The Icebound Land

8

T HE GRAY-CLAD RIDER HUNCHED MISERABLY INSIDE HIS CLOAK as he rode slowly through the misting rain that swept across the fields. The hooves of his two horses-one a saddle horse and the other serving as a lightly laden packhorse-clopped wetly in the puddles that had gathered in the undulations of the road.

Behind him as he reached a crest, the towers and spires of Castle Araluen soared into the gray sky. But Halt didn't look back at the magnificent sight. His gaze was set forward.

He heard the two riders following him long before they caught up.

Abelard's ears twitched at the sound of the drumming hoofbeats and Halt knew his small horse had recognized the other two as Ranger horses. Still he didn't look back. He knew who the two riders would be. And he knew why they were coming. He felt a small shaft of disappointment. He had hoped that, in the confusion and sorrow over his banishment, Crowley had forgotten the one small item that Halt would now have to surrender.

Sighing and accepting the inevitable, he touched Abelard's reins lightly. The highly trained Ranger horse responded instantly, coming to a halt. Behind them, the packhorse did the same. The hoof-beats grew closer and he sat, staring dully ahead, as Crowley and Gilan reined in beside him.

The four horses nickered gently in greeting to one another. The three men were a little more reserved. There was an unpleasant silence between them, finally broken by Crowley.

"Well, Halt, you got away early. We had to ride hard to catch up to you," he said, striving for a false heartiness that concealed his misery at the way events had turned out. Halt glanced incuriously at the two other horses. Steam rose gently from them in the cold damp air.

"I can see that," he replied calmly. He tried to ignore the anguish on Gilan's young face. He knew that his former apprentice would be suffering deeply because of his inexplicable actions and he hardened his heart to shut out the young Ranger's sorrow.

Now Crowley lost his heartiness as well. His face grew serious and troubled.

"Halt, there is one thing you may have forgotten. I'm sorry to have to insist, but:" He hesitated. Halt tried to play the scene out to the bitter end, assuming a puzzled expression.

"I have forty-eight hours to leave the kingdom," he replied. "The time started from dawn this morning. I'll make it clear of the border by then. There's no need for you to escort me."

Crowley shook his head. Out of the corner of his eye, Halt saw Gilan drop his gaze to the road. This was simply causing pain to all of them. He knew what Crowley had come for. He reached inside his cloak to the silver chain around his throat.

"I had rather hoped you might forget," he said, trying to make his voice light. But there was a catch in his throat that belied the effort. Sadly, Crowley shook his head.

"You know you can't keep the Oakleaf, Halt. As a person under banishment, you're automatically expelled from the Corps as well."

Halt nodded. He felt the sting of tears behind his eyes as he unclasped the chain and passed the small silver amulet to the Ranger Commandant. The metal was still warm from contact with his body. His vision blurred as he saw it coiled in Crowley's palm. Such a small piece of bright metal, he thought, and yet it meant so much to him. He had worn the Oakleaf, with the intense pride that all Rangers felt, for the greater part of his life. And now it was no longer his.

"I'm sorry, Halt," Crowley said miserably. Halt lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

"It's a small matter," he said.

Again, a silence fell between them. Crowley's eyes looked into his, trying to penetrate the veil that Halt held in place there. A veil of uncaring, unfeeling acceptance of the situation. It was a sham, but it was a superbly maintained one. Finally the Commandant leaned toward him in the saddle, gripping Halt's forearm tightly.

"Why, Halt? Why did you do it?" he asked fiercely. Again, that infuriating shrug of the shoulders.

"As I said," Halt replied, "too much brandy-spirit. You know I could never hold my liquor, Crowley."

He actually managed a smile at that. It felt ghastly on his face, like a death's-head grin.

Crowley released his arm and sat back, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Godspeed, Halt," he said finally, in a voice that broke with emotion. Then, with an uncharacteristically rough jerk of his reins, Crowley wheeled his horse's head and galloped away, back along the road to Castle Araluen.

