ERAK'S RANSOM

by John Flanagan

  'Had it here! Had it here! Where the devil is it ... wait. I heard something fall on the boards as I came in! Must have dropped it. Just check outside the front door, will you, Will?,

  Too stunned to talk, Will rose and went to the door. As he set his hand on the latch, he looked back at the two Rangers, still seated at the table. Crowley made a small shooing motion with the back of his hand, urging him to go outside. Will was. still looking back, at them when he opened the door and stepped through onto the verandah.

  'CONGRATULATIONS!'

  The massive cry went up from at least forty throats. He swung round in shock to find all his friends gathered in the clearing outside, around a table laid for a feast, their faces beaming with smiles. Baron Arald, Sir Rodney, Lady Pauline and Master Chubb were all there. So were Jenny and George, his former wardmates. There were a dozen others in the Ranger uniform — men he had met and worked with over the past five years. And wonder of wonders, there were Erak and Svengal, bellowing his name and waving their huge axes overhead in his praise. Close by them stood Horace and Gilan, both brandishing their swords overhead as well. It looked like a dangerous section of the crowd to be in, Will thought.

  After the first concerted shout, people began cheering and calling his name, laughing and waving to him.

  Halt and Crowley joined him on the verandah. The Commandant was doubled over with laughter.

  'Oh, if you could have seen yourself!' he wheezed. 'Your face! Your face! It was priceless! "Is that all?" ' He mimicked Will's plaintive tones and doubled over again.

  Will turned to Halt accusingly. His teacher grinned at him.

  'Your face was a study,' he said.

  'Do you do that to all apprentices?' Will asked.

  Halt nodded vigorously. 'Every one. Stops them getting a swelled head at the last minute. You have to swear never to let an apprentice in on the secret.'

  He touched Will's sleeve and pointed.

  'But only the luckiest, or the best, get this.'

  Will looked in the direction he indicated and felt a lump rise to his throat. Side by side, Alyss and Evanlyn were walking slowly across the clearing towards him, carrying a small red satin cushion between them.

  Alyss, tall, poised, ash blonde and beautiful in her elegant Courier's robe.

  Evanlyn, tomboyish, grinning, honey blonde and beautiful in her own way.

  And on the cushion between them, gleaming in the errant rays of the late afternoon sun that found its way through the trees, lay a simple, silver oakleaf amulet on a chain — symbol of everything Will had been striving for in the past five years. Now his.

  The two girls lifted it from the cushion and together, draped it over his bowed head while the assembled crowd cheered themselves hoarse. Then, driven by the same impulse, they kissed him — Alyss on the left cheek, Evanlyn on the right.

  And then glared daggers at each other.

  'Let's get this party started!' said Crowley hurriedly. And catching Will by the arm, he drew him down to the group of friends waiting to congratulate him.

  ***

  It was a party that would go down in the annals of Castle Redmont. The last guests were still celebrating as the sun began to rise. Will and Horace, his oldest friend, sat on the little verandah watching the last dancers stagger out of the clearing and head for home.

  'Do you feel like a Ranger at last?' Horace asked him.

  Will shook his head ruefully. 'I feel absolutely overwhelmed by the whole thing,' he said. Then, after a few seconds, he confided, 'You know, a few weeks back, I didn't think I was ready for this.'

  'And now?' Horace prompted.

  'Now I know that if you wait till you think you are ready, you'll wait all your life.'

  The young knight nodded. 'I couldn't have put it better,' he said. 'That's exactly how I felt when we came back from Skandia and Duncan knighted me. "I'm not ready", I kept wanting to say.'

  'But you were,' Will said.

  Horace nodded. 'Yes. Maybe our teachers do know what they're doing, after all. Halt thinks the world of you, you know. When we were in prison in Maashava, he knew you'd turn up to get us out. He must have been proud to see you graduate today. Following in his footsteps.'

  'They're big footsteps to follow in,' Will said. 'I guess that's why I thought I wasn't ready. I knew I'd never be as wise or as capable or as courageous as Halt. I could never be like him. Crowley said it today: there's only one Halt.'

  Horace looked at him very seriously, appraising him, thinking of all he had learned about this remarkable young man in the past five years.

