AGRANTOFARMS

(Book#8intheSorcerer’sRing)

MorganRice

AboutMorganRice

MorganRiceisthe#1BestsellingauthorofTHEVAMPIREJOURNALS,ayoungadultseriescomprisingeightbooks,whichhasbeentranslatedintosixlanguages.

Morgan is also authorof the#1BestsellingTHEVAMPIRELEGACY,ayoungadultseriescomprisingtwobooksandcounting.

Morgan is also author of the #1 Bestselling ARENAONE and ARENATWO, the first two books in THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalypticactionthrillersetinthefuture.

Morgan is also author of the #1 Bestselling epic fantasy series THESORCERER’SRING,comprisingeightbooksandcounting.

Morgan loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visitwww.morganricebooks.comtostayintouch.

SelectAcclaimforMorganRice

“Grabbedmyattentionfromthebeginninganddidnotletgo….Thisstoryis an amazing adventure that is fast paced and action packed from the verybeginning.Thereisnotadullmomenttobefound.”

--ParanormalRomanceGuild{regardingTurned}

“Anidealstoryforyoungreaders.MorganRicedidagoodjobspinninganinteresting twist…Refreshing and unique, has the classic elements found inmany Young Adult paranormal stories. Easy to read but extremely fast-paced....Recommendedforanyonewholikestoreadsoftparanormalromances.RatedPG.”

--TheRomanceReviews(regardingTurned)

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“Morgan Rice proves herself again to be an extremely talentedstoryteller….Thiswouldappealtoawiderangeofaudiences,includingyoungerfansofthevampire/fantasygenre.Itendedwithanunexpectedcliffhangerthatleavesyoushocked.”

--TheRomanceReviews{regardingLoved}

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BooksbyMorganRice

THESORCERER’SRINGAQUESTOFHEROES(Book#1)AMARCHOFKINGS(Book#2)

AFEASTOFDRAGONS(Book#3)ACLASHOFHONOR(Book#4)AVOWOFGLORY(Book#5)

ACHARGEOFVALOR(Book#6)ARITEOFSWORDS(Book#7)AGRANTOFARMS(Book#8)

THESURVIVALTRILOGY

ARENAONE:SLAVERSUNNERS(Book#1)ARENATWO(Book#2)

THEVAMPIREJOURNALSTURNED(Book#1)LOVED(Book#2)

BETRAYED(Book#3)DESTINED(Book#4)DESIRED(Book#5)

BETROTHED(Book#6)VOWED(Book#7)FOUND(Book#8)

THEVAMPIRELEGACYRESURRECTED(Book#1)

CRAVED(Book#2)

Copyright©2013byMorganRice

All rights reserved.Except as permitted under theU.S.CopyrightAct of1976,nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,distributedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,orstored inadatabaseorretrievalsystem,withoutthepriorpermissionoftheauthor.

Thisebookis licensedforyourpersonalenjoymentonly.Thisebookmaynotbere-soldorgivenawaytootherpeople.Ifyouwouldliketosharethisbookwith another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Ifyou’rereadingthisbookanddidnotpurchaseit,oritwasnotpurchasedforyouruse only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you forrespectingthehardworkofthisauthor.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations,places,events,andincidentseitheraretheproductoftheauthor’simaginationorare used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, isentirelycoincidental.

CONTENTS

CHAPTERONECHAPTERTWOCHAPTERTHREECHAPTERFOURCHAPTERFIVECHAPTERSIXCHAPTERSEVENCHAPTEREIGHTCHAPTERNINECHAPTERTENCHAPTERELEVENCHAPTERTWELVECHAPTERTHIRTEENCHAPTERFOURTEENCHAPTERFIFTEENCHAPTERSIXTEENCHAPTERSEVENTEENCHAPTEREIGHTEENCHAPTERNINETEENCHAPTERTWENTYCHAPTERTWENTYONECHAPTERTWENTYTWOCHAPTERTWENTYTHREECHAPTERTWENTYFOURCHAPTERTWENTYFIVECHAPTERTWENTYSIXCHAPTERTWENTYSEVENCHAPTERTWENTYEIGHTCHAPTERTWENTYNINECHAPTERTHIRTYCHAPTERTHIRTYONECHAPTERTHIRTYTWOCHAPTERTHIRTYTHREECHAPTERTHIRTYFOURCHAPTERTHIRTYFIVECHAPTERTHIRTYSIX

“Minehonorismylife,bothgrowinone.Takehonorfromme,andmylifeisdone.”

--WilliamShakespeareRichardII

CHAPTERONE

Gwendolynbracedherselfagainstthecold,whippingwindasshestoodatthe edgeof theCanyonand tookher first steponto the arched footbridge thatspanned the Northern Crossing. This rickety bridge, covered in ice, wascomprised of awornwooden rope and planks, and hardly seemed capable ofholdingthem.Gwencringedasshetookherfirststep.

Gwenslipped,and reachedoutandgrabbed the railing,whichswungandhardly helped.Her heart dropped to consider that this flimsy bridgewas theironlywaytocrossthenorthernsideoftheCanyon,toentertheNetherworld,andto find Argon. She looked up and saw, in the distance, the Netherworldbeckoning,asheetofblindingsnow.Thecrossingfeltevenmoreominous.

A sudden gale came, and the rope swayed so violently, Gwendolyn feltherself grabbing the rail with both hands and dropping to her knees. For amomentshedidnotknow if shecouldevenhangon—much lesscross it.Sherealizedthiswasfarmoredangerousthanshehadthought,andthattheywouldallbetakingtheirlivesintotheirhandstotry.

“Mylady?”cameavoice.Gwen turned to see Aberthol standing a few feet away, beside Steffen,

Alistair and Krohn, all of themwaiting to follow. The five of themmade anunlikelygroup,perchedhereontheedgeoftheworld,facinganuncertainfutureandaprobabledeath.

“Mustwereallyattempttocrossthis?”heasked.Gwendolyn turned and looked back out at the whipping snow and wind

beforeher, and clutchedher furs tighter aroundher shoulders as she shivered.Secretly, she did not want to cross the bridge; she did not want to take thisjourney at all. She would much rather retreat to the safety of her childhoodhome,King’sCourt,tositbehinditssnugwalls,beforeafire,andcontemplatenoneofthedangersandworriesoftheworldthathadengulfedhersinceshehadbecomequeen.

But of course, she could not do that. King’s Court was no more; herchildhoodwasgone;andshewasQueennow.Shehadababy-to-betocarefor,ahusband-to-be out there somewhere, and they needed her. For Thorgrin, shewouldwalkthroughfireifthatwasneeded.Gwenfeltcertainthatitwasindeedneeded.TheyallneededArgon—notjustherandThor,buttheentireRing.Theywere up against not only Andronicus, but also a powerful magic, powerfulenoughtoensnareThor,andwithoutArgon,shedidnotknowhowtheycould

possiblycombatit.“Yes,”shereplied.“Wemust.”Gwenpreparedtotakeanotherstep,andthistimeSteffenrushedforward,

blockingherway.“My lady, please allowme to go first,” he said. “We do not knowwhat

terrorsawaitusonthisbridge.”Gwendolynwastouchedbyhisoffer,butreachedupandgentlypushedhim

aside.“No,”shesaid.“Ishall.”Shewaitednolonger,butsteppedforward,takingfirmholdoftheroperail.Asshetookastep,shewasstruckbythefreezingsensationinherhand,the

ice digging into her, the cold sensation shooting up her palms and arms. Shebreathedsharply,unsureifshecouldevenhangon.

Anothergaleofwindcame,blowingthebridgesidetoside,forcinghertotightenhergrip,totoleratethepainoftheice.Shestruggledtobalancewithallshehad,asherfeetslippedontheice-coveredropeandplanksbeneathher.Thebridgelurchedsharplytotheleft,andforamomentshewassureshewouldfallovertheside.Thebridgecorrecteditself,andswayedbackintheotherdirection.

Gwenkneltagain.Shehadbarelygonetenfeet,andalreadyherheartwaspounding so hard she could barely breathe, and her handswere so numb shecouldhardlyfeelthem.

Sheclosedhereyesandtookadeepbreath,andshethoughtofThor.Shepictured his face, every angle of it. She dwelled on her love for him. Herdeterminationtofreehim.Whateverittook.

Whateverittook.Gwendolyn opened her eyes and forced herself to take several steps

forward, clutching the railing, not willing to stop this time for anything. Thewind and snow could drive her down into the depths of the Canyon. She nolongercared. Itwasno longerabouther; itwasabout the loveofher life.Forhim,shecoulddoanything.

Gwendolynfelttheweightshiftonthebridgebehindherandglancedbackto see Steffen, Aberthol, Alistair, and Krohn following. Krohn slipped on hispaws as he rushed past the others, weaving in and out until he was byGwendolyn’sside.

“Idon’tknowifIcandothis,”Abertholcalledout,hisvoicestrained,afterafewshakysteps.

He stood there, arms shaking as he clutched the rope, a feeble oldman,barelyabletohangon.

“Youcandoit,”Alistairsaid,steppingupbesidehimanddrapingonearm

aroundhiswaist.“I’mrighthere.Donotworry.”Alistair walked with him, helping him forward as the group resumed

walking,headingfartherandfartheracrossthebridge,onestepatatime.GwenonceagainmarveledatAlistair’sstrengthinthefaceofadversity,her

calmnature,herfearlessness.ShealsoexudedapowerthatGwendolyndidnotunderstand.Gwencouldnotexplainwhyshefeltasclosetoherasshedid,butin the short time she had known her, she already felt like a sister. She drewstrengthfromherpresence.AndfromSteffen’s.

Therecamealullinthewind,andtheymadegoodtime.Soontheycrossedthemidpointofthebridge,movingfasternow,Gwengrowingaccustomedtotheslipperyplanks.ThefarsideoftheCanyonbegantocomeintosight,onlyfiftyyards away, andGwendolyn’s heart began towellwith optimism.Theymightmakeitafterall.

A fresh gale whipped through, this one stronger than all the others, sostrongthatGwenwasforcedtodroptoherkneesandclutchtheropewithbothhands.Sheheldon fordear lifeas thebridgeswungupnearlyninetydegrees,thenswungbackdownjustasviolently.Shefeltaplankgivewaybeneathherfeet, andcriedoutasoneofher legs sankdown into theopening, through thebridge,herlegstuckuptoherthigh.Shewiggled,butcouldnotgetout.

GwendolynturnedtowatchAberthollosehisgrip,lettinggoofAlistairandbeginningtoslideovertheedgeofthebridge.Alistairreactedquickly,reachingoutwithonehandandclaspinghiswrist,holdinghimbackjustbeforeAbertholslippedovertheedge.

Alistairleanedovertheedgeofthebridge,holdingon,asAbertholswungbeneath her, nothing between him and the bottom of the Canyon. Alistairstrained,andGwenprayedtheropedidnotgive.Gwenfeltsohelpless,stuckasshewas, her leg lodged between the planks.Her heart poundedmadly as shetriedtogetout.

Thebridgeswayedwildly,andAlistairandAbertholswayedwithit.“Letgo!”Abertholscreamed.“Saveyourself!”Aberthol’s cane slipped from his hand and tumbled through the sky, end

overend,downtowardsthedepthsoftheCanyon.Nowallhehadleftwasthestaffstrappedtohisback.

“Youaregoingtobeallright,”Alistairsaidcalmly.GwenwassurprisedtoseeAlistairsopoised,confident.“Lookintomyeyes,”Alistairinstructed,firmly.“What?”Abertholscreamedoutoverthewind.“Lookintomyeyes,”Alistaircommanded,evenmorestrengthinhervoice.Therewas something about her tone that commandedmen, andAberthol

lookedupather.Theireyeslocked,andastheydid,GwendolynwatchedalightglowemanatefromAlistair’seyesandshinedowntoAberthol’s.Shewatchedindisbeliefas theglowenvelopedAberthol,andasAlistair leanedbackandwithoneyank,pulledAbertholbackup,ontothebridge.

Aberthol, stunned, lay there, breathing hard, and looked up atAlistair inwonder; thenhe immediately turnedandgrabbedholdof the rope railingwithbothhands,beforeanothergustofwindcame.

“Mylady!”Steffenyelled.Hekneeledoverher,thenreacheddown,grabbedhershoulders,andyanked

withallhismight.Gwenbegantoslowlydislodgefromtheplanks,butasshecameclose to

breakingfree,sheslippedfromhisicygripandfellbackdowntowhereshehadbeen, lodging even deeper. Suddenly, a second plank beneath Gwendolynsnapped,andshescreamedasshefeltherselfbegintoplummet.

Gwendolyn reached up and grabbed hold of the ropewith one hand andSteffen’swristwiththeother.Shefeltasifhershoulderswerebeingtornfromhersocketsasshedangledintheopenair.Steffendanglednow,too,leaningsofar over the edge, his legs tangled up behind him, risking his life to keep herfromfalling,thebreakingropesbehindhimtheonlythingkeepingthemafloat.

TherecameasnarlingandKrohnleaptforwardandsunkhisfangsintothefuronGwen’scoatandpulledbackwithallhehad,snarlingandwhining.

Slowly,Gwenwashoisted,inchbyinch,untilfinallyshecouldgrabholdoftheplanksonthebridge.Shedraggedherselfupandlaythereface-first,spent,breathinghard.

Krohn licked her face again and again, and she breathed, so grateful forhim,andforSteffen,whonowlaybesideher.Shewassohappytobealive,tobesavedfromahorribledeath.

ButGwendolynsuddenlyheardasnappingnoiseandfelttheentirebridgequiver. Her blood ran cold as she turned and looked back: one of the ropesanchoringthebridgetotheCanyonsnapped.

The entire bridge jerked, and Gwen watched in horror as the other one,hangingbyathread,snapped,too.

TheyallscreamedassuddenlyhalfoftheentirebridgedetachedfromtheCanyonwall;thebridgeswungthemallsofastthatGwencouldhardlybreatheastheyflewthroughtheair,headingatlightspeedforthefarsideoftheCanyonwall.

Gwenlookedupandsawtherockwallcomingat theminablur,andsheknew that in moments, they would all be dead from the impact, their bodiescrushed,andthatwhateversurvivedofthemwouldplummetdowntothedepths

oftheearth.“Rock,giveway!ICOMMANDYOU!”shoutedavoicefilledwithancient

primordialauthority,avoiceunlikeanyGwenhadeverheard.SheglancedovertoseeAlistair,clutchingtherope,holdingoutonepalm,

fixatedfearlesslyontheclifftheywereabouttohit.FromAlistair’spalmthereemanated a yellow light, and as they sped closer to the Canyon wall, asGwendolynbracedherselfforimpact,shewasshockedatwhathappenednext.

Before her eyes, the solid rock face of theCanyon changed to snow—astheyallimpacted,Gwendolyndidnotfeelthecrackofbonesshehadexpectedto.Instead,shefeltherentirebodyimmersedinawallof light, fluffysnow.Itwasfreezing,anditcoveredhercompletely,enteringhereyesandnoseandears—butitdidnothurther.

Shewasalive.They all dangled there, the rope hanging from the top of the Canyon,

immersedinthewallofsnow,andGwendolynfeltastronghandgrabherwrist.Alistair.Her handwas strangelywarm, despite the freezing cold.Alistair hadalready somehow grabbed the others, too, and soon they were all, includingKrohn,yankedupbyher,assheclimbedtheropeasifitwerenothing.

Finally, theyreachedthetop,andGwencollapsedonsolidground,onthefarsideoftheCanyon.Thesecondtheydid,theremainingropessnapped,andwhat was left of the bridge plummeted down, hurling into the mist, into thedepthsoftheCanyon.

Gwendolyn lay there, breathing hard, so grateful to be on solid groundagain,wonderingwhat justhappened.Thegroundwasfreezing,coverediniceandsnow,butnonethelessitwassolidground.Shewasoffthebridge,andshewasalive.Theyhadmadeit.ThankstoAlistair.

GwendolynturnedandlookedoveratAlistairwithanewsenseofwonderandrespect.Shewasbeyondgratefultohaveherbyherside.Shetrulyfeltlikethesistershe’dneverhad,andGwenhadafeelingthatshehadnotevenbeguntoseethedepthofAlistair’spower.

Gwen had no idea how theywouldmake it back to themainland of theRingwhentheyweredonehere—iftheywereeverdone,iftheyeverevenfoundArgonandmadeitback.Andasshepeeredintothewallofblindingsnowaheadofher, theentry to theNetherworld, shehada sinking feeling that thehardestobstaclesstilllaybeforethem.

CHAPTERTWO

Reece stood on the Eastern Crossing of the Canyon, clutching onto thestone railingof the bridge, and lookingdownover the precipice in horror.Hecouldhardlybreathe.Hestillcouldnotbelievewhathehadjustwitnessed:theDestiny Sword, lodged in a boulder, plummeting over the edge, tumbling endoverend,andbeingswallowedbythemist.

Hehadwaitedandwaited,expecting tohear thecrash, to feel the tremorbeneathhisfeet.Buttohisshock,thenoisenevercame.WastheCanyonindeedbottomless?Weretherumorstrue?

Finally,Reeceletgooftherailing,hisknuckleswhite,releasedhisbreath,and turned and looked at his fellowLegion. They all stood there—O’Connor,Elden,Conven,Indra,Serna,andKrog—alsolookingover,aghast.Thesevenofthemstood frozen inplace,noneable to comprehendwhathad justhappened.TheDestinySword;thelegendtheyhadallgrownupwith;themostimportantweaponintheworld;thepropertyofkings.AndtheonlythingleftkeepingtheShieldup.

Ithadjustslippedfromtheirgrasp,descendedintooblivion.Reecefelthehadfailed.HefelthehadletdownnotjustThor,buttheentire

Ring.Whycouldn’ttheyhavegottentherejustafewminutessooner?Justafewmorefeet,andhewouldhavesavedit.

ReeceturnedandlookedatthefarsideoftheCanyon,theEmpireside,andbracedhimself.WiththeSwordgone,heexpectedtheShieldtolower,expectedalltheEmpiresoldierslinedupontheothersidetosuddenlystampedeandcrossinto the Ring. But a curious thing happened: as he watched, none of thementeredthebridge.Oneofthemtried,andwaseviscerated.

Somehow,theShieldwasstillup.Hedidnotunderstand.“Itmakesnosense,”Reecesaidtotheothers.“TheSwordhaslefttheRing.

HowcantheShieldstillbeup?”“TheSwordhasnotlefttheRing,”O’Connorsuggested.“Ithasnotcrossed

yettotheothersideoftheRing.Ithasfallenstraightdown.Itisstuckbetweentwoworlds.”

“ThenwhatbecomesoftheShieldiftheSwordisneitherherenorthere?”Eldenasked.

Theyalllookedateachotherinwonder.Nooneheldtheanswer;thiswasunexploredterritory.

“Wecan’tjustwalkaway,”Reecesaid.“TheRingissafewiththeSwordon

ourside—butwedon’tknowwhatwillhappeniftheSwordlingersbelow.”“As longas it isnot inourgrasp,wedon’tknow if it canendupon the

otherside,”Eldenadded,agreeing.“Itisnotachancewecantake,”Reecesaid.“ThefateoftheRingrestson

it.Wecannotreturnempty-handed,asfailures.”Reeceturnedandlookedattheothers,decided.“Wemustretrieveit,”heconcluded.“Beforesomeoneelsedoes.”“Retrieve it?”Krog asked, aghast. “Are you a fool?How exactly do you

plantodothat?”Reece turned and stared downKrog,who stared back, defiant as always.

Krog had become a real thorn inReece’s side, defying his command at everyturn,challenginghimforpowerateverycorner.Reecewaslosingpatiencewithhim.

“We will do it,” Reece insisted, “by descending to the bottom of theCanyon.”

Theothersgasped,andKrograisedhishandstohiships,grimacing.“Youaremad,”hesaid.“Noonehaseverdescendedtothebottomofthe

Canyon.”“Nobodyknows if there even is a bottom,”Serna chimed in. “For allwe

knowtheSworddescendedintoacloud,andisstilldescendingaswespeak.”“Nonsense,” Reece countered. “Everything must have a floor. Even the

sea.”“Well,evenifthebottomdoesexist,”Krogretorted,“whatgooddoesitdo

usifitsofardownthatwecanneitherseenorhearit?Itcouldtakeusdaystoreachit—weeks.”

“Not tomention, it’s hardly a leisurely hike,” Serna said. “Have you notseenthecliffs?”

Reeceturnedandsurveyedthecliffs,theancientrockwallsofthecanyon,partiallyconcealedintheswirlingmists.Theywerestraight,vertical.Heknewtheywereright;itwouldnotbeeasy.Yethealsoknewthattheyhadnochoice.

“Itgetsworse,”Reeceretorted.“Thosewallsarealsoslickwithmist.Andevenifwedoreachthebottom,wemightnotevergetbackup.”

Theyallstaredathim,puzzled.“Thenyouyourselfagreethatitismadnesstotry,”Krogsaid.“Iagree it ismadness,”Reecesaid,hisvoiceboomingwithauthorityand

confidence.“Butmadnessiswhatwewerebornfor.Wearenotmeremen;wearenotmerecitizensoftheRing.Weareaspecialbreed:wearesoldiers.Wearewarriors.WearemenoftheLegion.Wetookavow,anoath.Wevowednevertoshyfromaquestbecauseitistoodifficultordangerous,nevertohesitatethough

anendeavormaycausepersonalharm.Itisfortheweaktohideandcower—notforus.That iswhatmakes uswarriors.That is thevery essenceofvalor: youembarkonacausebigger thanyourselfbecause it is the right thing todo, thehonorable thing to do, even if it may be impossible. After all, it is not theachievement thatmakes something valorous, but the attempt of it. It is biggerthanus.Itiswhoweare.”

There cameaheavy silence, as thewindwhipped throughand theotherscontemplatedhiswords.

Finally,Indrasteppedforward.“IamwithReece,”shesaid.“AsamI,”Eldenadded,steppingforward.“AndI,”O’Connoradded,steppingtoReece’sside.Convenwalked silently besideReece, gripping the hilt of his sword, and

turnedandfacedtheothers.“ForThorgrin,”hesaid,“Iwouldgototheendsoftheearth.”

Reece felt emboldened having his tried-and-true Legion members at hisside,thesepeoplewhohadbecomeasclosetohimasfamily,whohadventuredwithhimtotheendsoftheEmpire.Thefiveofthemstoodthereandstaredbackat the twonewLegionmembers,KrogandSerna,andReecewonderedif theyweregoingtojointhem.Theycouldusetheextrahands;butiftheywantedtoturnback,thensobeit.Hewouldnotasktwice.

KrogandSernastoodthere,staringback,unsure.“Iamawoman,”Indrasaidtothem,“asyouhavemockedmebefore.And

yethere Istand, readyforawarrior’schallenge—while thereyouare,withallyourmuscles,mockingandafraid.”

Sernagrunted,annoyed,brushingbackhislongbrownhairfromhiswide,narroweyesandsteppingforward.

“Iwillgo,”hesaid,“butonlyforThorgrin’ssake.”Krogwastheonlyonewhostoodthere,red-faced,defiant.“Youaredamnfools,”hesaid.“Allofyou.”Butstill,hesteppedforward,joiningthem.Reece,satisfied, turnedand led themto theCanyon’sedge.Therewasno

moretimetowaste.*

Reececlungtothesideof thecliffasheinchedhiswaydown,theothersseveralfeetabovehim,allofthemmakingthepainfuldescent,astheyhadbeenforhours.Reece’sheartpoundedashescrambledtokeephisfooting,hisfingersraw and numb with cold, his feet slipping on the slick rock. He had notanticipated it tobe thishard.Hehad lookeddownandhadstudied the terrain,

theshapeoftherock,andhadnoticedthatinsomeplaces,therockwentstraightdown,perfectlysmooth,impossibletoclimb;inotherplacesitwascoveredinadensemoss;andinstillothers,ithadaserratedslope,indents,holes,nooks,andcranniesinwhichonecouldplaceone’sfeetandhands.Hehadevenspottedtheoccasionalledgetoreston.

Yet the actual climbinghadprovedmuchharder than it had seemed.Themistperpetuallyobscuredhisview,andasReeceswallowedandlookeddown,hewashavingaharderandhardertimefindingfootholds.Nottomention,evenafterallthistimeclimbing,thebottom,ifitevenexisted,remainedoutofsight.

Inwardly,Reecewasfeelingamountingfear,adrynessinhisthroat.Apartofhimwonderedifhehadmadeagravemistake.

Buthedarednotshowhisfeartotheothers.WithThorgone,hewastheirleadernow,andheneeded tosetanexample.Healsoknew that indulginghisfearswouldnotdohimanygood.Heneededtostaystrongandtostayfocused;heknewthatfearwouldonlyobscurehisabilities.

Reece’shandsweretremblingashegotaholdofhimself.Hetoldhimselfhehadtoforgetwhatlaybelowandconcentratejustonwhatlaybeforehim.

Justonestepatatime,hetoldhimself.Hefeltbetterthinkingofitthatway.Reece found another foothold, and took another step down, then another,

andfoundhimselfstartingtogetbackintoarhythm.“WATCHOUT!”someoneyelled.Reecebracedhimselfassmallpebblessuddenlyshowereddownallaround

him,bouncingoffhisheadandshoulders.Helookeduptoseealargerockcomehurlingdown;hedodgedandjustmissedit.

“Sorry!”O’Connorcalleddown.“Looserock!”Reece’sheartwaspoundingashelookedbackdownandtriedtostaycalm.

Hewasdyingtoknowwherethebottomwas;hereachedover,grabbedasmallrockwhichhadlandedonhisshoulder,and,lookingdown,hurledit.

Hewatched,waitingtoseeifitmadeanoise.Itneverdid.His foreboding deepened. There was still no sense of where the canyon

ended.Andwithhishandsandfeetalreadytrembling,hedidnotknowif theycouldmakeit.Reeceswallowed,allsortsofthoughtsracingthroughhisbrainashecontinued.WhatifKroghadbeenright?Whatiftherereallywasnobottom?Whatifthiswasarecklesssuicidemission?

As Reece took another step, scampering down several feet, gainingmomentumagain,suddenlyheheardthesoundofbodyscrapingrock,andthenheard someone cry out. There came a commotion beside him, and he lookedovertoseeElden,beginningtofall,slippingdownpasthim.

Reeceinstinctivelyreachedoutahand,andmanagedtograbElden’swristasheslippedpast.LuckilyReecehadafirmgriponthecliffwithhisotherhand,and was able to hold Elden tightly, preventing him from sliding all the waydown. Elden dangled, though, unable to find footing. Elden was too big andheavy,andReecefelthisstrengthslippingaway.

Indraappeared,scalingdownquickly,andreachedoutandgrabbedElden’sotherwrist.Eldenscrambled,butcouldnotfindfooting.

“Ican’t findahold!”Eldenscreamedback,panic inhisvoice.Hekickedwildly,andReece feared thathewould losehisowngripandgo fallingdownwithhim.Hethoughtquickly.

Reece recalled the rope and grappling hook O’Connor had shown himbeforetheirdescent,thetoolofchoicetheyusedtoscalewallsduringasiege.Incaseitcomesinhandy,O’Connorhadsaid.

“O’Connor,yourrope!”Reecescreamed.“Throwitdown!”ReecelookedupandwatchedO’Connorpulltheropefromhiswaist,lean

back and impale the hook into a nook in thewall. He sank it in with all hismight,testeditseveraltimes,thenthrewitdown.TheropedangledpastReece.

Itcouldn’thavecomeamomentsooner.Elden’sslipperypalmwasslidingoutofReece’shand,andashebegantofallback,Eldenreachedoutandgrabbedtherope.Reeceheldhisbreath,prayingitheld.

It did. Elden slowly pulled himself up, until finally he found a strongfooting. He stood on a ledge, breathing hard, back to his old balance. Hebreathedadeepsighofrelief,andsodidReece.Ithadbeentooclose.

*Theyclimbedandclimbed,untilReecedidnotknowhowmuchtimehad

passed.Thesky turneddarker,andReecedrippedwithsweatdespite thecold,feelingas ifanymomentcouldbehis last.Hishandsandfeetshookviolently,andthesoundofhisownbreathingfilledhisears.Hewonderedhowmuchmoreof thishe could take.Heknew that if theydidnot find thebottomsoon, theywould all have to stop and rest, especially as night fell.But theproblemwas,therewasnowheretostopandrest.

Reececouldnothelpbutwonder, if theyallbecame tooexhausted, if theothersmightjustbegintofall,oneatatime.

There came a great clamor of rock, and then a small avalanche, tons ofpebbles raining down, landing on Reece’s head and face and eyes. His heartstoppedasheheardascream—adifferentonethistime,ascreamofdeath.Outofthecornerofhiseyehesawplummetingpasthim,almostfasterthanhecouldprocess,abody.

Reecereachedoutahandtograbhim,butithappenedtoofast.Allhecould

dowas turnandwatchashespottedKrog,airborne, flailing,shrieking, fallingbackward,straightdownintonothingness.

CHAPTERTHREE

Kendricksatastridehishorse,besideErec,Bronson,andSrog,outinfrontof his thousands of men as he faced down Tirus and the Empire. They hadwalkedrightintoatrap.TheyhadbeensoldoutbyTirus,andKendrickrealizednow,toolate,thatithadbeenagreatmistaketotrusthim.

Kendricklookedupandtohisright,andsawtenthousandEmpiresoldiershigh on the ridge of the valley, arrows at the ready; to his left he saw just asmany.Beforethemstoodevenmore.Kendrick’sfewthousandmencouldneverpossiblyoutfightthisnumberofsoldiers.Theywouldbeslaughteredtoeventry.Andwithallthosebowsdrawn,theslightestmovewouldresultinthemassacreofhismen.Geographically,beingatthebaseofavalley,didn’thelpthemeither.Tirushadchosenhisambushlocationwell.

AsKendricksatthere,helpless,hisfaceburningwithrageandindignation,hestaredbackatTirus,whosatuphighonhishorsewithaself-satisfiedsmile.Besidehimsathisfoursons,andbesidethem,anEmpirecommander.

“Ismoney that important to you?”Kendrick asked Tirus, hardly ten feetaway, his voice as cold as steel. “Would you sell your own people, your ownblood?”

Tirusshowednoremorse;hesmiledstillwider.“Yourpeoplearenotmyblood,remember?”hesaid.“ThatiswhyIamnot,

accordingtoyourlaws,entitledtomybrother’sthrone.”Erecclearedhisthroatinanger.“TheMacGillawspassthethronetotheson—nottothebrother.”Tirusshookhishead.“All inconsequential now. Your laws no longer matter. Might always

triumphsoverlaw.Itisthosewithmightwhodictatethelaw.Andnowasyoucansee,Iamstronger.Whichmeans,fromnowon,Iwritethelaw.Succeedinggenerationswillremembernoneofyourlaws.AllthattheywillrememberisthatI,Tirus,wasKing.Notyou,andnotyoursister.”

“Thrones taken illegitimately never last,” Kendrick countered. “Youmaykillus;youmayevenconvinceAndronicustograntyouathrone.ButyouandIbothknowyouwon’truleforlong.You’llbebetrayedbythesametreacheryyouinstilledonus.”

Tirussatthere,unfazed.“Then I shall savor thosebrief daysonmy thronewhile they last—and I

shallapplaudthemanthatcanbetraymewithasmuchskillasIusedtobetray

you.”“Enoughtalk!”theEmpirecommandersyelledout.“Surrendernoworyour

menwilldie!”Kendrick stared back, furious, knowing he needed to surrender but not

wantingto.“Laydownyourarms,”Tirussaidcalmly,hisvoicereassuring,“andIwill

treatyou fairly, asonewarrior toanother.Youshallbemyprisonersofwar. Imaynotshareyourlaws,butIdohonorthebattlecodeofawarrior.Ipromiseyou,youshallnotbeharmedundermywatch.”

KendricklookedoveratBronson,atSrog,andatErec,whoglancedbackathim.Allofthemsat there,proudwarriorseach,horsesprancingbeneaththem,silent.

“Whyshouldwe trustyou?”Bronsoncalledout toTirus.“Youwhohavealreadyproventhatyourwordmeansnothing.Iamofamindtodiehereonthebattlefield,justtowipethatsmugsmileoffyourface.”

TirusturnedandscowledatBronson.“YouspeakthoughyouarenotevenaMacGil.YouareaMcCloud.You

havenorightinterferinginMacGilbusiness.”Kendrickcametothedefenseofhisfriend:“BronsonisasmuchaMacGil

nowasanyofus.Hespeakswiththevoiceofourmen.”Tirusgrittedhisteeth,clearlyannoyed.“Thechoiceisyours.Lookallaboutyouandseeourthousandsofarchers

attheready.Youhavebeenoutwitted.Ifyouevenreachforyourswords,yourmenwillfalldeadonthespot.Surelyevenyoucanseethat.Therearetimestofight,andtimestosurrender.Ifyouwanttoprotectyourmen,youwilldowhatanygoodcommanderwoulddo.Laydownyourarms.”

Kendrickclenchedhisjawseveraltimes,burningupinside.Asmuchashehatedtoadmitit,heknewTiruswascorrect.Heglancedaboutandknewinaninstant thatmost ifnotallofhismenwoulddiehere if they tried to fight.Asmuchashewanted to fight, itwouldbe theselfishchoice;andasmuchashedespisedTirus,hesensedhewastellingthetruthandthathismenwouldnotbeharmed. As long as they lived, they could always fight another day, in someotherplace,onsomeotherbattlefield.

Kendrick lookedover atErec, amanhehad foughtwithcountless times,the champion of the Silver, and knew hewas thinking the same thing. Itwasdifferenttobealeaderthantobeawarrior:awarriorcouldfightwithrecklessabandon,butaleaderhadtothinkofothersfirst.

“Thereisatimeforarms,andatimeforsurrender,”Ereccalledout.“Wewilltakeyouforyourwordasawarriorthatourmenshallbeunharmed,andon

that condition,wewill laydownour arms.But if youviolateyourword,Godrestyoursoul,Iwillcomebackfromhelltoavengeeachandeveryoneofmymen.”

Tirus nodded, satisfied, andErec reached out and dropped his sword andscabbarddowntotheground.Theylandedwithaclang.

Kendrick followed, as did Bronson and Srog, each of them reluctant butknowingitwasthewisecourse.

Behind themcame the clashof thousandsofweapons, all falling throughthe air and landing on the winter ground, all the Silver and MacGils andSilesianssurrendering.

Tirussmiledwide.“Nowdismount,”hecommanded.Oneatatime,theydismounted,standingbeforetheirhorses.Tirusgrinned,revelinginhisvictory.“ForallthoseyearsIwasexiledtotheUpperIsles,IenviedKing’sCourt,

myelderbrother,allofhispower.ButnowwhichMacGilholdsallthepower?”“Thepoweroftreacheryisnopoweratall,”Bronsonsaidback.Tirusscowledandnoddedtohismen.They rushed forward and bound each of their wrists with coarse ropes.

Theyallbegantogetdraggedaway,thousandsofthemcaptive.AsKendrickwasbeingpulled,he suddenly recalledhisbrother,Godfrey.

Theyhadallsetofftogether,yethehadnotseenhimorhismenanywheresince.Hewonderedifsomehowhehadmanagedtoescape?Heprayedthathewouldfindabetterfatethanthey.Somehow,hewasoptimistic.

WithGodfrey,oneneverknew.

CHAPTERFOUR

Godfrey rodeout in front of hismen, flankedbyAkorth,Fulton, andhisSilesiangeneral,andridingbesidetheEmpirecommanderwhomhehadpaidoffliberally.Godfreyrodewithawidesmileonhisface,morethansatisfiedashelookedoverandsawthedivisionofEmpiremen,severalthousandstrong,ridingalongsidethem,joininghiscause.

Hereflectedwithsatisfactiononthepayoffhehadgiventhem,theendlessbagsofgold,recalledthelooksontheirfaces,andwaselatedthathisplanhadworked.Hehadn’tbeensureofitupuntilthelastmoment,andforthefirsttime,hebreathedeasy.Thereweremanywaystowinabattle,afterall,andhehadjustwon one without shedding a drop of blood. Perhaps that didn’t make him aschivalrousorboldastheotherwarriors.But,still,itmadehimsuccessful.Andattheendoftheday,wasn’tthatthegoal?Hewouldratherkeepallhismenalivewith a littlebit ofbribery than seehalfof themkilled in some reckless actofchivalry.Thatwasjusthim.

Godfrey had worked hard to achieve what he had. He’d used all of hisblack-marketconnectionsthroughthebrothels,backalleys,andtavernsinorderto find out who had been sleeping with whom, which brothels the EmpirecommandersfrequentedintheRing,andwhichEmpirecommanderwasopentobeing paid off.Godfrey had deeper illicit contacts thanmost—indeed, he hadspenthisentirelifeaccumulatingthem—andnowtheyhadcomeinhandy.Ithadalsonothurtthathehadpaideachofhiscontactsoffwell.Finally,hehadputhisdaddy’sgoldtogooduse.

Still, Godfrey had not been sure if they were reliable, not until the lastmoment.Therewasnoonetosellyououtlikeathief,andhe’dhadtotakethechancethathewasbeinghad.Heknewitwasacointoss,thatthesepeoplewereonlyasreliableasthegoldtheywerepaid.Buthe’dpaidthemwithvery,veryfinegold,andtheyhadturnedouttobemorereliablethanhethought.

Ofcourse,hehadno ideahowlong thisdivisionofEmpire troopswouldremainloyal.Butatleasttheyhadwormedtheirwayoutofonebattle,andfornow,hadthemattheirside.

“Iwaswrongaboutyou,”cameavoice.Godfrey turned to see the Silesian general coming up beside himwith a

lookofadmiration.“Idoubtedyou,Imustadmit,”hecontinued.“Iapologize.Icouldnothave

imagined the plan you had up your sleeve. Itwas ingenious. Iwon’t question

youagain.”Godfrey smiledback, feelingvindicated.All thegenerals, all themilitary

types,haddoubtedhimhiswholelife.Inhisfather’scourt,acourtofwarriors,he had always been looked uponwith disdain.Now, finally, theywere seeingthathe,inhisownway,couldbeascompetentasthem.

“Don’tworry,”Godfreysaid.“Iquestionmyself.IamlearningasIgo.Iamnot a commander, and I have nomaster plan other than to survive anyway Ican.”

“Andwheretonow?”thegeneralasked.“TojoinwithKendrick,Erec,and theothers,anddowhatwecan toabet

theircause.”Theyrode,thethousandsofthem,anawkwardanduneasyalliancebetween

the Empiremen andGodfrey’s, charging up and down hills, across long, dry,dustyplains,headingtothevalleywhereKendrickhadtoldthemtorendezvous.

