Treason in the North, page 26
part #4 of Path of the Ranger Series
Ingrid was taken aback, and she took a moment to react.
“Everything?”
“That fierce gaze of yours in those deep, sea-blue eyes. The courage and determination in that blonde head of yours. Your skill with weapons and as a Ranger in that well-trained warrior’s body. Your indomitable personality and fighting character. I like everything about you. I like it a lot.”
Ingrid listened attentively and said nothing until he had finished his paean of praise.
“If you think you’re going to woo me with pretty words and flattery, you’re very much mistaken. You’ll need a lot more than that to win me.”
Molak bent over her, put his right hand behind her neck and kissed her passionately. She resisted for a moment, but then, suddenly feeling overwhelmed, gave in. They stayed locked in one another’s arms for a long, intense kiss under the summer moon.
Someone was watching them from the camp with eyes full of disappointment.
It was Viggo.
The remaining watches were uneventful. The last one was shared by the Royal Ranger and Egil. It began with a certain tension, which Egil noticed.
“You’ve put me on watch with you for a reason, haven’t you?” he asked.
The Ranger nodded. “I see you’re as quick-witted as they say you are.”
“We’re alone,” Egil said. “You can speak freely.”
“Right. I’ll be honest. I know who you are and what family you belong to, and I’m worried that you’re with us.”
“Worried... why?”
“Because when the moment comes, I don’t want you to be a problem.”
“My loyalty’s to the King. That’s what I swore, and that’s what I’ll deliver.”
“Maybe that’s what you believe now, but at the moment of truth feelings run deep and you might not make the right decision.”
“Don’t you worry, sir. I’ll make the right choice.”
The Royal Ranger looked him in the eye.
“I’m glad to hear it I hope you won’t disappoint me.”
Chapter 33
Nikessen left the camp with the first light of dawn and set off for the vanguard of the royal army to receive his instructions.
Lasgol, who was watching the army, called upon his Gift and his Hawk Eye skill.
“What do you see?” Egil asked him.
“Uthar’s sending most of his forces. I can make out the Blizzard Army at the head, rear and both flanks of the main column. In the vanguard I can see the Thunder Army with their winged helmets and their strong red jerkins with their diagonal white stripes.”
As always they led the way. The Snow Army followed, unmistakable with their pure white breastplates over chainmail.
“Uthar is sending all he has, except for the Invincibles of the Ice...”
“I can see Commander Sven leading the troops and two Ice Mages, but not Mage Olthar.”
“Can you see Gatik and the Royal Rangers?”
Lasgol shook his head
“That’s odd. They ought to be there, with Sven.”
“I can’t see the King either...”
Egil’s eyes opened wide. “That too is significant.”
“D’you think he’s stayed in Norghania?”
“It looks like it. It makes sense for him to stay behind in the safety of the great walled city.”
“In that case Gatik will presumably be with him.”
“I agree. That, or else he’s been sent on a special mission with the Royal Rangers.”
“Nikessen didn’t say anything about that.”
“I don’t suppose he knows, and even if he did, I don’t think he’d say anything, or at least not to us.”
“True. We’re only eyes and ears, we don’t need to know what’s really going on.”
“That’s right.”
Viggo interrupted them. “Well, I want to know.”
“Why this interest?” Egil asked.
“Anybody who isn’t well informed tends to die early. I want to die as late as possible, preferably of old age and in my own palace.”
“Palace?” Nilsa mocked him. “What palace are you likely to have?”
Viggo looked at her with an air of mock superiority. “One day I won’t be a mere Ranger Contender, I’ll be a nobleman with a grand palace, servants, riches, women, and everything you could dream of.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Just wait and see.”
Gerd came over to listen to the conversation. “I can see him as a nobleman. Cruel and ruthless with his subjects, that’s it exactly.”
“But noble, after all,” said Viggo smugly.
Nilsa rolled her eyes. “You’ll never become a nobleman. You come from the scum of the earth and your past is full of dark secrets.”
“That’s why I’m here. Once I’m a Ranger my past will disappear.”
“Once you’re a Ranger you’ll be a Ranger, not a nobleman.”
“Life is very long and it’s full of twists and turns, especially in these messy times of civil wars, invasions and so on... we’ll see where I end up. What I will say to you is that I won’t be dead because of not knowing what’s going on. I’m off to investigate for a while till Nikessen returns.”
“That’s not a good idea,” Molak said.
“I don’t give a damn whether you think it’s a good idea or not, it’s what I’m going to do.”
“Nikessen told us to wait for him to come back, here in this camp. That’s what we ought to do.”
“That’s what you ought to do. I’m going to see what’s happening.”
“Don’t be a pain and do what you’re told,” Ingrid said as she joined the group.
“You’re not in command and neither is your beau. I’ll do what I want.”
Ingrid and Molak looked at one another in embarrassment.
“I’m the highest-ranking member of this group,” Molak said, “and in Nikessen’s absence it’s my orders you have to follow.”
“What rank? You’re an Instructor’s assistant, nothing more than that.”
“I’m a Ranger, and you’re not.”
