The Ranger's Apprentice. Timed Disaster

Part 9 Answers

The cabin was quiet, every eye on the grizzled ranger as he sat in his chair without moving, chin sunk on his chest. Crowley had just finished relating the news he brought from town, and sat waiting to hear the two rangers stories.

 Shifting in his seat, Halt spoke at length. "Have there been any releases from the jail lately?"

Baron Arald frowned in concentration . "Well, a few; minor cases mostly. Thieves, con men, no murderers or anyone like that." 

 Gilan turned from the coffee he was making and raised an eye brow. "You think someone new in town is spreading this stuff?", he asked Halt. The senior ranger scowled. 

"Well, whoever it is, he doesn't seem to fear Rangers-at least, he hasn't made any claims to my wielding a flaming sword in the forest, shrieking for blood like people seem to think a ranger would do when angered. He knows me well, and is not afraid of me. I'm curious..."

 Crowley cleared his throat, causing the others to look his way. "Well, I'm curious what you have been doing exactly; your cabin was a wreck. And you just vanished."

 Halt sighed. He didn't want Will to be involved anymore than he'd already been, but his commander deserved a little bit of an explanation. Taking the mug Gilan offered him, he wrapped his hands around the soothing warmth and kept it short and simple. "Well, when Gilan and I returned from your outpost, we found it just like you did. Will had been here, but left suddenly and we thought he had been attacked. After we tracked him down, we found out someone had apparently drugged him either during or after his visit to town-it isn't a serious one, effecting your reason and  makes you hallucinate. But when I find the man responsible.."

 Gilan's hand was on his arm and Halt realized that during his speech he had raised his voice. "We'll find him." the former apprentice raised his mug of coffee and went to take a drink.

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Slowly his thoughts began to clear one by one and range themselves in order, as Will worked to awaken from the bad dream he had been in. Solid beams above his head, the familiar sight of his room, and low voices in the other part of the cabin brought him up carefully from his bed.

 He was home. Maybe it had been just a nightmare. He rubbed his arms to ward of a spasm, remembering the steely grasp of Halt, the man's voice speaking slowly and calmly. "You're alright, boy."

 Halt. He needed to talk to him. There was something wrong here, in the cabin. Rising unsteadily, Will tried to remember what niggled at the back of his brain...he had been replacing a bow string. At the table.

 Then a man's voice raised in anger, and he recognized his mentor's voice. "...he'll be sorry!"

Who? Making his way to the door, Will stopped at the sight of the rangers and Crowly, Baron Arald, all absorbed in their talk around the table. They hadn't seen the boy standing in the doorway yet. Gilan was saying something to Halt, trying to calm him down. As the older ranger nodded his head, the young man raised his coffee mug to take a drink. And the nagging warning became clear. Coffee.

 "Gilan, no!!" Springing across the floor, Will yanked the mug from his friend's mouth, losing his grip as the hot liquid splashed over his hand and Gilan's shirt front. The cup dropped to the floor, shattering, men jumping from their seats in alarm.

 "Will! Take it easy, it's okay!" Halt was pulling him away from Gilan, pinning his arms to his side. Will shook his head, trying to make Halt understand. "I'm fine, I'm fine-don't drink the coffee!"

 Picking up the shattered mug shards from the floor, Gilan froze and looked a question at Will. He nodded. "I was trying to remember, what happened...I was mending a bowstring and made some coffee. After that, everything went hazy; I think it has been drugged." His gaze rose to Halt's face. "And there's something else; there was a man in the shop who bagged it for me. He seemed to know you, but I've never seen him before."

 "Arald. Let me see the coffee over there." As the man passed the bag over, Halt pulled a bowl out and carefully dumped the contents into it. Carefully poking in the pile, he sniffed and wrinkled his nose. "It's hard to notice unless you know what to look for but this is it." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Will, do you think you would be up to riding into town tomorrow?"

 "Yes. Let's find this man, before he does anymore damage." His hand hurt from where the coffee had dripped over it. Absently rubbing it, Will looked over at Gilan apologetically. Seeing his look, the other grinned and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Don't worry about it; I'd much rather have hot coffee dumped on me, than to drink something drugged ." He saw the boy's eyes travel to his hand as he dropped it, noticing the bandage wrapped across the palm, and stuck the hand in his pocket, glancing at Halt as he did so.

 "Halt, I have to ask you to keep this in your official capacity." Crowley saw the Ranger's face and it didn't make him feel easy in his mind. Neither did Halt's next words.

 "Oh, I'll keep it official."