John Flanagan - The Kings of Clonmel

'Yes. I can swim,' Colly said. 'But I'm not going jumping off some bluff just because you say so!'

'No, no. Of course not. That'd be asking far too much of you. You'll jump off because if you don't, I'll shoot you. It'll be the same effect, really. If I have to shoot you, you'll fall off. But I thought I'd give you a chance to survive.' Halt paused, then added, 'Oh, and if you decide to run downhill, I'll also shoot you. Uphill and off is really your only chance of survival.'

'You can't be serious!' Colly said. 'Do you really…?'

But he got no further. Halt leaned forward, putting up a hand to stop the outburst. His face was quite close to Colly's as he spoke and his voice was very serious.

'Colly, take a good, long look into my eyes and tell me if you see anything, anything at all, that says I'm not deadly serious.'

His eyes were deep brown, almost black. They were steady and unwavering and there was no sign of anything there but. utter determination. Colly looked at them and after a few seconds, his eyes dropped away. Halt nodded as the other man's gaze slid away from his.

'Good. Now we've got that settled, you should try to get some sleep. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.'

?As they crested the last hill before the ground fell away to a flat plain, Will eased Tug to a stop.

'Hold it here, boy,' he said softly. He always enjoyed this moment, the moment when Redmont first came into view. The plain below spread away, cut by the Tarbus River, with Redmont village nestled along its banks. Then, on the far bank, the ground rose again to create the natural defensive position where Redmont stood – massive, solid and beginning to glow red in the late afternoon sun.

He remembered previous times he'd stopped here to draw breath: when he had almost finished the wild ride to alert the Baron and Sir Rodney about the Kalkara. And, more recently, in a happier time, when he had received Alyss's letter and ridden through the night to see her. His mouth moved in a slight smile at that thought. She was down there somewhere. He narrowed his eyes, peering into the distance to see if, just possibly, there was some sight of her tall, white-clad shape on the battlements or in the village or on the flat land in front of the castle. Not surprisingly, there was none. He shrugged, smiling at his fanciful expectation.

Away to one side, among the trees where the forest encroached on the open ground cleared around the castle, he caught a glimpse of the little cabin where he had spent his apprenticeship with Halt. The smile widened.

'We're home,' he said to Tug and the little horse tossed his head impatiently.

Not so long as we're standing here gawking, the action said and Will twitched the reins lightly on his horse's neck. 'All right. Let's get down there.'

Suddenly, they were both seized with the same sense of urgency to be home and Tug rocketed away from a standing start to a full gallop as only he could. Ranger horses were renowned for their amazing acceleration but there wasn't one in the Corps that could match Tug.

There were still workers in the fields and they looked up from their humdrum tasks of ploughing and sowing at the sound of the drumming hoofbeats. Several of them waved, recognising the slightly built figure on the stocky little horse as he thundered past them, crouched forward over Tug's neck, his mottled cloak streaming out behind.

For a brief moment, they wondered what news the fast-moving Ranger was bringing. Then, shrugging, they went back to their work. Whatever it was, good or bad, there were other people more qualified than they to deal with it. In the meantime, there was farming to be done.

There was always farming to be done.

Tug's hooves rattled briefly on the removable bridge across the Tarbus, then they began the final climb up to

Redmont itself. The sentries at the main gate had come to the ready position at the sound, alerted to the approach of the galloping horse. Then, recognising a Ranger, they relaxed, lowering their weapons – although they continued to watch with interest as he approached.

Will eased Tug down to a canter, then a trot, in the last twenty metres. He acknowledged the salute of the sentries as he rode across the moat and under the raised portcullis. One of the soldiers, who had grown up in the service of Redmont, called a greeting, in defiance of good discipline.

'Welcome back, Ranger Will!'

Will grinned and waved. 'Thanks, Jonathon. Good to be here.'

They trotted into the courtyard, the sound of Tug's hooves changing again as they went from wooden drawbridge to the cobbled surface of the castle forecourt. There were more people moving around here and they looked up curiously, wondering what had brought Will Treaty back to Redmont.

But Will didn't notice them because emerging from the bottom doorway of the main tower was a tall, graceful girl in an elegant white Courier's gown and he couldn't stop the ridiculous grin of pleasure that broke out across his face.

Alyss.

He dropped to the ground and-she raced towards him, her usual air of dignity and reserve deserting her. She threw herself into his arms and they stood embracing, each drinking in the other's presence. Passers-by stopped to look and grin at the young couple, so unconscious to all around them.

'You're back,' she whispered, her voice muffled by thefact that her face was pressed to the rough material of his cowl.

'I'm back,' he agreed, the light scent of the perfume she always wore filling his nostrils. Her long blonde hair was soft against his cheek. After several long moments, they were buffeted by a sudden shove and had to break the embrace to retain their balance. Tug was regarding them with slight embarrassment.

Cut it out. There are people watching.

Then he nudged Alyss's shoulder, urging her to notice him and stroke his soft muzzle.

I'n back too.

She laughed as she stroked him. 'Hullo, Tug. I'm glad to see you too.'

While she fussed over the horse, Will took her free hand and stood, simply looking at her, a huge grin pasted onto his face. Finally, they became aware of the small crowd who had gathered to watch them. Will turned and shrugged, his face reddening slightly.

'It's been a long time,' he said. A circle of smiling faces surrounded them. Nobody said anything and he indicated Alyss. isince we saw each other. A long time,' he elaborated. Several people nodded knowingly. One middle-aged gentleman tapped the side of his nose with that familiar gesture. Finally, since the spectators showed no sign of moving on, Will thought it was time to break up this little tableau. Like most Rangers, he had an aversion to being the centre of attention. He said to Alyss, out of the side of his mouth, 'Let's get out of here.'

Her own smile widened a little. 'Come on. We'll put Tug in the stables. Then you'd better report to the Baron.'

He nodded and they turned, hand in hand still, to lead Tug to the stables. Alyss knew that Will would see his horse cared for before anything else. That was the Ranger way. Behind them, the small crowd broke up, going about their separate endeavours. Some of them looked after the young couple, smiling approval. Alyss was a popular figure in Castle Redmont and the entire population took great pride in Will's achievements. He was a local, after all. They approved of the obvious affection between them.

'Any sign of Halt yet?' Will asked.

Alyss's smile faded a little. 'No. I think Lady Pauline is becoming a little worried. She tries not to show it but I can tell she's uneasy.'

Will considered this. It had been a long time since Halt had someone to worry about him, he thought.

'That's natural, I suppose,' he said. 'But Halt can look after himself.'

Halt was Halt, after all, and Will couldn't conceive of any person or situation that he couldn't handle. Alyss nodded. She was concerned because Pauline, her mentor, was worried. But Will knew Halt's capabilities better than anyone and if he wasn't worried, she felt there was no need for anyone else to be anxious.