Viggo’s eyes sparkled with hatred. Molak did not flinch.
“I saw what happened to your team in the Frozen Continent. I’d rather follow my instincts than your orders. I’ll stay alive longer.”
Molak tensed and clenched his fists. The comment had hurt him. He was about to come to blows with Viggo.
Ingrid moved to stand between them to prevent it. “Don’t bother, it’s not worth it. Believe me, I know.”
Molak’s jaw was clenched and his eyes shot fire. He said nothing. Ingrid turned to Viggo.
“Sometimes you’re really low and hateful.”
“You know what I said was the truth, whether you like it or not.”
“Do whatever you have to do and come back before Nikessen does.”
“Fine,” he said, and went to fetch his horse.
“If anything happens to you, it’ll be your responsibility. We won’t be coming to help you.”
Viggo stopped and turned. “Your concern for me touches my heart,” he said mockingly.
Ingrid growled under her breath. Viggo mounted and disappeared into the woods.
“Let’s hope he doesn’t get into trouble,” said Nilsa.
Gerd shook his head. “That would be a miracle.”
Lasgol felt that he ought to help his friend. Viggo was what he was, but deep down he was a good person, even if it was very deep down and most of the time he was insufferable. Lasgol remembered the time he had spent shunned by everyone himself when he had been the ‘Traitor’s Son’, and he felt sorry for his friend. He must be feeling like that at the moment, if not even worse, because of Ingrid...
“Where are you going?” she asked him when she saw him going for Trotter.
“I’m going after him.”
“He’s not worth it.”
“Yes he is, deep down...”
Ingrid shrugged. “As you wish.”
By the time Lasgol wanted to catch up with Viggo, he had already vanished during a great forest. Following his trail was not too difficult. He was not making any effort to avoid being followed. He must have assumed that nobody would go after him.
At noon, Lasgol saw Viggo’s pony in the distance, tethered to a tree by the river, drinking. He approached slowly, dismounted and let Trotter drink with the other pony. He crouched and examined Viggo’s trail, which went up a hill. The forest was thinning, and he caught sight of a valley in the distance, behind the hill. He was about to step out of the forest to get a view of the valley from above.
A hand covered his mouth, and a knife was pressed against his throat.
Lasgol froze as still as a statue. He had been surprised from behind and had heard nothing.
“Not a word...” a voice whispered in his ear. It was Viggo’s.
His friend removed the knife from his throat and pointed below, to his right. Lasgol followed the pointing hand and saw a group of riders resting.
“Let’s hide,” Viggo whispered.
Lasgol nodded. They threw themselves down and watched from the undergrowth. In the group were three Norghanians and three Tundra Dwellers.
“Interesting group,” Viggo commented.
“Yes, very, particularly in this area.”
“I’d say it’s a scouting group.”
“Are they following Uthar’s army?”
“Looks like it.”
“There must be scouts reconnoitering, but what surprises me is that they’re working together.”
“They’re not together,” Viggo said. “They’ve come from different directions. They’re exchanging information.”
“That makes more sense. The Western Norghanians and the Peoples of the Frozen Continent don’t really get along very well... not even with the alliance.”
“I’m not surprised at that.”
The two watched for a while in silence. Suddenly Lasgol asked: “Why can’t you go back to your city?”
Viggo looked him in the eye and smiled. “It’s been eating at you, huh?”
“Yeah... a little...”
“Fine. I’ll tell you, though you won’t like it.”
“Tell me and we’ll see.”
“I can’t go back to my city because I’d be hanged.”
“What did you do?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
“Yes, tell me.”
“I killed a man.”
Lasgol’s blood went cold. He had expected bad news, but not as bad as this.
“You killed a man? It must have been in self-defense...”
“No.”
“Was it an accident? Unintentionally?”
“No.”
Lasgol was horrified. There had to be an explanation. He prayed to the Five Gods of the Ice that it had not been for any trivial reason.
“What happened?”
“I killed my mother’s lover.”
Lasgol was taken aback. “Why? How did it happen?”
“He was a bully, and he treated her as if she were his property to do whatever he wanted with. I couldn’t defend her, I wasn’t living with them. My mother went to live at that filthy scum’s house. One evening I went to see her, because I was worried. I snuck into the house and found her unconscious on the kitchen floor. He’d beaten her terribly. I tried to help her, tend her wounds... and then he came back. When he saw me he grabbed a knife from the table. He should never have done it. I took out my dagger. We fought. He was forty-five and I was fifteen, but even so, I won. I killed him. My mother begged me to leave, she knew I’d be condemned. I’d killed a man in his own house and he had friends among the city guards. So I left.”
“But they can’t hang you for that?”
“They can and they will. If they catch me, of course.”
“But you acted in self-defense and he was a bully. He deserved what happened to him.”
“But I killed a man in his own house. There’s an order to catch me and hang me.”
“When did this happen?”
“Right before I joined the Rangers.”
“Is that why you did?”
Viggo nodded.
“If you don’t sort this out, then sooner or later they’ll find you, even among the Rangers.”
“I’m sorting it out. That’s why I’m here.”
