The Druid Queen:, page 1
part #16 of Path of the Ranger Series
The Druid Queen
(Path of the Ranger, Book 16)
Pedro Urvi
Other Series by Pedro Urvi
THE ILENIAN ENIGMA
This series takes place several years after the Path of the Ranger Series. It has different protagonists. Lasgol joins the adventure in the second book of the series. He is a secondary character in this one, but he plays an important role, and he is alone…
THE SECRET OF THE GOLDEN GODS
This series takes place three thousand years before the Path of the Ranger Series
Different protagonists, same world, one destiny.
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Dedication
To my good friend Guiller.
Thank you for all your support since day one.
Contents
The Druid Queen
Pedro Urvi
Other Series by Pedro Urvi
Dedication
Contents
MAP
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
The adventure continues in the next book of the saga:
The Secret of the Dragon (Path of the Ranger, Book 17)
Prologue
1
Prologue
Norriel
Acknowledgements
Author
Note from the author:
MAP
Chapter 1
“Three to the east!” Astrid warned in a whisper loaded with urgency, and she vanished swiftly through the wet underbrush of the forest, which was already shedding the snow that had fallen during the winter.
“Three more in the west,” Lasgol called out as well as he located them using his Hawk’s Eye skill. Astrid has already vanished in the underbrush, but Lasgol knew she had heard him. The Assassin’s instincts were well developed and she was always on the alert.
Ona growled with her gaze on the north.
Lasgol got down beside the panther and watched in the direction she was indicating. Can you detect more in the north? he transmitted to her. The great, half-crumbled, rocky building prevented him from seeing what might be behind it.
The Snow Panther chirped once.
I not catch power, Camu messaged right behind Lasgol’s back.
That’s not a good sign. If the dragon is here, you should be able to feel his power. The information Egil received indicates suspicious activity in this area.
I know. Egil good information always, I not catch power, Camu messaged.
The fact that the creature was unable to pick up Dergha-Sho-Blaska’s power was not a good omen. Yet Egil had received relevant information, so they had to check the place. They were northeast of the capital, between the city of Olstran and the village of the Four Winds.
Let’s move cautiously. If they find out we’re approaching we’ll have to fight, and I’d rather know what we’re up against beforehand, Lasgol transmitted.
Okay, was Camu’s message.
Ona growled once.
They made their way through the forest bushes without a noise. In a plain further ahead they could see a huge ruinous building with, at its right, a pretty big hunting cabin. This type of cabin was used to hunt large predators such as bears, or snow panthers. A stream ran beside the cabin, a cabin which must have been able to hold about a dozen hunters. Behind the ruined building and the cabin rose an impressive mountain with snow-covered peaks and sides, already melting with the arrival of spring.
Lasgol moved to the last trees before the plain and stopped, crouching. Ona and Camu stopped beside him and lay on the ground, waiting for his orders.
I can see the ones in the north, there are two. Thanks for the warning, Ona.
The panther made no sound; she was carefully watching from the bushes what was going on before them between the two buildings.
Funny group, Lasgol transmitted, looking at the men working on the ruined building. From what he could tell it appeared to have been a manor destroyed some time ago, by man or by nature. Several half-crumbled walls were still holding up stoically against the passing of time. He could see the plan of the building and what had been the rooms back in the day from the remains. There was half a tower still standing as if by magic on the northwestern corner, but it looked as if it could collapse at any moment.
A number of men were working, digging up dirt in one of the inner halls and carrying it away in wheelbarrows to deposit on one side of the cabin. Judging by the amount of dirt they had dug up, the depth of the hole they were digging, and the remains, Lasgol guessed they had been there for some time, over a week.
What are they doing? he wondered, more to himself than to his companions, but since he was using his Animal Communication skill they both received it.
Ona chirped twice, indicating she did not know.
Look treasure? Camu suggested.
Looking for treasure? Have you been talking about gold with Viggo again?
I talk Viggo about gold, silver, and treasures. Much interesting.
It’s not very interesting. Wealth shouldn’t interest you at all.
Yes interesting. Viggo say much interesting get treasures.
If you keep talking to Viggo you’re going to end up badly, you’ll see.
Viggo funny. One day treasure.
Yeah, you go and believe everything he tells you and see how well you do. And why on earth would you want silver? You haven’t told me yet.
I tell when I know.
Lasgol rolled his eyes. Camu did not even know what he wanted silver for. In any case, knowing him, it did not surprise Lasgol in the least.
Ona growled, pointing eastward.
