The Apprentice Read Online Free PDF Page B

life that waited for him there. He walked through the trees and
the cold, but he could not help but look over his shoulder as he walked away.
The knight was gone. Rowan did not expect anything different.
    He had
not gone far before a sound caught his attention. There was a rustling in the
brush nearby, something going past him. Rowan wondered what animal would be out
with a storm coming and why it was not afraid of him. He paused for a moment
and wondered if he should follow, but decided against it. He made it a short
distance further before he heard another sound that made him turn. It was a sound
that did not belong in the forest: the sound of steel.
    Rowan
stared back into the distance and listened. The wind blew and he could hear the
boom of thunder echoing. He wondered if perhaps he imagined the sound, but then
he heard it again. A faint clanging.
    He
turned and began to walk towards the sound, in the direction that the knight
had gone, curious about the noise. He heard the sound again and began to jog
faster, hoping that nothing was wrong.
    The
branches whipped about and struck him as he ran. The gathering storm had grown
loud and he lost track of where he was going. He came to the clearing without
even realizing it.
    The
knight stood in the middle of the small clearing with his sword drawn and
another man Rowan did not recognize stood facing him. Neither man moved, just
stood staring at each other, eyes locked and bodies tensed. Rowan gazed at them
from outside of the clearing, unwilling to go any further. As he watched, the
unknown man lunged forward with a small blade in hand. There was a movement
that Rowan could not follow and when the knight stepped away, he pulled his
blade free and the man fell to the ground.
    Confusion
and fear shot through him. He could not tear his gaze from the body that lay
before the knight. Blood pooled at his feet, the fallen man’s life slowly
leaving his body. The dead man’s stare was disturbing; Rowan felt as though the
eyes were staring directly at him.
    He took
a step back and tripped, the noise alerting the knight. The large man’s head
turned and he fixed his gaze on Rowan.
    Before
Rowan could rise, the knight cleared the distance between them and stood over
him, his blade angled so that Rowan could not stand.
    “What
are you doing here?”
    “I
heard—”
    “You
were not to follow me! I told you to leave me be.”
    “But I…”
Rowan stammered, struggling to find the words. He had heard the sound of steel
and had known something was wrong. Fear dulled his mind and he found it
difficult to think straight, to speak. “I was going to follow you. I told you,
I am leaving.” He did not know why he said what he did, but somehow the lie
felt right. It gave him purpose.
    The
knight stared down at Rowan, and he struggled to meet the man’s gaze.
    “This
was not supposed to happen,” the knight eventually said, moving his sword and
stepping away so Rowan was free to rise, which he gladly did. He felt better
once he was on his feet, but he did not dare to move. “I should never have
sought shelter; I should have been more careful not to involve outsiders.”
    The
storm was beginning to rage around them. The trees creaked and groaned as they
strained against their roots, swaying in the wind. There was a flash of light,
followed by the harsh crack of lightening echoing through the valley. Rain fell
and the trees did not offer the protection they had earlier.
    The
storm was coming and soon it would be dangerous to remain outside. Rowan knew
that he should leave, head back to his home and take shelter. A glance from the
knight told Rowan that the other man knew the same, but the man’s face was set
and it was clear that he was not turning back.
    “You
should leave. Go back to your home where you belong,” the knight said. “You
have no cause to place yourself in danger, and I will not protect you.”
    Rowan
met the man’s gaze and shook his head. “I have come this far. I