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Chapter 21Ona, Lasgol, and Camu reached the jetty. There was no trace of the boatman, who must still be sleeping it off. They got out of the barge, not without some difficulties, and once they had all landed, Lasgol told them what had happened on the war ship with the sea serpent.Monster, servant dragon, Camu said, certain.Yeah, that’s what I thought too. Much clever throw jewel.Thanks, I didn’t even stop to think, it was pure instinct. Serpent take pearls to dragon, sure.Dergha-Sho-Blaska must have sent the creature to intercept them.Can follow sea serpent?I think so. The locating spell is working. I guess I have to be close enough to feel it.Follow river. That’s my plan too.I have two horses I can switch between. I’ll ride as fast as they can go and follow the serpent south.You better go alone, more fast. And what about you two?We follow, more slow. No can run like horses.Ona moaned twice.I don’t like the idea of leaving you again, now
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Chapter 22Lasgol prepared to release. A sense of danger clutched at his stomach. He did not want to fight the Inon, but if he was forced to, he would.Be us, Camu’s message reached him.Lasgol lowered his bow. He snorted and smiled.Camu and Ona appeared in front of him and he welcomed them with a hug.I’m so glad you caught up with me. We come fast.Yeah, faster than I had expected, Lasgol smiled.Ona moaned and rubbed her head against Lasgol’s forehead to show her love. Lasgol appreciated the panther’s caress with all his heart. She was charming, good, obedient, and lovable, and also deadly when she needed to be.What happen with great sea serpent? Camu wanted to know.I’ll tell you. It’s quite funny. Surprise?Yeah, something like that. I like surprises.We’ll see if you like this one.Lasgol told them what had happened with the serpent and the monster-crocodile and the situation they were in now. And also about the curious fact that it had a camouflage skill similar to Camu’s.Su
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One of the riders remained behind above a small hill. He turned on his mount and looked toward where the great reptile was marching on south. In spite of its camouflage, maybe because it was moving, the rider seemed to see it. He opened his eyes wide and stared in disbelief. He did not seem convinced that what he was seeing was real. He urged his mount forward and approached the reptile from behind. It looked as if the rider had seen the monster’s enormous tail. Frightened, he sounded the alarm, shouting in the Inon’s tribal language.The other riders heard his shouts and looked back. They stopped following the herd of bison and rode to where the rider was signaling. The reptile realized it had been discovered and stopped. It lay down and once again vanished from sight, becoming a grass-covered mound.The rider was pointing toward the monster and shouting in his own language, obviously upset. Some of the other riders dismounted and searched for the trail. They found it, great reptilia
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Chapter 23Raner had gathered the group in the afternoon for training, outside the city, westward and on horseback, which told them that the day’s practice would have to do with protecting while riding. They had stopped in the middle of the Royal Road before it went through a birch wood. It was a sunny day with few clouds, and it did not look like rain. This cheered everyone, since the last few days it had been raining pretty heavily.In the distance above a hill there was an army watch tower, and they could see soldiers, which did not surprise them. The kingdom was preparing for war, and the Royal Army soldiers had been activated and were in constant motion. They were taking over towers, forts, ports, and other fortresses of strategic value throughout the realm. Two of the King’s main armies, the Snow Army and the Thunder Army, had gone south to the border with Zangria. From the news that arrived from the Rangers on watch missions at the border, the Zangrian army was also mobilizing
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Chapter 24Lasgol, Ona, and Camu arrived at a fishing village on the southern coast. They were in the southernmost part between the kingdom of Rogdon and the forests of the Usik. Ahead of them spread the Central Sea. As far as Lasgol knew, it was a warm, quiet sea. The weather was usually mild, so there were no rough seas and sailing was easy as a rule, but of course with them you could never be sure. For starters, a monstrous crocodile had jumped into the sea.The Central Sea separated the upper part of Tremia from the lower. The kingdoms of Central Tremia, like Erenal or Zangria, were located in the upper part, and in the lower, beyond the sea, were the territories under the control of the Nocean Empire, with the deserts and the scorching sun, which made it difficult to live in certain areas because of the scarcity of water.Go village? Camu messaged to Lasgol.Yeah, I’ll go. You follow me camouflaged but at a safe distance. We need a ship.Dangerous?Lasgol checked the fishing vill
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Chapter 25They reached the Nocean coast of the Central Sea and landed at a small beach with dunes. Lasgol dragged the boat up the beach in case they needed it to go back; he did not want the tide to take it. He looked around. They were alone on a beautiful beach of white sand, with the sea at his back and in front large dunes with some vegetation between them, which foretold what they would likely find beyond.We keep going south, he transmitted to Camu and Ona.Okay.Ona chirped once.They started up the dunes, soon encountering a landscape that was as beautiful as it was desolate. An enormous desert began beyond the first dunes, which still had some vegetation and spread as far as the eye could see. To the southwest they saw the walls and towers of what looked like a large city, the city of Marucose, one of the northernmost cities of the Nocean Empire.Very desert.You can say that again. The worst thing is that the desert spreads for leagues and leagues in every direction.No wate
