“Good as new. A few lovely bruises all over my body which I can show you later.” He winked at her.
Ingrid was about to reply to the comment, but instead said nothing. She snorted. “I’m glad you’re all okay.”
Nilsa grimaced. “I bet there was a lot of treacherous magic,” she said with half-closed eyes.
“Masses,” Astrid said.
“A really lively battle of magic and counter-magic,” said Viggo.
“I knew it! I’m glad I wasn’t there!”
“Camu was awesome,” Lasgol said. “He destroyed the defenses of the three sorcerers!”
Eicewald nodded. “Quite true. He’s a very special creature. Very.” He was looking at Camu, genuinely impressed.
“And Ona was wonderful too,” Lasgol added. “She’s the one who finally polished off Olagar.”
“That’s awesome!” Gerd said, and went over to her to pet her. Ona accepted the attention with pleasure.
“The distraction worked very well,” Eicewald added. “Very good work. We were able to take advantage of it inside the fortress, and it helped us escape.”
“Thanks,” said Ingrid. “We left three ships damaged, but they’ve still got two they can use.”
“They’ll soon find out what happened and come looking for us,” Eicewald said. “We need to get to the pick-up point.”
“Will Arrain be there?” Ingrid mused. “Or will he have left us to our fate?”
Eicewald shook his head. “I trust him. He’s an upright man. He won’t just leave us to our fate.”
“I suppose we’ll know when we get there,” Viggo said. He did not sound too confident.
They went back to the cove where they had landed and waited for a while, but nobody came to pick them up. Doubt began to trouble everybody’s minds.
“I’m positive he’ll come,” Eicewald insisted.
“Perhaps the Turquoise Queen has other plans,” Viggo suggested.
The Mage shook his head. “Uragh is hard, but she’s honest. She won’t leave us here. She’ll honor her side of the deal.”
Viggo was looking out at the horizon with half-closed eyes. “I don’t know …”
They all began to feel restless. But just as they were beginning to lose hope, they spotted the two canoes. Arrain was on his way to pick them up, after all.
“I’m so glad to see you again, old friend,” Eicewald said. “For a moment there I was beginning to have my doubts.”
“I would never abandon old friends,” said the Shaman of the Sea. “In any case, the Queen doesn’t wish your death.”
“That’s good to know,” Eicewald said with a nod.
They all got into the two canoes and rowed away, leaving the Ferocious Islands behind, and set their course for the Turquoise Realm.
A few days later the group entered the Turquoise Queen’s dwelling, where she was waiting for them in her throne of water, surrounded by her guards and Sea Shamans. They had had time to rest after their return from the Ferocious islands.
Arrain bowed respectfully to Uragh. “My Queen, here they are, as you requested,” he announced. Then he took his place on the Queen’s right.
“Welcome to you all,” she said with a smile. Her voice was friendly. “I’m glad to see you alive.”
Ingrid, Nilsa, Astrid, Lasgol, Viggo, and Gerd nodded respectfully. Ona and Camu lay down on the floor. Eicewald, a little ahead of them, bowed solemnly.
“And we are happy to find her Majesty in good health,” he replied very courteously.
“I have to admit, I’m surprised to see you all alive. It was no easy mission that I charged you with.”
Viggo was about to protest, but Ingrid put her hand over his mouth.
“It was certainly a complicated mission,” Eicewald said gently, without any suggestion that it had caused them any trouble.
“If you have returned, it can be either because you have succeeded, or because you have not. Which of the two is it, Ice Mage?”
“We were successful, your Majesty,” said Eicewald.
“That is even more impressive. You succeeded and suffered no losses … I need proof. Not that I don’t trust my old friend, but in this case, as I requested, I would like to see proof of the death of Olagar.”
“Of course, your Majesty.” Eicewald turned and beckoned to Viggo, who came forward with a bag.
“You may put the contents over here,” Arrain said. He pointed to the solid part of the cave in front of the throne.
“Of course,” Viggo said. Nonchalantly, he dropped the contents of the bag on to the ground. It was Olagar’s head, which rolled a couple of paces and nearly fell into the water of the Queen’s throne.
Uragh stood up and took a long look at the head. Then she cast a spell on it, and immediately it was covered with thousands of droplets of water. She cast another spell, and the droplets returned to her. She felt them and nodded.
“You have certainly done what I asked. It is Olagar. The residue of his twisted essence is unmistakable.”
“We carried out your Majesty’s wishes,” said Eicewald.
“How did you manage it? You are a powerful mage, and they are skilled warriors: that much I can see clearly. Even so, it was an extraordinarily difficult mission, with very little chance of success. I know that because my people have tried several times and failed.” She was looking at Arrain and the other shamans out of the corner of her eye as she spoke.
“There are several in this group who are really exceptional – special, I’d go as far as to say – and I don’t include myself among them. That’s why we were successful.”
“Don’t be modest. You are special. You have always been.”
“They are even more so.”
Uragh pointed to Camu. “The creature?”
“Indeed, and the young man who has him as well.”
“I can see that. When I witnessed this creature’s power I thought it could help to destroy Olagar. I’m glad to have been proved right. My people will no longer suffer the