As they rode, a million thoughts raced through Godfrey’s mind. Hewondered howKendrick and Erec had fared; he wondered how outnumberedtheywould be; and hewondered howhewould fare in the next battle, a realbattle.Therewasnomoreavoidingit;hehadnomore tricksuphissleeve,nomoregold.

Hegulped,nervous.Hefeltthathedidnothavethesamelevelofcouragethatalltheothersseemedtohave,thattheyallseemedtobebornwith.Everyoneelseseemedsofearlessinbattle,andeveninlife.ButGodfreyhadtoadmithewasafraid.Whenitcamedowntoit,tothethickofbattle,heknewhewouldnotshirk.Buthewasclumsyandawkward;hedidnothavetheskillsoftheothers,andhejustdidn’tknowhowmanytimeshewouldbesavedbythegodsofluck.

Theothersdidn’tseemtocareiftheydied—theyallseemedtoowillingtogivetheirlivesforglory.Godfreyappreciatedglory.Buthelovedlifemore.Heloved his ale, and loved his food, and even now, he felt a growling in hisstomach,anurgetobebackinthesafetyofatavernsomewhere.Alifeofbattlewasjustnotforhim.

ButGodfreythoughtofThor,outtheresomewhere,captive;hethoughtofall his kin fighting for the cause, and he knew this was where his honor, assulliedasitmightbe,compelledhimtobe.

They rode and rode and, finally, all crested a peak and were afforded asweepingviewofthevalleyspreadoutbelow.Theycametoahalt,andGodfreysquintedintotheblindingsun,tryingtoadjust,tomakesenseofthesightbeforehim.Heraisedonehandtoshieldhiseyesandlookedout,confused.

Then,tohisdread,allbecameclear.Godfrey’sheartstopped:downbelow,thousandsofKendrick’sandErec’sandSrog’smenwerebeingdraggedaway,

boundascaptives.Thiswasthefightingforcehewassupposedtomeetupwith.Theywerecompletelysurrounded,bytentimesasmanyEmpiresoldiers.Theywereonfoot,wristsbound,alltakenprisoner,allbeingledaway.GodfreyknewKendrickandErecwouldneversurrenderunlesstherehadbeengoodreason.Itlookedasiftheyhadbeensetup.

Godfrey froze, struck with panic. He wondered how this could havehappened.Hehadbeenexpectingtofindthemallintheheatofawell-matchedbattle, had expected to charge in and join forceswith them.But now, instead,theyweredisappearingintothehorizon,alreadyagoodhalf-day’srideaway.

TheEmpiregeneralrodeupbesideGodfreyandscoffed.“Itseemsyourmenhavelost,”theEmpiregeneralsaid.“Thatwasn’tpart

ofourdeal.”Godfreyturnedtohim,andsawhowanxiousthegeneralseemedtobe.“Ipaidyouwell,”Godfreysaid,nervousbutmusteringhismostconfident

voice as he felt his deal falling apart. “And you promised to join me in mycause.”

ButtheEmpiregeneralshookhishead.“I promised to join you in battle—not on a suicide mission. My few

thousandmenwillnotgoupagainstanentirebattalionofAndronicus’.Ourdealhaschanged.Youcanfightthemonyourown—andI’mkeepingyourgold.”

TheEmpiregeneral turnedandscreamedashekickedhishorseand tookoffintheotherdirection,hismenfollowingonhisheels.Theysoondisappeareddownontheothersideofthevalley.

“Hehasourgold!”Akorthsaid.“Shouldwepursuehim?”Godfreyshookhisheadashewatchedthemrideoff.“Andwhatgoodwouldthatdo?Goldisgold.I’mnotgoingtoriskourlives

forit.Lethimgo.Thereisalwaysmore.”Godfrey turned and watched the horizon, the disappearing group of

Kendrick's andErec’smen,which he caredmore about.Now hewaswithoutbackup,andwasevenmoreisolatedthanbefore.Hefelthisplanscrumblingallaroundhim.

“Nowwhat?”Fultonasked.Godfreyshrugged.“Ihavenoidea,”hesaid.“You’renotsupposedtosaythat,”Fultonsaid.“You’reacommandernow.”ButGodfreymerelyshruggedagain.“Ispeakthetruth.”“Thiswarriorstuffishard,”Akorthsaid,scratchinghisbellyasheremoved

hishelmet.“Itdoesn’tseemtoquiteworkoutasyouexpect,doesit?”Godfrey sat there on his horse, shaking his head, pondering what to do.

He’dbeendealtahandhehadnotexpected,andhehadnocontingencyplan.“Shouldweturnback?”Fultonasked.“No,”Godfreyheardhimselfsay,surprisingevenhimself.The others turned and looked at him, shocked. Others huddled closer to

hearhiscommand.“Imaynotbeagreatwarrior,”Godfreysaid,“butthosearemybrothersout

there. They are being taken away.We cannot turn back. Even if itmeans ourdeaths.”

“Areyoumad?” theSilesiangeneralasked.“Allof thosefinewarriorsoftheSilver,oftheMacGils,oftheSilesians—allofthem,andtheycouldnotfightback theEmpire’smen.Howdoyou think a few thousandof ourmen, underyourcommand,willdoit?”

Godfreyturnedtohim,annoyed.Hewastiredofbeingdoubted.“Ineversaidwewouldwin,”hecountered.“Isayonly that it is theright

thing to do. Iwill not abandon them.Now if youwant to turn around andgohome,feelfree.Iwillattackthemmyself.”

“Youareaninexperiencedcommander,”hesaid,scowling.“Youknownotofwhatyouspeak.Youwillleadallthesementocertaindeath.”

“I am,” Godfrey said. “That is true. But you promised not to doubt meagain.AndIwon’tbeturningaround.”

Godfreyrodeseveralfeetforwardandupanelevationsothathecouldbeseenbyallhismen.

“MEN!”hecalledout,hisvoicebooming.“Iknowyoudon’tknowmeasatried-and-truecommander,asyoudoKendrickorErecorSrog.Anditistrue,Idonothave theirskills.ButIhaveheart,at leastonoccasion.Andsodoyou.What I know is that those are our brothers out there, captured.And Imyselfwouldrathernotlivethanlivetoseethemtakenawaybeforeoureyes,thangobackhomelikedogstoourcitiesandawaittheEmpiretocomeandkillus,too.Be sureof it: theywillkillusoneday.Wecanallgodownnow,onour feet,fighting, chasing the enemy as free men. Or we can go down in shame anddishonor.The choice is yours.Ridewithme, and live or not, youwill ride toglory!”

There came a shout from his men, one so enthusiastic that it surprisedGodfrey.Theyallraisedtheirswordshighintotheair,anditgavehimcourage.

It alsomadeGodfrey realize the reality ofwhat he just said.He had notreallythoughtthroughhiswordsbeforesayingthem;hejustgotsweptupinthemoment.Nowherealizedhewascommittedtoit,andhewasalittleshockedbyhisownwords.Hisownbraverywasdauntingtoevenhim.

Asthemenprancedontheirhorses,preparedtheirarms,andgotreadyfor

theirfinalcharge,AkorthandFultoncameupalongsidehim.“Drink?”Akorthasked.Godfreylookeddownandsawhimreachingoutwithaskinofwine,andhe

snatched it fromAkorth’s hand; he threwhis headback anddrank anddrank,untilhehadnearlydrunk thewhole thing,barely stopping tocatchhisbreath.Finally,Godfreywipedthebackofhismouthandhandeditback.

WhathaveIdone?hewondered.Hehadcommittedhimself,andtheothers,toabattlehecouldnotwin.Hadhebeenthinkingclearly?

“Ididn’tthinkyouhaditinyou,”Akorthsaid,pattinghimroughlyonthebackashebelched.“Quiteaspeech.Betterthantheater!”

“Weshouldhavesoldtickets!”Fultonchimedin.“Iguessyou’renothalfwrong,”Akorthsaid.“Bettertodieonourfeetthan

onourbacks.”“Although on our backsmight not be half bad, if it’s in a brothel bed,”

Fultonadded.“Hear hear!”Fulton said. “Or howabout dyingwith amugof ale in our

armsandourheadstiltedback!”“Thatwouldbefineindeed,”Akorthsaid,drinking.“But after awhile I suppose, itwould all get boring,”Fulton said. “How

manymugscanonemandrink,howmanywomencanonemanbed?”“Well,alot,ifyouthinkaboutitrightly,”Akorthsaid.“Evenso,Isupposeitmightbefuntodieadifferentway.Notasboring.”Akorthsighed.“Well,ifwesurviveallthis,atleastitwouldgiveuscausetoreallyhavea

drink.Foronceinourlives,wewillhaveearnedit!”Godfrey turned away, trying to tune out Akorth and Fulton’s perpetual

chatter.Heneededtoconcentrate.Thetimehadcomeforhimtobecomeaman,to leave behind witty banter and tavern jokes; to make real decisions thataffectedrealmenintherealworld.Hefeltaheavinessabouthim;hecouldnothelpbutwonderifthiswasashisfatherhadfelt.Insomestrangeway,asmuchashehatedtheman,hewasbeginningtosympathizewithhisfather.Andmaybeeven,tohisownhorror,tobecomelikehim.

Forgetting thedangerbeforehim,Godfreywasovercomewitha surgeofconfidence.Hesuddenlykickedhishorseandwithabattlecry,racedheadlongdownthevalley.

Behindhimcametheimmediatebattlecryof thousands,andtheirhorses’stepsfilledhisearsastheychargedbehindhim.

Godfreyalreadyfeltlight-headed,thewindinhishair,thewinegoingtohishead,ashe raced towardsacertaindeath,andwonderedwhat in theworldhe

hadgottenhimselfinto.

CHAPTERFIVE

Thor sat atophishorse, his father at his side,McCloudonhisother, andRaficloseby.Behind themsat tensof thousandsofEmpire soldiers, themaindivision of Andronicus’ army, well-disciplined and patiently awaitingAndronicus’command.Theyall sat atopa ridge, lookingupat theHighlands,their peaks covered in snow. Atop the Highlands sat the McCloud city,Highlandia,andThortensedupashewatchedthousandsoftroopsexitthecityandridetowardsthem,preparingforbattle.

ThesewerenotMacGilmen;norweretheyEmpiresoldiers.TheyworeanarmorThordimly recognized;butashe tightenedhisgriponhisnewsword’shilt,hewasnotsureexactlywhotheywere,orwhytheywereattacking.

“McClouds. My former men,” McCloud explained to Andronicus. “AllgoodMcCloudsoldiers.AllmenIoncetrainedandfoughtwith.”

“But now they have turned against you,” Andronicus observed. “Theychargetomeetyouinbattle.”

McCloudscowled,missinganeye,halfhis facebrandedwith theEmpireseal,lookinggrotesque.

“Iamsorry,mylord,”hesaid.“Itisnotmyfault.Itistheworkofmyboy,Bronson.Heturnedmyownpeopleagainstme.Ifitweren’tforhim,theywouldallbejoiningmerightnowinyourgreatcause.”

“It is not because of your boy,”Andronicus corrected, steel in his voice,turning towards him. “It is because you are aweak commander and aweakerfather.Thefailureinyoursonisthefailureinyou.Ishouldhaveknownyou’dbeunabletocontrolyourownmen.Ishouldhavekilledyoulongago.”

McCloudgulped,nervous.“Mylord,youmightalsoconsiderthattheyarenotjustfightingagainstme,

butagainstyou.TheywanttoridtheRingoftheEmpire.”Andronicusshookhishead,fingeringhisnecklaceofshrunkenheads.“Butyouareonmysidenow,”hesaid.“Sotofightagainstmeistofight

againstyou,too.”McClouddrewhissword,scowlingdownattheapproachingarmy.“I’llfightandkilleachandeveryoneofmyownmen,”hedeclared.“Iknowyouwill,”Andronicussaid.“Ifyoudon’t, Iwillkillyoumyself.

NotthatIneedyourhelp.Mymenwilldofarmoredamagethanyoucaneverdream—especiallywhenledbymyownson,Thornicus.”

Thor sat on his horse, dimly hearing all of their conversations, yet at the

same time not hearing any of it. He was in a daze. His mind swarmed withforeign thoughtshedidnot recognize, thoughts thatpulsated throughhisbrainandcontinuallyremindedhimoftheallegianceheowedhisfather,ofhisdutytofight for the Empire, of his destiny as the son of Andronicus. The thoughtsswirledinhismindrelentlessly,andasmuchashetried,hewasunabletoclearhismind,tothinkthoughtsofhisown.Itwasasifhadbeentakenhostagewithinhisownbody.

As Andronicus spoke, each of his words became a suggestion in Thor’smind, then a command. Then somehow, they became his own thoughts. Thorstruggled, some small part of him trying to rid his mind of these invasivefeelings, to reach a point of clarity. But the more he struggled, the harder itbecame.

Ashesatthereonhishorse,watchingtheincomingarmygallopingacrosstheplains,hefelt thebloodinhisveinsflowing,andallhecouldthinkofwashisloyaltytohisfather,hisneedtocrushanyonewhostoodinhisfather’sway.OfhisdestinytoruletheEmpire.

“Thornicus,didyouhearme?”Andronicusprodded.“Areyoupreparedtoproveyourselfinbattleforyourfather?”

“Yes,my father,” Thor answered, staring straight ahead. “I battle anyonewhobattlesyou.”

Andronicussmiledwide.Heturnedandfacedhismen.“MEN!”heboomed.“Thetimehascometofacetheenemy,toridtheRing

ofitssurvivingrebelsonceandforall.WeshallbeginwiththeseMcCloudmenwhodaredefyus.Thornicus,myson,willleadusinbattle.Youwillfollowhimasyouwouldfollowme.Youwillgiveyourlifeforhimasyouwouldforme.Betrayaltohimisbetrayaltome!”

“THORNICUS!”Andronicusscreamed.“THORNICUS!” came the echo of the chorus of ten thousand Empire

troopsbehindthem.Thor,emboldened,raisedhisnewswordhigh,theswordoftheEmpire,the

one his beloved father had given him.He felt a powerwelling through it, thepowerofhisbloodline,ofhispeople,ofallthathewasmeanttobe.Finallyhewasbackhome,backwithhisfather,onceagain.Forhisfather,Thorwoulddoanything.Eventhrowhimselftodeath.

Thor let out a great battle cry as he kicked his horse andwent chargingdownthevalley,thefirstinbattle.Behindhimcameagreatbattlecry,astensofthousands ofmen followed, all of them prepared to followThornicus to theirdeaths.

CHAPTERSIX

Mycoples sat curledup, tangled inside the immenseAkronnet, unable tostretch,toflapherwings.ShesatatthehelmoftheEmpireship,andstruggleasshedid,shecouldnotliftherchin,moveherarms,expandherclaws.Shehadneverfeltworse inher life,neverfeltsucha lackoffreedom,ofstrength.Shewascurledupinaball,blinkingslowly,despondent,moresoforThorthanforherself.

MycoplescouldsenseThor’senergy,evenfromthisgreatdistance,evenashershipsailedacrossthesea,rollingupanddowninthemonstrouswaves,herbody rising and falling as waves crashed onto the deck.Mycoples could feelThorchanging,becomingsomeoneelse,notthemansheonceknew.Herheartbroke.Shecouldnothelpbutfeelasifsomehowshehadlethimdown.Shetriedtostruggleonceagain,wantingsomuchtogotohim,tosavehim.Butshejustcouldnotbreakfree.

A huge wave crashed on deck, and the foaming waters of the Tartuvianslippedbeneathhernet,makingherslideandbangherheadonthewoodenhull.Shecoweredandsnarled,nothavingthespiritorstrengththatsheusedto.Shewasresignedtohernewfate,knowingshewasbeingtakenawaytobekilled,orworse, to live a life in captivity.Shedidn’t carewhatbecameofher.She justwanted Thor to be okay. And she wanted a chance, just one last chance, forvengeanceonherattackers.

“Theresheis!Slippedhalfwayacrossthedeck!”oneoftheEmpiresoldiersyelledout.

Mycoplesfeltasuddenjabbingpainonthesensitivescalesofherface,andshesawtwoEmpiresoldiers,withspearsthirtyfeetlong,proddingheratasafedistancethroughthenet.Shetriedtolungeforwardforthem,butherconstraintsheldherdown.Shesnarledastheypokedheragainandagain,laughing,clearlyhavingfun.

“She’snotsoscarynow,isshe?”oneaskedtheother.The other laughed, jabbing his spear close to her eye. Mycoples moved

awayatthelastsecond,sparingherselfblindness.“She’sharmlessasafly,”saidone.“Ihearthey’regoingtoputherondisplayinthenewEmpirecapitol.”“That’snotwhatIheard,”saidtheother.“Iheardthey’regoingtopryoff

herwingsandtortureherforalltheharmshedidourmen.”“IwishI’dbetheretoseethat.”

“Dowereallyneedtodeliverherintact?”oneasked.“Orders.”“But I don’t see why we can’t at least maim her a little. After all, she

doesn’treallyneedbotheyes,doesshe?”Theotherlaughed.“Wellnowthatyouput it thatway,Iguessnot,”heanswered.“Gofor it.

Havefun.”Oneofthemencamecloserandraisedaspearhigh.“Holdstillnow,littlegirl,”thesoldiersaid.Mycoples flinched, helpless as the soldier came charging forward,

preparingtoplungehislongspearintohereye.Suddenly,anotherwavecrashedoverthebow;thewatertookoutthelegs

ofthesoldier,andhewentslidingrightforherface,eyesopenwideinterror.Inahugeburstofeffort,Mycoplesmanaged to liftoneclaw justhighenough toallowthesoldiertoslipbeneathher;ashedid,shebroughtitdownonhimandpinneditthroughhisthroat.

He shrieked andblood spilled everywhere,mixingwithwater, as hediedbeneathher.Mycoplesfeltsomesmallsatisfaction.

The remainingEmpire soldier turnedand ran, screaming forhelp.Withinmoments,adozenEmpiresoldiersapproached,allbearinglongspears.

“Killthebeast!”oneofthemscreamed.Theyallapproachedtokillher,andMycoplesfeltcertainthattheywould.Mycoples felta suddenrageburn throughher,unlikeanythingshe’dever

felt. She closed her eyes and prayed to God to give her one final burst ofstrength.

Slowly,shefeltagreatheatrisewithinherbellyandtraveldownherthroat.Sheliftedhermouthandletoutaroar.Tohersurprise,aslewofflamespouredout.

Theflamestraveledthroughthenet,andthoughnotdestroyingtheAkron,stillawalloffireengulfedthedozenmencomingather.

Theyallshriekedastheirbodieswentupinflames;mostcollapsedondeck,and those that didn’t die instantly ran and jumped overboard into the sea.Mycoplessmiled.

Dozensmoresoldiersappeared,thesewieldingclubs,andMycoplestriedtosummonthefireagain.

Butthistimeitdidnotwork.Godhadansweredherprayers,andhadgivenher a one-time grace. But now, there was no more she could do. She wasgrateful,atleast,forwhatshe’dhad.

Dozens of soldiers descended on her, beating herwith clubs, and slowly,

Mycoples feltherself sinkingdown, lowerand lower,eyesclosing.Shecurledherselfup tight, resigned,wondering ifher timeon thisworldhadcome toanend.

Soon,herworldwasfilledwithblackness.

CHAPTERSEVEN

Romulusstoodatthehelmofhismassiveship,thehullpaintedblackandgold and waving the flag of the Empire, a lion with an eagle in its mouth,flapping boldly in the wind. He stood there with hands on hips, his widemuscularframeevenwider,asifrootedtothedeck,andstaredoutattherolling,luminescentwavesof theAmbrek. In thedistance, justcoming intoview,wastheshoreoftheRing.

Finally.Romulus’heartsoaredwithanticipationashelaideyesontheRingforthe

firsttime.Onhisshipsailedhisfinesthand-pickedmen,severaldozenofthem,andbehindthemsailedthousandsofthefinestEmpireshipstherewere.Avastarmada, filling thesea,all sailing thebannerof theEmpire.Theyhadsailedalongway,circlingtheRing,determinedtolandontheMcCloudside.RomulusplannedtoentertheRingbyhimself,sneakuponhisoldboss,Andronicus,andassassinatehimwhenhewasleastexpectingit.

Hesmiledatthethought.Andronicushadnoideaofthemightorcunningof his number two in command, and hewas about to learn the hardway.Henevershouldhaveunderestimatedhim.

Hugewavesrolledpast,andRomulusreveledinthecoldsprayonhisface.Inhisarmheclutched themagicalcloakhehadobtained in the forest,andhefeltitwasgoingtowork,wasgoingtogethimacrosstheCanyon.Heknewthatwhenheput iton,hewouldbe invisible, able topenetrate the shield, tocrossintotheRingalone.Hismissionwouldrequirestealthandcunningandsurprise.Hismencouldn’tfollow,ofcourse,buthedidn’tneedanyofthem:oncehewasin,hewouldfindAndronicus’smen—Empiremen—andrallythemtohiscause.Hewoulddividethemandcreatehisownarmy,hisowncivilwar.Afterall,theEmpiresoldierslovedRomulusasmuchastheydidAndronicus.HewoulduseAndronicus’ownmenagainsthim.

RomuluswouldthenfindaMacGil,bringhimbackacrosstheCanyon,asthecloakdemanded,andifthelegendwastrue,theShieldwouldbedestroyed.With the Shield down, he would summon all of hismen, and his entire fleetwould pour inside and theywould all crush the Ring for good. Then, finally,Romuluswouldbesoleruleroftheuniverse.

Hebreatheddeep.Hecouldalmost taste itnow.Hehadbeenfightinghisentirelifeforthismoment.

Romulusgazedupattheblood-redsky,thesecondsunsetting,ahugeball

onthehorizon,glowingalightbluethistimeofday.ItwasthetimeofdaythatRomulusprayedtohisgods,theGodoftheLand,theGodoftheSea,theGodoftheSky, theGodof theWind—andmost of all, theGodofWar.Heknewheneeded to appease them all.Hewas prepared: he had broughtmany slaves tosacrifice,knowingtheirspilledbloodwouldlendhimpower.

Thewavescrashedallaroundhimas theynearedshore.Romulusdidnotwaitfortheotherstolowertheropesbutratherleaptoffthehullassoonasthebowtouchedsand,fallingagoodtwentyfeet,andlandingonhisfeet,uptohiswaistinthewater.Hedidn’tevenflinch.

Romulussaunteredontotheshoreasifheownedit,hisfootprintsheavyinthesand.Behindhim,hismenloweredtheropesandallbegantofilteroff theship,asoneboatafteranotherlanded.

Romulus surveyed all of hiswork, and he smiled. The skywas growingdark,andhehadreachedshoreattheperfectmomenttopresentasacrifice.Heknewhehadthegodstothankforthis.

Heturnedandfacedhismen.“FIRE!”Romulusscreamedout.Hismenscurriedtobuildahugebonfire,fifteenfeethigh,amassivepileof

woodready,waitingtobelit,spreadoutandshapedintheformathree-pointedstar.

Romulus nodded, andhismendragged forward a dozen slaves, bound toeachother.Theyweretiedupalongthewoodofthebonfire,theirropessecuredto it. They stared back, wide-eyed with panic. They screamed and thrashed,terrified, seeing the torches at the ready and realizing they were about to beburnedalive.

“NO!”oneof themscreamed.“Please! Ibegyou!Not this.Anythingbutthis!”

Romulus ignored them. Instead, he turned his back on everyone, tookseveralstepsforward,openedhisarmswide,andcranedhisneckuptotheskies.

“OMARUS!”hecriedout.“Giveus the light to see!Acceptmysacrificetonight.BewithmeonmyjourneyintotheRing.Givemeasign.LetmeknowifIwillsucceed!”

Romulus lowered his hands, and as he did, his men rushed forward andthrewtheirtorchesontothewood.

Horrificscreamsroseup,asall theslaveswereburnedalive.Sparksflewouteverywhere,asRomulusstoodthere,faceaglow,watchingthespectacle.

Romulus nodded, and his men brought forward an old woman, her eyesmissing,herfacewrinkled,herbodycurledup.Severalmencarriedherforwardinachariot,andsheleanedforwardtowardstheflames.Romuluswatchedher,

patient,awaitingherprophecy.“Youwillsucceed,”shesaid.“Unlessyouseethesunsconverge.”Romulussmiledwide.Sunsconverge?Thathadn’thappenedinathousand

years.Hewaselated,awarmfeelingfloodinghischest.Thatwasallheneededto

hear.Thegodswerewithhim.Romulus grabbed his cloak, mounted his horse, and kicked it hard,

beginning togallopalone, across the sand, for the road thatwould lead to theEasternCrossing,across theCanyon,andsoon, into theveryheartof theRingitself.

CHAPTEREIGHT

Selesewalked through the remnantsof thebattlefield, Illeprabyher side,eachofthemgoingbodytobody,checkingforsignsoflife.Ithadbeenalong,hard trek from Silesia, as the two of them stuck together, following themainbody of the army and tending to thewounded and the dead. They forked offfromtheotherhealersandhadbecomeclosefriends,bondingthroughadversity.Theynaturallygravitatedtowardseachother,eachcloseinage,eachresemblingtheother,andperhapsmostimportantly,eachinlovewithaMacGilboy.SeleselovedReece,andIllepra,whileshewasloathtoadmitit,lovedGodfrey.

They had done their best to keep up with the main body of the army,weaving inandoutof fieldsandforestsandmuddyroads,constantlycombingforMacGilwounded.Unfortunately,findingthemdidnotprovehard;theyfilledwithlandscapeinabundance.Insomecases,Selesewasabletohealthem;butintoomanycases, thebest sheand Illepracoulddowaspatch theirwounds,putthemoutofpainwiththeirelixirs,andallowthemapeacefulpassing.

ItwasheartbreakingforSelese.Havingbeenahealer inasmall townherwholelife,shehadneverdealtwithanythingonthisscaleorseverity.Shewasused to handling minor scrapes, cuts, and wounds, or maybe the occasionalForsythbite.Butshewasnotused tosuchmassivebloodshedanddeath, suchseverityofwoundsandwounded.Itsaddenedherprofoundly.

Inherprofession,Seleseyearnedtohealpeople,andtoseethemwell;yeteversinceshehadembarkedfromSilesia,shehadseennothingbutanendlesstrailofblood.Howcouldmendo this toeachother?Thesewoundedwereallsonstosomeone;fathers,husbands.Howcouldmankindbesocruel?

Selesewasevenmoreheartbrokenbyherlackofabilitytohelpeachpersonsheencountered.Hersupplieswerelimitedtowhattheycouldcarry,andgiventheirlongtrek,thatwasn’tmuch.Theotherhealersofthekingdomwerespreadout, allover theRing; theywereanarmy inandof themselves,but theywerestretchedtoothin,andsuppliesweretoolow.Withoutadequatewagons,horses,andateamofhelpers,therewasonlysomuchshecouldtransport.

Seleseclosedhereyesandbreatheddeeplyasshewalked,seeingthefacesof the wounded flash before her. Too many times she had tended a mortallywoundedsoldiercryingoutinpain,hadwatchedhiseyesglazeover,andgivenhimBlatox. Itwas an effective painkiller, and an effective tranquilizer.But itwouldnothealafesteringwound,norstopinfection.Withoutallofhersupplies,itwas the best she coulddo. Itmadeherwant to cry and screamat the same

time.SeleseandIllepraeachkneltoverawoundedsoldier,afewfeetawayfrom

each other, each busy suturing awoundwith a needle and thread. Selese hadbeen forced to use this needle one toomany times, and shewished she had acleanone.Butshehadnochoice.Thesoldiercriedoutinpainasshestitchedalong vertical wound in his bicep that did not seem to want to stay closed,continuallyseeping.Selesepressedonepalmdown,tryingtostaunchthebloodflow.

Butitwasalosingbattle.Ifonlyshehadgottentothissoldieradaygo,allwould have been fine. But now his arm was green. She was staving off theinevitable.

“You’regoingtobejustfine,”Selesesaiddowntohim.“No I’mnot,” he said, staringup at herwith a lookof death.Selese had

seenthatlookonetoomanytimesalready.“Tellme.WillIdie?”Selesetookadeepbreathandheldit.Shedidnotknowhowtoreply.She

hatedtobedishonest.Butshecouldnotbeartotellhim.“Ourfatesareinourmakers’hands,”shesaid.“Itisnevertoolateforany

ofus.Drink,”shesaid,takingasmallvialofBlatoxfromthesatchelofpotionsatherwaist,puttingittohislipsandstrokinghisforehead.

Hiseyesrolledback,andhesighed,peacefulforthefirsttime.“Ifeelgood,”hesaid.Momentslater,hiseyesclosed.Selesefeltatearrolldownhercheek,andquicklywipeditaway.Illepra finished with her wounded, and they each got up, weary, and

continuedwalkingdown theendless trail together,passingcorpseaftercorpse.Theyheaded,inevitably,east,followingthemainbodyofthearmy.

“Are we even doing anything here?” Selese finally asked, after a longsilence.

“Ofcourse,”Illepraanswered.“Itdoesn’tseemthatway,”Selesesaid.“Wehavesavedsofew,andlostso

many.”“And what of those few?” Illepra countered. “Are they not worth

anything?”Selesethought.“Ofcoursetheyare,”shesaid.“Butwhatabouttheothers?”Seleseclosedhereyesandtriedtoimaginethem;buttheywerejustablur

facesnow.Illeprashookherhead.“You think in thewrongway.You are a dreamer.Too naïve.You cannot

saveeveryone.Wedidnotstartthiswar.Weonlypickupafterit.”Theycontinuedtowalkinsilence,trekkingeverfurthereast,pastfieldsof

bodies. Selese was happy, at least, for Illepra’s company. They had providedeachothercompanyandsolace,andhadsharedexpertiseandremediesalongtheway.SelesewasastoundedbyIllepra’swiderangeofherbs,onesshehadneverencountered; Illepra, in turn, was continually surprised by the unique salvesSelesehaddiscoveredinhersmallvillage.Theycomplementedeachotherwell.

Astheymarched,scanningthedeadonceagain,Selese’sthoughtsdriftedtoReece.Despiteeverythingallaroundher,shecouldnotgethimfromhermind.ShehadtraveledallthewaytoSilesiajusttofindhim,tobewithhim.Butthefateshadsplitthemaparttoosoon,thisstupidwarpullingthemintwodifferentdirections. She wondered with every passingmoment if Reece was safe. Shewonderedwhere, exactly, in the battlefield hewas.Andwith each corpse shepassed,shequicklyglancedatthefacewithasenseofdread,hopingandprayingitwasnotReece.Her stomachclenchedwitheachbody sheapproached,untilsheturneditoverandsawthefaceandsawitwasnothim.Witheachone,shesighedwithrelief.

Yetwitheverystepshetookshewasonedge,alwaysfearedshewouldfindhimwiththewounded—orworse,thedead.Shedidnotknowshecouldgoonifshedid.

Shewasdeterminedtofindhim,deadoralive.Shehadjourneyedthisfar,andshewouldnotturnbackuntilsheknewhisfate.

“Ihaven’t seen any signsofGodfrey,” Illepra said, kicking rocks as theywent.

Illeprahad spokenofGodfrey intermittently ever since they’d left, and itwasobviousshewassmittenbyhim,too.

“NorhaveI,”Selesesaid.Itwas a constant dialogue between the twoof them, each smitten by the

twobrothers,ReeceandGodfrey,twobrotherswhocouldnotbemoredifferentfrom each other. Selese could not understand what Illepra saw in Godfrey,personally.Heseemedtobejustadrunkardtoher,asillyman,nottobetakenseriously.Hewasfun,andfunny,andcertainlywitty.Buthewasnotthevisionof the man Selese wanted. Selese wanted a man who was sincere, earnest,intense.Sheyearnedforamanwhoexhibitedchivalry,honor.Reecewastheoneforher.

“Ijustdon’tknowhowhecouldhavesurvivedallthis,”Illeprasaidsadly.“Youlovehim,don’tyou?”Seleseasked.Illeprareddenedandturnedaway.“I never said anything about love,” she said defensively. “I’m just

concernedforhim.He’sjustafriend.”Selesesmiled.“Ishe?Thenwhydoyounotstopspeakingofhim?”“DoI?”Illepraasked,surprised.“Ihadn’trealizedit.”“Yes,constantly.”Illeprashruggedandgrewsilent.“Iguesshegotundermyskinsomehow.Hemakesmesomadsometimes.

I’mconstantlydragginghimfromthetaverns.Hepromisesme,everytime,thathewillneverreturn.Buthealwaysdoes.It’smaddening,really.I’dthrashhimifIcould.”

“Is that why you’re so anxious to find him?” Selese asked. “To thrashhim?”

NowitwasIllepra’sturntosmile.“Perhapsnot,”shesaid.“PerhapsIwanttogivehimahug,too.”Theyroundedahillandcameuponasoldier,aSilesian.Helaybeneatha

tree,moaning, his leg clearly broken. Selese could see it from here, with herexperteye.Nearby,tiedtothetree,weretwohorses.

Theyrushedtohisside.AsSelesesettotendinghiswounds,adeepgashinhisthigh,shecouldnot

helpbutaskwhatshehadaskedeverysoldiershehadencountered:“Have you seen any of the royal family?” she asked. “Have you seen

Reece?”All theothersoldiershadturnedandshakentheirheadsandlookedaway,

andSelesewassousedtodisappointmentthatshebynowexpectedanegativeanswer.

But,tohersurprise,thissoldiernoddedintheaffirmative.“Ihavenotriddenwithhim,butIhaveseenhim,yes,mylady.”Selese’seyeswidenedwithexcitementandhope.“Ishealive?Ishehurt?Doyouknowwherehe is?”sheasked,herheart

quickening,clutchingtheman’swrist.Henodded.“Ido.Heisonaspecialmission.ToretrievetheSword.”“Whatsword?”“Why,theDestinySword.”Shestaredinawe.TheDestinySword.Theswordoflegend.“Where?”sheasked,desperate.“Whereishe?”“HeisgonetotheEasternCrossing.”TheEasternCrossing,Selese thought.Thatwas far, so far.Therewasno

waytheycouldmakeitonfoot.Notatthispace.AndifReecewasthere,surely

hewasindanger.Surely,heneededher.Asshefinishedcaringforthesoldier,shelookedoverandnoticedthetwo

horsestiedtothetree.Giventhisman’sbrokenleg,therewasnowayhecouldridethem.Thetwohorsesherewouldbeuselesstohim.Andsoonenough,theywoulddieiftheywerenottakencareof.

Thesoldiersawhereyeingthem.“Takethem,lady,”heoffered.“Iwon’tbeneedingthem.”“Buttheyareyours,”shesaid.“Ican’tridethem.Notlikethis.You’llputthemtouse.Takethem,andfind

Reece. It’s a long journey from here and you won’t make it on foot. You’vehelpedmegreatly.Iwon’tdiehere.Ihavefoodandwaterforthreedays.Menwillcomeforme.Patrolscomebyhereallthetime.Takethemandgo.”

Seleseclaspedhiswrist,overflowingwithgratitude.SheturnedtoIllepra,determined.

“ImustgoandfindReece.I’msorry.Therearetwohorseshere.Youcantake theotheranywhereyouneed togo. Ineed tocross theRing, togo to theEasterncrossing.I’msorry.ButImustleaveyou.”

Selesemountedherhorse,andwassurprisedasIlleprarushedforwardandmounted the one beside her. Illepra reached out with her short sword andchoppedtheropebindingthehorsestothetree.

SheturnedtoSeleseandsmiled.“Did you really think, after all we’ve been through, I would let you go

alone?”sheasked.Selesesmiled.“Iguessnot,”sheanswered.The two of themkicked their horses, and they took off, racing down the

road,headingeverfurthereast,somewhere,Seleseprayed,towardsReece.

CHAPTERNINE

Gwendolynhuddled low, loweringherchinagainst thewindandsnowasshemarched through an endless field of white, Alistair, Steffen andAbertholbesideher,Krohnatherfeet.Thefiveofthemhadbeenmarchingforhours,eversincetheyhadcrossedtheCanyonandenteredtheNetherworld,andGwenwasexhausted. Her muscles ached and her stomach hurt, sharp pains shootingthroughhereverynowandagainas thebabymoved. Itwasaworldofwhite,snow falling relentlessly, whipping into her eyes, the horizon offering noreprieve.Therewasnothingtobreakupthemonotonyof thelandscape;Gwenfeltasifshewerewalkingtotheveryendsoftheearth.

It had become even colder, too, and despite her furs,Gwendolyn felt thecoldseepingintoherbones.Herhandswerealreadynumb.

Shelookedoverandsawtheothersshivering, too,all fightingagainst thecold, and shebegan towonder if shehadmade a gravemistake cominghere.EvenifArgonwerehere,withnomarkersofanysortonthehorizon,howcouldtheyeverfindhim?Therewasnotrail,nopath,andGwenfeltasinkingsenseofdesperationasshehadnoideawheretheywereallheading.Allsheknewwasthat theywereheadingawayfromtheCanyon,everfarthernorth.Evenif theyfoundArgon,howcouldtheyeverfreehim?Couldheevenbefreed?

Gwen felt as if she had journeyed to a place not meant for humans, asupernatural place meant for sorcerers and druids and mysterious forces ofmagicshedidnotunderstand.Shefeltasifsheweretrespassing.

Gwenfeltanothersharppaininherstomach,andfeltthebabyturnwithinheragainandagain.Thisonewassointenseshenearlylostherbreath,andshestumbledforamoment.

Shefeltareassuringhandgrabherwristandsteadyher.“Mylady,areyouallright?”Steffenasked,quicklycomingtoherside.Gwenclosedhereyes,breatheddeep,hereyeswatery from thepain,and

nodded back. She stopped a moment and placed a hand on her stomach andwaited.Herbabyclearlywasnothappytobehere.Neitherwasshe.

Gwen stood there for a few moments, breathing deeply, until the painfinallypassed.Shewonderedagainifshehadbeenwrongtoventurehere;butshethoughtofThor,andherdesiretosavehimtrumpedallelse.

Theybeganwalkingagain,andasthepainsubsided,Gwendolynfearednotonlyforherbaby,butfortheothers,too.Intheseconditions,shedidnotknowhowlong theycouldall last; shedidnotevenknowif theycould turnbackat

thispoint.Theywerestuck.Thiswasallunchartedterritory,withnomap,andnoendinsight.

The skywas tingedwith a purple light, everything tainted in amber andviolet, making her feel evenmore disoriented. There was no sense of day ornighthere.Justanendlessmarchintonothingness.

