A Ranger's Duty - 1. Chapter 1

Ryn of Gryphon’s Reach, fourth son of Lord Silas, moved with purpose. The uniform of the King’s Rangers along with the proper salute showing his magical sigil, impossible to duplicate, gave any Ranger passage through the Guard positions. The inner sanctum of every base housed the Ranger Commanders as well as other servants to the King. The base at Land’s End was bigger than most, qualifying as its own fortress. As the largest Ranger stronghold outside the capital, it also held the Ranger General.

Ryn, twenty-two winters old, was in his sixth year of serving the King’s Rangers. With his dark burgundy hair and emerald green eyes, he broke many hearts. The scar stretching from his left eye down to his jaw gave him a rugged look that his otherwise youthful appearance lacked.

He knocked on the heavy door, pausing only long enough to hear the grunt beckon him into the room.

“General,” he stated as he stood at rigid attention, his right hand closed into a fist and held straight out after tapping his heart. He stared over the left shoulder of the seated man. A steel gray beard covered the gruff face of the General. While other officers went soft, Ranger General Baleoff was as skilled and active with a blade now as he was thirty years ago when he was Ryn’s age.

“Ryn, stand at ease. A Dranese trade delegation passed through two days ago. They are heading for Erif, but moving slow with wagons. Our weather mages are in a panic over a very powerful storm heading our way. Please get that delegation to a bolt-hole. They hired guards but refused a Ranger escort. Those Easterners have no idea what wrath our winters bring. I have ordered the Rangers to patrol the road, but the recall order has been issued.”

“Yes, sir. I can do that for you.”

“Horses have been arranged at the usual locations to speed you on your way.”

“I understand, sir.”

“Good luck.”

Ryn turned on his heel at the General’s usual form of dismissal and made his way back to the stables. The guards opened doors along the route as he approached. He was pleased to find his horse provisioned and awaiting on his arrival. Gwalltân stood proudly holding Ryn’s antsy bay.

Ryn gave the stable boy a fond smile and gentle rub on his back as he used the lad’s shoulder to boost himself onto the horse. “There is a nasty storm coming Gwalltân. Keep yourself warm.”

The lad nodded and his cheeks blushed pink as Ryn spurred the horse into a thundering gallop.

The King’s Way was the main trade road from the port at Land’s End to the Capital at Erif. Midway between the two cities the Emperor’s Way intersected. There was only a small fort located at the junction now, sitting on generations of destroyed castles from wars over the last few hundred years. The uneasy stalemate between the Empire and Erif continued apace. The Empire wanted all of Erif for itself and the control of the trade from the Elves, Gnomes, and Dwarves that went with it. However, all of the Elder races refused to deal with the Empire and their treacherous ways. The current détente only held because the Elder races dealt freely with the people of Erif, and in turn, Erif would deal with the Empire—as long as they behaved. The Empire was not tolerant of Erif and had invaded the country and tried to take the royal city many times over the centuries, but they could not breach the combined might of the Elvin magic and Dwarven walls. However, those measures were defensive. What really brought down the armies of the Empire were the King’s Rangers. They were the elite warriors of Erif and the Elvin Kingdoms, and they used the terrain to their advantage to take on and destroy much larger forces.

The strategic position of the kingdom was such that they could not mount a large army to repel the Empire head on. The Empire was simply too big and populated for Erif to ever match in sheer numbers. As such, the Kings of years past worked with the Elvin and Dwarven allies to develop a large series of hidden, underground fortresses. This allowed the King’s Rangers to strike from behind enemy lines when the enemy overran the kingdom. It was through careful work by the King’s Rangers that the Empire’s armies never learned of the true nature of these strongholds. These strongholds allowed many small groups to disappear. The King ordered the strongholds stocked with supplies and ready for prolonged siege at all times. With those supplies, a group of twenty or so could hold out for a long winter siege, if required.

Ryn figured he could catch up to the group in about six candlemarks, if he pushed his horses as far as he could and switched them out at outposts along the way. He expected the storm in no more than seven candlemarks, and once the storm started, it would be impossible to travel within a candlemark—at best.

The long candlemarks on the road were trying. Ryn knew he received more assignments than most Rangers did, and he took some pride in the reason. He was better educated than most and certainly had better connections because of his family ties. The General and Commanders used that to their advantage, but at times like this, it left Ryn feeling lonely and hollow inside. Despite his close friendships with several different young men, they were not his equal, nor were they anything other than someone to share warmth with during the harsh winters of Erif.

