Ranger's Apprentice 3 & 4 Bindup by John Flanagan Page B

was exhausted and the thought of crouching ankle-deep in the cold water while she scrubbed at the grease was almost too much to bear.
    â€˜I’ll do those,’ Will said quietly. He glanced around to make sure none of the Skandians were watching, then took the heavy sack from her.
    â€˜No,’ she protested. ‘It’s not fair …’ But he held up a hand to stop her.
    â€˜There’s something I want to check anyway. This will be good cover,’ he said. ‘Besides, you’ve had a bad couple of days. Go and get some rest.’ He grinned. ‘If it makes you feel any better, there’ll be plenty of washing up to do tomorrow. And the next day. You can do it all while I skive off.’
    She gave him a tired smile and touched his hand in gratitude. The thought of just stretching out on her hard bunk and doing nothing was almost too good to be true.
    â€˜Thanks,’ she said simply. His grin widened and she knew he was genuinely glad that relations between them were back to normal.
    â€˜At least our hosts are enthusiastic eaters,’ he said cheerfully. ‘They don’t leave too much on the plates.’
    He slung the sack and its clattering contents over his shoulder and headed for the beach. Smiling to herself, Evanlyn stooped and entered the lean-to.

    Jarl Erak emerged from the noisy, smoke-filled mess hut and took a deep breath of the cold sea air. Life on the island was getting him down, particularly with Slagor not pulling his weight in maintaining discipline. The man was a useless drunk, Erak thought angrily. And he was no warrior – it was common knowledge that he selected only lightly defended targets for his raids and never took part inthe fighting. Erak had just been forced to intervene between one of his own men and one of Wolf Fang ’s crew of criminals. Slagor’s man had been using a set of loaded dice and, when challenged, he had drawn his saxe knife on the other Skandian.
    Erak had stepped in and knocked the Wolf Fang crewman senseless with one massive fist. Then, in order to show an even-handed approach, he was forced to knock his own man out as well.
    Even-handedness, Skandian style, he thought wearily. A left hook and a right cross.
    He heard the scrunch of feet in the gravel of the beach and looked up to see a dark figure heading towards the water’s edge. He frowned thoughtfully. It was the Araluan boy.
    Stealthily, he began to follow the boy. He heard the clatter of plates and mugs being spilled on the beach, then the sound of scrubbing. Maybe he was just doing the washing up, he thought. Maybe not. Stepping carefully, he worked his way a little closer.
    Erak’s concept of stealth didn’t quite match Ranger standards. Will was scrubbing the platters when he heard the massively built Skandian approaching. Either that, he thought, or a walrus was beaching itself on the shingle.
    Turning to look up, he recognised the bulky form of Erak, made even larger in the darkness by the bearskin cloak he wore against the biting cold of the wind. Uncertainly, Will began to rise from his crouched position, but the Jarl waved him back.
    â€˜Keep on with your work,’ he said gruffly. Will continued to scrub, watching the Skandian leader out ofthe corner of his eye as he gazed across the anchorage and sniffed at the storm-borne air.
    â€˜Stinks in there,’ Erak muttered finally.
    â€˜Too many people in too small a space,’ Will ventured, eyes down and scrubbing at the plate. Erak interested him. He was a hard man and a pitiless fighter. But he was not actually cruel. Sometimes, in a gruff way, he could seem almost friendly.
    Erak, in turn, studied Will. What was he up to? He was probably trying to figure out a way to escape, Erak thought. That’s what he’d be doing in the boy’s place. The apprentice Ranger was smart and resourceful. He was also determined. Erak had seen the way he stuck to his gruelling exercise