Power Conspiracy

by Pedro Urvi

  Nilsa, Valeria and Gerd looked aghast at this. They protested to the Ice Gods, waving their hands, ranting and raving, while Egil merely smiled at them.

  Chapter 31

  The days sailing the high seas were turning out peaceful, which was something they were all grateful for. The weather was good, and for once they had the wind behind them and there was no sign of pirates or sea monsters to pose a problem.

  “How’s everything?” Ingrid asked Olsen when he came to talk to them at the bow.

  “So far, fine.”

  “What does Captain Alfons say?”

  “Nothing I haven’t heard before. There aren’t many seamen who dare enter the quadrant we’re heading for. You know there’s a lot of superstition around this area. Plenty of ships vanish around here. We know the reason why, but the captain doesn’t. I’ve reassured him, telling him it’s because it’s an area that’s very prone to storms, and that if we keep our wits about us we shouldn’t have any trouble.”

  “Did he believe you?” Viggo said, looking surprised.

  “No … he’s a good seaman and he feels there’s something more going on, but since he doesn’t know what it could be and he can’t refuse to take us, he has no choice.”

  “He can’t refuse?” Ingrid repeated in surprise.

  “No. I paid him in gold, and his good name would suffer if he backed out without some strong reason. Whatever happens, I’ll do everything I can to set his mind at rest.”

  “That means he’s never been to this area and doesn’t know it,” Lasgol commented.

  “No, most of Captain Alfons’s trade is with the Nocean Empire, and his voyages are to the south. This westward voyage is something new for him. All the same, he’s made enquiries and heard things… apart from already having some knowledge, like the good captain he is. He knows there are no islands in this quadrant, even though some sailors have spread rumors – more so lately – about the Turquoise Archipelago. Most likely sailors of our own expedition who survived the mission. Luckily the rumors aren’t widespread, and they haven’t been taken too seriously among the experienced seamen, so we needn’t worry too much.”

  “Better that way,” Lasgol said.

  “The fact that he didn’t know the route is one of the reasons why I decided to hire him. Other captains who’ve entered this quadrant flee from it as if from the plague. It would be extremely difficult for me to persuade them to take us there.”

  “It’ll be better if he doesn’t know much about where we’re going,” Ingrid agreed.

  After a week of quiet, incident-free sailing, the sky turned black and a storm appeared to starboard. The winds turned very strong, and the sea was soon so rough that it was frightening to look at.

  Viggo indicated the storm. “Looks as though we’re getting near.”

  “You think so?” Ingrid asked. She too was staring at it.

  Everything happened in a moment, and they barely had time to react.

  “Strong, unexpected storm,” Viggo said. “That’s how it started to get interesting last time.”

  “You’d better hold on tight,” Ingrid warned him. “And by all the heavens, don’t throw up all over me.”

  “I’m not going to throw up this time.”

  “Oh yeah, sure. Don’t even look at me.”

  Captain Olsen warned Alfons to veer at once, and with great skill the Rogdonian captain made the ship turn to avoid the storm. He passed it more closely than was comfortable, but the crew fastened the sails and the ship stood up to the huge waves and strong winds.

  Viggo could not keep his promise and vomited.

  “By the Gods of Ice! You weakling!” Ingrid yelled at him as she endured the storm clinging to a rope, like a warrior goddess anchored to the deck.

  “I … it’s not … me … it’s my … stomach!” and once again he threw up over the gunwale.

  Lasgol had taken Camu below to the cabin, with Ona, who was very restless. Everything’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about.

  Ship much up and down, Camu transmitted.

  It’s a storm, but we’ll outrun it, don’t worry.

  Ona very worried.

  I know. Lasgol lay down on the floor beside Ona and hugged her tightly to transmit her some of his confidence.

  Easy girl, it’ll pass.

  The storm went by without bearing too heavily on them, but soon another appeared to port. This one was huge, and they found it very hard to avoid. Several sailors fell into the sea and were swallowed up. Nor was it the last. Two more storms appeared out of thin air a few days later, and came very close to sinking them. Thanks to the skill of the two captains working together, they managed to win through.

