The Burning Bridge

14

T HE FOLLOWING MORNING, OF COURSE, THEY WERE FACED with the problem of what to do with Bart and Carney. The two bandits had spent a supremely uncomfortable night, tied back to back and so forced to sit upright on the stony ground. Several times during the night, Gilan had loosened their bonds for a few minutes to give their cramped muscles a brief respite. He even eventually relented and allowed them a small amount of the party's food and water. But it was still a very unpleasant experience for them, made even more so because they had no idea what he planned to do with them in the morning.

And, truth be told, neither did Gilan. He had no wish to take them along as prisoners. As it was, they had only four horses, counting the pack horse that had been carrying their camping supplies and would now have to carry Evanlyn as well. He felt that the news of Morgarath's puzzling foray into Celtica should be taken back to King Duncan as soon as possible, and dragging two prisoners along on foot would slow them down immeasurably. In addition, he was already considering the idea that he might push on ahead at top speed, allowing the other three to follow at their own pace. He knew the clumsy pack pony would never keep up with Blaze's mile-eating lope.

So, faced with these two problems, he frowned to himself as he ate breakfast, allowing himself the luxury of a second cup of coffee from their dwindling supply. After all, he thought, if he did go on ahead, it was the last coffee he'd see for some days. After a while he glanced up, caught Will's eye and beckoned him over.

"I'm thinking of pushing on ahead," he said quietly. Instantly he saw the look of alarm in Will's eyes.

"You mean alone?" Will asked, and Gilan nodded.

"This is vital news, Will, and I need to get it to King Duncan as soon as possible. Aside from anything else, it means that there'll be no reinforcements coming from Celtica. He needs to know that."

"But:" Will hesitated. He looked around the little campsite as if searching for some argument against Gilan's idea. The tall Ranger was a comforting presence. Like Halt, he always seemed to know the right thing to do. Now, the thought that he was planning to leave them created a sense of near-panic in Will's mind. Gilan recognized the self-doubt that was racking the boy. He stood and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's walk a little," he said, and they began to pace away from the campsite. Blaze and Tug glanced up curiously as they passed, then, realizing they weren't required, went back to cropping the sparse vegetation.

"I know you're worried about what happened with those four Wargals," Gilan said. Will stopped walking and looked up at him.

"Halt told you?" he said. There was a note of doubt in his voice. He wondered what Halt had said about his behavior. Gilan nodded gravely.

"Of course he told me. Will, you have nothing to be ashamed of, believe me."

"But, Gil, I panicked. I forgot all my training and I-"

Gilan held up a hand to stop the torrent of self-recrimination that he sensed was about to pour out.

"Halt says you stood your ground," he said firmly. Will shuffled his feet.

"Well:I suppose so. But:"

"You were scared but you didn't run. Will, that's not cowardice. That's courage. That's the highest form of courage. Weren't you scared when you killed the Kalkara?"

"Of course," Will said. "But that was different. It was forty meters away and attacking Sir Rodney."

"Whereas," Gilan finished for him, "the Wargal was ten meters away and coming straight at you. Big difference."

Will wasn't convinced. "It was Tug who saved me," he said. Gilan allowed himself a grin.

"Maybe he thought you were worth saving. He's a smart horse. And while Halt and I aren't nearly as smart as Tug, we think you've got what it takes too."

"Well, I've been beginning to doubt it," Will said. But for the first time in some weeks, he felt his confidence lift a little.

"Then don't!" Gilan said forcefully. "Self-doubt is a disease. And if it gets out of control, it becomes self-fulfilling. You have to learn from what happened with those Wargals. Use the experience to make you stronger."

Will thought about Gilan's words for a few seconds. Then he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

"All right," he said. "What do you want me to do?"

Gilan studied him for a moment. There was a newfound determination in the boy's stance.

"I'm going to leave you in command," he said. "There's no point now in continuing with the mission, so follow on behind me to Araluen as quickly as you can."

"To Redmont?" Will asked, and Gilan shook his head.

"By now, the army will be on the move to the Plains of Uthal. That's where I'm heading and that's where Halt will be. We'll go over the map before I leave and plan the best route for you."

"What about the girl?" Will asked. "Should I bring her along or leave her somewhere safe once we're back in Araluen?"

Gilan considered the point for a moment. "Bring her. The King and his advisers may want to question her some more. She'll be in the middle of the Araluen army, so she'll be as safe as anywhere else."

He hesitated, then decided to share his suspicions with Will. "There's something else about her, Will," he began.

"You think her story isn't quite right?" Will interrupted. "She keeps hesitating and stopping, as if she's afraid to tell us something." Another thought struck him and he lowered his voice instinctively, even though the campsite was well out of earshot. "You don't think she's a spy, do you?"

Gilan shook his head. "Nothing so dramatic. But remember when she said she saw us and thought, 'Thank God they're Rangers'? Ordinary people don't think that way about us. Only the nobles are comfortable around Rangers."

Will frowned. "So you think:" He hesitated. He wasn't sure what Gilan thought.

"I think she may be the lady and she's assumed her maid's identity."

"So on the one hand, she sees Rangers and is glad, then she doesn't trust us enough to tell us the truth? It doesn't make sense, Gil!" Will said. Gilan shrugged.

