"Time to get up you lazy bunch," Halt called.

As a group they groaned at the sound of his voice. It seemed as if they'd just curled up and gone to sleep for their little nap.

Deva cracked an eye open to stare up at him. "Do we have to?"

One of his eyebrows lifted at her question and he simply stared silently down at her until she shut her eyes to avoid his gaze.

"Fine, fine, up it is then." She attempted to roll to her side but discovered a weight resting against her shoulder, preventing her from moving. Her eyes popped open again to survey her situation. "Mitchell, I am not a pillow get off me you oaf!"

He popped upright, blinking sleepily and looking around as if he couldn't quite figure out where he currently was. The second things seemed to click into place inside his head he scooted quickly away from her, his cheeks going pink. "Sorry!"

She grumbled as she stood. In the opposite corner she heard Holly berating Logan for stealing her blanket. At least with Mitchell using her as a pillow she'd been toasty warm while lying on the cold floor. A silly little grin spread across her face at the thought, a second later, her cheeks turned as pink as his had been moments ago. Why was she thinking something nice about him? Ugh.

"Are the four of you done grumbling and complaining now?" Halt asked dryly.

"Not really," Holly replied.

He sent her a quelling look and went on as if she hadn't spoken. "Will and I are going to check Paul's cabin. You four go downstairs, eat quietly and listen. Remember, all you're going to do is sit and listen. No getting involved with anything. And under no circumstance," he stopped abruptly, staring hard at Holly.

She groaned, rolling her eyes. "No, Holly plans."

"And no talking back. Get downstairs and behave."

They all watched as he and Will left.

Mitchell rubbed his hands together. "All right, let's eat!"

Deva rolled her eyes. "Is everything with you about food?"

Mitchell shrugged and pulled the door open before stepping aside to let everyone else exit first. They trooped downstairs to the dining room.

When they reached the dining area, they took seats at a table in a corner, ordered and sat there eating quietly as they listened to the conversations of those around them. Most people spoke of their work day or other mundane things. It didn't seem as if they were going to hear anything at all important.

Logan slouched in his seat, pulling his cap lower and staring down at his plate intently. "That's him. The false baron. He just sat down with two of his men and Ranger Paul," he muttered quietly, pointing across the room as unobtrusively as possible, indicating the table the man sat at.

Deva looked over the room as if surveying everything until her eyes landed on the baron at a table in the corner opposite them. He looked more like a soldier than a baron of any sort. His clothes were of the plain and rough sort. His manners were nearly nonexistent. The man laughed loudly at something one of his other men said, sloshing whatever was in his mug over the rim to the floor as he swung it about like a loon. She snorted, turning back to the others.

"He certainly doesn't act like any baron I've ever met." Deva turned to stare across the room at the man. again, before turning back to the others.

Logan raised his head enough to meet her eyes. "That's because he isn't a real baron. We did cover that already."

Before Deva could snap out a reply, Holly intervened. "What do we do?"

Mitchell looked up from shoveling food into his mouth, pausing in his eating to reply, "Nothing. We sit and eat. Your dad said we're supposed to eat and listen. No Holly plans, remember?"

Holly glowered at him. "I didn't say we needed to burn the place from rafters to cellar, simply that we should do something about that awful man while he's separated from his knights. Isn't that the logical thing to do?"

"When Holly logic begins to make some sort of sense, we're in serious trouble," Deva groaned out.

"Oh shut up!" Holly snapped, sitting back in her seat.

Logan shoved his plate aside and folded his arms on the table before he leaned in to speak to them. "Look, there's only one reason he's here ..."

"And what reason is that?" Deva asked.

"He's probably come into town to try and collect more tax money from the people. Either he's made a sweep of the entire village or he's gone after those who are late with payments. I've seen him do it before."

They sat in silence for several long minutes before Mitchell spoke. "He can't do that. My dad would skin him alive if he knew about this." He frowned down at his stew. "Forget that, my mother would get him first. We need to put a stop to his schemes."

