by Pedro Urvi
Gerd slapped him on the back. “Let it go. You won’t get anywhere that way, and all you’ll do is get anxious. I’m telling you from my own experience. That’s how my terrors start.”
Lasgol nodded. “You’re right. I’ll stay positive.” He went over to Ona and petted her. The panther looked at him with her cat-eyes and rubbed her head against his leg. Straight away he felt better.
Camu, you’re following close behind, right?
I follow.
Close? Don’t start chasing animals in the forest.
Close, he transmitted, and Lasgol wanted to believe him. He already felt in better spirits. If he had his friends with him, he could face anything that came their way. There was only one thing that saddened him: Astrid. Where was she? Why did nobody know anything about her? Was she all right? He had to trust that she was. He heaved a deep sigh. Astrid would manage, no doubt about it.
They explored the left flank, and all they found were two other groups of Rangers with similar orders. With so much vigilance it would be difficult for anyone to surprise them. On the other hand, the army was moving with amazing slowness. It looked like a colossal red-and-white metal snake winding along the endless road. It could be seen from leagues away, and if anybody wanted to attack it, it could not run away. At the head, went the militias of the nobles, with the nobles themselves in the lead. These were followed by the Thunder Army, then behind them the foreign mercenaries, and then finally the Snow Army. Lasgol realized that all the mercenaries had been placed between the King’s two armies. He was sure that this was ‘just in case’. The Invincibles of the Ice followed, clearing the way for the King himself with the Royal Guard and Rangers.
They marched all day and rested at night. As they were in enemy territory they camped in a rectangle, with each group making one side. The first night was very tense. The King sent all the Rangers to form an outer ring of sentries, as wide as possible. He was clearly nothing if not distrustful and vigilant. Under the circumstances it was a good thing, except for the Rangers, who could not sleep at all at night.
For three days they went on their way without any trouble. The King allowed the Rangers no rest, and kept them patrolling around his armies day and night. Nobody complained, not even when they began to feel the exhaustion of it. Leenbiren knew they would not be able to go on without a rest, so that night he stopped them.
“Keep watch from this position and try to get some rest. I’ll go and see how the nearby groups are doing.”
The group kept watch on their surroundings, but there was no trace of the enemy. Lasgol searched the area for tracks, along with Camu and Ona, but found nothing. When he went back to the others, Camu became visible and greeted everyone, and they all welcomed him gladly. Ona, who wanted to be included, joined in the petting.
Gerd laughed and spread his arms to welcome them. “Come to me, you pair of fiends!”
“They’re a pair of naughty fiends,” said Ingrid.
“I think Ona’s the most beautiful panther in the world,” Nilsa said as she petted her.
“Don’t you find it a bit strange,” Lasgol commented, “that King Thoran isn’t waiting for his brother? He’s got the Blizzard Army with him.”
“They say he hasn’t got a lot of patience,” Ingrid said.
Nilsa nodded repeatedly “What they say is absolutely true. He doesn’t have a relaxed side, either. He has terrible outbursts, and he’s capable of anything when he’s in the middle of one.”
Gerd’s eyes opened wide. “Have you seen it?”
“No, not me personally. I’ve only seen the King from afar at the Royal Castle. I’m not allowed to go near him. It’s normal, for reasons of security, and I’m grateful for that. Just imagine if I were to trip and knock something over and he had an outburst and I ended up without my head!”
Gerd’s face wore an expression of terror.
“You’re exaggerating,” said Ingrid.
“I’m not, honestly. The Royal Rangers have told me about it. When he’s normal he’s a coherent, intelligent man. But when he has a fit… nobody’s safe, not even Sven and Gatik, who are his trusted men and defend him to the death.”
“Wow, what a character,” Ingrid said.
“It’s not exactly the best quality in a monarch,” Lasgol commented.
Nilsa chuckled. “Well, as Viggo would say, when have you seen a monarch with any good qualities?”
Ingrid was shaking her head. “As long as it’s just that…”
“Let’s hope it is,” Gerd added.
“He called for me, and he seemed hard and distrustful. Everybody respected and feared him. He silenced Sven, and Gatik was very careful when he spoke to him. That much I did notice. He didn’t have any outbursts, but I did find him severe.”
“To keep himself on the throne he’ll need to be tough and distrustful,” said Ingrid.
“Well,” Gerd mused, “he must’ve had one of his outbursts and decided not to wait for his brother any longer. Not the wisest course of action.”
Nilsa nodded. “That’s probably it. Sven must have tried to dissuade him and not been able to.”
“Let’s hope it wasn’t a significant tactical error,” Ingrid said.
They did not sleep that night either, and with the dawn they set off.
Chapter 36
On the fifth day they came to the great river Numedals, one of the largest in all Norghana. It represented a major obstacle which Thoran’s army would have to overcome, since Arnold had destroyed the three bridges that spanned it. Thoran called Sven, Gatik, Count Volgren and the recently promoted generals of his armies, Generals Olagson and Rangulself, to discuss the situation.
Lasgol and his friends watched from a distance. The Rangers still kept the security cordon around the army to prevent surprise attacks and spying by enemy agents.
