by Pedro Urvi
“Because sometimes I’ve seen you …”
“I’ll always say it’s better to keep away from magic,” she interrupted, bringing the topic to an end.
Egil smiled and changed the subject. “I heard you were congratulated.”
Nilsa relaxed. “Yeah, Gondabar did. And he’s given us some time off, an extended vacation.” She smiled proudly.
“But they didn’t give us a medal or anything like that,” Gerd said, looking disappointed.
“Well, they did to the Magi,” Nilsa admitted.
“That’s understandable. Thoran wants to publicize the success of his Magi, how powerful they are. That message makes his enemies respect him and think twice before they attack him.”
Nilsa looked at him questioningly. “His enemies? You?”
“Don’t look at me like that,” Egil said with an innocent smile. “I’m not plotting anything against Thoran.”
“Thank goodness,” Gerd said, pretending to rub sweat off his brow with his forearm.
“For the moment,” Egil added, and his expression became serious, almost somber.
“You’re not thinking of starting another civil war, are you?” Nilsa asked, looking horrified. She put her hands to her head.
Egil waved the idea aside. “No, it’s not the right moment. The West is weak, and Thoran’s very strong. I have time. I’m young and patient. I’ll wait for my chance.” He winked.
Nilsa rolled her eyes, and Gerd shook his head. “Let us know if you start plotting, just so that it doesn’t catch us unawares,” he begged him.
“Don’t worry, my dear partners and friends, you’ll be the first to know.”
“And if you don’t start, that’s okay too,” Nilsa said with a wink.
Egil smiled. “So they’re on their way to recover the Star and save Astrid?”
“That’s right,” Gerd said. “In fact,” he added rather doubtfully, “they should already have got the Star back.”
“I hope they’ve managed it,” Nilsa said. She was biting her nails.
“I’m sure they will have,” Egil reassured them. “A few Royal Guards and an Ice Mage are no match for our friends.”
Nilsa and Gerd looked at each other, then nodded. “Yeah, they’re sure to have done it,” Gerd said, sounding more confident.
“And what about you?” Nilsa asked eagerly. “What news d’you have? What’s going on in the Camp?”
Egil breathed out heavily. “I haven’t got very good news for you. Dolbarar’s still prostrated and very ill. The sickness has spread throughout his body, and I’m afraid he’s barely alive.”
“But he’s holding on, right?” Gerd asked with a look of concern.
“By a thread … Healer Edwina and Master Ranger Eyra go on fighting the illness day and night. If it weren’t for them, for their efforts and constant vigilance, we’d have lost him long ago.”
“Haven’t they been able to find some way of healing him after all this time?” Nilsa asked.
“No … although they don’t say it, or want to admit it. Unfortunately I think that by this stage they don’t believe it’s possible to heal him, and they’re dedicating themselves to prolonging his enfeebled life as far as they can.”
“Oh no!” Nilsa gasped. She had not expected the news to be so bad.
“He can’t die,” Gerd said. A tear ran down his cheek. “He’s the leader of the Camp. We need him, the Rangers need his leadership!”
“I’m afraid that up to this point, things have only worsened. I’d like to give you some more hopeful news, but I haven’t got any to give. With every day that goes by, there’s a little less life in him. I don’t think he’ll survive the next winter, he’s too weak.”
“We have so few good leaders in Norghana,” Gerd said. “His loss will be devastating for the Rangers, and for the realm.”
Nilsa was wiping her eyes dry with her Ranger scarf. “And what about his substitute? What’s he like?”
“Angus Veenerten …” Egil murmured. “Well now … he’s an experienced Master Ranger, very competent. He runs the Camp with an iron hand. He’s no friend of delegation and wants to know everything, even the tiniest, most insignificant details. According to him, we all need to pay attention to detail. He does his utmost to be on top of everything and to know everything. He demands that the four Master Rangers ask his approval before they carry out changes of any kind, from implementing new ideas to making any kind of decisions, however small.”
