by Pedro Urvi
He recovered a little and went on walking. The darkness in the cave was complete. He was walking blindly, so he called upon Hawk’s Sight and Owl’s Hearing to help himself. He did not want to run any risk, so there was a fire arrow nocked in his bow in case the situation turned difficult. There was some light at the end of the tunnel, and he went towards it.
It was coming from the cavern where he had found the strange workshop. He did not go in, but stayed hidden and invoked his Animal Presence skill to find out whether Enduald was there. He could find no sign of him. Carefully, he went into the cavern, which proved to be deserted. He went over to the crates and sacks and checked that they contained cloaks and medallions of the Specialists. They were still there. Whatever treachery the man was planning, he had not carried it out yet.
I’ve got to make sure he fails. He searched for some other clue in the workshop, but could find nothing that shed any light on the mystery. He wondered where Enduald might be, then remembered there was another tunnel which went down to another chamber he had not investigated. He took a deep breath and went into it.
Suddenly he heard two voices, and he stopped and listened. He could not understand what they were saying, because all that reached him was a whisper. The skill he had called upon enabled him to tell that there were two different voices. Learning that Enduald was not alone and that he would have to face two adversaries was troubling him. Things were getting more complicated, but after coming this far he was not going to turn around and go back.
He walked on with absolute stealth toward the light from the end of the tunnel, which sloped downwards. The whispers now reached him more clearly, so that he could catch some words:
“And is everything ready?”
“Of course… do you doubt… my skill…?”
“No… storms… blems…”
“It’ll… ready… date…”
Lasgol knew they were talking about the date for the betrayal. It sounded as if everything was ready. It was time to act and put an end to the conspiracy. In a swift movement of his head, he glanced into the cavern and then hid in the tunnel again. They had not seen him. He had identified Enduald, who was speaking with a hooded figure. Down here was another workshop, with three large tables and a smith’s fire. He had also caught a glimpse of wood, metal and other materials. This must be where the cloaks and fake medallions were made. Enduald was holding a staff in his hand; Lasgol had not been able to take in the details, but it was a Mage’s staff rather than a normal one. The hooded figure was carrying a bow over his shoulder, and Lasgol had been able to see that he was carrying weapons at his waist.
I need to act now, catch them by surprise. If he came out into the cave he would have to deal with a mage and an assassin. Bad combination, especially with them not more than ten paces away. He remembered that with a mage one had to shoot first and ask questions afterwards – or else stay two hundred paces away, which in this situation was obviously not possible. He checked how much inner energy he had left; it was not much, but it ought to be enough. If he failed in his attack, there would be no second chance, because he would have run out of energy and would lose the factor of surprise.
He changed his arrow and concentrated, then called upon his True Shot skill. In a swift move he raced out of the tunnel at the entrance to the cavern. Enduald and the stranger saw his shadow against the light of the entrance and turned their heads, but it was too late for them, as the arrow had already left Lasgol’s bow. There was no need for him to aim. He knew where they were, and the True Shot was all he needed.
Enduald began to move his staff toward Lasgol and the stranger reached for the weapons at his waist. The arrow hit Enduald in the center of his chest with a hollow sound, and the gaseous vapor spread over the two men. Lasgol had changed the fire arrow for one of Summer Slumber. He nocked a new arrow, but there was no need. Enduald and the stranger fell to the ground, unconscious.
He felt an enormous relief. Muffling a gasp of satisfaction, he moved forward carefully. The staff on the ground was an intense blue, encrusted with gold and elaborate ornamentation. There was no doubt that it belonged to a mage. He was glad he had brought him down before he had been able to cast a spell on him, because he might have ended up in flames – or something worse. The stranger’s face was covered by his Ranger’s scarf, so that he could not see who it was.
He went up to them to tie their hands.
“What on earth have you done?” came a voice behind him.
Lasgol turned like lightning. Sigrid was standing at the cavern entrance.
“Don’t aim that bow at me,” she said, and there was deep anger in her voice.