  “That was too close,” Ingrid commented to Lasgol. “We nearly went down.”

  “Yeah, much too close,” Lasgol agreed. He was very worried.

  “This is turning out worse than last time,” Viggo said. He looked like a ghost.

  “You’d better drink something,” Ingrid advised him. “You must be completely dehydrated from all that vomiting.”

  “Wine?” he joked.

  “You don’t look up to making jokes. You look dreadful.”

  “Am I that bad?” he asked Lasgol.

  “Worse.”

  “Oops … well, I can’t have that. I’m going below to get over it. An irresistible conqueror of hearts like me can’t afford to neglect his image.”

  “A seasick idiot, you mean,” Ingrid said mockingly.

  Viggo was about to reply, but once again he felt decidedly ill and ran to throw up over the gunwale.

  “You’d better give him a hand, just in case he falls into the water,” Ingrid said to Lasgol. She sounded worried.

  “I’ll help him,” he said with a smile, and went after him.

  Five days and another storm later, they made out fog on the sea at five hundred paces to starboard.

  Mist! Lots of mist! Camu called from the top of the mainmast.

  “At last!” Viggo cried out. He raised his arms to the heavens with as much joy as if he had found a treasure.

  Lasgol glanced back at the stern, where Olsen and Alfons were talking as they stared out at the mist. “Let’s see if Olsen can confirm it.”

  “They don’t seem to be agreeing,” Viggo commented. He sounded a little worried.

  Ingrid arched one eyebrow. “Yeah, something’s the matter. They’ve been talking for a good while and they’re still at it.”

  “They look pretty serious,” Lasgol said, “and they’re both pointing to the mist. This is starting to worry me.”

  Ingrid did her best to sound reassuring. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, it might be nothing.”

  Olsen spoke with Alfons for some time longer. They were both waving their arms about, which was certainly not a good sign. Alfons gave several orders in Rogdonian and set course for the mist.

  “We’re heading to the mist,” Viggo commented. “That’s a good sign.”

  “They’re taking in all three sails,” Lasgol pointed out.

  “That’s certainly not a good sign,” Ingrid said, wrinkling her nose.

  When Olsen came over to them, his expression showed them that there was trouble.

  “What’s happening?” Lasgol asked nervously. They were very near Astrid by now, and he felt he could not cope with any more obstacles.

  “We have a situation,” Olsen said. “Captain Alfons, like the good Rogdonian he is, goes by the rules. He refuses to go on into the mist.”

  “What do you mean?” Lasgol cried angrily.

  “Mist and storms are a deadly combination. The captain knows that and doesn’t want to go in. He’ll take us to the edge of the mist, but no further.”

  “No!” Ingrid protested. “We’re almost there!”

  “Leave it to me, I’ll make him change his mind,” said Viggo. He took out his throwing dagger.

  Ingrid seized his arm. “Wait. Don’t be too hasty.”

  “What are we going to do, then?” L
asgol asked.

  “I’ve arranged it so that he’ll let you enter the mist in one of the large sailboats the ship carries.”

  “No way!” said Viggo, who was clearly ready to cut Alfons’s throat. “We stay on the ship and let Alfons go in the boat.”

  “That wouldn’t be a good idea,” Olsen pointed out.

  “Why not?”

  “To begin with, it’s called mutiny on the high seas, and you hang for it. In any realm. What’s more, it doesn’t seem to me such a bad idea if you go in a boat instead of in the ship. Remember, last time we ran aground and nearly lost the ship.”

  “That’s true,” Ingrid admitted.

  “I don’t think that’s such a bad idea after all,” Lasgol admitted after thinking about it for a moment. “Whether we do this last stretch by ship or by sailboat isn’t particularly important. It’s not going to delay us that much.”

  “Exactly,” Olsen said. “Alfons would be going very slowly in the fog in any case.”