Abertholhadbeenright:thiswastrulyanotherworld,anabyssofsnowandemptiness,themostdesolateplaceshe’deverseen.

Gwendolynpausedforamomenttocatchherbreathandasshedid,shefeltawarm,reassuringhandonherstomach,andwassurprisedbytheheat.

She turned to see Alistair standing beside her, laying a hand on herstomach,lookingoveratherwithconcern.

“Youarewithchild,”shesaid.Itwasmoreastatementthanaquestion.Gwendolyn stared back at her, shocked that she knew, especially as her

stomach still looked flat. She no longer had the strength to keep it a secret,though,andshenoddedyes.

Alistairnoddedbackknowingly.“Howdidyouknow?”Gwenasked.ButAlistairmerelyclosedhereyesandbreatheddeep,keepingherpalmon

Gwen’sstomach.Gwenwascomfortedbythefeeling,andfeltahealingwarmthspreadthroughher.

“Averypowerful child,”Alistair said,her eyes still closed. “He’s scared.Butnotsick.Hewillbefine.Iamtakingawayhisfearsnow.”

Gwendolynfeltwavesoflightandheatrushingthroughher.Soon,shefeltentirelyrestored.

Gwen was overwhelmed with gratitude and love for Alistair; she feltinexplicablyclosetoher.

“Idon’tknowhowtothankyou,”Gwendolynsaidasshestoodup,feelingalmostnormalagain,asAlistairremovedherhand.

Alistairloweredherheadhumbly.“Thereisnothingtothankmefor,”sheanswered.“ItiswhatIdo.”“Youdidnottellmeyouwerepregnant,mylady,”Abertholsaidsternly.“If

Iknew,Iwouldhaveneveradvisedthistrip.”“Mylady,Ihadnoidea,”Steffensaid.Gwendolyn shrugged, superstitious, not wanting all this attention on her

baby.“Andwhoisthefather?”Abertholasked.Gwenfeltadeepsenseofambivalenceasshesaidtheword:“Thorgrin.”Gwenfelttorn.ShefeltwavesofguiltforwhatshehaddonetoThor,for

how they had said goodbye; she also felt mixed feelings about the child’slineage.ShepicturedAndronicus’faceandshuddered.

Abertholnodded.“Amostexcellentlineage,”hesaid.“Youcarryawarriorinsideyou.”“Mylady,Iwouldgivemylifetoprotectyourchild,”Steffensaid.Krohnwalkedup, leanedhishead intoher stomach, and licked it several

times,whining.Gwenwasoverwhelmedbytheirkindnessandfeltsupported.Suddenly, Krohn turned and surprised them all by snarling viciously. He

tookseveral steps forward into theblinding snow,hishairson-end.Hepeeredintothesnow,ignoringthem.

Gwenand theothers lookedateachother,puzzled.Gwenpeered into thesnowbutcouldseenothing.ShehadneverheardKrohnsnarllikethat.

“Whatisit,Krohn?”sheasked,nervous.Krohncontinuedtosnarl,inchingforward,andGwen,nervous,loweredher

handtothedaggeratherwaistastheotherslaidtheirhandsontheirweapons,too.

Theywaitedandwatched.Finally, out of the blinding snow there emerged a dozen creatures. They

were terrifying, entirely white, with huge yellow eyes and four long, yellowfangs,largerthanwolves.TheywerebiggerthanKrohn,andeachhadtwoheadswithlongfangs,descendingnearlyafoot.Theyemittedalow,constant,viciousnoiseastheyapproachedthegroup,spreadoutinawidesemi-circle.

“Lorks,”Abertholsaidwithfear,steppingback.Gwendolynheard thedistinctive ringofmetal asSteffendrewhis sword.

Aberthol clutchedhis staff out beforehimwithbothhands,whileAlistair juststood there, staring, intense.Gwendolyn clutchedher dagger andheld it tight,preparedtolaydownherlifetodefendherbaby.

Krohnwastedno time:with a snarl, he charged forward and initiated theattack.Heleaptintotheairandsankhisfangsintothethroatofalork,andeventhoughitwasbigger,Krohnwasdeterminedandwrestleditdowntothegroundinasnarlingmatch.Thesoundswereviciousastheyrolledandrolled.Soonthesnowstainedred,andGwenwasrelievedtoseeitwaswiththebloodofthelork.Krohnpinneditdown,victorious.

Theotherlorksjumpedintoaction.TwoofthempouncedonKrohn,whiletheotherschargedrightforGwendolynandtheothers.

Steffen ran forward, swinginghis sworddownona lorkas it charged forGwendolyn, managing to chop off one of its two heads. But that left himexposed, and the other lork pounced on him and sank its long fangs into

Steffen’s arm. Steffen screamed out, his blood squirting everywhere, as thecreaturepinnedhimdowntotheground.

Gwendolyn stepped forward with her dagger and stabbed the lork in itsback; it arched its back as it screamed out. It kept one set of fangs insideSteffen’sarm,whilewithitsotherheaditturnedandsnappedatGwen.Itarchedback justenough forSteffen tobreak free,andasGwen retreated,holdingherdaggerbeforeherwithshakinghands,Steffenretrievedhisswordandchoppedoffbothitsheads.

AlorksetitssightsonAlistairandcharged;itleaptintotheair,aimingtosinkitsfangsintoherthroat.

Alistairstoodcalmlyinplace,though,unfazed,andraisedonehandoutinfrontofher;ayellowlightemanatedfromherpalmandflewthroughtheairandstruckthelorkinitschest.Ithoveredthere,frozeninmidair,asAlistairheldherarmout.

Finally,afterseveralsecondsfloatingintheair,thecreaturefelltoherfeet,harmless,dead.

Another lorkchargedforAberthol,andheraisedhisstaffandstruck it intheair,ashesidesteppedoutofitsway.Thelorkimmediatelyregaineditsfeet,though,andleaptontoAberthol’sback.

Abertholscreamedas the lorksank its fangs intohisshoulderandpinnedhimdown,face-first,intothesnow.

Gwendolynturnedtohelp,butSteffenbeathertoit,drawinghisbowandlandinganarrowinthecreature’sjawsbeforeitlandedafatalblowonthebackofAberthol’sexposedneck.

Steffen then turned to fire at the two lorks pinning Krohn down, but asuddengaleofsnowmadeaimingimpossible.

GwendolynranforKrohn.Shedrewherdaggerandstabbedonelorkinitsback,whileKrohnleaptoffandsankhisfangsintheotherlork’sthroat.SteffenrushedforwardandstabbedthelorkinitsotherfacebeforeitcouldkillKrohn.

Finally,thelorkswerealldead.Theyallgrewsilent.Krohn, covered in wounds, regained his feet and limped over to

Gwendolyn.Helickedherhandandthenherstomach.Gwendolyn, crying to seeKrohnwounded and so touchedbyhis loyalty,

kneltdownbyhissideandrubbedhisfur,feelingallhiswoundsandseeingallthe blood on her palms.Her heart broke.Alistair knelt besideKrohn, lay herhandsonhim,andasasoftyellowglowcoveredhisbody,helookedupather,andlickedherface.Hiswoundswerehealed.

Alistair helpedAberthol up, andhe regainedhis feet shakily.The fiveofthem,allrattled,turnedandlookedateachother,atthecarnage,takingitallin.

Ithadallhappenedsofast,Gwencouldbarelyprocessit.Itremindedheronceagainofthedangersofthisplace.

“Mylady,look!”Steffencalledout,excitementinhisvoice.Gwen turned and looked at the horizon, and saw a temporary lull in the

snowstorm. Slowly, a small burst of sunshine emerged between the clouds, aglimmerofhopeonthehorizon.

As she watched, to her shock, there suddenly appeared, floating on thehorizon,a rainbow,all itscolorsglowing in theair. Itwasunlikeany rainbowGwenhadeverseen:insteadofbeingshapedinanarc,itwasshapedinaperfectcircle,hollowinthemiddle,floatinghighinthesky.

Italsoilluminatedthelandscape,andforthefirsttime,shehadaglimpseofhersurroundings.

“There,”Gwensaid. “Doyousee that ridge?Thewallof snowends.Wemustmakeitthere.”

Invigorated,thegroupincreasedtheirpace.Theymarched in unison, up a high ridge, Gwen breathing hard, each of

themsupportingeachotherastheynurturedtheirwounds.Finally,Abertholstopped.“Ican’tgoon,”hesaid.“Youmust,”Gwenimplored.Shecameover,drapedonearmaroundhis,andhelpedhimupthehill,as

Alistaircameoverandhelpedwiththeother.Iftheycouldjustreachthetopofthe ridge, Gwendolyn hoped all would become clear. Perhaps theywould seeArgonsomewhere;orperhaps,atleast,therewouldbesomeindicator,somesigntopointtheway.

They climbed and climbed, and finally, breathing hard, they reached theverytop.Gwendolynstoodatthepeakwiththeothersandlookeddownbelow.Shewasshockedatwhatshesaw.

There,spreadoutbelowherasfarastheeyecouldsee,wasaviewunlikeany shehad seen inher life. Itwas anendlessvalley, the skyabove it a clearyellow and red, no more snow to be seen. Instead, beneath the sky was asparkling, frozen landscape. Itwas like a frozen city, but instead of buildingswere mounds of ice, all different shapes and sizes, each a different color—violets,blues,reds,pinks.Allofitsparkledinthesun,amillionflashesoflight.

Itwasafrozencity, themostbeautiful thingshehadeverseen.Itdidnotlookreal.

Gwenhadnoideawhatitwas,orwhereitled.Butshefeltamagicalsheenoverit,feltthattimeandplaceweretrappedhere.

Andsheknew,shejustknew,thatArgonwassomewherebelow.

CHAPTERTEN

Reecebalancedontheedgeofthecliff,pressedupagainstthestone,handsshaking,clutchingfordearlifeandlookingdownoverhisshoulderinhorrorashe watched Krog plummet past him, screaming and flailing into the mist.Reece’s heart sank.Krogwas surely dead. They had already lost one of theirvaluedLegionmembers,andReececouldnothelpbutfeelthatitwashisfault;afterall,hewastheonewhohadledtherestdownhere.

Reece’shandsandfeetwereshaking,andhewonderedhowmuchlongerhehimself could hold on—andhowmuch longer the rest of themcould, too.Hedidn’tfeelliketheycouldmakeitmuchlonger—andhestilldidn’tknowifthebottomevenexisted.Hadhebeenrecklesstopursuethis?

But suddenly there came a nice surprise—Krog’s screams ended abruptlyandwerereplacedwiththesoundofKrogimpactingsomething.Itsoundedlikebranches,liketwigssnapping,anditwasallcloserthanReececouldhaveeverimagined.Hewasshocked:hadKroghitbottom?Wasitsoclose?

Reecefeltencouragedashe lookeddowninto theswirlingmist,knowingKrogwas not too far below.Maybe even,Reece hoped, he had lived.Maybesomethinghadcushionedhisfall.

“KROG!?”Reececalleddown.Therecamenoresponse.Reecelookedupandsawtheothers,Elden,O’Connor,Conven,Indra,and

Serna,allclingingtothesideofthecliff,handsshaking,andall lookingdownwiththesameexpressionofshockandfear.Reececouldtellfromtheirbodies,from their desperate expressions, that they would not make it much farthereither.Hefeltobligedtosetanexampleastheirleader.

“Thebottomisclose!”Reececalledout,musteringconfidenceinhistone.“Kroghitit.Hewillbeokay—andsowillwe!Hangonjustalittlebitmore,andwewillallbetosafety.Followme!”

Reece scurried down, hands slipping, knees shaking, but determined tomakeitandtosetanexample.Whenhethoughtonlyofhimself,itfelttoohard;butwhenhethoughtofothers,hefeltrenewedenergy.

Breathinghard,Reece lookedbelowandfocused.Hejust tried tomake itfromone foothold to the next; sometimes therewas just enough room for histoes.Hisbootsluckilygavehimsupport,allowinghimtocramhistoesintotinyspots and lodge them there, giving him the strength he needed to support hisbody.He scrambled down the cliffwith his final burst of energy, praying this

wastheend.Finally,theswirlingmistbegantolift,andasReecelookeddown,hisheart

soaredtoseeland.Realland!Hardlytwentyfeetbelowwasthecanyonbottom.And lying there, on a bed of what look liked soft pine needles, bright

turquoiseincolor,layKrog.Hegroanedandwrithedonthefloor.Reecesighedwithrelief.Hewasalive.

Asheneared,Reecewasshockedatthelandscapedownbelow:itwasmoreexotic than anything he had ever seen, and it looked like he had arrived onanother world. He caught only glimpses of it between the swirlingmists, butfromwhat he could see, the canyon bottomwas littered with pine trees withbrightorangetrunksandbrightturquoiseneedles,theirbranchespurpleandgoldandladenwithexotic,smallfruitsthatsparkled.Thesoillookedlikemud.

AsReecereachedthelastfewfeet,hejumpeddownoffthewall,hishandsbarelyable toholdononemoresecond.Hisfeet landedin thesoilandsankafewinches.Helookeddownandsawastrangestickysubstance,notquitemud,butnotquitesoil.Itfeltsogoodtohavehisfeetonrealgroundagain.

Allaroundhim,hisfellowLegionfollowedhisexample,jumpingdownoffthelastfewfeetofwallandlandingbesidehim.

Reece hurried to Krog’s side. As he approached, a flash of anger burstthroughReece:Kroghadbeen a thorn in his side thewhole time.Yet despitethat,ReecewasdeterminednottotreatKrogthesamewayhehadbeentreatedbyhim.Hehadtoriseabovethat,andregardlessofwhatKrogdeserved,itwasnotleader-liketosinktohislevel.Pettyrevengemightbeawayforboys—butnotformen.Anditwastimeforhimtoleaveboyhoodbehind,tobecomeaman.

ReecekneltbesideKrogandsurveyedhim,determinedtohelp.Kroggroaned,squintinghiseyes,writhinginpain.“Myknee,”Kroggasped.Reece lookeddownandwincedashesawa large,purplebranch impaled

through Krog’s knee, through one side and out the other. Reece’s stomachchurnedatthesite;itlookedbeyondpainful.

“Howdoesitlook?”Krogasked.ReeceforcedhimselftolookbackatKrogwithasteadyexpressionofcalm

andcoolconfidence,notwantingKrogtopanic.“I’veseenworse,”Reeceresponded.“Youwillbefine.”Krog,though,didn’tseemtobuyit.Hewassweating,andlookedupathim

withpanic-strickeneyes.Hisbreathingwasrapidandshallow.“Listen to me,” Reece insisted, grabbing his cheeks. “Do you hear me?

Yourkneewillbefine.Doyoutrustme?”Slowly,Krog’sbreathingslowed,andhenoddedback.

AlltheothersappearedbesideReece,andtheystoppedshortintheirtracks,lookingdown.ReecewassurethattheywerelookingdownatKrog’skneewiththesameshockhehadexperienced.

“You’reluckyyou’realive,”Sernasaidtohim.“Iwassureyouweredead.”“Thebranchescushionedmyfall,”Krogsaid.“IthinkIbrokehalfthetree.”Reecelookedupandsawindeedthathalfthetreewasmissingitsbranches.Krogtriedtomove,butwincedandshookhishead.“I can’t bend my leg. I can’t walk.” Krog breathed sharply. “Leave me

here,”hesaid.“I’muselesstoyounow.”Reeceshookhishead.“Doyourememberourmotto?”hereminded.“Nomanleftbehind.Those

aren’temptywords.Welivebythem.Andwearen’tleavingyouanywhere.”Reecethoughtquick,andturnedtotheothers.“Elden, O’Connor, hold him down,” he commanded, using the voice of

authority.Theyeachkneltdownandgrabbedashoulder,pinningKrogdown.“Whatareyoudoing?”Krogasked.Reecedidn’thesitate;hehadtogetitoverwith.Hereacheddown,grabbed

thebranchprotrudingthroughKrog’sknee,snappedoffoneendofit,andthen,asKrogletoutahorrificscream,yankeditstraightthroughtheotherside,untilitwasclearofhisleg.Bloodgushed,andReecereacheddownandstoppeditupwithhispalm.

Krogflailed,moaning,whileIndrarusheddownbesidehim,toreastripofclothofftheendofhershirt,andwrappedhiswound.

“Sonofabitch!”Krogscreamed,writhinginagony,digginghishandsintoReece’sforearm.

“Youaregoingtobeallright,”Reecesaid.“Conven—yourwine.”Conven rushed forward, lowered his wineskin left over from Silesia,

grabbed Krog’s cheeks and squirted some down his throat. Krog struggled atfirst,butConvenheldhimfirmly,forcinghimtodrink.EventuallyKrog’seyesstarted to glaze over, his screaming quieted, andReece knew the strong drinkwaskickingin.

“Gethimtohisfeet,”Reecesaid,rising.EldenandO’Connordraggedhimtohisfeet,eachdrapinganarmaround

oneshoulder.“Ihateyou,”Krog,half-delirious,moanedtoReece,glaringathim.Reeceshrugged.HeneverexpectedKrogtolikehim;hedidn’thelphimfor

thatreason.“Hatemeallyouwant,”hesaid.“Atleastyourlegwillbesaved.”

Reece turned and surveyed his surroundings, taking it all in. He wassurprisedanddisorientedtoactuallybedownhere.Everythingfeltsoforeign,soexotic,as ifhewereworldsawayfromtheRing.Theystood in themidstofabrightly-colored forest, the swirling mists rushing through. Large mounds ofmudroseuphereandthere,dottingthelandscape,lookinglikelargedisfiguredbouldersrisingupfromtheearth.Springsofsteamroseinvariouspocketsfromthebottomofthefloor,hissingastheyshotupintotheair,stoppingandstartingabruptlywithnorhymeorreason.

Everywheretheairwasfilledwithstrangenoises,cawsandcoosandsnarlsandshrieks; it soundedas if theyhadbeendropped in thecenterofananimalkingdom.Reecepeeredintothemidst,tryingtogetaglance,butthepersistentmistmade it impossible to see past twenty feet,making the noises evenmoreominous.

Heturnedtotheothers,whoalllookedbackathiminwonder.“Wheretonow?”Sernaasked.TheyalllookedtoReece,anditwascleartheyconsideredhimtheirleader

now.Reecewasbeginningtofeelmorelikealeaderhimself,too.“WemustfindtheSword,”Reeceanswered,“andgetout.”“Butitcouldbeanywhere,”Eldensaid.“Wecan’tseemorethanafewfeetinfrontofus,”O’Connoradded.“There

arenotrails,nomarkers.Howarewetofindit?”Reeceturnedandsurveyedthelandscape,andrealizedtheywereallright.

Butthatwasn’tgoingtostophimfromtrying.“Well,one thingIknowforsure,”hesaid.“Wewon’t find itbystanding

here.Let’smove.”“Butwhere?”Indraasked.Reecepickedadirectionandbegantowalk,andheheardtheothersfalling

inbehind,drawingtheirswords,allpanicky.Hewishedhecouldtellthemheknewwheretheyweregoing.Butthetruth

was,hehadabsolutelynoidea.

CHAPTERELEVEN

Kendrick, Erec, Bronson, and Srog, wrists bound, led by ropes by theirEmpirecaptors,marchedbeforetheirthousandsofsoldiers,allofthemprisonersofwarnow.Kendrickseethedwithrageandhumiliation,andlookedupatTirus,who rode smugly side by side with the Empire commander. He vowedvengeance.Tirushadoutwitted them,buthehaddoneso throughbetrayalandtreachery.Suchavictory, inKendrick’s eyes,wasnovictory at all.He lackedhonor.AndKendrickwouldratherhavedeaththanastainonhishonor.

Yetstill,heretheyallwere,MacGil’sfinestwarriors,alongwithBronson’sMcClouds, all of them now at this traitor’s mercy, this lesser brother ofKendrick’sfather,whohadaspiredhiswholelifetobringdownhisfamilyandusurp the throne. Tirus had found his opportunity with Andronicus’ invasion.KnowingAndronicus,Kendrick knew thiswould only end badly for Tirus. IfonlyTirusknewthat,ifonlyhecouldseetheshort-sightednessofhistreachery.

Kendrick hated to surrender. Yet in Kendrick’s view, this was notsurrendering, but merely delaying. They would find another way, one day,somehow, to defeat them.Tirus had promised to treat them allwith honor, asprisonersofwar.Kendrick trustedhimon thispoint;hedidnot imagineTiruswould sink so lowas to sullywhatever shredof honor hehad left. If thewarsettleddown, andAndronicus indeedallowedTirus to control aportionof theRing,Kendrick believed that Tiruswould treat them fairly. Perhaps hewouldpressthemintohisservice.Andoneday,whenTirusleastexpectedit,Kendrickwouldrallyhismentoriseupanddefeathim.

Then again, ifAndronicus betrayedTirus, then anything could happen toKendrick and hismen.He rememberedSilesia, their treatment atAndronicus’hand, all too well. Which is why Kendrick had his eyes open, alert to anypossiblemomentforescape.

Theyhadbeenmarching forhours,andKendrickhadquietlydiscussed itmorethanoncewithErec,Bronson,andSrog,andtheyallagreed:theywouldescape,aslongastheycouldfreealltheirmen.

“Wheredoyouthinkthey’retakingus?”Bronsonasked,besideKendrick.Kendricklookedoutatthecold,desolatelandscapebeforethem.Hesawin

the distance amassive camp of Empiremen, and in the center, a vast, emptyarea,fencedoff.Itlookedlikeaholdingpen.Kendrickrealizedthiswaswheretheybeingbrought.

“They will hold us here until Andronicus decides otherwise,” Kendrick

replied.“Wearehistrophiesnow.”“UnlessAndronicusdecidestohaveuskilled,”Erecadded.“ButTirusgaveushisword,”Bronsonsaid.“Tirus’wordisnotworthmuch,”Srogchimedin.“Didwemakeamistaketosurrenderthen?”Bronsonasked.Kendrickwonderedthesamething.“Tofightwhileambushedwouldhavemeantacertaindeath.Atleastnow

wehaveachance.”Kendrick was yanked hard by an Empire soldier, and they all continued

marchingforward,headingtowardsthedistantprisoncamp.“Yourwifesoldusallout,”KendricksaidtoBronson.“Sheistheonewho

trickedThorintobeingcapturedatAndronicus’hand.”Bronsongrimaced.“Youareright,”hesaid,“shedid.ButLuandaisyoursister,too.Youknow

hernatureaswellasI.”Kendrickshookhishead.“Myhalf-sister,”hecorrected.“Yetstill,Irecallhernature.Tooambitious.

Whatdidyouseeinher?”Bronsonshrugged.“Ourmarriagewas arranged—by our fathers.Your father.Nonetheless, I

have toadmit, I fell in lovewithher.Despiteeverything, shehasagoodside.Deepdown,thereisagoodpersoninthere.Iguess,despiteeverything,IhavetoadmitIstillloveher.Istillhavehopeforherredemption.”

“Loveher?”Srogasked,mortified.“Afterherbetrayalofusall?”Bronsonshrugged.Hewishedhecouldanswerotherwise,butthatwashow

hefelt.“Iknowshehasdoneterriblethings,”hesaid.“Butdeepdown,Ialsoknow

there is a part of her that is redeemable. She is too ambitious, and she hasbecomethevictimofherownflaws.Butshecanchange.”

Erecshookhishead.“Anduntilshechanges,howmanyofourmenhavetodie?”Bronson fell silent.Of course, theywere right, and a part of him agreed

withthem.HewishedhehatedLuanda,wishedhecouldjustturnoffhisloveforher.But he had to admit, a part of him still loved her, despite everything.Hewonderedifhewouldeverseeheragain,ifsheevencaredforhimanymore.Helooked down and studied his missing hand, the stump that was there, andrememberedhe’dlostitdefendingher,savingherfromhisfather’swrath.

Hadhelostiffornothing?Finally, thehugegroupcame toa stopas theEmpire soldiers shepherded

them into the fenced-off holding area. The Empire commander, high on hishorse, Tirus beside him, looked down and faced off with Kendrick, Erec,Bronson,andSrog.Thecampfellsilentasallthetroopsstoppedandwatched.

Kendrickandtheothersstoodthereandlookedup,humbled,likecommonprisoners.

“Tonight, you and your men will stay in this prison camp,” the generalannounced,hisvoicebooming.“Atdawn,youwillbeexecuted.”

AnoutragedgaspspreadthroughouttheMacGilcamp,andKendrickfoundhimselfgasping,too,shocked.

Tirus turned and looked at the Empire commander, looking surprisedhimself, his four sons beside him, prancing on their horses, looking equallydisturbed.

“Butmy liege, thatwasnot thedealwestruck,”Tirussaid to theEmpirecommander.“ThesemenweresupposedtobemyprisonersofwartodowithasIwished.Youpromisednoharmwouldcometothem.”

TheEmpirecommanderturnedandlookedbackathim.“Therearenodeals tobestruckwith theEmpire. I speak forAndronicus

himself.Youare luckywehavekeptyoualive.Unlessyouhavechangedyourmindandyouandyourmenwouldliketobekilledalongwiththem?”

Tirus reddened, then lowered his gaze down to the ground, lookingembarrassed and caught off-guard.He fell silent, though, clearly realizing theEmpirehadtheupperhand.

Kendrick fumed. He had been so stupid to trust Tirus again, to agree tosurrender.Lookingback, he shouldhave fought to thedeathback there.Theywouldhavealldied,butatleasttheywouldhavealldiedwithhonor,aswarriors,ontheirfeet.

“I will give you a choice,” the Empire commander boomed, looking atKendrick,Erec,Bronson,andSrog.“Wecaneitherexecuteyou—theleaders—orexecuteahundredofyourmen instead,and letyou live.Whodies?Youoryourmen?”

Withouthesitating,Kendrick,Erec,Bronson,andSrogall, inunison, saidproudly:

“Wewilldie.”They all stood there proudly in the silence, staring back defiantly, not a

momentofhesitationrunningthroughanyoftheirminds.TheEmpirecommandernoddedbackatthemwithalookofrespect.“Truewarriors.Iexpectednoless.Tonight,ponderyourlastnightonearth.

Tomorrow,bepreparedtomeetyourmaker.”*

Erec,Kendrick,Bronson,andSrogstoodoutsideinthedarknessofnightintheir own small holding pen, apart from the other prisoners, each bound to apost, hands and feet tiedbehind theirbacks, a few feet away fromeachother.The fourof themwere set apart from theothers, set tobeexecuted,while themain body of prisoners stood behind a massive fenced-in area, perhaps ahundredyardsaway.AsEreclookedoutatthem,hetooksolaceinthefactthatatleasthismenwouldlive.

Beforetheyhadbeensetapart,allthroughoutthenight,thousandsoftheirmen had come up to them, imploring them to decline the offer, not to beexecutedontheirbehalf.Ofcourse,Erecandtheothers,whiletouchedbytheiroffers,wouldnotlisten.Theyweremenofhonor,andifanyonehadtodie,theywouldsacrificethemselves.Erechadnoregretsaboutthat.Hisonlyregretwasnothavingachancetobeunbound,tohavehisweaponsdrawn,togodowninagreatclashofbattle,ashehadalwaysdreamedhewould.

Buttheseriesofbetrayalshadledhimtothis:LuandahadbetrayedThor;andTirushadbetrayedthem.Theyhadallbeentootrustingandnowtheywouldpaythepriceforit.ItalwaysastoundedErecthatothersdidnotsharethesamesenseofhonorashe.He,personally,wouldratherdiethanbetraysomeone;forhim,honorwasmorepreciousthanlife.

Erec stood there,bound to apost,Kendrick,Bronson, andSrogcloseby,andstaredupatthestarlitnight.ErechadneverspentanytimeontheMcCloudside of the highlands, and the stars appeared different from here. It was coldhere,thegroundhardandthetemperaturedropping,andagalesweptacrossthelandscape and entered his bones. But he did not shiver. He looked up at thenight, and contemplating his time on earth being over, hewondered about hisonetruelove:Alistair.Wouldheeverseeheragain?

Erec was so proud when Alistair had told him she would accompanyGwendolyntotheNetherworld,toprotecther.Itwasanhonorbefittinghiswife-to-be,anditmadehimloveherevenmore.Buthealsoworriedforher.WouldshemakeitbackfromtheNetherworld?

Knowing he would be executed in the morning, Erec realized he wouldneverlayeyesonheragain,andthethoughtpainedhim.Itwashisonlyregret;hewouldgiveanythingforachancetoseeheronelasttime.

Ereclookedaroundandsawthattheholdingareawaslightlyguarded,withonlytwoEmpiresoldiersstandingguard.Itmadeperfectsense:theEmpirehadnoneedforguards,giventhatthefourofthemwereboundtoposts,strippedoftheirarms,andtheirarmywasinitsownseparateprison.Inthemorning,theywouldallbedeadanyway.

Erecstruggledagainsthisropesagain, tryingtobreakfree;buthehadno

room to wiggle, not even an inch. As he looked out at the night, he spottedsomethingoutof thecornerofhiseye,movingquickly.At firsthe thoughthewas seeing things, but as he looked more closely he made out a lone figuremovingintheblackness,slinkingaroundtheperipheryoftheirfence.

Erecwasconfused,tryingtofigureoutwhohewasandwhathewasdoing.Hepeeredintotheblacknessandcaughtabetterglimpseasthefiguremovedforamomentbeneaththetorchlight.HesawthearmorofTirus’men,theroyalcrestofTirus’familyemblazonedonthebreastplate.

BeforeEreccouldmakesenseofitall,hewatchedthefigurecreepoutofthedarkness,slipuptotheentranceofthegate,removeadaggerfromhisbelt,andslicethethroatsofthetwoEmpiresoldiersstandingguard.Twoquickgruntscutthroughthenight,astheEmpiresoldiersslumpedtothefloor,lifeless.

Thefigurecuttheropes,pulledbackthefence,lookedbothwaysfurtively,makingsurenoonewaswatching,andthenrushedforwardrighttowardsErec,bloodydaggerstillinhand.Erechissed,andKendrick,Bronson,andSrogturnedandlooked,too.Erecwatchedhimapproach,transfixedbythefigure,wonderingwhohewasandwhyhewashere.Whohad justkilled thoseEmpiresoldiers?Whywasheracingtowardsthem?Washecomingtokillthem,too?

The figure slipped behind him and suddenly sliced the ropes binding hisfeet and hands. Erec stumbled forward, grabbing his wrists, massaging themwhere the ropes had dug into them. Erec turned, amazed, as the man slicedthroughtheropesbindingKendrick,Bronson,andSrog,too.

Thefourofthemturnedandfacedhim,asheraisedhisfaceplate.The boy, hardly older than 16, stared back with piercing hazel eyes, his

curly brown hair spilling out past his ears. He looked like Tirus. He had justriskedhislifetosetthemfreeandmurdertwoEmpiresoldiers,andEreccouldnotunderstandwhy.

“Whoareyou?”Erecasked.“I am Matus,” he replied. “The youngest of four sons of the house of

Tirus.”“Whyhaveyoufreedus?”Kendrickasked.Matusshookhisheadearnestly.“I disagreewithwhatmy father has done,” he replied. “It is okay for us

MacGilstohaveourdifferences—butaswarriorsandasknights,wemusthonorourword.Honorisallwehave,anddespitewhatmyfathermaydo,Iliveanddiebymyword.Myfathergaveyouhisword.Andifhewillnothonorit,thenIwill.He promised to keep you as captives, not to have you killed, and Iwillrectifyhiswrongs.Youarefree.Takeyourmenandgo.Goquickly,beforethelightofdawn.”

Erecwatched,mouthopenindisbelief.“When your father wakes and finds us gone, hewill surely blame you,”

Erecsaid.Matusshrugged.“Iwantyoualltolive.Irememberyoufondly,”hesaidtoKendrick,“from

our days as youths. I would like to see the Empire ousted, and theMacGilsreunitedonceagain,astheyoncewere.IwouldliketoseetheUpperIslesretaketheir place within the Ring. I do not share my father’s desire for the throne.Politicsdisgustme.”

Erecnoddedbackwithgreatrespect.“Youareawarriorbeyondyouryears,”Erecsaid.“Youhavedoneyourself

agreathonoronthisnight.”“Wewillneverforgetthis,”Kendricksaid.“Nodebt is necessary,”Matus said. “Just takeyourmen andgo far from

here.Go to theUpper Isles.Ourcastle sitsemptynow.Youwillbe safe therefromAndronicus’reach.”

Kendrickwastouchedbyhisoffer,butheshookhisheadslowly.“Youareofa trueandnobleblood,”Kendricksaid.“Idorememberyou,

very well. You were different than the others, different than your father. Thebloodofmyfatherrunsinyou.Wecannotacceptyouroffer,however.”

“Whynot?”Matusasked.“Yourislesmaymeansafetyforus,”Erecexplained,“butthatisnotwhat

wewereborntodo.Wewereborntofight,nottohide,andfightweshall.”“Butyoucannotwin,”Matussaid.“Perhapsnothere,”Kendricksaid,“andperhapsnotonthisnight.True,we

stand outnumbered. Butwewill regroup, in some other place, on some otherday,andfightthen.Come,joinourranks.”

Matushesitated.“Join us,” Bronson added. “There can be no safe harbor for you here

anymore.”Matusshookhishead.“Ihavedonewhat I’vedone,”he said.“Ihaveno regrets. Iwill facemy

father,andwhateverpunishmenthedecides,Iwillaccept.Thatismyway.Idonotrunfromanything,either.Nowgo.”

Erec,greatlyimpressedbythisyoungwarrior,steppedforward,lookedhimearnestlyintheeye,andclaspedforearms.

Kendrick,Bronson,andSrogdidthesame.“Ihopetoseeyouonedayagain,mycousin,”Kendricksaid.Quickly, Erec, Kendrick, Bronson, and Srog turned and fled through the

night,grabbing theweaponsof thefelledsoldiers, racingacross theblackness,andtowardstheirmen.Erecwaselated,hisprayersanswered.Theywouldfreetheirmen,taketheirarmy,andlivetofightanotherday.

CHAPTERTWELVE

Andronicus galloped across the plains, his son Thornicus at his side, hissorcererRafionhisotherside,andMcCloudbehindhim.BehindthemfollowedtensofthousandsofloyalEmpiresoldiers,allofthemridingwithenthusiasmforone destination: Highlandia, the highest city, built on the very peak of theHighlands. Andronicus could see it before him, sitting there on the horizon,shining in theearlymorningsun, thehighestcity in theRing,striding the twosides of the Highlands, and the last stronghold of the McClouds. McCloudsoldierspouredoutofit,daringtofacehim.Hecouldnotwaittocrushit.

Andronicus had expected the McClouds to all surrender whenMcCloudhad;theywouldhave,too,ifitwerenotforthatrabble-rouser,Bronson.Hehadswept through theMcCloudsideof theRingandagitatedhispeople,andnowthousands of them were rallying once again against the Empire invasion.Andronicushadreceivednumerousreportsoftheirkillinghismen,andnowhewasdeterminedtotakeHighlandiaandcrushtheMcCloudresistanceonceandforall.

TakingHighlandia also served another purpose for him: once he had thehighground,hewouldhaveastrategicpointat the topof theHighlands;fromthereitwouldbeastraightshotdowntheotherside,rightacrosstotheWesternKingdomoftheRingandbackagaintoSilesia,wherehecouldwipeoutanyoneleftof theMacGilsandcrush theRingforgood.Hesmiledat the thought.Hewould take great delight in doing it—evenmore so, this time, with his own,Thornicus, leading the charge and slaughtering his own people. There wasnothingAndronicuslovedmorethanwatchingpeoplemurdertheirown.WhichwaswhyhewashavingMcCloudleadthischarge.

AsmuchasAndronicusdislikedhim,hehadtohaveRafirideupfrontwiththem,too;heneededRafi’sdarkenergyclose,neededRafitokeepuphisspellsandtokeepThorunderhismindcontrol.HehadalsopromisedRafiareward:afterthebattle,Rafiwouldbeallowedtogorgeonthedead.Rafilovedtodrinkcorpses’blood,andasmuchasitsickenedAndronicus,hehadtoletRafihavehiswayfromtimetotime.

The group let out a great battle cry as they neared their target. They allgalloped straightup thehill, rising into the skyas theMcCloudarmychargeddown tomeet them.AsAndronicuswatched, hewas surprised to see his son,Thornicus,chargeout infront, farther thanall theothers, leading thepack.Herode and rode, faster, fearless, the first in battle by a good hundred yards. It

looked as if Thornicus was going to challenge the entire McCloud army byhimself. Thornicus was a thing of beauty to watch, all warrior, one hundredpercent heart.He lookedmythical, like a god on a horse, as if nothing in theworldcouldstophim.

FromoutofHighlandia therecameagreatcry,as thousandsofMcCloudsoldierspouredout,racingontheirhorsesdownhill,comingtomeettheEmpirearmy.Theymusthaveknowntheywereoutnumbered,yetstill,theseMcCloudscould do a lot of damage; given their strategic position, they could take outthousandsofEmpiremen.TheywereprobablygamblingthatAndronicuswouldnotwanttoriskthelossoflife.

ButtheydidnotknowtheGreatAndronicus.Hecarednotforlossoflife.In fact,he lovedbloodshedanddidnotcarehowmanyofhismendied.Theywerealljustpawnstohimanyway.

Thorwasthefirsttomeetthemeninbattle.Andronicus’heartwarmedtowitnessthisfirsttruetestofhisson’sfealty,toseeifhewouldtrulyshedbloodofhisbehalf.ThorcutthroughtheMcCloudarmyallalone,slicingandslashingeverywhichway,creatingapathofdevastationthatnoonecouldtouch.Hewasa one-man wave of destruction. McCloud was close behind, meeting his oldarmywithaclashofarms,killingmenleftandright,equallygratifyingtowatch.He was Andronicus’ plaything now, to do whatever Andronicus commanded,and there he was, killing his own people, people he’d once ruled, all for thenameoftheEmpire.AllforthenameoftheGreatAndronicus.

Andronicus’ army caught up, and the clash of arms rose to the heavens,greaterandgreater,theridingcomingtoastandstillandhismenfightinghand-to-hand.Itwasaviciousbattle,bodiesfallinginbothdirections;theMcCloudshad downhill momentum, and they used it wisely, taking out many ofAndronicus’smen,whowerejusttooslowcharginguphill.

