John Flanagan - The Kings of Clonmel

'That's why I want to form a Special Task Group,' the Commandant said. 'And I want Halt and you to run it.'

Will leaned forward, thinking over Crowley's words. Already, he was interested in the idea and wanted to know more.

'Special Task Group,' he repeated, liking the sound of the words. 'What would we be doing?'

Crowley shrugged. 'Any situation, either within Araluen or overseas, that requires more than a routine response. Now that the threat of Morgarath has been removed, and with our northern border secured, Araluen is a powerful and influential player on the international stage. We have treaties in place with half a dozen other countries – including Arrida and Skandia, thanks to your own efforts.

'I'd like to think, and the King agrees with me, that we could have a small team ready to respond to any emergency that might crop up. Incidentally, I'd see Horace as part of that team as well. In the past, the three of you have pulled off some amazing successes. He'd remain based at Araluen until such time as he was needed. Then he'd be detached to work with you and Halt. And you'd be able to recruit other people as you needed them.'

'And I'd be based… where exactly?' Will asked. Crowley's face showed a hint of concern. He hesitated before he answered.

'That's the problem. We can detach one knight from the Royal Guard without too much trouble. But we can't have two fiefs, yours and Halt's, left without their Rangers for extended periods of time. You'd have to give up Seacliff.'

'Oh,' Will said. Seacliff might be an unexciting little fief but it was his. He represented the King's authority on the sleepy little island and, much as he had been anxious for change earlier in the evening, the thought of simply giving it up came as a wrench to him.

'Exactly,' Crowley said, reading his thoughts. 'That's why Halt didn't want to be here when you decided. He knows that having your own fief is a big thing for a Ranger. It means independence and authority and he didn't want you to be influenced by his presence when I put this to you. He said he'd love to have you back at Redmont, but it had to be your decision to – '

'Back at Redmont!' Will said eagerly. 'You didn't mention that!'

Crowley frowned, then nodded. 'No. I suppose I didn't. Well, that was the plan. You'd take over Halt's cabin – he and Pauline are very comfortable in the castle these days – and you'd oversee one half of Redmont Fief while Halt looked after the other. It's a big fief, after all. There'd be plenty to do for both of you.'

A huge grin was spreading over Will's face at the thought of it. To go back to Redmont, where he'd grown up. To be with Halt and Baron Arald and Sir Rodney.

And Alyss, he thought. The grin, already wide, grew immense. Crowley noticed it. It was hard not to.

'I assume from the ridiculously happy look on your face that the idea meets with a certain amount of approval?' he said.

'Well… yes, actually. It certainly does. But a thought struck him and he frowned at it. Crowley gestured for him to continue.

'Problem?' he prompted.

'Redmont is an important fief,' Will began. 'You can hardly leave that without a Ranger in place if Halt and I have to attend to matters somewhere else.'

Crowley beamed at him. 'I was hoping you'd raise that. Now I get a chance to show what an administrative genius I am. Gilan's new fief adjoins the north-eastern border of Redmont. In fact, Castle Whitby is less than ten kilometres from the border.' He raised a hand to still Will's instant question. 'Yes, yes. I know, Whitby is an important fief too. So that's why, if you agree to all this, Alun will base himself at Whitby rather than Castle Araluen. He can still attend to paperwork and administration for me and he'll be on hand if you and Halt are called away. In such a case, Gilan moves into Redmont Fief – '

'Which he is familiar with anyway,' Will interrupted.

'Exactly. He served his apprenticeship there, after all. Then Alun can resume temporary duty as Ranger of Whitby. And, of course, young Clarke will take your place at Seacliff. Didn't I say I'm a genius?' He spread his hands, as if looking for praise.

Will nodded acknowledgement. 'I have to agree.'

Crowley instantly became serious. 'Of course, we're lucky that at the moment we're blessed with a wealth of talented people. It all dovetails quite nicely. Mind you, you're yet to tell me if you accept.'

'Of course I accept,' Will told him. 'I couldn't think of a better plan.'

They shook hands on it, smiling. Then Crowley said cheerfully, 'Now all we have to do is tell Halt when he comes back from his little holiday by the seaside.'

?Halt had been waiting in the darkness for over an hour when he heard the sound of someone moving though the low shrubs close to him.

Anyone else might have turned his head to look, trying to see where the newcomer might be. Halt knew that any movement could lead to his discovery so he stayed still as the rock he looked like. Instead his ears, attuned to judge movement and direction by years of training and practice, told him that there was one man, moving up the hill and slightly to the right of where Halt lay prone, merging into the long grass.

The stalker was good. He made only slight noises as he progressed up the hill. But slight noises were enough to alert a Ranger, and Halt lay, unmoving, as he judged that the other man had moved level with him, then past him.

Now he stopped moving and Halt realised that he was taking stock of the situation. There were four rocky outcrops within the next thirty metres. Any one of them could conceal Halt and Abelard.

After a few minutes, the man was on the move again, angling away to the furthest outcrop on the right. That made sense, Halt thought. If he was going to check them all out, his best course would be to work from one end of the line to the other.

As the noise of his movement faded, Halt raised his head slightly, moving only a millimetre at a time.

He let out the low, gurgling chuckle that he had rehearsed with Abelard. Instantly, the noise of the Outsider's movement stopped as he tried to ascertain whether the sound was natural or not. Then, after thirty seconds – a sufficiently long gap so that it didn't sound like a response to the bird call – the low, snuffling snort of a horse came clearly from the rocks above Halt's position. Then, for good measure, Abelard shook his mane.

Good boy, thought Halt. Chin on hand, he watched a dark shape sliding across the hillside, angling towards the clump of rocks where Abelard was concealed. He was aiming to skirt the rocks, Halt saw, and approach from uphill. It was time to spoil his plans a little. Stealthily, the Ranger began crawling after the other man.

He moved with remarkable speed, making no sound and seeming to glide snake-like over the ground on his belly. He could see the other man still – a dark crouching shape in the night – and hear the slight sounds that he made. Halt, even moving on his belly, was gaining ground on him, approaching him from directly behind and downhill.

Once, his quarry stopped moving and glanced quickly around him. He was obviously no novice at this game. But Rangers weren't novices either. In fact, they were past masters at this form of unseen movement. As the crouching man stopped, Halt froze instantly. His face was up but he knew it was shadowed by his cowl. He also knew that if he dropped his head to hide his face, the movement would catch the other man's eye.

Trust the cloak. He'd dinned that lesson into Will's brain hundreds of times. Now he took note of it himself. The man's gaze passed over him, seeing nothing to alarm him. Then he faced back up the hill and began moving again. After a few seconds to make sure it wasn't a feint, that the man hadn't seen anything he felt was suspicious, Halt followed.