Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice.

Exams with Halt and Will

"Ready for tommorrow?" Halt asked absently over his morning coffee. He had a report in front of him that he was reading, so only half of his attention was on his apprentice.

Will was about to shovel a forkful of bacon into his mouth, when he registered the question. He paused comically, his mouth open and the fork dangling from his fingers. "Tommorrow?" he asked. "What's happening tommorrow?"

Now Halt gave his full attention to his apprentice as he linked his hands on top of the report, his eyebrows dropping low over his eyes. "You've forgotten," he said bleakly.

"Oh no no!" Will protested on instinct. "I haven't forgotten! Tommorrow, of course! That's...the day after today. Yes, yes, I remember, it's all coming back to me." His face screwed up as he tried in vain to remember what was special about tommorrow.

Halt raised an eyebrow. "Of course you haven't forgotten," he agreed, his eyes glittering manically. "You wouldn't forget your exam."

Ah. Now he remembered. The exam.

In another week, they would be going to the ranger gathering, where Will would sit his third year assessment. Halt was adament that his pupil had to score good marks across all the tests. Silent movement, archery and knife throwing weren't too much of a problem. Will was skilled at the strategy assignments where he had to plan a theatrical battle, but the other written tests- geography, foreign affairs and the courier lantern code- he was poor at, and he always lost focus when tracking.

So, Halt was mixing a few things up into one exam tommorow, as a practise for the third year assessment. He'd told Will to study for it (and the apprentice was going to...eventually). It was hard because Will had to be good at everything, because he didn't know what was in the exam.

Guiltily, the apprentice shovelled some more bacon and eggs into his mouth. Somehow, the sizzling fat on the bacon, dripping with juices, had turned to ash in his mouth- no more appealing than oats. Damn, damn, damn. He had one day to study.

"You've studied hard, of course," Halt continued. "Because you know how important it is that you are prepared for it and the third year assessment next week. You wouldn't want to fail and be kicked out of the corps."

Will nodded dutifully. "I've...done a lot of study," he lied through his teeth. Halt wasn't fooled for an instant. He raised that incessant eyebrow again.

"I'll bet you have," he continued on his sarcastic tirade. "You'll do even more today, won't you?"

"Yes, Halt," Will muttered. What a waste of a good breakfast. It was always a shame when bacon turned tasteless from over-worrying.

"Make sure you do," Halt said crisply. He stood, tossing the dregs of his coffee in the sink and stretching his muscles. "Anyway, I'll be out for the day. Rodney wanted my help up at the battle school."

So Will was left on his own to study. And study he did. Hard, gruelling study, with all his work spread out on the table and his quill scribbling furiously...

...for a full five minutes.

Then he decided it was time for a coffee break. He rummaged around in the pantry and oh god- there was no coffee left.

Well, that wouldn't do, he told himself. Studying was thirsty work. He needed coffee to keep his mind sharp and active. Plus, Halt wouldn't be pleased if he returned for his evening cup and there was none left.

It would only take ten minutes to ride to the store, then he could be back studying.

Or he could walk and take twenty minutes.

Will nodded to himself. A twenty minute break was sufficient time to stretch his legs and get the blood flowing. Then his mind would be sharper and more effective. He donned his cloak and strode purposefully to Wensley village.

Their usual supplier was a man called Pierre. He was originally from Gallica, and made a fine Gallican brew which Halt loved. Will greeted the coffee merchant and ordered their usual three pounds of coffee.

"I'm sorry ranger Will," Pierre said. "We haven't had our usual shipment of coffee beans."

"What?" Will's eyes widened in horror. "Why not?"

Pierre sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's a terrible thing, ranger. The Gallican warlords are fighting more than usual since Sir Derrall bribed his way into being one of the kings high advisors."

"Bribed? How do you mean?" Will inquired. Aside from his natural curiosity, he had to know all the details of why he wouldn't be getting any coffee.

"He simply paid King Henry and was given the position," Pierre explained. "All the other warlords are enraged. They have often been refused such bribery. It seems the king is weakening."

From what Will had heard, King Henry was pretty weak to start with. He didn't say that- Pierre's family still lived in Gallica and Will knew the coffee merchant worried about them.

