Deva woke slowly the following morning and immediately felt as if something was wrong. Opening her eyes, she leveled her body up on her elbows to see what exactly was giving her that not-quite-right feeling. Her eyes rounded out in surprise at the sight before her.

Mitchell was cuddled up to her, his head resting on her hip, and his arm was wrapped around her upper thighs, hugging them. She looked around quickly to make certain no one else was up to witness this.

"Mitchell, wake up!" she growled at him as quietly as she could.

He muttered in his sleep, tightening his grip on her legs. She yanked her pillow from where it lay on the floor and whacked him over the head with it, no longer caring if she woke everyone up.

"Wake up, Mitchell! I am not your personal pillow you idiot!"

He sat up abruptly, blinking rapidly, and looking around. "Huh, what happened?"

"You were using me a pillow again!" she shouted.

"I was?"

She stood and hit him with the pillow again. "Yes, you were!" She took a step and realized there was no place in the small room for her to go.With a growl of frustration, she put herself in the furthest corner from him that she could. What made her angry was that she might have, perhaps just a tiny bit, liked having him all snuggled against her. Only, there was no way she would ever admit that to anyone.

Halt sat up, shoving the blanket aside until he was free and swung his legs to the floor. "I swear the lot of you could wake the dead."

Holly scowled in his direction. "Logan and I are quiet."

"For the moment you are. I'm quite certain given a few minutes that will change drastically."

"Wow thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome. Everyone get yourselves up and ready. I'll fetch Will and we'll discuss what it is we want you to do today."

Deva frowned as Halt slipped from the room. "I thought we already discussed that last night?"

Holly rose and began folding her blanket. Logan followed suit. They tidied things up while waiting for the two senior Rangers.

The Rangers returned. "All right, today, as we discussed last night, we want you to try and talk to the younger people in the village. Find out any information you can from them. Kids hear things," Halt said.

"Right, we got it, talk to the urchins," Holly said with a grin.

Halt arched a brow at her. "Not exactly how it was put but I suppose so."

Will shook his head. "Adults tend to talk without considering the fact that their children are nearby, within hearing. They don't censor what they speak about."

"So, the little urchins might know something?" Holly asked with a wide grin.

"Is that your favorite new word?" Deva asked.

"Maybe."

"That's enough," Halt told them. "Now go on."

Logan frowned at them. "What are the two of you going to do while we're prodding the kids for information?"

"Since the four of you took it upon yourselves to annoy the new baron last evening, we are going to hang around near the castle and see exactly how angry he is this morning."

"For the record that wasn't my idea." The second the words left Logan's mouth, Holly elbowed him in the side. He yelped and rubbed at his sore side. Halt only shook his head, turning away with no comment.

Will let out a long sigh. "Let's go everyone."

"No breakfast?" Mitchell asked, looking around at everyone as they headed for the door.

Deva shoved him toward the door. "Shut up and let's go. We'll find something to eat in the village."

***

"Look there's one over there," Holly whispered to Deva. "Should we go talk to it?"

Deva rolled her eyes. "She's not some rare beast in the wild. She's a teenage girl."

Mitchell looked from the girl to Holly and Deva. "Do we just go over and talk to her?"

"Yes, we just go over and talk to her." Deva had the feeling she was going to be rolling her eyes a lot today.

"Oh no, she's coming over here! What do we do?" Holly asked in a panicked voice.

Logan chuckled. "We talk to her like normal people."

The girl walked over with a bright smile on her face. The clothes she wore were plain, worn, and patched in several places. If one went by the dirt stains centered near her knees, they made her look more like a farmer than anything else.

"Hello, are you guys new here? I'm Sally Henry."

Logan smiled at her in what he hoped was a friendly way and thrust his hand out, waiting while she shook it. "I'm Luke and these are my sisters and my brother."

Deva grinned at her and gave Sally a little wave. "Hello, I'm Dana."

Mitchell executed a bow. "Mark."

Holly's smile appeared more panicked than friendly. "Oh, uh, hi! I'm ... Poinsettia!"

They all sent her startled looks and she blushed. Sally didn't seem to notice. "It's very nice to meet all of you."

Logan smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you. Can you tell us what the village is like? We were forced to leave our village, no work." He shrugged.