Andronicushimselfjumpedintothefray,twiceastallasanyman,swinginghis sword left and right.He did not flinch.He chopped off headswith singlestrokes,watchingastheyrolledtotheground,andwonderingwhichtochooseforhisnecklace.Hepulledbackhisswordasasoldierapproached,stabbedhimin the gut and raised him high overhead, as if he were a piece ofmeat on askewer.He thenpulledback the swordand stabbedanother soldier in thegut,thenhurledthetwobodiesintothecrowd.

Rafi,notfarfromhim,leaptfromhishorseandsankhisyellowfangsintoasoldier’s throat, pinning him to the ground; he lay on top of him, sucking hisblood.Othersoldiers tried toattackhim,butRaficastaspell,and therewasagreenlightaroundhim,andnoonewasabletocomeanywhereclose.

Thebattlecametoastandstill,thickwithmen,asthetidepushedbackand

forth.ForamomentAndronicuswasnotsurewhichwayitwouldsway—whensuddenly,hesawThorcirclearoundandattacktheMcCloudsfromtherear,allbyhimself.Hewassuchaforceofdestruction,sofastandstrongandquick,thattheentirerearflankofthearmyhadtoturntofighthim.

That freed upAndronicus’men to charge forwardwith a great cry. Theyslaughteredmenleftandright,finallybreakingthebackofthebattle.TheysoongainedthemomentumtheyneededandfinishedtheirchargeforHighlandia.

Those that remainedofMcCloud’smen turnedand fled, running for theirlives.Thorstoodinthemiddle,victorious,killingthemeverywhichway.

Andronicus rode to his son,meeting him in themiddle of the battlefield,andheraisedhisswordproudly,facinghim.

“Thornicus!”Andronicusyelledout.“THORNICUS!”shoutedhismenbehindhim.

*Andronicusparaded slowly through thevanquished streets ofHighlandia,

reveling in his victory.Thornicus rode at his side, surveying the damagewithhim.AndronicuswatchedwithsatisfactionasMcCloudmurderedthewounded,goingfromonetothenext,asAndronicushadorderedhimtodo.Thesoundofsteel piercing flesh cut through the air, asMcCloud raised his lance high andleaneddownonhishorseandstabbedonewoundedafterthenext,allhisformerpeople.

Andronicussmiled,takingitallin.Therewasnothinghelovedmorethanafield of carnage. McCloud was totally in his power now, and he just lovedwatchingsomeonetorturehisownpeople.

Thegroundwaslitteredwithcorpsesasfarastheeyecouldsee,andRafi,flankedbyhis twohenchmen, jumped fromone to thenext, asquickas light,kneelingandsinkinghisfangsintotheirthroats,drinkinguntiltheirblooddriedout.Helayhunchedoveronenow,hisbodyquiveringwithdelightashegorgedandgorged.Hewouldbefulltonight.

Finally, the tidehad turned inAndronicus’ favor.Nothingcould stophimnow.

Thor followed as they rode, father and son together, dozens of generalsbehindthem.Theyrodetotheveryhighestpointofthecity,attheedgeofthemountains, and as they reached it, they stopped and looked down. Spread outbelowthem,asfarastheeyecouldsee,sat theWesternKingdomoftheRing.Cuttingthroughitwasawideroad,disappearingintothehorizon,themainroadtoSilesia.Andronicuscouldnotwait to leadhisarmydownthatroad.HewasparticularlyexcitedtowatchThornicuskillhisownpeople;nothingwouldgivehimgreaterjoy.

Butithadbeenalongdayofbattle,andwiththesunsetting,Andronicusdecideditwouldbebesttocamphereforthenight,andmarchinthemorning.

“Ihavebeenlookingforyoueverywhere,”cameawoman’svoice.Andronicus spun to see that annoying McCloud girl appear before him,

Luanda.Heturnedandfrownedather.“Haveyou?”heasked.“We will be entering the Western Kingdom soon. My territory. You

promised, inreturnformebringingyouThor, that itwouldbemine.Nowthatthe battle has settled, I have come to make sure you make all the properarrangementstosecuremeKing’sCourtandmakemequeen.”

Andronicusstaredback,inshockatheraudacity.Then,finally,hethrewhisheadbackandroaredwithlaughter.Hecouldnotstoplaughing,especiallyasherhaughtyexpressionchangedtooneofbafflement,thentoembarrassment.

Luandafrowned.“Andwhat is so funny?” she asked. “Remember, you are addressing the

daughterofaKing,soontobeQueen.”Andronicusdismountedfromhishorse,andwalkedslowlytowardsher,the

airthickwithtension.Hecameupbesideher,grabbedherbytheshirtwithonehand,andwithonemotionthrewherfromherhorse.

Luandascreamedasshefellthroughtheair,rollingtothegroundcoveredindustanddirt.

Andronicus reached down, grabbed her by her hair and tore a big clumpfromherhead.

Luandashrieked,andAndronicus raised theclumpofhairhighoverhead,smiling.

“You’re luckyyourhead is too small,” he said, “or Iwould add it tomynecklace.”

Andronicusturnedtohismen.“Bindher,shaveoff therestofherhair,andparadeherthroughthecamp

fortheentertainmentofthemen.”Luandascreamed,shaking.“NO!Youcan’tdothis!Youpromised!Youpromised!”Theydraggedheraway,kickingandscreaming,andAndronicuswatchedin

delight.No sooner had she left his view then there appeared before him that

traitorousMacGil,Tirus.HeapproachedAndronicus,his four sonsbesidehimanddozensofsoldiersintow.

Tirus,atleast,hadthegoodsensetodismount,takeaknee,andbowdown

tothegroundbeforeaddressingtheGreatAndronicus,asdidhissons.“And what news do you bring me?” Andronicus asked. “Are Kendrick,

Erec,Bronson,andSrogalldetained?Haveyouexecutedthemyet?”Tirusclearedhisthroatashelookedup,flustered.“MyLord,Ihavedeliveredthemalltoyouaspromised,andyourmenhave

wonthebattle.ButIamafraidIbearbadnews.”“News?”Andronicusasked.Hedidnotlikethesoundofthis.“Well…”Tirusbegan,“somehow…um…well….Theywereourprisoners,

but somehow…they escaped in the night. I’m sorry. I don’t know how ithappened.”

Andronicusgrimaced;hecouldfeelamountingfuryriseupwithinhim.“Don’tknowhowithappened?”heasked,incredulous.“Myliege,”saidtheEmpirecommander,whocameandkneltbeforehim.

“Mymen reported that they witnessed theMacGil leaders being freed in thenight—byoneofTirus’sons.”

Andronicus turned his gaze down to Tirus’ four sons, kneeling there, allashenwithfear.

“Itisnottrue,mylord!”Tirusyelledout.“Myboyswouldneverdosuchathing!”

Andronicus, ignoring Tirus, stepped forward and examined each one.Hesawsomethingspecialinthepiercinghazeleyesoftheyoungest;hedetectedthespiritofawarriorinhim.

“Youhave takensomethingprecious fromme,”Andronicussaid toTirus.“SoIwilltakesomethingpreciousfromyou.Oneofyoursonswilldo.”

Tiruslookedupinshockandfear.“Myliege?”hemuttered.“Choosewhichoneofyoursonswilldietoday,”AndronicusorderedTirus.TherecametheringofmetalasTirusdrewhisswordandbegantocharge

forAndronicus,todefendhisboys.ButAndronicuswasmuchfaster;helungedforward,grabbedTirusbythe

throat, and held himhigh overheadwith a single hand.Tiruswas not a smallman,andyetAndronicushandledhimlikearagdoll.

Tirus dangled there, red-faced, gasping, as Andronicus held him up,danglingforalltosee.

“Ifoneofusistodie,thenkillmemyLord!”criedoutoneofTirus’sons.Andronicusturnedtoseeoneofhissons, theonewiththehazeleyesand

curlyhair,steppingforwardandstandingthereproudly.AndronicusdroppedTirustotheground,andTirus,gaggingandcoughing,

curledupinaball,clutchinghisthroat.

“No,killme,myLord!”saidanotherson.“Takemylife!”saidtheother.Thethreebrothersallstoodforward,eachaskingtobekilledovertheother.

Andronicussmiledashedebatedwhichonehewantedtokill.“You offered first,” Andronicus said, as he approached the boy with the

eyes.Andronicussuddenlydrewhis sword, tooka step forwardand ina single

motion, choppedoff theheadofTirus’other son, theone standingnext to theonewiththeeyes.

TheothersonsshriekedindismayandAndronicussmiled.“ButyoushouldknowthatIneverkillthemanwhooffersfirst.”

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Romulus charged down the dusty road as the sun rose, a dozen of hissoldiersfollowing,makinghiswayacrossthedesert,ridingfortheCanyon.Heclutchedhiscloakastheyrode,anxioustoputittothetest.

Thesacrificeof thenightbeforehadbeenasuccessfulone,andRomulusfelt satisfied that he’d appeased theGodofWar.Hewould cross theCanyon,that much he knew. His heart thumped with excitement as he imaginedAndronicus’expressionwhenhewouldseeRomulus,insidetheRing,puttingaswordthroughhisspine.

The Eastern Crossing finally came into view, a bridge spanning a vastcanyon,agreatdivideintheearth,greaterthananythingRomulushadeverseen.Swirlingmistroseupallaroundit, litupdifferentcolorsbytheearlymorningsun.

Romulusandhismendismountedastheyreachedtheedge,andhewalkedtotheprecipiceandstareddown,handsonhiships,breathinghardfromtheride.Heknewthatonlyhecouldcrosswiththecloak,butjustincasesomehowtheShieldwasdown,hewantedthesementoaccompanyhim.Themainbodyofhisarmy he had left back at the shore.His planwas to enter theRing, to find aMacGil,togethimbackacrosstheCanyon,tolowertheShield,andthentohavehisentirearmyinvade.

Inthemeantime,hehadthesefewmenwithhimasatest,toseeifbysomechance the Shieldwas down.He knew itwould risk their lives to try, but hecarednotforthevalueoflife.Hewouldgladlysacrificeanyofhismentofulfillhisexperiment.

“You,”Romulussaid,pointingtooneofhismen.Thesoldier’seyesopenedwideinfearasherealized.Still,hewasquickto

obey.HedismountedfromhishorseandwalkedalongsideRomulus,andthetwoof themwalked out in front of all the others, approaching the entrance to theCanyonbridge.

Astheyreachedthethreshold,Romulusstopped.Thesoldierstopped,turnedandlookedatRomuluswithalookoffear.He

swallowed hard, then closed his eyes and braced himself, raising his arms toprotecthisfaceashewalkedtowardthebridge.

Suddenly, the soldier let out a horrific scream as his body melted, thenturnedtoashes,droppinginapileatRomulus’feet.

Theothermenallgasped.

So,theShieldwasstillup.Romulus draped the cloak about his shoulders and clutched it tight. He

prayedthatitworked.Ifitdidnot,hewouldenduplikethatpileathisfeet.RomulusbreatheddeepandtookonebigstepontotheCanyonbridge.He

bracedhimself,flinching.Hisfootsetdownonthebridge,andRomuluswasshocked:itworked.He

hadmadeit.Hewasstandingsafelyonthebridge,wearingthecloak.He continued to walk, farther and farther from his men, crossing ever

deeperontothebridge,alone.Soon,hewouldbeinsidetheRing.*

Romulus rode on an Empire horse he’d found roaming the McCloudcountryside, realizing it must have belonged to a slain Empire soldier leftsomewherealongtheway.Hebeenquicktofindthehorseoncesafelyacrossthebridgeandon theMcCloudsideof theRing,andhe’d riddenhardever since,chargingeverwest,towardwhereAndronicus’maincampmustbe.

Romulus’ first order of businesswas to ambush and kill his former boss,Andronicus—andforthatheneededmen.

Hewasnotworried.TheEmpire’svastarmyfearedandrespectedhimastheydidAndronicus—perhapsevenmore.Romuluswasknowntobeanequallyruthless commander. He was also known to have the voice of Andronicus:anythingRomuluscommanded, theEmpiremenwouldassumecame from thehighcommanderhimself.

Romulus was betting on his ability to convince the Empire men heencounteredtofollowhimandjoinhiscause.Hewouldtrickthem,tellthemthathehadorders—from theGrandCouncil itself—tooustAndronicus.Hewouldform a small army of his own, right here, inside the Ring, and would turnAndronicus’ownmenagainsthim.

Romulusrodeandrode,seeingthedestructionallaroundhimandrealizinghowmanybattlesmusthavebeenfoughtupanddownthisland.Itfeltstrangetoactuallybehere, inside theRing, thisplacehehadheardofhisentire life.Hewassoclose,finally,totakingwhatwashis,therulershipoftheEmpireforces.Hefeltasifhewereridingintodestiny.

Romulus crested the top of a ridge and looked down and saw below, adivisionofEmpire, several thousandmenmillingabout.Thisdivisionwas toosmalltobeAndronicus’maincamp;itmusthavebeenavanguard,lefttoguardtherear.AndronicussawtheEmpirebannerswaving,andhisheartquickenedasherecognizedtheircommander.

Romuluskickedhishorseandgallopedacrossthecountryside,ridingdownthegentleslope,notevenslowingasherodepasttheastonishedlooksofallthe

Empiresoldiers,whostoppedwhat theyweredoing,stiffenedtoattention,andsalutedhimupanddowntheranks.

Theypartedways,andRomuluschargedrightforthecommander.Heknewhewouldhave toprojecthisbest authority toconvince them to joinhis causeandkillAndronicus.

AsRomuluscame toa stop, thecommanderwheeled, startled, fear inhiseyes,andjumpeddownfromhishorse,alongwithallhismenaround,andtookakneebeforeRomulus.

“Sir, I hadno ideayouwere coming,”he said. “Iwouldhavearrangedaparadeinyourhonor.”

Romulus dismounted, scowling, and strutted over to him. Romulus’reputationwaswell-knownforkillingcommandersrandomly,withnorhymeorreason,andthisgeneraltrembledatthesightofhim.

Romulus stopped but a foot away and boomed: “I’ve been sent by theGrandCouncil.Adecreehasbeenset.AndronicusistobekilledandIhavebeennamedthenewSupremeCommanderoftheEmpireforces.”

Thegeneralstaredback,hismouthdroppedopeninshock.Romuluswouldnotgivehimtimetoprocessit.

“Mobilizeyourmenatonce,andridewithme,”Romulusadded.“WeridetofightAndronicus’forcesandtoousthimtogether.”

“But sir…” the general said, stumbling, clearly unsure what to do. “Wenever received any such orders. We cannot kill Andronicus…he is ourcommander!”

Romulus knew he had to take definitive action. He stepped forward,grabbedthegeneralwithbothhandsandyankedhimin,pullinghischinsoclosetohisthattheywerealmostkissing.Hescowleddown,hisfacetremblingwithrage.

“Iwillsaythisonce,”Romulusgrowled.“IamSupremeCommandernow.Addressmeanyotherway,andIwillhaveyoukilled,andinstallanewgeneralinyourplace.Doyouunderstand?”

Thegeneralgulped.“Yes,SupremeCommander.”Romulus threw him down to the ground, then turned and scanned the

soldiers’ faces; they all immediately looked away, everyone afraid tomeet hisgaze.

“FOLLOWME!”Romulusscreamed,ashemountedhishorseandkickedit,chargingdowntheroad.

Within moments, he heard behind him the sound of a thousand horses,rushingtodohiswill.Agreatbattlecryroseup,andRomulussmiledwide.

Hehadhisarmy.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Gwendolyn stood atop the ridge of ice, staring down in wonder anddisbeliefatthefantasylandspreadoutbeneathher.Theworldbeforeherwasafrozenwonderland,sparklingwitheverycolor,softshadesofpurplesandvioletsandpinks,amillionpointsreflectingoffthesmallmoundsofice.Itlookedliketheworldadayafterasnowstorm,frozeninsilenceandpeace,everythingshinyand perfectly still. Itwas vast and overwhelming, stretching as far as the eyecouldsee,adesertoflightandice.

She sensed thatArgonwas down there somewhere, trapped, and she feltmoreofaburningdesiretofreehimthanever.

Krohnwhinedbesideher,andGwenlookedoverandsawAlistair,Steffen,andAberthol,thefiveofthemallshivering,frozentothebone,wearyfromthejourney.One lost all senseof time in this place, andGwen felt as if theyhadbeentrekkingintheNetherworldforyears.WhileGwenhadhopedtoseesomesignofArgonwhen theycrested the ridge, instead, thereappearedyetanothervastlandscapebeforethem.Shehadhopedtheirtrekwouldendhere;butnowitseemedasifwasjustbeginning.

“Itisendless,”Steffenobserved,standingbesideher,lookingout.“TheIceMounds,”Abertholsaid,eyeswideinawe.“Ineverthoughttolay

eyesuponitinmylifetime.”“Youknowofthisplace?”Gwenasked,surprised.Abertholnodded.“Aplaceofprofoundmagic.Aplacefrozenintime.Aplaceeventhegods

willnotventure.Itisaplacetotrapmen’ssouls.Aplacethatdefiesmagic.”“Butwhatisit,exactly?”Alistairasked,alsolookingoutinwonder.“Itis

notadesert,norisitacity.Itseemslike…nothingness.”“Atleastthesnowandthewindhavestopped,”Steffenobserved.“Atleast

wecanseeclearlybeforeus.”“Itisnotwhatitseems,”Abertholsaid.“Itisaworldofillusion.”“IsArgonhere?”Gwendolynaskedhim.Abertholslowlyshookhishead.“Thereisnowayofknowing.”“Thereisoneway,”Gwenreplied.“Wefindoutforourselves.”Abertholshookhishead.“Lookbeneathyou.Thedeclineistoosteep.Itissolidice.Wecouldnever

hike down that. And if we did, this place is too dangerous.We would never

return. Itwas folly to comehere, butwe should cut our losses.Wemust turnbacknow.”

“Buttheremustbeaway—”Gwendolynbegan.Before she could finish her words, there came a cracking noise, and the

groundbeneathhersuddenlygaveway.Allofthemscreamedastheyfellontheirbacksandslidstraightdownthe

icyslope.Gwendolyncouldbarelybreathetheyweremovingsofast,theworldwhizzingbyherastheywentsliding,theicescrapingherarms.Withnothingtoslow their descent, they slid hundreds of feet, gaining speed. Gwen flailed,reachingouttograbsomething,anything,tosloworstopthefall—buttherewasnothing.Besideher,Krohnstuckoutallfourpaws,tryingtostophimself,buthecouldnot.Heslidheadfirst,withtherestofthem,allofthemflailing,helpless.Shefelttheywereslidingdownwardtotheirdeaths.

Gwenbracedherselfastheyapproachedthebottom,headingforawallofwhite. She raised her hands to her face, expecting to hit awall of ice and becrushedbytheimpact.

Gwenscreamedandgaspedasshehit thewall;buttoherimmenserelief,shedidnotfeelpain.Sheonlyfeltasoft,wetcold,immersingherentirebody.Gwenrealizedtheyhadslidintoamoundnotoficebutofsnow,andhadcomeouttheotherside.Shewasdazed,andfreezing,herentirebodycoveredinsnow—butunhurt.

Gwendolynsatthere,shocked,atthebottomofthevalley,andlookedover,andsawtheotherswere,stunned,too.

“Areyouokay?”sheaskedAberthol,wholookedshaken.Aberthol blinked several times, checked his body, and nodded back. She

sawthatSteffenandAlistairwereokaytoo,andevenKrohnwaswalking.Ithadbeenscary,buttheyhadmadeit.Theirdecisionhadbeenmadeforthem.

Slowly, each of them got to their knees, then to their feet. Gwendolynturnedandlookedbackup theslope,sawthesteepridgefromwhich theyhaddescended,andcouldhardlybelieveit.Shecouldnotpossiblyimagineclimbingbackupthere.

“Well,itseemswe’restuck,”Steffensaid.“Atleastwefoundawaydown,”Alistairsaid.Gwendolynturnedandlookedatthelandscapebeforeher.Downhere,the

ice mounds seemed larger, more imposing. They were spread out, like athousandcamelhumpsdottingthelandscape,eachtingedwithadifferentcolor.Theysparkled,andwerebeautiful.Thisplacewassoexotic,andGwenhadnoideawhattoexpect.

“Nowwhere?”Steffenasked.

“There is no way but forward. We must take the path before us,”Gwendolynsaid.

“Butthereisnopath,”Abertholsaid.“Thenweshallmakeourown,”Gwenreplied.Shesetoff,walkingthroughthefieldofmounds,andthegroupfollowed.

Theyallwalkedforward,betweenthemoundsofice,allofthemonedgeastheytraversedthestrangelandscape.

As they entered deeper and deeper into this place, Gwendolyn felt anincreasing sense of foreboding, andwondered again if this had all been a badidea.WasArgonevendownhere?Andifhewas,wouldtheyeverfindhim?

Theblindingwindandsnowhadstopped,andatleasttheskywasvisible,andGwendolynwasgratefulforthat.Butshewascoveredinbruisesandbumps,herentirebodyaching,andshefeltcoldtothebone,wearyfrommarching.Shedidnotknowhowmuchlongertheycouldalllast.Eventually,theywouldhavetomakecamp,andtrytolightafireinthisgodforsakenplace.Shedidnotknowifitwaspossible,andshehadvisionsofthemallfreezingtodeath,lostforeverhereinthisvalleyoftrappedsouls.

She needed to shake these dark thoughts from her mind; she needed todistractherselfsomehow.

“Tell me a story,” she said, turning to Steffen as they walked, throughchatteringteeth.Shewasdesperateforsomething,anything,totakehermindoffthecold,offthoughtsofdanger.Sometimes,sherealized,storiescouldbejustasnourishingasfood,orwater,orheat.

“Astory,mylady?”Steffenasked,histeethchattering,too.Gwennodded,toocoldtogetoutthewords.“Anything,”shesaid.Theycontinuedwalkinginsilence,theirbootscrunchingontheice,silent

forsolongthatGwenwonderedifSteffenwouldeverreply.Then,finally,Steffenbegan:“WhenIwasyoung,”hesaid,“Iyearnedtobeawarrior.Justliketheother

boys.Ofcourse,itwasnotmeanttobe,givenmybody.Theymadefunofme.Ididnothavethebodytheyhad,theheight,thestrength,thelooks—anyofit.Idid not fit the profile of thewarrior, and theywould not allowme a spot fortraining.So,instead,myparentsdecidedIwouldbetheservantforthefamily.”

Steffensighed.“Iservedthemall,andthoseyearswerehard.Buttheycouldnotbreakmy

spirit.When a day was over, after I’d worked all day for everyone, after I’dservedandcleanedupafter themall, after everyonewasasleepand therewasnothinglefttodo,myparentscouldnotcontrolmethen.Isnuckoutside,roamed

thehillsinthemoonlight,andIfashionedabowmyself,outofthefineststicksIcouldfind.Thelocalcarpenter,hewasagoodman;hewasnotmeantomeliketheothers,andhetaughtmehowtocraftone.Hewasimpressedbymywork,andover time,hegavemebetter andbetter scraps fromhis shop, and Imadebetterandbetterbows.

“Before long, Iwas crafting the finest bows in town, bows that even thecarpenterhimselfcouldnotmake.ItturnedoutthatIhadatalent.Hegavemearrows,andI taughtmyself. Iwouldpracticeeverynightunder themoonlight,untilIbecamethefinestshotinourvillage—andsoon,eveninourregion.”

Steffensighedagain.“Of course, my family knew nothing of this. I couldn’t tell them. They

wouldmakefunofme,ortakeitallawayfromme,becausetheyneverbelievedinme.Butoneday,mybowwasdiscovered.”

Steffenfellsilent, frowning, lookingdown,andGwencouldsee thestorypainedhim.Hecontinuedin thesilence, the icecrunchingbeneath theirboots,andGwenwonderedifhewouldcontinue.

Finally,heraisedhischinandlookedoutattheicewithglassyeyes,asiflookingdirectlyintohispast.

“Thebowwasundermybed,”Steffencontinued,“andsomehow,oneofmybrothershadfoundit.Hehadhelditupandaskedeveryonewhoseitwas,andtheyalllookedtome.Theyaccusedmeofstealingit.Mymotherdraggedmetothe local castle to have me put in the stocks—until the carpenter heard, andexplained that I’dmade it.My familywas incredulous. They never thought Icouldmakeanything.

“Mybrotherstookthebowfromme,andtheydemandedthatIproveit,toprovethatIcoulduseit.Iwasgladtooblige,butmybrotherssnatcheditfromme and insisted that they try first. They all fired clumsily at targets,missing.Whentheytiredofit,theygavemeaturn.Withoneshot,twiceasfarasthey,Ihitthetargetperfectly,thetargettheycouldnot.

“Myfather,insteadofapplauding,fellintoarage.Hesteppedforward,tookthe bow, and snapped it over his knee. I can still remember the sound of thatsnap.Itwaslikethesoundofmyheartsnapping.Itbrokemyheart,anditbrokemyspirit.”

SteffensighedandturnedtoGwen.“Myspirithasbeenbrokeneversince,mylady.ItwasnotuntilImetyou,

untilyougavemeasecondchanceatlife,thatIbegantofeelmyspiritrevived.ItwasnotuntilImetyouthatIeverraisedabowagain.”

Gwendolynfeltasurgeofemotionathisstory,andittookhermindoffthecold, off of her weariness, off of everything. She felt a burning sense of

compassionforhim,andalsoasenseofpride.Sherelatedtohisstoryinsomeodd way—to his suffering, at least. She thought of her own suffering at thehands of McCloud, of how she persevered, of how the spirit could alwayspersevere.Shethoughtabouthowpeoplecouldtakethingsfromyou,howtheycoulddotheirbesttobreakyou.Buttheycouldneverbreakyouifyoudidn’tletthem.Ifyoucanjusthangintherelongenough,sherealized,onedayyouwillmeetsomeone,evenjustoneotherperson,whowillseeyouforwhoyoutrulyare,andwhowillrestoreyourfaithinmankind,andrestoreyourspirit.

“Thankyou,”Gwendolynsaidtohim.They continued walking, trudging ever deeper into this strange world,

weavinginandoutofthemoundsofice,whensuddenly,Gwendetectedmotion.She stopped as she saw a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye,somethingslitheringontheice.

“Didyouseethat?”sheaskedtheothers.The others stopped beside her, and they all stared out at the landscape,

peeringbetweenthemounds.“Ididnotseeanything,”Alistairsaid.But suddenly Krohn started snarling, stepping forward, hairs on end,

carefully, one foot at a time, and Gwen knew she was right, she had seensomething.Itwassomethinglongandwhite,andithadslitheredbetweenthesemounds.Forthefirsttimedownhere,shelookedaround,andshefeltafraid.

“Maybe you were seeing things—” Aberthol added, but then stoppedspeakingasanothercreatureappeared, slitheringbetween themounds, comingrightforthem.Itwasahuge,whitesnakewiththreeheads,oneateachendofitsbodyandathirdinthecenter.Thesnake,U-shaped,slitheredinastrangeway.

Steffen drew his bow and Gwendolyn her dagger, as the snake cametowardsthem.Krohnsnarled,andbegantocharge.

Justasquickly,thesnakeslitheredaway,disappearingfromview,headinginadifferentdirection.

“Whatwasit?”Gwenasked.“Ihavenoidea,”Abertholsaid.“Whateveritwas,”Steffenadded,“itdidnotlookfriendly.”Suddenly,therecameanotherone.Thenanother.Severalof themslitheredtowardsthem—butthentheyall turnedaway,at

thelastmoment,scatteringineverydirection.ThesoundoftheirscalesslidingalongtheicegaveGwenthechills.

“They’renotattackingus,”Alistairobserved.“Itlookslikethey’rescaredofus,”Steffensaid.“Orlikethey’rerunningfromsomething,”Abertholadded.

“Fromwhat?”Gwenasked.There came a sudden tremor, andGwen stumbled, as the groundbeneath

hershook.Atfirst,shewassureitwasanearthquake.But suddenly, a hugemound of ice before her shattered, and out from it

there sprang an enormous monster, fifty feet high and just as wide, entirelywhite,made,itappeared,ofice.Hehadaspineinthefrontofhisbody,andeachvertebraehadaglowingredeyeonit.Ithadeyesrunningupanddownitsarms,too,andattheendofeachfinger,ithadrazor-sharpteeth,tenmouths,openingandclosing,snappingasthefingerscametowardsthem.

Ittookastepcloserandthegroundshook.Gwenstumbledasthemonsterlowered its teeth right for her, coming too fast. In a moment, she knew, shewouldbedead.

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

Reece draped one arm over Krog’s shoulder, O’Connor supporting theother, the two of them helping him walk as the group hiked deeper into theunknownwildsofthisexoticworldatthebaseoftheCanyon.Sunlightstreamedinfaintlythroughtheturquoiseandorangeleavesofthestrangetreesthatgrewdown here; Reece craned his neck and looked straight up, and through theswirlingmistshesawtheimmensityoftheCanyonwalls,risingupintothesky,impossiblyhigh.Thisplaceseemedmagical.Reececouldhardlyconceive thattheyhadcomethisfar,haddescendedthisdeep,andhewonderediftheywouldeverbeabletomakeitbackupagain.

More importantly,ashesurveyed their surroundings,hewondered if theywouldeverbeabletofindtheSword.Therewasnotrailormarker,oranythingto follow; the Sword could be anywhere. He marched through the mud-likematerial,agooeysubstancestickingtohisboots,thisplacefilledwiththesoundof strange creatures. Reece had never imagined that there could be a wholeworlddownhere,plantsandanimal life, itsown terrain, likeawholeseparateuniverse, sittingbetween the twosidesof theRing.Hewonderedwhat sortofcreaturescouldlivehere,inthedepthsoftheearth.Hewonderedifpeoplecouldlivedownhere,too.

“Sonowwhat?”O’Connoraskedaloudthequestionburningonalloftheirminds,searchingtheexoticlandscapeforanysignsoftheSword.

“Wecan’t justwanderdownhere forever,”Serna said. “Wehaveno ideawheretheSwordwent.”

“Think about it,” Reece said, “it can’t be far off. We scaled down theCanyonwall right at thebaseof thebridge—and theboulder plunged straightdown beneath the bridge. As long as we stick closely to this area under thebridgecrossing,wemust run into it.Allwehave todo is traverse theCanyonfromonesidetotheother.”

“ButIcan’tevenseethebridgefromhere,canyou?”Eldenasked.Reecelookedup,asdidtheothers,andthroughtheswirlingmiststherewas

nolongeranysignofthebridge.“You’reassumingthatweclimbedstraightdown,”IndrasaidtoReece.“We

didn’t.Weclimbeddownerratically,followingfootholds.Wemaynotbeunderthebridgeatall.”

Reece felt a pit in his stomach as they continued, wondering if she wasright. Perhaps his planwas a bad one, and theywere farther from finding the

Swordthanhethought.As they continued marching, slogging through the mud, there came a

sudden,fierceroar,makingthehairstanduponReece’sback.Theyallstoppedin their tracks. They clutched the hilts of their swords, looking at each other,eyesopenwidewithfear.

“Whatwasthat?”Sernacalledout.“Looks likewe’renotalone,”Indrasaid, thefirst todrawhersword.The

soundofmetalrangthroughtheairwithadistinctiveclang.The roar came again, shaking the ground with a great tremor. Reece’s

apprehensiondeepened;itsoundedenormous,andveryupset.“Whateveritis,”Eldenobserved,“itsoundslikeourweaponsarenotgoing

todousmuchgood.”The roar came a third time, and they all took a step back, in different

directions;theycouldnottellfromwhichdirectionitwascoming.Theyturnedeverywhichway,formingaloosecircle.

AsReecewatchedthemist,thereslowlyemergedahuge,hideousbeast.Itwas bright red, covered in thick scales, and stood on two feet, thirty feet tall,musclesbulging.Itslongarmsendedinsnappingclaws,likelobsterclaws,andits headwas all mouth, one huge set of jaws, opening and closing, revealingrowsandrowsofrazor-sharpteeth.

Itleanedbackitsheadandroared,itsnarroweyessquintinginfury,andalongtongueprotrudedseveralfeetfromitsmouth,thenretracted.

Reecelookedupinterror,andsawtheotherswerepanicked,too.Hedrewhis sword, as did Elden, letting go of Krog, who stumbled, then sank to hisknees.Theothersalldrewtheirswords,too,whileO’Connordrewhisbow.

“Itdoesnotseemhappy,”Indrasaidwryly.Thebeast roaredagain, took several steps forward, and faster thanReece

could imagine, swungdownonearm, smackingReece in the ribs and sendinghimairborne.Hewentflyingthroughtheair,crashingintoatree,takingoutitsbranches,andtumblingendoverendasheslammeddowntothemuddyground.Reecerolledtohisside,ribshurting,headringing,andturnedandlookedback.

The monster was on a rampage, charging for the others with fury.O’Connor, to his credit, stood firm, managing to pull back his bow and fireseveralshots.

But the arrows bounced harmlessly off the beast’s scales and fell to theground. The beast then reached out with its powerful claws and snappedO’Connor’sbowinhalf.Withitsotherclaw,thebeastaimedtosliceO’Connorin two.O’Connor dodged out of theway—but not quickly enough.The beastslicedhisarm,makinghimscreamoutinpainasbloodwenteverywhere.

Indradidnotbackdowneither:shereachedbackandthrewadaggeratthebeast’shead.Her aimwas true,but thedaggermerelybouncedoff thebeast’shead,which seemed tobemadeof some sortof armor. It turnedand shriekedandcamerightforher,itsclawsopenedwide,asitwenttobiteoffherhand.

Eldenrushedforward,raisinghisax,andchoppedthebeast’swristwithallhismight.Theblowwasstrongenoughtoswaytheclaw,butitsscalesweresotough, even Elden’s great axe blow could not sever it. Elden only exposedhimselftothewrathofthebeast.Itspunandbackhandedhim,smashinghiminhisnoseandbreakingitasEldenscreamedoutandlandedflatonhisback.

Thebeast,notsatisfied,broughtitsotherclawdown,rightfortheexposedElden.

Convenletoutabattlecry,chargedforwardwithhissword,andplungeditintothebeast’sstomach.Buttheswordbarelyscratchedit,andthebeastswungaround,openeditsjaw,andclampeddownonthesword,snappingitintwolikeamatchstick.

Reece shookoffhisblow,gainedhis feet, and sprinted for thebeast, thistime aiming for its exposed back. As it brought its claws down for Conven,abouttosinkthemintohischest,Reecejumpedontothebeast’sback,andsunkhisswordrightintoitsspine.

Finally,Reecefoundasoftspot.Theswordsunkin,uptothehilt,andthebeast shrieked an awful sound. It reached back, grabbedReecewith its claw,pickedhimuphighabovehishead,andthrewhimthroughtheair.

Reece went flying again, hurling end over end so fast he could hardlybreatheandsmashedface-firstintothemud.Hewaswindedandfeltasifhe’dcrackedarib.

Reeceturnedaround,andlookedup,bleary-eyed,asthebeastapproachedhim.Hewatched,helpless,asitraiseditsfoothighandpreparedtostophimtodeath.Hesawtherazor-sharpclawsonthesoleofitsfoot,sawallofhisfriendsknockedout,unable tomove,andashewatched theclawscomingdownrightforhisface,heknewthatinmoments,hislifewouldbeover.

Hisfinalthoughtwas:whatanawfulplacetodie.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Thornicussatonasmallboat,driftingaloneatsea,inunfamiliarterritory.He looked all around, searching for anything familiar, but the landscape wasutterlyforeign.Hefeltthathewasfarfromhome,ontheothersideoftheworld,andthathewouldnevergoback.Hehadneverfeltsoaloneinhislife.

Thorleanedoverthebowandlookeddownintothewaters,andashedid,hesawafacestaringbackathim.

Butitwasnothisface;instead,itwasthefaceofhisfather.Andronicus.“Thornicus,”cameavoice.Thorleanedbackandlookedupintothesun,asitbrokethroughbehindthe

clouds.Hesquintedandsawbeforehimahugecliffandatitspeak,acastle,thesun shiningbehind it.A stone footbridgearchedhigh in the sky, leading to it,twistingandturning,narrow.Thorreachedupforit,butfeltasifitwereaworldaway.

“Thorgrin,cometome,”camethewoman’svoice.Thorraisedonehandtothesunandsaw,standingattheedgeofthecliff,a

woman,aroundwhichglowedavioletlight.Sheheldherhandsout,palmsathersides,andhecouldfeelhersummoninghim.Heknewitwashismother.

“Mother,”hesaid,standing,reachingoutahandforher,tryingtomakeit.“Thorgrin,” sheanswered. “Youaremy son, too. It isup toyou to claim

yourlineage.Youcanchooseyourfather—oryoucanchooseme.Youarebothofus.Don’t forget.Neitheroneofus is stronger than theother.Youhave thepowertochoose.Youdon’thavetochooseyourfather.Youarenotyourfather.Andyouarenotme.Comehome.Cometoyourtruehome.Iawaityou.”

Thortriedtostand,buthefelthimselfstuck;helookeddownandsawhislegswereshackled,boundtotheboat.

“Mother,” he called out, his throat dry, his voice raspy. “I can’t. I can’tbreakfree.Helpme.”

“Try,”shesaid.“Youhavethestrength.Donotbedeceived:youhavethestrength.”

Thor tried tobreak freewithallhismight.Ashedid,heheardagradualsplinteringofwood.Hefeltrushingcoldwateronhisfeet,andhelookeddowntoseeaholeopeninginthebottomoftheboat.

He suddenly fell through it, plungingdown, screaming, into thedark andfreezingsea,engulfedbywater,sinkingintothedepthsoftheocean.

Thor woke breathing hard. He sat upright and looked about, sweating,tryingtocollecthimself.Hesawsoldierssleepingonthegroundallaroundhim,but he did not recognize them. It was all so confusing: they were Empiresoldiers.Whatwashedoingwiththem?

Acoldbreeze came andThor lookeddownand sawhewas lyingon thecold,hardground,onpebblesanddirt,campedoutwithalltheothersoldiers.Hestillworehisarmor,hisboots,andashesatup,hewasbeginning torealize ithadbeenadream.Hewasondryland.Andhismotherwasnowhereinsight.

Thorrubbedhishead,hismindmuddled,tryingtogainclarity.Helookedoverandsaw,notfaraway,Rafi,sittingupinthenight,staringbackathim,hisyelloweyesglowingbeneathhishood.Rafichantedastrangetune,andThorfeltitinvadinghisthoughts,enteringhisbrain,makingallfreethoughtimpossible.Theincessanthummingdrowneditout.Asheheardit,allThorcouldthinkofwashisobligationtohisfather.HisobligationforloyaltytotheEmpire.

