Ranger's Apprentice, Book 8: The Kings of Clonmel: Book 8 Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  EPILOGUE

  Copyright © 2010 by John Flanagan.

  All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission

  in writing from the publisher, Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group,

  345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014. Philomel Books, Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.

  The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without

  the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,

  and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility

  for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Published simultaneously in Canada.

  Text set in Adobe Jenson.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Flanagan, John ( John Anthony)

  The kings of Clonmel / John Flanagan.—1st American ed.

  p. cm.—(Ranger’s apprentice ; bk. 8)

  Summary: Halt, Will, and Horace set out for Hibernia, where a quasi-religious group, the Outsiders,

  is sowing confusion and sedition, and they find that secrets from Halt’s past may hold

  the key to restoring order before the last kingdom is undermined.

  [1. Insurgency—Fiction. 2. Kings, queens, rulers, etc.—Fiction. 3. Cults—Fiction. 4. War—Fiction.

  5. Fantasy.] I. Title.

  PZ7.F598284Kin 2010

  [Fic]—dc22 2009041644

  eISBN : 978-1-101-18772-2

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  To Catherine and Tyler:

  thanks for everything.

  1

  SOUTHERN CLONMEL, THE ISLAND OF HIBERNIA.

  The farmers had risen at first light, bringing in their cattle for milking, and releasing the sheep and chickens that had been kept overnight in the barn to protect them from nocturnal marauders.

  The leader of the bandits crouched among the trees and smiled grimly to himself. Today, the inhabitants of this little group of farms would have more to worry about than animal predators. Today, real danger lurked inside the tree line, concealed from the eyes of the farmers as they went about their routine tasks.

  His men had been in position since long before first light. A less experienced leader might have chosen to attack at dawn. Most people thought that was the best time for a surprise attack. But the bandit knew his business. Farmers rose early. They were wide-awake at dawn. They were prepared for unexpected danger, even if it were only a fox or a marauding wolf. And they often had tools ready at hand—axes and spades and scythes—that would serve as makeshift weapons in the event of an attack.

  It was better, he knew, to wait until they had finished their early morning tasks and were heading in to breakfast. The sun would be up by then and warm on their backs. They’d be relaxed and a little weary from their labor, and looking forward to the hot meal their wives had waiting for them. Their defenses would be down and that was the best time to attack them.

  He saw the nearest pair, who had been repairing a fallen fence rail, stop now and lay their tools down. One called to a group of three a little farther away. He stretched, his hands rubbing his back where the muscles were stiff. The bandit couldn’t make out the reply, but the tone was clear. It was good-humored, amused. Just a typical morning out in the fields.

  The bandit leader gave a satisfied nod as he saw the men begin walking to the largest building. The little hamlet was probably a family settlement—mother and father in the big house; their offspring with their families in the smaller houses that had been built nearby. The one big barn served all of the families. He’d heard the high-pitched voices of several children chattering earlier on. A welcoming curl of wood smoke rose from the chimney and he knew that the wives would all be gathered in there, preparing a communal breakfast. He picked up the mouthwatering aroma of bacon frying.

  At that moment, the door to the farmhouse opened and the oldest woman emerged. She moved to an iron barrel hoop hanging from a post and beat a rapid tattoo on it with a hardwood stick. The message was clear: Breakfast is ready. Not that the farmers needed telling. They were all on their way by this point.

  The bandit reached into his pocket and found a bone whistle. He raised it to his lips, sensing the men closest to him stirring as they saw the movement. Then he blew a loud, piercing blast and rose from concealment, drawing his sword and yelling as he ran forward.

  His men followed, charging into the open from three sides around the settlement. They were fierce, terrifying figures, wearing half armor and carrying weapons. Bloodcurdling war cries rose into the morning air as they ran forward.

  The farmers were frozen in surprise for a moment. Then one of the younger ones was first to react. He reached for the ax he had just leaned against a water trough. Before he could raise it, an arrow flashed across the clearing and buried itself in his throat. He gave a choking cry and staggered, falling half into the trough. The water rapidly began to turn red with his blood.

  “Inside the house! Quickly! Maeve, get the—” the father called. But it was already too late. The first of the raiders was upon him and a sword thrust cut off his words. His face showed surprise, then pain, as he sank to the ground and lay, unmoving.

  His killer leaped over the body and shouldered the door of the farmhouse open. It was a mistake. The woman who had rung the breakfast gong was waiting with a pot of freshly boiled water, which she flung in his face.

  He screamed in agony and lurched to one side, dropping the bloody sword and throwing his hands up to his face. But the woman didn’t have long to savor her momentary triumph. The raider following him struck swiftly with his sword and cut her down, her body falling across the threshold and preventing those inside from closing the door.