Sally seemed to fidget slightly and she glanced over her shoulder, looking to see if anyone was paying them any attention. "It used to be wonderful living here. The old baron was very nice."

"But?" Logan prompted.

"The new baron isn't as kind. He keeps raising the taxes. We've nothing left to pay." She glanced around again. "My folks say if it keeps up we're going to have to leave our home and our farm." She sniffled and looked nervously over her shoulder again.

"That's awful!" Deva said with a great deal of feeling.

Sally nodded and sniffled again. "I'm sorry, I've got to go before my father begins to wonder where I've gotten to. I hope to see you around the village. Bye!"

"I'm sure we'll see each other again," Mitchell told her as she turned and left.

"I think it's pretty obvious everyone thinks the new baron it a dirty rotten—"

"I think we understand, Deva," Mitchell said, cutting her off before she could finish.

"What have the four of you found out?"

Mitchell twisted around to look at Halt. "Could you not slip up on us like that, Halt? It's rather disconcerting."

"It's what I do so you'd best get used to it."

Holly snickered at her father's answer. "It's basically as Logan reported. The baron is trouble."

Halt nodded, he stared down at the ground for several moments as if considering things. "We're going to need some sort of plan to get inside the castle. We need to get an up close look at this man. We need to talk to him and get a feeling for how he acts and his personality."

Logan opened his mouth to respond, but was prevented from saying anything when Sally came running up, another girl by her side. "Hey, I only have a moment. My father wants to head home. I wanted you to meet my best friend. This is Mavis. Mavis this is Luke, Dana, Mark, and Poinsettia," she told her friend, pointing to each person as she introduced them.

"It's so nice to meet all of you! Welcome to Seacliff!" Both girls gave them a little wave before they ran off.

Halt's brows rose as Sally had introduced the four of them to her friend. He turned to Holly after the girls were gone. "Poinsettia?"

"I panicked! I couldn't think of anything!"

Deva was giggling uncontrollably. "Let me guess, holly is a plant so you got stuck on that and the only thing that came to mind was poinsettia."

"Yes!" she wailed. "It was either that or dandelion!"

Deva collapsed on the ground in gales of laughter at that. "That would have been so much worse!"

"That's enough, both of you. All of you get back to the inn, now!" Halt pointed in the direction of the inn. They were never going to survive this mission.

The four apprentices looked properly chastised as they headed back toward the inn. Will sent Halt a tiny smirk. Halt scowled back at him. Will shook his head. Halt wasn't going to take attitude from his former apprentice.

"What?" Halt asked him.

"I was just realizing how much like us they are." Will shrugged.

Halt sent a look at their daughters where they walked. He sighed heavily. "I never set anything on fire."

Will chuckled. "No, you didn't. However, you did do whatever was needed to get the job done. You've also broken your fair share of rules in the past." He thought he saw a small smile touch his old mentor's lips.

"Yes, I suppose so. You have quite the bite to your responses at times."

Will snorted. "And you don't?"

"The point is, you are correct, they are both very much our daughters." He dipped his head toward Mitchell. "And he is very much Horace and Cassandra's son. I see both of them in the boy."

"He is a lot more Horace. Have you watched him at Battleschool practice?" Will asked.

Halt nodded. "You are correct, there is a lot of Horace in him, but he has Cassandra's quick mind. When he chooses to use it."

"Which is not often, he prefers to leave the thinking to others, just as his father does," Will said with a grin.

They both smiled. It was the truth. Horace was a knight first before anything else. While he wasn't a great thinker, he wasn't an idiot either. He simply preferred to sit back and let those who were smarter than he was do all the thinking. Mitchell on the other hand, he had the brain to do the thinking, however he had his father's attitude about doing all the hard work involved in figuring out the end plan. He simply didn't want to put in the effort involved.

They walked in silence, both thinking as they did. Will's thoughts centered on their children and what the future might hold for all of them.

Halt on the other hand was watching Logan and considering the young apprentice.

He was two years senior in his apprenticeship to Holly and Deva. They knew little about the young man, only as much as Crowley had told them. The boy had been raised by his maternal grandfather because his mother lived only long enough to name him after his birth. She'd never told a soul who his father was. Whether because she didn't know the man's name or because she was protecting him, no one knew. As he watched the boy speaking with Mitchell he couldn't help but think there was something familiar about him.

