Ranger's Apprentice - Rescue

Chapter 17

Halt shifted uncomfortably in the saddle, glancing at Gilan once before returning his gaze warily to the young girl standing below him.

He and Gilan were back at the stables in the village, both mounted on their Ranger horses. But before they could give Tug his leeway to lead them back to Will, and send Abelard and Blaze following him, the girl had moved to block their way.

"I'm coming with you," she repeated now. Again, Halt felt rather uncomfortable as he cleared his throat.

"It's not safe," he told her. "We've no idea who we are dealing with-"

"Exactly," the girl interrupted. "You don't know anything about these men. But I do. I was with them for months."

Halt hesitated. She made a good point, but he was still reluctant to bring an untrained civilian, and a girl he'd never met before today at that, into a potential battle. They would need stealth if they planned to rescue Will without being caught, and skill if they did get caught.

"She's right, Halt," Gilan suddenly said from behind the older Ranger. Halt turned to see Gilan giving him an understanding expression. Of course his old apprentice had thought through everything that had just run through Halt's mind. But they'd both reached the same conclusion; this girl might have valuable information about the men that neither Halt nor Gilan would know they needed until they were within their camp.

Halt chewed his lip thoughtfully, finally sighing.

"Alright," he said, reaching a hand down to the girl. "You can ride double with me. But don't expect me to slow down or take it easy."

"How kind," she muttered, taking his hand and allowing him to swing her into the saddle. Even facing forward, Halt could tell the girl was uncomfortable being so close to him. Her body was tense and rigid, and rather than wrapping her arms around his waist as was common, she held tightly to the back of his saddle.

"Would you rather ride with the more handsome young Ranger?" Halt muttered grumpily over his shoulder. He was surprised by the genuine reassurance in her reply.

"Oh no, that's not it, sir. It's just that I..."

Her voice trailed off, and Halt frowned. He considered the possibility that he'd misjudged the reason for her discomfort. Then he shrugged.

"Right then," he said, flicking his reigns to move Abelard up beside Tug, who was waiting patiently. "Lead us to Will, Tug."

The little gray horse needed no second command. He set off at the usual Ranger pace, trotting along the path in the direction he'd come from earlier that day. Halt sent Abelard after him. He didn't have to turn and look to know Gilan and Blaze were close behind him.

They rode in silence for about an hour. Then Halt felt the girl shift behind him. It occurred to him that he hadn't asked her name. Despite his gruff outward appearance, he felt rather ashamed at his lack of manners.

"I never caught your name," he said, turning his head ever so slightly so she could hear him clearly. She paused for a moment, and Halt waited patiently.

"Annalise," she finally said. "My name is Annalise."

Halt nodded. He wasn't one for small talk, but he felt it was polite in this situation. He was sure Annalise was already nervous being on the road with two unknown Rangers, not to mention that she was voluntarily heading back toward her previous captors.

"So tell me, Annalise," he said casually, "exactly how did you meet Will?"

Again, there was a slight pause before she spoke again. When she did, her voice was tight and guarded.

"I escaped from the fortress on my own," she said slowly. "They left my door open and I managed to sneak past their guards. They're terrible drunks, you know. I was escaping through the woods when Will saw me. He thought I was an intruder, I suppose, because he drew his bow on me. Of course I showed myself. It was dark, so all I could see was a faint outline of him. But even at that, I could see his bow. It wasn't until he demanded I remove my hood that he realized I was a girl, and no threat to him. Then he took me back to the village and paid for a room in the inn for me. I gave him all the information I had on these men, which wasn't much. Just that they were hiding out there, and they had some kind of prisoner that they've been torturing. He found some kind of lead at the library, and then he took off after the men. The only thing he told me was that if I hadn't heard from him in four days I should go to the castle and tell the baron to send for you. I got worried so I went on day three. The baron said he'd sent for you as soon as Will left that day."

Halt took a moment to digest everything he'd just heard. First and foremost, he realized, Baron Phillip had sent for Halt several days early. That meant that there was a chance Will hadn't been missing for as long as Halt had first been led to believe. It was a good thing, but it still didn't change the fact that Tug was here now, without Will. Which could only mean one thing; Will was definitely in trouble.

"And this man you saw," he asked Annalise, forcing himself to focus on something other than the thought of Will lying in the field somewhere, fatally wounded. "The prisoner. What do you know about him?"

"Nothing much," Annalise admitted regretfully. "I couldn't see him very well. I was running for my life. I could tell he'd been tortured a lot. He was bloody and bruised and sickly thin. His hair was long, so I assume he'd been there for a while. But when I told Will about him, he was sure that it was some kind of scholar's apprentice he'd been sent to rescue."

Halt nodded.

"It makes sense," he said to himself. "And if he connected that much, that explains why he was in the library, to get any possibly information on what the scholar's apprentice had been in Highcliff for. Very clever, Will. Good man."

Halt's mind came to a decision quickly.

"Gilan," he called. Gilan increased Blaze's speed until he was alongside Halt.

"What is it?" the younger Ranger asked.

"I need you to turn around," Halt said, holding up a hand to forestall Gilan's protests. "Annalise said that there was a prisoner in the fortress we saw. She said Will was confident that the prisoner was the scholar apprentice he'd been sent after. He was in the library a few days ago trying to find out why the scholar was here. I need you to go to the library and find out what Will found out."

Gilan hesitated. Halt, seeing the worry in his eyes, leaned over and placed a comforting hand on Gilan's shoulder.

"I'll bring him back," he assured his friend. "Trust me. I will get Will. I just need you to do this part for me. I can't be in two places at once."

Finally, Gilan nodded.

"Alright Halt," he said. "But be careful, please."

Halt raised an eyebrow at Gilan.

"Aren't I always?"

Gilan stared back, clearly not amused.

"No," he said firmly. "No you are not."