Arcane Call (Book 13)

## Description

**An arcane call draws the Panthers into a new mystery. One of great danger and importance.**

The Panthers resume their duties as Rangers upon leaving the Refuge.

A new mystery of foremost importance will be revealed to them.

They will have to undertake a mission as complicated as it is risky.

Will they manage to survive the mission? Will they solve the mystery?

Find out while living fascinating adventures with a group of unique characters that will make you fall in love.

## Plot

Duke Orten sends the Snow Panthers on a mission into Zangria to steal some Zangrian gold, though he tells them that they are stealing "valuable military intelligence". Viggo wants to take the gold, but Egil tells him that it will be better to complete the mission as ordered, since they will gain Thoran and Orten's trust. When the Snow Panthers cross back into Norghana they meet Orten, who has been waiting with a force of fifteen soldiers. The Snow Panthers give Orten the gold, and he reveals that he had ordered Gurkog and Kyjor, two of the best Man Hunter Ranger Specialists, to follow them to make sure they completed the mission. Orten then gives the Snow Panthers six weeks of leave and tells them not to tell anyone else about the mission.

The Snow Panthers head to the nearby village of Olouste to spend the night. While they are eating dinner, Lasgol notices a man watching them, with a strange silver tattoo on his forearm. Astrid tells Lasgol she has to go to visit her uncle, a man named Viggen Norling, as he is back in Norghana. Astrid tells Lasgol that during her childhood, Viggen was supposed to take care of her, but most of the time he spent away on his "quest", though he had servants to take care of her while he was away. Astrid describes Viggen as being an erudite somewhat like Egil, always searching for more ancient tomes of knowledge.

The next morning, the Snow Panthers go their separate ways, agreeing to meet up at the Shelter when they finish. Nilsa and Astrid go to visit their families, Egil goes to the Camp, Lasgol goes to Skad, and Ingrid and Viggo leave together. Before they all leave, Ingrid discovers that Viggo had stolen some of the Zangrian gold, and she is furious. Lasgol arrives in Skad, and the Chief and Limus greet him. Then he goes to the Eklund estate, where Martha greets him and prepares a meal for him. Lasgol develops a new skill of interacting with magical objects, which he calls Arcane Communication. He uses it to activate the pendant, and sees a memory of his mother leaving when he was still a child. Later Ulf arrives, and they have a feast together. The next morning, Ulf and Lasgol go into Skad to meet with Gondar; they find him taking a gagged man to the local jail, and Gondar tells them that the man has been spreading crazy stories about the end of the world. Gondar ungags him for a moment, and he starts yelling that all the kingdoms of Tremia will burn before the "new Masters" take control. Gondar takes the man to the jail, and then he talks with Lasgol and Ulf for a while before they go home. The next day, Lasgol leaves.

Meanwhile Ingrid and Viggo are visiting a memorial for Ingrid's aunt, Brenda, who was an Invincible of the Ice who pretended she was a man to join. She died after the Invincibles found out that she was a woman, and they left her wounded in enemy territory. After Ingrid pays her respects, Viggo tells her that he will always be with her, and they kiss. Then they go to Tonsberg, the village where Ingrid grew up. They notice that the village is unusually quiet; the curtains of the houses are drawn, and there is no one outside. Viggo and Ingrid get to the Chief's house, and the Chief, a man named Alkateson, comes out. Alkateson tells them that the town was attacked by a force of men after he put Victor Jurgensen, the cousin of the local Count, in jail for murder. The attackers came to rescue Victor, but the villagers managed to fight them off, though many villagers were killed or wounded. Alkateson tells Viggo and Ingrid that Victor's brother Wolfgang will likely be back that night. Viggo and Ingrid decide to stay to fight Wolfgang's men, and they tell Alkateson to evacuate the village. Alkateson stays behind to help them in the battle since his leg is wounded. During the battle, Ingrid kills Victor and Wolfgang, and the rest of their men are wounded or killed as well.