  'You may not ever be exactly like him,' he said. 'But there won't be a lot in it.'

  Then the two friends leaned back and watched the sun rise clear of the trees.

  'Best time of the day,' said Will.

  'Yes,' Horace agreed. 'What's for breakfast?'

  * * *

  THE END

  * * *

  * * *

  John Flanagan

  About the Author

  * * *

  John Flanagan (born 22 May 1944) is an Australian author. He is currently living in Australia with his family. His best known work is the Ranger's Apprentice series, which is about a boy named Will who becomes adopted as a Ranger's apprentice to the grim and mysterious Halt.

  Biography

  Prior to becoming a novelist, John Flanagan did advertising and television commercials.1 He co-created the television series Hey Dad! He originally wrote the books for his son to encourage him to read. He started the series over 10 years ago and is still at work on them today.John Flanagan's book Rangers Apprentice will be turned into a film in 2010.

  In 2008, he won the Australian Publishers Association's Book of the Year for Older Children and the International Success Award for Rangers Apprentice 7: Erak's Ransom.2

  * * *

  About the Books

  * * *

  Ranger's Apprentice is the title of a fantasy series by author John Flanagan. The first book in the series was released in Australia in November 2004 and in the United States in June 20051.1. So far, eight books have been released in Australia, with other countries including the United States and United Kingdom following behind. The series follows the adventures of Will, an orphan who becomes an apprentice Ranger, and his master Halt as they strive to keep the Kingdom of Araluen safe from invaders, traitors and threats. John Flanagan has stated in an auto-reply to those who email him, "To those of you who wrote to tell me you enjoy the books, thank you so much. I really do enjoy hearing from you. We've just signed a movie option deal for the series so it's looking good for at least one Rangers movie in the next few years. Maybe more."

  Books in the Series Book

  Publishing Order and Date

  Chronological Order

  The Ruins of Gorlan 1 -- (Australia) 2004

  The Burning Bridge 2 — 2005

  The Icebound Land 3 — 2005

  Oakleaf Bearers (called The Battle for Skandia for US) 4 -- 2006

  Sorcerer in the North 5 — 2006

  The Siege of Macindaw 6 -- May 2007

  Erak's Ransom 7 -- November 2007

  The Kings of Clonmel 8 -- November 3, 2008

  Halt's Peril 9 -- November 2, 2009

  Plot summary The Ruins of Gorlan

  In the first book of the Rangers Apprentice series, a 15 year-old boy named Will is chosen to become a Ranger's Apprentice. Halt became his mentor and teaches him many things.

  The Burning Bridge The king captures Morgarath's secret plans for battle. On a mission to deliver a message for the king, Will, his friend Horace (an apprentice knight), and the Ranger Gilan travel to a neighboring country, Celtica. They discover that all the villagers are gone. On their way they come across Evanlyn, who claims to be a maid to an Araluen lady. She tells them that Wargals have destroyed the country and that everyone who has not been captured has fled. Gilan thinks that the evil Lord Morgarath finally devised a plan to cross the mountain pass. If that were true, and the
King weren't warned, his army would be caught unaware and destroyed, and the country with it. Gilan rides to warn the King: the captured plans were a trick trap the king between two forces. Will, Horace, and Evanlyn decide to follow a small Wargal force. In doing so, they discover that Morgarath is building a bridge across The Fissure, which had formerly kept the kingdom safe. If the Wargal army comes across, the King's army will be trapped on the Plains of Uthal, surrounded by Morgarath's army and a Skandian force. They decide that the only way to save their country is to burn the bridge. Unfortunately, Will and Evanlyn are captured by the Skandians (some of Morgarath's mercenaries) when they find themselves on the wrong side of the bridge as it falls into the Fissure. Meanwhile, when Gilan reaches the camp of the king's army and reports, he is told that Evanlyn is actually Cassandra, the princess of Araluen. Horace rushes to camp to warn the king of another force of Skandians coming from the North, and to alert him of Will and Evanlyn's fate. Halt destroys the Northern Skandian army, but the king simulates a battle with them in order to lure Morgarath's army out so the king's calvalry will be on firmer ground. The Wargals are frightened of horses, and Morgarath's army falls into chaos. Morgarath sounds a retreat; but to revenge himself, he challenges Halt to single combat. When the King forbids Halt to accept, Horace challenges Morgarath instead. Morgarath breaks Horace's sword, but using a two-knife fighting technique Gilan taught Will, he is able to not only defend himself, but to kill Morgarath. The Wargals lose all power of independent thought with his death. With the defeat of Morgarath's army, the Skandians escape with Will and Evanlyn. Halt attempts to rescue them, but he only arrives as the Skandian's ship leaves. He shouts a promise to Will that he will rescue him wherever Will might be taken. 255 pages in US edition.

