by Pedro Urvi
Ona looked at him blankly. Lasgol realized it was too much information for the poor animal to understand. He broke it up into parts.
Ona. Search. Plant.
The panther was giving him all her attention.
Ona. Search. Plant. Yellow-orange flower.
Ona chirped affirmatively.
Ona. Search. Plant, white tip in the shape of a bell.
The panther started to search among the trees, though Lasgol did not know whether she had understood or not. They went on looking further north; the sea was not very far away. Suddenly Ona stopped and gave a call. She was sniffing at the roots of a huge tree. Lasgol readied his bow in case of trouble, went over slowly and saw it. It was the Undying Bell! Ona had found it!
Ona. Very good! he transmitted to her joyfully. He stroked her head and she rubbed against him in return, then he collected the plant. She gave a sudden bounce, startling him. She gave another bounce. Lasgol looked around but could see nothing suspicious. He relaxed. Camu meanwhile was dancing, flexing his legs and wagging his tail. Ona’s strange behavior had something to do with his little friend, that was for sure.
Why are you dancing?
Celebrate. Ona find plant.
Oh… and what’s Ona doing?
Dance.
Dance?
I tell her.
You told her to dance?
Dance fun.
Yeah, I know that.
Dance. Celebrate plant.
Ona bounced again, startling Lasgol. This was something really unusual.
When you tell Ona something, warn me.
I tell her things.
Lasgol realized that this was not going to work. He had to find out what Camu was telling Ona, as a precaution. Camu had some distinctly crazy ideas. He thought of something.
Tell her to lie down.
I tell.
Lasgol saw Ona following the order, which meant that Camu had sent her the message, even though he had not received it himself.
Tell her to get up, but this time, instead of just telling her, tell both of us, Ona and me.
Camu looked at him in puzzlement. He tilted his head to one side and blinked hard. For a moment nothing happened, and Lasgol thought his idea was not going to work.
Ona got up, but he himself did not receive any message. The panther lay down again after a moment. Lasgol shook his head. He was not getting anything.
Ona. Up, came the message suddenly.
The panther got up. She too had received the mental message.
Very good, Camu!
I very smart.
Yes, you are. From now on, all the messages you send to Ona, send them to me too. That way I’ll know what’s going on.
All? Camu transmitted, and Lasgol felt his little friend did not want to tell him everything. There could only be one reason for this.
Yes, all of them. No mischief behind my back, you rascal.
Camu put his head to one side. I do that.
Good. Lasgol knew he had achieved another small success and was very pleased. Now communication would flow much better between the three of them.
Let’s be on our way, he said to the two of them. Search for more plants.
Search for plants, Camu replied happily. For him it was a new game. Ona gave an affirmative chirp.
They went on north and climbed a steepish hill, bare and rocky. Lasgol’s joy faded the moment they reached the top. Before them, in the distance, was the icy northern sea. They could even see the tip of a distant iceberg. Below, half a day away, he could see another huge village of the Wild Ones. It was even bigger than the one they had just fled from.
Wild Ones. Big village. Camu confirmed.
Ona growled, and the hair on her back and tail pricked.
I see it, friends. It’s newly-built. They seem to be resettling this area too. This is not good news.
For a long moment he stared out at the landscape and the village. He marked the site on the map as he had done with the previous one, so as to have them well identified. He was surprised that this village too had the same unusual totem in the center of the square, and he wondered what it might mean. But what worried him and struck him as strange was the fact that the Wild Ones would dare to settle again in Norghanian territory so openly. Did they not fear King Thoran’s armies? There had to be a good reason. Were they taking it for granted that with the war in the West, the King’s armies would not come north with their weakened forces? That was too much to take for granted.
He sighed and massaged his neck. The Wild Ones were settling in large numbers in the north of Norghana. He knew there must be a reason why they were not afraid. At that moment he would have given a year’s pay to know that reason, and what the repercussions for Norghana, and for them, might be. It made no sense to go on northwards, since they would be sure to stumble on either the village or some patrol of the Wild Ones. They had created this great village there to control all that area of territory as far as the sea.
Right, let’s go on to the east.
With Ona in the lead, they then turned a little south to enter another of the areas Eyra had marked. They did not find any more Wild Ones, but on the other hand Lasgol found one more plant and Ona another. Camu seemed rather clumsy at this, so Lasgol teased him a little.
You don’t have a good eye for plants.
Ona use nose not eyes.
True. The plant gives off a very pungent aroma.
I no smell.
Yeah, and no vision either.
But I smart. And handsome, Camu pointed out in his own defense, then straightened his tail and raised his head, the image of dignity.
Lasgol gave a guffaw and then another. At the sight of him laughing like that, Ona stared at him as if he had lost his wits.
He recovered after a moment, and they set off. Taking care not to stumble on any more settlements, they concentrated on finding the plants with the aid of the map. It took them a couple of days, but in the end they managed it. It was all to Ona’s credit, since neither Camu nor Lasgol found any more. But the panther found two more, which meant that Lasgol had achieved his aim, and Eyra would be very happy. He was sure the plants were to heal Dolbarar, so he could not have been happier.