“Mother Specialist...”
Sigrid pointed her staff at him. “Lower your bow.”
Lasgol hesitated. What was she doing here? How had she come in without him hearing her arrive?
“Lower your bow. I’m not going to say it again.”
Lasgol did not know what to do. The situation was unexpected, and very dangerous. He was reluctant to lower his weapon.
“If you’re going to shoot me, do so,” Sigrid said. She spread her arms wide, offering her torso to him.
“No... Mother Specialist...”
“Then lower that bow right now.”
Lasgol had to do it. He could not shoot her, although there was something very strange in this whole confusing situation. He lowered his bow.
“That’s better. You haven’t killed them, have you?” She was hurrying to help the two fallen men.
“No... I used an arrow with a Summer Slumber head.”
“Very clever. Thank goodness. If you’d got as far as killing them...”
“But they’re traitors, they’re planning treason,” Lasgol tried to explain as he saw her trying to revive them.
She glared at him furiously. “Traitors? What nonsense is this?”
“The capes... the medallions... Enduald is a mage... they’re preparing some treason.”
“By all the frozen gods!” she cried. “How can you be so gifted and come to such mistaken conclusions! It’s not treason. It’s the Enchantment Ritual of the Elite Specialists.”
“The... what?”
“By all the Winter Storms!” Sigrid said, and waved at the mage. “This is Enduald Gulbrandsen.”
Lasgol recognized the surname. Who else had the same surname? And then he realized.
“He’s the Mother Specialist’s brother?”
“Of course he’s my brother!”
Lasgol was petrified. “But he’s a mage...”
“He’s an Enchanter. My staff is a gift from him. He was the one who imbued it with power.”
“Oh...”
“And I think you know this one too,” Sigrid said. She uncovered Loke’s face.
“Oh no!” Lasgol cried as he recognized the Masig Specialist.
“Oh yes! You almost killed my brother and the young man I consider my own son.”
He did not know what to say or do. All he wanted was for the earth to swallow him up. Unfortunately for him, it did nothing of the sort.
“I... I’m so sorry... I thought...”
“And you’re going to be doing a lot more of that. You’re going to be punished massively for this.”
“So... the cloaks? The medallions?”
“My brother Enduald enchants them before he hands them out to the Specialists who’ve graduated in an Elite Specialty. It’s a complex process which involves crafting the objects and then imbuing them with power through very complex enchantments. Enduald is a crosspatch, but he’s one of the very best enchanters of objects. As you well know, each Specialist is given his own cloak and medallion when they graduate. What they don’t know is that those things have been enchanted. The cloak allows them to blend better into the environment, and also to bear extreme temperatures more easily: cold as well as very hot. Both enchantments are of the ‘protector’ kind. Their purpose is to ensure that the Specialist lives longer. The medallion has had two other enchantm
ents added to it: one gives whoever wears it rather more vigor, and the other enables him or her to move more quickly. They’re not very powerful, the benefit isn’t very great, but on the other hand they’re long-lasting.”
“I... I didn’t know any of this...”
“The idea is that nobody should know, hence this cave and the secrecy about who Enduald is and what he does here. Those enchanted objects will give our specialists something of an advantage, but they mustn’t know this, because anyone who knows he has an advantage will make the mistake of thinking it’ll always get him out of trouble. And let me assure you, that’s not true.”
“I understand.”
“That’s why you’re going to keep everything you’ve seen here secret and never give away what I’ve told you.”
“Of course not, Mother Specialist.”
“And now give me a hand with them.”
There was not much they could do except wait for the effect to pass and the victims to wake up. When they did, Lasgol had to bear Enduald’s fury. Luckily Loke took it better and made light of the incident. Sigrid and Enduald did nothing of the kind; they let him know the terrible mistake he had made and assured him that he would pay dearly for it.
He got back to the Lair in the small hours of the morning, freezing and very downcast. He climbed into bed, but then when he thought things could not get any worse he heard a voice:
“Where on earth did you go? What were you thinking of, going out on your own? Are you completely out of your mind?”
