Read Online Ranger's Apprentice 1 & 2 Bindup by John Flanagan - Free Book Online Page A

said.
    â€˜A hundred and fifty years ago?’ Halt prompted.
    Will nodded emphatically. ‘That’s right.’
    â€˜Well, that’s remarkable, seeing how I just told you those facts a minute or so ago,’ the Ranger said, hiseyebrows coming down like thunderclouds over his eyes. Will thought it might be better if he said nothing. Finally, the Ranger said, in a milder tone:
    â€˜Boy, if you don’t know something, don’t try to bluff your way through it. Simply tell me “I don’t know”, is that clear?’
    â€˜Yes, Halt,’ Will said, eyes downcast. There was a silence, then he said, ‘Halt?’
    â€˜Yes?’
    â€˜About King Herbert … I don’t really know,’ Will admitted. The Ranger made a small snorting noise.
    â€˜Well, I never would have guessed,’ he said. ‘But I’m sure you’ll remember when I tell you that he was the one who drove the northern clans back over the border into the Highlands?’
    And, of course, the moment he mentioned it, Will did remember. But he thought it might be impolitic to say that he did. King Herbert was known as the ‘Father of Modern Araluen’. He had banded the fifty fiefs together into a powerful union to defeat the northern clans. Will could see a way to regain a little credit in Halt’s eyes now. If he mentioned the ‘Father of Modern Araluen’ title, maybe the Ranger would …
    â€˜He’s sometimes known as the Father of Modern Araluen,’ Halt was saying, and Will realised he’d left it too late. ‘He created the union between the fifty fiefs that’s still our structure today.’
    â€˜I sort of remember that now,’ Will put in. He thought the addition of ‘sort of’ helped it sound as if he wasn’t just being wise after the event. Halt looked at him, one eyebrow raised, then continued.
    â€˜At the time, King Herbert felt that to remain safe, the Kingdom needed an effective intelligence force.’
    â€˜An intelligent force?’ said Will.
    â€˜Not intelligent. Intelligence . Although it does help if your intelligence force is also intelligent. Intelligence is knowledge of what your enemies, or your potential enemies, are up to. What they’re planning. What they’re thinking. If you know that sort of thing in advance, you can usually come up with a plan to stop them. That’s why he founded the Rangers – to keep the Kingdom informed. To act as the eyes and ears of the Kingdom.’
    â€˜How do you do that?’ Will asked, his interest aroused now. Halt noted the change in tone and a momentary gleam of approval touched his eyes.
    â€˜We keep our eyes and ears open. We patrol the Kingdom – and beyond. We listen. We observe. We report back.’
    Will nodded to himself, thinking. Then he asked: ‘Is that the reason why you can make yourselves invisible?’
    Again, the Ranger felt that moment of approval and satisfaction. But he made sure the boy didn’t notice it.
    â€˜We can’t make ourselves invisible,’ he said. ‘People just think we can. What we do is make ourselves very hard to see. It takes years of learning and practice to do it properly – but you already have some of the skills required.’
    Will looked up, surprised. ‘I do?’
    â€˜When you crossed the castle yard last night, you used the shadows and the movement of the wind to conceal yourself, didn’t you?’
    Will nodded. ‘Yes.’ He’d never met anyone before who actually understood his skill for moving without being seen. Halt continued.
    â€˜We use the same principles: to blend into the background. To use it to conceal us. To become part of it.’
    â€˜I see,’ said Will slowly.
    â€˜The trick is to make sure that nobody else does,’ Halt told him. For a moment, Will thought the Ranger had made a joke. But when he looked up, Halt was as grim-faced as