"Holly, where in blazes are you!" Halt called out as he crossed through the trees, disappearing from sight.

In the trees, Holly remained motionless. Any movement would give her away. She did allow herself a tiny smile, knowing her father wouldn't see it, even if he did happen to look her way. The cowl of her cloak kept her face hidden. She and Deva were both becoming quite good at hiding. It worked well when they wanted to get away from their fathers.

The only drawback was the fact they tended to anger their fathers with this little ploy. Right now was a perfect example. Their fathers would come up with some punishment. Like mucking out the stables or some other nonsense. Mostly they were given extra practice as punishment.

Will stomped past several minutes before her father, shouting Deva's name. She had no clue where Deva had secreted herself. Will wandered back into view, followed by her father several seconds later.

"This is getting ridiculous," Will muttered.

"And we thought they couldn't handle this."

Holly scowled in their direction. Not handle this? They were insane.

Will shook his head. "We knew better, deep down, Halt, we knew. They're our children. Crowley is going to become impatient if we don't find them soon. We need to leave."

Why would Crowley be here? Her curiosity got the better of her and she emerged from her hiding place.

"There you are!" Halt cried as she stepped from her hiding place.

She gave a piercing whistle, letting Deva know it was time to come out.

Deva slapped her way free from her hiding spot and sent a glare at Holly. "I thought it was safe ... I mean ... I thought, oh dammit forget it. Why did you whistle?"

Holly flung an arm out at their fathers. "I don't know, they were muttering about Crowley. I thought it was a good idea to discover why."

"Yeah, okay, so what is going on?" Deva looked at the senior Rangers.

Halt was rubbing his forehead as if he had a sudden headache. "We received a message from Crowley."

"He's not here?" Holly questioned.

"No, he isn't," Halt answered. "Are you going to listen?"

The two girls nodded enthusiastically.

"Fine, we received a message from Crowley. The apprentice from Seacliff showed up out of the blue seeking help."

"Help with what?" Deva asked.

"That is something Crowley didn't elaborate on. He's asked us to come and see him and meet the apprentice and hear him out."

"What are we waiting for, let's go!" Deva said with a smile.

Halt sent her a scowl. "We have no idea what this is about. I would prefer to hear the young man out before we go getting all excited about his presence. I can see no good reason for him to have made the journey to see Crowley without his mentor."

"Let's just go!" Deva insisted.

Halt heaved out a sigh. "Everyone get your things together, we'll leave in an hour."

"Someone needs to fetch MItchell," Will put in.

"Why do we need him?" Holly whined.

"Because Crowley requested we bring him along, that is why. Now go."

Holly grumbled as she headed back toward the castle to get her things together. "I'll fetch Mitchell," she called as she walked. It was on her way, she supposed it was the least she could do and save someone else from fetching the fabulous prince.

She pulled up short, stopping a few feet from the fence that surrounded the Battleschool practice field, watching the students practicing. As she watched, she admitted to herself that Mitchell was an excellent swordsman. She remained where she was, watching until the instructor called a stop to the practice session. A couple of students planted the tips of their practice swords in the dirt, leaning on them.

Holly shook her head as she watched some of the students bend double, sucking air into their lungs. If they hadn't built up stamina by now they were in trouble. They wouldn't last long in a real battle. Her gaze went to Mitchell. He stood straight, tall and he didn't appear in the least winded. Her eyes narrowed on the boy beside him, she recognized Griffin. He was currently sending Mitchel a glare.

He was shooting glances between Mitchell and the instructor. This wasn't going to end well. It was time to make her appearance before Griffin made some sort of move. She whistled and the instructor looked to her, excused himself and strode over to the fence to speak with her.

"What is it, Ranger Holly?"

She grinned at his form of address. She felt a certain amount of pride to be addressed as a Ranger, to follow in her father's footsteps. "I need Mitchell, Ranger Halt sent me to fetch him. We're to take him with us per Commandant Crowley's orders."

