by Pedro Urvi
Lasgol was about to reply, but thought better of it. He did not want Edwina to put up her defenses if he asked too directly.
“I’ve just come from seeing Dolbarar.”
“Oh, I’m glad. A courtesy visit?”
“Yeah. Well, he called for me. He wanted to know about my experience in the Shelter.”
“I’d imagine it was one you’ll never forget,”
“You can be sure of that… but I found Dolbarar very much under the weather… it troubled me… that’s why I came to see you. Is he sick? Is anything wrong with him?”
Edwina’s kind face became serious. “There’s nothing wrong with him that you need to worry about.”
“At one point during the visit he couldn’t even get up from his chair…”
“I’m looking after him. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“But if the Camp Healer’s looking after him, then something’s the matter.”
“That’s none of your business,” Edwina said curtly.
“Yes, it is. I owe him my life, I love and respect him. I ought to help him, if it’s in my power to do so.”
“I understand how you feel. But let me assure you it’s not in your power. There’s nothing you can do. Leave it to me.”
“But –”
“I don’t want to say any more about it.”
Lasgol realized that he would get nothing out of the Healer. Dolbarar must have ordered her not to talk, and she would not. He decided not to go on insisting, as that would only set the Healer against him.
“Fine. I won’t insist. If there’s anything I can do, I’m at your disposal.”
“Thank you, I’ll bear that in mind.”
Lasgol took his leave of the Healer, who was herself again the moment they left the subject.
Egil was waiting outside the Infirmary. When he saw Lasgol come out, he moved his head questioningly. “Any luck?”
“Nope. She didn’t want to tell me what’s wrong with him.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“But it’s clear to me that something is wrong with him, and Edwina knows about it.”
“Dolbarar must have ordered her not to tell anybody.”
“I agree.”
“We’ll have to keep digging.”
Lasgol nodded, although he had no clue as to how they could do that, or which direction they should go in.
Chapter 8
They set off back to the cabin to check how Camu and Ona were. It was not a good idea to leave the two wild animals alone for too long, even though they were locked in.
As they passed the House of Command, Lasgol remembered their conversation with Dolbarar. Something the Leader had said had stayed in his mind. It did not fit, and he was still turning it over on his head.
“Didn’t you think Dolbarar’s warning was odd?” he asked Egil.
His friend considered this for a moment. He knew what Lasgol meant. “I think the warning he gave us was more addressed to me, specifically.”
“Yeah, but he said it to both of us.”
“I have a shrewd suspicion that King Thoran has threatened Dolbarar.”
“You think so?”
Egil nodded. “Thoran knows I’m here with Dolbarar. He wants him to keep an eye on me so that I can’t help my brother.”
“Keep an eye on you?”
“Lately I’ve noticed that Haakon has taken an unexpected interest in yours truly. The fact that you weren’t one of his favorites is something we already knew, but his interest in me can only be the result of Dolbarar having asked him to keep an eye on me.”
“Really?”
“I’m afraid it’s true, even though I see it as fairly natural. I don’t blame him. Thoran and his brother are a couple of bloody-minded brutes. If they suspect I’m helping my brother, they’ll ask for Dolbarar’s head. Remember that he supported us before them when we unmasked the Shifter. Our Dolbarar is a good and trustful man, but he’s no fool. And he has a mountain of experience on his shoulders. He knows what works on the blood. He’s watching me. And if I stray from the path, as he put it himself, he knows that both his own head and ours might end up on a silver platter beside Thoran’s throne.”
Lasgol breathed out in frustration. “This is something I hadn’t been expecting.”
“Things have reached a crucial point. This is the moment when the only people we can trust are ourselves. We can’t expect help from anybody, not even from Dolbarar. His hands are tied. He won’t be able to help us again. If we’re caught, it’ll be the end.”
“We’ve got to be as cautious as possible. Particularly you.”
“I am, don’t you worry.”
“I’ve got the feeling the situation is about to explode. My stomach starts to churn, just thinking about it.”
“The war’s entering its final stage. It’ll be over before next winter, one way or the other.”
“Will Arnold win?”
Egil’s expression turned very serious. “It’s a very complicated situation for him. He’s at a clear disadvantage in numbers and resources. It’s not a good position to fight from.”
“He has you, and plenty of Norghanians who are loyal to the West.”
“Even so, I’m not sure whether it’ll be enough to defeat Thoran.”
“Will he come out into the open?”
“I’ve advised him not to. He’d lose. It’s better if he stays behind the walls of Estocos, the capital of our duchy of Vigons-Olafstone, and waits for the attack of Thoran’s army there. Less risk and less loss of life.”
“Yeah, with smaller forces it sounds like the best advice.”
“At any given moment, it’s possible that Thoran will want to use me against my brother.”
“As a hostage?”
Egil nodded. “It’s a possibility I can’t ignore. The tactic has been used many times before among kings and nobles. Blood blackmail is always very effective.”
“Dolbarar won’t allow it.”