"They've wreaked havoc on the country," Pierre's face darkened. "Food and supplies are stretched thin, so I'm afraid couldn't get coffee beans this month."

"That's alright, don't worry," Will reassured him. He patted the man's arm lightly. "Your family will be fine."

Pierre flashed him a grateful smile. "Thank you Ranger Will. I will hopefully have coffee for you again soon." He bowed.

In any event, he certainly couldn't study without coffee. His mouth was starting to water for that familiar taste, and the sun seemed unbearably hot, shining down on his sweaty, prickling skin. He decided to head to the castle and ask Alyss to borrow some coffee.

Will wished he had brought Tug along after all. It took him another half an hour to trudge up to the castle in the sweltering, summer heat. He was grateful when he entered the cool interior of the eastern tower, and made his way up the stairs to Alyss's quarters.

"Will!" she said, embracing him. "What a lovely surprise!"

"Good to see you," Will said, but he had other things on his mind than his beautiful friend. "Can I borrow some coffee?"

"You want to borrow coffee?" Alyss repeated, bemused. "Can't you buy some?"

Will explained to her how Pierre wasn't able to get coffee beans because of the trouble in Gallica. She sympathised with Pierre and his worry for his family, but not so much with Will almost dead from dehydration.

"I'm dying of thirst here," Will said dramatically. "Can I please just borrow enough for one cup of coffee?"

Alyss raised a curious eyebrow. "Water's more thirst quenching than coffee," she said, but she took pity on her friend and didn't tease him any further. "Actually, Lady Pauline and I ran out of coffee yesterday. Sorry Will, I don't have any for you to borrow."

Will bit his lip. He really should go back and study, but he couldn't possibly do it without coffee. He was getting desperate!

"Alright, thanks Alyss," he sighed, looking much like a depressed puppy- which is never a happy sight.

"Ah, wait, Will," Alyss stopped him with a gentle brush of her hand across his shoulder. "Lady Pauline is busy until late today- something about Rodney wanting her help at the battle school. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Oh, he'd like to, but he had studying to do and it was crucial that he knew everything before his exam tommorrow or he'd most likely be spending the night up a tree again. So he should really cancel...

"I'd love that," he smiled. "I'll see you at six."

"Alright then." Alyss beamed and planted a soft kiss against his cheek. "See you tonight." She fluttered her fingertips and closed the door with a click.

Will grinned at the closed door, momentarily forgetting his imminent death- if the lack of coffee didn't kill him, Halt certainly would when he failed that exam. Oh well, he had a dinner date with the most beautiful girl he knew. It was worth it.

Feeling much more optimistic, he skipped back to the cabin at the fringes of the woods. Right. Now he would study. Study hard before dinner. Of course sometime he had to have a break for lunch, but...

His thoughts dissipated as some sixth sense alerted him of danger. He continued skipping, not letting anyone see that he was aware of their presence, but underneath his cowl, his eyes flicked from side to side, studying the treeline. He couldn't see anything. Will slowed to a walk, and his perceptive ears picked up a feminine laugh.

That...was not a sound often heard around Halt's cabin. Cautiously, Will edged around the side of the building and saw a young woman in her twenties. She had brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and the rough leather tunic of a horse trainer. Will also noticed that a chestnut mare was nuzzling Tug, and the traitorous ranger horse was nuzzling her back.

As he approached, Tug whinnied, as if to say, I detected them with my keen senses, by the way, but they weren't any danger so I let them stay. Then his ears flicked: Hey, it rymed!

"Oh, Ranger!" the woman visibly jumped, startled. "I didn't hear you."

"Hello," Will said, glancing from her to the horses who appeared to be getting along a little too well. "Who are you?"

"Oh! I'm Madeline Baker. I live near to Grenistine mountain- you know, the tallest mountain in Araluen, kind of close to Norgate," the woman gabbled. "Sorry Sir Ranger, I was just here to visit my uncle, but this girl," she gestured to the mare, "hasn't finished her training and she ran off and I swear I didn't mean to bother you so please don't turn me into a toad!"

Will blinked. "I'm not going to turn you into a toad." He glanced at the two horses- the mare must have sensed the ranger horse nearby and gone to say hello, her trainer clinging on and attempting to direct her in the other direction.

