Power Conspiracy

by Pedro Urvi

  “Perhaps you’re overexerting yourself, risking your own health,” said Egil. He was sure this was true, since with every day that went by the Healer looked more worn, bordering on decrepit.

  “Nonsense. Not at all. Besides, I owe Dolbarar too much. It’s my chance to repay my debt to him.”

  “Debt?” Nilsa asked. The moment the question had left her mouth, she knew it was a little improper of her to be so curious.

  Edwina looked into her eyes.

  “You don’t need to answer, it’s just curiosity … you know …”

  The Healer smiled. “Yes, I know, you youngsters want to know everything and do everything all at once.”

  “Our Healer’s young too,” Nilsa said.

  “I certainly wish I were your age and had your energy and vitality,” the Healer said with a longing look. She sat down on the ground and motioned them to do the same. “Quite a few years ago, my destiny was sealed by a request from Dolbarar, one that would mark me forever and define who I am. My order of Healers, the Order of Tirsar, sends Healers throughout Tremia with the intention of rendering service wherever it’s needed.”

  “But the order’s from the Kingdom of Rogdon, isn’t it?” asked Gerd, who had heard this mentioned.

  “The Temple of Tirsar is in the realm of Rogdon, in a small western peninsula,” Edwina confirmed. “But we don’t belong to Rogdon, or to any kingdom. We dedicate ourselves to the good people of Tremia. Our duty is to watch over the health and wellbeing of all, even though there are very few of us. The kingdom of Rogdon has protected us and helped us from the inception of the order, which is why it has established itself there.”

  “And the Healers travel all through Tremia?” Egil said. “That must be dangerous.”

  “It is. Very. Tremia is full of dangers and – unfortunately – of evil people. Wicked, heartless, capable of vile and abhorrent acts, against women and against Healers.”

  Nilsa was stirred to fury. “Monsters! If I come across one of them he’ll get what for!”

  Gerd was shaking his head. “Nobody should attack a woman for being one.”

  “Or for practicing magic,” Egil added.

  “I’m glad you think that way. I can see that we prepare not only good Rangers but also good men.”

  “That’s the very least!” Nilsa said angrily, clenching her fists in rage.

  “The Rangers were suffering innumerable casualties, accidents and illnesses. Dolbarar asked the Mother Healer of the Temple, our Leader, for one of us to come to the Camp to help him.”

  “And she granted it?” Gerd asked in surprise.

  “Yes, she did. There are very few who have the Talent of Healing, and we can’t accept all the requests for help from all the realms, but this one was granted and I was sent here.”

  “That’s strange,” Egil said. “Norghana is no friend of Rogdon, they’re rival kingdoms, vying for military supremacy in the continent. I’m sure the Mother Healer would come under pressure from the King of Rogdon not to comply with a request which favored his rival.”

  “You’ve always had a good head on your shoulders,” Edwina said, and winked at him. “So it was. King Solin of Rogdon didn’t want a Healer to go to the Court of Norghana, which King Uthar had requested again and again. Both monarchs were young, beginning their rule, and they wanted to make a name for themselves across the continent.”

  “What happened?” asked Gerd.

  “The Mother Healer managed to find a solution which satisfied both the young monarchs and herself. A Healer would go to the Camp and live there, helping the Rangers. In this way she helped Norghana, which the Mother Healer certainly wanted to do, and King Solin couldn’t oppose it, because she wouldn’t be going to the Court to serve Uthar directly.”

  “But she would indirectly,” Egil said with one eyebrow raised.

  “Exactly. It was an intermediate agreement. Nobody got all they wanted, but they all got part of what they were looking for. It was accepted. Uthar had his Healer in Norghana, albeit not at the Court, and Solin had prevented Uthar from getting what he wanted. The Mother Healer now had a Healer in Norghana, which delighted her.”

  “Kings interfere in everything,” Nilsa said accusingly.

  “Well, if it’s something that tilts the balance of power, of course they do,” said Egil.