  The remaining men outside tried in vain to stave off the attack. But they were fighting with their bare hands and didn’t stand a chance. In rapid order, they were surrounded and cut down by the raiders, without pity or compassion. They were badly outnumbered and their attempts
to protect their women and children were to no avail.

  The bandit leader stood back a little from the group who surrounded the fallen bodies. He’d seen one of the farmers dart aside and into the barn.

  Now he reappeared, his gaze intent on the men surrounding the dead and dying members of his family. He had a long pitchfork in his hands and he raised it as he ran forward.

  He never saw the bandit leader. He only felt the searing agony of the sword thrust into his side, underneath his raised arm. He tried to cry out but was unable. He fell facedown.

  “You should have run when you had the chance,” the leader said.

  Inside the house, three women cowered in the large kitchen as half a dozen men forced their way in.

  The women saw the bloodied swords and knew their menfolk were gone. One of them raised her hands in entreaty.

  “Mercy,” she pleaded. But there was no mercy that day.

  The raiders, oblivious to the splashed blood and sprawled bodies around them, helped themselves hungrily to the platters of hot, sizzling bacon and fresh baked bread that had been laid out for the men’s breakfast.

  “ They won’t be needing it,” one said. He added, “And it’s a sin to waste good food.”

  The others laughed as they crammed the food into their mouths. But one stood aside, his head cocked, listening. From the adjoining room, he could hear a furtive hacking, scraping sound. He crossed the kitchen and pushed the inner door open with the blade of his sword.

  It was dimmer in the bedroom, with no window in the far wall, and his eyes took a second or two to adjust. Then he made out three forms, kneeling by the back wall. A woman, a boy, and a girl, the children about ten years old. The woman was frantically hacking at the wall with a heavy kitchen knife. Now she stopped, looking up in horror at the silhouette that filled the doorway. Strangely, the raider paused and waited as she attacked the wall with new vigor, creating a hole large enough for the children to squeeze through. He watched impassively as she shoved the two wriggling young ones through the exit she’d created.

  “Run, Seamus! Run, Molly!” she said.

  Then she heard the sound of a footstep and looked up to see the tall figure approaching her. She wondered vaguely why he’d given her time to let the young ones escape. Then she stood and looked the stranger in the eye, facing him calmly.

  “The Holy Man warned us you would come,” she said bitterly. “We should have listened.”

  He drew his sword back and smiled—an ugly grimace of a smile that was without any vestige of pity.

  “Yes. You should have,” he said, and brought the sword down.

  In the trees, a figure stood watching the attack. He was tall, with shoulder-length white-gray hair. His eyes were a piercing blue and he wore a dull gray woolen cloak over a white, full-length robe. He watched as two children appeared at the end of the largest house—a boy and a girl. They paused uncertainly, but the men grouped around their dead kinsmen were facing away from them and they remained unseen. The tall man smiled as the boy took the little girl’s hand and led her stooping and running to the tree line at the far side of the clearing.

  “Good,” he said, nodding his approval. “Leave a few survivors to spread the word.”

  2

  IT WAS TUG, OF COURSE, WHO FIRST SENSED THE PRESENCE OF the other horse and rider.

  His ears twitched upward and Will felt, rather than heard, the low rumble that vibrated through the little horse’s barrel-like body. It was not an alarm signal, so Will knew that whoever Tug had sensed, it was someone familiar to him. He leaned forward and patted the shaggy mane.

  “Good boy,” he said softly. “Now where are they?”

  He already had a fair idea who it would be. And even as he spoke, his guess was confirmed as a bay horse and a tall rider trotted out of the trees some hundred meters ahead of him to wait at the crossroads there. Tug snorted again, tossing his head.

  “All right. I can see them.”

  He touched Tug lightly with his heels and the horse responded instantly, moving to a canter to close the distance. The bay whinnied a greeting, to which Tug responded.

  “Gilan!” Will shouted cheerfully as they came within easy earshot. The tall Ranger waved a hand in reply, grinning as Will and Tug clattered to a stop beside him.

  The two Rangers leaned over in their saddles to clasp right hands.

  “It’s good to see you,” Gilan said.

  “You too. I thought it would be you. Tug let me know there were friends nearby.”

  “Not much gets by that shaggy little beast of yours, does it?” Gilan said easily. “I suppose that’s what’s kept you alive these past years.”

  “Little?” Will replied. “I’ve noticed that Blaze isn’t exactly a battlehorse.”