Ona. Good, he told the panther, and covered her in caresses, which she did not refuse. There were times when she wanted no petting, but Gisli had already warned him not to take it personally. She was a cat, after all, and cats, especially the great ones, had a character of their own. Sometimes they were friendly, other times less so, and they always acted as though they owned the land beneath their feet. They did not consider humans their masters, very far from it. Lasgol had already experienced this with Ona, and now they got along wonderfully well. He was not her owner, and neither was she his pet.
They rested a while and ate some of the supplies Lasgol was carrying in his satchel. When he examined the map before they set off again, he realized that he was close to an area he had already visited. They had passed near this part on their way to the sea, when he had fallen into the hands of the Wild Ones. When he had met Darthor. It brought back many memories. The north shore was frozen, but not the southern shore, where the three of them were. As he stared at the calm water, he had an idea. It had been a while since he had last done it, but he had nothing to lose.
He brought out his mother’s pendant, which he wore around his neck, and held it in his hand.
“The Marker of Experiences,” he said to himself as he stared at it, lost in thought.
The last time he had tried to activate it during his journey to the Camp it had not showed anything. He moistened his index finger in his eye and then touched it to the jewel in the pendant.
He waited. Probably nothing would happen.
The jewel gave a blue flash, and he smiled.
Ona started in shock and protested.
Camu warned him: Magic!
I know. Let’s see what it shows us.
Chapter 17
The image showed Las
gol two figures he recognized immediately. They were his mother and father. They were sitting by a fire inside what looked like a cave. Outside it was snowing, and night was falling. He could see very little of the landscape. Even so, he had the feeling it was a Norghanian one. The flames danced and lit up their bodies, and he could see their faces clearly. They were younger, looking into each other’s eyes, happy. His heart felt a sudden tightness.
“You’re risking too much,” Dakon said to Mayra.
“Not more than what you’re risking, my dear husband.”
Dakon sighed. “I couldn’t bear it if anything were to happen to you. We don’t know for sure that we’ve managed to deceive Uthar, making him believe you’re dead. We could be wrong. He might still be searching for you, to silence you.”
Mayra nodded. “That’s why I’m hiding. That’s the reason for this furtive meeting here in the north.”
“A long way north. I had to cook up a good story so that I could come to the Frozen Territories.”
She winked at him. “I’ve come from the Frozen Continent itself.”
“You’ve gone back? That’s very dangerous.”
“I have friends there. Don’t worry so much.”
“It’s dangerous enough that you’re hiding here in the Wild Ones’ territory, but going to their continent is deeply risky.”
She smiled. “Not for a powerful sorceress.”
“Is your power still growing?”
“Not only is it growing, but the lake of my power has doubled in size.”
Dakon’s eyes opened wide. “That’s fantastic!”
“As someone who’s afraid of magic, you seem very happy to know mine’s growing.”
“I’m not afraid, I’m respectful,” he corrected her with a smile.
“A wise position.”
“How did you do it?”
“With help. I couldn’t do it by myself.”
“The Arcanes of the Glaciers?”
“Yes, and thanks to Izotza, the Lady of the Glaciers. Asrael found that my power was growing, but I wasn’t able to develop it. We experimented, but I couldn’t access my power. Something was blocking it. Asrael suggested that I visit Izotza, and she examined me and found the problem. She helped me un-block it.”
“You have some interesting friends,” Dakon said with a gentle smile.
“They are that, very much so.”
“Does that mean that you’re twice as powerful as when you left?”
“In regards to my ability, yes. I can make twice as many spells as I used to, since my pool is twice as large. I can also create more powerful spells. This is something I’m still experimenting with and getting better at little by little. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts in magic. It takes time.”
“Be careful. Magic can be very dangerous as well…”
“So far I’m in control of my magic, and not the other way around,” she assured him.
“That makes me feel easier.”
“You’re a darling. You’ve never felt any aversion to the fact that your wife’s a sorceress and practices a kind of magic which isn’t considered appropriate in the North.”
He smiled. “A very powerful sorceress.”
“At least I’m no witch,” she said with a touch of sarcasm.
They both laughed, then kissed and stayed locked in an embrace, enjoying that rare moment. Living it, feeling it, enjoying it with all their hearts and souls, since they would soon have to part once again and not see one another for a long time. Time which they would spend apart, and which would be full of dangers.
“Your sorceress wants to try something with you.”
“Tell me, my love, whatever you like.”
Mayra showed him the Marker of Experiences she wore around her neck. “It’s about this.”
“Are you marking this experience?”
“Yes, but that’s not what I want to try with you, my love.”
Dakon showed her his outspread palms. “Go ahead.”
“Close your eyes and relax.”
Dakon closed his eyes, relaxed his shoulders and neck and smiled. “Ready. I hope it won’t hurt.”
“It won’t, I hope.”
“You hope?”
“There are no certainties in magic.”
“Well that eases my mind,” he said, and smiled.
Mayra took off her pendant and put it around his neck. “Now I want you to remember a very vivid scene from your past, one that left its mark on you.”