  Edwina nodded heavily. “I’m afraid that’s true. I was the chosen Healer. I was young then, and though I had no wish to leave my sisters in the temple, I’d already finished my training and was ready to go out into the world to serve. I was sent here, to the Camp. I made the journey with a sister Healer, Anastasia, who had been assigned to the Kingdom of Zangria. She must still be there, doing good wherever she can.”

  “You travelled together?” Nilsa asked.

  “That’s right, in the company of two Protector Sisters.”

  “I don’t know that term … Protector Sisters,” said Gerd.

  “It’s the usual thing. Within the Temple of Tirsar we’re divided into Healers, who are born with the Gift of Healing, and Protectors, who don’t have the Talent and whose function is to protect the Temple and all its members. They’re instructed in the art of war and the use of weapons. They protect us.”

  Nilsa clapped her hands. “Oh, how interesting!”

  “It certainly is,” Gerd agreed. “Warrior sisters … soldiers … interesting …”

  “Unfortunately the journey was one I’ll always remember with great pain.”

  “What happened?” Gerd asked, fearful of what she might be about to tell them.

  Edwina heaved a deep sigh. Her face took on an expression of pain at the memory. “When we reached the Norghanian border we separated. Two Protector Sisters went with Anastasia to Zangria, the other two went on with me to the Camp. That was when it happened. Past the great fortress of Skol, in the south of the realm, when we were on our way to the city of Olstos to rest at an inn before we went on northwards, we were attacked …”

  Nilsa gasped and gave a start. “Attacked? Who by?”

  The Healer took a deep breath, trying to muffle the pain the memory reawakened in her.

  “We fell into an ambush … in a gully. A group of bandits attacked us, more than a dozen of them. The Protector Sisters fought to defend me. They were brave, strong, tough women, and they killed more than half those outlaws. But the numbers were decisive in the end, and they both perished from the multiple wounds they suffered. I’ll never forget them. They gave their lives for me.”

  “What did they want?” Nilsa asked. “Gold?”

  “Yes, they wanted gold. They took everything. Gold, armor, everything. They were the kind of abominable men … who were capable of unspeakable acts … against women … against me.”

  “Oh no! No!” Nilsa covered her face with her hands in horror.

  “They left me for dead under some bushes. They had no idea I was a Healer. Probably they didn’t even know that Healers existed. I survived thanks to my Gift.”

  “That’s horrible!” Gerd said. “I’m so sorry!”

  “There are no words to express how sorry I am,” Egil said, shaking his head heavily.

  “Thank you. The memory always brings me pain: pain for the lives that were lost, for what they did to me … A passing trader found me, took me to Olstos and they looked after me there. They called the Rangers, who brought me to the Camp. When I told Dolbarar, he took care of those human vermin. He sent several Man Hunters, the best among the Rangers. They found them and hanged them all.”

  “They ought to have burned them alive!” Nilsa cried with tears in her eyes.

  “Revenge doesn’t solve anything,” the Healer said. “Hate begets more hate.”

  “Even so … they deserved to be skinned and quartered alive,” Nilsa said, and Gerd nodded in agreement.

  “Since then this has been my home. I serve the Rangers. I help them to stay alive.”

  “Thank you for trusting us with such a personal story,” Egil said.

  �
��The past is past. Bad things happen.” She was looking at Nilsa, as if warning her to be very careful. “There’s no point in blaming anybody.”

  They nodded, speechless. “Is there anything we can do?” Nilsa asked.

  “Right now the only thing you can do is let me rest here by the Sacred Oak so that I can get my energy back.”

  Nilsa leapt to her feet in a single bound. “Of course. Right away.”

  Egil and Gerd too got to their feet, and the three friends left the Oakwood, leaving the Healer inside it, recharging her energy and nursing an old wound which would never heal.

  Chapter 12

  Leaving Edwina recovering in the Sacred Oakwood, they went to see Angus in the Command House. As they crossed the center of the Camp, they were able to see that things still went on as usual in spite of the absence of their beloved leader Dolbarar. The contenders from all four years ran from one side to the other on their way between their training sessions, looking worried about what was in store for them next. The instructors, tough but fair, harangued them as they always did, raising their spirits and making their tired young bodies suffer.

