John Flanagan

“Me?" he said in some surprise. "I won't be dancing! It's the bridal dance. The bride and groom dance alone!"For one circuit of the room," she told him. "After which they are joined by the best man and first bridesmaid, then by the groomsman and the second bridesmaid."Will reacted as he had been stung. He leaned over to speak across Jenny on his left, to Gilan.Gil! Did you know we have to dance?" he asked. Gilan nodded enthusiastically.Oh yes indeed. Jenny and I have been practicing for the past three days, haven't we, Jen?"Jenny looked up at him adoringly and nodded. Jenny was in love. Gilan was tall, dashing, good-looking, charming and very ammusing. Plus he was cloaked in the mystery and romance tat came with being a Ranger. Jenny had only ever known one ranger and that had been grim-faced, gray-bearded Halt.”

“As Patron-Sponser, I am charged with..."-he pasued and consulted the notes-"adding a sense of royal cachet to proceedings today."He waited while a ripple of conversation ran around the room. Nobody was quite sure what adding a sense of royal cachet really meant. But everyone agreed that it sounded impressive indeed. Lady Pauline's mouth twitched in a smile and she looked down at the table. Halt found something of vast interest in the ceiling beams high above. Duncan continued.My second duty is..."-again he consulted his notes to make sure he had the wording correct-"to provide an extremly expensive present to the bride and groom..."Lady Pualine's head jerked at that. She leaned forward and turned to make eye contact with Lord Anthony. The Chamberlain met her gaze, his face completely devoid of expression. Then, very slowly, one eyelid slid down in a wink. He liked Lady Pauline and Halt a great deal and he'd added that duty without consulting them.”

“Undoubtedly, Baron Arald thought with a deep sense of pride and satisfaction, this would go down as the weddiong of the year. Perhaps of the decade.Already, it had the hallmarks of a roaring success . The Bores' Table was well attended with a group of eight people, currently vying to see who could be the most uninteresting, overbearing, and repetitive. Other guests glanced in their direction, giving silent thanks to the organizers who had seperated them from such dread-ful people.There had been inevitable tearful flouncing and shrill recriminations when a girlfriend of one of the younger warriors from Sir Rodney's Battleschool had caught her boyfriend kissing another girl in a darkened corridor. It wouldn't be a wedding reception without that, Arald thought.”

“Shall I call the others back in?"He nodded. "Why ask me? It's all of you who are making the decisions.”

“King Duncan looked up and swept his gaze slowly around the room. Cassandra, he saw, was defiant as ever. Arald's face was set and determined. Halt and Crowley's faces were inscrutable in the shadows of their cowls. The two younger men were both a little wide-eyed- obviously uncomfortable at the emotions that had been bared in the room. There was still a hint of admiration in Will's eyes, however, as he continued to stare at the Baron. Rodney was nodding in agreement with Arald's statements, while Gilan made a show of studying his nails.”

“Halt?" said Gilan, realization dawning. "You're not seasick are you?"No," Halt said shortly, not trusting himself beyond one syllable.Probably need a bite if breakfast to settle your stomach," Svengal said helpfully. "Gte something solid inside you."Had...breakfast." This time Halt managed three syllables-but with some difficulty, Svengal affected no notice.Cabbage is god. Especially pickled cabbage. Sits on the gut nicely," he said. "Goes well with a nice piece of greasy bacon. You should try that if you..."But before he could finish, Halt lurched toward the ship's rail and hung over it. Dreaful noises were torn from him. Svengal, still affecting a look of innocence, turned to Gilan, hands spread and eyes wide.What it the world is he looking for? Has he lost something, do you think?”

“Tug looked nervously at his master.Horses aren't supposed to fly, he seemed to be saying.”

“Svengal lay groaning on the turf. His thighs were sheer agony. His buttocks ached. His calf muscles were on fire. Now, afterhe had tumbled off the small pony he was riding and thudded heavily to the turf on the point of his shoulder, the shoulder would hurt too. He concentrated on trying to find one part of his body that wasn't a giant source of pain and failed miserably. He opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the face of the elderly pony that he had been riding peered down at him.Now what made you do a strange thing like that? The creature seemed to be asking.”

“Erak. The one they call the Oberjarl," the Arridi answered him.Impulsively, Axl took a pace forward, raising his ax threateningly.You'll have to go through the rest of us to take him!" he shouted defiantly.Well done, Axl," he said. "You've just told them I'm here.”

“Shut up, Axl!" he whispered fiercly. "If you want to break your neck, do it quietly or I'll break it for you.”