Deva saw Logan's brows scrunch together at Mitchell's words and jumped in quickly before Logan could begin asking questions about Mitchell's parents. She glanced at Holly. "So?"

Holly looked around, eyes wide, as if there was someone behind her before turning back to look at Deva. She pressed a hand to her chest. "Oh, what, me? Now you want my help formulating a plan?"

"Stop it."

With a smirk, she shrugged at Deva. "Well, since I'm not allowed to set fire to anything we'll have to use something a little more conventional. Something sneaky."

"Meaning what, exactly?" Logan asked.

She glanced over Deva's shoulder across the room at the fake baron. "You said he's probably here to collect taxes. Let's go find that money and liberate it. If he's here the money is probably close by. It stands to reason, right?"

A smile blossomed on Logan's face. "That's a brilliant plan! It's probably out front. I'm sure the rest of his men are waiting for him."

"Rest of his men?" Holly asked.

"He brings several guards with him. Two are in here, there's probably at least two more with the wagon. Possibly more."

Holly nodded. "All right, let's go then."

The four slipped out through a backdoor and carefully moved to the front corner of the building where they peered around the edge to look at the street out front. A wagon stood out front guarded by six men.

"Two men?" Holly asked Logan with a glower.

"I said at least two, possibly more."

"Well, this isn't really a good thing," Mitchell mumbled.

Deva fluffed her hair, tugged the bodice of her dress lower and grinned at them. "I've got this. When the guards are distracted get into the wagon and get the money." She strutted around the corner, heading for the wagon.

Holly slapped a hand over her eyes as Deva moved closer to the wagon. "This is going to end very badly."

Mitchell was looking from Holly to where Deva was. "I don't understand. What is she going to do? Is this some Ranger thing I'm not supposed to understand?"

Logan couldn't hold back a chuckle at Mitchell's words. "No, it isn't a Ranger thing. It's a girl thing. I think Deva is going to try and flirt her way into a distraction."

Holly snorted. "Deva can't flirt to save her life. She's horrible at it. This isn't going to work." They moved closer to the corner of the building, watching Deva where she stood before two of the guards, batting her eyelashes.

Logan winced as he watched her. "What is she doing?"

"She believes she's fluttering her eyelashes playfully," Holly told him.

"It looks like a couple of months battling it out," he replied.

"That about covers it. Sadly for us, that's her best move. We better do something before they murder her to make her stop."

The three of them rounded the building and came at the wagon from the opposite direction. Luck seemed to be on their side because despite Holly's warning that Deva was awful at flirting, the men seemed quite happy with her efforts. The guards were gathered around her. It was possible they were more entertained by her than attracted to her and her "expert" flirting skills. It didn't matter, their lack of attention to their duties was good for them. They slipped up behind the enclosed wagon. Holly grabbed the large padlock cursing.

"Now what?" she whispered.

Mitchell held out a hand. "Knife?"

"Knife, what are you going to do, kill them?" Holly snapped.

Logan rolled his eyes and handed Mitchell his larger saxe. He watched the muscular boy jam the knife into the hasp before he wrenched it sideways quickly, snapping it. He held the knife out to Logan.

"Thank you."

Holly made no comment as she grasped the lock and removed it, pulling the door open as she ignored Mitchell's superior look. She jumped up into the wagon, reappearing with a bag of coins. "Let's get moving before they notice."

Logan peered into the wagon. "One bag?"

She shrugged. "You said it yourself, the people don't have much left to give."

He nodded and they hustled back around the building. Holly shoved the bag at Logan. "Time to get Deva out of there," she muttered as she hurried around the side of the building. "Here you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! Dad wants us." She stopped. "Oh, hello gentlemen. I'm so sorry, but I need my sister!" She grabbed Deva and hauled her away before the soldiers could say a single word.

Once they rounded the corner, Deva stomped a foot. "Why did you drag me away I had them right where I wanted them."

"Idiot! We already got the money out of the wagon while you were doing, whatever it was you thought you were doing," Holly snapped.

"Oh, well ... still maybe I could have gotten them to tell me stuff."