"It may not be that she doesn't trust us. She may have other reasons for not saying who she really is. I don't think it's a problem for you. I just think you should be aware of it."

They turned and began to walk back to the camp.

"I don't like to leave you in the lurch," Gilan said. "But you're not exactly unarmed. You've got your bow and your knives, and of course, there's Horace."

Will glanced across to where the muscular apprentice was sharing a joke with Evanlyn. As she threw back her head and laughed, he felt a small pang of jealousy. Then he realized that he should be glad to have Horace along with him.

"He's not bad with that sword of his, is he?" he said. Gilan shook his head in admiration.

"I'd never tell him, because it doesn't do a swordsman any good to have an inflated opinion of himself, but he's a lot better than not bad." He looked down at Will. "That's not to say you should go looking for trouble. There may still be Wargals between here and the border, so travel by night and hide up in the rocks by day."

"Gil," Will said, as an awkward thought struck him. "What are we going to do about those two?" He jerked a thumb toward the two bandits, still tied back to back, still trying to doze off and still jerking each other awake as they did so.

"That's the question, isn't it?" said the Ranger. "I suppose I could hang them. I do have the authority. After all, they did try to interfere with officers on the King's business. And they're looting in time of war. They're both capital offenses."

He cast his gaze around the rocky hills surrounding them. "The question is whether I can actually do that here," he murmured.

"You mean," said Will, not liking the way his friend was thinking, "you may not have the authority to hang them now that we're not in the kingdom itself?"

Gilan grinned at him. "I hadn't considered that. I was actually thinking that it'd be a bit difficult when there isn't a tree over a meter high within a hundred kilometers."

Will heaved a small inner sigh of relief as he realized Gilan hadn't been serious. Then the Ranger's grin faded and he said warningly:

"The one thing I do know is that we don't want them coming after you three again. So make no mention of my plans until we've gotten rid of them, all right?"

In the end, the solution was a simple one. First, Gilan had Horace break the blade of Carney's sword by levering it sharply between two rocks. Then he hurled Bart's cudgel into the ravine by the road's edge. They heard it clattering and bouncing off the rocky slope for several seconds.

Once that was done, Gilan forced the two men to strip to their underwear.

"You needn't watch this," he told Evanlyn. "It won't be a pretty sight."

Smiling to herself, the girl retreated inside the tent while the two men stripped down to their ragged underpants. They were shivering now in the cold mountain air.

"And your boots," Gilan ordered, and the two men sat awkwardly on the stony ground and removed their boots. Gilan nudged the piles of clothing with one toe.

"Now bundle 'em up and tie them in a ball with your belts," he ordered, and watched as Bart and Carney complied. When all was ready, he called Horace over and jerked a thumb at the two bundles of clothes and boots.

"Send 'em after the cudgel, Horace," he ordered. Horace grinned as he began to understand. Bart and Carney understood too and started a chorus of protest. It stopped as Gilan swung an icy stare upon them.

"You' regetting of flightly," he told them in a cold voice. "As I mentioned to Will earlier, I could hang you if I chose to."

Bart and Carney instantly went quiet, then Gilan gestured for Horace to tie them up again. Meekly, they submitted, and in a few minutes they were back to back again, shivering in the keen wind that circled and dipped around the hills. Gilan considered them for a moment or two.

"Throw a blanket over them," he said reluctantly. "A horse blanket."

Will obliged, grinning. He took care not to use Tug's blanket, but used the one belonging to the sturdy pack pony.

Gilan began to saddle Blaze, speaking to the others over his shoulder. "I'm going to scout around Gwyntaleth. There may be someone there who can shed a little more light on what Morgarath is up to." He looked meaningfully at Will and the apprentice realized that Gilan was saying this to throw the two bandits off. He gave a slight nod.

"I should be back about sunset," Gilan continued loudly. "Try to have something hot waiting for me then."

He swung up into the saddle and beckoned Will closer. Leaning down, he whispered: "Leave those two tied up and head off at sunset. They'll eventually get themselves loose, but then they'll have to retrieve their boots and clothes. They won't go anywhere in these mountains without them. It will give you a day's start over them and that should take you clear."

Will nodded. "I understand. Ride safely, Gilan." The Ranger nodded. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then came to a decision.

"Will," he said quietly. "We're in uncertain times and none of us knows what might be around the corner. It might be a good idea if you told Horace Tug's code word."

Will frowned. The code word was a jealously guarded secret and he was reluctant to let anyone know it, even a trusted comrade like Horace. Seeing his hesitation, Gilan continued.

"You never know what might happen. You could be injured or incapacitated and without the code word, Horace won't be able to make Tug obey him. It's just a precaution," he added. Will saw the sense in the idea and nodded.

"I'll tell him tonight," he said. "Take care, Gilan."

The tall Ranger leaned down and gripped his hand tightly.

"One other thing. You're in command here, and the others will take the lead from you. Don't give them any sign that you're not sure of yourself. Believe in yourself and they'll believe in you too."

He nudged Blaze with his knee and the bay swung around toward the road. Gilan raised a hand in farewell to Horace and Evanlyn and cantered away. The dust of his passage was quickly dispersed by the keening wind.

And then Will felt very small. And very alone.