His eyes narrowed on Logan's face as the boy smiled. It was something about the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, how he moved. It was something he had seen before, he knew he had, but he couldn't seem to place where.

Perhaps he was simply being fanciful. He shook his head and followed the others into the inn.

Once they were back in their room, he perched on the edge of the bed while the kids dropped gracefully to sprawl on the floor. Will had propped a shoulder against the wall beside the window so he could keep an eye on the street below. His former apprentice had learned everything he'd taught him and he learned well.

His gaze went to the four apprentices sitting on the floor. Mitchell may not be a Ranger's apprentice but he was still an apprentice. "We'll need some sort of a plan to get near the new baron. I think Will or I should find a way to slip into the castle this evening."

Deva's hand shot into the air. She didn't bother to wait for him to give her permission to speak. "That won't guarantee you can get anywhere near the man! I have a waaaay better idea!"

Yeah, he wasn't certain he wanted to hear this. Still, he found himself asking anyway. "What's your idea?"

"They're still looking for Logan, correct? What if we gave him to them?"

"Excuse me, what kind of a plan is that?" Logan stared at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"I think I will have to agree with Logan. That doesn't sound very wise," Halt told her with a great deal of skepticism.

"Wait, just hear me out, okay? I'm not saying we actually give them Logan, we give them who they'll think is Logan. One of us can ride toward the village on his horse. All they'll see is a Ranger and they'll believe it's him and capture whoever it is. When they take the person in front of the baron they'll discover it's not him."

"And if they actually check to see who it is?" Mitchell pointed out.

Deva slapped him. "They're idiots, they'll want to take him to the baron and show that they caught him."

"Either way, they'll promptly hang the person," Halt told her with a scowl.

"Not necessarily. I mean, come on, think about it, who here is annoying enough to keep them busy long enough for the rest of us to get into the castle." She looked pointedly at Holly.

"Hey!"

"All Holly has to do is keep them busy long enough to confuse him and get him to give away exactly what he's been up to so when we get there we can slap him in irons!" She looked at the group triumphantly.

Holly was glowering at her. "Why me?"

"Because you're the only one annoying enough to keep them talking that long."

Holly opened her mouth, a finger pointed at Deva, clearly on the point of protesting when she dropped her arm and sighed. "Who am I kidding, you're right."

Deva flung an arm in Holly's direction. "See, it's the perfect plan!"

Logan was staring at the floor and tapping a finger on his knee, clearly deep in thought. He looked up at Halt. "There's a backdoor into the castle."

Halt arched a brow. "I'm assuming you know where it is."

He nodded with a grin. "I do. I am an apprentice here."

"He's correct, there's a backdoor," Will told Halt from his position beside the window.

Halt sighed, his fingers stroking over his beard while he thought things through. It wasn't a good plan. It wasn't even a decent plan. It could work though. They didn't have much time to get this done. The people of Seacliff were running out of time and money. Definitely not in that order. If the baron couldn't bleed more money from them he would find something else to take from them. He didn't want to think about what the alternatives might be.

He gave a small nod. "It will have to work because it's all we've got. Logan, take Holly down and get her aquantined with your horse. Everyone grab something to eat and for heaven's sake please behave."

While Deva and Mitchell headed to the small dining room.

Logan led Holly out to the stable to introduce her to his pony Marsh. He stepped up to the stall where Marsh was being kept and the shaggy little pony stuck his head out to greet his master.

"Hello there boy." He scratched the pony between the ears.

ʼBout time you came to visit. Thought I was going to be stuck here to rot. Marsh tossed his head and snorted.

He grinned at the horse, but made no reply. No sense in letting Holly believe he was odd talking to his horse.

Holly smiled and stepped up beside him. "He's beautiful."

Marsh snorted and tossed his head. Beautiful? Mares are beautiful, I'm handsome. Where did you find this one?

It took everything Logan had not to admonish his horse in front of Holly. Instead he patted the horse on the side of the neck and smiled. "He is rather handsome, although there are times he can be a stubborn pain in the neck." He sent Marsh a meaningful look and the horse made no further comments.