“It can’t be as bad as that,” Gerd objected.
“Oh, you bet it is. I’ve heard him tell the cook how he ought to peel the potatoes before he cuts them up to put in the stew.”
“You’re kidding!” Nilsa exclaimed.
“I was also there when he corrected an instructor in a First-Year archery class.”
Gerd’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
“That’s right, he explained how he ought to be teaching his students.”
“I’m sure the instructor loved it,” Nilsa said wryly.
“He certainly must have. Not to mention the others. It seems he’s been correcting everyone, even the Master Rangers, in their tasks.”
“How rude!” Nilsa exclaimed.
“I suppose everybody must hate him?” Gerd guessed.
“Well, there’s not much love for him, it’s true. Eyra and Esben can’t stand him. They avoid him every time they see him coming, and they try by every means possible to avoid letting him interfere in what they do.”
“And do they succeed?” Nilsa asked with interest.
Egil shook his head. “Not really.”
“So much for the new Leader.”
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that he doesn’t do his job right. He’s managing the Camp at a very difficult time. What’s happening is that his methods of absolute control at every moment are driving instructors and Master Rangers crazy. Well, not everyone. Ivana has the same sort of nature as Angus. And Haakon – I don’t really know why, but he gets along pretty well with him.”
Nilsa shrugged. “Well, Gondabar speaks highly of Angus. He was in the capital helping him. And King Thoran seems to like him too.”
“Well, listening to all this, I’m not altogether sure I like him,” Gerd said with his hands on his hips. “Especially the fact that he gets along with our King. You know what he’s like. How do you get on with him yourself?”
“I can’t complain. At first I was worried in case I lost some of my responsibilities and the access they give me to the information which circulates in the Camp. Which, as you know, is extensive and very interesting. Many of the messages between Rangers come through here, and many of them come from the tower of the Rangers in the Royal Castle.”
Nilsa nodded. “From our leader Gondabar and his team.”
“So far I haven’t lost access to information, and for me, for us and for our plans, that’s vital. As for his character, although he is controlling, he gives me the impression of being a calm and serious person.”
Nilsa gave a long, soft whistle. “Well, that’s good.”
“D’you think he’s honorable? That he’s not a bad person?” Gerd asked. He was keen to know Egil’s impression, since his friend was very perceptive.
“I don’t know … I don’t feel he’s dishonest, or deals in duplicity or half-truths, which is definitely something. He’s interfered in my tasks, it’s true. He wants to know everything and the reasons for it, so I have to be more careful now than I used to. At the same time I think he asks so many questions because he doesn’t even trust his own shadow. And also, he wants everything done the way he wants. He’s intelligent but distrustful, so he needs to have everything under his full control, or else he’s not happy. I find it strange that he doesn’t trust the four Master Rangers. He should, because they’ve served Dolbarar faithfully for years. As for me, I can understand he wouldn’t trust me, given who I am.”
“But can you trust him,” Nilsa insisted, “or is there anything in him th
at makes you suspect he’s a bad apple?”
Egil glanced at the entrance. “Hmm, this and other important matters we need to talk about will have to wait till morning.”
“Can’t you explain now?” Gerd protested.
Egil went over to the window. Taking care not to be seen, he peered out from behind the curtains.
“There’s my shadow,” he said with a nod.
“Are they still spying on you?” Nilsa asked immediately.
Egil nodded again. “I’d rather not give them too much to talk about. Let’s leave quietly and behave like old friends who’ve come to say ‘hi’ to each other. Then we’ll go our separate ways: you to the barracks and me to my cabin. Tomorrow we’ll have breakfast together in the dining room, and we’ll talk.”
“There? But it’ll be full of people.”
Egil smiled. “That’s exactly why. With all the bustle, nobody’ll be able to hear us.”
Chapter 9
Nilsa, Gerd and Egil were having lunch in the Camp dining room-canteen. Gerd was already gulping down his second bowl of elk stew, while Egil was enjoying a hot spicy northern soup.