Egil shook his head. “He won’t be able to help us a second time. And even if he could, I wouldn’t want him to. It would cost him his life, and I don’t want that on my conscience. I feel a deep affection for Dolbarar. He’s a good person, noble, honorable and fair. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him, least of all as a result of my actions or loyalties.”
“I understand you. In that case we need to think of a plan in case he’s forced to turn you in.”
“I’m already working on it,” Egil said, and tapped his head with a finger.
Lasgol smiled. “That eases my mind a bit. That prodigious brain of yours is sure to think of an infallible plan.”
“There’s no plan that’s infallible.”
“Well then, one that’s very good and almost infallible.”
Egil smiled and nodded. “That’s true. I need some more time, but I assure you I’m working on it. I don’t want to be taken by surprise.”
“You’ll manage it.”
Egil sighed and shrugged. “Let’s hope so.”
All of a sudden, he fell silent. From the expression on his face, Lasgol knew that something was troubling him.
“What’s up, pal?”
“There’s something I’ve been wondering about for a long time,”
Lasgol smiled. “You always wonder about everything,” he said, trying to make light of it.
“Difficult times are on their way…”
“The war.”
“Yeah. It’ll be a test for all of us.”
“We’ve been through it before and we came through it,” Lasgol said cheerfully. “We’ll do it again.”
“This time the situation’s different. There’s a key factor that’s changed, and it’s going to affect us.”
“When you say us, you mean our group, don’t you?”
“Exactly. Our closest friends.”
They stopped and looked around to make sure they were alone and that nobody could overhear them. Egil lowered his voice and spoke in a whis
per.
“This war is going to test our loyalty, and unfortunately our friendship too.”
“We’ll stay together, just as we’ve always done,” Lasgol said.
“I’m very much afraid it won’t be like that this time. We have no common enemy, not anymore.”
“I don’t see what you mean.”
“The last time we had to choose sides, East or West, or else choose allegiances between Uthar or Darthor, we had a common enemy: the Shifter. That’s no longer the case. And Uthar and Darthor aren’t here this time. The situation is completely different now.”
“I think I’m beginning to understand what you mean…”
“On that occasion we joined together, not without difficulties, as you’ll remember, to unmask the Shifter. We all knew, or at least suspected, that there was foul play. Now that’s not the case. This time we’re going to have to choose our loyalties without that common goal, and I fear we won’t all choose the same option.”
“You feel some of us will support King Thoran and the East.”
Egil nodded heavily. “I’m afraid of that, yes.”
“But he’s not the legitimate King. Your brother Arnold is, by right of succession.”
“That’s very debatable. Everybody in the East supports Thoran.”
“And your brother has the backing of the whole West.”
“Ingrid, Nilsa, Gerd and Viggo are from the East. Only you and I are from the West.”
“But they’re our friends.”
“And because of that, their loyalties will be divided. By birth, and because they’re Rangers, they’ll support the East. Out of friendship, for me, they want to help the West. But that would be high treason, and I don’t know if they’re ready to commit that. Nor do I think I want them to commit it. I don’t want that on my conscience. They’re my friends. I won’t lead them to the gallows.”
“I see what you mean now. This is a real moral dilemma.”
“A very difficult one to crack, maybe too much so. That’s why I fear it’s going to divide us, antagonize us… bring our friendship to an end.”
“Never that!”
“This kind of border situation, where the loyalties and honor of friends are put to the test, might cause irreconcilable rifts. We might lose our friends, perhaps forever.”
“We’ve got to stop that happening at all costs.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for some time, and I can’t see a perfect solution to this problem. I don’t even know how you’re going to deal with it.” He looked Lasgol in the eye.
“Me?”
“Where do your loyalties lie now that your mother isn’t here? With Thoran and the Rangers? With the East? Or on the other hand with the West and my family? With your own people?”
Lasgol was about to reply that he was with the West, obviously, but for some reason he could not. Something inside him was telling him that this was not right. He felt very strange, very much divided. He was from the West, and his family, his mother and father, were all from the West. Egil’s family, the Vigons-Olafstone, were the ones who should reign, by right of blood and succession. He knew all this and felt it in his heart. But on the other hand, he was a Ranger, loyal to the King, whether he was from East or West. Thoran might be the better or worse king, but right now he occupied the throne and was King of Norghana. Going against Thoran and the Rangers who served him faithfully was high treason, and Lasgol too felt it to be that. He did not want to commit treason, did not want to turn against the Rangers. On the other hand, Arnold was the legitimate King by line of descent, and they ought to help him regain the Crown. He felt his stomach turning, and was thoughtful for a while.
“You know you can count on me,” he managed to say.
“It’s not an easy decision, is it?”
“I thought it was…”
“Before, with your mother there, it was easier. Now, supporting me and my family means going against the King and the Rangers, and it’s no longer as simple as that. It goes against everything you’ve sworn.”
Lasgol nodded. “I feel I have to do both… and I feel I have to help you.”
“Thank you for your honesty, pal. But you might not be able to help me.”
