by Pedro Urvi
“I’m sorry, Captain.” Lasgol tried to shut the dead man’s eyes to take away that look of horror, but was unable to. The muscles of his face were frozen in that ill-omened expression.
Ona protested again. She did not want to be there amid so much death. Neither did Lasgol. It became clear to him that he had to get out of there. He went to the tents in search of supplies and filled his travelling satchel. They were going to need them.
Ona. Let’s go.
They left that place of death as fast as they were able. The Frozen Specter must have attacked the camp while they were exploring and then had set off north, to the village where the ceremonial meeting had taken place. Now he understood what those huge totems were for: to call that entity of death. How did they control it? Or did they do that? Perhaps what they did was to let it roam so it would kill all the Norghanians it could find. He shrugged. Whichever way, it was best to leave the area as soon as possible.
Ona growled and began to sniff around a group of trees. When Lasgol bent to look, he saw tracks. They were those of Norghanian soldiers.
Some of them had managed to escape!
He stroked her back. “Ona. Good.”
Now that he stopped to think about it, he had not seen Isberson, Elkmun and Molsen among the dead. They must still be alive. He wanted to follow the trail at once, but remembered that Camu was exhausted and needed to rest, so he went deeper into the forest and they all rested. He managed to sleep a little, but had horrible nightmares about a monster that was chasing him in order to steal his soul. He did not want to remain there any longer than was absolutely necessary, as he knew the Specter could come back and catch them. On the other hand, he had to let Camu recover. He calculated how much rest his friend needed, then woke him up.
Camu. Wake up. We’ve got to go on.
Ooh… sleepy.
I know you want to go on sleeping, but we can’t right now. We’ve got to go on.
Danger?
I think we’re soon going to find ourselves in danger. Yes, we’ve got to go on.
Specter?
Yes. I think he’ll come back.
Go.
Yes. Let’s go.
They set off.
Ona. Track, Lasgol commanded.
Ona chirped affirmatively and began to follow the trail they had found. Her natural instincts were amazingly precise. Lasgol had needed an enormous amount of effort and study to learn what she knew instinctively and had developed with practice. They followed the trail for three days, and half-way through the fourth they found the group of surviving soldiers, camped around a fire by a cave in a hill.
Lasgol told Camu to hide, and he and Ona approached slowly. He announced himself so that whoever was on watch duty would not shoot.
“Ranger Lasgol Eklund approaching.”
From among the trees two armed soldiers appeared and stopped him. They looked him up and down, then did the same to Ona.
They nodded. “Come through.”
Lasgol went over to the fire and recognized several faces. The first was the enormous bulk of Sergeant Okbek, sitting by the fire. He was unmistakable: like a sea lion, with that immense moustache. Beside him were Isberson and Elkmun, and a little further into the cave he glimpsed Ranger Molsen, sleeping beside another smaller fire that lit up the interior. In all he counted nine soldiers.
“Look what the spring breeze has brought in,” Okbek said, smiling at him.
“Sergeant,” he said, and nodded.
“I see you’re alive after all,” Isberson said.
“I’m pretty hard to kill,” Lasgol answered, and smiled at the sight of the two veteran soldiers.
“You can say that again,” Elkmun said. “I’m glad you made it. To be honest I never thought you would.”
The look on Isberson’s face implied that he had taken Lasgol’s death for granted. He pointed up at the sky. “This one’s touched by the Ice Gods.”
“The lad’s got a good head and lots of courage,” Okbek said. “A very good combination. Sit here by the fire, we’ve got plenty to talk about.”
Lasgol told Ona to wait by a group of trees, and the obedient panther lay down to rest.
“What happened?” Lasgol asked the sergeant.
“That cursed Frozen Specter! That’s what happened!”
“Did it attack the camp?”
The sergeant nodded angrily. “That deadly thing from the frozen abyss appeared one night in the middle of the camp. The captain ordered us to kill it, so we tried.” He shook his head. “There was no way we could. Neither axes nor arrows made any impression on that thing. It stole the souls of the men who attacked it. They all went down, one after the other. I threw a torch at its face, and I think the fire did some damage to it, but not enough. The men went on falling. The captain ordered the retreat a moment before the Specter got him. He died trying to cut its head off.” He shook his head sadly. “He was a good officer. He didn’t deserve to die that way.”
“Him or the rest of the men,” said one of the other soldiers.
“A horrible way of dying,” said another. He put his hands to his eyes and rubbed them hard, as if he were trying to wipe out what he had seen.
“We only just escaped,” Elkmun added.
“We got there after it had happened,” said Isberson. “With Ranger Molsen’s help we found the sergeant and the others camped here.”
“The captain ordered the retreat,” Okbek explained, “and that’s what we’ve done: retreated and then set up camp. I was trying to decide what to do now, whether to go back and bury them, return to Norghana or send for reinforcements. I’m not happy about leaving our post. Our orders were to establish it and keep watch on the Wild Ones. But when these two got here and told me what you’d found out about the Wild Ones’ village, I started to doubt. What news have you got?”