Thor jumped to his feet, his armor rankling, shaking his head, trying tounderstand.HelookedoutintothenightandhesawtheRing.ButthiswasnottheRingheknew.Thiswasnothishomeland.Hewas ina foreignpartof theRing.Andashelookedout,hedidnotseethislandanymoreashome;instead,hesawitasaplacetoinvade.Aplacethatneededtobecrushed.

Thorlookedabout:inthestillnightairallaroundhim,thousandsofEmpiresoldierslayfastasleep,theembersofbonfiresglowing.Hewasstartingtofeelclearagain.HewasAndronicus’son.HewasheirtotheEmpire.Andheowedhisfatheragreatdebt.

Thor spotted a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye, the onlymotionintheblackofnight.Hesawalonesoldier,slitheringthroughthenight,passingbyrowsofsoldiers,andheadingforthelargetentjustfeetaway.

Andronicus’tent.Thor watched as the figure sprinted, holding something at his side. He

looked closer and saw that it was long and sharp, and glistened beneath thetorchlight.AndthatwaswhenThorrealized:themanheldadagger.Thisman,sprinting towards the tent,creepingsilently throughthenight,wasanassassin.AndhewasaimingtokillThor’sfather.

Thor jumped into action, sprinting across the camp, racing to stop theassassin.

Theassassinsprinteduptothetwosoldiersstandingguardandslicedbothof their throats silently before either could say a word. They both slumpedsilentlydown,dead.HethenrushedrightthroughtheflapsofAndronicus’tent.

Thorwasjustafewfeetbehindthem,andheburstthroughtheflapsontheassassin’sheels.Ashe entered,Thor saw the assassin a footbeforehis father,

raising the dagger high for his back. Andronicus lay there in his bed, on hisstomach,unsuspecting;hehadnoideahewasabouttobekilled.

Thorburstintoaction:hereachedtohiswaist,grabbedhissling,placedastone,andhurleditwithallhismight.

Thestonelodgeditselfinthebackoftheassassin’sneck,embeddingitselfdeeply. The assassin froze, his dagger high in the air, just inches away fromAndronicus—thenheslumpedoverandfellface-firsttothegroundbesidehim,hisdaggerfallingharmlesslytohisside.

Dead.Andronicusjumpedup,eyeswidewithpanic,andlookedoverandsawthe

assassin.Hestared,realizinghowclosehehadcometobeingkilled.Andronicusturnedslowly,andlookedupatThor.Slowly,herealizedwhat

Thor had just done. His expression of fear turned to something like awe.Appreciation.ItwasanexpressionThorhadneverseenonhimbefore.

AndronicusroseandapproachedThorslowly.“Myson,”hesaid,reachingoutandlayingahandonThor’sshoulder.“You

havesavedmylifeonthisnight.”Thor looked back at his father, filled with pride. In the past, the feel of

Andronicus’stouchhadupsethim;butnowhewelcomedit.Itwashisfather’stouch.Thefatherhe’dalwayslongedtohave.

“Ididwhatanysonwoulddo,”Thorreplied.Andronicus shook his head slowly, and looked down at Thor with

admiration.“Ihavevastlyunderestimatedyou,”hesaid.“Youarenotonlymygreatest

soldier.YouarenowalsothesonIneverhad.Youaregoingtobebymysideforever.Doyouknowthat?”

Thor looked back into Andronicus’ eyes, and he answered: “There isnothingIyearnformore,myfather.”

“Takealonglookatme,Thornicus,”hesaid.“DoyouseewhoIam?Myface,myheight,myskin,myhorns.Iwasnotalwaysthisway.Iwasoncelikeyou. Like your father. Likemy brothers. AMacGil, like all the others. But Ichanged.Itransformed.Imadeavow,andIacceptedthepowersofthedarkestsorcery,andaceremonywasperformed.Iallowedtheevilspirit toenterme.Iallowedittotransformme.Iallowedittochangemyrace,myappearance,andtogivememorepowerthanI’deverdreamed.It isasacredceremony.Onlyachosenfewaregiventheprivilegetotransform,toattainsuchpower.”

Andronicuslookedintenselyintohiseyes.“Youhaveprovedyourselfworthyheretoday.Whenthesebattlesareover,

youwilltransform,likeme.Youwillbemyheight.Myrace.Myskin.Youwill

havehorns,likemine.Youwillleavebehindthepathetichumanrace.Andyouwillbecomeexactlyasyourfather.”

Thor’s eyes glazed over, his mind clouded, as he was flooded withappreciation.

“Iwouldlikethat,father,”heanswered.“Iwouldlikethatverymuch.”

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

MycopleslayonthedeckoftheEmpireship,curledupinaballbeneaththeAkronnetting thatclampedherdown.Overwhelmedwithsadness, she felt therockingoftheoceanbeneathher,thegentleriseandfalloftheboat,andopenedone eye just a bit. She saw Empire soldiers reveling, drinking, celebrating,clearly thrilled with themselves that they had subdued a dragon. She felt theachesalloverherbodyfromwheretheyhadpokedandproddedandstabbedher.

Shelookedout,beyondthem,andMycoplessawtheyellowwatersoftheTartuvian,stretchingasfarastheeyecouldsee.Mycoplesclosedhereyesagain,wishingthiswouldalljustgoaway.Shewishedshecouldreturntothelandofherbirth,tothelandofthedragons,andbewithherclanonceagain.Evenmoreso,shewishedthatshecouldbeatThor’sside.ButsheknewthatThorwasfargonefromher,lostinanotherplace.HewasnottheThorgrinsheonceknew.

MycoplessensedthesesoldierswouldtakeherbacktotheEmpire,putheronparade,makeherashow-thingfor theEmpiresoldiers.Shesensed thatshewouldbechainedfortherestofherlife,tortured,displayedlikeanartifact.Asshe thought of themisery of her life to come, it tortured her. Shewished shecould justdienow,withpride, inone lastgreatbattle.Shehadn’tsurvivedforthousands of years only for this, to be captured and held prisoner by humans.She had beenwarned never to get too close to a human, and she hadmade amistakeandallowedherself tobevulnerable.Her love forThorhadmadeherweak,hadmadeherlowerherdefenses.Andnowshewaspayingtheprice.

Yet,despite itall,Mycoplesstill lovedhim—andshewoulddoitalloveragain,justforhim.

Mycoplesclosedhereyes,heavyfromexhaustion,fromthenettingdiggingintoher,fromthewoundsalloverherbody.Andshewishedonlytobefarfromhere.

*Mycoplesdidnotknowhowlongshe’dsleptwhenshewasawakenedbya

greatwhooshingnoise. It sounded like an intense rain, and she felt herwholebodybecomewet.

ShelookedupandsawthattheshipwasenteringtheRainWall.Theywereallsuddenlyimmersedinasolidwallofrain,showeringstraightdownonthem.Itwaslikegoingthroughawaterfall.

The Empire soldiers panicked, grabbing hold of the decks as the shippassed through. The noise became deafening.Mycopleswelcomed it, the rain

coolingher,steamrisingoffherscalesfrombakinginthesunallthesedays.Thepoundingofthewatermomentarilytookhermindoffthetroublesbeforeher.

Slowly,theycameouttheotherside.Mycoplesopenedhereyesandsawthattheyhadenteredtheredwatersof

theSeaofBlood.SherealizedthesoldiersweretakingthemostdirectroutetotheEmpire,bycircumventingtheIsleofMist.

Herheartflutteredasshefeltasuddenflurryofhope.Shehadflownoverthe Isle ofMist with her clan many times. She knew it to be home to greatwarriors.Andshealsoknewittobehometosomethingevenmoreimportant:aroguedragon.Ralibar.

Mycoples hadmetRalibar once, centuries ago.Hewas a recluse, and hewas unlike other dragons. He disliked his own kind; yet he disliked humansmore. If they passed by, andRalibar saw her in this predicament, perhaps hewouldcometoheraid.Notbecausehelikedher,butbecausehehatedhumans.Perhaps,hewouldevenhelpfreeher.

Mycoplesknewwhat shehad todo: shehad to somehowget thisboat tosailtotheIsleofMist.Shecouldnotletthemcircumventit.Shehadtogetthisboatdirectlyontotheisland.Shehadtogetittocrashontotheisland’srocks.

Mycoplesclosedhereyesandbreatheddeeply.Shefelttheseaairrushingthrough her scales, felt her body begin to tingle, as she summoned the lastvestigeofpowershehad.ShecalledupontheAncientOnes,whohadguidedherfor thousandsofyears, topleadforonelastfavor.Shedidnotaskforstrengthforherself.Shedidnotevenaskforthestrengthtobattle.

Instead,sheaskedsimplyforthewindtoanswerher.Thesky.Theocean.Withherancient,primordialdragonspirit,shesummonedthemall,calleduponthemtograntherthisonefavor.Sheaskedforthewindtocry,thewavestorise,theskiestodarken.Shecommandedthemall,inthenamesofherancestors,inthenamesoftheoneswhowalkedtheplanetbeforeallothers.Dragonshadbeenherefirst.Anddragonshadtherighttocommandnature.

Mycoples breathed, deeper and deeper, feeling herself grow warm;gradually,awindstirred.Thewavesbegantorise,tosplash,andslowly,theboattilted,thenrosehigher.Thewindgainedstrength,andsoonthesunhiditself,astheskiesgrewdark.

Soon,theboatwaslisting,asenormouswavesroseupandfelloverthem;huge currents dragged them, the sky thundered, thewindwas deafening, loudenoughtodrownouteventheshoutsoftheEmpiremenwhoscurriedallaroundher, running for their lives. Some fell overboard. They all tried to control theboat,buttheycouldnot:theboatwasbeingblownoffcourse.

RightfortheIsleofMist.

Mycoples openedher large, purple eyes and lookedoutwith satisfaction:thereitwas,onthehorizon,loomingevercloser.

Overthehowlofthewind,alonesoundarose,onethatcouldbeheardevenfaraway,onthehorizon,likeanechoofascream,fillingthesky.

Mycoplessmiledtoherself.Sheknewthatsound.Shehadbeenborntoit.Hadbeenraisedwithitallherlife.

Itwasthecryofanotherdragon.

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

SeleseandIlleprachargedacrosstheendlesshillsandvalleysoftheRing,as they had been all day and all night, heading for the Eastern Crossing forReece.Seleserodewithsingle-mindeddeterminationandcouldthinkofnothingelse.Ithadbeenatreacherousride,takingthelongwaysoasnottobeseen,toavoid battlefields and random groups of soldiers and mercenaries. They hadriddenthroughdarkwoodsandoversteepridgestostayoutofsight.Morethanonceshe’dfearedthey’dbeenspotted.

Butitwasallworthit.SelesewouldridetothesevenringsofhelltosaveReece.Andshefeltheneededsaving,sensedthathewasindanger.Hemustbe,onsuchadangerousquestastheoneonwhichhehadembarked.WherevertheDestinySwordwas,sheknew,deathalwaysfollowed.

She prayed she could get there in time, could saveReece fromwhateverdangershemightbein.Evenifshecouldn’t,therewasnowhereelseshewouldratherbe.

Shehadhardlystopped,hermusclesweakfromexhaustion,barelyabletocatchherbreath;Illepradidnotsloweither.Illeprahadbecomelikeasister toher,andSelesewasoverwhelmedwithgratitudeforherbeingthere.Theybothriskedtheirlivestotakethisjourney.

While they had done their best thus far to avoid open roads, they hadreached a point, on the final leg of their journey,where therewas noway toavoidit.Nowtherewasnothingbutopenlandscape,asingle,barrendustyroadleadingevereast.Treesgavewaytorocks,andthesetodirt,andthentonothingbutavast,barrendesert.TheEasternCrossingwouldnotbefarnow.

The only problemnagging at Selesewas how exposed theywere on thisopenroad,inthemiddleofnowhere.Theyweretoovisible,justthetwoofthemridingalone.Shewasveryon-edge,thehairsonherarmsstandingupasshefeltpronetoambushfromallsides.TheRingwastornapart,armiesfightingarmies,and even these armies divided amongst each other. It was a lawless, chaoticplacetoberightnow,withnolawandorder,noonetostopbandsofcriminals.SheknewtheyhadtogettoReecefast.

They rounded a bend, and suddenly, Selese and Illepra stopped short.There, before them, blocking the road,was a huge, felled tree. Shewonderedhowitcouldbethere,inthemiddleofnowhere.

Sheheard a noise, andbefore she even spun around, she knew: theyhadbeenambushed.

Behindthemstoodfoursoldiers,emergingfrombehindaboulder,alllargeand broad, unshaven, passing around a wineskin and drinking. She saw fromtheir armor that theywereSilesians.Her ownkind.Sheknew she should feelrelief.

Yet shedidnot: theyweredrunk,and they looked themoverwith lust intheir eyes. They seemed far from the main army, and as she looked morecarefully at their ragged armor, at the stripes torn from their uniforms, sherealized: theseweredeserters.Spineless, roguesoldiers,betrayers to theirownpeople.Theworstoftheworst.

“Andwheremightyoutwofineladiesbeofftonow?”theirleaderasked,asthefourofthemmadetheirwayclosertothem.

Selese’shorsepranced,boxedinwithnowheretogo.Herheartpoundedinherthroat,asshewonderedhowtohandlethis.ShesawIllepraglancingathernervously,andsawthatIlleprawasuncertain,too.

“WeareSilesians,justasyou,”Illepracalledout.“Weservetheroyalarmy.We are healers. So please let us pass. We have important business we mustattendto.”

“Doyou?”heasked, stepping forwardandgrabbing thehorse’s reigns asanothergrabbedSelese’s.

“WearefromSilesia,asareyou,”Illeprarepeated,hervoicetrembling.“Ah, Silesia,” he said,mocking. “And such eternal lovewe have for our

people.”“Youaredeserters,”Selesecalledout,hervoicedarker,moreauthoritative,

lessafraid,condemningthepeoplebeforeher.“Thelowestofthelow.”Theothersscowled,but theleader laughedandshookhishead,surveying

her.“I’dsaywearethesmartestofthesmart.Wearetheoneswhosurvive,the

ones who live for another day. We do not fight for some fake thing calledchivalry,whichwe can neither see, nor touch, nor feel.Why shouldwe fightsomeoneelse’swar?”

“ItisyourRing,”Seleseresponded,undeterred.“Itisyourwar.”“Mywaristostayalive—ortofightforanyonewhopaysthehighestprice.

ButI’veheardenoughoutofyou.”He reached up and in one quickmotion, grabbedSelese by her shirt and

yankedherdown.Selese screamed as she went flying off her horse, landing hard on the

ground,tumbling.ShesawIlleprabeingyankedoffherhorse,too.Asoldiergrabbedeachofthemandpulledthemtotheirfeetwhiletheother

twosoldierssurroundedthem.Theleaderleanedin,hisfaceinchesawayfrom

Selese’s, so close she could see the pockmarks in his face and smell his badbreath.Theroughstubbleofhischinrubbedupagainsthercheek.

“Thisisourluckyday,”hesaid.“Wegettwofinehorses,andtwofinegirlstohaveourwaywith.”

“Don’tworryaboutyourfamedSilesia,”anothersaid,“youwon’tbeseeingitforalongtime.”

Helaughed,andtheothersjoinedin.“You are making a great mistake,” Selese said, her voice booming with

confidence.“I’monajourneytofindReece,theyoungestsonofKingMacGil.TheMacGilsareafierceandnobleclan.Ifyouharmus,andtheyfindoutwhatyou’vedone,theywillkillyouall.”

“And who says they will find out what we’ve done?” he asked back,grinning.

Theleaderpulledadagger,andbegantoraiseittowardsSelese.Seleseknewshehadtodosomething,andquick.Clearly,thesemenwould

not listen to reason.Theywere out for blood, and she had noweapons at herdisposal.

Suddenly,Selesehadanidea.Itwasrisky,butitjustmightwork.Selesequietlyslippedherhandtohersidesatchelandranherfingerinside

untilshefoundasmallvialofliquid,feelingitbytouch.Sheclosedherfingersarounditandhelditinherpalm.

Shesuddenlychangedherexpression,smilingat theleader,andsaid, inasweetandsexyvoice:“Iwilldowhateveryousay.Infact,Iwouldliketo.Ifindyouquiteattractive.”

Theleaderleanedbackandlookedather,surprised.“AllIaskisonething,”sheadded.“Justkissmefirst.Iwanttofeelyour

lipsonmine.Thelipsofarealman.Arealwarrior.”Thesoldierlookedback,confusedandhappilysurprised.Oneoftheothers

steppedupandpattedhimontheback.“See,theylistentoreason,”hesaid.“Theyalwaysdo.”The leadergrinnedwideandbrushedhisshirtandranahand throughhis

hair,tidyinghisappearance.“That’smorelikeit,”hesaid.“Selese,whatareyoudoing?”Illepraasked,confused.ButSeleseignoredher.Shehadaplan.Selese pretended to yawn, raising her hand to hermouth, and placed the

vialinside.Sheleanedforward,grabbedthesoldier’sface,andkissedhim,puttingher

lipsonhis.

Asshedid,shespatthevialintohisopenmouth.Shethenreachedupandclampedhismouthshut.

Hestaredbackather,wide-eyed,andtriedtoresist.But itwas too late. She raisedboth hands and clampedhismouth firmly

shut, forcinghim tobite thevial inhismouth.Shewatchedashis face turnedbright red, the veins popping in his throat; he reached up and grabbed for histhroat,gasping,andasecondlaterhedroppedtohisknees,thencollapsed.

Dead.Ofcoursehewouldbe.ThatvialcontainedBlackox—thedeadliestpoison

shecarried.Theotherthreesoldierslookedon,confused—andSelesedidnotgivethem

achancetofigureitout.Selese reached into her satchel and searched forApoth, a yellowpowder

whichwasaneffectivesalvewhenmixedwithwater—butdeadly if it enteredtheeyesinpowderform.Shegrabbedtwohandfuls.

“Youlittlewench!”onescreamedout,ashedrewhisdaggerandcharged.She threw a handful into his eyes, and he shrieked. Selese then stepped

forwardandthrewtheotherhandfulintotheothertwosoldiers’eyes.Allofthemshrieked,collapsingtotheirbacks,writhingandfoamingatthe

mouth.Withinseconds,theywerealldead.In the silence, Illepra looked at her,mouth open in shock, hardly able to

conceivewhathadjusthappened.Selese turned and looked back at her, hands shaking but feeling strong,

determined.Shedidn’tknowifshecouldhavedonethatifitwasforherself;butthinkingofReecehadmadeherstronger.

“Let’sgo,”shesaid,mountingherhorse.“It’spasttimewefoundReece.”

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Kendrickchargedacrossthelandscape,Erec,Bronson,andSrogathissideand thousands of liberated troops riding behind them, all of them free onceagain.Theyhadbeenridingallnightlong,eversincethey’descapedtheEmpirecamp, and had never slowed, putting asmuch distance between them as theycould.

Now,finally,dawnwasbreaking.Ithadbeenalongandharrowingnight,eversinceKendrick,Erec,Bronson,andSroghadfreedthousandsoftheirmen,hadmassacred their captors, and had ridden offwhile the bulk of the Empiresoldierswerestillasleep.Theyhadnotwanted togetembroiled ina full-scaleencounterwith the vast Empire forces in themiddle of the night; rather, theymovedquickly and stealthily, killing any troopswho stood in theirway.Theyreclaimedtheirhorsesandarms,andtookoff.Theywantedtofightanotherday,ontheirownterms.

Here,ontheMcCloudsideofthekingdom,Bronsonknewtheterrain,andhe led themexpertly.Kendrick knew theywere lucky to have him, as hewasprovingan invaluableguide tohelphide themfrom theEmpire.KendrickandErec had asked Bronson to lead them to a terrain where they could be well-hidden from the Empire, yet also from which they could attack a smallerdivision.Theywouldhavetoswitchtactics,anditwastimeforanewstrategynow:insteadoffacingoffwiththeentireEmpirearmy,theywouldhavetofindsmallerdivisions—justafewthousandmen,tomatchtheirownfewthousand—and wage smaller battles, before retreating again. Being so outnumbered, theonlyway to successwould be towage a prolonged, guerillawar. They couldstick to the mountains, stay well-hidden in the Highlands, and be a lethalfightingforce,attackingstrategically,likeasnake,thenretreating.Theymaynothavethesamenumbersandstrength,buttheyhadthewillpowertooutwaittheEmpire.

Theyrodeandrode,followingBronson’sleadasheturnedoffasteeptrail,leadingthemrightuponesideoftheHighlands.Theyhadbeenfollowinganoldtrailof theEmpire, taking thempastwavesofdestruction, fromoneMcCloudtowntothenext.Finally,thetrailstoppedhere,atthetopofaparticularpeak.

Theyallslowedtheirhorsesandcametoastop.“Highlandia,”Bronsoncalledout,pointing.From this vantage point, at a distant peak, Kendrick saw, across the

mountain range,Highlandia, the smallMcCloud city, perched high up, on the

veryedgeoftheHighlands,straddlingtheEasternandWesternkingdomsoftheRing.Even in the dawn, he could see thatAndronicus’ forces occupied it.Hesawtheirfiresstillsmoldering,notedtheheadsofprisonersonpikesthroughoutthecity,andcouldtellthattheyhadrecentlymassacredtheMcCloudshere.

Thereappearedtobeseveralthousandmenencampedaboutthecity,anditwashardtotellhowmanymorelaywithin.HecouldnottellifthiswasthebulkoftheEmpirearmy,orjustalonedivision.

“Thismightbeaprimecityforustoattack,”Kendricksaid.“Highlandia is a small city, but a strategic point at the peak of the

Highlands,”Bronsonsaid.“ItmakessensethatAndronicuswouldtakeit.Fromhere,isastraightridedowntotheWesternkingdom,theroadsbranchinginalldirections.ItwouldbehisfirststoptocrushtheMcCloudresistanceandlaunchafinalattackontheWesternKingdomanddominatetheRing.”

“ButisAndronicushimselfinside?”Srogasked.“Andhowmanymenwithhim?”

Theyallsurveyedit.Itwashardtotell.“Itcouldberisky,”Bronsonsaid.“‘Perhapsitwouldbebetter tohideout

hereinthemountains,andwaitforasmallergrouptoattack,orasmallercity.”Kendrickshookhishead.“Nomorewaiting,”hesaid.“Anydaycouldbeourlast.NeveragainwillI

subjectmyselftoimprisonmentbyanyone.Ifwearetodie,wewilldieonourfeet.Weattacknow!”

“Iamwithyou!”Erecsaid,drawinghissword.“AndI!”Bronsonsaid.“Sobeit!”Srogsaid.TheyallkickedtheirhorsesandchargedalongtheedgeoftheHighlands,

weaving inandoutof thesteepmountain trails, racing towardsHighlandia. Inthebreakingdawn,withmostEmpire troopsstillsleeping,perhapstheywouldhave theadvantageofsurprise,Kendrick thought.Perhaps theycould take thiscity, and make it a stronghold of their own. Maybe, if they could wait longenough,Gwendolynwouldreturn,withArgon.Andmaybe,justmaybe,thetidecouldturnintheirfavor.

Evenifnot,thiswaswhattheywereborntodo:toattackagainsttheodds,tonevercowerfromtheenemy,tofightfortherightcause,evenwhentheoddsseemedimpossible.Kendrickhadbeengivenagreatprivilegeinhislife:hehadbeengivenagrantofarms.Theyallhad.Andheintendedtouseit,aslongashewasstillalive.

AnEmpirehornsounded,thenanother,thenanother,allalongtheparapetsofthesmallcastleofHighlandia.Suddenly,thetall,ironportcullisopened,and

hundredsofEmpire soldiersappeared, charging right for them.Theywerenotsleeping:theyhadbeenreadyandwaiting.

Nonetheless, Kendrick let out a great battle cry of his own and chargedharder,preparedtofight,tokillanyonewhodaredstandinhisway.

Butashegotcloser,astheEmpiresoldierscameintoview,hesawafacechargethroughthegate,afacethatmadehisbloodruncold.Itwastheonlyfacethatcouldmakehimlowerhissword,makehismouthdropopeninshock,andmakehimnearlyfalloffhismount.

There,facinghim,ridingouttomeethim,swordraisedhigh,wasamanhelovedlikeabrother.

TherewasThorgrin.

CHAPTERTWENTY

Thornicus rodebesidehis father,RafiandMcCloudbehind them,as theyledthousandsofEmpiresoldiersoutthegatesofHighlandia,preparedtocrushtheenemy.Thorlookedoutandsawridingtowardsthemthousandsofsoldiers,dressed in an armor and waving a banner that he dimly recognized. As theyneared,apartofhimrecognizeditasthearmorheonceknew,thearmoroftheWestern Kingdom of the ring, of the Silver, of the MacGils. Thor wasmomentarilyconfused;hewonderedwhyhewasattackingthesepeoplehehadoncefoughtwithside-by-side.

But hismind just as quickly became clouded, and another part of him, astrongerpart,remindedhimthathewasridingtocrushtheenemiesofhisfather,ridingtokillthosewhowouldkillhisfatherfirst.Thornicusfeltinfusedwithanew energy, determined to kill them all, to prevent anyone from harmingAndronicus,ortheEmpire.

He charged towards the MacGil soldiers, still perhaps a half-mile away,drawinghissword,leadingthearmy,gettingreadytoattackwithallhehad.

Butsuddenly,achorusofhornssoundedoutbehindhim,andAndronicusand the others turned and checkedbackover their shoulders.Thor did, too. Itwasasoundofdistress,andasThor turned,hewasconfusedbywhathesaw:hundreds ofEmpire soldierswere turning around, and charging in the reversedirection. Beyond them, in the distance, thousands of Empire soldiers, of adifferent division, charged up the ridge for Highlandia, torches in hand, andbegantosetfiretothecity.

“What’s happening, my master?” McCloud called out to Andronicus, asconfusedastherestofthem.

Andronicuslookedconfusedhimself;butthen,ashewatchedthehorizon,hiseyesnarrowedinrecognition.

“Romulus,”hesaidknowingly.“Mygeneralhascometobetrayme.”ThousandsofEmpiretroopsattackedthemfromtherear,floodingthecity.

Now theywere sandwiched between two armies, Romulus’men behind themandtheMacGilsoldiersbeforethem.

Andronicus screamed out in frustration, debating, then finally turned hishorsearound.

“WemustsaveHighlandia!”Andronicusshouted.“AbandontheMacGils!AttackRomulus!”

Andronicuskickedhishorse,turningaroundsharply,andThornicusandthe

othersfollowed,preparingtoengagetheEmpiresoldiersinacivilwar.Asheturnedaround,Thornicusglancedbackoverhisshoulder,andinthe

distance,hesawtheMacGilscontinuetocharge,forHighlandia.ButthatwasnolongerThor’s concern;hehad todohis father’sbidding.Theycould fight theMacGilsanotherday.

Thorrodewithhisfather,andheheldhisswordhigh.HeandAndronicusrode side-by-side, and it felt good to ride with him. They were in unison,togetherinbattle,preparedtofacetheworldtogether,asfatherandsonshould.

The twoof themchargeddown the slope, aiming forRomulus’men, andthey all met halfway, in a great clash of arms. Thousands of warriors rushedheadlongintoeachother;leadingthefray,thefirstintobattle,wasAndronicus.Heraisedhisgreatbattleaxe,swungitintheair,andmetRomulusashechargedforhisformerleader.Romulusswunghisaxe,too,andthetwoofthemlocked,likerams,eachaspowerfulastheother,eachwantingtokill theotherwithallhisheart.

ThoraimedforRomulus’commander,andthecommanderraisedhisshield,butitdidlittlegood:Thor’sblowwassostrong,itslicedtheshieldinhalf.Thecommander raised his sword to slash back, but Thor was too fast. He keptcharging, andwith another blow, slashed theman across the stomach,makinghimslumpforward,face-firstintothedirt.

The sound of clashing metal filled Thor’s ears as all around them,thousands of soldiers fought hand to hand.None fought so deftly asThor.Heslashed and parried and ducked and weaved in every direction, taking downdozensofmenbefore theycouldmovequicklyenoughtoreact tohim.Hecutthroughthemenlikeaone-manarmy,fellingsoldiersleftandright,andpushingthestalemateinfavorofAndronicus.

Due to Thor’s efforts, the tide began to turn between the two equallymatched divisions. Romulus initially had the advantage of surprise andmomentum,sincenoEmpiremenhadexpectedtobefightingeachotheronthisday.ButThortippedtheodds,single-handedlypushingbackmoreandmoreofRomulus’menastheypouredintotrytotakeHighlandia.

Romulus andAndronicuswent blow for blow, cracking their great battleaxesintoeachotherwithashrillclangofmetal, liketwooldramsbattlingforpower.Andronicuswasmuch taller thanRomulus,butRomuluswaswideandhadstrengthunlikeanyThorhadeverseen.Theywereaspectacletowatch,liketwomountains,neitherseemingabletogiveintotheother.

A wounded soldier fell onto the back on Andronicus’ horse, andAndronicus’horsepranced,off-balance; the lossofbalancewas justenoughtogive Romulus a slight advantage. Andronicus’ axe lowered momentarily, just

enough for Romulus to land a blow, slicing him hard on the shoulder, andknockingAndronicusoffhishorse.

Romulus wasted no time: he dismounted, raised his axe high with bothhandsandpreparedtobringitdownonAndronicus’exposedhead.

Thor’s heart fell; he dove off his horse face-first, and tackled Romulusdown to the ground, right before Romulus could land the deadly blow. Theystumbled back several feet, and the two fell andwrestled in themud, rollingagainandagain,soldiersdyingallaroundthem.

Finally,Romulusgainedtheupperhand,rollingandthrowingThoroffhim.Hepulledadaggerfromhiswaist,andaimeditforThor’sthroat;itallhappenedtooquicklyforThortoreact.

AndronicusappearedandknockedthebladefromRomulus’handbeforeitcouldhurtThor,savinghislife.

AndronicusthenswungforRomulus’headwithhisaxe;butRomulusrolledoutoftheway,andtheaxelodgedinsteadinthemud.

Ahornsounded,andtheskydarkenedwitharrows.Romulus’menfellleftandright,screamingoutinpain,scoresofthemfelledbyarrowsasAndronicus’reinforcementsarrived.Thetideofthebattlehadturned.

Romulus’menbegan to retreat.Romulus, seeingwhatwashappening,nolongerchallengedAndronicus; instead,heduckedthroughoutthecrowd,foundhishorse,kickedhard,andturnandfledwithhisremainingmen.

Andronicus sawThor on the ground, realized he had been saved by himonceagain,andhisheartwelledwithgratitude.Hereachedahanddowntopulluphisson.

Thornicustookhisfather’shand,realizinghisfatherhadsavedhislife,too.Theystoodthere,claspinghands,fatherandson,eachsacrificingtheirlivesfortheother.Andronicus lookeddownatThorwith respect, andThor returned it.Finally,Thorhadfoundthefatherhehadalwayscravedinlife.

CHAPTERTWENTYONE

Romulus chargedwith his fleeingmen, downhill, away fromHighlandia,infuriated.Hewasshockedathisdefeat.Hehadneverlostabattlebefore,andhe could not reconcile it. He had overreached. He should have stuck to hisoriginalplantofindaMacGil,crosstheCanyon,andattackwithhisfullarmy;instead,hewent for thequickandhastykill.Hehadbecome tooemboldened,tooconfident.Hehadmadethemistakeofanamateurcommander,andhehatedhimselfforit.

Romulushadexperiencedmultiplefailures.Hisinitialplothadbeentosendan assassin to killAndronicus in the night, and somehow that had failed.Hissecondplothadbeentorallyhismenatdawn,tousehisnewfoundmomentumtocomeuponAndronicusunaware,andtotakeaquickstabatmurderinghim.Heknewhe’dbeoutnumbered,buthethought,ifonlyhecouldkillhimquickly,then it wouldn’t matter; all the remaining Empire men would of course rallyunderhiscommandatonce.

Inretrospect,itwasahastyandrashdecision,andheshouldhavewaited.HeshouldhaveloweredtheShieldfirst,andthenattackedinforce.Therewerenoshortcutstovictory.

Romuluskeptreplayinginhismindhowclosehehadcome,andthatwaswhatupsethimmost.He’dalmosthadAndronicusandsurelywouldhavekilledhimifithadnotbeenforThornicus.HehadnotexpectedThornicustobethere,byAndronicus’side,andhadnotexpectedsucha lethaladversary.Andronicuswould be dead right now if it weren’t for him. When all this settled down,RomulusvowedtokillThorhimself.Theideaofthatcheeredhimup:hewouldkillfatherandsontogether.Atleasthehadescaped,unlikemanyofhismen.

Now he rode towards his second objective. On the ride across the Ring,Romulushadslaughteredandtorturedmanysoldiersalongtheway,forthefunof it.He had also interrogated them, and had learned of theMacGilwho hadbeencapturedbyAndronicus:Luanda.MacGil’sfirstborndaughter.Shewoulddoperfectly.

Romulusrodenowtowherethesoldiershadtoldhimshewouldbe,ontheoutskirtsof thecamp.Hewasreadytoexecutehisbackupplan.Herodehard,andfinallyreachedit;hewenttothestocksandfoundthelonegirlboundtoapost,herhairshavedoff.Thatwasher:Luanda,half-dressed,bruisedandbeaten,abloodymess.Shewastiedtothepost,barelyconscious,andRomulusdidnotevenslowhishorseashegallopedrighttowardsher.

Heraisedhisgreataxehighandchoppedoffherropes,thenwithhisotherhandhereacheddownandgrabbedherroughlybytheshirt,andinonemotionhoistedherontothefrontofhishorse.

Luanda,panic-stricken,screamed,strugglingtogetaway.ButRomulusdidnotgiveher thechance.He reachedoverwithhishuge

arm and wrapped it entirely around her body, firmly, squeezing her tightlyagainsthim.Thefeelofherinhisarmsfeltgood.Ifhedidnotneedhertobringacrossthebridge,hemighthavehiswaywithhernow,thenkillheronthespot.ButheneededhertolowertheShield,andtherewaslittletimetowaste.

Romulus kicked his horse and rode twice as fast, forking away from hismen, taking the lone road thatheaded to theCanyon.Whenhewasdonewithher,hecouldalwayskillherthen,justforfun.

Romulus rodewith a smile, and themoreLuanda screamed, fighting andprotesting, the more he smiled. He had his prize. Soon they would be at thebridge,overthecrossing.

Finally,theshieldwouldbelowered.Hisarmywouldinvade.AndtheRingwouldbehisforalltime.

CHAPTERTWENTYTWO

ReecelayonthegroundatthebaseoftheCanyon,ribsaching,andlookedupastherazor-sharpteethofthebeastplungeddowntokillhim.Heknewthatin moments, those teeth would sink into his chest and tear out his heart. Hebracedhimselffortheagonytocome.

Therecameanawfulshriek,andatfirstReecewassureitwashisown.Then he opened his eyes and realized it was the shriek of the beast, an

awful scream, piercing the air and rising up to the heavens. The beast leanedback itsheadandroaredandroared, flailing itsarmswildly.Thensuddenly, itbecameverystill,keeledover,andlayperfectlystill.

Dead.Theworld,onceagain,wasstill.Reecesatup,eyeswidewithwonder, tryingtocomprehendwhathadjust

happened.Howhadthisbeast,whichhadinjuredthemall,suddenlydied?Reecenoticedaspearstickingthroughtherightfootofthebeast,embedded

in the ground. There, standing over the beast, wielding the spear with a self-satisfiedgrin,stoodastranger.Hewastallandthin,withashortbeard,wearingrags,with long,shaggyhair.Hewasskinny,perhaps inhis late forties,andhesmiledinfectiously.

“Youalwayskillalombokthroughitsfoot,”heexplained,asifitwerethemost obvious thing, extracting his spear out of the ground. “That’s where itsheartis.Didn’tyoueverlearnthat?”

Thestrangersteppedforward,heldoutapalm,andReecegrabbeditandlethimpullhimtohisfeet.Theman,thoughskinny,wassurprisinglystrong.

Reece lookedback, still stunned, hardlyknowinghow to react.Thismanhadjustsavedhislife.

“I…um…”hestammered.“I…don’tknowhowtothankyou.”“Thankme?”themanrepeated.Heleanedbackandlaughed,thenclaspeda

warm hand on Reece’s shoulder, friendly, turning and walking with him.“There’s nothing to thankme for, good friend. I hate lomboks. They takemytrapseverytimeandleavemehungryeveryothernight.No,thankmenotatall.Youdidmeafavor.Yougotitoutintheopen,andmadeitaneasykill.”

ThemansurveyedReece’sgroup,andshookhishead.“Suchashame.Allfinewarriors.Youwerejustaimingforthewrongspot.”“Whoareyou?”O’Connorasked,comingover.“Wheredoyouhailfrom?

Whatareyoudoingdownhere?”

Themanlaughedheartily.“IamCentra.Pleasedtomeetyouall,butIcan’tanswersomanyquestions

at once. I came down heremany years ago—just curious, I guess. I couldn’tstandlivingunderthethumboftheMcClouds.IusedaseriesofropestoscaledowntheCanyonwall,andInevercamebackup.Outofchoice.AtfirstIwasjust exploring, but I grew to like it down here, all tomyself. Exotic.Do youknowwhatImean?I’maloner,soIdon’tmindnothavingthecompany.ButImustsay,you’re thefirsthumanfacesI’veseensince,andit feelsgoodtoseemypeople.Tostrength!”

Centra pulled a liquid-filled pouch from his waist and leaned back anddrank.HethenhelditupandmotionedforReece’smouth.

Reece didn’t knowwhat to say, and he didn’twant to offend him, so hetentativelyopenedhismouth,andletCentrasquirttheliquidin.ItlandedonthebackofReece’sthroat,andburned,andReececoughed.

Centralaughedaloud.“Whatisit?”Reeceasked,gasping,asCentrawentaroundandsquirtedit

ineachperson’smouth.“Atibar,”heanswered.“Itflowsinastreamnotfarfromhere.Burns,does

it?Buthowdoesitmakeyoufeel?”Reece felt a tingling run up and down his body, and soon he felt

lightheaded,relaxed.Hedefinitelyfeltlesson-edge;hedidn’tfeelthepainsandbumpsandbruisesalloverhisbodyasacutelyashehad.

Astheothersfinishedtheirround,CentrareachedoutandofferedmoretoReece;butthistimeReeceheldupahandandstoppedhim.

“Havesomemore,myfriend,”Centrasaid.“Itwearsoffquickly.”Reeceshookhishead.“Thankyou,butIneedmyheadclear.”“Yousavedourlives,”Eldensaid,steppingforwardinallseriousness.“And

thatissomethingwetakeveryseriously.Weoweyouagreatdebt.Nameyourprice.MenoftheLegionalwayshonorwhattheyowe.”