Lasgol squinted in that direction to see through the brush and trees.
A patrol of two is coming, he transmitted the warning to his friends.
Camouflage? Camu messaged.
Yeah, hide us. Ona, be still and silent, we’ll be in camouflage, Lasgol transmitted. The panther stood stone still.
Camu flashed silver and the three vanished from the sight of any human eye that might try to find them.
Two watchmen armed with short bows were approaching slowly from the west. They were alert to their surroundings, looking for anything that might be suspicious. Lasgol saw that their clothes were not very good quality and they wore light leather padded armor over them. They each carried a knife and a short axe at their waists. By their attire they looked more like bandits than anything else. For a moment Lasgol had thought they might be mercenaries or deserters, but those usually wore stolen clothes and armor, which was not the case here.
The watchmen went by behind them without seeing them. Lasgol waited until the men had their backs to them.
Now! he transmitted to his friends.
Lasgol lunged at the back of the man more to the right and Ona jumped at the one on the left. A dull blow with the hilt of his knife rendered the man unconscious. He turned to Ona and saw that she was gripping the bandit’s neck with her fangs. The man was still on the ground, his eyes wide open. Panic was beginning to show in them.
Strangle, not kill, Lasgol transmitted to Ona.
The panther glanced at Lasgol and obeyed. She gripped harder and the bandit was left without air, unable to fill his lungs because of the pressure Ona was putting on his neck. The man’s eyes closed as he lost consciousness and Ona let go of him.
Lasgol went over to check that he was still alive.
Very well done, he told Ona. He had been training her in several types of attack for a while now. He had realized that the more he advanced in his dominion of his magic, the better she understood him when he transmitted things to her. They had improved both communication and understanding so much that now Lasgol could tell her to perform very specific attacks and movements, which the panther executed exactly as he had taught her without any mistake.
Tie quickly, movement camp, Camu messaged in warning.
Lasgol hastened to tie and gag the two watchmen and then watched
What movement? he transmitted to Camu.
Leader come, Camu messaged.
Lasgol did not need to look hard, he was able to identify him clearly. He was a large, strong man, with a red beard and long hair. If it were not for how scruffy he was and the brutish Norghanian look, he might have passed for a man from Irinel. The leader barked some orders to two of his henchmen and they vanished: one inside the cabin and the other into the hole they were digging. From the way he went down into the hole, Lasgol guessed they were carving out steps in order to go down, which he found curious.
The one that had gone into the cabin reappeared a moment later, followed by two other henchmen who were dragging two men whose hands were tied. The men threw the prisoners roughly at their leader’s feet.
“Where is it?” the leader asked in a stern, deep voice.
“We… don’t know…” one of the prisoners said from the ground. They both had their hands tied behind their backs and looked terrible. They had been beaten savagely.
“It had better be down there where we’re digging, or you’ll suffer more than you’ve done so far,” the leader threatened them, pointing his finger at them. There was coldness in his look that manifested the cruelty he was capable of.
“It’s… down there…” the other prisoner said, his voice shaking. He was broken, and fear made him speak.
“What should we do?” one of the henchmen asked.
“Keep digging!” the leader ordered his men.
The man nodded.
“And dig faster. I want it now, and when I say now, I mean right away!”
Lasgol felt bad for the two unfortunate men. He had no idea who they were, but he was sure they did not deserve to be in that situation. No-one deserved that, although they might not be trustworthy—something that would not surprise him. Thieves and outlaws tended to surround themselves and deal with people of the same kind.
From the two prisoners’ clothing, or what was left of it, torn and bloodied, Lasgol guessed they were of pretty good standing and with some gold. Their boots and breeches were of good quality, as were their belts, and their hands, although not fine, were also not weathered by hard work. Their faces, covered in bruises and blood, seemed to Lasgol to be those of middle or high-classed Norghanians.
“It had better be down there, or else you’ll pay dearly,” the leader threatened them again, and this time he delivered a couple of kicks to the men’s sides as they were lying on the ground.
Can you tell whether the leader has power? Lasgol transmitted to Camu, fearing he might be a warlock who somehow had something to do with the Visionaries, even if his attire did not seem to indicate so.
Not feel, but not know.
Yeah, I can’t tell whether he’s a mage. He’s still a little too far away for me to be able to assure he isn’t.
