The Turquoise Queen by Pedro Urvi (animal farm read TXT) 📕

“Is it you who is destroying our magic?”

“Before I answer … do I have the Queen’s word that we will not be harmed?”

Uragh was thoughtful for a moment.

“I’m very intrigued by what’s just happened. I’ve never seen anything like it. Everything arcane interests me, this especially.”

“Have we the Queen’s word?” Lasgol insisted.

“You have my word that you’ll come out of this cavern unharmed, and that you’ll live to see another dawn.”

Lasgol knew this was no guarantee that they would leave the islands alive, but, considering the situation they were in, it was something.

Ingrid shook her head, clearly unwilling that he should accept the deal. Astrid made a gesture that Lasgol understood to mean ‘better than nothing’.

“All right,” he agreed. “Camu, show yourself.”

The creature appeared beside him in the middle of the team, and the Queen and the Shamans started in surprise. They stared at him in amazement.

“What is this creature?” Uragh asked at last.

“He’s a Creature with Power from the Frozen Continent,” Lasgol explained. “He can cancel the magic around him.”

Uragh fixed her gaze on Camu and studied him thoroughly. Eicewald, looking utterly taken aback, stared first at Camu and then at Lasgol. He would demand an explanation later, but that did not trouble Lasgol for the moment. The situation was complicated enough already, and the Mage’s annoyance at having had this concealed from him was the least of his worries at the moment.

Camu, seeing that all gazes were fixed on him, stretched out his neck and tail, trying to make himself appear bigger and more dangerous than he really was. In fact, if he had been able to, he would certainly have roared, but he was not very good at roaring, he was more one for shrieking. Since nobody was saying anything and the tension was rising, he decided to show them his skills. He disappeared in front of the Queen, to reappear a moment later on Lasgol’s other side.

“I’m going to cast a spell on Lasgol. Stop me,” Uragh said to Camu with the clear intention of establishing that this was not simply by chance.

Camu gave forth a silver flash and created a protective sphere which covered Lasgol and all those with him. Uragh launched a spell against Lasgol in the form of an arrow of turquoise water, which crashed against the sphere and disintegrated. Uragh conjured a second time, this time trying to create a spell inside the sphere. There was a blue flash in her hands, and the spell failed.

“Impressive!” she commented, and now her expression was deeply intrigued. Once again she was silent and thoughtful.

Camu stretched out his head and tail, proud of what he had managed to show. I prevent magic, he transmitted to Lasgol.

Well done. Now don’t do anything till we see what happens.

All right, the creature agreed happily.

The Queen stared with great interest at Camu. When she finally spoke, what she said was not what Lasgol had expected, considering how the audience had been going until then.

“This new discovery changes things. It interests me very much. Go away now and let me think. I’ll let you know what I decide about this case, and about your fate.”

The team exchanged looks of disbelief. They looked from the monarch to Arrain and the Shamans, expecting a ruse of some kind, but there was none.

Eicewald bowed deeply. “Thank you, your majesty,” he said gratefully.

“Arrain, this evening let them enjoy our hospitality.”

The Shaman nodded respectfully. “I’ll make sure of it, your majesty.” He signaled them to leave the chamber.

They had come out of it alive. For the moment. Lasgol breathed out heavily. Would they live to see another dawn?

Chapter 28

Arrain, accompanied by a group of both Shamans of the Sea and Guards, escorted them to a hut. It was set a little apart from the ones the natives used, larger and more solid. Lasgol had the feeling that it had been already used as a place of detention, because the windows were bricked up. The door had been left open, but it revealed a fire with twenty or so guards beside it. Eicewald was taken to another nearby hut and locked in under the watchful eye of Shamans of the Sea, in case he tried to use his magic in any way.

“What on earth has been going on here?” Ingrid asked furiously once they had been left alone in the hut.

“Our charming Ice Mage hasn’t managed to win over our bitchy host?” Viggo replied acidly.

“Yeah, that obviously, but why hasn’t she killed us?”

“That’s a good question,” said Astrid. “That was really weird. I was sure we weren’t going to get out of that cave alive.”

“Me too,” Lasgol had to admit. “Thank goodness Camu stepped in.”

“Did you tell the bug to rescue us?” Viggo asked.

“Well, no. He acted on his own initiative.”

“Nice bit of work!” Gerd said to Camu. “If you hadn’t stepped in, we wouldn’t have gotten out of there.”

I happy to help, Camu transmitted, and became visible. Gerd went over to pet him immediately.

“He says he’s happy he was able to help,” Lasgol explained.

“You were fantastic, Camu!” Astrid said to him. She too made a fuss of him, full of affection for the creature.

Ona too went to him to congratulate him, and he was delighted. Camu good, he transmitted happily.

The panther rubbed against Camu, showing her affection.

All right, Lasgol said, smiling from ear to ear. This time I admit it, you were magnificent. Camu. Good.

“I had no idea he could do things like that,” Ingrid said. She arched an eyebrow, staring at Camu as though she were seeing him for the first time.

Lasgol waved his hands. “He’s been developing various skills, and some of them are really beginning to stand out.”

Ona licked Camu’s head repeatedly, which delighted