On the battlements everybody was staring at the magical battle, not knowing what to do. Gatik saw that the Specter was in trouble, and made the decision to attack.
“Fire arrows!” he shouted.
The Rangers released against the Specter, which was still trying to recover. It screamed with rage and pain.
Sven realized that it was now weakening. “Fire arrows, everybody!” he ordered.
Thousands of fire arrows fell on the Specter in its agony. It shook its incorporeal arms, seeking an inrush of souls and energy to enable it to recover.
Lasgol wanted to hold out, but his knees were weakening. Suddenly he felt someone beside him.
“No … magic …”
Is me, Camu said.
No … you’ll destroy the spell …
Not deny magic, only hold you.
Lasgol leaned his elbows on Camu’s body, realizing that the creature seemed to be unaffected by the magic of the Star. He was drowning, his lungs were on the point of bursting and he was in agony, but he was not prepared to give up. He clutched the Star firmly. His lungs, his head and his throat were about to explode.
Eicewald conjured for a third time. There came a new burst of light from the Star, and a new bolt climbed to the heavens. Once again it fell and smote the Frozen Specter. The being screamed, and its face took on an even more horrifying expression, if such a thing were possible. It howled.
Then it fell to the ground and disintegrated into a grey mist.
The wind carried it away.
“It’s … fallen …” Lasgol muttered, on the verge of tears.
Powerful creature dead, Camu confirmed.
“We … destroyed … it …” Unable to say any more, he collapsed. The Star fell with him and was extinguished.
Eicewald bent over to him and put his hand on his chest. “Breathe in slowly. Inhale. It’s been a horrible experience, I know, but it’s over. Breathe in.”
Lasgol felt everything beginning to fade. There was a tremendous pain in his chest.
Breathe deep, Camu transmitted.
Ona came up to him and licked his hair.
“Come on, Lasgol, breathe,” Eicewald said.
Finally, he was able to get air into his lungs. It hurt terribly, as if for some reason they were no longer functioning properly. He went on breathing, but every breath was torture.
“It hurts … to breathe …”
“It’ll be gone in a few days. It’s because of the effort you made.”
A moment later, with the Mage’s help, Lasgol was able to stand up.
“Did we really destroy it?” he asked. He could not believe it.
“Yes,” Eicewald confirmed, “the Specter has been destroyed.”
“The Specter has been destroyed!” Sven cried when he heard it from the mouth of the King’s Mage.
Along the entire wall the Norghanians cheered, still transfixed by what they had witnessed.
The enemy forces stopped their chanting, and there followed a tense, total silence. For a time, which seemed an eternity, neither side made any move. They were watching one another, with doubt in their hearts.
At last, the hosts of the Frozen Continent began to withdraw in an orderly fashion, very slowly.
“They’re … withdrawing?” Lasgol asked Eicewald.
“It looks like it.”
“They could still take the city …”
“True, they could, but the cost would be too high and there’s no guarantee.” He waved around him. “We’ve got Magi and Rangers who could stop them. Their great advantage was the Frozen Specter, and they’ve lost that now. I don’t think they want to go on with the siege and lose a third, or even half, of their forces in the attempt. That’s not their strong point. They fight in open terrain. They don’t know anything about military tactics.”
“The enemy is retreating!” Sven called. He raised his sword to the sky. “Victory is ours!”
The cries of victory spread all along the wall as far as the Royal Castle, where King Thoran, his brother and his nobles were sheltering.
“Hail the King! Hail Norghana!” Sven shouted.
The shouting went on while the enemy forces left the area and set off northward, on their way back to their own lands.
“Magnificent work! Gatik said to Lasgol and the Magi.
Lasgol, who could not even speak and was still having trouble breathing, said nothing.
“It was what we had to do, and we did it,” Eicewald answered.
“I must admit, I wasn’t too sure what you were going to achieve,” Gatik admitted.
Sven arrived to join him amid the joyful shouts of his soldiers. “Neither was I.”
“It was a complicated situation,” Eicewald said, “but we managed to resolve it after all.”
Gatik indicated Lasgol, who was still doubled up with pain. “Will he recover?”
“He will, but he’ll need rest and care.”
“The King’s surgeons will look after him,” Sven said.
Lasgol did not like the sound of this. He would rather have gone back to the Camp and have Healer Edwina tend to him.
Sven and Gatik went back to their men to give them new orders. At the same time, they sent Rangers to follow the enemy and make sure they crossed the mountains.
“It’s natural enough for them to withdraw,” Viggo commented nonchalantly to his friends. “They know I’m here.”
Nilsa and Gerd burst out laughing.
“Yeah, just because you’re here they’re all running away in terror,” Ingrid said. She sounded utterly incredulous.
Viggo smiled and shrugged. “That’s the effect I have on the enemy.”
Molak and Luca shook their heads, smiling.
Lasgol choked on a chuckle, and for second time that day was on the point of death.
Chapter 36
It took Lasgol several days to recover, just as Eicewald had predicted. With rest, and