“I don’t follow...”
“I see that the know-it-all hasn’t told you everything about the Rangers.”
Lasgol shrugged. “What hasn’t he told me?
“Becoming a Ranger is hard work and not everyone succeeds, but there’s a reward.”
“Serving Norghana?” said Lasgol, who, knowing Viggo, was certain he did not mean that.
Viggo smiled. “Apart from that. When you enter the Rangers’ Corps you leave your past behind. You begin a new life. From scratch.”
“Would the crime be forgiven?”
“That’s right. When I become a Ranger. Crimes, debts and anything else are forgiven when you become a Ranger because you start a new life in the service of the Crown, from scratch.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“It’s in the Path of the Ranger. For most people it’s something inconsequential. For a few, like me, it’s very important.”
“You have to graduate, somehow,” said Lasgol.
Viggo gave him his sarcastic grin. “I know. It’s been there in my mind, since the first day.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“We’re all here for different reasons. You came to clear your father’s name and I came to avoid being hanged in the main square.”
“You’re risking your life.”
“You did the same. You’re still doing it.”
“That’s different.”
“True, but in the end it comes to the same thing. We’ve got to finish the year and graduate, despite the instruction, the tests and the war. The only difference between all of you and me is that I risk my life if I don’t make it and get expelled.”
“We’ll finish the year. We’ll make it. And we’ll graduate.”
Viggo smiled. “I’d better...”
“Thanks for telling me.”
“If you don’t mind, let’s keep it between the two of us. I’m already getting enough bad looks as it is.”
“They’d understand... but all right, I’ll respect your wishes.”
“Thanks. And now let’s get back. Both groups are leaving.” Viggo pointed down to the valley.
Royal Ranger Nikessen came back at a gallop later and leapt off his pony. “We have new orders,” he told the group.
They gathered around him. Lasgol and Viggo had already returned, but had said nothing of what had happened to anyone.
“Commander Sven wants us to keep watch on the rearguard of the army. We’ll be patrolling in semicircles, covering the whole southern part of the rearguard. There are other teams to cover east and west. We have to make sure we’re not attacked from behind by the forces of the Western League.”
“That’s highly unlikely,” Egil pointed out. “To do that, the forces of the league would have to cross the Wild River and then cross the whole southeast of the kingdom to get here. I don’t see it as viable, not without them being spotted.”
The Royal Ranger nodded several times. “That’s what I think too, but orders are orders and we need to be very wary in times of war. The Commander of the kingdom’s armies wants his back well covered, and that’s what we’ll do, cover it.”
“On the other hand,” Molak said, “it wouldn’t be the first time a war’s been lost because of a totally unexpected surprise.”
“Also very true, Ranger Molak.”
“We won’t let the forces of the Western League make some strange or unexpected maneuver to surprise the rearguard as they’re moving forward to meet the hosts of the Ice.”
“Better to anticipate than to be sorry,” Ingrid said.
“Is the King with the army?” Lasgol asked in a neutral voice.
“No. Uthar and the court are staying in the capital. They have to be there to prevent the troops of the West from trying to take it.”
“The Western League won’t try to take the city on its own,” Egil said. “It hasn’t got enough men to keep up a prolonged siege on a walled city as well-protected as that.”
“They can’t now, but they’d be able to if the enemy managed to cross the Great Central Pass of the Oriental Mountains and reach the city.”
“And that’s precisely what we’re going to prevent,” said Molak.
“Exactly. We can’t allow the Hosts of the Ice to cross the Eastern Pass. The army is on its way there as we speak.”
“How do we know they haven’t crossed already?” Lasgol asked.
“The Rangers are watching the way out of the Pass. They haven’t reported any enemy coming out of it.”
They hastened to carry out these new orders. When they arrived at the rearguard of that great snake of silver, white and red scales, they took up their positions. As they had foreseen, everything was quiet and there was no trace of the forces of the Western League or any Wild of the Ice.
While they patrolled, they saw Wolves and Eagles doing the same in the southern part of the rearguard. They stopped to swap information with them, and two veteran rangers leading the groups came over, followed by Isgord and Luca.
Isgord, as arrogant as ever, glared disdainfully at Lasgol and Egil, who ignored him. Luca greeted them with a friendly wave.
“Any news?” Nikessen asked.
The first Ranger was looking south. “None,” he said. The second shook his head. “No trace of the enemy.”
“Have the other groups reported anything?”
“No sir. There are three other groups further east, and they haven’t seen anything.”
“And any news from the West?”
“As far as we know, the forces of the Western League are still getting ready to cross the river, but they haven’t done it yet. Gatik and the more seasoned Rangers are watching all the fords in case the Western troops start moving.”
“That leaves me feeling easier,” Nikessen said. “There’s less chance of being surprised from behind.”
“The problem is in front, not back here,” the first Ranger said.
“They haven’t crossed, have they?”
“They haven’t had time,” the second one said. “But they’ll be here soon. Sven wants to prevent their crossing at all costs. He’ll stop them before they arrive, he won’t let them set a foot in the gorge.”