“Forty, sleepy, overweight, comfortable Arridi townsmen, who hadn't fought a real engagment in twenty years or more, wouldn't provide much resistance to thirty yelling, fiendish, bloodthirsty, gold crazed Skandians who would come screaming up from the beach like the hounds of hell.”

“You will be getting a haircut, won't you?"Halt ran his hand through his hair. It was getting a little long, he thought.I'll give it a trim," he said, his hand dropping unconciously to the hilt of his saxe knife. This time, Pauline did look up.You'll get a haircut," she said. Her gaze was steady and unwavering.I'll get a haircut," he agreed meekly.”

“Who's this?" he said, coming across a name he didn't recognize. "Lady Georgina of Sandalhurst? Why are we inviting her? I don't know her. Why are we asking people we don't know?"I know her," Pauline replied. There was a certain steeliness in her voice that Halt would have done well to recognize. "She's my aunt, Bit of an old stick, really, but I have to invite her."You've never mentioned her before," Halt challenged.True. I don't like her very much. As I said, she's a bit of an old stick."Then why are we inviting her?"We're inviting her," Lady Pauline explained, "because Aunt Georgina has spent the last twenty years bemoaning the fact that I was unmarried. 'Poor Pauline!' she'd cry to anyone who'd listen. 'She'll be a lonley old maid! Married to her job! She'll never find a husband to look after her!' It's just too good an opportunity to miss."Halt's eyebrows came together in a frown. There might be a few things that would annoy him more than someone criticizing the woman he loved, but for a moment, he couldn't think of one.Agreed," he said. "And let's sit her with the most boring people possible at the wedding feast."Good thinking," Lady Pauline said. She made a note on another sheet of paper. "I'll make her the first person on the Bores' table."The Bores' table?" Halt said. "I'm not sure I've heard that term."Every wedding has to have a Bores' table," his fiance explained patiently. "We take all the boring, annoying, bombastic people and sit them together. That way they all bore each other and they don't bother the normal people we've asked."Wouldn't it be simpler to just ask the people you like?" Halt askede. "Except Aunt Georgina, of course--there's a good reason to ask her. But why ask others?"It's a family thing," Lady Pauline said, adding a second and third name to the Bores' table as she thought of them. "You have to ask family and every family has its share of annoying bores. It's just organizing a wedding.”

“Halt," said the elegant diplomat, "when you asked me to marry you, did you think we could just sneak off to a glade in the woods with a few close friends and get it done?"Halt hesitated. "Well, no...of course not."As a matter of fact, that was exactly what he had thought. A simple ceremony, a few friends, some food and drink and then he and Pauline would be a couple. But he felt that it might not be wise to admit that right now.”

“After all, he did say you were the issue of an encounter between your father and a traeling hatcha-hatcha dancer."There was a gasp of horror from the crowd.Duncan, smiling thinly, said through gritted teeth: "Thank you so much for reminding us all, Anthony.”

“I'm the new Oberjarl."I knew it," said Halt instantly, and the other three looked at him, totally scandalized.You did?" Erak asked, his voice hollow, his eyes still showing the shock of his sudden elevation to the highest office in Skandia.Of course," said the Ranger, shrugging. "You're big, mean, and ugly and those seem to be the qualities Skandian's value most.”

“It was not polite for a Temujai general to allow his emotions to show.”

“Very impressive. Where did you learn that?"Made it up just now.”

“Do you have a death wish?" he asked. Will grinned at him.I'm just relying on your judgment," he replied. "I can't keep track of everything in my head.”

“How can you stay so calm?"It helps if you're terrified.”

“Once again Erak bellowed with laughter. "Your master here went nearly the same shade of green as his cloak," he told Will. Halt raised an eyebrow."At least I found a use for that damned helmet," he said, and the smile disappeared from Erak's face."Yes. I'm not sure what I'm going to tell Gordoff about that," he said. "He made me promise I'd look after that helmet. It's his favorite-a real family heirloom.""Well it certainly has a lived in feel to it now," Halt told him, and Will noticed there was a hint of malicious pleasure in his eye.”

“Let's face it, she can't have simply disappeared...can she?"Horace shrugged. "That's what I keep telling myself," he said morosley. "But somehow it looks as if she has.”

“She's missing," he said, in that same worried tone. He cast his hands out and looked around the empty practice field, as if he somehow expected to see her appear there. "Nobody's seen her since midmorning yesterday. I've looked everywhere for her, but there's no sign."Missing?" Will repeated, not quite understanding. "Missing where?"Horace looked up at him with a sudden flare of asperity. "If we knew that, she wouldn't be missing would she?"Will put up his hands in a peacmaking gesture.You're right!" he said. "I didn't realize. I've been a little tied up trying to get these archers organized. Surley somebody must seen her last night. Her room servants for example?”