Holly laughed. "Thistle can be a pain at times too. I think all Ranger ponies are that way. It comes with the territory. They believe they're superior to other horses because they're Ranger horses."

Logan chuckled. "Well, I suppose they are a bit. Anyway, this is Marsh." He leaned forward, whispering close to her ear. "The water ain't deep."

She pulled back from him, frowning. "What?"

He grinned at her, laughing quietly. "That's the pass code."

"Oh, right. Of course." She looked at the little horse with a small frown. "Goes with his name I suppose." She shook her head. "Don't they all."

"He took a wrong turn into a marshland when he was small and got a little stuck. That's how he came by his name. Bob believes he wandered in there after something, though he has no idea what. The horse insisted on going that way even though Bob wanted to go an entirely different way." Logan shrugged.

"It happened while he was being trained?"

"Yes. He's been Marsh ever since." He patted the pony again.

"I suppose you two are suited for one another," she told him with a tiny grin.

He narrowed his eyes on here. "What is that supposed to mean?"

She indicated the horse's deep coppery coat. "Same color hair."

Logan cocked an eyebrow upward. "Funny."

"Let's go find Mitchell and Deva before Mitchell manages to eat everything the inn has to offer."

He chuckled. "He's not that bad." He settled a hand at the small of her back and led her from the stable. "I think he's actually quite nice. Even if he does try a bit too hard. I get the sense that he doesn't really have too many close friends."

Holly fidgeted a bit. She could feel the heat of his hand even through the layers of her clothing. She took a step to the side so his hand slipped away, she ignored the slight frown that appeared on his face. "You're supposed to be my brother, remember?"

"Oh, right, sorry."

"You're right though, I don't think Mitchell has any close friends. Honestly, I don't think he has any friends."

"Really?"

She shrugged. How could she explain things to him? She couldn't exactly blurt out that Mitchell was the heir to the Araluen throne. Not when Mitchell wanted to keep it a secret so he could be normal, at least for a little while. They found Deva and Mitchell sitting at a table in the corner of the dining room already eating and joined them.

They talked in low tones, eating and discussing the plan. The people around them were louder, enjoying their meals and the company of their friends and neighbors. The sudden cessation of all noise in the room left a vacuum of quiet behind.

They looked up to find the baron framed in the light coming in through the open door.

Holly let out a slow breath and whispered quietly. "Oh, this cannot be a good thing."

The door slammed shut as the baron and his men stepped into the dining room. He sauntered down the center aisle between the tables, looking from face to face as he did until he stopped roughly in the center of the room and turned a little circle.

"It has come to my attention that the church has had a rather miraculous miracle. It would seem there was an extremely large donation made last night evening. An anonymous donation. I find that coincidental considering someone stole the recently collected tax money last evening. If the perpetrator isn't turned in by this evening you all will be punished."

A man near the front of the room stood, addressing the baron in an angry shout. "No one knows who done it, Baron. We've already discussed it and no one knows. It wasn't anyone in town."

"Well then I suggest you figure out who it was before my deadline falls." He turned and left before anyone else could form a protest.

Logan leaned forward over the table and spoke in a low tone so no one could hear his words. "Our plan just became extremely important. We need to get rid of that man and soon before he causes more damage to these people."

The others nodded. They continued their meal in silence as the noise level rose around them. The villagers were angry and they weren't shy about expressing their anger.

***

Logan glanced up at Holly where she sat atop Marsh. He was worried about the plan. Worried about her confronting the baron. Just plain worried. "Are you certain that you're okay with this?"

Her smile was tentative when she looked down at him, but he saw the confidence deep in her eyes. She had an abundance of it. He'd seen it enough in the short time they knew one another. The truth of it was, his father told him enough about both Holly and Deva for him to know both girls would never back down from any challenge issued to them. He felt a certain amount of pride to be working alongside them. Not only them but their fathers as well. He knew his father would be proud of him as well. A smile lifted the corners of his lips at the thought.

"I'm good. Really. Marsh here doesn't seem at all upset to have me up here. Though I'm quite certain he'd rather have you in the saddle." She gave the pony a little pat.

He chuckled and gave Marsh a pat as well. "Yes, well I'm certain Thistle will feel much the same when I take her back to the village. Just take it slow and remember the guards are around the second bend. I better go so I can get back before they capture you. Good luck!"