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Chapter 26The afternoon was warm and the sky was clear, which cheered up everyone before beginning their practice. Nilsa, Egil, Gerd, and Viggo were waiting at the meeting point outside the city toward the south, at the crossing of the Royal Roads. They were beside the wooden sign with the names of the nearest cities. They had left their horses tethered to a pair of ilex oaks east of the road, and they were chatting easily.“What a lovely day,” Nilsa said contentedly, spreading her arms open and turning her face toward the sun for the warm light to bathe her.“A perfect day to be ruined by a war, an attempted regicide, or something of the sort,” Viggo said, chewing on the tip of a blade of grass.“Don’t jinx it,” Gerd chided. “We’re doing well, let’s just enjoy the moment and the beautiful day.”“Raner won’t be long. I’m impatient to know what we’ll learn today.” Egil was rubbing his hands together and had a lively look and smile on his face.“I bet you the lesson will be about helpi
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Chapter 27Ona and Camu jumped up and turned toward the five figures who were watching them calmly from the dune. They were wearing long black and blue robes, which covered their whole bodies except for the face and hands. On the head they wore a scarf, desert style, and they were armed. At their waists they carried knives and scimitars.They’re desert dwellers, Lasgol transmitted to Ona and Camu as he carefully retrieved his bow and quiver from his side.Enemies?I can’t tell. Some are friendly and some are not. No friendly, you see.Yeah, with our luck that would be the case.The desert dwellers continued staring at them without making any movement. Lasgol assumed they were not looking for conflict, although it could also mean that they were taking their time. The truth was that Lasgol had barely any knowledge of the peoples of the desert and their habits. He missed Egil terribly in these kinds of situations…We retreat slowly, he transmitted. It was a defensive maneuver. He wanted
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Chapter 37Lasgol and Camu were staring at the dead dragon on the floor of the patio in front of them, unable to fully believe they had killed it. Camu would never admit he found it hard to believe, since his fighting, stubborn character had made him absolutely sure they could defeat it. Lasgol, on the other hand, thought it was nothing short of miraculous that they had managed to kill it. An unthinkable enterprise, one that had almost cost the three of them their lives.A moan made them both turn around. Ona was coming toward them from inside the building.How are you feeling, Ona? Lasgol transmitted to her, bending down to hug her. As he crouched, he grunted with pain from the two cuts he had in the stomach and thigh. He had already realized they were not simple scratches.The snow panther reached his side, moaned, and licked his face.Ona, we kill dragon, Camu messaged to her, proudly nodding toward it.Ona growled once.And it almost killed us, Lasgol transmitted.We defeat. Much
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Chapter 36The afternoon group was running back from doing their physical exercises around the capital. Viggo was still intent on proving that he was better than the Royal Rangers, so he was flying downhill, five paces ahead of two Royal Rangers, who were trying hard to catch up with him and overtake him.The howling of a wolf from the forest to the east warned Egil, who was running beside Gerd at the rear of the group, that he was wanted. He looked at the giant, who returned a gaze of complicity. He raised his right hand and turned aside.“I have to stop!” Gerd warned his comrades.Nilsa and the Royal Rangers who were running in front stopped to look at him.“Are you all right, Gerd?” Nilsa asked, concerned.“Yeah, it’s my hip, it’s bothering me. Nothing to worry about. It’ll soon pass, go ahead.”“Are you sure it’s nothing?” Nilsa came over, concerned, while the Rangers she was running with remained a little further.“Don’t worry, it’ll pass in a moment,” he said without straighteni
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Chapter 35The minor dragon rose, flapping its wings hard, and prepared to drop once again onto Camu to strike it with all the power and weight of its considerable size. In comparison, the dragon was larger than Camu, who recognized the situation and what it meant. Seeing it was going to lunge down at him and knowing he was not exactly nimble, Camu decided to change tactics to avoid the crash.The dragon lunged at Camu with its four claws outstretched.Camu called on his Drakonian Wings. There was a powerful silver flash along his body and the wings appeared on his back, glowing in all their splendor. He leapt, flapping them vigorously, and rose up off the ground.The dragon hit the ground with its four claws hard, breaking the marble slabs of the patio, which flew in shards all over the place. Camu was already nine feet up. He had escaped the attack by a scale’s breath.The dragon looked up.So, the pup can fly. Then he is not such a pup, it messaged and flapped its wings. It took a