Meanwhile Egil has reached the Camp. He meets Sylvia Vivekasen, the new Master Ranger of Nature who replaced Eyra. The Master Rangers tell Egil that the Ranger candidates are now very interested in the Royal Eagles, and they have to temper their expectations. Then Egil meets with Dolbarar. Dolbarar tells him about the changes that have taken place since the Great Council; there is a new First Ranger, Raner Olsen, and of course Sylvia Vivekasen, the new Master Ranger of Nature. Egil tells Dolbarar about what happened with the Higher Training. Dolbarar agrees with Sigrid's decision to cancel the Higher Training until the problems with it are resolved, and he assures Egil that the Rangers are investigating what exactly went wrong with the Higher Training. Egil then asks if he can go to the Library to look for tomes about orbs of Power, and Dolbarar agrees. Then Egil goes to see Sylvia, since she had asked to meet with him before. Sylvia gives Egil a massive tome of remedies and cures for sicknesses as a gift, and she says this is to help him know that not all of the advanced Rangers of Nature are like Eyra, since Egil trusted Eyra as a mentor and then it turned out she was a traitor to the Rangers the whole time.

Then Egil continues his studies on the orb. He finds two books that have some helpful information: Creation and Treatment of Objects of Power by Alrich Torsen, which mentions a material called Dragon Glass, and Imbuing Power and its Derivations by Jasen Xertos, which mentions an advanced enchanting technique used to keep a living being alive, giving examples of a canary that was kept alive for over a hundred and fifty years and a butterfly kept alive for over two hundred years. Then Egil reports to Dolbarar, who tells him he will be escorting someone to the Shelter. Haakon also stops him and gives him a gift for Engla.

Nilsa reaches the city of Prejurice, where her family lives; the city is known for its weavers and tailors. When she arrives at her house, she is greeted my her sister Sondra, and then she goes inside, where her mother Ulsa and her youngest sister Mirial are waiting. Nilsa tells her family about the adventures she has been through so far as a Ranger. Ulsa tells Nilsa that Mirial is soon going to marry Josh Pelesen, a man from one of the richest families in the city. The next day, Nilsa takes her sisters shopping, and Mirial tells her she doesn't really want to marry Josh and that she was pressured into it by other's expectations. Nilsa tells Mirial if she really doesn't love Josh then the best thing to do is not to get married, although this will be very embarrassing for Josh's family since they planned a huge wedding.

They return home, and find that Josh and his cousin Albes have come to visit. Mirial tells Josh that she won't marry him, and Josh is furious, telling her that if she doesn't go through with the wedding he will ruin her family. Josh tells Mirial he expects a definite answer from her the next morning, and that he is going hunting with Albes in the forest to the south of the city for the rest of the day. After he leaves, Ulsa faints from shock. Sondra brings Rudolf, a healer, to help her. The next morning, Nilsa ambushes the Pelesens while they are hunting, stuns them using Elemental Arrows, and tells them to leave her family alone. Terrified, Josh and Albes agree. Nilsa goes back to her family's house and tells them they won't need to worry about the Pelesens anymore.

Astrid arrives at Viggen's house, and meets Albon, one of his new servants. He takes her inside, and she meets with Alvis, her old tutor. He is very happy to see Astrid, and he tells her that it has been somewhat lonely the past few years while she has been away. Then Astrid goes to see her uncle Viggen. He tells her that his quest has brought him back to Norghana, and that they are at a great historical time of change. He says that the time of humans is over, and that the All-Powerful Supreme Lords will take over Tremia. He says that the time of their Arrival is close, and that he knows this because the "Sleeper" has awakened. Astrid thinks that this all sounds crazy, but she thanks Viggen for making sure she was taken care of as a child. Viggen also tells Astrid that he wants her to be at his side at the Arrival, and that she will know when the time comes.