Centrashookhishead.“Youowemenothing.Butifitmakesyouhappy,I’lltellyouwhat:helpme

find a good meal for the night. That damn lombok stole it. I want to getsomethingbeforenightfall.”

“Wewillhelpyouanywaywecan,”Reecesaid.Centrasurveyedthegroup.“Andwhyareyoualldownhere,ifImayask?”“We have come on urgent business,” Reece replied. “Have you seen the

Sword?”

“TheSword?”Centraasked,eyebrowsraisedhigh.“Whatsword?Itseemstomeyouarealreadycarryingswords.”

Reeceshookhishead.“No, the Sword. The Destiny Sword. It was embedded in a boulder. It

plummetedovertheedge.”Centra’seyesopenedwide.“TheactualDestinySword?”hesaid,aweinhisvoice.“Itisnotdownhere,

isit?”Reecenodded.“Buthowcan itbe? It is theswordof legend.Whatonearthwould itbe

doingdownhere?Inanycase,Ihaveseennoboulders,noranyswords.Areyousure—wait a minute,” he said, stopping himself. “Wait a minute,” he said,rubbinghischin,“youdon’tmeantheexplosion,doyou?”

Reeceandtheotherslookedateachother,puzzled.“Explosion?”O’Connorasked.“Earlier, something fell down fromhigh above,”Centra said, “so loud, it

shook thewhole place. I didn’t see it, but I felt it.Whodidn’t? It left a hugecrater.”

Reece’sheartracedfaster.“Crater?”Reeceasked.“Thatwouldmakesense.Theboulderwouldmake

a crater, from that high up.” He stepped closer to Centra and asked in allseriousness:“Canyouleadusthere?”

Centrashrugged.“Idon’tseewhynot.Thebestgameliesinthatdirectionanyway.Follow

me.Butbequickabout it:wedon’twant tobewalkingaboutatnightfall.Notwhenthenightmistswirls.”

Centra turned andwalked awayquickly, andReece and the others fell inbehindhim,O’ConnorandEldenhelpingtocarryKrogashelimpedheavily.Allofthemwereslowtoregroupfromtheirbattle,rubbingtheirwounds,gatheringtheirweapons,walkingstiffly,noneofthemmovingasfastorasnimblyastheywerebefore.Thatbattlewiththelombokhadtakenitstoll;Reecerealizedagainhowluckytheyweretomakeitoutalive.

Theymarched in themud, in and out of the brightly-coloredwoods, andfollowed Centra as he weaved a dizzying path down some invisible trail thatonly hemust have known.Reece could see no discernible sign of a path, butclearlyCentraknewwherehewasgoing.The swirlingmists blew in andout,andReecewonderedhowonearthCentrawasabletonavigatethisplace.Italllooked the same to him, and if itweren’t forCentra, he realized hewould beinextricablylost.

Itwasgettingdarkeras theywent,andReecewasgettingconcerned.Thesound of animals never stopped, and he could not help but wonder whichcreatures came out here at night? If the lombok existed, what other creaturesmighttherebe?

Theymarchedandmarched,andjustasReecewasabouttoaskCentrahowmuchfarthertheyhadtogo,suddenlytheystumbleduponagapinthetrees.Allthetreesherehadbeenflattened,theirbranchesbroken,thetrunkspushedbackat unnatural angles. He walked more quickly, catching up to Centra, whosuddenlyreachedupandputaroughpalmonReece’schest,stoppinghimfromtakinganotherstepforward.

ReecestoppedshortandrealizedhewasluckyCentrahadstoppedhim.Asthemist rose, rightbeneath them,at theedgeofhis feet, therewas revealedahuge crater, at least twenty feet in diameter and sinking a good twenty yardsdownintotheearth.It lookedasifameteorhaddestroyedanentiresectionoftheforest.

Reece’sheartpoundedasheknewimmediatelythatthismustbethecraterleftbytheplummetingoftheboulder.

Reece searched excitedly for the Sword. All the others came up besidethem,peeringdownovertheedge,shocked.

But as the mist cleared, Reece was shocked and disappointed to see thecraterwasempty.

“Howcanitbe?”O’Connorasked,besidehim.“It’snotpossible,”Eldensaid.“Theboulderisnotthere,”Indrasaid.“Perhapsthisisadifferentcrater,”Sernasaid.ReeceturnedtoCentra.“Areyousurethisisthespot?”Reeceasked.Centranoddedvigorously.“This is it,”hesaid.“Iamcertain. Iwasnot farwhen ithappened,and I

cametolookformyself.Inoticedalargestone,withapieceofmetalinit,nowthatyoumentionit.Ididn’tthinkmuchofit.”

“Thenwhereisit?”Eldenasked,skeptical.“Iamnotlying,”Centrasaidindignantly.Reeceexaminedthefloorofthecratercarefully,andasthemistcleared,he

noticed tracks leading up one side of it. It looked as if the boulder had beendraggeduponesideofthecrater.

Reecewalkedovertoitquickly,asdidtheothers,andashegotclose,herealizeditwasdefinitelythetrailoftheboulder,wideanddeep,madeasitwasdraggedaway.Allaroundweredozensoffootprints.Theywerestrangeprints,

toosmalltobequitehuman.Centra stoodover them, kneeled down in themud, andhe reached down

andfingeredtheprintsknowingly.“Faws,”hesaid.“Whatisthat?”Reeceasked.“Thesearetheirtracks.Theyareahostiletribe.Scavengers.Itmakessense.

They live on the far side of the Canyon. They would come and salvagesomethinglikethis.Theysalvageanythingtheycanfind.”

“Whatdoyoumean?”Indrapressed.“Theytooktheboulder?Howcouldtheyhavethestrength?”

Centrasighed.“Theymove as one. There are thousands of them. Together, they can do

anything, likeworkerants.Theylive thatway,”hesaid,pointing.“Well, that’sthat.SorryaboutyourSword.ButiftheFawshaveit,youcan’tgetitback.”

“Whydoyousaythat?”Reeceasked.“Theyareaviciousandhostile tribe,”Centrasaid.“Savagewarriors.Part

human,partsomethingelse.Everyonedownhereknows tostayclearof them.They’relikeamillofants.Comenearthem,andtheyhaveasystemofalertingeachother.Theywouldkillyoubeforeyougotclose.Noonewillsurvive.”

Reecegraspedthehiltofhissword,andsteppedforward.“JustthekindofoddsIlike.”

CHAPTERTWENTYTHREE

Gwendolynstoodbeforetheicemonster,frozenin terror.Besideher, theothersstoodfrozen, too, lookingupat thebeast inwonder.Gwenwasfloodedwithfear,andapartofherwantedtoturnandrun,oratleastraiseherhandsupandbraceherselffromanattack.

But another part of her forced her to be strong, to stand her ground andfight.Somesmallpartofherknewshehadthestrength,andthatsheneededtobestrong,notjustforherself,butfortheothers.Shecouldn’trunfromherfears;shemightdiefacingthem,butthen,atleast,shewoulddiewithhonor.Afterall,shewasaKing’sdaughter,andthebloodofroyaltyraninher.

Themonsterswoopeditsarmaroundtowardsher,itsfivejawsattheendsof its five fingers snapping open and shut as it neared. Gwen, with shakinghands,drewhersword,steppedforward,andswungatit.

Theswordmissed,themonstermuchquickerthanshe’danticipated.Wherehishandhadbeenasecondbefore,therewasnownothingbutair.

Themonster’s jaws snapped open and shut, an awful noise of chatteringteeth,anditlungedforwardwithhigh-pitchedsqueakingnoisesemanatingfromeachofitstenjaws.TheylungedrightforGwendolyn.

Gwendolyn screamed out in pain as one of its small jaws bit her arm,clampingdown,drawingblood.Shetriedtopullaway,buttherewasnouse:themonster had clamped down tight, and she could feel its teeth sinking into herskin.

Gwen heard a snarl, andKrohn lunged forward and leapt onto the beast,biting the offending finger. Krohn clamped his jaws down on the monster’shand,refusingtoletgo,shakinghisheadleftandright,snarling,untilfinallythemonsterlooseneditsgrip.

Gwenquicklysteppedback,thepainshootingthroughherarm,andreachedupandclaspedherarm.Herhandwasstainedwithblood,soshetoreoffastripof cloth from the end of her shirt and tied it with a shaking hand around thewound,stoppingtheblood.

Themonster turned toKrohn, ina rage.Anotheroneof its jawswheeledaround,andwithasuddenstrike,itbitKrohnintheleg.

Krohnyelped,yethewouldstillnotloosenhisbiteonthemonster’shand,chomping down on the monster’s fingers with all his might, until finally hesnappedoneofitsjawsoff.Themonstershrieked,andKrohnfelltotheground,takingoneofthemonster’sfingerswithit.

Themonster,inarage,leanedbackandswungitsarmaround,preparingtosinkseveralmoreofitsmouthsintoKrohn’sback.

Steffensteppedforward,tookaim,andfiredtwoarrowsinquicksuccessionat thebeast.Eacharrowlodged itself in themonster’ssmall jaw,an incrediblefeatfromsuchadistanceandatsuchafast-movingtarget.ItcausedthemonstertoturnawayfromKrohn,sparinghim.

ItturnedinsteadandfacedSteffen,irate,androared.ThemonsterchargedforSteffen,itsarmsandjawsflailingattheendsofits

fingers,thesoundofcrackingicefillingtheairasitchargedforSteffen.Steffenfumbled with his bow, Aberthol lunged forward, his staff before him, boldlyraiseditwithbothhands,andjabbeditintothemonster’schest.

Despitethenobleeffort,thestaffblowwasuselessagainstsuchapowerfulbeast; themonstermerely lookeddownatAbertholas ifhewereanannoyinginsect,reachedback,andbackhandedhim.Thesoundoficesmackingskincutthroughtheair,andAberthol,withagroan,wentflying,landinghardonhisbackon the ice and sliding back several feet before he came to a stop,moaning inpain.

ThemonsterfocusedagainonSteffen.AsSteffenbackedup, themonsterjumped forward, reacheddown, scoopedSteffenupwithonehand, raisedhimhighoverhead,agoodtwentyfeetintheair,andexaminedhimasifhewereameal.ThemonsterturnedSteffenupside-down,thenreachedoverwithitsotherhand,andaimeditssnappingjawsforSteffen’sface.

GwenrealizedwithhorrorthatitwasabouttoeatSteffenalive.AsSteffenhadbeenhoistedintheair,hedroppedhisbowandarrows,and

Gwen,thinkingquick,ranoverandsnatchedthemofftheground.Withshakinghands,shetookaim.

Gwen fired several arrows, embedding them in the monster’s side, and,finally,inoneofitsjaws.

Itturnedandglaredather,shriekingwithrage,anddroppedSteffentotheground. Steffen hurled end-over-end through the air, and hit the ice with acrackingnoise.Gwenhopedhehadnotbrokenallhisbones.

Themonster descended for Gwen once again, this time with both handsoutreached,allitsjawssnapping;Gwen,outofarrowsandwithnowheretorun,knewitwasabouttokillher.Still,shedidnotregretit,asshehadatleastsavedSteffen’slife.

“BY THE LAWS OF THE SEVEN CIRCLES OF NATURE, ICOMMANDYOUTOHALT!”boomedafiercevoice.

GwendolynturnedtoseeAlistairstepforward,holdoutapalm,andaimitat the creature.An orange ball of light shot from it andwent to the creature,

hittingitinthechest.ButthecreatureturnedtoAlistair,unafraid,andswattedawaythelightball

asitapproached.Theballwentflyingharmlesslyoverhisshoulder.Alistairstoodthere,shocked.Clearly,shehadnotbeenexpectingthat.Themonster instead turnedandrushedforAlistair. Itkickedher, itshuge

clawsimpactingherchestandsendingherflyingbackwards,skiddingacrosstheice.

Notsatisfied,themonsterboredownonher,preparingtofinishheroff.Gwentookstockofthebattlefield,anditdidnotlookgood:Alistairwason

her back, and Steffen, Aberthol, and Krohn lay moaning, all injured by themonster. Gwen herself lay there, smarting from the blow, and wondered howtheycouldeverdefeatthisthing.Theirweaponsweretooflimsyagainstsuchacreature,andevenAlistair’sdruidmagichadnotworked.

Gwen turned and scanned her surroundings desperately, trying to use herwit,desperatetofindsomething,anythingthatcouldbeused,somewayoutofhere.Asshelooked,shespottedsomething,andshehadanidea.

There,atthetopofoneoftheicemounds,satalarge,roundiceboulder.Itwasimmense,andperchedprecariously,agoodfiftyfeethigh.Itlookedlikeonegoodshovecouldknockitfromitsperch—andthemonsterstooddirectlyatthebaseoftheicemoundbeneathit.IfGwencouldsomehowdislodgetheboulder,shecouldcrushthebeastbelow.

Gwendolyn burst into action. She raised Steffen’s bow, placed an arrow,andtookaim,firingat the ice ledgebeneath theboulder.Heraimwasperfect:shemanagedtolodgethearrowpreciselybeneaththeboulder,crackingtheice—andtheboulderswayedjustatinybit.

Butitdidnotroll.Therewerefourarrowsleft,andwiththemonsterbearingdownonAlistair,

therewaslittletimetolose.Gwenfiredagainandagain,andwithherincredibleaim, all four shots hit, as she’d hoped, in the exact same spot.Each time, theboulderrolledalittlebitmore.

Itstillsatontheprecipice,tantalizinglyabouttogoovertheedge;butthenit rolledbackand stopped. It didn’twork.Gwendolynwasoutof arrows.Shehadfailed.

AlistairregainedherfeetandlookedoverandnoticedwhatGwendolynwasattemptingtodo.Asthemonsterrushedforher,feetaway,Alistairturned,raisedbothpalmshighaboveherhead,andthistime,sheaimedfortheiceboulder.

Ayellow lightshot fromherpalms,aimeduphighat the icemound,andthe light flew across the battlefield. As she held the yellow light on the ice,beneaththeboulder,itbegantomelt.Thencrack.

Soon,theboulderbegantomove.Themonsterwasnowjust feetaway,andGwenfeared that if theboulder

didnotrollquicklyenough,Alistairwouldbekilledbeforehereyes.ButAlistair,fearless,didnotbudgeanddidnotbackawayinthefaceofthe

monstrouscharge.Shemerelycontinued toconcentrate, sending lightonto theice.

“ALISTAIR!”Gwenshrieked,runningtowardsher.Themonster reached Alistair, grabbed her, and hoisted her high over its

headwithanawfulshriek.Gwencouldseethatitwasabouttokillher.Therecameagreatwhooshingnoise, then the soundof ice cracking, and

Gwen lookedover tosee theboulder releasedfromitsperchandrollingdownthe icemoundwithafury.Justas themonsterpulledAlistair towards itsopenjawstoeather,thebouldersuddenlysmashedintothemonster’sback.

Themonsterwascompletelycrushed.Itletoutanawfuldeathshriekasitwas completely flattenedbeneath theboulder.Alistairwent flying through theairasthemonsterletgo,andshelandedfaraway,luckily,inasnowbank.

Soon,allwasstill.Aheavysilencehungintheair.Gwendolyn,inshock,hurriedovertoAlistair,rushingtoherside,checking

toseeifshewasokay.Alistairlaythere,dazed,butsheopenedhereyesandtookGwendolyn’shandandallowedhertopullhertoherfeet.

“Are you all right?” Gwen asked. She felt as if her own sister has beeninjured,andrealizedhowmuchshecaredforAlistair.

Alistairnoddedback,lookingshakenbutunhurt.Gwenbrokeintoasmile,relieved.TheyturnedandhurriedovertoSteffenandAberthol,helpingeachtotheir

feet; theywere bruised and beaten, but theywouldmend quickly.Gwen thenhurriedovertoKrohn,whowhinedonhisside.Shehelpedhimup,andhelickedherface.Hewasabitunsteadybutallright,too.

The five of them stood there, dazed and confused, looking out at theirsurroundings, at these icemounds,with awhole new respect andwonder.AsGwendolynscannedthehorizon,shewasbeginningtorealizethetruedangerofthisplace.Forthefirsttime,shewonderediftheywouldeverfindArgon.

Haditbeenmadnesstocomehereafterall?*

Gwenhikedandhiked,herkneesweak,herbodyweary,painsradiatinginherstomach.Theyhikedtowardsthelarge,scarletballofthesettingsecondsun,andtheyhadbeenhikingallday.Itfeltlikemonths.Therewasnoendinsight:just the endlessmonotony of this landscape. Shewondered howmuch longertheycouldkeepthisup,beforetheyalljustcollapsedontotheice.

Theymarchedandmarchedthroughthefantasticalvalleyofthemounds,allof them frozen to the bone. Luckily, since their last encounter, they had notencountered any other monsters. They had passed various small animals,creatures that Gwen had never seen before, most some shade of white, withsmall,glowingblueeyes—buttheseallscurriedoutof theirwayastheywent.Everywheretheywent,GwendolynsearchedforanypossiblesignofArgon,buthewasnowhereinsight.

Asthelastglimmerofsunbegantodisappear,Gwendolynbegantonoticeaslight change in the appearance of the landscape. This valley of ice moundsculminatedinonehugemound,stretchingasfarastheeyecouldsee,blockingtheirpath.Therewasnowayforwardwithoutclimbingit.

Theyallstopped,handsontheirhips,breathinghard,andlookedupatthemound,maybefiftyfeethigh.Theywereexhausted.Theyallwerehopeless,asifnolongerbelievingtheywouldeverfindArgon—muchlesssurvive.

“Whatdoyouthink?”Gwenasked,turningtotheothers.“Wehavenochoice,”Alistairsaid.“Eitherweclimbit,orweturnback.”Gwenknewshewasright.Butherlegs,shaking,weresoexhausted.They

allstoodthereandstaredupatthemound.Finally,Alistairtookthefirststep,andGwenandtheothers,wearybeyond

exhaustion,followed.Gwen,breathinghard,tookonestepaftertheother.Itwasasteepincline,

andtheyallslippedastheywent,Gwendolynleaningforwardwithherpalmsontheice,sliding,tryingtosteadyherself.

Slowly,footbyfoot,theyfoughttheirwaytothetop.Astheymadeit,theyallcollapsedontheirhandsandknees.

“Ican’tgoon,”Abertholgasped.AsGwen lay there, gasping, shemustered just enough energy to lift her

head,tolookoutontheothersideofthemound.Hereyesopenedwideinshock.Gwenreachedoverandproddedtheothers,shovingthem,forcingthemto

look,too.“Look!”sheinsisted.Theothersslowlyraisedtheirheadsandsawwhatshedid.Thesighttook

herbreathaway.There,beforethem,wasanothersweepingvalley.Butthisonewas different than the others; this one was filled with what looked like icecapsules.As far as the eye could see, therewere thousands and thousands ofthem,eachabouteightfeettall,afewfeetwide,andeachcontainingsomething.

AsGwennarrowedhereyes,sherealizedthateachcontainedabody.Insideeachwas one person, frozen solid.Thousands of people, spread out every tenfeetorso,likeahugegraveyard,protrudingverticallyfromtheice.

“TheValleyofTrappedSouls,”Abertholsaid,inawe.Theothersallstared,andnooneneededtoutterawordtoknowwhatwas

on everyone’s mind. There, below, were people. Trapped. Gwen knew thatsomewherethere,downbelow,trappedamidstthesepeople,wasthepersonshehadcometoseek.

Shebreatheddeep,andsaidwhatwasoneveryone’sminds:“Argon.”

CHAPTERTWENTYFOUR

Andronicus stood beside Thornicus, just the two of them alone on thehillsideagainst thesettingsuns,surveyingthedamagefromtheirbattleagainstRomulus.Andronicusstoodbesidehisson,andcouldnotbemoreproud.Forthefirsttimeinhislife,hefeltanemotionotherthananger,otherthanadesireforvengeance.Forthefirsttime,hewasnotburningwithadesiretodestroyandkilland tortureeverything inhispath. Instead,hewasexperiencinganemotionhedidnotquiteunderstand.AshethoughtofallthatThorhaddone,ashethoughtofhowThorhadsavedhis life, twice,hefeltmorethanpride.Hefeltconcernfortheboy.Hefeltsomethingthatmightevenbelove.

Theemotionterrifiedhim,andAndronicusimmediatelyquashedit,pusheditdowndeepinhisconsciousness,unabletodealwithit.Itwasanemotionhewasunusedto,anditwastoopowerful,toooverwhelming.

Instead,hemerelylookeddownatThorwithamuchsaferemotion,onehecouldunderstand:prideinvictory.Thorhadturnedouttobeafargreaterassetthanhecouldhaveeverimagined.

HedrapedhislongfingernailsoverThor’sshoulder.“Youhavesavedmylifeonthebattlefieldtoday,”Andronicussaid.Thornicus stood beside him, eyes glazed, gazing out at the carnage.

AndronicuswonderedifThorwouldcontinuetoservehimifRafitookawaythespell.Deepdown,hehoped that hewould, hoped thatThorhad come to lovehim,too,inhisownright,asanysonwouldafather.HesecretlyhopedthatasRafi lifted the spell, after enough time went by, Thor might become loyal toAndronicus inhisown right,might come to seehimas the true father thathewas.

Andronicussurveyed thedamage,sawallofhismendead,sawallof therebellious Empiremen dead, and knew he owed Thornicus his life. Thatwassomethinghehadneveranticipated.

All around them there came screams, as Andronicus’ men tortured anysurvivingEmpire soldierswhohadbetrayedhim.Andronicusbreatheddeeply,satisfiedatthesound.Itwastimetomakeallthetraitorspay,tosendamessagetoanyoneelsewhodareddefyhim.Romuluswason the run,andAndronicuswouldstopatnothingtofindhimandputanendtohimforgood.

First,though,Andronicushadmorepressingmatters.Heturnedandlookedupandsurveyed,inthedistance,Highlandia,destroyedbytherebels.Hestoodthere,handsonhiships,surveyingitwithchagrin.Highlandiahadbeenhis;ifit

hadn’t been forRomulus attackinghim from the rear, if hehadn’t had to turnaroundtopursuehim,theywouldnothavehadtoabandonthecity.Andronicusgrimaced as he realized the damageKendrick, Erec, and the others had done,takingoutseveralthousandofhismenwhilethemainarmywasdistracted.Theyhadsincefled,whoknewwhere,probablybackintothesafetyofthemountains.Andronicussurveyedthemountains,butitwasgettingdarkanditwouldbetoohardtofindthemnow.Inthemorning,though,theywouldflushthemout,likeweasels, and kill them all. With Thornicus at his side, now anything waspossible.

“In themorning,wewill find andkillwhomever remainsofyour formerfriends,”Andronicusstated.

“Iamatyourservice,myfather,”Thorsaid.Andronicus was mollified at the words. He turned and looked over at

Thornicus.“Ioweyouagreatdebt.Noonehassavedmylifebefore.TellmewhatI

cangiveyouinreturn.Nameit.AnythingintheEmpireisyours.”Thorgazedoutforalongtime,asiflostinanotherworld,andAndronicus

wonderedifhewouldeverreply.Then,finally,Thorspokesoftly:“Mymother’sring,”hesaid.Andronicuslookeddownathiminsurprise.“Itwasstolenfrommebyoneofyourmen,”Thorsaid.“Iwantitback.”Andronicusnodded.“Youshallhaveit.”Andronicus snapped his fingers, one of his generals came running, and

Andronicuswhispered in his ear, and shoved himoff.The general turned andsprinted,rushingtoexecutehiscommand.

“Itwillbe foundquickly,myson,”Andronicussaid.“Orelse thegeneralhimselfwillbedeadbymorning.”

Thornodded,pleased.“Iwillalsotortureandexecutepersonallythemanwhostoleitfromyou,”

Andronicussaid.“I do not need anyone tortured or executed,” Thor said. “I just want it

back.”“Theywillbetorturedandexecutedwhetheryoulikeitornot,”Andronicus

saidbackfirmly.“Thatismyway.Soon,itwillbeyourway,too.”Andronicussighed.“In the morning, we will battle and crush the remainder of your former

people,andthenourkingdomwillbecomplete.Sidebyside,together,wewill

ruleitforever.”Thornicus turned and stared back at his father, and Andronicus sensed

completeagreementinhim.“ThereisnothingIwouldcherishmore,myfather.”

*Thornicuslayonthegroundintheblackofnight,closetoAndronicusand

the rest of theEmpire soldiers, beside the cracklingbonfire, lyingon the colddirtandrocks.Hedreamttroubleddreams.

Thor found himself standing in an open field, looking out, prepared forbattle.Beforehimwerethousandsofmenonhorseback,andashelookedcloser,henoticedtheyallsatoddly,slumpedovertooneside.Helookedevencloser,andrealizedthattheywereallcorpses.Crowslandedonthem,pickingatthem.

ThorwalkedhishorsebetweenthemandsawthatthesewereallmenoftheWesternKingdom,allgreatwarriorswhomhehadoncetrainedwith.Hisheartbroke.

Amidstthem,theirwalkedasingleperson,walkingoutslowlytogreethim.A woman. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, dressed inluminescentbluerobes,andshewalkedslowlyacrossthefield,andreachedoutahandtohim.

“Thorgrin,mylove,”shesaid.“Cometome.”Thor squintedand realized itwasGwendolyn.Hemountedhishorse and

tried to ride towardsher, but his horsewouldnotmove.He lookeddownandsawthatitwasstuckinthemud.

“Thorgrin,”shecalled.“Ineedyou.”Thorfinallybrokehishorsefreeandcharged,gallopingthroughthefields

forher.Butashereachedher,shedisappeared.Thorlookedaboutandsawthathewasnolongeronabattlefield,butina

wide-opendesert.Riding towardshimwasasolewarrior,bedecked inshininggoldarmor,thesunradiatingbehindsobrightlythatThorhadtosquint.

They rode towardeachotherandcame to stopbuta few feetaway,Thorsquinting,tryingtoseewhoitwasagainsttheglareofthesun.

“Whoareyou?”Thorcalledout.“Announceyourself!”“Itisme,father,”theproudwarriorsaid.“Yourson.”The warrior removed his helmet, revealing golden hair—but the light

shiningbehindhimwassofierce,Thorcouldnotmakeouthisfeatures.Thorfelthumbledatthewords,ashamedthathewasfacinghiminbattle.“Myson?”heasked,shocked.“Howcanitbe?”Thor threw his sword down to the ground and prepared to dismount, to

embracehisson.But the boy suddenly raised a long spear, cried out, and charged toward

Thor,aimingtopierceitthroughhischest.Thor blinked, and found himself lying on his back, tied to a rowboat,

floatinginavastocean.Thehuge,rollingwavesbobbedhimupanddown,andhewasexhausted,parched,ashelookedupatthepassingsky.Ashefloatedhesawasteepcliffcomeintoview,attheocean’sedge,withacastleperchedatitspeak;hesawafootbridgeleadinguptoit,andatthetop,lookingdown,hesawhismother.Ashiningbluelightemanatedfromher,andshereachedoutasinglehand.

“MyThorgrin,”shesaid,“returntome.”Thorgrintriedtobreakhisbondswithallhismight,toreachforher.Buthe

couldnot.“Ihavestrayedtoofar,mother,”hesaidweakly.“Itisnottoolate,”shesaid.“Youhavethepowertoreturn.”“Mother!”hescreamedout,“Ican’tbreakfree.Mybondsaretoostrong!”“Youcan,Thorgrin,”shesaid.“Youhavethestrength.Youcan!”Thor struggledwithallhismight, and this time, somethingwasdifferent.

Thistime,heheardhisleatherbondsgroan,thenfinallysnap.Thorreachedupwithhisfreehand,andashedid,hismotherreacheddown

forhim.Forthefirsttime,hetouchedherhand.Itcarriedastrengthunlikeanyhehadeverfelt.Thereshewas,herhandgraspinghis,pullinghimup.Hefeltanoverwhelming strength infusehisbody.He felt all hisbondsbreaking.He felthimselfbeingliftedupintothesky,soaringhigherandhigher,forhercastle,forhome.

“Mother,”hesaid,sorelieved.Shesmiledback.“Youarehomenow,myson.Youarehomenow.”Thor opened his eyes and sat up with a start, looking all about him.

Somethingfeltdifferentinsidehim.Somethinghadchanged.Dawn was breaking, and all around him were Empire soldiers, slowly

rousing, preparing for the day, for the battle ahead. Thor looked up to seeAndronicusapproachinghim.ButnolongerdidThorviewtheEmpiresoldiersascolleagues;andnolongerdidheseeAndronicusashisfather.Now,hehadawhole new perspective; he had a moment of clarity. He saw them all as theenemy.Andhesawhisfatherastheenemyhewas.

Andronicusapproached,smiling,andheldouthispalm.Thorlookeddownandsawhismother’sring.

“I promised you, my son,” Andronicus said. “And I always keep my

promises.”AndronicusreacheddownandplacedtheringinThor’spalm.Ashedid,Thor felt anoverwhelmingstrength race throughhim.Healso

feltasenseofclarity.HewasThorgrin,oftheWesternKingdomoftheRing.Hewasamemberof theLegion, loyal toMacGil,andhewas fighting to free theRing.Andallofthesemenabouthim,theywerealltheenemy.

Thordrewhissword,andhesuddenlycharged.Andronicuslaybeforehim,andThorwasdetermined.

Itwastimetokillhisfather.

CHAPTERTWENTYFIVE

Kendrick charged down the steep slope of theHighlands in the breakingdawn,intothethickmist,redsunlightofthefirstsunfloodingthevalley,Erec,Bronson,andSrogbesidehim,and thousandsofmenbehind them,as theyallchargedfor thedivisionofEmpiresoldiers in thevalleybelow.Thus far, theirstrategyofhit-and-runhadbeenasuccess:theyhadattackedHighlandia,wipedout a small division of Andronicus’ men, and had taken shelter back in themountains. They had been lucky, though, thatRomulus had attackedwhen hehad.Kendrickdidnotknowif theycouldhavewonotherwise,especiallywithThorfightingatAndronicus’side.

It still rattledKendrick to the core, the imageofThor ridingout to greethiminbattle.Itleftapitinhisstomach.HowcouldKendrickpossiblyfacehiscomrade,hisbrother-in-arms, inbattle?Whatwouldhehavedone ifThorhadattackedhim?WhathadtheydonetochangeThor?

Kendrick did not imagine he’d be able to harm Thor. Clearly, Thor wasunderthespellofAndronicus,ofsomedarkforce,andhewasnothimself.Yetatthe same time,Thorwas still clearlymorepowerful than anyofhismen, andKendrickwincedatthethoughtthathemighthavetofacehimsoonenoughinbattle—orelserisklosinghismen.

Fornow,atleast,thatwouldnotbeanissue:Kendrick’smenhadidentifieda lonedivisionofEmpire troopscampedon theothersideof thevalley,a fewthousandwarriors,isolatedfromtherestoftheEmpirecamp.Theyrodenowatsunrisewithstealthandsurprise,Kendrick’sthousandsofmenpreparedtoattackthemquickandhard,thenretreatbackintothemountains.Kendrickandhismenwerestilloutnumbered,but theyfearednotforgreaternumbers,as longas theoddswerecloseandaslongastheyweren’tfightingtheentireEmpirearmyatonce.

Kendrickdidnotknowhowlongthisstrategycouldlast.ButiftheycouldkeeppickingoffonesmalldivisionofEmpiretroopsatime,eventually,hefelt,they could win this war. When faced with an opponent greater in size andstrengthandnumbers,sometimesstealthandcunningandretreatingselectivelywerethemosteffectivewaytowagewar,hefigured.

Thesoundofhorses’hoovesreverberatedinKendrick’sears,alongwiththeclangofarmor,astheyallrode,thecoolmorningwindinhishairandhishandtighteningonthehiltofhissword.Themorningmistfinallylifted,revealinghismenandgivingawaytheelementofsurprise.Butatleasttheyhadmadeitthis

far.Kendrickandhismenletoutagreatbattlecryastheyboredown,hardlya

hundredyardsaway.TheEmpiremen, startled, all turned, and lookedupwithterror at the sight and sound of them charging down themountain.Their firstimpulsewastoflee,andseveraldozenEmpiresoldiersonthefrontlinesturnedandranback,inpanic.

But soon they gathered themselves, as hardened Empire commanderssteppedforwardandralliedtheirmen.Afightingforcewasquicklyassembled,andstoodreadytomeetthem.

Kendrick,Erec,Bronson,Srog,andtheothersdidnotgivethemachance.Theychargedfaster,and,lancesout,metthemwithagreatclashofarmor.

Thesoundofsteelmeetingsteelfilledtheair.Criesrangoutofmenkillingmen,andbodiesfell,mostlyontheEmpireside,theMacGilmenchargingdowntheslopeof theHighlands likeasuddenstorm.Theirmomentumcarried themright into the thick of the Empire camp, cutting a broad swath right through,killingmenleftandrightas theyall tried toputontheirarmor, togather theirweapons,tomounttheirhorses.

Withinmoments, several hundred Empire troops were dead or wounded,andasKendrickandhismencontinuedtochargetheirwaythrough,itseemedasif nothing could stop them.Kendrick felt sure theywould take out this entiredivisionandreturntothemountainsbeforethefirstmorningsunevenliftedinthesky.

Suddenly,Kendrickfelthishorse’slegsgooutfromunderhim,andashishorsecollapsed,Kendrickwentdiving, landinghard, face-first,on theground.Hisarmorclankedasherolledandrolled.

Erec,Bronson, andSrog rolled on the ground beside him.Out of breath,Kendrickturnedandlookedback,wonderingwhathadhappened.

Kendrickfoundtheculprit:unbeknownsttohim,theEmpiremenhadlaidoutalong,studdedbarbedchain,andhadyankedittight,cuttingouthishorse’slegsfromunderthemandsendingthemallcrashingtotheground.TheEmpiremen employed expert discipline. Kendrick had grown too confident in battle,andhadunderestimatedhisopponent.

A sword came down for his head, andKendrick raised his shield just intime,asdozensofEmpiremenswarmeddownallaroundhim.Heblockedtheblows,rolled,andswungoutandslashedthesoldiers’legs,makingthemdroptothegroundbesidehim.

Kendrick quickly gained his feet, dodging blows, using his shield as hefended off several Empire soldiers. Theywere closing in fast, and all aroundhim,Erec,Bronson,Srog,andotherswerefightinghand-to-hand,too.

Kendrick stabbeda soldier, andashe slumpedover,Kendrick snatchedaflail fromhiswaist.He raised it high andwielded it in awide circle over hishead,smashingmanyEmpiresoldiersinthechestandface,knockingthemback,and creating awide perimeter around he and the othermen.He bought themsomebreathingroom.

As Kendrick fought hard, he turned and searched for his men, forreinforcements,wonderingwhatwastakingthemsolong.Butashelooked,hesaw that hismen had their hands full, too: the Empire divisionwas receivingreinforcementsandtroopswerefloodingintothevalleyfromallsides.Hismenwere backlogged, unable to reach him. Now the momentum was turning theotherway;thetideofbattle,whileitlookedgoodbefore,wasnowbeginningtoswayagainstthem.

Kendrickfoughtwithbothhands,alreadyexhausted,theoddsonlygettingworse.Onthehorizon,asthemistrosefurther,hesawevenmoreEmpiretroops,thousandsmore,swellingintoreinforcetheothers.Theywerefarmoregreatlyoutnumberedthanhethought.ThiswasnotanisolatedEmpiredivisionafterall,butpartofamuchlargerbattalion.

Standing there, holding his ground, he and Erec and Bronson and Srogfoughtwith all their hearts, killing off their attackers, fighting for each other,protectingoneanother.ButKendrickalreadyknewinhisheartthathehadmadeagravemistake in cominghere.Theywerevastly outnumbered, and theoddsweregettingworse.Inonlyashortmatteroftime,hisarmywouldsufferitsfinaldefeat.

*Godfreyrodebeforehisthousandsofmen,AkorthandFultonbesidehim,

hisSilesiangeneralbehindthem,andthousandsofMacGilsfollowing.Godfreyhadnoideawhythesemenwerefollowingthem,orwhytheyhadentrustedhimatall—orwhyhissisterGwendolynhad,either.Hewasnotasoldier.Hewasnotabravewarrior, liketheothers.Heusedhiswit tosurvive,andthatwasallhehad.

Godfrey’s ploy had worked back there, had saved them from the initialEmpireattack.Ithadbeenthebestgoldhe’deverspent.Buthisluckhadcometoanend,andeventually,heknew,hemustfacebattle.Hecouldonlyevadeforsolong.Andheknewthatinbattle,realbattle,eventuallywitwouldonlytakehimsofar.Hewouldalsoneedskillsinfighting.Andthesehesorelylacked.

Godfreyhadheart,at least.Hechargedforward,despitehisfears, leadingthesemen,determinedtofindKendrickandErecandtheothersanddowhathecould to help them.He knew hewould probably die in this cause.But he nolongercared.Hefeltitwaspasttimeforhimtodosomethinginhislifethatwas

notabouthimself.Itwastimetofightinthesamewaysthatothersfought—evenifitmeantlosing.

As he rode, Godfrey marveled at how confident all the other soldiersseemed.Hehimself,hehadtoadmit,feltoverwhelmedwithfear.Butatleasthecontinuedridinganyway,ridingthroughit.

Godfreycrestedahill,recognizingthespotdescribedbyhisinformant.HisspieshadpaidoffmeninTirus’army,andthesehadtoldhimaboutKendrick’smenbeingset free.Hehadpaidoff informantseverystepof theway, toshowhimwhereKendrickandErechadgone.Andhehadbeenfollowingtheir traileversince.Hedearlyhopedhisinformantshadbeenright.

Godfreyfollowedthetracksofavastarmyupthehillandwonderedwherethey were going, and why. All this work was exhausting. He would giveanythingforapintofalenow,andawarmfiretolayhisfeetbeside.

AsGodfreycrestedthehilltopinthebreakingsun,hewasoutofbreath.HehadriddenallnighttocatchuptoKendrickandErec,andnow,finally,astheyreached thepeak, he stopped and lookeddownat thevalley spreadout belowhim.Hisstomachfellatthesight.

There,below,wereKendrick,Erec,Bronson,andSrog,with thousandsofSilverandMacGilsandSilesiansandMcClouds,allsurroundedbytheEmpireandfightingfortheirlives.TheywerecompletelyengulfedbyEmpiremen,andthousandsmorepouredin.