Nilsa looked up from her plate with a nervous smile. “It’s just the same as ever,” she commented.
Gerd nodded with his mouth shut, still chewing. His cheeks were red and there was a look of enjoyment on his face.
“There haven’t been any significant changes since you left,” Egil said.
In fact the place was still almost unchanged, divided into four sections for the students, plus a fifth for the Instructors and veterans. The Instructors watched them curiously and greeted them kindly as they walked in and sat down. Some recognized them and hailed them fondly. Others who did not know them saw them with Egil and guessed that the pair of new arrivals were carrying out some supply tasks. The sections for the pupils were still clearly divided by color: red for the First-Years, who all looked as lost as an octopus in a desert; yellow for the Second-Years, who believed they had already passed the worst and were completely wrong; green for the Third-Years, who wanted to finish, and at the same time feared expulsion; and brown for the Fourth-Years, who looked as if they had made it but were still trying to finish any way they could and graduate.
“It feels strange to be here again,” Nilsa said with a smile, “but strange-good. I mean, this place brings back so many memories … most of them good ones.”
“I feel wonderful,” Gerd said with his mouth full.
“Yeah, because they give you as much to eat as you want,” Nilsa teased him.
“I have a lot of body to keep up,” Gerd shot back. He swallowed a large mouthful, which made his large Adam’s apple bob up and down in his thick neck.
“What you have is an addiction,” Nilsa insisted playfully. “You don’t need to eat so much, it’s just that you’re an insatiable glutton.”
Gerd shrugged, smiled and went on eating.
“I really have missed your incomparable company,” Egil said. He was smiling happy, delighted to be with his friends.
Nilsa smiled. “And we’ve missed you.”
“It’s good to be back,” Gerd admitted. “I almost feel like starting training all over again,”
“Yeah, I was thinking that too,” Nilsa said. “Being here, seeing all these contestants, I feel like repeating the whole process. We went through so much those four years …” She heaved a massive sigh.
“Are you sure you’d repeat all the torture we had to go through?” Egil asked with a smile.
“Well …” Gerd began. “Those were really good times …”
“Yes, they were, the best … so many good memories … glorious …” Nilsa murmured, with her gaze lost in memories.
“And some bad ones too,” Gerd pointed out.” Egil’s right.”
“Yeah, there were some tough moments. Still, I’d live them all over again without a second thought, just to enjoy the good ones.”
“I take it you mean with the Snow Panthers,” said Egil.
“Of course, only if it was with the Panthers.”
Nilsa smiled. “It wouldn’t be the same with a different group of people. Oh, what good times they were!”
“I think you’re forgetting everything we had to put up with,” Egil said. “But yes, I agree, I’d live through it all again without a second thought.” He laughed. And maybe this second time I’d do better!”
“I see they still keep up the tradition that each year’s contestants serve the previous year’s,” Gerd commented with a nod. “The Four-years served the Third-Years, then they in turn the Second-Years, and they the First-Years.”
“It’s a good tradition,” Egil explained. “It teaches responsibility and respect. “It’s been going on ever since the Camp was created, and it’s very effective.”
Nilsa smiled. “It would be nice if we were served too.”
Egil shook his head. “That’s not the point of the tradition. We’re competent adults, we can serve ourselves, just like the Master Rangers.” He indicated the table where the Four were eating in silence.
“They look very quiet,” Nilsa said in surprise.
Egil was looking surreptitiously at the table. “The four leaders of the Skills haven’t had much to talk about lately, much less celebrate … because of Dolbarar’s illness and Angus Veenerten’s arrival.”
Nilsa took a good look at the interim leader of the Camp. He must have been around sixty, short and slight by the standards of the tall, strong Norghanians. He was completely bald, with very bushy eyebrows. His smile seemed forced, not at all natural. He looked more like a scholar with few friends than a Ranger, which took them aback. He certainly seemed out of place among the Master Rangers.