That night, Astrid wakes up and sees six riders with silver hooded cloaks coming up to the castle where her uncle lives. She creeps around the castle outside to look into the library, and sees her uncle with the six riders, holding a ceremonial object that looks like a silver sphere with thirty rods sticking out of it. One of the riders tells Viggen that the object came from Rogdon. Another rider asks if Viggen can confirm that this object is the Quills of the True Blood. Viggen takes out a huge broken fang from a fake book and it seems to activate the object, causing it to levitate. This is the reaction that the riders were looking for, and they are very happy. Viggen tells them that the day is near and the quest will soon be completed. Then he tells the riders to find the Sleeper and says the Sleeper will need their help. The next morning Viggen leaves, asking Astrid to stay and telling her he will only be gone a few days. Astrid, very disturbed by what she has seen, decides to go to the Shelter.

Lasgol is resting on his way to the Shelter when he decides to try to interact with the Orb using his Arcane Communication skill. The orb tries to force him to touch it, and Lasgol gets an intense feeling of danger, knowing that if he touches the orb he will die. He has to force himself not to touch it by stopping his Arcane Communication skill, then the urge to touch the orb stops. Gerd and Engla are doing physical therapy exercises at the Shelter under the supervision of Loke and Annika. They are improving, but still are not at their former level. Then Ingrid, Viggo, and Lasgol arrive, and Gerd visits with them. Sigrid also greets them, tells them that the Royal Eagles have become celebrities among the Rangers, and warns them not to let their fame go to their heads. She also mentions that Enduald and Galdason are in Rogdon, consulting with a Mage there about the melting of the Cave of the Frozen Dragon.

Two days later, Astrid and Nilsa arrive. They tell the other Snow Panthers about their experiences on their visits. Nilsa receives congratulations from the rest on how she handled the Pelesens. They are all disturbed by Astrid's story of her uncle's strange activities, and even more when Lasgol mentions the crazy man from Skad who was talking about the end times as well. Two days later, Egil arrives with Edwina, who he had been told to escort, and who was sent to the Shelter to assist with healing Engla and Gerd. Egil is not too worried by the stories about Astrid's uncle and the crazy man from Skad, and says movements of people warning of the end times have come and gone quite often, with their predictions never coming to pass. He says there is too little information so far to make a definite conclusion about the issue. Astrid and Lasgol are still somewhat doubtful, but the others are reassured by this.

Later Edwina tries to heal Gerd with her magic. She can't pinpoint the injured area in his mind, so Lasgol tries with his Aura Presence and Ranger Healing skills, and manages to find the injured areas. Lasgol is unable to heal the injuries, but he highlights the injured areas so that Edwina can heal them. Edwina says these areas, of which there are a dozen, are rifts in Gerd's mind that were caused by the trauma in the training. Edwina manages to begin healing the first of the injured areas, but she says it will take months to finish healing all of them, and Sigrid decides to have Gerd move to the Cave of Winter during the healing process.

That night, the orb calls Camu again, telling him Drokose and the rest of his family are in danger and to use the Pearl to travel to a large deserted island. Camu tells Lasgol, who tells the other Snow Panthers. They do not want to go, and Camu transmits the vision that the orb is sending him to them. The Snow Panthers realize the orb sent them to the Usik forests by mistake the last time, and this deserted island is where it wanted to go. After some argument, the Snow Panthers all decide to go through the portal. After they go through the portal, they realize it has taken them to a desert instead of the island. Viggo is furious. Camu tells Lasgol that the orb put in the right destination when it activated the portal at the Pearl, but something went wrong and they ended up at the desert.