Holly watched as Logan mounted Thistle and turned back toward the village. Her eyes remained on him until he disappeared into the trees. "Well, Marsh, I suppose we better get moving." She pulled the cowl of her cloak up to cover her face and tapped her heels against Marsh's side.

They moved forward slowly, keeping a plodding pace as planned. She knew Logan was moving as quickly as he could back to the village and the inn. Thistle would be stowed back in the stable where she could remain unseen. Ranger ponies were rather recognizable and it was a wonder they'd trotted through the village without anyone recognizing them as Ranger horses. Once Thistle was stowed in the stable, he would run to the castle to meet the others near the back of the building so they could slip through the gate and through the back door.

"The second bend is coming up, Marsh, time to get ourselves captured." Marsh gave a small rumble. Whether he was agreeing with her or giving a warning about the guards around the bend, she wasn't certain. She took the bend at a leisurely pace, acting surprised when the guards popped out of the trees.

Her bow came up and she took aim at the nearest guard. Marsh snorted as if he were telling her that he'd already warned her the guards were there.

The guard she had the bow aimed at spoke. "Put the bow down, Ranger, we have half a dozen more men in the trees, even you can't soot that fast."

She slowly lowered her bow, reached over her shoulder and placed the arrow back into the quiver, lowering the bow to rest across her lap. The men seemed relaxed. Beneath her cowl she smiled. Just because the bow rested across her lap and her arrows rested comfortably in the quiver, didn't mean she couldn't have one out and nocked to the bow in an instant. She may not be able to take all of them out instantly, but she could sure as hell hold them off long enough to get away. The men believed they were safe. If her aim wasn't to get captured she'd make pin cushions out of the lot of them.

One of the men stepped forward, grabbing Marsh's reins, another held his hand out, indicating she should hand over her bow. She handed it to him with a shrug. The man spoke again. "You're Ranger Paul's apprentice." It wasn't posed as a question.

Holly made no reply. She remained silently sitting atop Marsh, her hands folded over the saddle bow.

The man scowled at her. "I recognize the horse, boy, there's no denying it. The baron will want to see you. I bet it was you who stole the tax money."

Holly shrugged in response.

The man turned and issued orders to the men on either side of Marsh. "Take him to the castle."

It appeared as if Deva was correct, they were very happy to haul her to the baron and show off the fact they'd captured Logan. No one bothered trying to force her to speak or remove the cowl of her cloak and reveal her face.

***

Logan came darting around the side of the castle, slightly out of breath. "I'm sure they're bringing her in now. We should get to the back gate."

Together, the group moved around to the back gate of the castle and Logan cursed under his breath. "They've added guards."

Mitchell moved around him, slowly unsheathing his sword as he passed him by. "It's not a problem."

Logan was about to protest, when Will placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. With a sigh, he turned back to watch Mitchell as he approached the two guards. The two stepped forward, challenging Mitchell.

"Look, boys, we don't have to do this. I mean, you could simply walk away and disappear. I'm sure the baron won't even notice," Mitchell told the two men as he approached them.

The men laughed, pulling their swords. The ensuing fight was short lived. Neither man had the skill to go up against the young apprentice. Mitchell moved quickly, spinning gracefully around, knocking the sword free from the nearest man's hand. While the man was looking around wide eyed for his sword, Mitchell flipped his sword around and knocked the man over the head with the hilt, sending him to the ground unconscious.

The second man stared at his fellow guard lying unconscious on the ground who had been so easily disarmed. He threw his sword to the ground, holding his hands up in surrender. Mitchell shrugged as he stepped forward, knocking the man out cold. Turning back to the others, grinning. "Let's go get Holly back."

With a shake of his head, Halt moved forward, bent and lifted the keys to the gate from one of the guards' belts. "Shall we then?" He unlocked the gate. "That was nicely done, Mitchell. Though, I think perhaps your father would have been a tad quicker."

"Quicker? How could I have done that any faster?"

Will slapped Mitchell on the back with a chuckle. "Let it be, trust me on that."

"For what it's worth, I thought you did a fine job," Logan told him as he drew up beside the other boy.

