“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.”

“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 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.”

“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.”

“Halt regarded him. He loved Horace like a younger brother. Even like a second son, after Will. He admired his skill with a sword and his courage in battle. But sometimes, just sometimes, he felt an overwhelming desire to ram the young warrior's head against a convenient tree."You have no sense of drama or symbolism, do you?" he asked."Huh?" replied Horace, not quite understanding. Halt looked around for a convenient tree. Luckily for Horace, there were none in sight.”

“How do we get there? How did you get here, by the way?' [Will asked].He heard Halt's deep sigh and knew he'd done it again.'Do you ever,' the older Ranger said with great deliberation, 'manage to ask just one question at a time? Or does it always have to be multiple choice with you?'Will looked at him in surprise. 'Do I do that?' he asked. 'Are you sure?'Halt said nothing. He raised his hands in a 'See what I mean?' gesture...'Halt,' [Selethen said], 'I could be wrong, but I think you were just guilty of the same fault. I'm sure I heard you ask two questions just then.''Thank you for pointing that out, Lord Selethen,' Halt said with icy formality.”

“You had this young man with you for... what, six years?"Halt shrugged. "Near enough," he replied."And did you ever understand a word he was saying?""Not a lot of the time, no," Halt said.Crowley shook his head in wonder. "It's just as well he didn't go into the Diplomatic Service. We'd be at war with half a dozen countries by now if he was on the loose."Will drew a deep breath to begin talking. He noticed that both men took an involuntary half step backward and he decided he'd better try to keep it as simple as possible.”