Godfreysatthereonhishorse,breathinghard,paralyzedwithfear.Hewasterrified.Allthemenhelovedwereabouttobekilledbeforehiseyes,andwhatremainedoftheirarmieswipedout.

“Sire, now what?” his general asked. “We cannot attack. We are vastlyoutnumbered.Itwouldbesuicide.”

“Let’sretreat,”Akorthsaid.Fultonnoddedvigorously.“Iagree.Let’ssaveourownlives.Wecan’thelpthemanyway.”ButGodfreywould not be swayed; the oldGodfreymight have cowered

andslunkaway.Butnotanymore.Nowhewasdetermined.Godfrey lookedaroundeagerly,desperate to figureoutaway tohelp.He

couldn’t let his brother die out there; yet he also didn’twant to charge into acertaindeath.Hewasdesperatetofindanothersolution.

Comeon.Godfrey summonedhiswit, everyounceof his intelligence.He’d always

had a knack for finding anotherwaywhen others could not, for taking a stepbackandgettingabird’s-eyeviewofasituation,andcomingupwithasolutionthatnoone else thoughtof.Ashe studied thepeaksof theHighlands, up and

down,suddenly,hespottedsomething.Hisheartraced,assuddenly,hegotanidea.Godfreypointed.“There!”heyelled.AkorthandFultonfollowedhisfinger,baffled.“Therewhat?”Akorthasked.“Whatareyoupointingto?”Fultonasked.“Arock?”Godfreyshookhishead,annoyed.“There!”hesaidmorefirmly,pointing.“Onthatridge!”AkorthandFultonsquinted.“AllIseeisaranch-hand,mylord,”hisgeneralsaid,“andaherdofbulls.”Godfreysmiled.“Exactly,”hereplied.Godfreylookeddownthehillsidetothebattlefield,thenlookedbacktothe

bullsatthepeak.“You’renotthinkingwhatIthinkyou’rethinking,areyou?”Akorthasked

Godfrey.“Theremustbeatleastathousandbullsthere,”Godfreysaid.“Anumberof

themlookunhappy.Theyareanxioustobesetfree.AndIintendtohelpthem.”Godfrey looked back down at the battlefield below, the steep slope, and

figuredifhecouldsetloosethesebulls,ifhecouldgetthemtochargedown,inarage, into themayhem, there was no limit to the damage and confusion theywould cause. Itwouldbe an enormousdistraction.And thatwas exactlywhatKendrickandhismenneededatthismoment.

“Madness!” thegeneral said. “Acrazy scheme.One fordreamingboys—notformilitarycommanders!”

Godfreyturnedtohisgeneral.“I would take a dreaming boy over a military commander any day.

CHARGE!”hescreamedtohismen.Godfreydrewhisswordandscreamedashecharged,racingfortheherdof

bulls,swordheldhigh,preparedtosendthemashisemissariesintothefieldofbattle.

CHAPTERTWENTYSIX

Reece,O’Connor,Elden,Indra,Conven,Serna,andKrogfollowedCentraashenavigatedhiswayquicklythroughtheCanyonbase,theirfeetstickingtothemuddyfloorastheyweavedtheirwaybetweentheexotictrees,orangeandturquoise leaves flashingamidst themutedsunlight.Reece’s feet stuckas theywent,makingeachstepaneffort, andeverynowandagainanotherhot springerupted close by, spewing steam and mud into the air, small flakes of mudrainingdownandstickingtohim.Reece’sfaceandskinwerealreadycakedwithmud,andwithasaltyresiduethatclungtoeverything.Hefeltcakedinlayers,feltlikeheneededabath,likehewasbecomingpartofthismudlandscapeandwouldneverreturn.

Strangenoisesfilledtheair,continuallyputtingReeceonedge.Hethoughtbacktotheirencounterwiththemonster,andwonderedwhatelsecouldbedownhere.Ifitweren’tforCentra,surelytheywouldbedead.Who’deverheardofamonsterwith aheart in its foot?He looked aboutwarily, his visibility limitedbetween the trees and themist, and he could not help butwonderwhat otherdangerslurkedhere.

ReecethoughtbacktotheSwordandpeeredattheCanyonfloor,followingthe ominous trail left by the Faws. The more they followed it, the more hewonderedaboutthesepeople,thesescavengers,whohadtakenit.Hewonderedattheirstrength,beingabletodragit,andwonderedwhattheycouldwantwithit. More ominously, he wondered how powerful they were, given they hadsurviveddownhere,amidstallthesecreatures.

“PerhapstheseFaws,they’lllistentoreasonandgiveustheSwordback,”O’Connorofferedaloud.“Afterall,theyknowit’snottheirs.”

Centrasnorted,shakinghishead.“TheFawsarenotexactlythetypetolistentoreason.”“Maybewecantradethemsomethingforit,”O’Connorsaid.“The only thing they’d want to trade you for is your head on a stick,”

Centrasaid.O’Connorfellsilent.“We’reenteringthefarsideoftheCanyon,”Centrasaid.“Haveyounoticed

howmanymorespringsthereare?Thequakescomemorefrequentlyhere,too.HaveyounoticedthecracksintheCanyonwalls?Wehaveminorquakes….”

Reece tried to tuneCentraout.Centrahadnot stopped talking since theyhadmet;clearly,thismanwaslonely,desperateforcompany.Allalongtheway,

hehadfilledtheminoneverylastthingaboutthebottomoftheCanyon,fromtheclimate to thegeography to the seasons, toall theanimalsand insects andpeopleswholivedhere.

Reecewasgrowingimpatient.WhathewantedtoknowaboutspecificallywasthetribewhohadtakentheSword.

“TellusmoreabouttheFaws,”Reecesaid,cuttingCentraoff.Centraturnedtohim,asifsurprisedtobeinterrupted.“Whatdoyouwanttoknow?”“Everything.”Centra sighed. He shook his head, as he continued walking quickly,

following tracks thatReececouldnotdecipher.Reecehoped thatCentraknewwherehewasgoing.Hefelttheurgencyoftime;theyhadtogettheSwordandreturnassoonas theycould.Hisbest friend’s lifedependedon it.DescendingherehadbeenfarmorechallengingthanReececouldhaveeverimagined.

“The Faws are the most vicious of all creatures down here. Even themonsteryoufoughtbacktherewouldstayclearofthem.Theyaregivenalotofrespect,andnooneenterstheirterritory.IalwayssticktomysideoftheCanyon,andIneverentertheirterritorywhenhunting.”

“Aretheythatfierce?”Eldenasked.“Not individually,”Centrasaid.“Butcollectively,yes.Yousee, theystick

together,likebees,andtheyfightasone.Thatistheirgreatstrength.Theyareofonemind.Andtherearesomanyofthem.Theydescendonsomethingtogether,andthat’sit.It’sfinished.”

“Theyarenotlargeandstrongthen?”O’Connorasked.Centralaughed.“No.Quitetheopposite.Quitesmall,indeed.Butdonotunderestimateyour

opponentbyhisappearance.Isn’tthatthefirstlawofbattle?”There came a moaning, and Reece turned and saw Krog, being carried

betweenEldenandO’Connor, cryingout inpain.Heslumpeddown,and theylayhimdowninthemud.Heseemeddelirious.

“Leaveme,”hesaid.“Ican’tgoon.”Reececameover andkneltbyhis side, examininghim.Hewas sweating

profusely,andverypale.Reeceleanedoverandplacedahandonhishead,andhewasburningtothetouch.

“Wedon’tleaveanyonebehind,”Reecesaid.“Itoldyouthatalready.”Krogscowledback.“Iwouldleaveyouifitwereme,”Kroganswered.“I’mnotyou,”Reecereplied.Indracameandstoodoverhim.

“Leavehimhere,ifhewants,”shesaidcoldly.“I,forone,candowithouthim.”

“Noonegetsleftbehind,”Reecerepeated.“Doyouforgethowhehasacted?Hehasdefiedusateveryturn,”shesaid.

“Nottomentionhewillslowusdownandgetinourway.”“Noone,”Reecerepeatedemphatically.“Idon’tcarewhotheyareorwhat

they’vedone.Itisnotaboutthem;itisaboutus.Ourcodeofhonor.Ifwelosethat,weloseall.”

Indrarelentedasthegroupfellsilent,lookingdownatKrog.“Well,Iwon’tgoon,”Krogsaid,writhing.“Ican’t.”“It’sanastywound,isit?”Centraasked,comingover.HepushedReeceasideandkneeledbeforeKrog.Hepulledbackthecloth

onKrog’scalf,revealingadeep,black,festeringwound,leftfromtheimpactofthetree.Herecoiled.

“Nastyindeed,”Centrasaid.“He’llbedeadinadayatthisrate.Youshouldhavetoldme.AllheneedsisSulfurMud.Itwon’thealhimentirely,butitwilltakeawaythepainandwillmakeitmuchbetter.Gethimtohisfeet,andfollowme.”

“Isitoutoftheway?”Indraasked.“Not bymuch,” Centra said, looking back and forth between Reece and

Indra,unsure.“Takeusthere,”Reeceordered.They followedCentraashechangeddirection,weaving inandoutof the

trees, up anddown rolling hills, until finally they arrived at a largemoundofbubblingmud.Itwashissing,andamistwasrisingfromit.

Centrasteppedclose,reachedover,grabbedascoopofmud,andapplieditasabalmonKrog’sleg.

Krogimmediatelyperkedup.Hiseyesopenedwideinsurprise,andwithinmoments, he went from being slumped over between the others to standingupright on his own. He even took a step on his own. Then another. He waslimping,buthewaswalking.Andjudgingfromthesmileonhisface,hewasnolongerinpain.

“Howdidyoudothat?”Krogasked.“Themudwon’tlastlong,”Centrasaid.“Butlongenoughtogetyououtof

here.Whenitseffectswearoff,you’llbeworsethanbefore.Let’sjusthopewecanfindthisSwordandgetyoualloutofherequickly.”

Theyall turnedandfollowedCentraasheweavedback inandoutof themudhills,pickinguphisoldtrail.

AsReecewalked,Krogwalkedupbesidehim,limping.

“Youhelpedme,”Krogsaid.“Why?”“Why?”Reeceasked.“Whywouldn’tI?”“You’reastrangeone,”Krogsaid.“I’mnotsureifIlikeyouornot.Iwish

youwouldhaveleftmebackthere.Thenitwouldhavebeeneasiertohateyou.”Reecefurrowedhisbrow,confused.“Areyoutryingtothankme?”Reeceasked.“Iguess inmyownway, I am,”Krogsaid.“But thatdoesn’tmean I like

you.”Reeceshookhishead,notunderstandingKrog’swayofthoughtatall.“Well,you’rewelcome,”Reecesaid,endingtheiroddconversation.Reece saw the darkening sky all around them and began toworry.What

wouldhappeniftheyhadtomakecampdownhere?WouldtheybeabletotrackdowntheFawsinthedark?

“It’sjustbeyondthathill!”Centracalledoutexcitedly.Theyallturnedandlooked.“Youcanhearthebuzzingfromhere,”Centracontinued.“That’sthemain

campoftheFaws.Andthat’swheretheytooktheSword.Seethetrail?”Theyallcrowdedaround,andReeceindeedsawthetrail,risingupthehill

ofmud.Heheardthebuzzing,too.Itsoundedlikeanendlessswarmofbees.“But I tell you, itmakesno sense to try to breach their territory,”Centra

continued.“Theyhavemanytricks.Theydon’tfightfairly.Youcannotwin.”“Wewillfightanyfoewhostandsinourway,”Reecesaidconfidently.“If

youareconcerned,youcanleaveusnow.Andwethankyouforyourhelp.”Centrashookhishead.“Foolishtothelast,”hesaid.Hesmiled.“That’swhatIliketohear.Finally,

someoneascrazyasme.Followme.”TheyallfollowedCentraupthelargehill,eachofthemslippingandsliding

as theywent,Reece’s palms covered inmud. Just as theywere out of breath,Reece’sstomachachingfromtheeffortandfromlackoffood,theyreachedthetop.

Reecestoodtherewiththeothersandlookeddownatthesightbeforehiminwonder.Below, inabroadvalleyofmud,was thecampof theFaws.Therewere thousands of them, short and skinnyorange creatures, perhaps three feethigh, with three long, skinny fingers and bright green eyes. Their faces wereshapedinwidesmiles,theirjaggedteethshowing.Theymilledaboutquickly,allbusy,carryingthingswiththeirhands,likeaworkermillofants.

Theirvillagewaspopulatedwithsmall,primitivehuts,madeoftheleavesofthesestrangetrees,orangeandturquoise.Inthecenteroftheirvillagewasaholeintheearth,perhapstenyardsindiameter,andinsideit,bubblingup,was

molten fire. It hissed and bubbled ominously, illuminating the whole village.Clearlytheirentirevillagerevolvedaroundthisstrangeholeofmoltenfire.

“Whatisit?”Reeceasked.“They worship it,” Centra said. “They are the people of the lava. They

believethatiswhytheirskinisorange.Theypraytothelavaasifitwereagod.Everydaytheysacrificeanotherpersoninit.It’stheirfavoritewaytokilltheirenemies.”

Reecelookedclosely,andthere,atopalargemound,nearthelava,sattheboulder.Dozens ofFawsknelt around it, humming and praying, bowing to it.Theyhummedandworshippedit,asifitwereagod.AndtheresattheSword,lodgedinit,shining.

Reece’sheartquickenedashesawit.“OurSword,”hegasped.“Youwasteyourenergytolookatit,”Centrasaid.“It’sasgonefromyouas

if it were in another world. You’ll never get it back. Once the Faws havesomething,itistheirs.”

CentraturnedtoReeceandgraspedhiswrist,hisexpressionearnest.“Itellyou,turnbacknow.”Therecamethesuddenringofaswordbeingdrawn,andReeceturnedto

seeConven,standingthere,swordinhand,staringdownatthevillagedefiantly.ReeceturnedandlookedatCentra.“Weturnbackfornoone,myfriend.”Reece drew his sword, too, and as soon as he did, suddenly, everything

changed.Therecamethesoundofgushingwater,andReecefelthisfeetwobble,as

helookeddown.“MUDSLIDE!”Centrayelled, thefirst to react,diving to jumpoutof the

way.Buthewasnotquickenough.Reecefelthislegsbeingknockedoutfromunderhim,andhescreamed,as

didall theothers, as theywere suddenlycaughtup inagreatgushing riverofmud, sending them flying down the hill, straight down into the village, fasterthanhecouldreact—andrighttowardtheFaws.

AsReecelookedstraightahead,hesawdozensofFawsappear,carryingahugenet.ItwasthenthatReecerealizedthattheyhadstartedthemudslide,thatthey had beenwatching them thewhole time, that he hadwalked right into atrap. And that he had underestimated the enemy. He should have listened toCentraallalong.

Itwastoolatenow.Hewentslidingatfullspeedwiththeothers,rightinto

thecenterofthecamp,andbracedhimselfasthehugenetswallowedthemall.

CHAPTERTWENTYSEVEN

ThorlungedforAndronicus,sworddrawn,aimingtokillhim.Andronicus’ eyes opened wide in surprise; clearly he had not been

expecting this from his son. Yet his reflexes kicked in, and as Thor charged,Andronicusdodged,steppingoutofthewayrightbeforetheswordcouldimpalehim.

Thorgrincontinuedcharging,right into thecrowdofunsuspectingEmpiresoldiers, killing them left and right with a great battle cry. He slashed andstabbedoneaftertheother,andsoon,thebodiespiledup,andsoldiersrantogetoutofhisway.

Chaos ensued in the camp. Empire soldiers, confused, rushed to grabweapons,todonarmor,tocounter-attack.ButtheywerenomatchforThor.Thorwasathingofbeauty,aone-mankillingmachine.

“KILL HIM!” Rafi screamed to Andronicus. “Why do you just standthere?”

ButAndronicusstoodthere,frozen,loathtokillhisson.Forthefirsttimeinhislife,hewasunsurewhattodo.

Rafi, grunting in frustration, stepped forward himself.He threw back hishood,reachedout,andraisedbothpalmsforThorgrin.

AscarletlightshotfromhishandandswirledaroundThor,embracinghim.Rafi screamed, shaking his hands violently, and the light grew thicker andthicker.

Finally,Thor,immersedinthecircleoflight,sloweddownhiskilling,thenstopped and sank to his knees. He reached up for his head, screaming, thenslumpeddownandlaythere,unconscious.

Andronicuscameandstoodoverhim,Rafibesidehim.Despiteeverything,itpainedhimtoseehissonlyingthere.

“Youkepthimalive?”Andronicusasked.Itwasmoreofawarningthanaquestion.

“Reluctantly,”Rafianswered.“Ishebackonourside?”Andronicusasked,hopefully.“Fornow,”Rafisaid.“Therewasalapseinhiswill.Hehasaverystrong

will,strongerthanIhaveeverencountered.Idon’tknowhowlongIcancontrolhim.Itisdangeroustokeephimalive.Ihavetoldyouthisalready.Youmustkillhimnow.”

Andronicusshookhishead.

“Heisbacktoourside,”hesaid,“hewillnotlapseagain.”Rafiscowled.“Yourweaknessforyoursonisgoingtogetusallkilled.Iwarnyou:ifyou

donotkillhimyourself,thensomeday,Iwill.”AndronicusturnedtoRafiandreddened.“Icarenotwhatpoweryouwield,”hesaid.“Speaktomethiswayagain,

andImyselfwillcastyoudowntothelowestringofhell.”Rafiturnedandstormedoff.Andronicus, riled, stoodoverhis son, lookeddownathimandwondered.

WasThor’sloveforhimreal?OrwasitduetoRafi’sspell?“Shall we shackle him, my lord?” an Empire general asked, coming up,

holdingshackles.Andronicusshovedthegeneralhardinthechest,knockinghimback.“Killhim,”Andronicusordered,pointingtothegeneral.SeveralEmpiresoldierscamerunningoveranddraggedaway theEmpire

general,whostaredback,confused.Andronicus knelt down, picked up his son, and carried him gently in his

arms.“Itisokay,Thornicus,”hesaidsoftly,ashecarriedhimoff.“Youarewith

yourfatheragainnow.”Andronicus would carry him to the finest tent and give him the finest

sleepingquarters.HewascertainRafi’s spellwouldhold this time.TomorrowwouldbethefinalbattlewithThor’speople,andAndronicusneededhim.OnceThor had killed his own, Andronicus was certain, there would be no turningback.

Thorwouldbehisforever.

CHAPTERTWENTYEIGHT

Kendrick raised his shield and dropped to one knee, as blow after blowrained down upon him. He stood in the thick of the battle, completelysurrounded by Empiremen, three of them, large brutes, charging at him, andslamming down at his shieldwith their battle axes and hammers. The ring ofmetal reverberated inhisears,andhiswristswerebruisedasheheldback theblows,pouringdown,oneaftertheother.Theywerefierce,andhisarmsshook.

Kendrick defeated many combatants here today, but his men were toooutnumbered by the fresh Empire reinforcements. At this point, he was justholdingonfordearlife;hebarelyhadthestrengthtoparry.Heknewhewouldnotbeabletolastmuchlonger.

Notfaraway,Erec,Bronson,andSrogfoughtbrilliantly,too,yettheywereinthesamepredicament:allofthemweregettingtired,increasinglysurroundedbyEmpiremen,unabletogathermomentumandfightback.Theywerenowalljustdefending,fightingforsurvival.

AllaroundKendrickmenwerebeginningtofall,theirscreamsringingout,MacGils,Silver,Silesians,andMcClouds.Thetideofbattlehadturnedagainstthem,andKendrickmomentarilyclosedhiseyes,sweatdrippingintothem,andfelt his moments were numbered. He knew he should be grateful: he had, atleast,gothiswish:hewoulddiefighting,onhisfeet,asatruewarrior,defendinghishomeland.Itwouldbeanobledeath,onethatanywarriorwouldwishfor.

AsKendrickheldback theblows,he thoughtheheard adistantnoise; atfirsthe thoughthewas imagining it. It sounded likeadistant rumbling, likeaherdofhorsescharging.

Soon, it grewmore intense.The ground began to tremble, then to shake.And then, therecame thescreamsofmen.Butnothismen—Empiremen.Allaround him, Empire soldiers began to turn and flee. Soon, the blows stoppedrainingdownonKendrick,asthemenfightinghimturnedandran.

Kendrickwasconfused.Heturnedtoseewhatthecommotionwas,andashelookedupatthemountainside,hesawasightthathewouldneverforgetforaslongashelived.Heblinkedseveraltimes,tryingtocomprehendit.

There, charging down the steep mountainside, were at least a thousandbulls,hugeredanimals,racingdown,lividwithrage,andheadingrightintothethickofEmpiresoldiers.Theygoredmenleftandrightwiththeirhorns,andthebattlefieldturnedredwithblood.Allof theEmpiresoldiersontheoutskirtsofthebattlefield,totheirbadfortune,werekilledbytheanimals.

Yet still more animals charged down, a never-ending stream, tramplingmen, rushing deeper and deeper into the field of battle, trampling as manysoldiers as they could. Some of his own men fell, too, but, being sooutnumbered,itwasmostlyEmpire.

Kendrick could hardly believe it: of all the crazy things he had seen inbattle,thishadtobethecraziest.Theyhadallbeengivenasecondchance.

As Kendrick looked up into the rising second sun, he saw another sightwhichastoundedhim,evenmore so: there, leading thechargeof thousandsofsoldiers,wasnoneother thanhisyoungerbrother,Godfrey, flankedbyAkorthandFulton.Theyrodeclumsily,likewarriorsunusedtobattle,yetstilltheyrode,racingdowntheslope,followingthebulls,andbringingthousandsofmenwiththem.

Kendricksmiledwide.Hisbrotherhadarrivedafterall.This was the opportunity Kendrick had been waiting for, and he was

determinedtoseizeit.Kendrick,alongwithErec,Bronson,andSrog,turnedandchargedfortheEmpire,reinvigorated,screamingagreatbattlecry.

Behindhimhismenrallied,thetideofbattlechangingyetagain,astheyallrushed forward into the thick of the fleeing Empire soldiers and fought back,killinghundreds,whiledoingtheirbesttododgethebulls.Godfrey’smenjoinedthefray,andtheyallfoughttogether,pushingbacktheEmpiremen.

Theychasedthemallthewaythroughthevalley,slaughteringmenleftandright.Soon, theyhadmanaged toeven theodds,no longer sooutnumberedastheywerebefore.Beforelongtheywereclearlywinning,outnumberingeventheremainingEmpiremen.

Kendrick’sheart poundedwith joy ashe realized theyweregoing towinthis battle after all, thanks toGodfrey and his bulls.He shook his head as hefought,smilingtohimself.Leaveituptohisyoungerbrothertofindsomecraftywaytowinthiswar.

AstheychasedtheEmpiremenaroundabend,finishingofftheremnants,anewvistaopenedup, andKendrick suddenly stopped short, alongwith all theothers,atwhathesaw.

There,onthehorizon,ridingtofacetheminbattle,wasyetanotherdivisionofEmpiremen.ManythousandsmorethanKendrickhad.

Yetthatwasnotwhatdeterredhim.Whatmadehimstop,madehimfreezeinhistracks,wasthepersonleadingthecharge.

There,ridingoutfront,swordheldhigh,wasoneof themenhecaredformostintheworld:Thorgrin.

Kendrick’s greatest fear had come true: their time to meet in battle hadcome.

CHAPTERTWENTYNINE

GwendolynwalkedinawethroughtheValleyofTrappedSouls,theendlessmazeof frozenbodies,Alistair,Steffen,andAbertholbesideher,Krohnatherfeet, snarling. They were all on edge. It was the most eerie and desolatelandscape that Gwen had ever entered. Every twenty feet or so another icecapsule protruded from the earth, each perhaps ten feet high, and just wideenoughtocontainabody.Theywere translucent,and insideeachGwensawafrozenbody,staringoutwithanexpressionofagony.

“Whatisthisplace?”Steffenasked.“Theyarealltrappedsouls,”Abertholremarked.“Destinedtoliveoutthe

restof theirdayshere.”Aberthol’svoice shookwithexhaustionashewalked,leaningonhis staff, the soundof it clickingon the ice floor theonly thing tobreakthesilence.“Itappearsinmanyoftheancientbooks.Ineverknewitreallyexisted.And Inever thought to layeyesupon it inmy lifetime.Thenagain, IneverthoughtI’dtakeajourneysuchasthisatmyage.”

“Butwhoarethesepeople?”Steffenpressed.“Thisplaceisasortofpurgatory,”Abertholsaid,“aplacewherethoseof

themagicracearebroughttobetrapped.Punished.Toserveouttheirsentence.”“Forhowlong?”Alistairasked, lookingup inwonder.Sheexaminedone

face, of a young girl, trapped behind the ice, face pressed up against it in anexpressionofsadness.

“For some, it could be centuries,”Aberthol replied. “Their experience oftimeisdifferentthanours.”

“WhatdidArgondotodeservesuchasentence?”Steffenasked.Gwendolyn felt overwhelmed by guilt as she pondered the question. She

hadbeenthinkingthesameexactthing,thinkinghowguiltyshefeltthatArgonwashereonheraccount.Andhowhumbledwithgratitudeshewastoimaginethathewouldriskallofit,wouldriskbeingputinthisplace,tosaveherlife.

“Heviolatedthesacredlaw,”Gwensaidsoftlytotheothers.“Heinterferedinhumanaffairs tohelpme.Hesavedmylife.Seeingthis,Iwishhehadn’t.Iwould have rather died on the battlefield that day than to see him suffer thisway.”

“Do not blame yourself,” Alistair said, placing a hand on her shoulder.“Remember,Argonhadhisowndestiny, too.Maybe itwashisdestiny tohelpyou.”

Gwenhadneverconsideredthat,andAlistair’swords,asalways,provided

herasenseofsolace.Still,shefeltriddenwithguilt,anddeterminedtofindhim—andfreehim.Shewouldmakewrongsright,nomatterwhatshehadtodo.

“Hewillnotbehereforever,”Gwendolynsaidbackfirmly.“What’sdonecanbeundone.”

GwenturnedtoAberthol.“Can’tit?”sheasked,hopeful.“Can’ttrappedsoulsbefreed?”Abertholsighed,andlookeddowngrimly.“I’veneverheardofanyonebeingfreedfromtheValleyofSouls,”hesaid.

“Idon’tknowhowit’spossible. Idon’tevenknowhowyouaregoing to findhim.”

Gwendolynwaswonderingthesamethingastheyallmarchedthroughthevalley, larger than any cemetery she’d ever seen, tens of thousands of frozenfigures before them, like monuments to some other world. It was eerie andhaunting.Agaleofwindrushedthrough,freezinghertothebone,andshepulledherfurstighter.

Gwencouldnotevenseewherethevalleyended,anditcouldtakemonthstowalkthroughthisland.Shewasbeginningtofeelhopeless.ShehadnoideahowtheywouldeverfindArgonhere.

Please,father,shepleadedsilently.Pleasehelpme.Gwen thought of her dad,KingMacGil, of howmuchhe’d lovedher, of

howmuchshe’dmissedhim.She’dneverfeltmorealone.Shewishedhecouldbebyherside,thathecouldguideheragain,couldhelpher.Whyhadhehadtoleaveheralonewithallofthis?Whycouldn’thejustbetheretohelphernow?

Gwenheardascreech,highupinthesky,andshelookedupwithsurprisetoseealonebird,circling.Atfirstshecouldnotseeitwell,amidsttheclouds;butthenitlowered,andscreechedagain,andherheartsoaredassherecognizedit:herfather’sbird.Estopheles.

Estophelesdovedownlow,screeching,circlingthem.Shedovedownlow,thenroseup,circlingagainandagain,andGwendolynfeltshewastryingtogivethemamessage.Sheflewofftooneside,divingandrising,spreadingherwings,and Gwendolyn felt more and more certain she was trying to tell themsomething.ThatEstopheleswastryingtoleadthemsomewhere.

Gwenhadathrillassherealized:perhapsherprayershadbeenanswered.PerhapsshewasleadingthemtoArgon.

“She is telling us something,” Gwendolyn said to the others. “We mustfollowher.”

Gwendolynturnedandheadedoffinanotherdirection,followingher.Shemarchedquickly throughthevalley,andtheothersfell inbehindher.

Shelookedup,watchingthesky,weavingherwaybetweentheicecapsules,all

the trapped souls. She looked up at the faces, the bodies as she went, eachcapsuleholdingamoreexoticcreature.Notallwerehuman.Someofthemwereof races she had never seen. Thereweremen andwomen, young and old, incloaks and robes. She wondered what they had all done to be sentenced andimprisonedhere.Itwaslikeavastarmyoftheundead.Insomeways,though,itwasworsethandying.Here,theyallseemedstuckinanawfulstate—notalive,andnotdead,either.

Gwendolynwalkedandwalked, thecoldso intense itwas freezingher tothe bone. She was feeling herself slowing down, sick from hunger, fromexhaustion.Estophelesflewandflew,sometimesgoingoutofsight,andGwenbegantowonderifshewereimaginingitall, ifshewerebeingledtotherightplace.

She wondered if this would ever end. She felt an intense pain in herstomach,feltherbaby,Thor’sbaby,turningoveragainandagain,andwonderedwhatwouldbecomeofthem.Shehadavisionofherselfcollapsing,beingfrozenintheice,andneverrisingagain,neverbeingfound.

Estopheles suddenly screeched, snapping her out of it, and dove straightdown, to a patch of ice around the bend, perhaps a hundred yards away. Shelandedatopofasoleicecapsule,turnedtoGwenandscreeched.

Gwendolynsummonedherlastbitofenergy,walkingtowardsitasquicklyasshecould,whensuddenlyshedroppedtoherkneesinpainandfeltanawfultwingeinherstomach.Shecriedoutinagony,barelyabletocatchherbreathasanintensepainshotthroughher.Shebreathedandbreathed,andfeltlikecrying,moresoforherbabythanforherself.Sheprayedhewasallright.

Gwenfeltacomfortinghandbeneatheachofherarms,andlookedovertoseeAlistairhelpingherupononeside,andSteffenontheother.Abertholwashuffingtocatchuphimself,severalfeetbehind.Krohncameover,andlickedherface,whining.

Clearly,thistrekhadtakenatremendoustollonher,onallofthem.Theyall looked more dead than alive. And Gwendolyn felt such pain, she almostwishedsheweredead.

“Areyouwell,mylady?”Alistairasked.Gwendolynheldontoher tight,waiting for thepain topass, tobeable to

breatheagain.Finally,slowly,itdid.Alistairdrapedonearmoverhershoulder,andtheyallbegantowalkagain.AsGwendolyn tookone step after the next,making herway through the

fields, slowly the pain subsided. She looked up and saw Estopheles on thehorizon,andwasdeterminedtogetthere.

Finally,weavingtheirwaybetweenthecapsules,theyreachedtheonethat

Estopheles was perched on. She sat up there proudly, spreading her wings,screechingdownatthem.

Gwendolynlethereyesfall,herheartpoundingwithanticipation,andherheartracedasshesawwhowastrappedinside.

Standingthere,insidetheice,eyesclosed,handsathissides,wasArgon.Gwencouldhardlybreathe.Shehadfoundhim.Gwen stepped closer, until she was standing a foot away, and slowly

reachedoutwithherpalmandtouchedtheice.Shefelttheice-coldenergyrushthroughher.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked up and stared into Argon’sclosedeyes,athisfrozenbody.Argon,oneofthemostpowerfulpeopleshehadeverencountered.Advisor tokingsforcenturies.Now,relegated to this.Gwenfelthorribletoseehimlikethis,likeatrappedanimal—andallonheraccount.

“Argon,”shecalledout.“Answerme.”Gwen’svoicewasfilledwithgrief.Asshecried,shenolongerknewif it

was forArgon, orherunborn son, orher father, orThorgrin, or herself.Griefengulfedherandshecouldnolongerthinkclearly.

Argondidnotanswer.Hedidnotevenmove.Heseemedfrozenforever.“Youmustcomebacktous,”shesaid.Stillhedidnotreply.Hejuststoodthere,frozen,asiflostinanotherworld.“Argon,Ineedyou!”shecalledout,moredesperate.“TheRingneedsyou.

Thorgrinneedsyou.Please.Talktome.”Gwendolynpressedherfaceupagainsttheice,clutcheditwithbothhands,

andasshedid,shefeltherbabyturningagainandagain.Yet still,nothinghappened. It seemedArgonwas lost toher forever.Had

shemadeamistaketocomehere?Gwen, determined, stepped back and drew her sword from her belt. She

raisedithighandslashedattheicewithallhermight,determinedtofreehim.Butitmerelybouncedoffharmlessly,theicenotevenchipped.Steffen,followinghercue,steppedforwardandfiredarrowsatit.Butthese

allbouncedoffharmlessly,too.GwendolynturnedtoAlistair,desperate.“Dosomething,”shepleaded.“Youareadruid.Youhavepower.I’veseen

yourpower.”“Whatwouldyouhavemedo?”sheasked.“Breakthecapsule.Melttheice.Dosomething!”Alistair stepped forward, closed her eyes, and held out her palm. She

muttered something in a languageGwendolyn did not understand,with a lowhummingnoise,andaimedherpalmattheice.

Ayellowlightstreamedfromherpalm,fortheicecapsule.ButtoGwen’ssurpriseitbouncedback,andthelightsoondisappeared.Alistairpulledherhandback,asifstung.“I’msorry,”Alistairsaid.“Theseare forcesmorepowerful thanI’veever

seen.TheyarefargreaterthanI.”Gwenstoodthere,staring,crushed.Shehadcomeallthiswayfornothing.

There was nothing more she could do. Argon was trapped forever. And shewouldneverbeabletofreeThor.

Estopheles screeched, flappedherwings, and tookoff into the sky.Soon,shedisappeared,too.

Gwenfeltherwholelifeslippingawayfromher.Gwen,weakwithexhaustion,attheendofherrope,droppedtoherknees

beforetheicecapsule.Sheclosedhereyesandprayed.God,ifyouhearme,Ipraytoyou.NottoArgon.Nottotheland.Nottothe

sky.Nottomanygods.Buttoyou,andyoualone.ThereisonlyoneGod,andIturntoyounow,inmytimeofneed.Ipraytoyou,Ibegyou,releaseArgon.Youcantakemeinstead.JustreleaseArgon.AndsaveThorgrin.

Gwendolynkneltthere,withhereyesclosed,veryquietandstill,trembling.Thelandwasverystillandquiet,nothingbut thehowlingof thewindpassingthrough.

Then,slowly,shebegantohearafaintvoiceinsideherhead.Gwendolyn,Godhasheardyou.ItwasArgon’svoice.Gwen opened her eyes and looked back at Argon. He remained there,

frozen,unmoving,eyesclosed.“Didyouhearthat?”GwenaskedAlistair.“Herewhat?”Alistairsaid.Gwenrealizedthatnooneelsehadheardit.Itwasavoicejustforher.Was

shelosinghermind?Orwasitreal?Gwen leaned her face and hands against the ice, closed her eyes and

listened.Iamlostinanotherworldnow,Argonsaidtoher.Icanbefree,butonlyfor

agreatprice.Itisnotyourlifethatwillbetheprice.Butthelifeofsomeoneveryclosetoyou.Eitherthelifeofyourhusband-to-be,orthelifeofyourson.Whomdoyouchoose?

Gwendolynbegantosob,overwhelmedwithgrief.“HowcanImakesuchachoice?”shecalledback.Allthingscomewithasacrifice.Gwenclosedhereyes,crying,andslowly,shebecameveryquietandstill.

Shehadtochoose.Shehadto.Inside,shemadeherchoice.Asagonizingasitwas,sheansweredquietly,

inherownmind.Therecameasuddencrackingnoise,andGwenopenedhereyesandlooked

upinshock.She stoodand steppedback, as the ice shehadbeen leaningonbegan to

crack in her hands. The ice capsule began to crack, in a hundred places, allaroundArgon.Soon,itshattered,andfelltothefloor.

Gwenstoodthere,speechlessasshewatched.Theyallsteppedbackinawe,asthecrackinggrewlouder.

Soon,theicewasgone.NothingstoodbetweenherandArgon,whostoodthere,handsathissides,perfectlystill.

Hiseyes flewopen.Hestaredbackather,witha lightmore intense thananyshehadeverseen.Itwaslikestaringatthesun.

Argonhadreturned.Shecouldnotbelieveit.Argonwasalive.

CHAPTERTHIRTY

Godfrey charged into battle with a great battle cry, Akorth and Fultonbesidehim,thousandsofhismenclosebehind.Heroderecklesslyintotheheartofdanger,followingthebulls,toKendrick,Erec,Bronson,andSrog,determinedtoassistthem.Godfrey’sheartthumpedwithfear,buthewasproudofhimselffornot turningback.Hehadnever felt soafraidofhis life;everythingaroundhimbecameablur,andhecouldtastehisownsweatasitrolleddownhischeek.

Ifthiswaswhatbattlefeltlike,hehatedit.Heneverwantedtoexperienceit again.Tohim it felt like a controlled state of panic.His hands shook as heraised a swordwith one hand and charged for the enemy, screamingmore tocoveruphisownfear.Whydomenputthemselvesthroughthis?hewondered.He would much rather be back at home, drinking ale, chasing women, andmakingfunofotherwarriorswhowastedtheirdaysonthebattlefield.

Yetdespiteitall,herehewas.Herodealongsidethemall,headlongintoawhirlwindofchaos,expectingatanymoment tobeknockedoffhishorseandkilled.Foronceinhis life,hedidnotcare.Foronceinhis life,hefelthewaspartofsomethingbiggerthanhimself,biggerthanhisfears.Foronce,hereallylet himself go. He was being overcome by a sense of abandon, and it wascarryinghimthrough.

Godfrey, dodging bulls, rounded the bend, and as he did, his fearintensified,asahugedivisionofEmpiremenappearedbeforehim,chargingataspeedwhichwasblindingtohim.Hegulped.Godfreyhaddonehisjobwellinreleasingthebulls,andhewassurprisedhiscrazyplanhadworkedaswellasithad.ButnowthathesawthisnewEmpiredivisionapproaching,hefeltitwasallfornothing.Theywereabouttodieanywayatthehandsofthisvastlysuperiorforce,thatmuchwasclear.

Scaringhimmostofallwas thesightof theperson leading thecharge. Itmadehiskneesgoweak.There,rightbeforehim,wasamanhehadthoughtofasabrother.Thorgrin.Godfreycouldnotbelieveit:Thorwaschargingrightforthem. He looked possessed, bigger and stronger than ever, charging for themwith blinding force, with a sword that Godfrey did not recognize. It had themarkingsof theEmpire, andThorwielded it as if itwere alive.He rodeas ifborneonwingsoflightning.

