Captured! a Ranger's Apprentice Fanfic

Chapter Three

Thick morning mist hung in the air creating a clouded and fuzzy image of the docks but the two Rangers were still able to detect movement and a dim light coming from one of the ships. Halt nodded to Will and the two stepped forward. They had left Tug and Abelard in the care of the baron's stablemaster and were once more disguised. They had carefully hidden their weapons amongst their belongings along with their cloaks. The only weapons they carried were their saxe knives. To anyone else they would never be distinguished as Rangers except for their silver oak leaves which were carefully concealed inside their shirts. They shuffled up to the boat where the red cloaked man seemed to materialize out of the mist.
"Good you've come, as far as anyone else is concerned you are now new members of my crew and you shall take part as such. This helps dispel any...suspicions. Henceforth you shall address me as Captain Cinnabarr or Sir," he said as Halt and Will nodded. Cinnabarr gestured for them to follow him aboard the ship. The ship was small but Will was certain that she could be quite swift if the need arose. Of course, he mused, she wouldn't anywhere as close as fast as Svengal's ship with the triangular sails. He continued to survey the vessel. He saw that the ship contained a small hold with living quarters for the crew as well as a separate Captian's quarters. The ship possessed a single mast with a large square sail of a deep maroon color. He also noted that everything was spotless and well maintained. Satisfied he turned his attention to Cinnabarr who was addressing Halt on where to store their belongings and where to sleep. It was almost another thirty minutes before everything was set and they were underway. Will felt his heartbeat rise as the sail began to fill with air urging the ship forward. He loved the feeling and turned to Halt but was surprised to see that he had vanished. Probably down in the hold looking for Albert he joked quietly to himself as he thought of Halt's queasy stomach when it came to sailing. It never ceased to baffle him that Halt could be as hard as steel in the most difficult situations but on board a ship was almost the opposite.
Will's thoughts were interrupted when a voice hollered out that he get to work scrubbing the deck clean. Will sighed already the crew was taking advantage of the "new members" by having them do the more unfavorable tasks. However he set to work knowing it was imperative that he keep a low profile. After about and hour however he found his hands were raw and and he was soaked through but the deck, he thought, looked spotless with an almost gleam to it. He was surprised to find that Halt had emerged from below and although still looking slightly shaken, he seemed to have regained control over his stomach.
"You missed a spot," Halt said flatly. He wasn't in a very good mood, but then again he was never in a good mood when stuck on board a tossing ship. Will completely ignored the comment and instead rose to his feet.
"I'm hungry. How about you? It's got to be almost supper time," Will replied. Halt felt his stomach churn at the thought of food and he shook his head.

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The next few days passed uneventfully and both Halt and Will began to fall into rhythm with the daily routine. They kept themselves distant from the crew as well as Cinnabarr and spent the majority of their free time in the stern of the ship discussing their next move once they docked in Toscana. They knew that although the Genovesans has a head start their progress would likely be slow so it was still possible that they would be near one of the docks in Toscana. They decided that for now their only course of action would be to remain disguised and try to keep a low profile.
Will made his way back to the deck to give it its daily scrubbing. He moved the brush back and forth across the deck watching as it left a soapy wake. He sighed and stood to retrieve more water. He turned quickly and suddenly collided with one of the crew members who was securing a rope behind him.
"Sorry," Will mumbled as he rose and bent down to help the man to his feet. He had seen this man before and had always thought the man looked like a rat with small close set eyes and a long thin nose. The man made no move to grasp the proffered hand but instead stared dumbly at Will or William as Will had previously addressed himself as. Something silver at the collar of William's shirt had caught the man's eye. Of course he loved anything silver or gold for that matter so it immediately had his attention. He gasped quietly as he realized what it was. A silver oak leaf! Trying to remain calm he mumbled a few harsh words to William and scrambled to his feet before walking stiffly away. Once out of sight the man made a beeline for the Captain's quarters. He rapped sharply on the door and was admitted.
"What is the problem, Anthony?" Cinnabarr said dismissively.
"Sir, the two new crew members the old man and the cabin boy well sir... They are... are..."
"Yes?"
"They are Rangers Captian! RANGERS!" Anthony suddenly burst out. The Captian however wasn't at all troubled by the news. His face remained blank and entirely unchanged until a smal grim slid slowly across his face. Anthony looked puzzled and was about to voice his bewilderment when Cinnabarr let out a low chuckle.
"Do you really think I didn't know that?" He laughed darkly. "Of course they're Rangers."
"You knew this and still allowed them on this ship! Do you realize just how dangerous they are! They carry the lives of twenty four men with them at all times!" What are you thinking?" Anthony ranted angrily.
"I know of the...dangers...and I also know of someone who is willing to pay a hefty sum for their capture."
"You want to capture them!" Anthony replied incredulously.
"No, all I have to do is alert... a certain person... of their arrival and point them in the right direction. So Anthony, I have a job for you. As soon as we dock in Toscana, I need you to alert the tavern keeper at The Black Ship Tavern of their arrival."
"O-o-ok," Anthony stuttered. He hated jobs like this as he knew that they usually didn't end well. He also knew that Cinnabarr wouldn't take no for an answer
"One more thing," Cinnabarr added. "You don't speak a word of this to anyone. Or you won't be speaking another word ever again," He whispered as he drummed his fingers lightly on the hilt of his dagger which was buckled to his side. Anthony swallowed hard and nodded. He knew what Cinnabarr was capable of.