“Not good news… or more like the worst possible.”
“Out with it.”
Lasgol told them everything he had seen and found out. The mention of the Frozen Specter no longer caused any surprise.
“By all the storms of the north! Things are turning pretty ugly in the Frozen Territory!”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“I think it’d be best to go back and report. To stay here with only a handful of men would mean waiting for death at the hands of that thing from the abyss, or else from the Wild Ones who’re resettling the area. Yes, we’ll go back to Norghanian territory to report. I hate leaving the post, but I don’t want to condemn my men.”
“I agree that it’s the best thing to do,” Lasgol said. “If they send more troops without the support of Magi, they’re going to suffer the same horrible fate as Captain Martens and his brave men.”
Okbek nodded. “Or worse…”
“We go back, then, Sergeant?” Elkmun asked.
“Yes. We’ll set off at dawn.”
“Yessir,” Isberson said. He got up and went to inform the others.
“I’m glad you survived,” the sergeant said to Lasgol.
“Same here.”
“Now then, come and have some food and let’s talk of happier things.”
“As long as it’s not ‘corpse animator’…”
The Sergeant gave a loud guffaw and slapped Lasgol’s back. “I like you. You’ve got a good head, courage and a sense of humor. Good combination.”
“If you keep piling on compliments, the newbie’s head will burst, and it’ll get swollen,” Elkmun pointed out.
“You’re right. And he’s a bit of a daredevil too. What a rescue that was! Insane! You ought to be dead, and Molsen with you!”
“But we’re not,” Lasgol said with a shrug.
Okbek gave him another slap and laughed, then when he had recovered, his expression turned serious. “Be more careful. The one who takes too many risks doesn’t live to tell the tale.”
“I will be, Sergeant.”
Lasgol ate a share of the rations with the sergeant, who joined him. It was no
t his first, and probably not his second either. Then they rested. There was no more conversation in the mood they were in. With first light they woke up and got themselves ready. Ranger Molsen came to greet Lasgol.
“I didn’t have the chance to thank you properly for what you did for me.”
“No need. We’re Rangers. We don’t leave a comrade behind.”
“So says the Path,” Molsen replied.
“I’m glad you’re better. How are the wounds?”
“You did a very good job. I’m a lot better. They’ll still take a couple more weeks to heal fully, but at least I can walk.”
“I’m glad.”
“Thanks very much for saving my life,”
“As I said, there’s no need…”
“Yes, there is. What you did was not only daring, it was heroic.”
“You’d have done the same for me.”
“I’m not so sure… it wasn’t a very promising situation for trying a solitary rescue.”
“You’d have found a way of helping me.”
Molsen’s expression suggested that he was not sure he would have been able to rescue Lasgol if the situation had been reversed. “Thanks a lot. I won’t forget it. You can count on me for whatever you need.”
Lasgol smiled. “Don’t worry, the time will come when it’ll be your turn to pay me back.”
“Seeing the times we’re in, you’re probably right,” Molsen replied. He too was smiling.
When the sergeant gave the order to leave, they picked up their weapons and equipment and the small group of survivors set off. Lasgol told Camu to fall back half a day’s journey, since when they were traveling with soldiers and another Ranger, they ran the risk of somebody spotting his trail. Reluctantly, Camu agreed and fell back. Lasgol was in the lead at Sergeant Okbek’s request, with Ona close beside him. Molsen, who could not yet walk very well, was with Isberson and Elkmun and the Sergeant in the middle. Lasgol made sure he set a pace the wounded man could follow.
There were no more incidents along the way, and they managed to reach the Pass of the White Dragon’s Gorge. After crossing it, they stopped to rest. Molsen was feeling the effort of the march. His wounds were more serious than he wanted to admit, and he was suffering.
“Well, we’re in civilized territory at last,” said the sergeant.
“You mean Norghanian,” Isberson pointed out.
“The Frozen Territory’s Norghanian territory too,” said the sergeant.
“Tell that to the Wild Ones and their Specter,” Elkmun retorted.
“You two are a pair of smartasses with loose tongues. At this rate I might have to cut them out.”
“Us? No way, Sergeant,” Isberson said.
Elkmun put his hand to his mouth, pretending to be unable to speak.
“The north, all the way to the sea, including the Frozen Territories, belongs to the Kingdom of Norghana,” the Sergeant stated.
Elkmun and Isberson nodded seriously, but with a look of amusement on their faces.
“Well,” another soldier said, “we’re retreating with our tails between our legs. Maybe we ought to tell the King to think it over”
“The one has nothing to do with the other. And nobody tells the King anything. You obey his orders and keep quiet. I’ll send anyone who complains back to the Specter. Is that clear?”
Nobody said a word.
Lasgol smiled. He too felt safer and more at ease on this side of the great mountains. The Wild Ones did not live on this side and the Rangers’ Camp was not too far from there. They rested and tended to Molsen’s wounds.
“What are you going to do?” Okbek asked Lasgol.
“I’m going to the Camp.”