"Oh, you're not? Oh thank you, Ranger."

"...you're welcome."

Madeline nodded several times, an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. "I...er...will go now."

"Alright," Will said. Then added, out of a faint hope, "you didn't bring any coffee with you from Norgate, did you?"

Madeline, only too eager to please, shook her head regretfully. "No Ranger. Norgate is having a shortage because of the recent Pictan attacks."

Even though he was only an apprentice, Will knew the importance of Norgate as a fief in keeping Araluen seperate from Picta. Alarmed, he asked, "is Norgate in danger of being overrun?"

"Oh no, no," Madeline reassured him. "Macindaw is strengthened again now their Lord is back from his appointment with the Norgate's baron, Digory, so the fief is holding out fine."

Will heaved a sigh of relief. "That's good. Although I still haven't found any coffee." He was musing to himself, but Madeline tentatively mentioned that on her way here, she'd ridden past a Toscan selling coffee at Hilton village to the east.

Will brightened immediately. Even more so when she told him the Toscan was only an hours ride away. He waved goodbye to Madeline, saddled Tug and set out.

It was a pleasant ride through the forest, when he ignored the fact that his clothes were sticking to his sweaty skin and his throat was parched. No amount of water seemed to quench this thirst. It was a coffee thirst and even though Halt told him it was all in his head, Will knew his mentor suffered from the same condition every now and again.

Will noticed some animal prints in the ground. He frowned- they were unfamiliar to him. He swung down from the saddle, ignoring Tug's impatient huff. He should know these tracks, he thought curiously.

There was a rustling in the bushes. Will leapt up, sliding an arrow from his quiver onto his bow string. What if the owner of the tracks was a dangerous animal? He recalled his first encounter with a boar- a chilling experience, and yet boars were not even the most dangerous of the wild beasts in the forest.

The rustling came again, and a little black nose poked out of the bushes. Will relaxed and replaced the arrow in his quiver as a black and white animal crept forward. A skunk. No harm there.

"What were you worried about?" he said to Tug. The horse raised an eyebrow as best a horse can.

I think you were the one who was worried.

It was the exam, Will told himself. It had his nerves all jangled up. He was tense and concerned about how he would perform tommorrow.

The skunk turned around and lifted its tail. Will saw it coming and gasped in horror. The word 'why?' flashed through his mind, then he saw two baby skunks appear from the bushes and realised their mother felt their safety was threatened. Then the apprentice was doubled over, gagging, retching, his eyes streaming.

He recalled his first lesson on tracking with Halt, when he'd been berated for not using the plural. Halt was right, it did make a difference if there were one or two animals. Tug had trotted a safe distance away- that traitorous horse!- and Will staggered away from the skunks.

A lake, a river,- anything to wash away the foul stench. He staggered blindly, croaked at Tug to lead him east. The ranger horse rolled his eyes and let his master lean on him to the nearest river, where Will dived in and scrubbed at his face.

He had a horrible, traitor of a horse and he swore Tug was laughing at him! That was it, he didn't care about the coffee anymore. He would go home, sit at the table, and study where there were no skunks to spray him, no random Madeline's tresspassing on ranger property, and no coffee merchants who didn't have coffee.

Then his feet were swept out from under him, and he spluttered a curse word as the current of the river pushed him along. Will waved his arms, desperately grasping at the bank. Tug trotted beside him, alarmed. Will tried to grab the trailing reigns; failed; then screamed as the water sucked him under and he was falling, falling.

Water pooled around him, suddenly still. It took a moment for his mind to catch up with what happened, then he swam to the surface and bobbed there, staring up at the roaring waterfall he had fallen down. He'd landed in a surprisingly calm lake, with a creek branching off.

Tug whinnied a greeting. Will glared at his horse than widened his gaze to a couple sitting on a log by the edge of the lake. The man had his arm around the woman, who was gaping at the soaking wet ranger who had appeared.

The woman stood abruptly to leave. "Is it too much to ask for a nice date by Jasmin Falls?" The man hurried after his date, trying to placate her, while she snapped at him about how something always had to go wrong or something weird had to happen.

Will dragged himself out of the lake and lay panting, his sopping wet cloak splayed around him. At least, he thought, the smell of the skunk had almost gone. It was bearable now.

