The Icebound Land: Ranger's Apprentice, Book 3

Book three of Ranger's Apprentice picks off where book one left off. Will and the King's daughter are sailing away with some mercenaries. They are not treated poorly, and in fact get fairly free run of things once they meet landfall. (Though they don't know she is the King's daughter yet.) Holt goes to extreme measures to try to find Will. Since the King will not let him go, he starts bad-mouthing the king in public, resulting in him being sentenced to banishment. This is not the first time in the series he has used a passive aggressive approach to get what he wants. Some times he seems to be nearly "perfect", while at others he falls into passive aggressiveness.
The book bifurcates into two stories.
One is about Holt and Horrace as they try to reach Will. They encounter a land of rent seeking knights. They defeat many of the "bridge knights", but are caught in the ambush of a very cruel boss knight. This knight showcases his cruelty, putting people in cages to die. They eventually defeat him and later (from a distance) see his castle go up in flames.
The other story follows Will and Evelyn. They try to escape, but are caught. They then become slaves. He is forced to take drugs and becomes addicted. A kind Skandian helps set them free. The trudge in a snow storm to freedom as she tries to ween him off the drug.
The novel is a "middle book" for people interested in the story. There are a few interesting arcs, but they are all part of a much larger story line.