Ryn slowed to a light canter, knowing he should be closing in on the Dranese trade group. He reviewed his speech in his head to get these stubborn people to a bolt-hole as quickly as he could. He did not think they would complain much as the Dranese guests were from a much warmer continent than this one. The bolt-holes were not fit for distinguished guests, but they certainly beat freezing to death in a blizzard.

Ryan slowed to a trot. His enhanced senses screamed at him. Something was definitely wrong. There was a stillness in the air, and the only sound came from his horse. He should’ve seen or heard the party by now—even if at a distance. A light tingle of magic tickled his skin as he passed through some sort of magical barrier. He sharply reined in his horse, slowing to a walk as he closed his eyes and focused on his magical senses. The magic in the area was disturbed, spinning about in little currents and eddies instead of flowing calmly over the landscape as it should. Opening his eyes once again, he loosed his sword. A battle of some sort, including heavy magic usage, occurred in the vicinity. He felt a light tingle of magic as he passed through some sort of invisible barrier again. A sense of foreboding filled him as he approached a sharp bend in the road.

Coming around the corner, he stared downhill into a massacre. Bodies were strewn everywhere from a great battle. As he approached, he could see Rangers from the standard road patrol, people from the Dranese group, and bandits. The bandits appeared to be from The Empire. The two groups had clearly killed each other. Someone probably got away, but with the storm approaching there was no time for him to track the bandits down. The only thing he could do was check for survivors.

Holding back the bile he felt rising at the sight of the dead bodies, Ryn cast a powerful life detection spell. His vision faded to gray and sharpened, living animals glowing a light green. He quickly scanned the area but saw no signs of life. He then moved to the other side of the Dranese wagons and spotted one young man clinging to life. There was a vicious looking arrow jutting out the young man’s shoulder, and a lot of blood had soaked the ground around him. The man was very pale, and his chest barely moved as he took weak and shallow breaths. Hoping he was doing the right thing, Ryn yanked the arrow free and then cast his most powerful healing spell. He quickly packed the wound with a healing poultice he pulled free from his belt pouch. Ryn pushed some magic into the poultice, causing it to harden and become a flexible bandage over the man’s wound. He would need more healing when they were in the bolt-hole, but the magic Ryn used would—hopefully—keep the man alive for now.

He cast the life detection spell again, as powerfully as he could, to see if there were any more survivors. There were not. He then checked the remains of the wagon seeing the strongbox broken open and empty. Clearly, the bandits got away with whatever valuables the Dranese had carried.

Ryn shivered as the wind changed direction and took on a new bite. Light snowflakes sputtered out of the sky as the final warning that the storm was upon them. If they were going to survive the night, they needed to get to one of the heavier fortified bolt-holes. The Dranese man required more healing poultice, and he’d used his last on the gaping arrow wound already. Using the bolt-hole he had in mind would also reduce the chance of running into the bandits.

He ran back to the survivor and found the young man’s color already returning, and he was not as pale. The man was also awake and clearly wary of Ryn.

“My name is Ryn. I am with the King’s Rangers. I’ve bound your wound and cast a healing spell on you,” Ryn told him in Common.

The other man nodded.

“We need to get to shelter quickly. A large blizzard is nearly upon us. Can you help me get you onto my horse?”

Another nod and he tried sitting up. Ryn grabbed his hand and pulled him up. After a bit of struggling, the two young men were on the horse, wedged together in the saddle, and moving back the way Ryn had come. Larger flakes of snow started drifting down just as they reached the bolt-hole. Ryn lowered the other man to the ground, pulled off the saddlebags and gave the horse a swat to send it home. The horse should be able to make the journey back to his stable unencumbered by riders before the worst of the storm hit.

“Where are we?” the young man asked slowly in Common.

“The Rangers keep a number of safe hidden areas to ride out storms or invasions. This is one of our better-equipped bolt-holes. We need the medical supplies for your shoulder and any other injury you have sustained.”

“It is a rock.” The young man frowned in consternation.

“It is a Dwarven door, actually. You need to know where it is and how to use it, or it does look like just a rock.”

Ryn carefully tapped the stone in the pattern of the ranger emblem and the rock split slowly down the center, revealing itself as a door with a room beyond. Ushering the other young man into the chamber along with the saddlebags, Ryn closed the door behind them. As soon as the door clicked shut, a soft light filled the chamber.

“The doors are interlocked so that the outside door and inside door cannot be open at the same time. This is one of the safety features built into this bolt-hole. Once we are inside we can seal a couple of other doors that will keep us safe from harm.”