He glanced up at the sun. It was noon and he still hadn't managed to do any study. He really should head back and start now.

But it was lunch time, and he was ravenous. He mounted Tug and continued east to Hilton village, where there would most likely be lunch, and the Toscan coffee merchant. Besides, they were now closer to Hilton than Redmont.

When they arrived, he let Tug wander and eat fresh green grass while he had a meal at the inn. His ranger cloak attracted the usual attention, but there were also many curious glances for he was drenched through and dripping water on the floor. Will didn't care; he was just glad to fill his belly with warm food. Despite the summer heat, his wet clothes were making him cold.

After he'd eaten, he found the Toscan coffee merchant. The man, who went by the name Giuseppe, curled his lip in distaste at Will's sopping clothes.

"I want to buy three pounds of coffee please," Will said, his hand already reaching to his belt for his money.

"Three gold coins," Giuseppe said in a thick accent.

"Three gold! That's robbery!" Will cried, outraged.

"That is my price," Giuseppe said, a cruel smile twisting his lips. What a horrid man, Will thought, pricing coffee so high that only nobles could buy it. Unlike Redmont's coffee merchant Pierre, Giuseppe dressed in silk robes and a velvit shirt, with gold tassles and ribbons. A terrible, evil man. No coffee merchant acted like that.

"You're not a coffee merchant," Will said. The apprentice's eyes darkened, and he glared at the Toscan.

"How observant of you," Giuseppe grinned manically.

In the blink of an eye, Giuseppe drew a long bladed knife from the cuff of his sleeve and smacked the pommel against Will's head. The world faded to black.

…...

When Will woke, he found himself bound and gagged in an unfurnished, wooden house. Giuseppe was sitting crosslegged in front of him, a sinister smile on his lips; polishing his blade with a cloth.

"Morning Ranger," the Toscan said. "Start talking." He ripped the gag from Will's mouth. He apprentice coughed and retched.

"Talking about what?" he muttered. Giuseppe laughed.

"Don't play games with me. You were sent here to spy on me, weren't you?" His teeth glinted, and Will realised his canines were ominously pointed. "I've been keeping an eye on ranger command. Soon, I'll return home and report everything. I think it will do the other assassins good to know all about you're little corps."

"Assassins?" Will repeated giddily.

Giuseppe ignored him. "It will earn me the big money too. But you rangers couldn't have that happening could you? No, you wouldn't want me spilling all your secrets. So they sent you to kill me."

If he'd been keeping an eye on ranger command, he obviously hadn't done a good job of it. Will knew better than to underestimate his enemy (he'd learnt that from the skunk) and even though the Toscan seemed to be insane, he was evidently a skilled fighter from the way he handled the knife.

"I'm just an apprentice," Will said. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Giuseppe snorted. "An apprentice! Ha! A corps such as the rangers would train their apprentices between the ages of eight and twelve! Why, when I was your age I'd killed half a dozen men! In cold blood too. But I suppose you know all about the city of Genovesa."

The genovesan leaned close to him, and Will flinched at the insane glint in his eye.

"I don't know anything!" Will insisted. "I've never heard of the city of genovesa!"

Giuseppe stared at him for a long moment. "You are a good actor, ranger. But I am on to you. I know you're lying!"

Will gritted his teeth. "I'm not lying. I honestly don't know anything. I just want a cup of coffee and to go home and study!"

Giuseppe scoffed. "Seems you need more time to think about your predicament," he said, bound Will's mouth once more and strode from the room.

Will let his head rest against the wall, allowing a moment of defeat to pass over him. Then he squirmed and wiggled, trying to worm his way from the rope that secured him. He screamed, his voice muffled behind the gag, praying someone would hear him.

Halt was going to kill him when he failed that exam tommorrow!

And, oh lord, Alyss would join in when he missed their dinner!

And Tug would help too, when he didn't get his evening apple!

…...

Giuseppe returned late in the afternoon. He'd changed from his robes to a simple suit of tight, body fitting leather and a dull purple cloak. Will glowered at him, and the glare might have had more effect if he hadn't been tied up and gagged and desperate to go to the bathroom.

Giuseppe removed the gag crossed his legs and squirmed. He really needed to go.