The instructor heaved a sigh and turned away, shouting to Mitchell. "Alt, come here." Mitchell jogged over to where the instructor stood. "You're going with Ranger Holly as requested by Ranger Halt."

"Sir?" Mitchell was frowning as he looked between them.

The instructor shrugged. "Commandant Crowley's orders. Go."

Mitchell nodded, once the man walked off to resume the instruction of the other students. He turned to glare at her. "Couldn't Halt come fetch me? Why did he send you?" He sent a brief glance over his shoulder before ducking through the fence. "Now Griffin and his crew have more ammunition to hurl at me. Thanks, Holly."

She stuck her tongue out at his back as he stalked away from her. "My dad sent me. I didn't want to be the one to fetch you, Your Highness." He didn't need to know she'd decided to fetch him. Though, it wasn't her idea to bring him with.

He stopped dead, bent down to her level and snapped, "Do not ever call me that again."

She blinked in confusion as she watched him stalk away toward the barracks. She had to run flat out to catch up to him. "What is wrong with addressing you that way, it is your title isn't it?"

"Not while I'm here. You know I don't want anyone to know who I am. Also, I don't generally demand my friends address me in such a way."

Stunned, she missed a step and nearly went sprawling to the ground. "Since when do you consider me a friend?"

He heaved out a dramatic sigh. "Since, despite any protestations I may have made, you and Deva have decided to try and rescue me. There are few people who would put themselves out in such a way."

"Um, okay, wow. I guess we can call our relationship a tentative form of friendship. You do tend to become annoying at times though. You really need to haul back on the whole 'follow the rules' thing. It gets old after a bit."

He shook his head and grinned. "I'll meet you at the castle."

Holly stopped walking, smiling after him. Okay, so maybe the big idiot wasn't so bad after all. With a shrug, she headed for the castle to pack her things.

Nearly an hour later, Holly stood with her father and Mitchell in the castle courtyard. Will and Deva rode into the courtyard and waited a moment for the others to mount their horses, before the group left for castle Araluen.

***

Crowley beamed at them, his hands resting atop his desk. "Good to see all of you. I'd like you to meet Logan Mills. He's Ranger Paul's apprentice."

"Paul Callahan of Seacliff, correct?" Will questioned. His brows drew together. Seacliff was his first post when he'd finished his Ranger training, he had a natural interest in the fief. When young Ranger Clarke had been moved from Seacliff, Ranger Paul had taken over. He was a senior Ranger closing in on retirement and he had wanted someplace a bit quieter for his last post.

"Yes, Will."

Will opened his mouth to ask more questions, seemed to realize now wasn't the time for it and shut it again, gesturing at Crowley to continue. Though he and Halt had met Logan briefly at gatherings, they didn't know the young apprentice well. Their meetings had been brief.

Crowley turned to look at the young man sitting quietly to one side of the room. "Logan, please tell them exactly what you told me."

The young Ranger nodded, turning to look at the others. His hazel, more green than brown, eyes flitted from Halt to Will as he seemed to take the time to gather his thoughts. His gaze lingered briefly on Mitchell where he had propped a shoulder against the wall near the door. It was obvious he wasn't a Ranger, but the young man didn't question his presence. He brushed his hand through his tousled red hair with a sigh.

"My mentor began acting strangely several months ago. At first I thought perhaps he'd taken ill, but it's gone well beyond slightly strange behavior that could be attributed to an illness. The baron has disappeared and he's been replaced by a man of questionable morals."

Halt arched a brow at him. "How questionable?"

"He's a thief," Logan replied.

"How exactly do you know this?" Halt frowned at him.

"He's raised the taxes on the people of the fief several times since he's taken over. They can't afford to pay anything more. He's bled them dry. My mentor kept insisting the changes had been instituted by the King. He also claimed Commandant Crowley knew of them, though he would never show proof of it. After a period of time, I grew uncomfortable with the way things were being done and I left to come here and find out for myself what was happening. It wasn't easy to get away. He replaced the ferry worker. I had to disguise myself in order to get away."