  The Icebound Land Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as the captives of the fearsome Skandian Jarl, Erak. Halt has sworn to rescue Will and will do anything to keep his promise — even defy his King. He insults King Duncan until he is taken into custody. Expelled from the Rangers and banished by the king for a year, Halt is joined by Horace, who was unofficially released from Battleschool, as he travels through Gallica towards Skandia on his venture to save Will. On their way, they are constantly challenged by freelance knights — otherwise known as thieving thugs. Horace knows how to fight, though, and he soon begins to attract the attention of knights and warlords for miles around with his uncanny skill. They are captured and tormented by the local warlord. Meanwhile, Will is forced into slavery and becomes addicted to warmweed. Jarl Erak helps Will and Evanlyn escape from captivity and tells Evanlyn how to cure Will. 315 pages.

  Oakleaf Bearers (The Battle for Skandia, in U.S.) Just as spring approaches and Will and Evanlyn can finally escape Skandia, Evanlyn is carried off by a mysterious horseman. Will sets out after them. He's not the only one on their trail. On the way to find Will, Halt and Horace have also been tracking the small party of Temujai, a fierce, nomadic tribe of horse warriors from the east. Will is overjoyed to be reunited with his mentor and friend, and together they rescue Evanlyn; however, the occasion is not as happy as it could have been as Halt realizes that the Temujai they discovered are only the scouts for a massive invasion force. The Skandians have no chance, unless they accept the help of their sworn enemies from Araluen. Will trains Skandian slaves as archers, in return for safe passage home. This book in one edition has 327 pages and 294 in the U.S. edition.

  The Sorcerer of the North Five years have passed since the Skandians and the Araluens made a peace treaty, and Will has finally become a Ranger, with his own fief to look after. He soon learns that even sleepy little island fiefs have enough problems to keep Will on his toes. Will and his old friend Alyss are thrown into a terrifying new adventure, investigating the truth behind rumors of sorcery in a remote northern fief. As he stands in Grimsdell Forest, hearing eerie voices and seeing the horrific figure of the Night Warrior looming in the fog, Will asks himself if sorcery really exists or if there is some other explanation. 329 pages

  The Siege of Macindaw In this desolate northern fief, Will tries to gather the fighting men he needs to overcome Sir Keren and his band of criminals. Across the border, fierce Scotti warriors are waiting for the signal that castle Macindaw is in friendly hands to launch a full scale invasion. With the arrival of an old friend, Will has to try to stop Sir Keren and rescue the imprisoned Alyss. Released May 2007 in Australia. 331 pages.

  Erak's Ransom When Erak, the Skandian Oberjarl, is taken hostage during a raid on the desert lands to the south of the constant sea, a few of his men escape, including Erak's second in command, Svengal. Halt and Will must go with Svengal to deliver the ransom and secure Eraks freedom, but a royal presence is needed, too. The princess Cassandra, who Will knows as Evanlyn, persuades her father to let her go with them. Horace and the ranger Gilan round out the group to make sure that Evanlyn is well protected, but there are still the threats of violent sandstorms, warring tribes, and danger every where that may keep them from reaching Erak in time to secure his release. This book was released November 1 2008, in Australia, though some book stores released it earlier. 441 pages

  The Kings of Clonmel Will is at the annual Ranger Gathering but Halt is investigating mysterious happenings in the west. When he does finally return, it's with bad news. Hibernia is in turmoil. A religious cult calling themselves the Outsiders are sowing confusion and sedition, and five of the six Hibernian kingdoms have been undermined. Now the sixth, Clonmel, is in danger. Halt, Will and Horace set out to restore order. Can the secrets of Halt's past help them in their mission? In book stores now.