“Take the chance to get some sleep,” Leenbiren told them. “We don’t know when we’ll get another, and you all look dreadful.”
“We really do,” Nilsa said with a chuckle.
“I’m shattered, and my head aches terribly,” Gerd said.
Ingrid winked at him. “That’s because you have a great lump of a head. And because of lack of sleep, of course.”
Gerd smiled. “Off to sleep, then.”
“I’ll take the first shift, you rest,” said Lasgol.
A moment later they were all sleeping like logs. Lasgol stayed awake by communicating with Camu and Ona, who were coping far better with the lack of sleep because they simply lay down and snoozed wherever they happened to stop.
Ingrid relieved him, and he collapsed on the spot. When he woke up he realized his comrades had made a campfire and were already eating.
He got to his feet. “Have I missed anything?”
“Not really,” Leenbiren said. “It looks as though they’re working out whether to build a bridge or cross further north somewhere where the current’s less strong.”
“Does that mean it can be crossed?” Nilsa asked. “I don’t like big rivers with strong currents very much.”
Leenbiren shrugged. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
“I know this river,” Lasgol said, and they all looked at him. “If you’re from the West you know it. It’s the largest river we have. The Numedals is two hundred paces or so wide and the height of three men in depth. It also has very strong currents.”
“Well then, I don’t like it at all,” Nilsa protested as she ate her helping of salt meat.
“Doesn’t sound promising,” Gerd said, looking worried. He took a bite out of a piece of black bread.
“But it can be crossed, can’t it?” Leenbiren asked. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
“I’ve never been there, but further north there’s a place where you can. But it means quite a detour, and crossing at that point would mean we’d have to go through the Eternal Forest, which is right on the other side of the crossing. I know that, because my father took this same route once and told me about it. They w
ere building a reservoir further north, and the builders were having trouble with bandits. They asked the Rangers for help. My father was sent, along with a comrade of his. He told me that the river was spectacular and the views from the reservoir were impressive.”
“Well, I don’t want to take any chances crossing it recklessly,” Nilsa said. “Can’t we build a raft?”
Leenbiren arched both eyebrows. “For thousands of soldiers?”
“Yeah. I didn’t stop to think that one through.”
“A wooden bridge would work better,” Ingrid said.
Gerd pointed to the river. “Have you seen that current? It would carry a house away. And besides, it would take too long to build. I don’t know whether our King would have enough patience. If he can’t even wait for his brother, then I don’t think he’s going to start building bridges.”
“We’ll soon find out,” said Leenbiren. He indicated the army camp, where there was a lot of activity going on. The officers were giving out orders among the soldiers, who were already beginning to get into formation.
It was not long before a messenger arrived with the King’s new orders. They were to leave for the north immediately.
“Well, we’re going to have to get wet,” Leenbiren said.
“I’m not at all happy about this,” said Nilsa biting her nails.
“Don’t worry,” Gerd said. “You stay right by my side and I’ll help you. The current won’t be able to move this great body of mine.” He gave her a reassuring smile.
Nilsa smiled at his words of support, but the smile vanished a moment later. The great red-and-white metal-scaled snake began its march once again, slowly but steadily. The detour took them three days, following the course of the river to the north, until they reached the point where it was possible to cross. By then the advance-guard of Rangers had already crossed and secured the opposite side. The army stopped and awaited orders. More Rangers crossed the river to secure more of the land on the other side, and that was when they realized the difficulty.
“But they almost drifted, with their horses and all!” Nilsa cried. “The current’s incredibly strong!”
“Hmmm… it’s true, it doesn’t look easy from here…” Gerd agreed.
“If those Rangers have crossed,” Ingrid said confidently, “so can we, perfectly easily.”
“What you call ‘those Rangers’ are all veteran Specialists who make up the advance-guard and are responsible for making sure there’s no ambush waiting for us,” Leenbiren said.
“We’re Specialists too,” Ingrid pointed out proudly.
“Well…. Gerd and I aren’t…” said Nilsa. She was already very nervous and was beginning to find it hard to stay still.
“And you’re not veterans either,” Leenbiren corrected Ingrid.
“It doesn’t matter what we are. We can cross that river with no problem.”
“It’s pretty swollen,” Lasgol said. “It must be because of the spring thaw from the mountains in the northwest.”
“Look over there,” Leenbiren said. “They’re going to measure whether it’s possible for the infantry to cross.”
“And how do they do that?” Gerd asked.
“The way it’s always been done in the army,” Leenbiren replied with an odd smile.
Then they saw a rope being tied around the waist of a soldier of the Snow Army. Afterwards they handed him his axe and winged helmet. He was wearing a scaled coat of arms which covered him from neck to thighs.
“I don’t know what they’re going to do,” Nilsa said, “but I don’t like it.” She was hopping from one foot to the other as she watched.
“Why are they putting everything on him as if he were going to battle?” Gerd asked.
“Because he can’t leave anything behind,” Leenbiren explained. “Every man has to cross with all his equipment.”