  “What memories …” Nilsa said as she watched them.

  Gerd was shaking his head. “Some of them not good at all.”

  Egil added his voice to his friend’s complaint. “Particularly those from back at the beginning.”

  Gerd made a face. “You bet! What a hard time we had …”

  “You and me both, especially me,” Egil said with a nostalgic smile.

  Nilsa was beginning to feel left out of this. “I had a pretty rough time too.”

  “Not even half what we went through,” Gerd said with a look of horror.

  Nilsa smiled and gave a small hop. “Actually, you’re right.” She laughed. “Those first two years, you two went through hell.”

  “Don’t remind me of it,” Gerd muttered.

  Egil looked at the Library as they went by and sighed. “In spite of all that, I wouldn’t change it for anything,” he admitted.

  “Are you sure?” Nilsa prodded him. “Not even for the nobleman’s life you have a right to?”

  He smiled. “Not in a thousand years. I couldn’t be prouder and happier to have graduated as a Ranger. And what’s more,” he added with deep sadness, “if I’d followed in my brothers’ footsteps I’d have ended up like them.” He bowed his head.

  Gerd nodded emphatically. “I wouldn’t change being a Ranger for anything else.”

  “But you’re always complaining about what a hard time you had here,” Nilsa teased him.

  “I complain, true, but I wouldn’t change anything. I’m telling you, I’d do it all over again if I had to.”

  “Seriously? Don’t forget that most of the time you were throwing up from the effort, scared to death and in so much pain you couldn’t think clearly.”

  “Yes, and every one of those moments made me grow up into the person I am today. Now I feel I’m a hundred times better than that scared young farmer who didn’t know anything when he first came here. And that’s beyond price as far as I’m concerned.”

  “The really priceless thing is the friendship we forged here, overcoming all the adversities we had to confront,” Egil said.

  Nilsa and Gerd both nodded in agreement. “Yeah, what would I have done without you!” said Gerd with a broad smile.

  “We owe most of it to Dolbarar,” Nilsa said, “to his leadership and the fact that he helped us. We’ve got to save him however we can.”

  Egil nodded. “And quite apart from that, I owe him my life. He interceded for me before the King, risking his own life, when there was no need for him to. I owe him a debt of life, and it’s my duty to repay him. Now is the moment for that.” In his eyes had appeared the determination and strength which were so typical of Ingrid.

  “We’ll do it,” Gerd said. He put his arm around Egil’s shoulders. “We’ll save him. We all owe him a massive debt.”

  At the Command House, the Rangers on duty at the door recognized them and let them through. The four Master Rangers were sitting in front of the low fire, talking in serious voices, but they all looked up as the three of them walked in.

  Esben was the first to greet them. “We have visitors,” he said smiling. “Hello, Egil.”

  “Master Rangers,” Egil said with a respectful nod.

  “Nilsa, Gerd, what a surprise to see you here,” Eyra said with a smile from her seat by the fire. She did not get up. Over sixty, with her curly salt-and-pepper hair and long crooked nose, she looked like a benevolent witch. But like Healer Edwina, she looked worn out now. She had aged, as though she were now in her eighties, with purple circles under her eyes and ashen skin, no doubt the result of looking after Dolbarar day and night. Eyra’s dedication was praiseworthy, but if she did not take better care of herself, she would be unable to finish her work and see Dolbarar fully recovered.

  Esben went over to Gerd, took his arms and gave them a firm squeeze. The middle-aged Ranger was as big as a bear, and even Gerd looked small beside him.

  “I see you’re strong as an oak, and taller, if I’m not mistaken,” he said, looking him up and down. Gerd saw a proud smile on the Master Ranger’s face with its flat nose and large brown eyes, although it was difficult to see anything between the bushy chestnut-brown beard and the hair that fell in disorder to his shoulders.

  Gerd smiled. “The life of a Ranger suits me,” he said with a smile, feeling proud at Esben’s compliment. The Master Ranger was not one who gave compliments freely.

  “It certainly ought to,” Esben said, and gave him a slap on the shoulder. “We of the School of Wildlife always take to the outdoor life. In the woods and mountains of the realm we can thrive. So where have you been?”

