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

Skandians Approaching

"A Ranger!" Morgarath raged. "This is a Ranger! This is their sign! And so is he!" Morgarath reached out and pointed at Will who took another step back. Alex hissed at Morgarath. 

"They're kids...." Erak began, but now Morgarath's fury was turned upon him and he swept his hand in a backhanded blow across the Skandian's cheek. 

"They're no kids! They're Rangers!"

The other three Skandians moved forward at the blow, weapons ready. Morgarath didn't even have to speak. He turned those glittering eyes on them and twenty Wargals moved as well, a warning growl in their throats, clubs and iron spears ready. 

Erak signaled for his men to settle. The red mark of Morgarath's blow flared on his cheek. 

"You knew," Morgarath accused him. "You knew." Then realization dawned on him. "These are the ones! Arrows, you said! My Wargals were hiding from arrows as the bridge burned! Ranger weapons! These are the swine who destroyed my bridge!" The voice rose to a shriek of fury as he spoke. 

Alex growled and Morgarath.

Erak stood before the raging Black Lord and said nothing.

Then, another horse forced its way through the crowd. On its back was one of Morgarath's Wargal lieutenants, one of those who had learned basic human speech.

"My lord!" he called, in the peculiar, flat tones of all Wargals. "Enemy advancing."\

Morgarath swung to face him and the Wargal continued.

"Their skirmish line moving toward us, my lord. Battle is beginning."

The Lord of Rain and Night came to a decision. He grabbed Alex's oak leaf necklace then swung into the saddle of his horse. "We will finish this later," he said to Will. Then he turned to a Wargal sergeant among those who had surrounded the Skandians. 

"Hold these prisoners here until I return. On  pain of your life." He turned and kicked his heels in the horse. 

Evanlyn and Will both had tears running down their faces. "NO!" They yelled. Will was furious. 

Before Alex was fully taken from view she yelled: "Survive for me."

The King's skirmish line, consisting of light infantry accompanied by archers, advanced on Morgarath's left flank probing movement, then retreated hastily when a battalion of heavy infantry formed up and moved forward to meet them.

The lightly armed skirmishers scampered back to the safety of their own line, ahead of the slow-treading Wargals. Then, as a company of heavy cavalry trotted forward toward the Wargal battalion's left flank, the Wargals re-formed from their column-of-fours marching order into a slower moving defensive square and withdrew to their own lines.

As in most battles, the first moves were inconclusive, and for the next few hours, that remained the pattern of the battle: small forces would probe the other side's defenses. Larger forces would offer to counter and the first attack would melt away. Arald, Fergus, and Tyler sat their horses beside the King, on a small knoll in the center of the royal army. Battlemaster David was with a small group of knights making one of the many forays toward the Wargal army.

"All this to-ing and fro-ing is getting me down," Arald said sourly. The King smiled at him. He had one of the most important attributes of a good commander: almost unlimited patience. 

"Morgarath is waiting," he said simply. "Waiting for Horth's army to show itself in our rear. Then he'll attack, have no doubt."

"Let's just get on with it ourselves," growled Fergus, but Duncan shook his head, pointing to the ground immediately to the front of Morgarath's position.