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They reached Toscana just as the sun began to set. Halt was so happy when he felt the ship grate against the sand as it pulled alongside another ship on the crowded dock. He was relived that he would be able to escape this floating barge. He watched as a man leapt off the boat and moved quickly along the dock. He watched the man disappear from sight and wondered why he was in such a hurry.
"I trust you had a nice trip?" A voice said as Cinnabarr approached. Halt nodded. "I thought I would recommend that you try The Black Ship Tavern. It has a small inn and is quite hidden. Perfect for those who wish to avoid... unwanted visitors,"
"I will keep it in mind," Halt replied gruffly. He looked up as Will came forward juggling their belongings. Halt helped relieve him of half his load and together the two made their way down the gangplank.
"Cinnabarr says we should stay at this tavern called The Black Ship. It's out of the way and most likely the smuggling hub of the area. Perfect place for information."
"You want to stay there?" Will asked uncertainty.
"No, I don't want this Cinnabarr to know where we are located. I think we should just stop in for a drink. I'm dying for a good cup of coffee anyway." Will nodded his agreement as they made their way down the narrow street. They found the building,which could hardly be called such as it was in such dire need of repair. Crammed at the end of an alley, It was in desperate need of a new coat of paint and it looked almost as if it could topple over at the slightest breeze. However it's lower level which consisted of the tavern was full of loud voices and laughter. Apparently the occupants cared little if the whole place came crashing down on them.
"Thank God, we aren't staying here," Will muttered under his breath as he carefully eased the door open. he was afraid that it would fall off but the rusty hinges held. He and Halt were met with a thick wall of smoke. He felt his eyes watering and he suppressed a cough. Halt gestured to a table at the back of the room and gratefully Will sat down dumping their belongings on the floor next to him. Halt made his way to the front where the tavern keeper was busy filling tankards of ale.
"What can I do for you?" The tavern keeper slurred as he obviously enjoyed a good deal of the ale himself.
"Two cups of coffee please, with honey," he added. The tavern keeper looked slightly surprised at the request but moved off toward a dented coffee pot sitting in a corner before disappearing into a back room. It felt like forever to Halt before the man finally emerged with two steaming cups. Halt paid the man who
set the cups down before moving quickly back into the room.
Halt made his way back to the table. Eagerly Will reached for a cup and took a long appreciative sip. He took another sip or more rather a gulp. This guy sure knows how to make good coffee, he thought to himself. The coffee had extra honey in it just the way he liked it. He took a deep breath and suddenly stopped. The coffee didn't smell right and he knew what coffee with lots of honey in it should smell like. He sniffed again.
Suddenly something flashed before his memory and he realized that he recognized the smell. It was the vase of wildflowers sitting on the table next to a cup of coffee in Clarke's cabin. He remembered thinking that the wildflowers smelled especially fragrant even though they were long since dead. He took a sharp breath, the smell had come from the coffee, not the flowers. That could mean only one thing. It had been drugged. Will slowly set the cup down and looked at Halt. He was surprised to find that Halt had already set down his own cup and the two exchanged a knowing glance.
"Get up slowly and make your way to the door," Halt said quietly. Will nodded and grabbed their bags before walking calmly toward the door even though inside his mind was racing. What had the coffee been drugged with? Could it be poison? He shuddered and wondered what kind of effects it would have on him. He didn't have long to wait as soon as he and Halt stepped out of the tavern he felt his head begin to spin. His vision became fuzzy and he became aware of Halt trying to tell him something but it sounded as if it were coming from the end of a long tunnel. He felt a hand grab at his shirt and pull him into a dim alley. Will swayed from side to side. All he wanted to do was to sit down and allow his head to clear but a part of him kept screaming at him to keep walking. Suddenly the grip on his shirt lessened and Will suddenly found himself laying on the alley floor. He thought he saw the face of someone but it was wavering out of focus. That was the last thing he saw before everything went black.