Halt could do nothing but watch helplessly as Will was dragged over to him. As he got closer and the firelight illuminated his face, Halt was able to properly see him. Deep lines furrowed his face from exhaustion, and several raw cuts were stark red against his pale skin. His eyes still lit up with that familiar determination, but a dull sheen of pain had clouded them a little. His clothes were disheveled from being manhandled by the Temujai, and his wrists were cuffed tightly behind his back.

At first sight, Halt couldn't help but flash back to his dreams. The small boy, the Gathering grounds, the cabin in the woods, Alyss, the children... He had to force himself to focus. Those dreams weren't real. What's real is right in front of me.

Will was shoved mercilessly down onto his knees a few feet across from Halt next to the fire. Halt winced when Will's face screwed up in pain as his knees hit the dirt, and the Temujai didn't even have to push anymore as he collapsed onto the ground, clenching his teeth in pain. "Will, are you - " he tried to start, but the minute he drew breath to speak, a heavy boot nailed him in the lower back and he sprawled forward, unable to stop himself with his hands restrained.

Next thing Halt knew, his face was pressed to the dirt and his injured body screamed. He bit his tongue furiously to keep from crying out, and he tasted blood. Through the haze of pain he heard, "I'll be back in a few minutes. Shan just left a moment ago and I have to go get him back. Watch them carefully. They're Rangers, after all."

He vaguely registered footsteps headed away from him and Halt forced himself to roll over, and eventually ease himself up. Will was crouching on the ground a few feet away, seemingly completely oblivious to Halt's pain. He was wrenching at his arms furiously, which seemed useless to Halt. Can't break rope just by pulling on it, Will knows that. But Will suddenly let out a soft groan of relief as his bound wrists finally squeezed under the soles of his boots and his hands slipped out in front of him. He rolled his shoulders briefly, regaining circulation and easing his cramps, his eyes shut tight. He opened them, and met Halt's eyes in a single moment.

For Halt, there was simply no words. No words to describe the pure relief of seeing him alive and, for the most part, well. He had spent the last two days and nights compounding the stress of his retirement and the ambush, and then forcing it all under a lid to allow him to focus on what was going on. That stress had grown so much that it had bled into his dreams, and finally, his reality. But seeing him, just seeing him again, released most of that stress in a single moment.

Will had just said something to him. "Halt? Halt, are you alright?"

Halt's head jerked painfully as he snapped himself back into reality. "W - What?"

Will's voice was as reassuring as ever, but a bit ragged around the edges. "I said, are you alright? You look really awful."

Halt almost smiled. "One could say the same about you. When was the last time you slept properly?"

Will shrugged. "When was the last time you slept properly?"

"Fair enough." Halt sighed. "I had a falling out with a tree. Literally. What about you?"

Normally, a wise crack like that would earn a wide grin from Will, but not even a ghost of a smile flickered across his face. In fact, Will's eyes seemed to harden even more. "It's a rather long list. I'll save it for later."

"That's probably wise," Halt muttered, distraught at Will's reaction. He looks so guarded, so jaded. Something happened to him, and I need to find out what.

Will had risen to his knees again and was crawling over to him, limping along on one knee and his bound hands. The other knee he kept up in the air and winced whenever his weight shifted to that side. He finally managed to seat himself down next to Halt.
"You look really hurt. What happened to you?" His hands gently touched the huge tears in his jerkin and cloak, the leaves still stuck in his hair, and the cuts from the branches on his face and hands.

"I told you, I fell out of a tree. I landed on some poor fellow, you should see him." Halt winced as Will pressed a bit of cloth torn from his shirt against the worst of his cuts, and dabbed away some of the blood from his face.

"We don't have much time till Or'kan comes, so I won't ask you about that now. But you have to promise to tell me everything later. Did you break anything?"

Halt shrugged, and immediately regretted it. "A rib or two, I think. I can't be certain, but I don't think anything else is broken. Just lots of bruises and cuts."

"Yes, I can see that."

Halt muttered, "We don't have time for this. I assume you have some sort of plan? Or is this your plan gone horribly wrong?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course I have a - "

Will never got to finish. One of the Temujai guards had just turned and saw Will next to Halt. He immediately shouted something, and marched over. Before Halt could warn Will, his boot shot out and slammed into the side of his head. Will groaned and fell back, and two men grabbed his arms and dragged him back over to the other side of the fire. There they shoved him up against the tree and stepped away, this time not turning their backs.

Will groaned and squirmed in pain, and fresh trickle of blood running down his face, and Halt whispered across the fire, "Will, stay awake, don't pass out."

"I know, I'm alright, I think," Will muttered his voice soft but clear and not slurred.

One of the guards shouted, "The Shan is coming! Everyone to attention."

Will glanced at Halt, puzzled. "What did he say? I haven't been able to understand these bastards."

Halt nodded. "He said that the Shan's coming. I really hope that this is a part of your plan."