“I nearly forgot, Ragnak had a further message for you. He said if we lose this battle and loses his slaves as well, he's going to kill you for it," he said cheerfully.Halt smiled grimly. "If we lose this battle, he may have to get in line to do it. There'll be a few thousand Temujai cavalrymen in front of him.”

“We're going to see Ragnak," Halt told him. "He's going to have to promise to free every slave who fights for Hallasholm."Will shook his head doubtfully. "He won't like that," he said. Halt turned and looked at him, a faint grin touching the corner of his mouth.He'll hate it," he agreed.”

“It's not what I expected," he said. "They're far more organized than our intelligence had led us to believe.”

“I thought told you to watch where you put your feet," he said accusingly. Erak shrugged.I did," he replied ruefully. "But while I was busy watching the ground, I hit that branch with my head. Broke it clean in two."Halt raised his eyebrows. "I assume you're not talking about your head," he muttered. Erak frowned at the suggestion.Of course not," he replied.More's the pity," Halt told him.”

“Now," said Halt, "all I have to do is work out a way of beating these horse-riding devils."Erak grinned at him. "That should be child's play," he said. "The hard part will be convincing Ragnak about it.”

“You may believe you're an excellent rider," he called, "but there are a score of Temujai back there who actually are.”

“Halt shook his head. Frankly, he'd seen sacks of potatoes that could sit a horse better than Erak”

“You're a very amusing fellow," he told Halt. "I'd like to brain you with my ax one of these days."Erak to Halt.”

“It's surprising how often history is decided by something as trival as bad shellfish.”

“Do you think you could persuade that horse of yours to stay with the other horses for a minute or two?” he said with a mock severity. “Otherwise he’ll wind up believing he’s one of us.”He’s been driving Halt crazy since we found your tracks,” Horace put in. “He must have picked up your scent and known it was you we were following, although Halt didn’t realize it.”At that, Halt raised an eyebrow. “Halt didn’t realize it?” he repeated. “And I suppose you did?”Horace shrugged. “I’m just a warrior,” he replied. “I’m not supposed to be the thinker. I leave that to you Rangers.”

“Evanlyn opened her mouth to scream. But the horror of the moment froze the sound in her throat and she crouched, openmouthed, as death approached her. It was odd, she thought, that they had dragged her here, left her overnight and then decided to kill her.It seem such a pointless way to die.”

“Halt waited a minute or two but there was no sound except for the jingling of harness and the creaking of leather from their saddles. Finally, the former Ranger could bear it no longer.What?”The question seemed to explode out of him, with a greater degree of violence than he had intended. Taken by surprise, Horace’s bay shied in fright and danced several paces away.Horace turned an aggrieved look on his mentor as he calmed the horse and brought it back under control.What?” he asked Halt, and the smaller man made a gesture of exasperation.That’s what I want to know,” he said irritably. “What?”Horace peered at him. The look was too obviously the sort of look that you give someone who seems to have taken leave of his senses. It did little to improve Halt’s rapidly growing temper.What?” said Horace, now totally puzzled.Don’t keep parroting at me!” Halt fumed. “Stop repeating what I say! I asked you ‘what,’ so don’t ask me ‘what’ back, understand?”Horace considered the question for a second or two, then, in his deliberate way, he replied: “No.”Halt took a deep breath, his eyebrows contracted into a deep V, and beneath them his eyes with anger but before he could speak, Horace forestalled him.What ‘what’ are you asking me?” he said. Then, thinking how to make the question clearer, he added, “Or to put it another way, why are you asking ‘what’?”Controlling himself with enormous restraint, and making no secret of the fact, Halt said, very precisely: “You were about to ask me a question.”Horace frowned. “I was?”Halt nodded. “You were. I saw you take a breath to ask it.”I see,” Horace said. “And what was it about?”For just a second or two, Halt was speechless. He opened his mouth, closed it again, then finally found the strength to speak.That is what I was asking you,” he said. “When I said ‘what,’ I was asking you what you were about to ask me.”I wasn’t about to ask you ‘what,’” Horace replied, and Halt glared at him suspiciously. It occurred to him that Horace could be indulging himself in a gigantic leg pull, that he was secretly laughing at Halt. This, Halt could have told him, was not a good career move. Rangers were not people who took kindly to being laughed at. He studied the boy’s open face and guileless blue eyes and decided that his suspicion was ill-founded.Then what, if I may use that word once more, were you about to ask me?”Horace drew a breath once more, then hesitated. “I forget,” he said. “What were we talking about?”

