The King of the West (Book 7)

Cover of The King of the West

## Description

**Can a handful of Rangers decide the fate of a kingdom?**

Lasgol and his companions are immersed in their missions as Specialist Rangers. The situations and problems they will face are much greater than they imagined.

The civil war in Norghana intensifies. King Thoran with the support of the eastern nobles and an army of mercenaries paid with the gold of the crown want to put an end to the rebellion. He wants to end the King of the West and his League by any means necessary.

Our friends will be involved in intrigues, betrayals, persecutions, murders, battles, sieges and all kinds of situations that will test their loyalty not only to their kingdom but to their friends and colleagues.

Do not miss this new installment full of adventure, action, emotion, magic and romance.

Who will win in the civil war? Will the west be victorious or will it be the east? Will Lasgol and his friends survive the tribulations in which they will be involved? Will they decide the fate of Norghana with their decisions and actions?

## Plot

Before going on his scouting mission in the North, Lasgol takes a break to go to the Camp to visit Egil. He tells Egil about his time at the Shelter, and Sigrid's experiments with him, as well as the problem of the Dark Rangers. Egil tells him that Dolbarar seems to be sick.  The next day, Dolbarar asks to see Lasgol. Egil goes with him, and Dolbarar first asks them about their past and if they have broken connections with their families. Egil and Lasgol assure him that they are Rangers now, loyal to the King of Norghana. Then he asks Lasgol to tell him about what happened with Erika and Isgord. Dolbarar refuses to believe that the Dark Rangers are real, saying Erika had always wanted to be part of something bigger and that she must have made it up. Lasgol then goes to visit Edwina. She tells him that his lake of power for the Gift has grown larger, though he can't tell that it has grown, which means there is a disconnect between his mind and his Gift. Edwina refuses to tell Lasgol what is wrong with Dolbarar, though she is treating him. Later Eyra asks Lasgol to collect three Undying Bell plants for her; she says they are used in healing potions for treating infections of the blood, and they are rare, growing in the territory of the People of the Ice. Lasgol meets Val, who is planning on taking the Specialization Test.

Lasgol leaves for the north; on the way he is caught in a winter storm and seeks shelter in a cave. Unfortunately a bear is already in the cave, but Lasgol manages to use his Gift to convince it not to attack them and to let them stay until the storm passes. On the way to the soldiers' camp where Lasgol is supposed to report, he finds several dead soldiers and a dangerous Creature of the Ice that appears as a translucent creature similar in shape to a Semi-Giant but larger, and giving off a mist. He finally arrives at the camp, where the soldiers tell him many people in this camp have been killed, and suggest that Lasgol was sent here as a way of getting rid of him. Captain Martens tells Lasgol that the creature he saw is called a Frozen Specter, and it has killed many of his men. He sends Lasgol out on a scouting mission with Isberson and Elkmun, two of his best veterans.

They soon find a village of the Wild of the Ice, where Molsen is being held captive. Lasgol, with the help of Camu and Ona, rescues him and sends him back with Isberson and Elkmun. Then Lasgol continues scouting and finds an Undying Bell plant and another village of the Wild of the Ice. After several more days of scouting, Lasgol finds four more Undying Bell plants. Then he stops for a rest, and examines the pendant again, seeing the memory of a secret meeting between his parents, in which his mother manages to imprint one of his father's memories on the pendant. Afterwards, Lasgol finds a very large village of the Wild of the Ice, with Tundra Dwellers and Glacial Arcanes also living there. In all three villages, there was a giant totem set up, which Lasgol discovers is used to summon the Frozen Specter. Camu has developed the ability to sense different kinds of magic, and he tells Lasgol that the Frozen Specter has Magic of Death.

They return to the camp at the Peak of the White Owl, but find Captain Martens and most of his men dead, killed by the Frozen Specter. Lasgol tracks the survivors to their camp, and finds nine soldiers, led by Sergeant Okbek. Isberson and Elkmun, as well as Ranger Molsen, have also survived. They decide to head back to Norghanian territory, since there is no chance of surviving against the Frozen Specter and the massive numbers of People of the Ice who Lasgol saw while scouting. Lasgol takes Molsen back to the Camp, and Okbek and the soldiers go to Vuldritch, a nearby city.

At the Camp, Lasgol tells Egil about the latest developments, which makes him somewhat glad since Thoran will have to move troops and Mages to counter the Frozen Specter and the People of the Ice settling in northern Norghana. Lasgol gives the Undying Bell plants to Eyra, then reports to Dolbarar, who tells Lasgol he is being sent to the capitol to report to Gondabar. On the way, Lasgol stops and uses the pendant again. He sees his mother and Asrael attending a ritual performed by Hotz, a hermit of the Glacial Arcanes who is trying to free Creatures of the Ice trapped in layers of ice. In the memory, Hotz manages to free a humanoid reptilian creature with the head of a snake from the ice; it is very powerful, and Camu thinks it is related to him.

