The Turquoise Queen

seen. It must have taken place before the other time he had seen his mother with the strange erudite of the Arcanes of the Glaciers. One thing left him utterly dismayed: Hotz had foretold the death of many who were there at that meeting, and he had been right. He felt a pang of intense pain in his chest, because his mother might have saved herself. But who would have paid attention to that strange, ill-humored erudite whose ideas barely made any sense? How could Hotz have predicted that his mother and the rest of the Council would fail? How did he know they were going to die? What was the great discovery he was seeking, and what did he intend to do? The vision had left him hurting, and with more questions than answers.

He took a moment to collect his ideas and recover from the pain. Probably the Erudite had died by now and had never made his great discovery, but there was no sense worrying about that now. He decided to leave the matter for the moment and go on with his duties. He called Ona and Camu, and they set off again in the direction of the capital. His spirits had fallen after the vision, and he did not get over it until the impressive city of Norghania came into sight.

They reached the outskirts of the capital with the noonday sun shining brilliantly. The great stone metropolis looked promising. A lot of work had been done in those areas which had been damaged by the war, and once again, it looked like a stoic, invulnerable city, where the brave and strong men of the north, the sons of the snows, had their glorious capital. He could make out the towers of the royal castle in the north of the city. One of these was occupied by the Rangers, and this was his destination. He could also see the smoke of the smithies and the other workshops, which were now busy again. Ox-drawn carts carrying minerals were entering the city through the eastern gate, and through the southern gate, a caravan of traders with mule-carts was setting off on its way to other cities. The mines were once again back in regular production. It was good news for Norghana, and the sight gave Lasgol hope.

Great city. Fun, Camu transmitted.

And dangerous. Remember, I was almost killed the last time I was here. We’ve got to tread very carefully, and keep all our senses alert. Unfortunately, we’re not as good in a city as we are in the open.

True.

Ona gave a long moan. She knew Lasgol would not be taking her with him.

I’m sorry, Ona. You attract too much interest in there. The people of the capital aren’t used to seeing wild animals. And least of all a snow panther.

Ona good.

You and I know that, but the people don’t. They get scared, and someone might even try to kill her. I don’t want anything to happen to her.

Ona moaned again, long and sorrowfully.

I’m sorry, Ona. I won’t be long. I’m only going to receive my mission. Then I’ll come back for you, I promise.

The panther lay down on the ground and put her chin on her right paw. Her eyes were sad. Camu lay down beside her and put one foot on her back. Lasgol’s heart was torn in two, but he could not take her with him. There was too much risk of an accident.

I with Ona.

Lasgol looked at Camu in surprise. You’re staying with Ona?

Yes. I company.

Ona looked at him wide-eyed, and her expression turned to one of delight.

You’re going to give up having fun in the city, to keep Ona company? Lasgol found it hard to believe the little creature could have had that idea.

Yes. I with Ona.

Lasgol was so taken aback that it took him a moment to react, but when he did so, he was very happy. Camu was growing up and showing his great heart, which at times was obscured by his mischievous nature and his stubbornness.

This does you credit. Look after your sister well.

I look after well.

Lasgol smiled from ear to ear and shook his head. Now it was he who did not want to go to the city. He wanted to stay with them, to share their camaraderie and fraternal love. Unfortunately, duty called, and no matter how much he might wish to stay with his two friends, there was no way he could.

I’ll be back soon. Don’t stray from this forest, and don’t get into any trouble until I’m back. Understood?

Understood, Camu transmitted virtuously.

Ona chirped in agreement. She did not need to put on a virtuous expression, because she already had it.

Come on then, Trotter, you and I are off to visit the great city.

Chapter 10

The pony snorted, bobbing his head up and down, and set off along the road to the southern entrance. As they neared it, Lasgol looked up at the imposing walls of Norghanian rock and saw the tips of the towers of the Royal castle. It seemed incredible to him that so much work had been done to rebuild the damaged parts of the city in such a short time. There were still parts of the wall, particularly the battlements, where workers were finishing repairs, but these were only minor. He wondered how long it would take them to rebuild a city like Estocos, the capital of the Western Realm, which had been badly damaged in the great battle there. Probably considerably longer than the capital, since it was not in King Thoran’s interests for Estocos and the West to make a quick recovery, which meant that he would not put in any effort – and especially any gold – into it. So Egil had told Lasgol. That was what politics was like. It took no account of