by Pedro Urvi
When they reached the Thousand Lakes, they resumed their strategy of sleeping during the day and traveling by night to avoid being intercepted by any of the Erenalian army patrols. In case they were stopped, Valeria dyed her hair brown with a mixture of clay and roots she had prepared. It would last for a week.
“You look great,” Nilsa said with a giggle as they rested and Valeria combed her now-brunette mane.
“Very funny. Thank goodness, by the time we get to Norghana I’ll be blonde again.”
“That’s a good trick,” said Gerd, who was coming back from the nearby stream with their water-skins filled.
“I learnt it at the Camp. It works very well for a few days.”
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” Egil said apologetically.
“Don’t worry, as long as there’s no mirror anywhere near I won’t mind.”
Egil shrugged. “No plan’s perfect. There’s always some loose end or other to tie up.”
“The plan was magnificent,” she said. “The proof is that we’re not in the royal dungeons of Erenal right now, giving thousands of explanations. This is just a minor inconvenience. It’s even amusing.”
“It certainly is funny!” Nilsa said, and laughed.
“Val, as far as I’m concerned you’re as attractive as ever,” Gerd told her.
“Thanks. You’re a gentleman.”
“No, I just said it in case you need to smear something on your face too,” he commented ironically.
Valeria’s eyes widened. She looked at him indignantly. “Eh? You too?” she said with her hands on her hips.
“They’re looking for a pretty blonde, and you’ve only solved half of the problem,” Gerd explained, unable to hold back his laughter.
Egil too was smiling broadly as he fed his two deadly friends.
“What do you feed those two horrendous things on?” Nilsa asked with a look of distaste.
“Mainly insects. The bigger the better.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re walking around with those two vermin.”
“Very complicated times oblige me to use extremely ingenious methods,” he replied as he fed them from another little bag he carried at his Ranger’s belt.
“You can say that again,” Valeria said with a smile.
“That scorpion,” Gerd began, “the one you used to trick Vincent Uliskson …”
“Yes, tell me,” Egil said encouragingly, “what’s this question that’s been eating at you for so long?”
“That scorpion hasn’t any poison in it either, right? I mean, you used the same ruse as with the viper …”
“It wasn’t exactly the same ruse.”
Nilsa and Valeria turned to look at him.
“What do you mean, it’s not exactly the same ruse?” Gerd said. His expression suggested that he was not going to like the answer.
“Well, you see … you always need to have more than one stratagem, or as gamblers say, more than one ace up your sleeve, otherwise the trick won’t work and you won’t win the game. The viper has no venom because I take it out, and I don’t have an antidote for it because it’s not necessary – and besides, it’s very difficult to prepare and it doesn’t always work. In case this trick fails, or I need a more powerful one, I use the king scorpion.”
“Which does have venom,” Valeria deduced with a grimace.
“That’s right.”
“But that’s really dangerous, Egil!” Nilsa protested bitterly, waving her arms and pacing around him.
“You’ll end up killing someone with that deadly game of yours!” Gerd pointed out.
“Well, if that were the case, it would be an accident … for the scorpion’s venom, yes, I do have the antidote.”
Gerd raised one eyebrow. “And does it always work?”
“‘Always’ is a difficult concept to deal with.”
“What do you mean by that?” Nilsa asked.
“That as with all antidotes, it works most of the time.”
“In other words, not always,” Gerd confirmed.
“There’s no such thing as an infallible antidote,” Egil pointed out.
“Well,” Nilsa objected, “if you don’t have an infallible one, then you shouldn’t use the scorpion.”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Because you’re using deadly poisonous animals!” Gerd shouted at him, trying to make him see how risky his stratagem was and the danger he ran of actually killing someone.
“On humans who, let’s be clear about it, don’t exactly deserve to live …”
“But that’s not a decision for you to make, Egil!” Nilsa snapped. She was getting more and more annoyed.
“In other words, you have set yourself up as judge and executioner after all,” Valeria said. She had asked him about this before, and he had denied it.
Egil shook his head. “It’s not my intention to kill them. I haven’t passed judgment. I’m trying to get hold of information, and yes, the stratagem is rather dangerous and it might turn out to be lethal, but it shouldn’t if everything comes out as planned.”
“And if it goes awry? If you’re wrong?” Gerd asked.
“In that case, yes, someone might die. I can’t deny it.”
“I don’t agree with that particular stratagem!” Nilsa said.
“You’re within your rights. And I appreciate that you don’t want me straying on to the wrong path. Don’t think I don’t realize that your concern is genuine and that you want the best for me as my friends.”
“That’s why we’re telling you,” Gerd pointed out.
“You have to listen to us,” Nilsa said.” It’s too dangerous, and you’ll end up killing someone. And then you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
“It’s a possibility. I can’t say it’s not.”
“At least tell us you’ll think twice before you take out the scorpion,” Gerd pleaded.
“I always do,” he assured them.
“Well, do it a little more, then,” Nilsa begged.
“All right, then … for you I’ll think very carefully when I use Fred.”