Ryn carefully triggered the inner door. It opened into a short passageway. Ryn carefully helped the survivor along, his arm around the man’s slim waist, carefully avoiding the wounded shoulder. There were a lot of bunks here as well as a tunnel leaning out in another direction.

“This is the main chamber that we usually use for short stays or for quartering troops. We keep this bolt-hole fully staffed during the warmer seasons. There’s no need for it with the snow keeping the travelers out. The healing rooms are back this way. ”

Ryn walked to an alcove, and the door swung away from him when he gave the door a small push. It opened to yet another corridor. As soon as he guided the other man through the door, he closed it and latched the heavy bolt. They moved up the tunnel a few man-lengths, and Ryn stopped to close yet another door. This door was huge and operated only from inside the chamber. The huge stone door sealed home with an authoritative boom.

“In addition to the healing rooms, these chambers contain their own food storage, kitchen, and private rooms for mages, Ranger Commanders, and for an Elvin War Mage. As I mentioned earlier, this bolt-hole is manned during the warmer seasons in case of an attack from the Empire.”

Ryn fell silent as they moved slowly forward.

“You never asked my name,” the other man stated into the quiet.

“No, I didn’t. It is my understanding of your culture that it is considered quite rude to ask a person their name before that person chooses to offer it to another. Your people see it is a sign of good intentions to offer a name upon first meeting. I therefore offered my name immediately while trying to help you, and I’m waiting for you to feel comfortable enough to offer your name.”

A look of surprise showed on the other man’s face. “You understand our culture correctly Ryn. My name is So Ri Feng. Please call me Feng.”

Ryn bowed his head in acknowledgement and looked up in time to see another surprised look on Feng’s face.

“You seem to know much about our culture, Ryn.”

“The King’s Rangers are trained in part by the Elves. Our Elvin friends consider it a point of honor to understand the important traditions of other cultures. They love knowledge for knowledge’s sake, of course, but they consider it imperative to understand the ways of the people with whom they trade. The Rangers are often the first point of contact and have training in at least basic diplomacy. King’s Rangers in my position have deeper training as part of our education. I am the fourth son of a noble house, and my skills are employed frequently by the Rangers.”

“Thank you for answering the question I did not feel comfortable asking. Our noble families do not usually have more than one or two children in fear of a struggle at the time of inheritance.”

Ryn bowed his head again. “That was also true of our people long ago, but now we who are born later find ourselves sent to the King’s Rangers where we fill roles based on our skills. I feel it is very important that I examine your wounds in more detail. The repairs I did in the field were not adequate for the injury you sustained. If you would permit, I would be willing to do a more thorough examination to ensure that you heal properly.”

Feng seemed to consider his words for a few moments before nodding his head.

Ryn went into one of the rooms off the entryway and beckoned Feng to follow now that the young man was moving better on his own. Ryn sped up so he could open up the healing stores. A magical light filled the room when he entered, illuminating everything.

“Feng we need to remove your shirt, and then you can lay on this table.”

Feng nodded and carefully removed his ruined shirt. The hole and the large bloodstain made it a total loss. He was able to get the shirt off, and his eyes widened as he looked at the poultice that filled the hole in his shoulder.

Ryn read the look on Feng’s face and explained, “The poultice has a numbing effect, and that is why you can move at the moment. The poultice is an Elvin concoction the King’s Rangers carry for emergencies such as your shoulder. It is a great temporary solution that prevents infection, but I need to change it out with a fresh one, as well as cleanse the wound.”

“Okay.” Feng’s face showed resignation at the expected pain.

“Feng,” Ryn said softly. “Elvin healers are renowned for their healing arts, and I was trained by the very best. The pain should be minimal. Okay?”

Feng nodded.

Ryn very carefully extracted the poultice from the wound. Closing his eyes, he pushed some healing magic into the gaping hole. In his head, he could see the damage and the angry black swirls of poison. Pushing more of the magic into the damaged flesh, he latched onto the poison and carefully pulled it from the wound. The hole slowly closed as the skin knitted together, closing into an angry red line. He nearly exhausted himself with the healing. Opening his eyes, he took some prepared poultice and carefully applied it to the wound. A quick touch with his magic and Feng once again had a flexible bandage that would help deaden any pain left.

“This bandage will draw out any infection left in the wound. We will need to sleep for some time. I used far more healing today than I usually would. However, since we are locked in this bolt-hole, I thought it safe enough using most of my energy to heal you. Follow me; the sleeping chambers are deeper inside.”

“Will there be a warm fire?”

