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Chapter 3“That went great,” Viggo said bitterly as the Panthers walked into the room they all shared in the Tower.“We already knew something like this might happen if we went to the King,” Astrid replied, coming in after him and shaking her head, saddened. “A sorry spectacle.”“That’s why Gondabar and Raner didn’t want to go to the King without solid evidence. Now it’s clear they were absolutely right,” Lasgol said, coming in with his head down.“I wasn’t so sure about not informing the King of what we had found out,” Ingrid said, following the others with a crestfallen look on her face. “Whenever Gondabar and Raner opposed telling the King, I thought it was risky. I thought it would be worse once they found out about the existence of the dragon and that we’d be accused of having hidden what we knew. I have to admit though, after what we’ve witnessed, that I was wrong. Now I understand our leaders’ fear. Their worst expectations have come to pass. I had guessed it might go badly… bu
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Chapter 4The atmosphere in the Royal Dungeons was as lugubrious as could be expected of such a place. Many were the stories that ran throughout Norghana of what this place had witnessed. All of them were horrendous tales about nobles, traitors, and beggars who had entered the place to never come out again. The poor wretches who had suffered the ill fate of ending up there died screaming in the cells with rock walls, windowless, cold, and damp. Their screams did not even reach the upper levels. It was as if the dungeons had been built for that purpose, to drown out the prisoners’ cries of despair.It was a place with an atrocious reputation in the kingdom. Just the mention of it made people cringe. It was said that illustrious people had vanished in there, from nobles to princes and even kings, both Norghanian and foreign. A lot of the talk was exaggerated, but part of it was true. The soldiers and executioners who had served in the dungeons had let their tongues run on more than one
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Chapter 5The door opened and Ellingsen walked into the cell, followed by two large Royal Guards. Half a dozen more waited outside. The Panthers had to step back to let them in, the cell could not fit any more. Ellingsen realized this and made a sign to the two guards to wait outside. Then he turned to Gondabar.“Leaders of the Rangers, Royal Eagles,” he said with a brief nod.“Commander,” Gondabar greeted him. The others nodded in turn.“Is there a problem?” Raner asked suspiciously.“Not as such. I was informed of this meeting and sent down,” Ellingsen explained.“The King doesn’t mean to stop the leaders of the Rangers from meeting to plan their work and missions, does he?” Gondabar asked, but it sounded like a statement instead of a question.“He doesn’t oppose the leaders meeting, no,” Ellingsen confirmed. “I’m here for another reason.”“What reason has made you come to such an inhospitable place?” Raner asked him.“I come to inform you that the King doesn’t want his Royal Eagles
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Chapter 6Lasgol went over to the Royal Stables. His heart was divided. On the one hand he was feeling sad, and on the other he was feeling happy. A stable boy with platinum-blond hair and skin as white as milk came to greet him as soon as he saw Lasgol approach.“Needing a horse, sir?” he asked, willing to help. “No, thanks, not today.”“Can I do anything else for you?” the boy offered, seeing that Lasgol was entering the stables anyway.“Yes, I have a horse being cared for here, a pony…” “I’ll come with you.”“Thank you,” Lasgol smiled at the boy, grateful for his good cheer.“Of course, sir. Follow me, please.”The boy led him to a small enclosure behind the great sheds. There were several horses and ponies resting there. They all looked healthy; they were well fed, rested, and groomed, their coats shining from a recent brushing. They had hay and fresh grass and were all quiet and content.With pain in his heart, Lasgol had come here to say goodbye to his faithful friend and partne
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Chapter 7 Lasgol reached the first trees of the forest and stopped. He touched the trunk of one of the rare snow-white oaks with his gloved hand. The bark, the roots, the branches, the leaves— everything seemed to indicate it was a regular oak tree and in good health—everything but for a small detail. The oak was white in its entirety, from its roots to the leaves. He looked at it with great interest, wondering how such a thing was possible. He raised his gaze and saw that the rest of the trees in that place had the same characteristics as the oak that had caught his eye.He remembered studying Albus Forest in one of the tomes of Nature at the Shelter, albeit in passing. He sifted through his memory, searching for what the tome said about this strange variety of oak. It was a unique species and indigenous of Norghana. For some reason the scholars could not fathom, this variety of oak was pure white a
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Chapter 8 They followed the Magi for a while longer until they arrived at the center of the forest and stopped. The place was unmistakable since there was a tall block of ice—a long square, a frozen monolith. It was surrounded by the mist. For some strange reason the mist did not cover it but seemed to emanate from it, falling off its frozen body and then dispersing around it.Funny, that block of ice is very peculiar. Magic come from block.That’s even more interesting. Then it’s no sorcerer, mage, or anyone similar who’s causing the mist.Live in forest.That sounds very complicated to me. Complicated, yes. Possible, yes.Hmmm, it might be, indeed. We’ve already had one similar experience.Yes. Dragon Orb in ice.Lasgol nodded.But that’s not Drakonian magic, is it? Not be.Well, that puts me at ease. The last thing we need is
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Chapter 9 Lasgol and Egil were waiting for Nilsa by the barracks, watching the soldiers training. Today, both the soldiers and the training were different, which had caught the attention of the two friends. Instead of the castle soldiers training, as usual, it was the Invincible of the Ice who were practicing, and that was something worth watching.In the middle of the bailey, about a hundred Invincibles were exercising with sword and shield. They were wearing their usual gear: white winged helmets, cloaks, bedrolls, and shields. What drew the most attention though was how they wielded the sword. The Invincibles did not use war axes like most of the Norghanian infantry, but broad swords, short and doubled edged. They were similar to those used by the Erenal Army but slightly broader. The exercises of attacking, blocking, and counterattacking they were practicing had everyone spellbound.“The
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Chapter 10 Lasgol was saying goodbye to his comrades at the Tower of the Rangers with a broken heart. He knew he had to continue the search for Dergha-Sho-Blaska, that it was imperative to destroy the great Immortal Dragon before he attacked and demolished Norghana. But he felt bad having to leave his friends, especially Astrid, the woman he loved so much. It was going to be difficult, but the life of a Ranger was hard and required sacrifice. They all knew that and accepted it.He had been away from his friends on several occasions now, and he was used to it. But this time, he had the strange feeling that he was not going to see them for a long time. He did not know why he felt this way, but he did. He was only going to follow a lead and see where it took him. But he had the feeling that the journey would be long and difficult, and thinking about it made his stomach turn, and that was never a good si