“You’ve named it Fred? A king scorpion that can kill with a single sting?”
“That’s right,” Egil said nonchalantly. “I like the name.”
“What have you called the viper, which is almost as lethal as that when it has its venom? Gertrude?” Nilsa asked to provoke him.
“Almost right … I call her Ginger.”
Nilsa and Gerd began to wave their arms around and make all kinds of faces. “You’re impossible,” they said, almost at the same moment.
“The fact is, you have a whale of a time with those deadly games of yours,” Valeria said. She had already sensed that Egil’s interest in Fred and Ginger tended in that direction.
“I find human motivation and the subconscious genuinely fascinating, and my two friends help me explore those things. It’s true, I enjoy mental games a lot. I suppose in the future I’ll have even more chances to experiment.”
“Not in front of me,” Gerd said.
“Or me,” Nilsa agreed.
“Well, the next time we come across a murderer, I’ll leave him to you so that you can get hold of the information we need. Let’s see how well both of you do.”
Gerd folded his arms. “We’ll manage something,” he said, but without conviction.
“Ah, let’s hope the life of a friend isn’t at stake …”
“Well, when the time comes,” Nilsa said reproachfully, “we’ll decide what to do.”
Egil smiled. “All right, then.”
“We can always use Ginger,” said Valeria. “As for Fred … we’ll have to think about that.”
“Can’t we use the Herb of Truth potion?” Nilsa said. She remembered that Egil had done this once.
“I haven’t got any more left. What I could borrow from Eyra I used on Vincent. It’s very difficult to make, and it takes a very long time. There’s hardly any of it in Norghana.”
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“How long is a very long time?” Nilsa wanted to know.
“From what I understand, it takes several years, what with gathering the components and then preparing it.” He looked regretful. “And it’s not always successful. Often the harvest fails, or else the preparation.”
“Ufff ...” Nilsa said, looking disappointed.
“If it’s any consolation, I’ve read in arcane tomes that there’s magic capable of achieving the same effect. Rather wonderful, if you think about it.”
“That certainly is fantastic,” Gerd said, “except that we don’t have a mage with us.”
“True, and besides, he’d have to be a very specialized mage. Magic of the Mind, they call it. How I’d love to meet one of those magi!”
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t!” Nilsa said. “The further away from us a mage is the better.”
They rested a while and ate from their supplies. Valeria went into the forest and returned with two small catches, which she showed them.
“I’m tired of eating salt meat, smoked cheese and black bread. This is a lot tastier.”
“I’ll get the fire going,” said Gerd, whose mouth was already watering.
“You’re very good with the bow,” Egil said to her.
“Well, actually, I cheat …”
Nilsa put her head to one side. “What do you mean, cheat? Didn’t you catch them with the bow?”
“Yes, but I used Elemental Arrows of Earth. Even if I miss, the small explosion the arrow makes when it hits the ground, or any hard surface, has an effect on living creatures nearby. It stuns them, even if it doesn’t hit them directly.”
Nilsa made a dismissive gesture. “Well … cheating, I mean really cheating … it’s not exactly that.”
Egil smiled. “It’s a rather excessive way of hunting, but an efficient one.”
“Yeah, I know using Elemental arrows to catch small prey isn’t ideal, but it works. Now, if the instructors at the Camp or the Shelter saw me, I’d get a good telling off.”
“More than anything else because making one of those arrows takes a long time and uses valuable components,” Egil reminded her.
“I know … I know …it’s just that I wanted to eat something a bit tastier.”
Nilsa laughed. “You’re almost worse than Gerd.”
“A little, yes. But what else can I do if I like to eat well?”
“I’m sure there are other luxuries you like too,” Nilsa said.
“Don’t you believe it …”
Nilsa sat down by the fire Gerd was carefully building. “Aren’t you from a noble family?” she asked thoughtfully, as though trying to place a memory.
“Yes, but not everybody from a noble family has pretentious refined tastes,” Valeria said in her own defense. She looked at Egil.
“Don’t look at me, I’m certainly pretentious and I have refined tastes,” Egil said mockingly.
Nilsa laughed. “Where’s your family from, the East?”
Valeria wrinkled her nose and was suddenly serious. “My family’s from the West, from the county of Olmossen. My father is Count Hans Olmossen,” she finally admitted.
Egil looked at her with interest. “I know the county and your father. A clever man.”
“Is he? I didn’t know.”
“Your father invited mine a few years ago to a hunt on his lands. My father took me with him. It was during the time when he still wanted to turn me into the perfect heir to the Olafstone title. A hunt was an occasion to prove that I was.”
“And did you manage to?” Gerd asked as he blew on the dry grass to encourage the fire to take.
Egil laughed. “No. Absolutely not. At that period riding and hunting weren’t exactly my forte.”
“Well, look at you now,” Nilsa said, “and how much you’ve improved. Your father would be proud of you now.”
Egil sighed deeply. “I hope so. Everything the Rangers have taught me have made me a much more complete man.”
“And a more attractive one,” Valeria said, and winked at him.