“A strong experience?”
“That’s right.”
“Let me think… there, I’ve got it.”
“Focus on the memory and try to make it as precise and vivid as possible.”
“All right.”
Mayra closed her eyes and called upon her power. She concentrated and began to cast a spell, very slowly: a long phrase of power. She put one hand on Dakon’s head and the other on the Marker of Experiences which hung from her beloved’s neck. Lasgol could see his mother’s power. An intense magenta ran through her head and arms. She went on conjuring for a long moment, then suddenly the jewel in the pendant began to give out a series of sharp, intermittent flashes. Mayra went on casting her spell without taking her hands off his head and the jewel. The flashes were so bright that Lasgol had to cover his eyes. What was his mother doing to his father? He was deeply intrigued.
The spell ended and the flashes lengthened for a moment longer before vanishing from the jewel, which faded.
“Done,” Mayra said.
“Did it work? It didn’t hurt,” he said with a humorous look.
“I don’t know. Let me try it.”
Dakon watched her hang the pendant around her own neck and close her eyes. Suddenly the pendant emitted an intense blue flash, followed by two more. For a long moment Mayra kept her eyes closed, then finally she opened them.
“It worked,” she said.
“What did?”
“I managed to mark one of your experiences on the pendant, and I was able to re-live it.”
“Did you?”
“I saw the Specialists experimenting with you. I felt it as if I were the one experiencing it.”
“That’s what I was remembering. It was an experience which left a mark on me.”
“And now it’s in the jewel. I’ll be able to mark another person’s experiences and re-live them.”
“Can I do that myself?”
Mayra caressed his cheek lovingly. “I’m afraid not, my dear. Only those who have the Gift can do that. And not all of them, at that.”
“Oh. I see.”
“This opens up other possibilities…” Mayra was thoughtful.
The image began to fade, and Lasgol grunted under his breath. A moment later it vanished completely. Now he could understand why he saw visions of his father. His mother had put them in the jewel. What other possibilities were there? What had his mother been thinking about? Was there some reason why he had seen this particular memory? On the one hand, he felt that these were no more than visions with no connection to the reality he was experiencing. On the other hand, he could not stop thinking that perhaps there was some connection between them.
They set off again southeastwards. Lasgol found a mass of footprints of Wild Ones coming from the coast, though there was nothing strange about that, because the Wild Ones had villages along the coast. What surprised him was that there were also prints of Tundra Dwellers and Arcanes of the Glaciers. These two groups had no settlements outside the Frozen Continent, at least as far as he knew. The presence of Dwellers and Arcanes here was not a good omen. Why had they come? Were they preparing a new invasion? That was surely impossible, because they had been badly weakened in the last campaign. Or at least so Egil believed, and his friend was not often mistaken.
He followed the trail carefully. The last thing he wanted was to come face to face with them, but he wanted to find out where all these tracks were leading to. He sent Ona to track in advance and Camu to his rear so as not to
be surprised from behind. They followed the trail carefully until they reached a rocky, snow-covered height. Crouching at the top, they looked out at the landscape which spread out at their feet. Lasgol saw that the tracks went down between two forests and ended in a huge open area at the foot of a mountain. In the middle of this was another village, the biggest of the three they had found. He looked for a good site to spy from without being seen and found some boulders to his right; they sheltered behind them.
Very big village, Camu told him. With the message came a feeling of worry.
Yes, but that’s not what’s worrying me…
What worry?
I can see Tundra Dwellers and Arcanes of the Glaciers along with the Wild Ones.
Arcanes magic.
Yes, they have magic and they’re powerful.
I protect from magic.
Lasgol looked at him. I know, he smiled and stroked his crested head.
As in the previous two villages, the Wild Ones had raised their strange three-tiered totem in the center of the great circular clearing. It was growing dark, and soon the village was filled with small fires and torches which illuminated it all with dancing flames. One interesting thing was that the three different peoples of the Frozen Continent did not mix; the Wild Ones had occupied the huts in the north and south of the village, while the Arcanes had taken those to the east and the Dwellers those to the west. Probably this way they avoided scuffles and internal conflicts. Better separated than jumbled up together.
All of a sudden, an uproar broke out. Lasgol used his Hawk’s Sight and Owl Hearing skills to get a better idea of what was going on. In the middle of the square, three leaders had gathered beside the totem. One was from the Wild Ones of the Ice and was even larger than the Wild Ones, who were large enough already. He must have been over eight feet tall and with impressive muscles, and unwrinkled, ice-blue skin. This people’s hair and beards were an icy bluish-blond. But what he found most striking about the Wild Ones was their eyes, which were so light they seemed completely white, without any iris. In his formidable hands the leader carried an enormous axe.
The skin of the second leader, the Tundra Dweller, was typically crystalline white, which reflected the light as if made out of crystallized snowflakes. His snow-white hair shone with the same intensity and looked like frozen snow, and his eyes were an intense grey. He was slim and athletic and as tall as the Wild Ones, although not half as muscular. He was armed with a long javelin which could have skewered three men.