“I’ll always help you.”
“Even if it means committing high treason?”
“Well, if you put it that way…”
“You’re honest and honorable. That’s why you find yourself at a crossroads. And because of that, I don’t want to force your hand and make you do something you don’t want to. I know you’d face death for me, but I don’t want you to betray your principles on my account.”
“We’ve got to find some way…” said Lasgol, who did not know how to get out of the dilemma. On the one hand, he wanted to help Egil and the West with all his heart, but on the other, he knew that betraying the Rangers was wrong, and that now there was no reason that justified it. If he betrayed them it would be to help his friend’s family, because he believed the crown ought to be on Arnold’s head. This meant high treason.
“It’s going to be very complicated… and even more so for our friends.”
Lasgol nodded. Egil was right, as usual.
“I don’t see Ingrid betraying the Rangers.”
“Neither she nor Nilsa or Gerd,” Egil said. “They’re from the East, loyal, and they won’t go against the Rangers or the King without a powerful reason. I’m afraid that supporting my brother so that he can regain the crown for our family, isn’t reason enough for them to leave their loyalties to one side.”
“Viggo will…”
Egil smiled. “Viggo will choose whichever side without thinking twice about it. I know I can count on him.”
“Yeah, Viggo hasn’t got much moral sense,” Lasgol said with a smile.
“And then there’s Astrid and Molak, both from the East…”
Lasgol nodded. “Yup, they’re a problem, we had a lot of trouble with Astrid and it took a massive effort to convince her. But now, without the Shifter, without a greater reason, she won’t accept betraying the King and the Rangers. Even for me. And I can’t ask her to. That’s something that would end our relationship. No, she’s got to stay out of all this. I can’t get her involved, or else I’ll lose her.”
“I know. Nor Molak either. He’s too honest and straightforward.”
Lasgol nodded. “I think you’re right.”
“This is a very difficult crossroads we find ourselves at.”
“It is going to test us, our friends and our loyalties. I don’t like it at all.”
“Unfortunately, life has a tendency to complicate things and turn difficult.”
“You can say that again,” Lasgol said. He sounded discouraged.
“We’ll get out of this, one way or another. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah, but I’d like us all to come out alive, and still be friends.”
“That’s something only fate can tell.”
“Perhaps you could influence that fate with your ideas and master-plans?”
“Perhaps,” Egil said with a smile. But it was a faint smile. He was not very convinced.
“Whichever way, we’ll have to see how things develop as they go on, then make our decisions as a consequence of that. Both the two of us and our friends.”
“All right, then. I’ll do everything in my power not to get you all mixed up with my plans and actions to help my brother. That way you won’t find yourselves having to choose a side.”
“I’m not sure of that… what if you need help? What if something goes wrong?”
“I’ll take the chance. I’m not going to drag my friends down with me.”
Lasgol was not very happy about this reply. When the time came, Egil might not ask for help when he really needed it, for fear of what might happen to them.
“If you’re in danger, or you need help, you’ve got to trust me, and your friends. You have to do it. Promise.”
Egil took a deep breath. “Fine, I promise.”
&
nbsp; “We’re all grown-up now, practically. Fully-fledged adults.”
“I know.”
“You can’t protect us from a war that we’re involved in, whether we want to be or not.”
Egil nodded heavily. “Yes. Eventually it’ll be inevitable. The moment will come when each of our friends will have to choose his or her own way, their loyalties, and who they support or not.”
“So be it,” Lasgol said, and gave Egil an encouraging slap on the back. Both friends went on walking while their thoughts turned to everything they had talked about, as well as their dear friends, who at that very moment would be carrying out their missions. Probably they too had thought a great deal about the same thing.
“They’ll be okay, won’t they?” Lasgol asked.
“Certainly. There aren’t many in this kingdom as well prepared as they are. They’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
Lasgol felt slightly better. But it did not last. He soon went back to fearing for the luck of his friends again.
As soon as they opened the cabin door, Ona received them with a warning growl.
“Ona, easy. It’s me,” said Lasgol.
The snow panther recognized him and ran to greet him like a huge kitten, delighted to see her master back home. Camu became visible on the ceiling of the cabin and gave a happy little shriek. Looking at them upside-down, he began to flex his legs and wag his tail.
“I see he can still hold on to any surface, even supporting his own weight,” said Egil.
“Yeah, it seems the increase in weight doesn’t affect him.”
“That’s curious. I’ll have to study it.”
“Weird, I’d say…” Lasgol murmured.
Egil smiled. “I suspect we’re still going to discover many more interesting and fascinating things about Camu.”
A moment later, Camu and Ona hurled themselves on Egil to play with him.
“Take care… he’s nothing but a poor human,” Lasgol told them. He was unable to stop laughing.
“A poor human, size small,” Egil remarked, laughing.
As Egil played with Camu and Ona, Lasgol passed on what Edwina had told him. His friend’s reaction was what he had expected.
“That’s fascinating!”
Lasgol smiled. “I knew you’d think so.”