Will's answer was again cut short. Or'kan strode out of the trees and into the firelight, the glow lighting up his dark eyes and grin.

As soon as the Shan laid eyes on Will, he stopped walking. He froze in place, his flickering eyes drilling into Will, who met his gaze squarely. Then all at once, Or'kan began to laugh, a deep-throated, full-bodied laugh that echoed around the camp. Every soldier milling around nearby stopped at the surprisingly resonant sound, and a stunned silence settled over the entire camp. Or'kan, still chuckling, said, "Well, well, well, would you look at this? A pleasure to see you again, Ranger Will. I don't think you'd believe it, but Ranger Halt and I were just talking about you a few hours ago! I told him just how much I wanted to see you again, and look - here you are. I must have the luck of the gods on my side." He strode over and clapped a hand on Will's shoulder none too gently.

"I don't think there are any gods worth believing in who would condone the murder of innocent people," Will said, softly but confidently, with a touch of contempt.

Or'kan looked at Will with something like pity. "Ooh, you sound a little more worse for wear than the last time we talked. What have you been up to since we met in the forest?"

So it is true - Or'kan did meet Will in the forest, Halt thought.

Will peered up at him through narrowed eyes. "Well, I'll tell you one thing: don't even think about sending and receiving information through Castle Araluen anymore."

Or'kan's eyebrows rose up to heaven, and Halt could see him visibly struggling to suppress his shock. "Oh, I see, you found my spy, then? I must say, I didn't expect that from you, and not this quickly. I suppose I'll have to find a different way to leech information about you Rangers out of this country. That shouldn't be too hard, of course, once most of you are dead." Will tried to answer, but Or'kan went right on. "I suppose I'm also just surprised to see you, Will. The last time we spoke you were headed in the complete opposite direction with the rest of the wounded Corps in tow. If anything, I expected that other old Ranger to come bursting out of the bushes on some hair-brained rescue mission."

Will's face flickered. "Your spy is useless now, and the other Ranger is long gone. As I was riding up here I passed him on his way down south. He was running for his life."

Crowley's not gone, he wouldn't just leave. Will's only saying that to give us another bargaining chip.

Will had continued speaking. "So it's just you, me, and Halt."

Halt decided he had had enough of this, and decided to stir the pot a little. "And a few extra Temujai on the side," he muttered sarcastically.

Will rolled his eyes as Or'kan's gaze swivelled over to Halt. As soon as the Shan's back was turned, Will's eyes went wide and he gave a very pointed look at Halt. He mouthed something, but Halt didn't understand, so he only shrugged.

Meanwhile, Or'kan heartily mocked them both. "I see. So, you think you have come to escape? You're going to somehow break free and get out of here, capturing me or killing me in the process?" He turned back to Will, still gesturing to Halt. "And you think this old geezer is going to help you? Not only is he positively ancient, but he fell out of a tree just a few hours ago. He's not in any sort of shape to be escaping any time soon."

Halt realized he should be insulted by all that, but was disappointed to find that he wasn't. I really am a bit of a geezer, aren't I? He struggled to hold back a smile at the thought.

Will just shrugged. "We'll stop you. You know it's just a matter of time."

Or'kan's eyes burned a little brighter. Will was making him angry. "Remember what I told you? About choosing other people's fates? Well, here I am, with you at my mercy. I am choosing your fate."

A bitter smile ghosted across Will's face. "Or'kan, I don't think you will ever understand how fate works. Unfortunately for you, I turned myself into your men. I chose to be here."

Or'kan sneered. "You may chosen to be here, but the ending still remains the same: with you under my control. Your life is in my hands. I could kill you at any moment, any time that I chose." His voice was loud and harsh.

Will didn't even flinch. "Is that really how it is? I know your plan, and I know you can't afford to kill us yet. So is it really your choice? Or is just all just circumstantial?"

Or'kan scoffed at him. "You don't know my plan, and fate is not circumstantial. Do you really think it was circumstantial that those two Rangers died? Because I don't think you do."

Will's calm facade melted in an instant. A seething rage festered in his eyes and his whole body tensed and sat up taller, and the shadows on his face grew longer in the moonlight.

Halt's eyes couldn't help but widen. I don't remember ever seeing Will this angry.

When Will spoke, his voice was quiet, so quiet Halt had to strain to hear it, but it was perfectly steady and oozing with pure contempt. "I do think that was circumstantial, but that doesn't mean it wasn't your fault. Neither of those two Rangers deserved to die, and they had more to live for than your revenge killings. And don't you dare try to use their deaths to justify your bloodlust!" Will spat.

"I don't care what they had to live for. You destroyed my country and my life. Those are worth far more than a few colleagues."

"They were a part of our family, and now they're dead. As far as I'm concerned, love and friendship are far more important than anything you could dream up, like your desperate need for revenge!" Will was shouting now, his hands clenched into fists in his lap.