When Lasgol arrives at the capitol, he is greeted by Nilsa, who tells him that Astrid had left on a mission. When he reports to Gondabar, Gondabar tells him that his new orders are to stay in the capitol, to act as bait for the Dark Rangers, since Gondabar wants to unmask them and they are targeting Lasgol. Lasgol explores the city with Nilsa, and then he is summoned to a meeting with the King, along with Gondabar. Lasgol tells the King and Eicewald about the villages he found in the North and the Frozen Specter, and Thoran is furious when Eicewald tells him that he will need to study the Frozen Specter to find a way to defeat it, instead of having soldiers attack it.

That night, while Lasgol and Nilsa are out in the city, they are attacked by two Dark Rangers. They manage to wound both the Dark Rangers and escape. When they tell Gondabar he is very worried, since nothing like this has happened before. He sends Lasgol to Fort Mortgon on the Zangrian border, since the capitol is not safe for him. On the way, Camu develops the skill to camouflage himself and Ona at the same time, if she is close by. When Lasgol arrives at the camp, he reports to Commander Emerson, who tells Gerd to look after him. While they are scouting, they find the tracks of two Zangrian spies, and follow them. They eventually lose the trail, and Commander Emerson tells them the spies probably went to the capitol.

Then General Ganzor arrives, and Lasgol and Gerd are sent to scout the enemy camp. They are watching when there is a great commotion, and then Viggo comes and tells them he has assassinated the general. Afterwards the Zangrian army leaves the border. Lasgol and Gerd are reassigned to Duke Oslevan's castle, where a Norghanian force is gathering in preparation to attack the Western League. When they arrive at the Norghanian camp in Levanberg, they meet Ingrid, and Gundersen, the Ranger in command of the Rangers in Levanberg. Gundersen assigns them to a group with Leenbiren, another veteran Ranger.

Along the advance to the West, there are many traps that the Eastern forces have to get through, as well as constant harassing attacks by the Western forces. Ingrid, Lasgol and Gerd receive a letter from Egil warning them to be careful of traps and that he has to help Arnold. The Eastern forces join together at Trondehan, a city in western Norghana. Thoran's forces in total come to 25,000 men, while the Western League has 8,000. The King decides to move ahead without waiting for Duke Orten, who is moving west with the Blizzard Army, reducing his total force to 22,000. Nilsa arrives with the Royal Rangers, and joins the group led by Leenbiren.

The Eastern army comes to the Numedals River, the largest river in Western Norghana. While the army is crossing, a tsunami comes down the river, causing at least 5,000 casualties. Rangers are sent north to discover the cause, which was the destruction of a large dam in the upper part of the river. Then the Eastern army marches through the Eternal Forest. Western soldiers set the forest on fire, driving the Eastern soldiers out of the forest and into a series of deep trenches filled with oil, which are then set on fire. These traps cause another 2,000-3,000 casualties.

The Eastern forces continue on to Estocos and besiege the city. They build catapults and other siege weapons over three weeks. Then after a week of bombarding the city, they attack. Lasgol, using his Hawk's Sight skill, discovers that there are only archers and javelin throwers on the walls. The Eastern forces take the walls and breach two of the gates, but then Arnold's infantry arrive. Lasgol, Ingrid, Nilsa, and Gerd try to stay out of the battle by just keeping watch. Due to the strength of the Thunder Army and the Invincibles of the Ice, the Western forces retreat inside Estocos, having taken severe losses, though the Eastern forces have also lost many troops. One night while Lasgol is keeping watch, Astrid arrives and tells him she is on a mission. They kiss and talk for a little before she leaves. The next day the Blizzard Army with Duke Orten arrives. Soon afterwards, a Zangrian army, summoned by Arnold, arrives as well.

Then Viggo arrives, and convinces Lasgol and the others to go to Estocos with him. He and Lasgol go inside the city, while Ingrid, Nilsa and Gerd wait at the wall. Viggo takes Lasgol into the palace through a secret passage, and they observe a meeting between the Western nobles, an Ice Mage who is helping the West, and General Zorberg, the leader of the Zangrian army, who has come for a chance to kill Orten, since Orten ordered the death of General Ganzor. After the general leaves, Egil steps out of a hiding place. Then two Ranger Assassins attack; Lasgol kills them using his True Shot skill. Then Astrid steps out of another hiding place, and warns Egil that one of the Ranger Assassins poisoned his brother's wine. Luckily Egil is able to warn Arnold in time. Then Astrid leaves, and Egil has Viggo and Lasgol stay the night.

The next day they observe the siege from a tower. Arnold is killed by a poisoned needle placed inside his forearm brace. General Zorberg leaves, saying he doesn't accept Egil as the King of the West yet. Egil tells the Western nobles to negotiate a surrender, in order to save as many men as possible. Then Viggo and Lasgol help him secretly escape Estocos. Thoran accepts the surrender offered by the Western nobles after making sure Arnold is dead. They are required to swear fealty and pay tributes to him. Afterwards, peace slowly returns to Norghana.