Ranger's Apprentice: Alex + The Burning Bridge (Discontinued)

Message from Celtica

A group of half a dozen men was clustered around a sand map, a large table with the main features of the Plains and Mountains modeled in sand. They turned now at the sound of the new arrivals and one of them hurried forward, concern written on his face.

"Gilan!" he cried. He was a tall man, and his graying hair showed him to be in his late fifties. But he still moved with the speed and grace of an athlete, or a warrior. Gilan gave that tired smile again. 

"Morning, Father." he said, for the tall gray-haired man was none other than Sir David, Battlemaster of Caraway Fief and supreme commander of the King's army. The Battlemaster looked quickly to Halt and caught a quick not of reassurance there. Gilan was all right, he realized, just exhausted. Then, his sense of duty caught up with his fatherly reaction.

"Greet your King properly," he said softly, and Gilan looked up to the group of men, all their attention focused on him. 

He recognized Crowley, the Ranger Corps Commandant, and Baron Arald and the other two senior Barons of the realm, Tyler of Drayden and Fergus of Caraway. But the figure in the center took his attention. A tall blond man in his late thirties, with a short beard and piercing green eyes. He was broad-shouldered and muscular, because Duncan was not a king who let other men to all his fighting for him. He had trained with sword and lance since he was a boy and he was regarded as one of the most capable knights in his own kingdom.

Gilan attempted to sink to one knee. His joints screamed in protest and tried to lock up on him. The pressure of Halt's hand under his arm was all that stopped him from falling once again.

"My lord..." he began apologetically, but Duncan had already stepped forward, seizing his hand to steady him. Gilan hear Halt's introduction.

"Ranger Gilan, my lord, attached to Meric Fief. With messages from Celtica."

Suddenly, the King was galvanized with interest.  "Celtica?" he repeated, studying Gilan more closely. "What's happening there?"

The other Council members had moved from the sand map to group around Gilan. Baron Arald spoke: "Gilan was carrying your messages to King Swyddned, my lord." he said. "Invoking our mutual defense treaty and requesting that Swyddned send troops to join us..."

"They won't be coming," Gilan interrupted. He realized he had to tell the King his news before he collapsed from exhaustion. "Morgarath has them bottled up on the southwest peninsula."

There was a stunned silence in the Council tent. Finally, it was Gilan's father who broke it. "Morgarath?" he said incredulously. "How? How could he get any sort of army into Celtica?"

Gilan shook his head suppressing a huge need to yawn. "They sent small numbers down the cliffs, until they had enough troops to catch Celts by surprise. As you know, Swyddned keeps only a small standing army..."

Baron Arald nodded, anger showing on his face. "I warned Swyddned, my lord." he put in. "But those damned Celts have always been more interested in digging than protecting their own land."

Duncan made a small, pacifying gesture with one hand. "No time now for recriminations, Arald," he said softly. "What's done is done, I'm afraid."

"I should imagine Morgarath has been waiting for their greed to overcome their good sense," Baron Tyler said bitterly. The other men nodded quietly. Morgarath's ability to maintain a network of spies was all to well known to them.

"So Celtica has been defeated by Morgarath? Is this what you're telling us?" Duncan asked. This time Gilan shook his head, there were relieved glances around the tent.

"The Celts are holding out in the southwest, my lord. They're not defeated yet. But the strange business of it all is that Wargal raiding parties have been carrying off the Celt miners."