The soldier gave a war-cry and lowered himself into the river. Three of his comrades were holding the rope around his waist to secure him against the current. He started to wade into the river, and all of a sudden, the water was up to his waist. He went further in, and it had soon reached his chest. Rangers and soldiers alike watched the progress of the ‘measurer’.
“I don’t like this method of measuring depth at all,” Nilsa commented. She was biting her nails.
“It is a bit primitive,” Gerd agreed.
“It’s always been done like this,” Leenbiren said.
Lasgol was uneasily watching the poor soul who had been chosen as the ‘measurer’. If the current took him, he was not sure that the rope would save him from drowning. He would be rescued, it was true, but he would probably be drowned under the weight of all his gear.
“He’s at the halfway point!” Nilsa said excitedly.
The water was up to the soldier’s neck by now, and he was fighting against the strength of the current, which was even greater at that point.
“I’m not sure he’s going to make it,” Gerd said worriedly.
With great effort and courage, the soldier managed to reach the other side. The worst part, as they had expected, was the central stretch, where the water was deepest and the current strongest. After that, the final part of the crossing was manageable.
“How do we know that the rest of the soldiers can wade?” Nilsa asked suddenly.
“They choose a short one, so that they can calculate,” Leenbiren said.
“Oh…”
“But there’s always someone even shorter. They’ll have a hard time.”
Gerd gave a loud snort.
“That’s the way things are in the army and in war,” Leenbiren concluded.
“I’m glad I’m a Ranger, not a soldier,” Nilsa said.
“I think all of us here are glad about that,” Leenbiren agreed.
“You can say that again!” Gerd agreed.
Ingrid was nodding firmly. “It’s a greater honor to be a Ranger.”
“Well, don’t tell them that or else there’ll be a fight.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t. But that’s what I think.”
The orders to cross were not long in coming. The King sent the remainder of the Rangers first to secure the entire perimeter. On the other side was the Eternal Forest, as large and leafy as a small kingdom. An entire army could hide within it: several, in fact. The generals and Sven looked very worried about what might be waiting for them within the forest and were giving orders to both Rangers and their own men.
When it was the group’s turn to cross, they did so on horseback. Lasgol had trouble calming Trotter, as he was carrying Ona with him. Since the pony could not hold more weight, Lasgol handed Camu to Ingrid, who he knew would not mind. Nilsa was too nervous, and in addition Camu was in his invisible state, which would make her even more anxious. Gerd was not a good candidate either; panic was already beginning to show in his face, and carrying the creature would only add to his fears. Ingrid was the only one who could, and she did not mind at all. They took advantage of a moment when Leenbiren went to get his orders, and Camu climbed on to Ingrid’s horse.
They went into the water, with Leenbiren in the lead. Ingrid followed, then Nilsa and then Gerd, with Lasgol in the rear. The first part of the crossing was not too much of a problem, except that the horses were deeply restless and needed to be soothed. The soldiers meanwhile were watching from the riverbank, knowing that when the Rangers had crossed it would be their own turn. The vast majority would wade across, then afterwards would follow the carts of supplies and equipment.
When they reached the middle of the river, things turned complicated. The horses did not touch bottom all the way and had to swim with their riders on their backs. The strength of the current was doing its best to drag them downriver. Lasgol found things very difficult, because the panther was terrified by the current and the amount of water around. Trotter was swimming with all his strength, fighting against the current. In front of him Gerd and Nilsa too were having a hard time: Nilsa because of her nerves, Gerd because he weighed s
o much and his horse was almost unable to carry him in the water. But gradually they began to win the battle against the current, and when they reached the shallower area, the horses could find footing at last and calmed down a little. They went on until they came to the opposite shore, where a large group of Rangers were waiting for them.
“That was no fun at all,” Nilsa complained. She was still shivering, half from being soaked and cold and half from the aftermath of her fear.
“That was intense,” Gerd said. He was still pale as a ghost.
“What d’you mean?” said Ingrid, who looked as though she could not believe their protests. “It was easy as pie.”
Camu, are you all right? Lasgol messaged.
I fine. Not like river.
I can understand that.
No cross again.
No, not for now.
Never.
Never… we’ll see… Lasgol transmitted. He knew they would have to come back, and if there were no bridges…
“Our job’s to watch the right flank,” Leenbiren told them.
“Are we going into the forest?” Gerd asked.
“No, we follow the river and do that further on. It’ll be easier. This forest is so dense it’s going to be a job to cross it.”
“Good idea,” Ingrid said.
They set off, and, as they did so, they saw the last Rangers crossing. Then came the turn of the soldiers. Lasgol hoped that none of them would die in the process, but after what they had been through he feared that whether they were short or not, some of them would not make it because their armor and weapons weighed too much. As they advanced along the riverbank they looked back curiously to watch the first soldiers crossing.
“Let’s tether our horses in the forest and watch,” Ingrid suggested.
Leenbiren nodded. “All right, but only this group. We have orders to follow.”
From the riverbank they could see that the soldiers belonged to the Thunder Army, all of them Norghanian, tall and strong. Though with some difficulty, they managed to cross. The water only came up to their chests, not their necks.