Will turned his gaze to Crowley. "I can assume these changes were made without King Duncan's knowledge."

Crowley sat back with a nod. "Nor mine. No one in authority has asked for or approved these changes. Paul has been an exceptional Ranger, I can't imagine what would force him to betray the corps or Duncan this way, especially when he is so close to retirement."

Holly looked at Logan. "How exactly has his behavior changed?"

He turned his gaze to her when she asked the question, blinking in surprise. "You're a girl!"

Holly heaved out a dramatic sigh, lifted her cloak out of the way so she could look down at herself, then refocused on Logan. "Well, imagine that ... I am a girl! Why hasn't anyone mentioned this fact before now?"

Deva chuckled. "Silly us, we thought you already knew." She gave Holly's arm a sympathetic pat.

"That's enough, both of you," Halt admonished.

Logan's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. "I'm sorry. It was a bit of a shock. I didn't know there were any female Rangers. To answer your question, he seemed a bit unfocused. I guess that's the best explanation. He walks around as if he's in a daze most days and when this man who has made himself Baron tells him to do something, he does it without question."

"There's no hesitation at all for him to stop and consider the right and wrong of it?" Halt asked with a frown, his brows drawn closely together.

Logan shook his head. "None at all."

Crowley sat forward once more, pinning Halt with a gaze. "I want the lot of you to accompany Logan back to Seacliff and get this business sorted out."

"All of us?" Will asked, somewhat shocked.

"What happened to 'one riot, one Ranger'?" Deva asked with a snort.

Crowley sent her a glare. "This is a very serious matter. Not only do we have hostile elements to deal with, but we seem to have a rogue Ranger. This needs to be straightened out as quickly as possible."

Halt and Will rose.

"We'll handle it," Halt told him as he shuffled the rest of them from the room.

"Dad, how are we going to get into Seacliff without them knowing that we're coming?" She grabbed the edge of her cloak, waving it at him. "We can't wander in like this."

"I've already got a plan for us to get in unnoticed. Get the horses ready to leave. I'll be down as soon as I fetch a few things. Will, come along and give me a hand."

Logan was looking back and forth between Holly and Halt. "Ranger Halt is your father?"

Holly gasped in shock. "He is? Why is no one telling me all this important information? I'm a girl, Halt's my father! I don't even know myself anymore!"

Halt stuck his head into the room, "Holly, stop torturing the poor boy and behave."

Holly sighed and looked at Logan. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Yes, Halt is my father. Sadly, I'm stuck with him."

Halt appeared in the doorway once more. "I think I'm the one stuck with you. Horses. Go now." He disappeared from the doorway and Will left with a chuckle.

She grumbled and left, Deva, Mitchell and Logan following behind her. Logan couldn't seem to contain his excitement. "Ranger Halt is your dad!" he exclaimed.

Holly scowled in his direction. "Yes, we all got that part." She sent a silently chortling Deva a glance. "I think we should let you know right now, so you don't faint off your horse or something, Deva is Will's daughter."

Logan's focus shifted to Deva. "Ranger Will Treaty, your dad?"

Deva shoved at Holly's shoulder. "You couldn't resist telling him, could you?"

"Nope. I couldn't." She gave Deva a huge smile.

Deva threw her body at Holly, the other girl jumped nimbly out of the way with a shout of laughter and dashed toward the stables. "Get back here!" Deva shouted after her.

Logan blinked after them, frowning slightly.

Mitchell stepped up beside him, shaking his head as he watched the girls.

Logan turned to him, holding out a hand. "Logan."

"Mitchell." He took the hand Logan thrust out and shook it.

Logan looked back at the girls. "Are they always like that?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I think they're more like sisters than simply friends. They grew up together."

Logan eyed him for a moment. "Dare I ask who your father is?"

Mitchell chuckled. "You really don't want to know. Let's get ready to go. I don't want to be standing around doing nothing when Halt gets down here."

Logan blinked after Mitchell as the other boy headed for the stables. Who was his father and why did he believe Logan was better off not knowing? How bad could it be?