Egil laughed again. “No doubt,” he joked, and blushed.
“I don’t remember that hunt,” Valeria said, “although my father never let me take part in that sort of thing, so I was probably sent away with some excuse so that I wouldn’t be able to embarrass him with one of my outbursts of rage.”
“Didn’t they let you take part in hunts organized by your own father?” Nilsa said in surprise.
“No …”
“And he sent you away so you wouldn’t get in the way?” Gerd asked. “That’s pretty bad … I’m sorry.”
“Thanks, Gerd. My father and I don’t get on well. We never have.”
“You needn’t tell us if you don’t want to,” Nilsa told her.
“I don’t mind. It’s what it is…”
Nilsa went over to her and gave her a very direct look. “Sometimes it’s good to talk about these things.”
“My father … Count Olmossen … is one of the most powerful nobles of the West of Norghana.”
“That’s why he was a friend of my father’s,” said Egil. “He was in the Western League.”
“So, he’s one of your people?” Nilsa asked.
He smiled. “Not exactly.”
“My father plays on both sides,” Valeria said. “He’s with the West, but also with the East. That’s how I ended up in the Rangers.”
“Well, it’s the same thing my father did with me to start with,” Egil said to console her.
“Did you know about this?” Gerd asked him.
“I did. Valeria told me at the Camp when we first met. I’m grateful to her for warning me. I’ve always been very careful dealing with her father. I still am. He’s a very complicated, clever man.”
“And you need to go on being careful,” Valeria warned him.
“This whole business of politics is crazy,” Gerd said, shaking his head as he got their food ready. “You never know which side each noble house is on until the very last moment, and that’s when the betrayals start.”
“I couldn’t have put it any better,” Egil said with a smile.
Nilsa turned to Valeria. “And you still don’t get along with your father? After a whole life?”
“You guess correctly.”
Nilsa nodded. “Because he plays both sides?”
“Because of that, and because he’s a male chauvinist. He’s named my younger brother Lars as heir to all his lands, titles and wealth. I’m the eldest, and hence I ought to be the one to inherit. I’ve been raised to do that, like a boy, and yet he made my younger brother the heir.”
Nilsa’s lip curled. “Because he’s closer to your brother just because he’s a boy?”
“That’s right. My brother’s the apple of his eye. According to my father’s backward way of thinking, a woman can’t inherit even if she’s the first-born.”
“That way of thinking’s deep-rooted in the north,” said Gerd.
“And in other kingdoms of Tremia as well,” Egil added. He had left his two deadly friends in one of his saddlebags.
“You don’t think the same, do you?” Valeria asked them. There was clear warning in her voice, and a threat in her eyes.
Gerd raised his hands and shook them. “Of course not. Men and women have to have equal rights.”
“In everything,” Egil added.
“That’s it, equal in everything,” Valeria repeated. She sounded easier.
“What a shame your father thinks that way,” Nilsa said sadly.
“And I’m much better than my brother with sword and bow, even before I started with the Rangers. You can imagine now …”
“Hasn’t your father changed his mind now you’ve become a Specialist?” Nilsa asked.
“No. That’s why I haven’t even gone back home. We’ve exchanged deeply affectionate letters …”
“I can imagine what’s in them,” said Gerd, looking horrified.
“There’s no love lost between us,” Valeria sa
id.
“There must be some love,” Nilsa said. “He’s your father …”
“Don’t you believe it,” Valeria said. “But it doesn’t matter. One day those lands and titles will be mine, and nobody’ll be able to take them away from me. It’s my right, and I’m going to affirm it, whatever the cost.”
“That could bring you a lot of trouble,” Egil warned her. “Your father isn’t the best-loved of the Western nobles, but on the other hand he’s well-respected and he carries weight among them. They won’t allow you to go against his will.”
“Because they’re as backward as he is, and they don’t want to acknowledge the rights of Norghanian women. I’m going to force them to do it. I’m not going to let them go on with their sexist customs.”
Egil went on with his warning. “Those are words that do you credit, but they’ll bring you plenty of problems. Changing a whole society isn’t easy, particularly when those who hold the power don’t want it to change.”
“I know. That’s why I have to fight, and so I will. Will you be on the opposite side? You’re one of those nobles.”
“No, I won’t be on the opposite side, and no, I’m not one of those nobles.”
“Your name is the one that carries most weight in the West,” Valeria said.
“Was … it’s not the case any longer.”
“I know it still is. And I know that one day you’ll go back to claim it. You’ll need the support of my father, or his heir if he isn’t there any longer.”
Egil looked at her, but said neither yes nor no.
“You’re not thinking of going against your father, are you?” Nilsa asked her anxiously.
“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. What I can promise is that I’ll fight for my rights as a woman. Mine and those of all of us.”
“Don’t let those feelings of hate and frustration cloud your judgment,” Egil said, trying to help. “I’ve had them, for a different cause, but I know they lead to a bad place.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m a Norghanian through and through. I can take care of myself and deal with my hatreds and frustrations.”