Thanks to Eicewald’s teachings, they were now alert to any mage and tried to ascertain their rank and level. They had done it with the King’s Ice Magi, and the truth was they did pretty well. If done unobtrusively and without using too much power, the Magi did not even notice, which prevented conflict. They would soon be able to tell quite accurately the rank of a mage and how powerful he or she was, and therefore how dangerous the mage might become for them if they were to confront him or her. This was essential knowledge, since it avoided possible unpleasant surprises.
Not believe any is magical.
Lasgol nodded. He did not think any of them had the Gift.
They don’t look like Visionaries or Defenders either… he said ruefully.
Ona growled twice, she did not think they were either.
Unless it was a ruse, which it might be. If it was not, it would be a shame that they did not belong to either of the two sects that served the Immortal Dragon. They had spent the whole harsh Norghanian winter searching for the dragon, chasing after every clue Egil got. So far, they had managed to catch only a few Defenders and Visionaries who had been left behind. Lasgol had hoped that the fanatics might lead them to their all-powerful lord, Dergha-Sho-Blaska, but that had not been the case. The dragon seemed to have vanished in the sky after reincarnating and leaving the Sizzling Wrath volcano on Cinders Island. His followers did not know where he was, and neither did the Panthers.
The Snow Panthers were aware that the dragon had not vanished into thin air, but they could not find any trace that might lead them to the mythical creature. They were all wondering what the dragon was planning. What had driven him into hiding. They could only speculate and guess based on what they had seen and the knowledge they had. What they did know for sure was that sooner or later Dergha-Sho-Blaska would make an appearance, and then they would have to stand up to the creature and defeat it, something they had not figured out how to do yet. If everything that was said about dragons was true, and from what they had witnessed, they were not so wrong in their assumption that it was going to be practically impossible to achieve.
Lasgol heaved a sigh. Half-impossible missions were a part of his life, but this one in particular hunting and killing an immortal dragon, gave him gooseflesh. Not for what might happen to him, but for what might happen to his friends and fellow Panthers. According to documents, and Egil had read all he had found about dragons, men could not even scratch a dragon with their steel weapons. What was obviously more terrifying still was the immense magical and physical power of these fearsome creatures. The more he thought about it, the more Lasgol believed that stopping Dergha-Sho-Blaska was going to be a suicide mission.
He wrinkled his nose and drove those negative thoughts out of his mind. They had an extremely important mission to do and they would carry it out. Thinking about death did not change the situation. He focused on the task at hand: the fact that the men they were watching did not seem to be fanatics of either of the two sects was not a good sign either. The fact that they were digging gave him some hope, but not much. One of Egil’s theories was that the dragon might be hiding underground, in some deep cave with the intention of recovering. It was a theory that Lasgol agreed with, since he had not appeared in the skies of Norghana, which is what everyone had been waiting for.
He cheered up. They might find the entrance to the lair where the dragon was hiding in this ruinous place. If they found him weak and recovering, in a lethargic state, they might be able to finish him off before he had all his power available—this was the group’s hope. But if they did not find him before he was fully recovered with all his power, things were going to get very ugly. The fact that there were no signs of him so far was good news, and it provided them with hope to keep looking for the dragon.
In any case, whatever was going on here, it did not look legal. Their duty as Rangers was to investigate, more so when there were people being tortured and threatened with death.
The hoot of an owl warned Lasgol that Astrid was already in position and waiting for his signal to take action.
We’re going to intervene, he transmitted to Ona and Camu.
I ready.
Ona growled once.
Very well. We deal with the leader first, then we free the prisoners.
Okay.
They got ready to assault the settlement.
Chapter 2
Nilsa was coming down from fetching the messages from pigeons and owls at the top of the Tower of the Rangers. She was taking the stairs two at a time, skipping and hopping. The best way to conquer her clumsy instincts was to take them to the limit, and that was what Nilsa did every day. She was cheerful. She wanted to deliver the messages to Gondabar as soon as possible in order to find out whether there was some interesting piece of news.
She took the last steps down to the floor below in a long jump and was close to not being able to stop in time and colliding with and knocking over a Ranger on duty at the door that gave access to what was the last floor of the tower.
“Ranger Liaison!” the guard cried out as he stepped aside, startled.
“Good morning, Ranger on duty!” Nilsa greeted him as she recovered her balance and passed by without even brushing against him.
She went on down the stairs, pleased with herself for correcting her course and not colliding with the guard. Every day she felt a little bit nimbler and more coordinated. She no longer got nervous or as upset as she used to, which helped a lot with her clumsiness, which was growing less every day. It was fading from her daily activity but not from her memory; she always kept it in mind and made real efforts not to be clumsy.