The Snow Panthers are captured by a desert tribe called the Desher Tumaini, who are a secret tribe that holds the lands around this Pearl. When the Desher Tumaini see Camu, they worship him, calling him a Hor, which is a being of great power in their culture, and they call the orb an Eye of Power. Tor Nassor, the leader of the Desher Tumaini, tells the Snow Panthers to avoid drinking the water or eating local plants, as they contain minerals that would make them sick, though his people are acclimated to the minerals. Tor Nassor calls the mountains where his people live the Blood Mountains, which are located in the southern regions of the Nocean Empire. Tor Nassor questions the Snow Panthers about their intentions, as he is concerned about the Jafari Kaphiri tribe who live in a massive walled city to the east. After he is satisfied that they have not been sent to spy on or attack the tribe, Tor Nassor shows the Snow Panthers around the dwellings of the Desher Tumaini. He shows them a plant called Eshe Baset, which the tribe uses for food and healing. Then Tor Nassor shows the Snow Panthers a cave with many paintings, most of which are of creatures like Camu, although Viggo finds one of a dragon. Tor Nassor calls the dragon a Lesser Fire Hor, and says Camu is a Greater Hor. He says that the dragon in the painting was the last dragon. He also says that the Hors were driven out of Tremia by the Gods, who then ruled over Tremia. Tor Nassor also tells the Snow Panthers that humans can't kill Hors, as they are too powerful.

Then Tor Nassor asks for their help to rescue his daughter and her two cousins from the Jafari Kaphiri. If no one rescues them, they will be killed in the evening of the next day. The Snow Panthers agree, and Tor Nassor tells them that the Jafari Kaphiri plan to execute his daughter and the others by throwing them into the Abyss of the Sands, a massive depression in the desert where a powerful creature they call a Sand Hor lives. Tor Nassor, the Snow Panthers and thirty of the Desher Tumaini warriors go out to take part in the rescue.

When they reach the Abyss, they wait for a bit and then the Jafari Kaphiri group arrives. The Jafari Kaphiri beat drums to summon the Sand Hor, which rises up from the Abyss, but Astrid and Viggo manage to free most of the prisoners before the Sand Hor can eat them. The Sand Hor is like a gigantic snake in appearance, with a huge mouth full of teeth. As the Sand Hor attacks, the Jafari Kaphiri retreat, although many of their soldiers are eaten. The Desher Tumaini and the Snow Panthers run away as well, but the Sand Hor comes after them. Camu tries to command it to leave, but the Sand Hor laughs at him and tries to eat him, when the orb suddenly commands the Sand Hor to leave. The Sand Hor obeys the orb, and goes back down into the Abyss. Viggo had been hanging onto the Sand Hor with his knives after attacking it, and he is still attached to the Sand Hor when it dives back into the Abyss. Luckily Camu dives in after them, grabs Viggo, and then flies back up out of the Abyss.

Afterwards they all return to the Blood Mountains. Tor Nassor thanks the Snow Panthers for their help, and Egil tells him he would like to return someday. Then Camu and the orb open the portal again, and they go back to the Shelter. The next day Gerd is doing therapy exercises with Loke again. Loke made an exercise of throwing an apple and having Gerd and Engla try to catch it. Gerd, who has been healed a little bit by Edwina's magic, catches the apple, but Engla doesn't manage to. Engla had not wanted to be healed before because it would mean magic being used on her again, but now she agrees, and Lasgol and Edwina begin the process. After Nilsa sees Gerd catch the apple, she is so happy that she cries, and then she says she will not criticize magic or blame it for her father's death anymore.

Three days later, the Snow Panthers are ordered to report to the capitol. When they arrive, Egil goes to consult with Remus Imalsen, a collector of exotic and arcane objects, about the orb. Lasgol goes to see Rufus Fildensen, a scholar of religious and secret societies, to see if he has any information about the group Viggen belongs to. While Lasgol is returning from his visit to Rufus, he is attacked by three of the men who were with Astrid's uncle. They use the quill and find the orb on Lasgol, and they are about to take it from him when Drugan Volskerian, the man with a silver tattoo who Lasgol thought was a Zangrian spy, attacks them along with his companion. Drugan turns out to be a powerful warlock, he carries two swords that he can use to project flames, and he easily defeats the three men. Lasgol faints after Drugan leaves, and Drugan orders his companion to spare Lasgol because he is "of the blood". Later Lasgol regains consciousness and goes back to the Rangers' tower. The other Snow Panthers are very concerned about the incident, and Camu is sad because the orb is gone. Then Nilsa gets their orders for the next mission, they are being sent to a kingdom to the east by King Thoran himself.