  Halt's Peril Halt, Horace and Will follow Tennyson's trail to Picta. They're determined to stop the Outsider prophet and his remaining followers before the outlaws make their way across the border into Araluen. Will has defeated one of Tennyson's Genovesan assassins in Clonmel – but there are two left alive. Are the extraordinary archery skills of Will and Halt enough to save them during a duel with the assassins ... or is Will's mentor facing his last battle? It is scheduled to be released November 2, 2009.

  CharactersPeople

  * Will Treaty is chosen by Halt to become one of the Ranger Corps. He is a small orphan with brown eyes and hair that is tousled by his cloak. He is agile, curious and stealthy. His father, Daniel, was a sergeant in King Duncan's army, and his mother a farmer who died in child birth to Will. Will's father died doing a good deed for the kingdom by saving Halt, who saved the kingdom of Araluen twice. Will was raised in the orphan ward of castle Redmont. Will has a small, grey pony called Tug, and acquires a dog later in the series. The dog is called several names, such as Blackie, Bread-and-butter pudding, Traitor, and Shadow, in which is permanent. He later leaves the dog in Macindaw with the giant Trobar, who is quite fond of her. Will's first assignment was Seacliff, a small island that is described as a backwater place and was later assigned to Redmont to help Halt with his duties. He is highly thought of in the Ranger Corps and in Araluen nobility. As a Ranger, Will carries a longbow, a heavy saxe knife and a short throwing knife. Will is also able to play the mandola. He is given the surname "Treaty" because of the agreement he organized between the Skandians and the Arauluens. Will is stated as being like a son to Halt and is his best man at his wedding. In an interview, Flanagan stated that Will is loosely based on his son, Michael. John Flannagan says that he started the series as an inspiration to him. 1.2

  * Halt is a member of the mysterious Ranger Corps, and is small, with brown-and-gray hair and a beard. He is grim and famous throughout the kingdom, (his fame precedes him) though people are often disappointed when they find out that he is small. He is a superb archer; as demonstrated in his proceedings and uses a massive longbow. Like all rangers his skill with the bow is uncanny, deadly accurate and devastatingly swift. Halt is fond of Will, and is willing to risk banishment from Araluen and the Ranger Corps to rescue Will. In the third book he is shown to have a fondness towards Horace and smiles quite a bit more than regular. It is revealed that he enjoys you
ng company, even if it means a torrent of questions. (Seen in his interactions with Will, Horace, and Alyss.) He owns a ranger horse named Abelard. Halt is the ranger for Redmont and part of the rangers senior council, as well as the king's trusted adviser. It should also be noted that he is rather shy around other people. His former apprentice is the humorous sword expert, Gilan. Halt has some skill as a carver and likes to have flowers in his cottage, and is an excellent cook and a coffee drinker. When he encounter's other people, they are often inclined to be disappointed by his lack of height and apparent muscles. Halt hardly ever smiles; instead he raises one of his eyebrows, which Will first mistook as a sign of displeasure. He once defeated Morgorath's army by leading a cavalry charge across a secret ford on the river and into the army's rear. In book seven he marries Lady Pauline. He is a major character in books one, two, three, four, seven , eight and appears a few times in books five and six.

  * Horace is a wardmate in Castle Redmont with Will, and eventually becomes a Battleschool Apprentice. He is a natural warrior, and although he used to be Will's rival, they became best friends when Will saved him from a rampaging wild boar only to be rescued by Halt. He traveled with Halt to rescue Will in skandia. He is tall and he is the captain of the Araluen Royal Guard Unit B. Horace is the champion of Princess Cassandra and he is also known as the Oakleaf Knight. He is famous in Gallica and also quite comfortable in female company. Most people think of Horace as a slow thinker, but he just likes to think things through properly. He is very logical and methodical. Horace normally carries a round shield with an oak leaf carving on it, a plain sword, and a heavy dagger. Horace has saved the Royal Princess of Araluen (He and Will have some tension between them about Princess Cassandra) and killed Morgarath in single combat (the duel is described in the second book). Horace plays a large part in most of the books.