Halt watched him go, the mottled Ranger cloak soon almost lost in the misting rain. Then he turned to his former apprentice. He smiled sadly, and this time the smile and the sadness were genuine.

"Good-bye, Gilan. I'm glad you came to farewell me."

But the younger Ranger shook his head defiantly.

"I'm not here to farewell you," he said roughly. "I'm coming with you." Halt raised one eyebrow. It was an expression so familiar to Gilan that it tore at his heart to see it.

"Into banishment?" Halt asked the younger man, and again Gilan shook his head.

"I know what you're up to," he replied. He jerked his head at the packhorse standing patiently behind Abelard. "You have Tug with you.

You're going after Will, aren't you?"

For a moment, Halt was tempted to deny it. But the days of pretense were getting too much for him. He knew it would be a relief, just this once, to admit his reasons.

"I have to, Gilan," he said quietly. "I promised him. And this was the only way I could be released from service."

"By getting yourself banished?" Gilan's voice rose in an incredulous note. "Did it occur to you that Duncan could have had you executed?"

Halt shrugged. But this time, it wasn't a mocking gesture. This time, it was simply a gesture of resignation.

"I didn't think he would. I had to take the chance."

Gilan shook his head sadly. "Well, banished or not," he said, "I'm coming with you."

Halt looked away then. He took a deep breath, let it out. He was tempted, he had to admit. He was heading for a long, hard, dangerous road where Gilan's company would be welcome and his sword might well be useful. But there was another call upon Gilan's service and Halt, already burdened by the knowledge that he had betrayed his own duty, couldn't allow the younger man to do the same.

"Gilan, you can't," he said simply. Gilan drew breath to reply and he held up a hand to stop him. "Look, I asked for a release so that I could go after Will," he said, "and they told me I was needed here."

He paused and Gilan nodded his understanding.

"Well, I judge that need to be less. But it's my judgment only and I could be wrong. This situation with Foldar is dangerous, very dangerous. And it needs to be nipped in the bud. He needs to be stalked and tracked down and ambushed. And frankly, I can't think of a Ranger more suited to that job than you."

"Other than yourself," Gilan countered, and Halt acknowledged the fact with a slight inclination of his head. It wasn't ego talking. It was an honest assessment of the truth.

"That may be true," he said. "But it bears out my point. If we both go missing, Crowley will have to find someone else to do the job."

"I don't care," Gilan replied stubbornly, twisting the reins in his hand into a tight little knot, then releasing them again. Halt smiled gently at him.

"I do, Gilan. I know how it feels to break the faith like this.

It's a deep, bitter hurt, believe me. And I won't allow you to inflict it on yourself."

"But, Halt," Gilan said miserably, and the grizzled, smaller man could see that tears weren't far from his eyes, "I was responsible for leaving Will. I deserted him in Celtica! If I had stayed with him, he would never have been captured by the Skandians!"

Halt shook his head. His voice was gentler now as he consoled the young man.

"You can't blame yourself for that," he told him. "What you did at the time was right. Blame me, rather, for recruiting a boy with the honor and courage to act as he did. And for training him so that there would never be any doubt that he would act that way."

He paused, to see if his words were having any effect. Gilan was wavering, he knew. Halt added the final touch.

"Don't you see, Gilan, it's because I know that you are here that I can desert my post like this. Because I know you can cover for me.

But if you refuse to do so, I can't go myself."

And at that, Gilan's shoulders slumped in submission. His eyes fell once more and he muttered throatily, "All right, Halt. But find him. Find him and bring him back, banished or not."

Halt smiled at him and leaned across to grip his shoulder.

"It's only a year," he said. "We'll be back before you know it.

Good-bye, Gilan."

"Godspeed, Halt," the Ranger said in a breaking voice. His vision was obscured by tears and he heard the dull clopping of hooves on the wet road as Abelard and Tug paced out toward the coast.

The wind was in Halt's face as he rode on his way and it drove the light rain against him. It formed into small drops on his weather-beaten features, drops that rolled down his cheeks.

Strangely, some of them tasted of salt.