“Can you get there from here?”
“Yes, Sergeant.” Lasgol did not want to reveal the Rangers’ secret passage. It was forbidden.
“All right, so we’ll part here. Take Molsen with you. He’s not quite right yet, even though he’s bearing up like a lion.”
“Of course, Sergeant.”
“I’ll take the rest to Vuldritch. It’s the nearest city, and there’s an army fort there.”
“Understood. Then this is goodbye.”
“So it is, newbie.”
“It’s been an intense experience,” Lasgol said.
“You can say that again,” Okbek said, and guffawed.
“Best of luck, Sergeant.”
“Take care, lad. No more heroics. You’ve got a long life ahead of you.”
Lasgol nodded. He was grateful for the sergeant’s words.
Isberson came over with Elkmun and offered him his hand. Lasgol shook it heartily, the way Norghanian soldiers did.
“Be seeing you, Ranger. It’s been an honor and a pleasure.”
“Be seeing you, soldier. The honor was all mine.”
They embraced.
“Don’t get into trouble, and remember our advice,” Elkmun said.
“I will.”
“One more thing,” Okbek put in.
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“Don’t let anybody step on you. You’re one of us now. You’ve proven yourself amply. You’ve earned my respect and that of these two veterans, not to say that of the Ranger.”
Lasgol nodded. “I’ll remember that, Sergeant.”
Okbek winked at him.
Lasgol took his leave of the handful of men, wishing very much that they would survive. As they were Norghanian soldiers, he was sure they would soon be facing death again.
“Shall we be off?” Molsen asked.
“Yes. We’ll go by the Secret Passage.”
“Agreed.”
“Will you be able to cope with the rest of the journey?”
“I’ll manage,” he replied confidently.
Lasgol believed him. He was an experienced Ranger. They left the Frozen Territories and the Wild Ones of the Ice behind. Lasgol had no desire to go back that way for a long time. All the same, something inside him told him that sooner or later he would return to that land, and that danger and death would be waiting there for him.
Chapter 19
Lasgol and Molsen reached the Secret Pass and identified themselves to the Rangers who were keeping watch there. They had no problem being allowed to enter. The fact that two Rangers, one of them wounded, coming from the northern territories, should be seeking to enter caused no surprise.
Lasgol was half-carrying Molsen, who could barely walk. The panther went after them. Camu went by her side, but camouflaged to avoid being spotted.
The spring sun was shining high and radiant in the sky. Lasgol felt its warmth on his face and was grateful, glad to be able to enjoy that beautiful day and return to the Camp. The mission had turned out to be more complicated than had been expected, with horrible accompanying circumstances, which was why being somewhere well-known and safe was cause for celebration. He wondered whether it would always be the same after every mission. Would they go through great dangers and be dying to get back somewhere safe, and feel that same relief he was feeling himself at that moment?
He breathed out heavily in relief when he saw the Fourth-year cabins. Ona looked up at him, ears pricked, in case there was any danger.
“Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry. It’s just that I’m glad to be back.”
“Your panther’s very perceptive,” Molsen said. His face looked unhealthy.
“She is. Very much so.”
“We’re almost there,” Molsen said with a grimace of pain. “How glad I am to see the Camp.”
“That makes two of us. I’ll have to take you to Edwina. You don’t look well.”
“I think I’ve got a fever.”
“Infections?”
“I guess so. The wounds in my side, most likely. They hurt quite a bit, and they smart.”
“I see. Keep going, we’re nearly there.”
Molsen nodded. But at his next step he grunted in pain. Lasgol hastened to put the Ranger’s arm around his own shoulder.
“Here, lean on m
e. I’ll carry you.”
“Thanks, Lasgol.”
He practically carried Molsen over the last stretch. Two Rangers saw them coming and hastened to help at once. They took Molsen and hurried with him to the infirmary. There they found Edwina treating a Third-year who had cracked his skull falling off a cliff.
“What’s this you’re bringing me?” she asked when she saw Molsen.
“He has cuts, and I think they’re infected. We did what we could, but he was in pretty bad condition when we rescued him.”
“Rescued?”
“From the Wild Ones of the Ice.”
The two other Rangers exchanged very serious glances. “It’s a miracle he survived,” said one of them.
“There aren’t many who survive when they’re captured in the Frozen Territories,” said the other.
“Lasgol… rescued me… he saved my life…” muttered Molsen.
“Getting yourself into trouble again?” Edwina asked with a smile as she gestured to the Rangers to put Molsen on a bed.
“The situation turned complicated,” Lasgol said with a shrug.
“He rescued me… all by himself, from a village full of Wild Ones.”
The two Rangers looked at Lasgol in surprise and admiration. “That’s quite a feat,” the elder of them said.
“Pure craziness,” Edwina corrected him. “Lay him down.”
Molsen grunted with pain when they did so.
“I’ll take care of him,” she said to Lasgol, “I’m glad that this time you’re not the one who’s laid out flat and needing my care again.” She emphasized the word ‘again’.