"Ready to talk?" Giuseppe asked, fingering his dagger.

"I don't know anything," Will whispered. It was the truth! But Giuseppe wasn't going to believe him. The blade of the dagger touched Will's nose. The apprentice ranger stared at it, cross eyed.

"Do you doubt my desire to kill you, ranger?" Giuseppe asked.

"I'm just an apprentice," Will tried again. "And can I please have a bathroom break?"

Giuseppe regarded him with a mix of irritation and disbelief. He shook his head and pressed the knife firmly to Will's throat.

"Enough jokes and games!" he spat. "How did the ranger corps know I was spying on them?"

"Uh, I don't..." Will was still crosseyed as he looked down at the dagger at his throat. He took a deep breath. "They...we were told...by an informat..."

Giuseppe pulled the dagger back to his side. His eyes gleamed nastily. "Who? Who was it?"

Will hesitated and glanced around for inspiration. "Someone in this village," he said, more to buy himself time than anything else.

The genovesan snarled. "Was it Markus? I always knew he was not to be trusted, that rat!"

"Uh..."

"It was, it must have been." Giuseppe leapt to his feet. "I'll teach that loose-tongued dimwit a lesson!"

"He left," Will said quickly. He didn't want anyone killed or beaten because of him.

"Where did he go?" Giuseppe asked.

"Away," Will answered, then winced as the knife was returned to his throat. "I don't know where."

Giuseppe digested this information. "He must have gone to the hideout. Alright, I'm taking you with me." He seized Will's collar and dragged the boy along.

"Why? Can I have a bathroom break first?"

Giuseppe heaved him onto a slender horse and tied him to the saddle. "I don't want you running to your ranger pals while I'm gone." Will wasn't sure how he was supposed to 'run to his ranger pals' when his legs were tied together. The genovesan added, "the other seventy two rangers won't know you've been captured."

Seventy two? The so-called assassin hadn't done his study. This reminded Will of his iminant death if he didn't pass that exam tommorrow.

"Please, I won't tell anyone about you," he tried. "I have an exam tommorrow, if we could just get my study notes and then continue to your hideout, that would be good."

Giuseppe hit the back of Will's head, sending stars dancing around his head and his eyes spinning. "No," the genovesan snapped. "No games."

They began to ride (well, the genovesan rode; Will hung like a limp fish over the saddle pommel) and the genovesan seemed to relax after a while and even indulged in a little conversation.

"I do know how you feel though," he said. "I failed my own exams. I suppose you can say I'm not a qualified assassin."

Which explained why he was doing a rubbish job of spying on the corps. Well, that could also be because the rangers weren't easy to spy on, and if they had caught wind of an assassin investigating them, they would feed him a few false trails.

The sun was low in the sky when they reached the base of a hill. The (failed) genovesan pulled Will from the saddle and dumped him on the ground. He finally allowed the boy to relieve himself in the bushes while he stood by and watched.

"Aaaah," Will sighed. Feeling comfortable once more (aside from the rope around his wrists, his ankles had been untied), he asked the genovesan where they were.

"Richley Hill," Giuseppe answered. "Named after Baron Richley." He dragged the apprentice around the base of the hill, where part of it had been hollowed out and supported with wooden pillars.

Will sucked in a breath. Chained to one of the pillars was a dark skinned man with matted hair and a beard layered with filth. He looked up with black eyes.

"For the last time, you crazy failed genovesan, I'm not a ranger," the man said, his voice strained with fear and frustration.

"You wouldn't tell me if you were," Giuseppe pointed out.

"Even if he was, why would you care?" Will dared to ask. Giuseppe laughed arrogantly.

"Do you know how much people back home would pay for an Araluen ranger?" It was answer enough. But Will still didn't understand.

"I thought you were an assassin. Not a slave trader," he said. Giuseppe laughed again.

"Whatever brings in the most money. I prefer the assassin title."

"Even though you failed your exams," Will said. Giuseppe lost his social air and shoved the boy onto the ground with an angry scowl.

"I'm still an assassin," he insisted. He tied the boy to the pillar with the man. "I'm off to find Mark and," he glared pointedly at his hostage, "assassinate him."