  “Well then, we take the sailboat and go into the mist,” Ingrid said confidently. “After all, we already know what’s hidden inside it.”

  “Right,” Olsen said. “I’ve spoken with Alfons about it, and we’ve decided I’ll stay here with him. We’ll wait for you to come back, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave without you.”

  “If he does,” Viggo said threateningly, “tell him I’ll search for him across the whole of Rogdon and leave him without any descendants. Have I made myself clear?”

  “Very clear,” Olsen agreed with a nod. “I have one last thing for you, Lasgol. It’s from Eicewald.”

  Lasgol looked at him in surprise. “What is it?”

  “I don’t know. He told me to give it to you when we reached the Eternal Mist, that it would help you.” He handed Lasgol a leather pouch.

  When Lasgol felt it, he knew what it was immediately. He opened the pouch and let the contents fall on to the palm of his hand.

  It was a pearl with a blue incrustation on the surface, as if it were a small precious stone.

  Ingrid recognized it immediately. “Eicewald’s navigation pearl!”

  “I wish you the best of luck, friends. I know you’ll make it. I’ll be waiting here with the ship.”

  “Thanks, Olsen,” Lasgol said, and shook hands with the Norghanian captain.

  “Don’t forget to pass on my warning to Alfons,” Viggo said. He threw his dagger into the air and caught it deftly as it fell.

  Olsen gave him a nod.

  A little while later, the crew lowered the sailboat carrying Ingrid, Lasgol, Viggo, Camu and Ona into the water. Camu was hiding Ona with his camouflage skill. They unfurled the sail, took out the oars and entered the mist, to the astonishment of the crew, who were thinking they were a bunch of madmen heading for certain death.

  Once inside the mist, as they had expected, they lost their course completely. Nothing was visible, and what was worse, a storm could hit them at any moment. They were surrounded by a mist so thick that it would not allow them to see beyond a couple of paces. The same grim silence they had already experienced fell upon them again. They could hear nothing, neither the wind, nor the oars, only the beating of their own hearts. Lasgol’s own was beating hard and fast. He knew he was very near Astrid. All they had to do was cross the Eternal Mist, and they would be in the Turquoise Realm.

  The problem was that they did not know which direction they were going in. There was no sense in rowing. Ingrid, who was at the helm, had reached the same conclusion as Lasgol.

  “If we go on without a course we’ll never get anywhere,” she said.

  “I can’t see a thing. I can’t find my bearings,” said Viggo. He was trying to part the fog with his hands, without success.

  Ona moaned unhappily, and Camu, beside her, sent her a soothing message.

  Everything fine, Ona.

  Lasgol was grateful to Camu for this gesture toward his sister.

  “Lasgol,” Ingrid asked, “if Eicewald left you the pearl, it’s because he thinks you know how to use it, right?”

  “I guess so …”

  “Try it, weirdo,” Viggo said. “Maybe you’ll get us out of this blasted mist.”

  “Okay. I don’t know much about using Objects of Power, but I’ll try.”

  Viggo smiled wryly. “You must know more than we do.”

  Lasgol placed the pearl on his hand, shut his eyes and concentrated.

  Feel Power, Camu warned him.

  Yes, I’m going to try and invoke it. With his eyes shut, he tried to feel the magic of the object. None of his skills were any use to him on this occasion, since he had not developed them for this purpose. He could only think of feeling the magic of the object and somehow awakening it. He tried this for a long time, but without luck. He tried again, until finally he was forced to give up.

  “Hmmm … I’m going to try something else.”

  “Whatever,” Viggo said.

  Camu, can you help me?

  I help you.

  I can’t manage to call up the power of the pearl. You try. Maybe you can.

  I cancel Magic.

  I know, that’s your innate skill, but maybe you can activate it too. You did that once at the Shelter with a rune. Try again and see if we have any luck.

  I try.

  Lasgol showed the pearl to Camu, and he – in his invisible state – stared at it fixedly. For a while nothing happened, and Lasgol let him go on trying without interrupting him.