“We can start one. There is a draft that takes the smoke away without giving away our position.”

It took a few minutes of slow walking to get to the room. Ryn chose a small one that would heat faster. There was wood in the fireplace with a generous stack nearby. A quick flick of his wrist with the smallest touch of magic caused the wood to burst into flame. It took only a few more minutes for the fire to settle into a gentle crackle. By the time Ryn got the fire going, Feng was already sleeping on the room’s lone bed. Ryn made his own bed on the bearskin rug in front of the fire using a blanket and pillow he fetched from storage. Ryn passed out shortly after his head touched the pillow.

Ryn woke with a start a number of candlemarks later. As he came to his senses, he realized that he was tightly cuddling someone, and they were both under his blanket by the fire. It took nearly a minute for his mental fog to clear, and he realized he was holding Feng. Dranese people do not conduct or condone physical contact with strangers. While Ryn had certainly healed Feng and touched him to do so, that had been with permission and pressing need. Ryn felt his skin tingle when he realized he was in full contact with Feng. Feng’s bare back pressed tightly into Ryn’s bare chest. The warmth he felt from the other young man made him light-headed. They only had their small clothes between them. Ryn decided to accept the situation as it was and go back to sleep. It was certainly easier sleeping when warm and close with someone else.

Ryn woke many candlemarks later with the fire burned low, little more than coals. Thankfully, the hardwood stored in the bolt holes burned a long time, or they would need to stoke the fire all night long to keep it going. Depending on where the bolt-hole was, the wood used was hickory or walnut, as they burned longest and warmest. Feng moved slightly, indicating he was awake.

“I apologize, Ryn, for joining you uninvited. Normally my people do not have physical contact with people we do not know very well. Because you have saved my life and used your magic to heal me, my honor and my magic dictates that I owe you my life. Swearing service to you until my debt is repaid satisfies my honor. My own magic pushed me to reduce my physical distance. Our magic’s behavior is not something my people talk about even amongst ourselves.”

Ryn’s breathing hitched for a moment as he lost himself in thought. Ryn had an empty pit inside of him that needed someone else to fill it. Feng’s magic must have sensed Ryn’s deepest desire and pushed Feng into providing the comfort Ryn craved.

“I was not aware of this aspect of Dranese culture. I hope my actions have not caused you dishonor.”

“No, no. It is always valued to save another. My society dictates that when one life is saved it is the will of the ones above that the life be then dedicated to the savior until the debt could be returned. Our magic gives us a push when we don’t do it on our own.”

“So, you will stay with me until you save my life.”

“Yes.”

“This way of sleeping is considered extremely intimate by your people, is it not?”

“It is. I studied what we knew of your people and of Elves before leaving home. It is my understanding that many of your males follow the Elvin traditions regarding mating?”

“Many do.”

“Are… are you one of them?” Feng asked, suddenly still.

“I am,” Ryn answered after a moment.

“It is very rare amongst my people and frowned upon by the Elders. I volunteered for this trade mission because of my preference and connections. The Elders agreed and desired for me to stay here to be a liaison.”

“That seems rather efficient of your Elders. You have a trait that is not popular at home but is popular here, mainly because of warmth. Naturally, since we follow many Elvin traditions, when boys become of age more than just sleep occurs between them. The long winters pass more quickly in the arms of a close friend.”

“I am not intruding on an arrangement?”

“No. I have only a few friends and none are very close. My family position and my rank in the Rangers requires me to travel often.”

“Will you allow me to fulfill my debt?” Feng asked, his voice steady, but his body trembled lightly.

“Yes. We’ll work out whatever we need to.”

“Good.”

“Let’s see what the Dark Mother Cailleach has wrought with her blizzard.”

The two quickly dressed in clothes raided from storage and moved back through the caves. Unsealing the cavern by moving the heavy door back into place allowed them to move into the room with the bunk beds. Taking a different tunnel, they moved to one of the handiest Dwarven inventions during the winter in the bolt-hole. This allowed the person that knew how to read it to know how much snow had fallen.

Ryn twisted a handle sending several gears spinning and a large lever arm moved steadily upwards. It was reading four tick marks when it stopped.

“What is that?”

“It is a Dwarf device used to measure snowfall outside this wall. It allows us to know how high the snow is. It is twice my height. Cailleach was surely mad last night. We are going to be here for some time.”

“It would allow us to time to learn about each other.” Ryn lifted an arm, creating a place for Feng.

“I would like that,” Feng replied as he cuddled into Ryn.

The End... for now.