Will was left sitting on the ground, tethered to the pillar and making small talk with the other captive. As it turned out, the man had a cousin who was a ranger and had been visiting his cousin's cabin. The genovesan had trailed behind him as he left and knocked him out, assuming (wrongly) that he was a ranger.

"I'm from Arrida orignally," the man, whose name was something like 'K'trit'lin but said his Araluen friends called him Billy, explained. "I moved here years ago."

Will knew the ranger cousin- he had the darkest skin in the corps and he spoke with a slight accent. He'd been one of the assessors for Will's second year exams.

"They have good coffee in Arrida," Will said dreamily. "Or so I've heard." He grinned wearily, thinking back on the events of the day. "I suppose Arrida's new king forbids coffee and now no one is allowed to buy it from there either."

Billy glanced at him curiously. "Nooo, the emrikir Ol'then is fine with kafay."

Will's grin widened. "Hope has been restored! I'll tell Pierre he can order Arrida coffee until the Gallican brew is available again."

Billy stared at him a moment. "In all due respect, ranger, I haven't a clue what you are talking about."

Will slapped him on the back, still grinning. "Not to worry Billy. We'll soon be out of here." He put his fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle. Billy flinched. Will whistled again and was soon rewarded with Tug trotting out of the trees.

He'd spotted his horse in the village when Giuseppe slung him over the saddle and discreetly signalled for Tug to follow behind at a distance. Now, he rummaged in the saddlebags and pulled out an arrow. He cut the bonds that tied Billy's wrists and then Billy cut Will's bonds. Now free from the rope and pillar, they swung onto the shaggy, little horse.

"Where do you live, Billy?"

"Denloss fief."

"Is that close?"

"Its the closest fief."

"What's it like there?" Will was making small talk as they rode.

"Nice," Billy answered. "A lot of orchards. It's famous for Denloss apples."

They rode back to Hilton village, where Billy hired a horse to get back to his own village. Will was going to ride back to Redmont, when he heard yelling coming from the inn. He sighed. Giuseppe.

The apprentice ordered his horse to stay and entered the inn. The genovesan was holding Will's saxe knife (he'd confiscated it) to the throat of a serving girl and screaming at the inn keeper to tell him where Markus was.

"He's home," the innkeeper whimpered. "He never left; I don't know what you're talking about."

Suspicion creased Giuseppe's forehead. He knew either the innkeeper was lying, or Will had lied when he said Markus had gone. The apprentice ranger wasn't about to sit down and let an innocent man be killed.

"That's my knife, Giuseppe," he said, striding forward to face the genovesan. "I want it back."

Giuseppe turned to him, his eyes bright with fury. The man was insane-deadly insane. He shoved the serving girl away from him.

"Come and get it then."

Will had a sudden sensation of standing back and watching the showdown. He saw himself move, heard his boots on the rough wooden boards, noted that he was holding an arrow in each hand as makeshift knives. (All his other weapons had been confiscated by Giuseppe.)

Then he was back in his body and slashing desperately, while he tried to parry Giuseppe's knives. The genovesan was bearing down on top of him, and sweat trickled into Will's eyes. He blinked it away, all too aware that perhaps he had been reckless.

Halt's voice in his ear told him that he had to find the element of surprise. He dived under a table, rolling to his feet on the other side. Giuseppe lunged at him, and Will slid back under the table to grapple the man's legs.

They both ended up on the floor. This was not a graceful, sweeping weapons fight that stories and drawings depicted. This was a messy affair, heaped on the ground, writhing around each other as they tried to keep the pointed ends of their weapons away from their vitals and all around them the serving girls screamed.

The Billy burst through the door and yelled, "what kind of genovesan fails assassination exams?" Giuseppe roared in rage and pulled back to see who had insulted him. This momentary distraction was all Will needed. He thrust his arrow into the genovasan's exposed stomache. Giuseppe screeched in pain. Will scrambled to his feet, ripped the saxe from Giuseppe's hand and slammed the hilt into the side of the man's head. The genovesan crumpled at his feet.

Will turned, panting, to Billy. "Where did you come from?" he asked.

Billy shrugged. "I thought I'd better say thank you before I left and I heard the yelling."

Will grinned. "Well, we're even now."

…...

