapter 15

They had been diligently searching for days, but Will had been trained in traveling without being followed when he wanted to. He'd covered his track so well, even Halt couldn't find the direction that he'd escaped on Tug with. He could make out the general direction, but after the first half hour of following the week-old tracks, a hard task in and of itself, they disappeared.

It was for this reason that Halt's mood had become almost unbearable for Gilan, who had never seen his mentor so distraught.

"Halt," Gilan tried as they made their way across the drawbridge of Castle Highcliff after visiting with the baron. Halt grunted in reply. "You saw the direction that Will's tracks were headed," Gilan reminded the older man. "You're probably worrying for nothing. There is a huge chance that he's heading back to Redmont."

Halt suddenly stopped dead in his tracks on the dirt path that led back to the village where the two of them had stayed for the past few days. Gilan, who had been trailing behind Halt as the man marched along, had to stumble to the side to avoid running into Halt's back. After steadying himself, he glanced at his mentor.

Halt was glaring at him. The sight made Gilan want to shrink away and apologize. Amazingly, though, the man managed to stand his ground. He knew Halt wasn't really angry with him. He was simply taking his anger out on the only person he had with him. Gilan, well aware that this was a habit of Halt, took it extremely well, remaining calm and unfazed.

"We don't know that, Gilan," Halt spat now. "We think that, but we don't know. Something could have happened along the way. What if some of these people escaped and followed Will?"

Gilan frowned.

"You heard what Baron Phillip told us," he replied carefully. "When he found out that Will had gone into the woods, he sent troops after him. They fought and killed most of the enemy-"

"Yes, most of them," Halt interrupted. "But most is not all, Gil. Some of them could have followed Will and overtaken him, especially if he'd been injured while trying to escape."

"But he's trained to handle that kind of situation, Halt," Gilan pointed out now. "I know it's hard to find peace in that, but he is trained for this."

Halt was shaking his head.

"He's not done this before yet," he said in a low voice. "Not on his own."

"But he was going to have to do it alone at some point," Gilan said. His words hit on the exact point of Halt's internal struggle. Gilan knew this, and he knew that it was causing his mentor and friend deep grief. He took a step forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Trust his skill, Halt. You've told me time and again that Will is one of the best you've ever seen. Until we have proof that something has gone wrong, let's trust in that. I'm not saying we shouldn't keep looking for him," he added as Halt began to protest. The older Ranger settled as Gilan pressed his last point home. "We should still look for him. But we don't need to kill ourselves thinking up scenarios that may not be true."

Halt held his breath as his mind fought against his fatherly instincts and the words that Gilan had just said. They were the same words that so many people, including Lady Pauline, had been telling him for weeks. But it was so hard, he thought to himself now, to let Will go.

Finally, he sighed deeply.

"You're right," he admitted, and regretted the words as soon as he saw Gilan's wide smile.

"It's nice to hear it every once in a while," the younger Ranger teased. Halt glowered at him, but before he could retort with some kind of sarcastic remark, a nearby figure caught Gilan's attention.

"That's odd," he said, stepping away from Halt to face behind the man. Halt turned to see a young girl approaching. He had to admit that Gilan was right. The purpose-driven manner with which she walked was rather odd, especially when she had her eyes locked on two Rangers.

"Hullo," Gilan called cheerfully. The girl ignored him. Her dark hair fell long, past her waist. As she stopped in front of Halt, the hair blew in the wind behind her.

"You're Rangers," she said. It wasn't a question. Halt raised an eyebrow, glancing down at his cloak and quiver, and then at the silver oakleaf necklace at his throat.

"So it would seem," he stated. The girl, again, ignored the tone of his voice.

"Do you know a Ranger named Will?" she asked.

And just like that, Halt and Gilan were interested in any and everything this girl might say.

"You know Will?" Gilan asked. The girl nodded.

"He rescued me," she said, a little awkwardly. "He's gone missing."

Halt nodded. "We know," he said hopefully. "Do you have any idea where he went?"

But the girl shook her head sadly.

"I was hoping you would," she told them, and Halt's heart fell. "He went to the fortress in the woods where I escaped from. There was a man being held there, and he thought the man was some kind of scholar he'd been sent to rescue. He told me and the Baron both that if he wasn't back in four days we were to send for his mentor, Halt. It's been a week, and I'm starting to-"

"I am Halt," Halt said. The girl nodded.

"I thought you might be," she said. "But you haven't found him?"

Halt shook his head regretfully. "He covered his tracks pretty well. He must have been afraid of these men in the fortress following him. I'm sure he'll turn up soon, hopefully with this man you said he went after. I didn't see a prisoner's body in the fortress. Did you?"

He turned to address the question to Gilan. The other Ranger shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly, the girl gasped aloud.

"Wait!" she cried. "Isn't that Will's horse?"

Halt's head swung around to follow the girl's finger, pointed in the distance. His spirits lifted as he recognized a familiar, shaggy gray horse flying across the ground, dust billowing behind him.

"About time," Halt muttered under his breath.

But as Tug approached,  an uncomfortable feeling began to stir in Halt's gut. Something was off about the horse's appearance. Then, he realized what was wrong.

"Halt," Gilan asked, his voice conveying all the worry and confusion that Halt felt now.

"I know," Halt said, swallowing thickly. "That's definitely Tug."

"But if that's Tug," Gilan finished miserably, "then where is Will?"