"Come on, no fighting. We need to figure out what to do with this money. We can't get caught with it. The baron will get angry when he discovers it missing and you can bet he'll start searching for it," Mitchell told them.

"I say we drop it at the church. The priests will distribute it to the people who need it most." Logan looked at them, waiting to see if they'd accept the idea.

"That's a good idea. Let's get it done before Will and my dad return," Holly replied.

They made good time to the village's church and back, slipping back inside the inn and to the same table they'd occupied earlier. The man who called himself baron was still at his table, making ready to leave as they retook their seats. Tensely they watched as he rose and exited the inn. It took only seconds for him to return, roaring back through the door.

"Which of you ungrateful heathens has stolen the tax money?" he shouted.

The room went dead silent. Where it had been filled with sounds and idle chatter, the room was now devoid of even the smallest noise.

The four of them slouched in their seats when they saw Will and Halt enter through the door behind the baron. They kept their gazes focused on the table before the senior Rangers noticed them.

"I asked a question is no one going to answer it?" the baron roared. Again silence greeted his words. "Very well then, you will all suffer for this travesty!" He turned and shoved past Halt and Will, exiting the inn.

Halt shot Will a look and dipped his head toward the table where the kids sat. When the two Rangers reached the table, Halt flattened his palms on the table, surveying the four apprentices. "So, would any of you like to tell me what all of that was about?"

"Not particularly," Holly answered quietly.

"Hmmm, well ... might it have something to do with that wagon out front surrounded by guards?"

"Poooosibly," Deva answered evasively.

"Upstairs. Now." He pointed toward the stairs.

They dragged back up to their room knowing Halt was probably going to berate them for their little adventure. The second the door to the room shut behind them he turned on them.

"Did the four of you not hear a single word I spoke earlier?"

"We did, I swear there were no Holly plans involved!" Holly insisted.

"That isn't the point! I specifically told you to sit and listen! Gather information. Not to poke the wild beasts until they wake and proceed to chase you through the trees while roaring angrily!"

Mitchell scratched his head. "No one knew what we did! I don't remember any angry beasts chasing us through the trees. I think we're safe."

Halt gazed at him steadily. "Be that as it may, try and stay out of trouble for the rest of this mission. Will, tell them what to do tomorrow while I make certain their little adventure didn't pull anyone's notice in our direction."

Will nodded and took Halt's place as he left the room. "Tomorrow we want the four of you to roam the village and try to talk to some of the young people. See if they have anything to say that may be any help to us. Right now get some sleep."

"Wait. What did you find at Ranger Paul's cabin?" Logan asked.

"There wasn't anything to find. The place is empty, has been for some time. It would appear the baron is keeping Paul close. I'm sure no one has been to the cabin since you managed to get out of the village. That baron probably wants to make certain Paul doesn't disappear as well. The cabin is in need of a good sweeping." He wrinkled his nose and turned away. "Get some sleep."

Deva eyed Mitchell. "If you use me as a pillow again I'll stab you in your sleep."

He sent her a wary look as he settled beneath his blanket beside her. "Sorry. I'll try and stay on my side of the floor."

"You had better." She settled down, pulling her blanket over herself. A small part of her wondered if he'd ignore her order and snuggle up beside her again. After all, if he did it would be much warmer with his big body wrapped around her much smaller one. As soon as the thought scampered through her mind she stomped it down and rolled so her back was to him. Just no. Hell no. She was not going to begin thinking of the big idiot like he actually meant something to her. Because he didn't.

Across the room Holly sent Logan a glare. "I will shave your head and pull out all your teeth if I touch my blanket again."

He chuckled. "All right then."

"I'm serious! I will hurt you."

He chuckled again as he settled beneath his blanket. "Sure, Holly." He didn't sound as if he took any of her threats seriously.

"Go to sleep! All of you," Will told them.

He shut his eyes and wondered if he'd ever given Halt this much trouble when he'd been their age. Immediately on the heels of that thought, he decided he didn't want an answer to that question.