“He doesn’t look as though he’d have been a great Ranger in his youth,” Gerd commented, which was exactly what Nilsa was thinking.
“You shouldn’t let yourself be fooled by a person’s physical look,” Egil objected. “Very often the mental aspect is more relevant to the person’s achievements.” He stretched out his arms. “I’m an example of that.”
Gerd went red. “I didn’t mean … you know I … you’re special … I admire you …” he stammered, growing redder at his own tactlessness with every word.
Egil cut him off with a smile. “I know, don’t worry. I know you appreciate me and value me, and the feeling is mutual.” He gave a small bow.
“You’ll go a long way in spite of your size,” Nilsa told Egil jokingly. She gave him a comical grimace.
Egil chuckled, taken by surprise. “Thanks, I appreciate that. I really have missed you.”
Gerd choked and began to cough. Fragments of stew flew out of his mouth.
Several instructors who were eating at the table beside them turned to them at the commotion and signaled to Gerd to put his hand over his mouth when he coughed. Gerd apologized with a gesture, and with another assured them that he would.
“It’d be better if we didn’t attract any curious glances,” Egil pointed out.
Nilsa nodded as she looked around at the other tables. She too had become aware that everybody was looking at them. Egil waited until they were no longer the center of attention and the sound of all the other conversations around them muffled his words. He lowered his head a little.
“The division between them has grown stronger,” he said quietly. “There are two distinct sides: Eyra and Esben on one, Ivana and Haakon on the other. The latter two are with Angus.”
“That’s strange,” said Nilsa. “I’d have thought it would be the other way round, since Esben and Eyra are older than Ivana and Haakon.”
“Age influences relationships a lot, it’s true, but affinity of character is more important, and in this case the characters of Ivana and Haakon are more akin to that of Angus than those of Eyra and Esben. But that’s my own supposition, not a confirmed fact.”
“It must mean something,” Gerd said with a frown.
“Tell us about who’s watching you,” Nilsa asked him. Her gaze was wo
rried.
Egil nodded. “There are two I’ve been able to detect and identify. During the day I’m followed everywhere by Vincent Uliskson, one of the veteran Rangers, always at a distance, trying to avoid being spotted. It took me a while to realize. I have to admit he’s good, but I caught him following me at last, and now I make sure I know where he is when I move around the Camp.”
“Does he only watch you during the day?” Nilsa asked.
“It seems to be so, but it could just be that I haven’t detected him at night.”
“I see. I wondered whether they work together.”
“That seems to be the case, but I can’t be sure for fear of being wrong. Musker Isterton, another veteran, is the one who keeps an eye on me at night. He’s the one who was watching the Library when you arrived.”
Gerd was looking around. “Are they here now?”
Egil shook his head. “They don’t usually show up in the dining-room with all the others.”
“Then they’re not watching you now,” Nilsa guessed.
“That’s right. That’s why I wanted to speak with you here. Because of that and because of this.” He fell silent and waved at the intense murmur of all the conversations of all the contestants of all four years.
Nilsa nodded. “Good idea.”
“Very often the best place to hide something is to put it in the open, so that all the world can see it but not identify it.”
Nilsa nodded, Gerd thought about the reasoning behind the statement, then nodded too.
“Why do you think you’re being watched? What’s behind it?” Nilsa asked.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought. In my opinion it can only be because of one of two things: first, and I think the most likely, because of who I am. An Olafstone, the last in the direct line of descent to the throne of Norghana, and therefore with the right to claim the crown one day.”
Gerd raised his eyebrows. “Isn’t there anybody else in your family with royal blood?”
“Not in a direct line. Only second cousins.”
“A second cousin would also have a right to the crown, surely?” Nilsa asked.
“Yes, but his right to the throne would have less strength and support. That’s why the nobles of the West want me to be their choice in the future. The last of the Olafstone.”