HALT PACED BACK AND forth in the tent; it had been over a day since the party had gone to retrieve Will, Horace, and the Princess, and no word had reached them yet.
"You mind not pacing?" Crowley asked mildly, not looking up from his papers. Halt glared at him.
"I do mind, actually. But thank you for asking."
The Commandant sighed. "I'm sure they'll be fine, Halt."
Halt said nothing. They very well could be fine, and he might be worrying over nothing. Or, they could have been taken by the Wargals, or maybe even Morgarath's army themselves. The thought turned his blood to ice.
A collective shout rose from outside, and Halt burst out of the tent, shoulders sagging as he saw the incoming party. "Gilan!" he called, upon sighting his former apprentice.
The tall Ranger approached him with a weary smile. "We got them," he said, and Halt's heart lifted. "There are some other things that need to be discussed, by the way. Will and the other two found some interesting information."
Halt nodded, raising an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to ask when another voice called out to him. "Halt!"
It was the warrior apprentice. He turned as Horace approached him with a smile, half-carrying another, smaller figure. Dried blood ran down the side of his face, and he wore a half-dazed look.
Halt rushed forward, taking his apprentice from the other boy. "Will!" he exclaimed. "What happened? Are you alright?"
The boy gave him a small smile, though Halt saw the grimace hidden underneath. "Just a hit to the head," Will said. "I'm alright."
Halt breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Come on. We need to get you checked out."
But the boy shook his head. "There are Skandians coming," he said. Halt raised both eyebrows in surprise.
"Skandians? What are they doing here?"
"Fighting for Morgarath," Horace put on, laying a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "And then there were the Celts, building a bridge across the Fissure."
"What?" Halt asked sharply.
"We burned it," Will said. "It's gone. There's no way they can get that bridge built back, unless it's a smaller rope bridge."
Halt nodded, patting his apprentice on the back. Deep inside him, he harbored the fear that the boy had been taken by the Wargals. But now, with Will here, he was safe—as safe as anyone could get at the moment.
"You did well," he said softly. Will smiled at him, his eyes widening slightly in surprise and pleasure. Halt was too relieved to burst his bubble.
"Now, come on. We need to get you checked out before we bring the news to the King."
YOU ARE READING
Ranger's Apprentice: Tales Untold
FanfictionYou've heard of their adventures, of the wars, of their accomplishments. You know where they've traveled. But what about the parts you don't see? The parts of their lives that have been untold?