"Then your loyalty blinds you from the truth!" Or'kan's hand slammed onto his saber hilt and flung it from its sheath with a shhhhhhhing! In a split second he slashed the blade across Will's neck, opening up a cut running from just under his ear to the side of his throat. Will fell back, jamming his shoulder up into the cut, trying to stanch the bleeding. But before Halt a chance to do anything at all, Or'kan left Will in the dust and rounded on him, sword bloody, eyes blazing. "What do you have to say for yourself, Ranger Halt? I think Will's made his position quite clear, but you have a chance to redeem yourself here."

As soon as Or'kan turned away from Will and come around to the other side of the big fire to get at Halt, he could see Will immediately starting to stand up as quietly as he could. The other Temujai standing watch a few meters from the fire had turned away when Or'kan exploded; obviously, they had seen it before and knew it was best not to be looking at him when he was in a rage. But that meant that as soon as Or'kan turned his back, no one was looking at Will. By now he had managed to get to his feet. He looked Halt dead in the eyes, winked once, slowly, and then suddenly took off running into the forest.

Or'kan had been saying something to Halt, but as soon as Will took off, he whirled around and only managed to catch the heels of Will's boots and he disappeared into the trees. The other Temujai had seen as well, and they started to rush after him, but Or'kan screamed, "No! He's mine, I'll take care of him. Stay here and watch the other one." He turned to Halt. "He has nowhere to go. When I bring him back, I'll kill you both, slowly." Then he turned away and sprinted into the forest after Will.

Halt turned back to the other Temujai, who now were circling him like a predator and its prey.

What was Will thinking?

Several minutes passed in tense, awkward silence. He could hear dulled voices somewhere off in the forest, but it was so soft he couldn't tell what was going on.

As the Temujai closed in, Halt thought, If this is it, I hope Will gets away. So that he can grow up and lead the Corps and have beautiful children -

Thrummmmm - the unmistakeable sound.

An arrow lodged itself in the neck of the nearest Temujai. He dropped to the ground and moved no more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will ran, ran for his life. He couldn't help but stumble over rocks and branches in the darkness, but he managed not to fall. Just a little further, just a little further... There! He could just barely make out the cliff in the darkness, a line up ahead where the trees thinned out and the land under his feet would suddenly drop out from under him. He could hear the river rushing at the bottom of the ravine, only a few feet deep. He skidded to a stop several feet in front of the ledge next to some bushes that would further disguise the drop off in the inky blackness of the forest. Sure enough, thrashing footsteps came closer and closer, and Will readied himself to face him.

Or'kan burst out of the bushes, alone, panting and furious. His saber was still stained with Will's blood, red and shining on the flat of the blade in the dim moonlight. "You have nowhere to run, Will. This forest goes on for a long time and you wouldn't make it very far with your hands tied and without weapons."

Will just smiled. "Maybe I don't want to run. Maybe I've got you right where I want you."

Or'kan laughed it off, advancing forward, his saber raised. "I think you're bluffing because you know you don't have anywhere to run. I know you, you're smart. And when you're smart, you know when you don't have a chance."

Will just kept smiling, but he took a careful step backward toward the cliff. "You may get me, but you should know that you'll never capture the rest of them. The Rangers, I mean. You don't have a chance. And I know you, you're smart, too. So why do you still try?"

Or'kan's eyes seemed to glow with hatred. "Because I've planned for this. I know what I have to do, and I know how to do it. I already killed two of them, the old one and the young one. Their deaths were merciful. Imagine what I could do to the rest you?"

"Oh, I really don't think you've ever even had a chance at getting all of us. Face it, your campaign was built on bloodlust and revenge, not logical preparation and strategy."

"I will kill every single Ranger in the Corps, no matter what you think. Starting with you!"

He rushed at Will, running head on, his saber held in front of him like a lance. Will backed up another step, till he was right at the edge of the cliff. Or'kan only ran faster as Will retreated, and he didn't slow down even as the cliff came into view.

Will forced himself to wait... to wait... wait a little longer... Now!

Just as Or'kan's saber was about to run right through him, Will took one final step, his foot twisting behind him as he struggled to find leverage in the loose rocks of the cliff edge. He threw himself to one side as Or'kan came barrelling past at full speed. The Shan had a split second to realize that the ground dropped off in front of him, and he tried to slow down, but it was no use. His boots slipped on the loose gravel and he found himself sliding over the edge at high speed. Will expected to land on the rocks at the edge, but his luck - and his knee - were out that day. His injured knee couldn't take the sudden twisting and loose rocks, and even though he landed on the rocks, he found himself sliding helplessly, his hands scrabbling to find purchase, and finding none.

Both Will and Or'kan disappeared over the edge of the cliff.

******************

Well hello there! It's been quite a long time.

Don't worry, I'm not leaving you hanging, at least, not really. The next part has been posted, so go, read on!

Thanks for reading! Like and comment if you enjoyed it! ;)