The snow panther chirped affirmatively at him and stayed on guard just in case, while Lasgol went on studying the trails. When he had learned as much as he could, he waited for his two comrades to join him. The troops would take half a day longer to get here.
The first one to arrive was Enker, who shook his head at the sight of the grotesque scene. “Poor wretches,” he murmured.
“They were unlucky,” Lasgol said sadly.
“What I found isn’t much better.”
“What about the village of Isvengorg?”
“Completely destroyed.”
“No! Any survivors?”
“It’s gone, devastated, I’d say a few weeks ago: a group of a hundred and fifty or so Wild Ones of the Ice. I saw tracks of peasants heading south, so I think there were some survivors who managed to escape. I also found two dozen dead men. They must have stayed to fight and gain time for the rest to get away.”
Lasgol breathed out heavily. “This is very bad news.”
Enker nodded. “I can’t believe they’ve dared cross the pass and attack a village on our side. It seems almost unthinkable to me. Don’t they realize King Thoran’s going to kill them for this?”
Lasgol sighed. He knew perfectly well that Thoran would not permit this kind of outrage to his honor. At the same time, he did not see how the King could punish the Wild Ones as he might wish to.
“What about the farms further south?”
“They’ve been attacked too, but luckily the families managed to escape. I haven’t found any bodies. The farms have been utterly destroyed.”
“They’re sending us clear messages, that they don’t want us on their side or anywhere near the pass,” Lasgol said.
“Their side’s Norghana too, it belongs to the kingdom. The King won’t allow anybody to say otherwise.”
“I know, but the Wild Ones and the Peoples of the Frozen Continent don’t see it that way. Everything on the other side of these mountains they consider their own territory.”
“Well then, we’ve got quite a problem on our hands.”
Lasgol nodded. “We certainly have.”
Misten arrived a little later, and there was no need for him to say anything. His face said it all.
“As bad as that?” Enker said.
He shook his head. “The village of Tulkors isn’t there any longer. Half the inhabitants have been murdered.”
“That’s terrible,” Lasgol said sadly. “They’ve attacked the two villages closest to the pass and left this warning for anyone who dares cross it.” He indicated the macabre scene at the mouth of the pass.
“Have they gone mad?” Misten asked in disbelief. “They’re going to force another war, and one they can’t win.”
Lasgol said nothing. If the Wild Ones had the Ice Specter on their side, which he feared was the case, the ones who would not win the war might be themselves, the Norghanians.
When the troops arrived, Lasgol went to report to Commander Sven and First Ranger Gatik. Enker and Misten went with him and stood behind him.
“The Wild Ones have attacked the farms and villages near the pass, sir.”
“On this side?” Gatik asked, looking troubled.
“Yes, sir. There are no Norghanian farms or villages on the other side of the mountains. The Wild Ones destroyed them long ago, and we haven’t been able to take that area back. There are no Norghanians in the Frozen Territories, either soldiers or civilians. I was among the last to cross this pass, and that was in retreat, before the end of the civil war.”
“That’s going to change now,” Sven assured him firmly. He genuinely believed it. “They’re not going to push us back from the Frozen Territories. I’ve come to take them back for the King, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to take them and keep them, expel the Wild Ones of the Ice from this area and make them go back to the Frozen Continent. That’s what the King has ordered. He’s put me in command of this mission because it’s one that’s worrying him, and he wants to make sure that no mistakes are made. He’s left the generals of the army in Norghania and granted me the command personally. There won’t be any mistakes. We’re going to carry out Thoran’s wishes. The Frozen Territories will return to the dominion of Norghana.”
“Yes, sir,” Lasgol replied with a respectful nod. But he was left wondering whether the Commander had really thought out the plan – or whether the King had, since they were following his orders and his wishes. The Wild Ones considered the Frozen Territories as their own, and what was more, as sacred territory. They had temples hidden in deep caverns in the mountains further north. He doubted very much whether they would abandon them, quite apart from the fact that there were semi-giants still living in those caverns. It was not that he doubted Commander Sven’s capacity. He was sure he was a good leader and strategist, as he had proved in war, both against Darthor and against the Western League. This was why Thoran had put him in command, since he trusted him more than anyone else. And he had sent Gatik for the same reason, so that he would support and help Sven. These two made up a winning team. They were the King’s most trusted and skilled men. Thoran was clever. He was not going to send his brute of a brother Orten with two generals to the other side of the mountain. It was too risky. The strategy seemed to be the right one, but what was not so clear to Lasgol was whether they could come out victorious after what he had witnessed.
“Many dead civilians?” Sven asked.
“Quite a few, sir,” Lasgol said, and Enker and Misten nodded.
Sven
