The Burning Bridge

Young Ranger Will and his mentor, Halt, are tracking four Wargals—evil, beast-like creatures that serve Morgarath—near the border between the Mountains of Rain and Night and the Kingdom of Araluen. The rebel warlord Morgarath, who lives in the Mountains, sent the Wargals on a mission to Araluen, where King Duncan rules peacefully, in preparation for a war to claim power. Will and Halt find the Wargals attacking a lone man and kill the creatures, but not before one of the Wargals slays the man. Halt recognizes him as a deserter and retrieves a document from the dead man’s body. The letter describes Morgarath’s upcoming plan of attack, so Halt decides to get it to the king.

Gilan, Halt’s former apprentice, knocks on the Halt’s door during the night. After exchanging news about war preparations, Gilan explains that he is being sent on a mission to Celtica, a neighboring country. The king wants to request the Celts’ help in the war, but the people of Celtica only accept official envoys if they come in groups of three.