Mitchell sighed, sheathed his sword and followed the others through the gate and to the rear door of the castle. Halt already had it unlocked. He looked back at the others. "Let's hope that Holly is holding her own while we've been dilly dallying out here."

***

Holly walked between the two guards as they led her to the baron's office. Her eyes flicked around taking in the conditions of the castle. It was in general disrepair and needed a good cleaning and airing, perhaps a few minor repairs here and there. The new baron was probably spending the tax revenues on his own personal needs instead of his people and the maintenance of the village and castle.

One of the guards knocked on a door at the end of the hallway. A voice answered through the door, calling for them to enter. She was led through the door into an office. The man from the inn that Logan identified as the baron sat behind the desk.

Slumped into a seat beside the desk was Ranger Paul, she assumed it was Ranger Paul, since the man wore a rumpled Ranger's cloak. His dark hair was overly long and mussed, and his eyes were bloodshot and partially closed as if he was falling asleep. The man looked like a discarded pile of clothing no one had bothered to pick up.

The baron stared at them with a dark expression. "What is the meaning of this?"

"We caught him on the road into the village. It's Paul's apprentice," the guard to her right announced.

The baron nodded and came around his desk looking extremely pleased. "You thought you could outsmart me, didn't you, boy? It looks like I've won the game." The baron eyed Holly. "It was you who took that tax money and donated it, wasn't it?"

Holly shrugged.

The baron's face turned a mottled shade of red and his hand shot out, yanking the cowl of her cloak back. His expression went from angry to shocked and he took a quick step back from her. "You're not Paul's apprentice!"

"Well, I could have told you that," she replied with an eye roll. "However, no one has bothered to ask."

"Who the bloody hell are you?"

Holly grinned. "A person." She indicated her cloak. "A very well dressed person."

"That's not an answer! Who are you?"

"A simple traveler passing through," she answered cheerfully.

"Liar!" He grasped the edge of her cloak. "You're a Ranger! Who are you?"

"What's a Ranger?" she asked him in feigned confusion, her head tipped to one side.

"A King's Ranger! You're wearing a Ranger's cloak and their insignia." He snatched at her oak leaf, holding it up.

She shrugged. "I met this boy on the road and he gave me all this stuff. The horse too. He was rather sweet."

"Liar! A Ranger would never willingly part with their possessions, they mean too much to them. Especially the oak leaf! I'll ask you again, who are you, girl?"

Holly let out an exasperated sigh. "I told you, I'm just passing through. My family is looking for work." She heaved out a sigh. "We're quite poor, fisher people who have fallen on hard times. My name is Poinsettia. It's ever so lovely to meet you." She thrust out a hand.

He slapped her hand aside with a frustrated growl. "Take her to the dungeons maybe some time down there will loosen her tongue."

The guards hauled her from the room and down the corridor. She really didn't want to spend any time in the dungeon. It would be cold and damp down there and there were probably rats. Not her idea of a pleasant time. She hummed as they moved down the hallway, waiting until they had made it a good distance before she made her move.

"Well, boys, this has been ever so much fun, but I think it's time I left."

The men turned frowning at her as she gave a small twist, yanking her arm from the grasp of the guard on the left, while stomping down on his foot. He yelped and jumped away from her, knocking his head on the wall and falling to the floor. The second guard tightened his grip on her other arm.

With a little hum, she yanked her small throwing knife free from the double scabbard at her waist, twisted about and thrust it at the man, making contact and sinking it deep into his flesh.

"Holly."

Distantly she heard her father's voice, but it seemed very far away, she was too busy handling the guards. Pulling the knife free, she let the guard stagger back from her. He slumped against the wall, sliding down until he sat on the floor. She watched as he took his final breath.

She killed him. She suddenly felt quite ill.

Her father was there, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly. "It's all right. I've got you." After several minutes, he stepped back, holding her and looking into her eyes. "Are you all right?"

Her nod was small and slightly shaky. "Yes. I am now. Thanks, Dad. We need to get back to the baron's office. Follow me. It's this way." She turned and led them back to the baron's office.

She reached for the doorknob, but her father stopped her. "You go in first. We'll wait a moment before we enter. I want to see his reaction to your sudden return, see how he handles it."