Lasgol recognized rage in Astrid’s voice, and knew he was about to get an even worse scolding.
At dawn he escaped her rage as best he could and went to the river to wash. Luca was there and smiled at him when he saw him.
“Norghanian style?” he said and dipped his head in the river.
“Norghanian style,” Lasgol agreed, and did the same. The water was ice-cold. He felt as though his mind was freezing.
Luca shook his head to get rid of that sensation, and Lasgol did the same. Even his ideas had frozen.
“For a Norghanian, there’s no better way to wake up,” Luca said.
“Especially in winter,” Lasgol replied with a laugh, and Luca laughed with him.
The longer he spent with Luca, the more he liked him. Of all his teammates he was certainly the most honest and well-balanced. He could always be trusted. He had a direct, clear way of thinking, with nothing hidden behind it, and he always did the right thing. He had solid values and was not guided by personal gain but by the desire to do the right thing in every situation. In a way he was Viggo’s opposite. In addition he was kind, and it was possible to talk about any subject with him. Lasgol was sorry to have distanced himself from him over their mutual interest in Astrid.
“I think you’re in trouble,” Luca said, while they went on with their morning wash in the icy river water.
“You think so?”
Luca smiled. “I know. I heard Astrid giving you a talking-to when you came in.”
“You ought to find another bunk bed, further away.”
“Or you ought to be more careful...”
Lasgol looked at Luca and saw no sarcasm in his gaze. He meant it, he was being serious.
“You’re right. Sometimes you try to do something you think is the best for everyone, and you find out you’re mistaken...”
“If that’s why you did it, then you’ve got nothing to be sorry about.”
Lasgol nodded. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.”
“You’re welcome. But remember, it’s not going to get Astrid off your back.” He nodded behind him.
Lasgol looked over his shoulder and saw Astrid coming over to them, her stride firm and her eyes flashing.
“Good luck,” Luca said. He got up, smiled and left.
Astrid came up to Lasgol. “However much I think about it, I just can’t believe you did what you did last night!” she said, coming straight to the point. There was fury in her voice. She was deeply hurt.
“Good morning,” Lasgol said.
“Don’t good morning me! What were you thinking?”
Lasgol sighed. “About not putting all of you at risk on my account.”
“D’you know how worried I was? I almost had a fit!”
“I’m sorry, Astrid. I didn’t mean to worry you...”
“And it’s not just me! Ingrid and Viggo were really worried too!”
“I did what I thought was best for everyone.”
“Not telling us anything and going off to face danger on your own certainly isn’t the best thing to do. I can’t believe you did this to me!”
Seeing how furious and hurt she was, he felt terrible for her and for his friends.
“I didn’t want to put you in danger. I’m really grateful for the fact that you’re all concerned about me. But at the end of the day I have to solve my problems by myself.”
“We worry because we love you.”
“I know and I’m really grateful. But my problems are mine and I need to deal with them by myself, without putting you all in danger.”
“You’re not putting us in danger. It’s our choice to help you. It’s our prerogative.”
Lasgol looked into her eyes.
“I never want anything to happen to you. Or the others. Not because of me. I’d never forgive myself. I’d rather run the risk on my own, however much there is.”
“Lasgol...”
“I won’t be the man I aspire to be if I don’t solve my problems on my own. You understand?”
“I do understand.”
“I have to be a man who’s capable of facing his own destiny, fighting his own battles. I have to be. I can’t always hide behind my friends, behind you. I can’t. I have to face up to whatever life throws at me, and I’ll fight for myself or else I’ll never feel like a full-grown man.”
“But suppose the problem’s too big and you can’t solve it by yourself?”
Lasgol thought about this.
“Then I’ll come to you all.”
Astrid was a little calmer now. She crouched beside him and looked into his eyes.
“I thought something bad had happened to you. I had a terrible time...”
“I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to.”