  “Mostly on the Zangrian border.”

  “Life on the border is tough but exciting,” the Master Ranger said with a wink.

  “It certainly is sir. The Zangrians kept me busy with their skirmishes and their comings and goings.”

  “Those braggarts are a tough nut to crack. Never trust them. They might be short, but they’re hard as rock.”

  Gerd patted his thigh, where he had received a wound. “I’ve found out how hard they are in my own flesh.”

  Ivana came over to Nilsa and looked her up and down with her cold blue eyes. As usual, her hair was gathered in a ponytail.

  “You were one of mine,” she said. “I’ve heard you’re doing very well out there.”

  Nilsa blushed. “Well … I do what I can …” She wished she had Ivana’s northern beauty, though if possible a little warmer. She herself was nowhere near her equal in looks, though she was proud of her red hair and freckles. If an Ice God were to grant her a wish, it would be to combine her own face with Ivana’s beauty. It would be rather wonderful, a combination both exotic and beautiful. Everybody would turn to look at her when she came into a room. She would love it.

  “Our leader Gondabar speaks very highly of you,” Ivana said to her. “That gives me great satisfaction, seeing that you belong to my School. Work well done brings its rewards.” Her cold eyes gleamed with pride.

  Nilsa returned the compliment more mutedly. “Thank you. The teaching I was given during my training has been of great use to me in the outside world.”

  “Don’t stop getting better with that bow, and go on getting commendations from your superiors, and perhaps one day you’ll receive an invitation to the Shelter to prepare for a Specialty.”

  “Oh, that would be wonderful!” Nilsa said. She could not help clapping her hands excitedly.

  “What Specialty would you like to achieve?”

  Nilsa did not have to think twice about this. “Mage Hunter.”

  Ivana nodded in agreement. “That’s a good choice. A good Mage Hunter is an unequaled ally when it comes to fighting against Sorcerers, Shamans, Warlocks or Witches, and the like.”

  “Would you like to become a Specialist too?” Esben asked Gerd.

  “It’s not really my
priority,” Gerd replied. He was a little ashamed about not having that ambition, unlike many other Rangers.

  “In that case aim to be a great Ranger, because we’re rather short on those.”

  Gerd smiled shyly. “I’ll try, sir.”

  “And how is it that we have a visit from two of the heroes of the defeat of the Frozen Specter?” Haakon said suddenly, staring at Gerd and Nilsa without moving from beside the fire. His tone of voice was that of an interrogator.

  Nilsa and Gerd glanced at one another, unsure what to say.

  “They’ve come to pay me a visit,” said Egil.

  “Oh, just a visit?”

  “Yes, we’re on extended leave,” Nilsa explained.

  “Of course,” Eyra said. “After your excellent work in saving the realm, you deserve a reward.”

  “But the curious thing,” Haakon went on, “is that although you’ve been given leave, you haven’t gone to see your families rather than come back here to the Camp.”

  “Egil is like family to us,” Gerd said.

  Haakon stared into his eyes as if trying to pick up the lie in them. “It’s true,” he went on, still probing, “sometimes bonds which are hard to break are created among comrades in a team. I see this is true for you. You’re more than friends … practically family … is that so?”

  “Yes, sir,” Nilsa said firmly. “The Snow Panthers are like siblings.”

  The ghost of a smile appeared on Haakon’s face. “And if a family member asks for something, I’m sure you’ll do what’s required.” He was looking at Egil.

  “It would depend on the request,” Egil put in quickly. He guessed what Haakon was getting at. “Not everything is either acceptable or licit.”

  “I see …” Haakon sounded unconvinced. “You wouldn’t be planning anything … shall we say, of a family nature …?”

  Egil gave Gerd and Nilsa a warning look, to deter them from replying to the insinuation. They both took the hint and said nothing.

  “If the Master Ranger is referring to my family, I can assure you it has nothing to do with that.”

  “Yes, I’m referring precisely to your family.” Haakon had now fixed Egil with his dark eyes, searching for a lie.