A/N: Oh my goodness. I am so so sorry for the long wait. As soon as November hit, I was swamped with Nanowrimo and other work I had to do. The good thing is... I finished Nano! YAAAY!

I hope you all had wonderful holidays and are looking forwards to the new year! I will try to be better about posting, but I can make no promises...

Anyways, here we are!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice...

Warning: War... violence...

Chapter 3

Darkness was all around him. He could not move, could not see. All he could hear was his own ragged, irregular breathing echoing around him as he hung from the ceiling. He tried again to pull free of the ropes, but gave in immediately, his shoulders screaming in protest.

"Hello?" he called, his heart hammering. His vision swam as tears gathered in his eyes, his breath coming in small gasps. Where was Halt? Was his mentor even alive? What was going to happen to him? More questions swirled around his head and he began to feel light headed. A tear dripped down his face.

No! He thought firmly. I will not act like this! I am a Ranger's apprentice! I have been trained for this!

He closed his eyes, shutting out the pain in his wrists, taking a deep breath through his nose and letting the tension bleed from his muscles. His fingers wrapped around the rope holding him up, trying to find a way out, a knot to untie, a place where the fibers were weakened.

He paused, holding his breath as he heard something from a distance, the sound of several booted feet on cobblestone. He tilted his ear towards the noise as he tried to hear more clearly. The sound stopped, leaving him in silence.

He was about to resume his attempt to free himself when there was the click of a bolt unlocking, the door creaking open. Will blinked as light flooded the cell, sending piercing stabs of pain into his skull and making his eyes burn.

He couldn't see how many people entered the room, white spots dancing behind his closed eyelids. There was no sound, and, for a moment, Will thought that the people had left him.

He opened his eyes, squinting against the torchlight. To his dismay, three people had entered and were silently studying him.

Two of the men were almost identical, dressed in full armor, wearing swords at their belts, helmets covering their faces from view. The third stood slightly ahead, his dark eyes boring into Will's, assessing the boy. The man's dark hair was pulled back from a tan, weathered face. A scar ran down the side of his face, disfiguring his firm jaw.

"You are a ranger," the man spoke. There was no question in his voice, only calm calculation.

Will did not respond, his mouth closed in a firm line.

"What is your name?" the man said.

Will again was silent, looking the stranger in the eyes.

"There is no point in your resistance," the Temujai said emotionlessly. "I will obtain the information either way. If it makes you feel better to know, my name is Haz'kam."

The ranger thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "I am called Ranger Chris," he said looking the man straight in the eyes.

Haz'kam just shook his head, letting out a little breath of air. "I know that is not true," he said. "You are Ranger Will, the apprentice of Ranger Halt."

Will flinched, the rope swaying a bit, making his stomach lurch. He quickly covered the emotion up, forcing his face to be like stone, like Halt's after he made a particularly bad joke.

"Why did you even bother to ask?" Will said. "And how did you know in the first place?"

"I was hoping you would tell me the truth," the Temujai said. "I learned this from your friend, Horace. He was very stubborn at first, but I got the information I needed... eventually."

"Horace?" Will asked, a light flashing in his eyes. "Where is he? What have you done to him?"

"Nothing too serious. He will live," the man said. "You can avoid this, however. Just tell me what I need to know and no harm will come to you."

"What do you need to know?" Will asked cautiously.

"I need you to tell me about Araluen," Haz'kam said.

"Araluen is a nice place," Will said slowly. "There are a lot of tress... the temperature is mostly perfect, the people there are friendly. You should really consider it as one of your vacation spots."

The Temujai didn't move, didn't even blink. There was a minute of tense silence as his dark eyes stared at the apprentice.

"I see I need to be more specific," he said, gesturing for one of the guards to step forwards. "Cut him down."

The guard's hand went to his belt, drawing the sword and slashing through the rope above Will's head in one fluid motion. Without anything to break his fall, Will crashed into the stone floor, trying to roll to lessen his impact, his knees colliding painfully against the rock.

His wrists still bound, he struggled to sit up, giving the man a glare. "What do you want?" the ranger spat.

"I want you to tell me everything you know about Araluen's army. I want to know their numbers, battle strategies, weaknesses, everything," Haz'kam replied icily.

"You know I will not do that," Will said.

"So be it." His voice echoed ominously off the walls, making shivers run up Will's spine. Haz'kam turned and nodded to the two men.

"Try to get him to talk. If he still resists after an hour, leave him overnight. We will break him eventually."

With that, he left the room.

Will looked to the two guards, trying to see underneath their helmets. "Let's get this over with," the ranger said with a sad smile.

X-X-X-X-X-X

It was nightfall, the moon high over the trees around her, lighting her way. Evanlyn grew tired, her muscles seizing every few seconds, making her whimper in pain. She stumbled and fell to her knees in the dirt, her hands catching her before she could fall face first into the ground.

She took a few deep breaths, trying to climb to her feet, her legs giving out underneath her. She could not get up, could not go on. She slumped to the ground in defeat, letting her head rest against the dirt. She would only rest a few moments... just close her eyes for a couple seconds...

And suddenly, she jerked awake, her heart pounding in her chest. She did not sit up, trembling slightly as she heard what had caused her to wake.

Voices.

Without thinking, she pushed herself to her hands and knees, crawling out of the clearing where she had fallen, scrambling into the thick underbrush.

She held her breath, trying to remember what Will had told her about silent movement. Hold your body completely still. Keep your face towards the ground and do not move. Don't even move your eyes. Trust the cloak, that's what Halt always told me. The cloak will never lead you astray.

Will's voice echoed in her head as clear as day. She wished that she had one of his trusty cloaks with her. She would just have to hope that staying still would be enough.

She heard the voices coming closer, now able to make out what they were saying.

"When can we stop to rest?" This voice sounded annoyed, as if the man speaking wanted to be anywhere else but walking through the Skandian forest in the dead of night.

"Not until we reach the border. Haz'kam made it clear that no one is to pass by. He wants no word getting through to Araluen." The second voice was harsh and solid.

She could now hear their footfalls crunching somewhere to her left. She didn't breathe, her face pressed into the dirt.

"Why is it so important?" the first man asked. "We don't need surprise. We can defeat Araluen easily with the Skandian ships."

"Do not question orders," the second Temujai responded.

Evanlyn knew that they were standing in the middle of the clearing she had occupied only moments before. Her body trembled slightly. She willed the fear to go away, trying to stop her body from shaking. A branch snapped by her foot.

"What was that?" a new voice asked.

Evanlyn didn't move, still pressed to the ground. Hold your body completely still.

"Probably just a mouse or something," a Temujai said after a moment. "Now come on. We have no time to lose."

Evanlyn listened to them leave, staying completely still for several minutes after they had left. Wait a few minutes. You never know if they have a group trailing them.

When she thought she had waited long enough, she let a sob escape her lips, holding her hands close to her body. There was nothing but silence around her.

She had never felt more alone in her life.

TBC

A/N: Ok, so I am still not quite sure where I am taking this story. Are there any special requests? I can not promise I will use your ideas, but I would love to hear what you would all like to see.

Also, I am trying to improve my writing but I am not sure what steps to take, so if you have a tip or suggestion leave me a review please. It would be greatly appreciated! XD

Thank you so much for sticking with me through the slow updates!

Live long and prosper!

-Dawn