  “What’s happening?” Viggo asked.

  “He’s trying, can’t you see?” Ingrid said.

  “Well, he’s not getting anywhere.”

  “Shut up, you dumbass, and let him concentrate.”

  Suddenly there was a golden flash around Camu’s body. The Pearl rose above Lasgol’s hand. It turned on itself, and the blue point showed them the course they had to follow.

  You did it, Camu!

  I activate Power, he said delightedly, and began his happy dance, flexing his legs and wagging his tail.

  You’re fantastic! Lasgol said gratefully.

  “You did it!” Ingrid said. Lasgol meanwhile was already turning the sailboat in the direction they had to follow.

  “It wasn’t me, it was Camu.”

  “Wow, that’s great. Very well done, Camu,” Ingrid told him.

  “The bug did it?” Viggo asked in amazement.

  “That’s right. It seems that apart from cancelling magic, he can also interact with it. It’s really surprising and interesting.”

  “As Egil would say, it’s fantastic,” Viggo said, imitating his friend’s voice and laughing, and Ingrid and Lasgol joined in the laughter.

  They made their way on through the mist, following the course the Pearl indicated, for three days. Their worst fears did not materialize, and no storm came near them. On the fourth day, they emerged from the Eternal Mist.

  Before them there appeared the secret archipelago.

  The realm of Uragh, the Turquoise Queen.

  Chapter 32

  As Nilsa and Egil strolled along one of the great avenues of Erenalia, the redhead was feeling such awe at the city’s majesty and beauty that she could barely keep her mouth closed. The white granite and marble buildings which flanked the avenue – polished, clean, huge and impressive – held her completely entranced.

  On the opposite sidewalk, a few paces behind so as not to draw too much attention, Valeria and Gerd were following them. They had agreed to split up and leave some distance between them to avoid trouble. It was one thing for Norghanians to be allowed to wander the streets of the capital, but quite another to attract the soldiers’ attention, bearing in mind that these particular Norghanians were there with intentions that were not entirely honorable; the fewer people who noticed them the better. A group of four Norghanians would stand out in the middle of the capital, but not so much a couple, even though the passers-by turned their heads the moment they saw them and realized that they were northern.

  The
inhabitants of the kingdom of Erenal were a different race from both their neighbors to the north the Zangrians and the Norghanians. Their skin was a light olive, with dark hair and eyes. They were slender and not too tall, though more so than the Zangrians. Another feature that distinguished them from their immediate neighbors was that they took great care of their appearance and hair. Hygiene was valued in the kingdom of Erenal, as well as well-tended hair, and there were barely any beards to be seen among the men.

  Nilsa quickly noticed the difference between the peoples of the two neighboring kingdoms and was impressed. “The Zangrians look like dirty, ugly brutes compared with these people,” she commented to Egil.

  “It’s not that the Zangrians are brutes, or at least no more than we Norghanians are,” he admitted, “but it’s true that they don’t take very much care over their appearance and hygiene.”

  “What a curious skin color! I love it,” she said in a whisper, with a touch of envy, at the sight of two elegantly dressed women passing them.

  “If there’s one thing we have in Tremia,” Egil replied with a smile, “it’s different skin tones among the many races that inhabit the continent.”

  “I don’t know very many. But after seeing the Turquoise People, I don’t think I’ll ever be surprised again. Or at least I don’t think so.”

  “Wait until you see the Usik,” Egil said

  “The savages who live in the fathomless forests and kill everyone who comes into them?”

  “Yes, those. They’re as green as plants, and they paint their faces in different colors: black, red, white …”

  “Oh …” She shook her head.” Maybe I’d rather not see them, if they’re going to try to kill me.”

  “You’ve got a point there. It’s a pity I wasn’t lucky enough to see the Turquoise People. I’d have loved to. Perhaps someday. They must be fantastic.”

  “I’m sure you’ll see them some day. It’ll be quite a shock because of their turquoise color and their hair, which is really strange. The way they live off the sea and their islands are really interesting and unusual.”