Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge Quiz

Answer: Fig

"A large fig tree grew in the middle of the cleared ground. At the base of it there was a small camp. A wisp of smoke still curled from the fireplace and a pack and blanket roll lay beside it. The four Wargals they [Will and Halt] had been tracking surrounded a single man [Dirk Reacher], who had his back to the tree. For the moment his long sword held them at bay, but the Wargals were making small feinting movements toward him, trying to find an advantage. They were armed with short swords and axes and one carried a heavy iron spear."

Note: Dirk Reacher thought he was on a mission from Lord Morgarath. However, he was instead carrying fake battle plans meant to be found by Halt and Will to throw the Araluen army off.

Answer: Conspiracy

"'The point is,' Halt interrupted, 'of course Gilan can take the message to them [the Celticans]. But if he's the sole messenger, they'll keep him waiting and fob him off for days, or even weeks, while they dither over form and protocol. And we don't have that sort of time to waste. There's an old Celtic saying that covers it: One man may be deceit. Two can be conspiracy. Three is the number I trust.'"

Note: Gilan takes Will with him, and Halt recommends Horace as the third member.

Answer: Right

"'Right,' he [Gilan] said. 'Saxe knife goes in your right hand, because that's the one you use to block a sword cut--'
Will frowned. 'Why would I need to block a sword cut?'
Gilan leaned forward and rapped him none too gently on the top of his head with his knuckles.
'Well, perhaps to stop it from splitting your skull might be a good reason,' he suggested."

Note: The saxe knife is like a short sword. The other knife is much smaller. However, both are very tough and can nick a real sword.

Answer: Barga

"...Lady Pauling said, taking the opportunity to return the conversation to the case in hand. 'There's been a complaint about him [Halt] from Sir Digby of Barga.'
'Digby?' Rodney said, a frown touching his face. Didn't he try to shortchange us on his draft of men?'
'Exactly,' said the Baron. 'We're having a lot of that going on at the moment. So I sent Halt to straighten matters out. Thought it might be a good idea to give him something to keep him busy.'"

Note: Yeah, that's what I'd do too. Throw the offending guy into a moat... :-)

Answer: Gwyntaleth

"They [Gilan, Horace and Will] were on the road early the following morning. The rain had stopped just before dawn and Gilan was keen to press on to Gwyntaleth, the first large town on their route, and find some answers to the puzzles they had found so far in Celtica. They had a quick, cold breakfast of hard bread and dried fruit, washed down with icy water from the village well, then saddled up and rode out."

Note: The choice "Riadhah" is not a town. The Riadhah is the hereditary village headman in a Celtic town.

Answer: Bart and Carney

"Horace's grip [on Will's shoulder] was now tightened and he jerked Will to one side, sending him sprawling. As he fell, he saw Horace turn to the rocks behind him and grab up his sword. He flicked it once and the scabbard sailed clear of the blade. That easy action along should have warned Bart and Carney that they were facing someone who knew more then a little about handling weapons. But neither of them was overly bright. They simply saw a boy of about sixteen. A big boy, perhaps, but still a boy. A child, really, with a grown-up weapon in his hand."

Note: Those two names really do remind me of the "Sesame Street" characters "Bert and Ernie".

Answer: Arratay

"'Is that so, forester?' he [Montague] said. 'And what might your name be?'
Alyss went to speak, but a warning glance from Halt stopped her. He replied, still in the same quiet tone: 'Some people call me Arratay, Sir Montague. It's Gallican,' he added mildly."

Note: After Montague goes on a tirade, calling Baron Arald and Lady Pauline some rude names, Halt (at Alyss' suggestion) throws him into the moat.

Answer: 30

"He [Will] hesitated, then came to a decision as they rounded the next bend and saw a thicket of shrubs set back about thirty meters from the road. The bushes, while not more then three meters high at their tallest point, offered a thick screen, providing shelter from both the wind and any unfriendly eyes that might chance to come along."

Note: If you did my quiz on "The Ruins of Gorlan" then you'll know it took 31 buckets to fill the water barrel at Halt's cabin. Does Flanagan like the number, you think?

Answer: Grunts

"The chant, he [Will] saw now, was a form of cadence, designed to keep the Wargals moving at the same pace--in the same way a sergeant might call the step for a troop of infantry. He counted perhaps thirty in the group. Big, heavyset figures, dressed in dark metal-studded jackets and breeches of some heavy material. They ran at a steady jog, chanting the guttural, wordless rhythm--which, he realized now, was nothing more than a series of grunts."

Note: My brother says the Kalkara reminded him of Bigfoot. Do the Wargals remind you of any monster myths?

Answer: 6

"It was as he [Will] feared. An immense wooden bridge was in the final stages of construction. On the far side of the Fissure, Morgarath had discovered one of the few places where a narrow ledge ran, almost level with the Celtic side. The natural ledge had been dug out and widened until there was a sizable piece of level ground there. The four towers stood, two either side of the Fissure, linked by massive rope cables. Supported by them, a wooden roadway was half completed--capable of taking six men abreast across the dizzying depths of the Fissure."

Note: This bridge is Morgarath's real way of attacking Araluen. Will, Horace and Evanlyn burn it (thus the title of the book).

Answer: Olvak's

"'Be [darned] glad when Olvak's men get here,' he [unnamed Skandian] said in the thick, almost indecipherable accent of Skandia. Will knew that Skandians spoke the same tongue as the kingdom. Hearing it now for the first time, though, he barely recognized it."

Note: Will and Evanlyn's whole story in "The Icebound Land" takes place in Skandia.

Answer: 3

"He'd [Gilan had] come so far, so fast, finishing the four-day journey in just over three. Now these few hundred meters seemed like miles to him."

Note: Gilan went ahead of Horace, Will and Evanlyn to bring the news of what had happened in Celtica. The three of them were supposed to follow Gilan, but instead tracked the Wargals to the bridge - where only Horace made it away. Will and Evanlyn were captured by Skandians.

Answer: Goose

"'My God!' he [Gilan] said to a startled Halt. 'It's not her [Evanlyn]!'
Halt swore as he spilled the thick, viscous glue that he was using to attach the goose feather vanes to the arrow shaft. Gilan's sudden movement had caught him by surprise."

Note: Gilan's outburst is due to the fact that he realizes Evanlyn is actually Princess Cassandra.

Answer: His white skin

"The face [Morgarath's face] was thin, with a beak of a nose and high cheekbones. The skin on the face was white and pallid, like the horse. The hair above it was long, set to frame a receding hairline, and white-blond in color. By contrast, the eyes were black pools. He was clean-shaven and his mouth was a thin red slit in the pallor of his face."

Note: One word: Creepy

Answer: An army of sheepdogs

"[King] Duncan surveyed the scene in bewilderment.
"'We'll need an army of sheepdogs to round up this lot,' he said to Baron Arald, and his councilor smiled in reply.
'Better than what we faced, my lord,' he said, and Duncan had to agree."

Note: I hope you enjoyed my quiz, and found out just how much you were paying attention! If you want more "Ranger's Apprentice" fun, play my quiz on "The Ruins of Gorlan" if you haven't already done so! Also, keeping checking back for my quiz on the third book of this series "The Icebound Land"!