Astrid hugged him tightly, and he held on to her with all his being.
“Promise me you won’t ever do anything like that again.”
Lasgol hesitated. He was not sure he would not do it again.
“Astrid...”
“At least promise me we’ll talk it over beforehand.”
Lasgol sighed. “All right... that I can promise.” He gave her a trace of a smile.
“No solitary adventures without us talking about them first. Deal?” She offered him her hand.
He thought for a moment and then agreed.
“Deal,” he said, and clasped her hand.
They hugged each other tightly.
“Ahem...” they heard behind them. They turned to find that Viggo and Ingrid had joined them.
“Everything all right?” Ingrid asked.
Astrid and Lasgol looked at each other and smiled. “Everything’s fine,” Lasgol said.
Viggo gave him a dark smile. “Yeah, sure. You got what was coming to you, big time.”
“That too,” Lasgol said, and laughed.
“So, what trouble did you get into this time?”
Lasgol looked around to make sure they were alone.
“Sigrid told me to keep it secret. But I can’t hide it from you. I trust you.”
“This is going to be good,” Viggo said. He rubbed his hands.
Lasgol told them what he had found out about Enduald, his kinship with Sigrid and the business of the Specialists’ cloaks and medallions being enchanted.
“Her brother?” Ingrid asked in amazement. “But... he’s a dwarf...”
“It can happen,” Astrid assured her.
“They don’t even have to be children of the same father to be siblings,�
� said Viggo.
Ingrid nodded. “True.”
“Enchantments in the cloaks and medallions... that’s fantastic,” said Astrid.
“Well, I hate magic as much as anybody else,” Viggo said, “but this time I’m not going to say I’m unhappy about it. It won’t be me that turns up his nose at any enchantments that’ll help us out there, that’s for sure.”
“Every day that goes by, stranger things happen,” said Ingrid.
“D’you mean Enduald?” Astrid asked her.
Ingrid shook her head. “No, I mean that now it turns out this character here likes magic.”
“I didn’t say I liked it, I said I like the fact that it gives me an advantage, which is a very different thing.”
“Pooh,” Ingrid snorted. “And the worst thing of all is that I have the feeling there are even stranger things to come.”
Viggo gave her a broad smile. “Oh, you can bet on that. If I go on with you all, I’ll end up sitting astride the Ice Dragon. You mark my words.”
Astrid and Lasgol laughed. Ingrid smiled and went away, shaking her head.
Chapter 41
Lasgol and Ona were training under Gisli’s watchful eye amid the snow at the foot of a bare, rocky mountain. It was snowing lightly, which was not entirely a bad thing because it meant the temperature was not particularly low. A storm was approaching from the north, but it would be early morning before it reached them.
Ona was growing calmer and more receptive with him all the time. Now, when he whispered, she paid attention at once, which at first had seemed impossible to manage. Big cats had their own ideas, and only paid attention if they felt like it. But gradually this was changing, and Lasgol was proud that he had made progress. And not only proud of that, but proud of the link that had formed between the two of them. It was as if Ona knew him better now and trusted him completely. She obeyed his commands without protest, so that they were like older brother and little sister. It was genuinely gratifying, and he felt blessed by the Ice Gods.
As they went on, Gisli showed him two advanced techniques for teaching familiars. Lasgol listened to every single one of the Elder’s explanations with the greatest interest. He felt deeply lucky to be able to learn so much from somebody as expert as Gisli, and all he wanted was to rise to the challenge and not disappoint him when the time came, at the Proficiency Test. And that moment was approaching with giant steps. Everyone at the Lair was very nervous, and increasingly so with every day that went by. The rumors about the tests were ominous, and even Ingrid was a little restless. They were all practicing to the limits of their strength now, knowing that they were running out of time. Once the test arrived it would be all or nothing, and they were well aware of this. There would be no second chance. The options were passing the test and becoming an Elite Specialist, an honor – or not passing, and having to leave the Shelter with a massive failure to bear on their backs.