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Chapter 34The Panthers were waiting to be received by Queen Heulyn before her chambers. They were waiting in an antechamber decorated as if they were in Irinel. There were shields and javelins from that realm hanging on the wall. Several Irinel soldiers guarded the entrance and would not let them through. They had told them, kindly but firmly, to wait there. Since the Queen had requested their presence, they could do nothing else.The double doors opened and a familiar face came to greet them.“Good day, Royal Eagles,” Valeria said with a lively spirit and a big smile on her face.“Good day, Valeria,” Nilsa returned the greeting with a light smile.“The Queen has summoned us,” Ingrid said with a hint of interrogation in her tone.“And it’s a little too early for our taste,” Viggo complained, yawning ostentatiously. “You might let the Queen know that these are inappropriate hours for morning meetings. Better to have them after a good breakfast, say mid-morning.”Valeria gave a little
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Chapter 33Saki-Erki-Luzen, the minor dragon, attacked without any warning other than an intimidating roar. It took a step forward, opened its mouth as if it were going to roar again, and issued forth a gust of fire directed at Lasgol, Camu, and Ona.Lasgol leapt to one side using his reflexes and improved agility. It was an instinctive move at seeing the fire and feeling its scorching heat.Ona moved to the other side with a powerful leap to get out of range of the flames so they would not touch her. Her feline instincts saved her from ending up torched by the dragon’s attack.Camu opted for a different defense. He could not jump with the agility of his two friends. He opened his mouth and used his Icy Breath skill. The jet of freezing breath he sent crashed against the flames heading toward him. Upon contact both attacks, fire and water, canceled each other. Neither of the two managed to reach the rival.The scorpions guarding the door, seeing their lord was attacking, also lunged a
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Chapter 32Nilsa, Viggo, Egil, and Gerd were coming back from doing physical practice with six of the Royal Rangers, among which were Kol and Haines. They were both running at the front with Nilsa and chatting with her. It was painfully obvious that both of them were greatly interested in the friendly redhead. They were not the only ones. Another Royal Ranger joined them on the way down toward the capital, whose lights they could see in the distance. Night was falling and hunger and tiredness were beginning to have their effect, but whoever wants to be in shape must suffer a little. The Royal Rangers knew this better than anyone else. They had to endure whole days on their feet standing by a wall on watch duty. This numbed and softened anyone’s muscles. Therefore, it was important they went out to do physical exercise.Viggo was running in the lead, as fast as lightning. He wanted to arrive as soon as possible and show all the Royal Rangers that he was better than them. Nilsa and Gerd
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Chapter 31Ona, Camu, and Lasgol went through the ghost city, following the enormous scorpions that had taken the Silver Pearls. The trail was quite clear since two sets of eight scorpion legs walking on streets partially covered by desert sand were unmistakable. Lasgol was having no trouble following them. Besides, they had carried away the ice jewel so if he lost the trail he could wait for a pulse that would tell him where they were.Lasgol was thinking how lucky they had been that the crocodile had not joined the fray in the middle of the city, since that would have been an additional problem. On the other hand, the croc would have destroyed half the city if entered it, so to a point it was logical it had not come in. Well, as logical as one giant crocodile at the entrance of a city in the desert with colossal scorpions and cobras as guardians was. When he told the tale in Norghana they were not going to believe him.They turned left and then right. They were not in camouflage s
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Chapter 30Lasgol waited a moment and wondered whether his plan might work or if they would be discovered and end up having to confront those monstrous desert creatures. He was not at all sure it was a good idea to follow the scorpions, least of all through the forbidden city. But when there were no other options, it was best to be determined.Watch out. We’re going to follow the scorpions. I don’t think they can see us under Camu’s camouflage, but we must be very careful.Camouflage good. They no see, Camu messaged confidently.There’s more than one way of seeing. They might detect us by sound or by the trail we leave, for instance.Ona moaned once.Oh I understand. I no can help that.That’s why I’m saying we must take extreme precautions. We always careful.Yeah, always… Lasgol was watching with one eye from the corner of the wall. They’ve entered the city. Following them through the streets will be dangerous.City empty, no dangerous.The entrance was also empty and the scorpions
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Chapter 29Astrid, Ingrid, and Molak were waiting for Raner on their horses east of the capital, according to his orders. They were half a league from the Royal Road and were to wait for the First Ranger to join them. Not very far away they could glimpse Beaver Hill, so called because of a rock at the summit that looked very much like the animal.“What do you think the First Ranger has in store for us today?” Molak asked his comrades.“So far, everything he’s had prepared for us has been enlightening and interesting,” Ingrid said in a satisfied tone. “So I hope that whatever he has for us today will be so too.”Astrid stroked her horse’s neck.“I feel the same way. The truth is that training to become Royal Rangers has pleasantly surprised me.”“You weren’t expecting it to be interesting?” Molak asked, surprised.“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to be useful and so I thought I’d be bored. But it’s turning out to be the opposite. I think that in the Assassin Specialty at the Shelte
