Scorpion Mountain by John A. Flanagan Page A

fight against Zavac without you? Or the escape from the harbor in Socorro?”
    Ingvar listened patiently to Hal’s list of his achievements. When his skirl finally fell silent, he spoke again, calmly and sadly.
    â€œThe problem is, Hal, as I’ve become more confident, and learned to appreciate my own worth, I’ve realized how limited that worth is, compared to the rest of you. You’re all leaving me behind.”
    Hal frowned. He felt a sense of panic. Ingvar seemed determined on his course and Hal could think of nothing to say that might change his mind. And if he couldn’t find the right words, the Herons would be left with an unfillable hole in their ranks.
    â€œI don’t understand, Ingvar. You’re part of the team. Part of the crew. We’ve been together since the very start. What can I say to change your mind?”
    Ingvar smiled sadly and shook his head. “There’s nothing to say, Hal. I’ve loved my time with you and the others. But in Socorro, I realized that I would always be limited.”
    â€œBut—” Hal began desperately, only to subside as Ingvar held up a hand.
    â€œAll the things you mentioned, Hal, they all boil down to one thing. I’m big and strong. That’s it. And that’s all I’ll ever be. The rest of you are growing and developing your skills and abilities. You’re an expert navigator and helmsman, and you can plan a raid like the one on the slave market.
    â€œStig is becoming a more skilled warrior every day. And he’s a perfect first mate for you. Even Ulf and Wulf are becoming better fighters. So is Edvin, and he’s the smallest of all of us. And he’s becoming a good helmsman too.
    â€œAs for Thorn—well, I doubt that there’s anything he can’t do. He’s fast, agile, powerful . . . No wonder he was the Maktig for three years.
    â€œThen there’s Lydia! She can track. She can hunt. She’s deadly with those darts of hers. And she’s totally fearless. She can even shoot the Mangler now as well as Stig can.
    â€œThe point is, Hal, all of you are developing and growing. I’m not. I’ve reached my limit. I’m big and strong. I’m a dumb pack animal and that’s all I’ll ever be. I feel I’m not pulling my weight as part of the crew and it hurts to feel that way. I’d rather quit.”
    Hal shook his head slowly. He’d had no idea that this feeling had been building in Ingvar. He’d realized that the massively built boy had been somewhat out of sorts for the previous few days . . . but this! He felt a deep sense of shame that, as Ingvar’s skirl, he’d allowed this situation to develop and hadn’t noticed it.
    â€œOf course you’re pulling your weight!” he said. “What will we do without you?”
    Ingvar smiled that sad little smile again. “You’ll manage. Two of the others can learn to load the Mangler. Or you could extend the cocking levers so one person could do it. I was thinking, you could fashion a tube of some kind, make two of them and slip them over the cocking handles. The extra leverage will make it possible for one person to do the job.”
    Hal made a helpless gesture. “There you are! You’re a thinker! You’ve just come up with a way to improve the Mangler! How can you possibly say you’re not pulling your weight?” He paused, trying to think back over the preceding weeks. “Has something happened to make you feel this way?”
    Ingvar nodded. “There are a couple of things. Do you realize that when you shoot the Mangler, I can’t even see what’s happened? Someone has to tell me.
Oh, Hal hit the helmsman and the ship has swung off course,
or
The bolt hit the guard tower and set it alight.
Can you understand how frustrating that is?”
    â€œYes, of course. But—”
    â€œBut even worse than that: When we were making