  In truth, Blaze was a little longer in the leg than the average Ranger horse, and had slightly finer lines. But like all of the breed, Gilan’s bay mare was still considerably smaller than the massive battlehorses that carried the kingdom’s knights into battle.

  While the two young Rangers chaffed each other, the horses seemed to be carrying on a similar conversation, with a lot of snorting and head tossing to punctuate the good-natured horsey insults they were undoubtedly swapping. Ranger horses definitely seemed to communicate with each other, and Gilan regarded the two of them curiously.

  “Wonder what the devil they’re saying?” he mused.

  “I think Tug just commented on how uncomfortable Blaze must be, carrying a spindle-shanked bag of bones like yourself,” Will told him. Gilan opened his mouth to reply in kind, but oddly, at that very moment, Tug nodded his head violently several times, and both horses turned their heads to study Gilan. It was a coincidence, the tall Ranger told himself. And yet it was uncanny how they chose that very moment to do it.

  “You know,” he said, “I have a strange feeling that you might be right.”

  Will looked back along the road he had just traveled, then down the crossroad, in the opposite direction to the one from which Gilan had emerged.

  “Any sign of Halt so far?”

  Gilan shook his head. “I’ve been waiting for the best part of two hours, and I haven’t seen him yet. Odd, because he has the shortest distance to travel.”

  It was the time of the annual Ranger Gathering, and it had become the custom for the three friends to meet at these crossroads, a few kilometers short of the Gathering Ground, and ride the remaining distance together. When Will had been apprenticed to Halt, he had grown used to meeting Gilan here. That was after Will’s first Gathering, when Gilan had attempted to ambush his old teacher and Will had spoiled the attempt. Since Will had taken over Seacliff Fief and Gilan had been posted to Norgate, they had continued the practice whenever possible.

  “Should we wait?” Will said.

  Gilan shrugged. “If he’s not here yet, something must have held him up. We might as well ride in and set up camp.” He urged his horse forward with the lightest touch of his heel. Will did likewise and they rode on side by side.

  Sometime later, they arrived at the Gathering Ground. It was a relatively open forest area where the undergrowth had been cleared away. The tall trees had been left to provide sheltered spots where the Rangers could pitch their low, one-man tents.

  They rode toward their usual spot, calling greetings to other Rangers as they passed. The Corps was a close-knit unit, and most Rangers knew one another by name. Arriving at their spot, the two dismounted and unsaddled their horses, rubbing them down after their long ride. Will took two folding leather buckets and fetched water from the small stream that wandered through the Gathering Ground while Gilan measured out oats for Blaze and Tug. For the next few days, the horses could graze on the lush grass that grew underfoot, but they deserved a treat after their hard work.

  And Rangers never begrudged their horses a treat.

  They swept the area clear of fallen branches and leaves and then pitched tents. The fireplace stones had been disturbed, possibly by some wandering anima
l, and Will quickly replaced them.

  “I’m beginning to wonder where Halt’s got to,” Gilan said, glancing to the west, where the lowering sun’s light filtered through the trunks of the trees. “He’s certainly taking his time getting here.”

  “Maybe he’s not coming,” Will suggested.

  Gilan pursed his lips. “Halt miss a Gathering?” he said, disbelief in his tone. “He loves coming to the Gathering each year. And he wouldn’t miss a chance to catch up with you.”

  Like Will, Gilan was a former apprentice of Halt’s. But he knew that there was a very special relationship between the grizzled senior Ranger and his young friend—one that went way past the master and apprentice relationship that he shared with Halt. Will was more of a son to Halt.

  “No,” he continued, “I can’t think of anything that would keep him away.”

  “Well, apparently something has,” a familiar voice behind them interrupted.

  Will and Gilan turned quickly to find Crowley standing behind them. The Ranger Commandant was a master of silent movement.

  “Crowley!” Gilan said. “Where did you spring from? And how is it I never hear you coming?”

  Crowley grinned. The skill was one he was proud of.

  “Oh, being able to sneak up on people has its advantages in the political world of Castle Araluen,” he said. “People are always discussing secrets, and you’d be surprised how many snippets I pick up before they realize I’m there.”

  The two younger Rangers stood and shook hands with their Commandant. They all sat down, and while Gilan brewed a pot of coffee, Will asked the question that had been on his mind since Crowley’s sudden appearance.

  “Is Halt really not coming?”

  Crowley nodded. “I received a message from him the day before yesterday. He’s off on the West Coast, chasing down rumors about some new religious cult that’s cropped up. Said he wouldn’t have time to make it back here.”

  “A religious cult?” Will asked. “What sort of religious cult?”