Read Online Ranger's Apprentice 1 & 2 Bindup by John Flanagan - Free Book Online
Authors: John Flanagan
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chin, his thoughts obviously a long way away.
Sometime late in the afternoon, Halt finally ran out of jobs for Will. He looked around the cabin, noting the gleaming kitchen implements, the spotless fireplace, the thoroughly swept floor and totally dust-free rug. A stack of firewood lay beside the fireplace and another stack, cut and split into shorter lengths, filled the wicker basket beside the kitchen stove.
âHmmm. Not bad,â he said. âNot bad at all.â
Will felt a surge of pleasure at the sparing praise, but before he could feel too pleased with himself, Halt added, âCan you cook, boy?â
âCook, sir?â Will asked uncertainly. Halt raised his eyes to some unseen superior being.
âWhy do young people invariably answer a question with another question?â he asked. Then, receiving no reply, he continued, âYes, cook. Prepare food so that one might eat it. Make meals. I assume you do know what food is â what meals are?â
âYe-es,â Will answered, careful to take any questioning inflection out of the word.
âWell, as I told you this morning, this is no grand castle. If we want to eat food here, we have to cook food here,â Halt told him. There was that word âweâ again, Will thought. Every time so far Halt had said we must , it had seemed to translate to mean you must .
âI canât cook,â Will admitted, and Halt clapped his hands and rubbed them together.
âOf course you canât! Most boys canât. So Iâll have to show you how. Come on.â
He led the way to the kitchen and introduced Will to the mysteries of cooking: peeling and chopping onions, choosing a piece of beef from the meat safe, trimming it and cutting it into neat cubes, then chopping vegetables, searing the beef in a sizzling pan, and finally adding a generous dash of red wine and some of what Halt called his âsecret ingredientsâ. The result was a savoury-smelling stew, simmering on the top of the stove.
Now, as they waited for the dinner to be ready, they sat on the verandah in the early evening and talked quietly.
âThe Rangers were founded over one hundred and fifty years ago, in King Herbertâs reign. Do you know anything about him?â Halt looked sideways at the boy sitting beside him, tossing the question out quickly to see his response.
Will hesitated. He vaguely remembered the name from history lessons in the Ward, but he couldnât remember any details. Still, he decided heâd try to bluff his way through it. He didnât want to look too ignorant on his first day with his new master.
âOh ⦠yes,â he said, âKing Herbert. We learned about him.â
âReally?â said the Ranger expansively. âPerhaps you could tell me a little about him?â He leaned back and crossed his legs, getting himself comfortable.
Will cast about desperately in his memory, trying to remember even a shred of detail about King Herbert. Heâd done something ⦠but what?
âHe was â¦â he hesitated, pretending to gather his thoughts, ââ¦the king.â That much he was sure of, and he glanced at Halt to see if he could stop now. Halt merely smiled and made a rolling gesture with his hand that meant go on.
âHe was the king ⦠a hundred and fifty years ago,â Will said, trying to sound certain of his facts. The Ranger smiled at him, gesturing for him to continue yet again.
âUmmm ⦠well, I seem to recall that he was the one who founded the Ranger Corps,â he said hopefully and Halt raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.
âReally? You recall that, do you?â he said and Will had a horrible moment where he realised that Halt had merely said the Rangers were founded during his reign, not necessarily by him.
âAhhh, well, when I say he founded the Rangers I actually mean he was the king when the Ranger Corps was founded,â he
Sometime late in the afternoon, Halt finally ran out of jobs for Will. He looked around the cabin, noting the gleaming kitchen implements, the spotless fireplace, the thoroughly swept floor and totally dust-free rug. A stack of firewood lay beside the fireplace and another stack, cut and split into shorter lengths, filled the wicker basket beside the kitchen stove.
âHmmm. Not bad,â he said. âNot bad at all.â
Will felt a surge of pleasure at the sparing praise, but before he could feel too pleased with himself, Halt added, âCan you cook, boy?â
âCook, sir?â Will asked uncertainly. Halt raised his eyes to some unseen superior being.
âWhy do young people invariably answer a question with another question?â he asked. Then, receiving no reply, he continued, âYes, cook. Prepare food so that one might eat it. Make meals. I assume you do know what food is â what meals are?â
âYe-es,â Will answered, careful to take any questioning inflection out of the word.
âWell, as I told you this morning, this is no grand castle. If we want to eat food here, we have to cook food here,â Halt told him. There was that word âweâ again, Will thought. Every time so far Halt had said we must , it had seemed to translate to mean you must .
âI canât cook,â Will admitted, and Halt clapped his hands and rubbed them together.
âOf course you canât! Most boys canât. So Iâll have to show you how. Come on.â
He led the way to the kitchen and introduced Will to the mysteries of cooking: peeling and chopping onions, choosing a piece of beef from the meat safe, trimming it and cutting it into neat cubes, then chopping vegetables, searing the beef in a sizzling pan, and finally adding a generous dash of red wine and some of what Halt called his âsecret ingredientsâ. The result was a savoury-smelling stew, simmering on the top of the stove.
Now, as they waited for the dinner to be ready, they sat on the verandah in the early evening and talked quietly.
âThe Rangers were founded over one hundred and fifty years ago, in King Herbertâs reign. Do you know anything about him?â Halt looked sideways at the boy sitting beside him, tossing the question out quickly to see his response.
Will hesitated. He vaguely remembered the name from history lessons in the Ward, but he couldnât remember any details. Still, he decided heâd try to bluff his way through it. He didnât want to look too ignorant on his first day with his new master.
âOh ⦠yes,â he said, âKing Herbert. We learned about him.â
âReally?â said the Ranger expansively. âPerhaps you could tell me a little about him?â He leaned back and crossed his legs, getting himself comfortable.
Will cast about desperately in his memory, trying to remember even a shred of detail about King Herbert. Heâd done something ⦠but what?
âHe was â¦â he hesitated, pretending to gather his thoughts, ââ¦the king.â That much he was sure of, and he glanced at Halt to see if he could stop now. Halt merely smiled and made a rolling gesture with his hand that meant go on.
âHe was the king ⦠a hundred and fifty years ago,â Will said, trying to sound certain of his facts. The Ranger smiled at him, gesturing for him to continue yet again.
âUmmm ⦠well, I seem to recall that he was the one who founded the Ranger Corps,â he said hopefully and Halt raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.
âReally? You recall that, do you?â he said and Will had a horrible moment where he realised that Halt had merely said the Rangers were founded during his reign, not necessarily by him.
âAhhh, well, when I say he founded the Rangers I actually mean he was the king when the Ranger Corps was founded,â he
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