“Well, I suppose you’re right about the forgery,” he admitted. “After all, it’s only the Gallican’s seal we’re forging, isn’t it? It’s not as if you’re forging a document from King Duncan. Even you wouldn’t go as far as that, would you?”Of course not,” Halt replied smoothly. He began to pack away his forgery tools. He was glad he’d laid hands on the forged Gallican seal on his pack so easily. It was as well that he hadn’t had to tip them all out and risk Horace’s seeing the near perfect copy of King Duncan’s seal that he carried among other. “Now may I suggest you climb into your elegant tin suit and we’ll go sweet-talk the Skandian border guards.”

“Evanlyn smiled grimly as she thought how once she might have objected to the cruelty of the bird's death. Now, all she felt was a sense of satisfaction as she realized that they would eat well today.Amazing how an empty belly could change your perspective, she thought.”

“In a month, the passes into Teutlandt and Skanida will be open and my companion and I will be on our way."He paused and Philemon frowned, trying to understand what he was being told.You want us to come with you?" he asked, at last. "You expect us to follow you?"Halt shook his head. "I have no wish to ever see any of you again," he said flatly.”

“Do you think you could put that boot back on?" he added mildly. "The window can only let in a limited ammount of fresh air and your socks are a tough ripe, to put it mildly."Oh, sorry!" said Horace, tugging the riding boot back on over his sock. Now that Halt mentioned it, he was aware of a rather strong odor in the room.”

“Sometimes," Halt continued, "we tend to expect a little too much of Ranger horses. After all, they are only human.”

“He had lost control over his own body, he realized dully.”

“Ow!" said Horace as the Ranger's fingers probed and poked around the bruise.Did that hurt?" Halt asked, and Horace looked at him with exasperation.Of course it did," he said sharply. "That's why I said 'ow!”

“Halt snorted derisively. "Battleschool evidently isn't what it used to be," he replied. "It's a fine thing when an old man like me can sleep comfortably in the open while a young boy gets all stiff and rheumatic over it."Horace shrugged. "Be that as it may," he replied, "I'll still be glad to sleep in a bed tonight."Actually, Halt felt the same way. But he wasn't going to let Horace no that.”

“The battle, if you could call it that, lasted no more than a few seconds.”

“Remember, this thing is small. It's not like the wolfships. It'll ride over the waves, not crash through them. So we're safe as houses."He wasn't sure about the last two statements, but they seemed logical to him.”

“Halt?" he said diffidently. He heard a deep sigh from the short, slightly built man riding beside him. Mentally he kicked himself.I thought you must be coming down with some illness for a moment there," Halt said straight faced. "It must be two or three minutes since you've asked a question." Commited now, Horace continued.One of those girls," he began, and immediately felt the Ranger's eyes on him. "She was wearing a very short skirt."There was the slightest pause.Yes?" Halt prompted, not sure where this conversation was leading. Horace shrugged uncomfortably. The memory of the girl, and her shapely legs, was causing his cheeks to burn with embarrassment again.Well," he said uncertainly, "I just wondered if that was normal over, that's all." Halt considered the serious young face beside him. He cleared his throat several times.I believe that sometimes Gallican girls take jobs as couriers. he said.Couriers. They carry messages from one person to another. Or from one buisness to another, in towns and cities." Halt checked to see if Horace seemed to believe him so far. There seemed no reason to think otherwise, so he added: "Urgent messages."Urgent messages," Horace replied, still not seeing the connection. But he seemed inclined to believe what Halt was saying, so the older man continued.And I suppose for a really urgent message, one would have to run."Now he saw a glimmer of understanding in the boy's eyes. Horace nodded several times as he made the connection.So, the short skirts...they'd be to help them run more easily?" he suggested. Halt nodded in his turn.It would be more sensible for of dress than long skirts, if you wanted to do a lot of runnig." He shot a quick look at Horace to see if his gentle teasing was not being turned back on himself-to see if, in fact, the boy realized Halt was talking nosense and was simply leading him on. Horace's face, however, was open and believing.I suppose so," Horace replied finally, then added in a softer voice, "They certainly look a lot better that way too.”

“It was safe to assume that the rider would be carrying a weapon of some kind. After all, there was no point in wearing half armor and going weaponless.”

“Never give up because, if an opportunity arises, you have to be ready to take it.”

“They have terrified my poor wife and threatened my very person!"Halt eyed the man impassivley until the outburst was finished.Worse than that," he said quietly, "they've wasted my time.”

“It would be unthinkably bad luck to be betrayed by a rumbling stomach.”