“A little privacy,” Gatik said to his Royal Rangers, who at once fanned out around their leader and Lasgol, far enough away not to hear what they were going to say. The request surprised Lasgol.
He tried to probe. “My lord wants to speak to me …?”
Gatik ignored the bait and began to chat casually. “That’s a beautiful familiar you’ve got there, and very well trained.” He indicated Ona, who was walking close to Trotter, but half a head back so as not to startle the pony.
“Thank you, sir. She’s very intelligent and good.”
“Those are the best qualities for a familiar.”
Lasgol agreed.
“You look like your father,” Gatik said after he had looked him up and down for a moment.
“So, I’ve been told, though I don’t see the resemblance …”
“Not in the face, but in everything else, definitely. I knew him well.”
“I didn’t know that” Lasgol said. The vision in which his father had welcomed Sven and Gatik into King Uthar’s service came to his mind.
“Yes, he taught me a lot when I came into the Royal Rangers. He took a special interest in training me. I think that if I’m First Ranger today, it’s largely thanks to him.”
“Thanks to him?” Lasgol said in surprise.
“Yes. He was always a role model for me. I followed him everywhere, the way a puppy follows its master. In fact, those were really good years when your father was First Ranger. He taught me a lot … I was always trying to be close to him to acquire as much knowledge as I could. There are things which you can only gain through experience, but there are plenty of others you can learn from, a good teacher or mentor.”
“That’s very true, sir,” Lasgol said. He was remembering everything his father had taught him and everything he had learnt later on, both at the Camp and at the Shelter. He wondered why Gatik should have mentioned this.
“He lit the spark that made me want to become First Ranger, and there you are: in the end I did.”
“It’s a great honor to become First Ranger, and very difficult,” Lasgol said admiringly.
“That’s true, both those things. Have you ever thought about it?”
“Me? No, sir.”
“You should. It’s a great thing to aspire to, and it would give you the impetus to want to improve a lot. Besides, as Dakon’s son, I’m sure you have all the qualities.”
“I’m not so sure I have …”
Gatik smiled. “A lion king’s cub will one day be a lion – and a king too.”
Lasgol looked less sure about this. All he could say was: “I wish …”
“At your age you’re already a Specialist, and so a little birdie has told me, in no less than two specialties. That’s very interesting, and it shows what great potential you have.”
Lasgol did not know what to say. How had Gatik found out about his double specialty? It was not something he had spoken about openly himself. If Gatik did know, it meant that he had a special interest in him, and he wondered why. They were not on the same side, that was obvious. Lasgol was with Egil and the West, Gatik with Thoran and the East. Was that it? Very probably. Gatik was intelligent and would want to know everything about his rivals, especially the Rangers.
He tried to make light of it. “It just happened …”
“Not at all. That doesn’t ‘just happen’. It’s not often that a Ranger attains more than one Specialty. It didn’t happen in my case, and I was the best among those of my year, both at the Camp and the Shelter. That’s why I’m so interested, because it only happens with very special people. And when it happens, I hear about it, as well as a lot of other important news that concerns the Rangers.”
“Oh …” The First Ranger had informants among the Rangers – which was not so strange, when you thought about it.
Gatik smiled. “One day I won’t be First Ranger, but I’d like to stay on as long as I can. Knowing the secret of how it’s possible to attain a double specialty would help me in that.”
Lasgol was beginning to understand Gatik’s motives. “If I can be of any help to my First Ranger, I’ll be delighted to,” he said, and remembered Sigrid’s enthusiasm for creating Super-Rangers. He had the impression that Gatik had the same enthusiasm, but for himself, not for the good of the other Rangers.
“I’m glad to hear that. There’ll be time for you and me to work together, and then you can teach me how you did it.”
“I’m at my lord’s disposal,” Lasgol said. He did not want to make an enemy of Gatik, or give him any reason not to trust him.
“Besides, one day, when I’m no longer First Ranger, I hope to achieve a position of leadership, and I’ll remember those who’ve helped me along the way.” He winked.
“It’ll be