She nodded, grinned and entered the office, leaving the door ajar. "I decided that I don't really want to go to the dungeons. It seems it would be terribly drafty and damp." She patted her hair. "And my hair doesn't do well in the damp."

"Where are my guards?" the baron snapped.

She waved a hand around in the air as she stared at the baron across the expanse of the desk. "They wouldn't listen to reason when I explained about my poor hair, so ... I killed them."

"You can't simply kill my guards and believe you can stroll in here as if it's nothing of importance!" He stood, flattening his palms on the surface of the desk.

She tapped a finger against her chin. "It seems as if I've done exactly that."

"I should have you killed now, Ranger!"

She made a tsking sound. "I honestly don't think my mentor would appreciate that very much. Perhaps we should ask him?" She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Ahha! I knew you were a Ranger." He snorted. "Not even a real one, you're just an apprentice!"

She waved a hand in the air. "Let's not split hairs. I'm still authorized to haul you away and lock you up."

"I'm the baron here!" he shouted.

"I still outrank you!" she yelled back. Which was the truth. Ranger's outranked everyone except the King and his regent.

He stuttered, seeming to search for words before he finally found them. "I can still kill you and no one will know where you've disappeared off to."

She affected a bored yawn. "That isn't precisely true, I was sent here by Commandant Crowley. He knows exactly where I am. Oh and there is one more thing ..." She paused, grinning at the door.

The door pushed open and the others stepped into the room.

Logan pushed back the cowl of his cloak, glaring at both the baron and his former mentor. "You're both under arrest for crimes against the people of Araluen."

The baron gave a howl of rage and lifted his arm, a knife clutched in his hand. He hefted it to throw at Logan.

Everything happened quickly. Holly still held her knife in her hand. The second he made a move her knife was whistling through the air. It struck it's mark before he had the chance to release his blade. The knife struck his wrist and he released a howl of pain.

Logan sent her a grateful glance before he turned to the baron. "How did you gain Ranger Paul's corporation in your scheme?"

He clutched at his injured hand, pressing it against his stomach. "Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because if you do, perhaps your cooperation might prompt us to treat that rather nasty wound Ranger Holly has given you."

Holly blinked in surprise. "Injury? I don't see an injury! Whatever are you talking about?"

Logan resisted the urge to laugh. He arched an eyebrow at the baron who was looking between them as if he couldn't decide whether this was a game or the truth of things.

"Answer my question," Logan told him in a flat voice. "I could leave you alone with Ranger Holly," he added with a fat grin.

After a moment spent staring at Holly, the baron reached down and pulled open one of the desk drawers with his good hand and pulled out a small vial containing an opaque liquid. "With this. It puts him in a sort of stupor that makes him extremely susceptible to suggestion. All I need is a couple of drops in any drink and his mind is mine to control."

Halt reached out and snatched the vile from the man, pocketing it. "Where is the real baron?"

"Dungeons. What about my wrist?" the baron whined.

"Don't worry about it. We'll make certain it's taken care of." He turned to Will. "Get the men from the village we recruited while Holly was getting herself captured. Logan, you and Mitchell search the dungeons for the real baron."

It took them several hours to straighten everything out. They had to clear out all of the false baron's men and reinstate the old baron. As well as inform the villagers of the change. It felt good to have it sorted.

As they made their way back to the inn, Halt stopped as he realized Holly wasn't with them. "Where has Holly gotten herself off to?"

Deva pointed. "Over there."

He spun and led the way over to where Holly stood, surrounded by a group of villagers. As she spoke, some grinned before moving away. Once the way was clear, Halt stepped closer to her. "And what have you been up to?"

She shrugged. "There was all of this stuff in the baron's office. I figured it probably belonged to everyone here so I was redistributing it. I'm sure he stole all of it from them anyway."

Halt smiled and pulled her into his arms, giving her a tight hug. "That's my girl."

"Ew, Dad, let me go! People are watching!"

He laughed and released her. "Let's pack up and head home. Will, go ahead and write a report for Crowley."

"Why do I have to write it?"

"Because, I'm the senior Ranger and one of the perks of being senior is the ability to delegate tasks and I'm delegating this task to you."

The apprentices grinned as they listened to the two senior Rangers argue about who was going to write the report.

It was going to be a long ride home, but they had the feeling it would be entertaining.