The Battle of Hackham Heath

Morgarath has retreated into the Mountains of Rain and Night and is building an army — Wargals by the thousands, shaped into a force the kingdom has never seen before. King Duncan’s reign is young, the Ranger Corps has only just been reformed, and Halt and Crowley have to find a way to recruit, train, and position the men who will stand on Hackham Heath when the Wargals come down.

The Battle of Hackham Heath closes the Early Years duology and ends at the moment the main series treats as backstory — the battle is referenced throughout Ranger’s Apprentice as the defining victory of the era. Reading the main series first makes the battle land harder, because by this point you know what the victory is going to cost.