The innkeeper was extremely grateful that the whole ruckus had been solved. He pulled Will to one side and told him, "if there's anything I can do for you ranger, I'd be more than happy to."

Will smiled. "The only thing I'd like is three pounds of coffee beans."

The innkeeper smiled in return. "I'll get some from our stock."

So, before long, Will was riding back to Redmont, with the sun disappearing over the mountains behind him, his saddlebags full of coffee and all his weapons returned.

It was coming up to six o clock when he finally made it back to Redmont. He hurried straight to meet Alyss and they ate dinner up at her quarters. She'd lit a few candles for a dreamy mood (he didn't dare to hope it was a romantic mood) and the roast chicken was fresh from master Chubb's kitchen.

"How was your day?" Alyss asked.

"Oh...fine," Will responded. "I was supposed to study for a test tommorrow, but-"

"You procrastinated," Alyss shook her head. "Will, you should know better. Ranger Halt won't be happy."

"It wasn't my fault!" Will insisted, waving his hands in the air. "There was no coffee...and the genovesan...and the skunk...!"

"Hold that thought," Alyss said. She was distracted by a light at the window. It moved steadily in a triangle. "Its a message in the courier code," she said, her voice lathered with disappointment.

"What does it mean?" Will asked.

"It means mission," Alyss told him. "I have to go."

Will was disappointed. His dinner with Alyss was cut short and he went home early. Even worse, Halt was there and berated his apprentice for not being home studying. Will tried to explain, but all his words blurred together and he failed to clearly communicate the events of the day. Halt sent him straight to bed.

What a rubbish day. And he still smelt a bit skunk-ish.

…...

The exam came in the form of ten questions, scrawled on a scrap of parchment. Halt poured himself a cup of coffee (he didn't fully appreciate the effort Will had gone through to get it) and lounged on his favourite armchair, watching his apprentice to make sure the boy didn't cheat.

Will glanced down at the paper.

Question 1: Who is the baron of Norgate?

He recalled the woman who'd shown up with the runaway horse talking about the pictan attacks and how Macindaw was strengthened now their leader was back from his meeting with the baron of Norgate...What had she referred to him as? Will closed his eyes, trying to replay the conversation in his head. It came to him and he scribbled, Baron Digory.

Question 2: What are the nearest waterfalls to Redmont called?

That one he knew well. He'd fallen down them, after all, and he'd heard the upset couple refer to them. Jasmin Falls.

Question 3: Who is the emrikir of Arrida?

Will grinned to himself. What a stroke of luck! Billy had mentioned him. He wasn't sure of the spelling, so he wrote: Ollthen,and hoped Halt would mark it as right.

Question 4: What fief is known for its orchards?

Another amazing coincidence. Bathing in his knowledge, Will answered with: Denloss Fief. That had been where Billy came from. He felt Halt's eyes on him and forced himself to wipe the smug grin from his face. He focused on the next question.

Question 5: Why are the Gallicans fighting more than usual?

Pierre, the coffee merchant, had told him. Because Sir Derrall bribed for his position as high advisor, and the other warlords had tried and failed.

Question 6: What tracks are these?

This question was followed by a crude drawing of footprints. Will grimanced as he wrote, skunk. He was about to move on to the next question when he went back and caught on to the trick. He added an 's' on the end of skunk to make it a plural.

Question 7: What is the tallest mountain in Araluen and where is it?

Madeline again. Grenistine near Norgate.

Question 8: What does a triangle pattern in the couriers code mean?

Will shot a glance at his mentor. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps Halt had been following him around all day and had seen his activities, but if that was true, why hadn't Halt helped him when he'd been fighting the genovesan? Must just be a crazy coincidence. Will answered: Mission.

Question 9: What hill is named after a baron?

Giuseppe had said this. Richley Hill.

Question 10: What city is known for its assassins?

Final question and Will knew the answer. He scribbled, Genovesa, then handed it in to Halt with a cocky smile. Halt raised an eyebrow as he read through it.

"Full marks," he said at last.

Will beamed. "I studied really hard," he said.

"I can see that," Halt said. "Well done." His eyebrows fell like thunderclouds over his eyes as he saw just how delighted Will was. "Now keep studying for the real exams. They'll be twenty times harder."

….And this is why it's okay for me not to be studying right now.