Godfreybracedhimself,asherealizedhewasrightinThor’spath.Whyhe,ofallpeople?

“Thor!” Godfrey screamed out as they got closer, hoping maybe Thor

wouldrecognizethem,wouldlowerhisarms,wouldturnsomeotherway.Butitdidnotwork.Thor’seyeslookedpossessed,andhechargedrightfor

him.Godfrey raised his shield with both hands, bracing himself for an awful

blow.Thorboredownonhimandraisedhisswordhigh,scowling,andGodfrey

knewhewasfinished.Godfreybecame sonervous that he flinched in advance, and accidentally

twistedandslidsideways,beginninganawkwardfalloffhishorse.Thataccidental twist savedhim.AsThorswunghissword, it justmissed

Godfrey, the sword connecting with Godfrey’s shield instead of his head. Itimpactedwithagreatclang,andsentGodfreyfallingoffhishorseforgood.

Godfreywent flying off his horse and landed on the groundwith a hardthud, thewind knocked out of him, rolling in the dirt, gasping for breath, hisheadringing.Herolledandrolled,andfinallystoppedandliftedhishead.

Allaroundhimwasthestampedeofathousandhorses,ridingeverywhichway—andasheraisedhischin,thelastthinghesawwasahorse’shoof,comingrightdownforhisforeheadandknockinghimoutforgood.

*Andronicuswaspleased towatchThornicusback tohisold self, fighting

with abandon, leading the charge and cutting hisway through the field of hisfellow countrymen. On the front lines of those riding out to meet him werehundredsofMcClouds,foolishenoughtothinktheycoulddefeathisson.

Thorwieldedhisweaponlikeathingoffury,killingahalf-dozenmeninasinglestroke.ThefieldranredwiththebloodoftheRing,theMcCloudsfallingatThor’sfeet.

Andronicussmiled,satisfied—andthenchargedintothefrayhimself.Wieldingathree-headedflail,Andronicusswungits longchainandfound

targetaftertarget,smashingtheenemy,knockingoffheadsleftandright.Hewastoo tall, too strong, too fast for all of them, and he cut a path of death rightthrough.He grinnedwide, taking it all in.He hadn’t had thismuch fun in hedidn’tknowhowlong.AsAndronicusfoughtwithabandon,hetooksatisfactioninknowingthathefacedthelastremnantoftheRing’sforces;afterthisbattle,theRingwouldfinallybehis.

Andronicus spotted one of their leaders—Kendrick—charging for himfearlessly.Thiswarriorwas reckless indeed ifhe thoughthecould takeon theGreatAndronicus.Andronicusscreamedandkickedhishorse,andmenpartedasthetwogreatwarriorschargedeachotherinanopenclearing.

AndronicusswunghisflailforKendrick’shead,expectingtofinishhimoff.

But he was surprised to discover that Kendrick was not like the others he’dfought: he was faster, more agile. He ducked Andronicus’ blow, then parriedwithhissword,sofastthatheevenmanagedtosliceAndronicus’sforearm.

Andronicus screamed out, more in surprise than pain. He had not beenbestedinbattleinaverylongtime.

Butthepainonlymadehimfocus.Hehadbeenover-confident,andhenowrealizedthatKendrickwasunliketheothers.

Andronicuswieldedhisflail,swingingitaround,aiminglowthistime,forKendrick’shorse.

The metal studded ball impacted on Kendrick’s horse’s head, making itstumble.

Kendrick, caught off-guard, did not see it coming, and as he leanedforward, trying to steady his horse,Andronicus lunged forwardwith a hiddendaggerattheendofhisgauntletandslicedKendrickacrossthechest.

Kendrick cried out, but spun around with his shield and smashedAndronicusacrosstheface,somethingAndronicushadnotanticipated.

Andronicusstumbledback;inthesamemotionhereachedover,grabbedashortspearhehadhiddeninhissaddle,spunandhurleditatKendrick.

ThespearembeddeditselfinKendrick’sshoulder,andKendrickscreamedout,grabbingforit.

AndronicusleanedforwardandsmashedKendrickwithhisshieldwithallhismight,hittinghisjawandknockinghimoffhishorse,spearinhisshoulder.

Kendricklandedonthegroundhard,immobile.Hishorsewentdownwithhim.Andronicusfeltmoresatisfactionthanhehadinyears.

Andronicuscircledaround,preparingtofinishhimoff.Butasheraisedhisspear high, he was attacked by several of Kendrick’s men, and was soondistracted in fighting them.Outof thecornerofhiseye,he sawKendrick rollawayandheadofftoanotherbattle.

Anothertime,Andronicustoldhimself.Kendrickwould,soonerorlater,diebyhishand.

*Bronsonfoughtwithallhehad,choosing to foregohisshieldand instead

wieldingaswordwithhisgoodhand.Hefoughtasbesthecouldwithonehand,andwithhisother,hewieldedaflail,grippingontoitwiththehookonhisstub.He fought like a man possessed, doing his best to defend the Ring. He rodeforward, fightingvaliantlybesideSrog, the twoof themback toback, as theyfelleddozensofEmpiremenineachdirection.

“BRONSON!”screamedoutavoice.Bronsonrecognizedthatvoiceanywhere.Itsentachillthroughhisspine.

He turned and saw, amidst a group of Empire soldiers, his nemesis. Hisfather.McCloud.Themonster.Themanwhohadtakenhishandfromhim.Themanhehatedmorethananythinginlife.

Bronson screamed and kicked his horse and charged for his father.McCloud charged back, like a demon possessed, missing one eye, his facedisfigured,theemblemoftheEmpireburnedintoit.Hehadbecomeahideouscreature,evenmorehideousthanhehadbeen.

Heretheywere,Bronsonthought,fatherandson,finallyfacingoff,finallyembracing the inevitable. ItwasadayBronsonhad longbeenwaiting for.Hewouldwipeouthisfather’snameifhecould.Andifnot,hewouldatleastsendhisfathertohell.Itwasthevengeancehe’dcontemplatedeverydayashelookeddownandsawhisstumpforahand.

“FATHER!”Bronsonscreamedback.Bronsonchargedwithavengeance,raisinghisswordhigh,ashisfatherlet

outacrytomatchhisown.Thetwometinthemiddleofanopenclearing,Empiresoldiersparting,and

McCloudswunghisbattleaxe,withbothhands,shrieking,aimingtotakeoffhisson’shead.

Bronson ducked at the last second, swung around with his flail, andmanagedtosmashhisfatherinthebackofthehead.

McCloudstumbledandfellfromhishorse.Bronson wasted no time: he circled around and jumped to the ground,

facing his father on foot, as his father slowly stood, wobbly, disoriented.Bronsonbroughthissworddownwithonehand,andMcCloudraisedhisshieldand blocked it.ButBronson slashed again and again, eventually knocking hisfather’sshieldfromhisgrasp.Thenheleanedbackandkickedhim.

Hisfatherstumbledandlandedonhisback,hurt,slowtogetup.Bronson stood over him, breathing hard, and stepped up and placed one

footonhisfather’sthroat.McCloudgaspedforair,andBronsonraisedthepointofhisswordandheld

ittohisfather’swrist.“Youtookmyhand,father,”Bronsonsaid.“Ishouldtakeyours.Infact, I

shouldkillyou.”Bronsonsighed.“ButIwillnotsinksolow.Ihavemorehonorthanyou.Iwillinsteadtakeyou,unharmed,asmyprisoner.Doyouyield?”

McCloudstruggled,gaspingforair,thenfinallynoddedyes.BronsonslowlyremovedthetipofhisswordfromMcCloud’swrist.“Turnoverandputyourhandsbehindyourback,”Bronsoncommanded.McClouddidso,andashedid,Bronsonreacheddowntoclasphisfather,

removinghisextrasetofshacklesathiswaist.

But as he reached down,McCloud suddenly spun, grabbed a handful ofdirt,threwitinBronson’seyes.

Bronsonshrieked,raisinghishandstohiseyesanddroppinghisshackles.McCloudswungaroundandelbowedBronsoninthegroinashardashecould.

Bronsondroppedtotheground,inagony.McCloudstoodoverhim,grabbinghimbythehaironthebackofhishead.“It’sgoodtoseeyouagain,son,”McCloudsaid.McCloudraisedhisknee,andloweredBronson’sface,andacracksplitthe

airashebrokehisson’snose.Bronsontastedblood,andthelastthinghesawwasthegroundcomingup

fast,toofast,togreethim.*

Thor charged through the battlefield, unstoppable, killing scores ofMcCloudswhorodeouttoattackhisfather.Hecutthroughthem,fasterthananyofthemcouldreact,determinedtoprotecthim.Thatwasallthatmatterednow.Andronicus—andcrushingalloftheseopponentsintheRing.

Thor couldnot stophimself.He felt possessed, in the controlof apowergreaterthanhe.Hisswordpracticallyswungitself.

Thorlookedoverandsawhisfather,notfaraway,knockKendrickoffhishorse—andforthefirsttime,Thorblinked.Forabriefmoment,somelong-lostpart of him stirred inside; for a flash, a part of him recognizedKendrick.Hecouldnotrememberfromwhere.Forjustamoment,apartofhimwasconfusedaboutwhohewasfightingfor.

ButthenThorfeltaboltofenergy,andheturnedtoseeRafi,ridingclosebehind,raisinghisfingersinhisdirection.Thorfeltanintensewaveofenergyengulf him,making it impossible to think.He felt a titanic struggle occurringwithinhimforcontrol,forfreewill.Andthenhefelthimselfsubsumedbyafog.

AsThor looked back toKendrick, he no longer recognized him.Hewasjust another one of his father’s endless opponents, another one of these rebelswhowouldnotcedetheRing.

There came a fierce battle cry, one different from the others, and Thorturnedtoseeawarriorchargingforhim.Othersoldierspartedways,creatingawideclearingforthem,andtheknightstoppedbeforeThorandfacedhim.Therecame a momentary lull in the battle, as others turned to watch. Clearly, thisknight,whomeverhewas,wasanimportantpersonontheMacGilside.

“Thorgrin! It is I,Erec!”boomed theknight, sittingproudlyonhishorse.“Youarenotyourself. Idonotwant to fightyou. I askyou to laydownyourarms.Laydownyourarmsandjoinourcause!”

Thorfelthimselfflushwithrage.Whowasthisstrangertotellhimwhatto

do?“Ilaydownmyarmsfornoone!”Thoryelledback,defiant.Thorwastednotime:hechargedforward,raisedhisswordhigh,andthere

cameaclashofswords,asheandErecsparredfuriously,backandforth,goingblowforblow,neithergaininganinch.

Finally,ThordodgedoneofErec’sblowsandthendovefromhishorseandtackledhimtotheground.

The two of them rolled on the ground, wrestling, neither gaining theadvantage. Finally, Thor rolled out fromunder him and they gained their feetagain.

They faced each other, and a wide clearing opened around them, all theotherwarriorsstoppingtowatch.

“Thorgrin,Iimploreyou!”Ereccalledout,breathinghard,bloodonhislip.“ItisI,Erec!”

Thor screamed and charged, sword raised high. Their swords clashed asthey fought hand-to-hand, going blow for blow, shield striking sword strikingshield,backandforth,perfectlymatched.Neithercouldgaintheadvantage.

Thor was surprised by this knight’s power and agility; he had neverencounteredanyonelikehim.

“ItisI,Erec!”hesaid,upclose,groaning,astheirswordsmetandlocked.“Youknowme,Thorgrin.”

Thorgrunted,scowling.“MynameisThornicus!”Thoryelled,unlockinghissword.They jabbed and slashed and parried, back and forth, until Thor’s arms

weregrowingtired,neithergaininganinch.“You were my squire once, Thorgrin,” Erec said. “I helped train you. I

woulddoanythingforyou.Anything.Thorgrin,itisI,Erec.”Thormomentarilypaused, something inhiswords strikingachord.Fora

passingmomenthewasconfused,voicesinhisheadstrugglingwitheachother,asThortriedtounderstand,toknowwherehewas,whohewas.Whowasthismanhewasfighting?

“Erec?”Thorasked.SuddenlyRafiappearedbesideThor,andheletoutanawfulgurglingnoise

from the back of his throat as he raised his hands and directed them towardsThor.

Thor felt himself engulfed in an awful energy, and a desperate rageovercamehimasheturnedandsethissightsonErec.

Thistime,hedidnotrecognizeErec.Notatall.Hewasafoe,andnothingmore.

Thorraisedhisswordhighandcharged,bloodinhiseyes,determinedthistimetowipethismanoffthefaceoftheearth.

CHAPTERTHIRTYONE

Romulusgallopedacrossthecountryside,headingeast,awayfromallthesoldiers,awayfromtheentireEmpirearmy.Luandawasseatedonthefrontofthe horse, and she still struggled, despite his muscular arms wrapped aroundtight around herwaist.Hewas surprised at her strength. Evenwith the ropesbindingher,evenwithhishugearms,hehadahardtimekeepingherstill.Shewaslikeabuckinghorse.Shewanteddesperatelytobefree—buthecouldnotlether.

Romulus rode the horse ever faster, kicking it until it protested in pain,knowing he had tomake theEasternCrossing, get back to the other side andbringLuandawithhim.Hismagiccloaklayatthereadyathiswaist.

RomuluswasstillsmartingfromhisdefeatatthehandofAndronicus’men,somethinghehadneveranticipated.HehadbeensurehewouldtakeAndronicusbysurpriseandtakeovertheRing.Butintheend,Romulushadbeenluckytoescapewithhislife,eventhoughhe’dhadtoturnandflee,alone,forthesafetyoftheCanyon.

Buthehadhisprizenow,andthatwasallthatmattered.Luanda.AMacGil.ThefirstbornMacGil,noless.

Romulusprayed that the legendof the cloakwas true, that as soonashecrossedtheCanyonwithher,theShieldwouldshatter,andhismillionsofmenwaiting outside the Canyon could come rushing in. This time, he would leadthemtocompleteanduttervictoryagainstAndronicus,andcrushtheRing.ThenRomulus would be Supreme Commander, and there would be no one andnothinglefttostophim.

Romuluswassoclosenow,hecouldalmosttasteit.They rode and rode, across the empty, frozen plains, until finally the

Eastern Crossing came into view, the high pillars of its entrancemarking thehorizon. Romulus’ horse was near exhaustion, but he kicked even harder,digginghisheelsin.Hisdestinywascloseathand,andheintendedtograbholdofit.

Romulusrecalledthat,forthecloaktowork,he’dhavetocrosstheCanyonwiththeMacGilonfoot.AshereachedthebaseoftheCanyon,theentrytothebridge,hestoppedabruptly,dismounted,grabbedLuanda,andyankedherdownwithhim.

Somehow, evenwith her hands bound,Luandamanaged to slip out fromunderhimandbeforehecouldreact,shebegantorunacrossthelandscape.

Inarage,Romulusreactedquickly,grabbingthewhipfromhissaddleandlashingoutather,wrappingitaroundherankles.

Luandashriekedashelashedheranklestogether,andshefellfacefirsttotheground.

Romuluspulledher roughly towardshim,draggingher along theground.He reacheddown,grabbedherwithonehand, liftedherhigh into the air, andscowledupather.

“IfyouwerenotaMacGil,Iwouldkillyourightnow,”heseethed.Luandagrimacedandspatinhisface.Startled,Romulusbackhandedher.Bloodsprayedfromherlips,andshefinallyseemedbroken;yetRomulus’

ragewasnotsatisfied.Hewouldtearherapartifhecould.Perhapshewould,assoonastheycrossedtheCanyon.Yes,thethoughtofthatappeasedhim.

Romulusturned,facedthebridge,anddrapedthecloakoverhisshoulders.Hefeltitbuzzing,vibrating,feltanenergyracethroughhimthathehadnotfeltbefore. He was certain it was going to work; he would single-handedly takedowntheShield.Hisheartpoundedwithanticipation.

Romulus reached down andwith one arm grabbed Luanda by the waist,hoistingherupandcarryingherthroughtheair likeanunrulychild.Hebeganmarchingwithherontothebridge.

Luandabuckedandscreamed,tryingwithallhermighttogetloose.Butheheldhertightthistime,andtherewasnoescape.

Romulustookhisfirststepontothebridge,anditfeltgood.Soonhewouldbe across; and despite all the flailing and screaming in the world, there wasnothingLuandacoulddotostophim.

Soon,theRingwouldbehis.

CHAPTERTHIRTYTWO

Gwendolyn rode beside Argon, Alistair, Aberthol, and Steffen, Krohn attheirfeet,thefiveofthemonhorseback,chargingacrossthenorthernlandscapeof theRing, racingsouth for theirhomeland, forThor.Gwenwaselated tobebackinherhomeland,backonthissideoftheRingandoutoftheNetherworld.Itwas like a dream. She had been certain she’d never findArgon, that she’dnever escape theNetherworld.Andnow, here theywere, all back home againandsoclosetobeingbackwithThor.

GwendolynkeptreplayinginhermindthemomentArgonhadopenedhiseyes,hadcomebacktoher,hadcomebacktolife.Tearsstillpoureddownhercheeksasshe thoughtof thesacrificeshehadmade, thedreadfulchoiceshe’dhadtomaketodefyfateandbringArgonback.Sheknewthatoneday,thetimewouldcometogiveupwhatshehadpromisedforArgon’slife.Thorgrin’slife,orthelifeofherchild.

Butthatday,atleast,wasnottoday.Gwen’sstomachpainedherassherode,thebabyturningandturning,ashe

hadbeeneversincethey’dfoundArgon.Ithadallbeenablur,eversinceArgonhadbeenfreed.TherevivedArgonwasmorepowerfulthanever,andheusedhispowertocastagreatbubble;Gwenandtheothersfoundthemselvescaughtupinit, floatingwithArgon in the air, skirting over the ground at faster and fasterspeed,carrying themall thewayback throughtheNetherworld, to theedgeoftheCanyon—andthenfloatingthemharmlesslyacrossit.IthadbeenshockingforGwendolyntoflythroughtheairlikethat.ItmadeherthinkofhertimewithThoronthebackofMycoples.

GwenrecalledlookingdownastheycrossedtheCanyon,marvelingattheswirlingmistsbeneathher,thedepthsoftheCanyonwhichneverseemedtoend.Shewonderediftherewasevenabottom.

Finally,ArgonhadsetthemdownbackonthissideoftheRing,hisbubblereachingtheendofitspowernowthattheywerebacksafelyonthisside.Theyhad set down near a group of wild horses they had found roaming thecountryside,andtheyhadnotstoppedridingsince.

Theyracedsouthandeast,headingforthebattlefieldwhereArgonhadtoldher he sensed a great battlewas takingplace.He’d sensed that itwas an epicbattlefortheveryheartandsouloftheRing,andthattheveryfutureoftheRingwasatstake.Surely,sheknew,thiswaswhereThormustbe.Andeveryoneelseshelovedandcaredfor.

Gwen felt a raceagainst time,desperate toget therebefore itwasall toolate,beforeThorwaskilled,oranyoneelsewhomsheloved.Shecouldsenseineveryounceofherbeingthattheywereallontheedgeofagreatcalamity.HadshebeentoolateinfindingArgon?Haditallbeenfornothing?

There came a screech high above, and she looked up to see Estopheles,circling,leadingthem.

Gwen kicked her horse harder. Beside her, Krohn snarled, and raced tocatchup.

Theyrodeandrode,crossingtheRing,hourafterhourpassing,allofthemknowingwhatwasatstakeandnoneofthemevenstoppingtocatchtheirbreath.Thesungrewlonginthesky,andGwen’stearsneverstopped.Shefeltanawfultragedywasabouttohappen.Hadshesacrificedtoomuch?

They rode deeper and deeper into unknown territory, the Highlandsloominglargeonthehorizon.Therewasasinglecitystridingthepeaks,andsherecognized it at once from the history books: Highlandia. The McCloudstronghold.Thecitybetweentwokingdoms.

On the steepmountain slopecomingdown fromHighlandia,Gwencouldseethebroadtrailofanarmychargingdown.Andasshefollowedthattrail,andcrestedaridgeherself,shefinallystopped,seeingit.Shewasshocked.

Stretched out below them, in an immense valley, were thousands ofwarriors,fightingonbothsides.Itwasthelargestbattleshehadeverseen.Onherside,sherecognizedatoncethearmorof thousandsofSilverandMacGilsandSilesians.

Butacrossthevalley,shesawtheyfacedamuchlargerarmy,avastnumberof Empire, tens of thousands of troops pouring in, and an endless stream ofreinforcementsbehindthem.Gwencouldseeevenfromherethelarger-than-lifefigureofAndronicus,hisheadrisingupinthebattlefield,wieldingtwoswordsandwreakinghavocashecuthiswaythroughthefield.Herpeoplewerefallingbythehundreds,allbeforehereyes.Theyweresimplyoutnumbered.

Worstofall, shesaw theclearing in thecenterof thebattlefield, theepicone-on-onebattlebetweentwogreatwarriorsthatalltheotherwarriorsseemedtostopandwatch.There,aloneinthecenterofthebattlefield,fightingone-on-one,washerfather’schampion,thegreatestknightoftheSilver:Erec.Normally,shewouldnotfearforhim,nomatterwhohewasupagainst.

Butasshelookedclosely,herheartstoppedandherbloodrancoldtoseehisopponent:itwasThorgrin.Herlove.

Thorlookedlikeamantransformed,fightinginablur,fasterandstrongerthanshehadeverseenhim.Hewasfightingwithallhehad,andherheartfelltorealizethatheaimedtokillErec.

WhathadhappenedtoThor?HowcouldhepossiblyfightforAndronicus?Shecouldnotcomprehendit.

Clearly,hewasundersomesortofmagicspell.GwenfeltmoreconfidentthaneverthatfindingArgonhadbeentherightthingtodo.Clearly,upagainstthis sort ofmagic, all of them, the entireRing,wouldbehelpless.Magicwasneededtofightmagic.

Gwenkickedherhorseandtheothersbesideherfollowed.Sheaimedrightforthethickofbattle,fortheclearing,forThor.ShehadtogettoThorintime.Shehadtosavehim.ShehadtosaveErec.

“Mylady,itisnotsafe!”Abertholcalledoutbesideher,astheyrode.“Youcharge forbattle!Thoseare realmen,with realweapons!Youmuststophere!YouwillnotreachThor!Youwillbekilled!”

ButGwendolyn ignoredhim.She fearednot forherownsafety.Only forThor’sandforthatoftheRing.

“IgowhereThoris,”shecalledback.“Ifearnoman’ssword.Ifyoudon’twanttofollow,donot.”

“Mylady,Iamwithyou!”Steffensaid.“AsamI!”Alistaircalledout.“Iwillfightforyou,andclearapathforyouthroughthosemen,”Steffen

calledout.“YouwillreachThorgrin!”Argonrodesilentlybesideher;hedidnotsayanything,butsheknew,she

sawfromthelookinhiseyes,thathewasreadyforbattlehimself.Gwen’sheartpoundedandherthroatwentdry,herbabyturninglikecrazy

inherstomachasshenearedtheimpactofbattle.Herearswerefilledwiththeclangofmetal,ofmen’sdeathcries,andshecouldsmellthedirtfromhere.Shebracedherselfasshegalloped,notslowingherhorse.

Gwencharged into the thickofbattle,Steffen leading thewayand takingoutseveralmenwithhisarrows.Assherode,MacGilsandSilverandSilesiansallrecognizedherandshoutedoutwithenthusiasm,rallyingtorushtoherandtopartawayforherthroughthecrowd.Shewastheirbelovedqueen,afterall,andnowshewasareturninghero,withtheirbelovedArgonfreedandatherside.

Gwendolyn charged, deeper and deeper into the thick of the battlefield,raisinghershieldtowardoffablow,herhandsshaking.Butsheneverstoppedher charge. Empire soldiers pressed in from all sides, realizing an importantpersonhad arrived and trying to attackher.One camecharging atGwendolynwithhisswordraisedhigh,makingitpastherentourage,bearingdownonher;Gwenwaitedandthendodged;hewentflyingpasther.

Another came at her, slipping through the ranks, and this time Steffenchargedforward,letlooseanarrow,andshothiminthethroat.Hefellsideways

offhishorse,dead.Yetanother slipped through,and thisoneGwenkilledherself, raisingher

daggerandstabbinghiminthethroatbeforehecouldbringhisaxedownforherhead.Hedroppedhisaxeonhisownheadandcollapsedoffhishorse.

ButthecrowdgrewthickerandthickerasshegotclosertoThor,moreandmoreEmpiremenchargingforher.HermenandSteffendidthebesttheycould,killing several of them. But she soon felt herself bumped on all sides, andsuddenly, shewas slammed on the shoulder by a shield, and knocked off herhorse.

Gwen landedhardand rolled.Shedropped toherknees,herbellykillingher,dirtinherfaceandinhernose.Gasping,GwenturnedandlookeduptoseeanEmpiresoldiergrimacing,comingdownatherwithawarhammer.

Unabletodefend,Gwenraisedherhandsandbracedherself.Thehammerstoppedinmid-air,itswielderlookingconfused.GwenlookedoverandsawAlistair,closeby,holdingoutasinglepalm,a

bluelightbetweenherandtheweapon.Alistairthenraisedherhandanddirectedthelighttowardsthesoldier.

Thesoldiersuddenlywentflyingbackwards,dozensoffeetthroughtheair,hishammerfallingtohissideharmlessly.

AlistairreachedoutahandandhelpedGwentoherfeet.Gwen turned to see several more soldiers charging to attack her, with

swords raised high, and she raised a shield and braced herself and Alistairagainsttheblows.Therecameasnarlingnoise,andKrohnracedpasther,leaptinto the air, and sunk his fangs into each soldier’s throat. Krohn pinned eachdownandviciouslyshookhishead,untilsatisfiedeachwasdead.

Krohn, snarling, stood before them, scaring back any soldierswho daredapproach and providing an opening for her. Gwendolyn saw her chance. Sheknewitwasnowornever.

Gwensprinted,dartingthroughthethickofmen,Thorgrininsightbetweenthebattlingsoldiers.

She was bumped and banged roughly in each direction, and she dodgedmorethanoneblow—butherspeedworkedforher.Shewasquick,notboggeddownbyarmor,andshemanagedtoweaveherwaythrough.

Gwen broke into the open clearing, Krohn leading the way, Steffen andAlistair right behind her, helping to deflect the blows. There he was, hardlytwentyfeetawayfromher.

Thorgrin.Gwencouldhardlybreathe,shewassoovercomewithjoytoseehim,tobe

so close to him. She wanted to rush out and give him a hug. She felt like

laughingandcryingatthesametime.Yet she was also terrified of him. Thor fought with Erec like a man

possessed.Watchingthemfight,twoofthegreatestwarriorsofalltime,waslikewatchingaworkofbeauty,thebackandforth,theswordsclanging,flashinginthe light, the speed, the agility, the power, the perfect form. They were twomastersof their art, their swords sparklingas if extensionsof them, as if theywerealive.

Dozens of soldiers stopped fighting and just stood there and watched,mesmerized.

ArgoncameupbesideGwendolyn,andashedid,heutteredoneword:“Rafi.”Gwendolynfollowedhisgaze,andsawasorcererinscarletrobesstanding

on the far side of the clearing, watching the spectacle, standing besideAndronicus,besideMcCloud.Rafiwasthemostevil-lookingcreaturethatshe’dever seen. He held out two hands towards Thor, and a scarlet light emanatedfromthem,engulfinghim.Suddenly,itallmadesense.Thorwasunderthisdarksorcerer’scontrol.

Argonsteppedforward,fearlessly,outintotheclearing,andheldoutapalmtowardsRafi.

Abluelightflewacrosstheclearing.RafiturnedtoseeArgonandhisfacecontortedwithfear.Rafilookedshockedandconfused.

“Argon,”Rafisaiddarkly.“Itcannotbe.”The two of them stepped forward, out into the clearing, walking toward

eachother,eachholdingoutapalm,eachdirectingitattheotherastheycamecloser.

Itwasasighttowatch,twosorcerers,twotitans,facingoffwitheachother,liketwomountainscolliding.Itwasamonumentalstruggle,andArgon’shandsshook, as did Rafi’s. They were each scowling, gasping for air. They eachdroppedtotheirknees,eachinfusingtheotherwithadifferentcolorlight.

Finally,Argonletoutagreatbattlecryandraisedhishandshigh,andashedid,Rafisuddenlyliftedhighintotheair.Argonswungbothhisarms,andRafiwent hurling through the air, flyinghundredsof feet, disappearing somewhereintothehorizon.

Argoncollapsedwiththeeffort.For amoment,Thor paused in his battlewithErec.He stood there, as if

confused,asifaspellhadbeenbrokenoverhim.ThorstaredbackatErecwithglazedeyes.

Erec, realizingwhathadhappened,paused, too.Hestood there,breathinghard,holdingouthisswordwarily.

“Thorgrin,itisI,Erec,”hesaid.“Laydownyourarms.Itisnottoolate.”“THORNICUS!”Andronicus yelled, stepping forward. “You aremy son!

YOUAREMYSON!”heshrieked.Thor’s eyes glazed over again, and suddenly, he threw himself back into

battle,fightingErecwithtwicethepower,twicethespeed.They exchanged blow after blow, and soon, Erec tripped backwards,

landingononeknee,overpowered.Thorcontinued to slash forhim, slashingwithsuch fury, thathechopped

Erec’sswordinhalf.HethenknockedErec’sshieldfromhishand.ThorstoodoverErec,ademoniclookinhiseyes.Hebreathedhard,wiped

bloodfromhismouth,andraisedhisswordtoplungeitintoErec.Gwendolyncouldstandtowatchnomore.Sherushedforward,intotheclearing,andranbetweenThorandErec.“Thorgrin!”sheyelledout,tearsinhervoice.“It’sme.Gwendolyn!”She stood just a foot away from him, crying, tears pouring down her

cheeks.Shefeltoverwhelmedbyamillionemotions.Theentirebattlefieldstoppedtowatch.Thorstoodthere,swordraisedhigh,andstaredbackather.Hiseyeswere

not theeyessheknewandrecognizedandloved.Helookedlost toher, lost inanotherworld,anotherplace,anothertime.Asshestoodthere,forthefirsttimeinherlife,shefeltafraidofhim.

“Thorgrin?”sheasked,unsure.Thorgrimaced,andpulledhisswordbackfarther.Krohn suddenly rushed forward, snarling, and stood between Thor and

Gwen. He snarled back at Thor as if he were a stranger. Gwen could hardlybelieveit:shehadneverKrohnsnarlathim.Hersenseofforebodingincreased.

“Thor,it’sme,”shepleaded,tearful.“Gwendolyn.Yourlove.”Thorblinked,yetstillhiseyesheldthesameblank,confusedlook.GwenprayedthatThorwouldcomebacktoher,wouldsetdownhissword.

Heseemedasifhemight.But suddenly,he scowledand raisedhis swordagain, andGwenknew in

thatmomentthatshewoulddiebyhishands.Her final thought,before theblowcame,was that shewouldwish forno

otherwaytodieinthisworld.

CHAPTERTHIRTYTHREE

Mycoples rocked and swayed every which way on the ship as the hugewaves crashed all over the deck, slidingher fromone side of the deck all thewaytotheother,slammingintotherailing.Thesoundfromthecrashingwaveswasdeafening.Shetriedherbesttoclawthroughthenet,buttheAkronmaterialremainedindestructible.

Atleasttheboatwasoutofcontrol.Hugewavestosseditabout,rollingintheseas, thestormthatshesummonedpowerfulevenbeyondherdreams.TheboatgotsuckedinonstrongtidesandlisteditswaycloserandclosertotheIsleofMist.Mycopleswatcheditloomcloseronthehorizon.

TheEmpiresoldiersscreamedastheytriedtogaincontrol.Buttheycouldnot. More than one slipped right off the side of the deck, screaming as theyplunged to their deaths in the foaming, raging redwaters of the sea of blood.Morethanonemonstersurfaced,swallowingthemenwhole.

The boat entered the crashingwaves as it neared the shore of the Isle ofMist,ashorecomprisedofjaggedrocksandanarrowstripofsand.TheEmpiremen frantically tried to steer the ship, to avoid the rocks. Somehow, theymanagedtosteertheshipjusttotherightofthem,andtheyrodeonehuge,lastwaveupontothesandybeach.

ItwasbadluckforMycoples.Shehadwantedthemtosmashintotherocks,wanted the boat to be destroyed. Now, the boat, while turned on its side andlodgedonthebeach,wasstillintact,andhalftheEmpiresoldiersalongwithit.

Astheybeached,Mycoples,tangledinhernet,wentflyingoutoftheboatand onto the sand. It was a big drop, and the impact hurt, and she struggledfranticallytobreakfree.

Yetnomatterwhatshedid,theAkronheldherinplace.The Empire soldiers, rallying, jumped off the boat, onto shore. They

seemedintentnotjustonsavingtheirlives,butstillontorturingher.Morethanonejumpedoutwitha longspear inhand,andranforher.Theybeganpokingher through the net, hurting her. Even with the howling storm, even beingwasheduponshore,theystillcouldnotstopassaultingher.Herplanhadworkedonlypartially:shewasstilltheirprisoner.Shesawmoreandmorespearscomingforher,andsheknewthat theyblamedher.Sheknewthatsoon,shewouldbedead.

There came a sudden roar from high up in the sky, one loud enough toshaketheentireisland.TheEmpiremenstopped,frozen,andlookedtothesky,

terrified.But Mycoples was not terrified. She recognized that sound. She would

recognizeitanywhere.Itwastheroarofadragon.Itwasoneofherown.Ralibar.Mycoplesheartsoared.Ralibarmusthavesmelledthescentofman,andhe

wascomingtoseewhohadarrived.Mycoplesdidnotknowwhere that left her.Ralibarwas a lone andbitter

recluse,territorial,andhehatedallotherdragons.Hewasrumoredtohavekilledmore thanonedragonwhohaddaredbreachhis territory.Hemight kill theseEmpiremen;buthemightkillher,too.

Mycopleswashelplesseitherway.Eitherway,sheseemeddestinedtodiehere.Atleastthisway,theEmpiremenwoulddie,too.Atleastshewouldhavevengeance.Andatleastshewoulddieatthehandofanotherdragoninsteadofahuman.

Mycoples’ heart swelled with anticipation as she heard another roar andlookedupandsawRalibarappear,burstingthroughtheclouds,swoopingdownin fury. He was large—much larger than she had imagined—and he lookedancient,hisredscalesfadedandcrackedwithage,andhadhuge,glowinggreeneyesthatshewouldneverforget.HisfacefurrowedintoascowlashezeroedinontheEmpiremen.

TheEmpiresoldiers turnedandscreamedandtried toflee, torunback totheirship.

Butitwastoolateforthem.Thosewhohadbeenfortunateenoughtomakeshoreweresoontomeetanother,muchmorehorriblefate.

Ralibarswoopeddown,openhisgreatjaws,andbreathedfire.Flamesspreadthroughthesky,engulfingthemenandignitingtheship.The

menshrieked,burnedalive.Forthosehemissed,Ralibarswoopeddownwithhishugeclaws,asthickasatreetrunk,andswipedtheminhalfwheretheystood.Soon,thebeachranredwithblood.

Ralibar’sragewasstillnotsatisfied:hedovedown,pickeduptheremnantof the flamingshipwithhishugeclaws, flewat topspeed,carrying it throughtheair,andsmasheditintothewallofthecliff.

WithagreatcrashtheshipsplinteredinamillionflamingpiecesandraineddownallaroundMycoples.

Mycoples was thrilled. She lay there, stuck inside theAkron net, on thebeach, thewaves crashing all around her, the last one alive. She looked up atRalibar,andwatchedasheturnedandsethiseyesonher.Hepaused,hoveringthere,breathing,blacksootcomingoutofhisnostrils,asifdebating.

Hethenletoutascreech,anddovedownrightforher.

Mycoplesclosedhereyesandbracedherselfforwhatwastocome.AtleastsheshouldbehappyshesawtheEmpiremendead,thatshehadmadeitthisfar.Atleastnow,shecoulddiewithdignity.

Mycoplesheardawhooshingnoise,andfelttheairrushbyasRalibardovedownforher.Sheopenedhereyestoseehimstoppedonthebeachbeforeher,hovering,flappinghiswings.Hescreechedandarchedhisback,andshebracedherself.

Butnoblowevercame.Sheopenedhereyeswithsurprisetoseehimreachupwithhisclawand,instead,slicehernet.

Mycoplesstaredback,shocked.Hernetwasopen.Mycoplesleanedbackandflappedherwingsandarchedherback.Shewas

shockedtobefree;shehadalmostforgottenwhatitfeltlike.ShewasevenmoreshockedtorealizethatRalibarhadfreedher,andthathehadnotkilledher,afterall.

Ralibar landedon thebeach,a fewfeetaway,andstaredbackather.Shelooked into his ancient green eyes, and saw an expression she had neverexpectedtosee.Itwascuriosity.Butmorethanthat,thereweresomethingelse.Likecompassion.

Silently,theyspoketoeachother.Mycoplesthankedhim,archedherneckand screeched, lettinghimknownher intentions.Shewasgoing to fightback,againsttheEmpire.Shewouldflybackimmediately,acrosstheocean,andfindawaybackinto theRing.ShewouldfindawaybackthroughtheShield,findawaytogetbacktohermaster,toThorgrin.Heneededher.Andthatwasallthatmatteredtoher.

Ralibararchedbackhisneckandshrieked,too.Mycoplestookoff,intotheair,hergreatwingsflapping,andasshedid,she

heardagreatscreechbehindher.SheturnedtoseeRalibartakingoff,catchingup to her. Shewas shocked: hewanted to join her. To help her. Ralibar. Theloner.Forsomereason,hehadtakenalikingtoher.

Mycoples welcomed the company. She flapped her great wings, flyinghigherandhigher,aimingeast,fortheRing,forThorgrin.Shesensedhewasinmortaldanger.Andshewoulddowhatevershecouldtosavehislife.

CHAPTERTHIRTYFOUR

SelesechargedwithIllepra,thetwoofthemridingwithalltheyhad,atthepointofexhaustion,notevenpausingtoresttheirhorses.Theychargeddownthefinalstretchofbarrenlandscapeuntilfinally,thetallpillarsheraldingtheEasternCrossingcameinsight.

ThejourneyhadtakenmuchoutofSelese,morethanshecouldhaveeverimagined; if itweren’t for the thoughtof losingReece, shedidn’tknow if shewouldhavebeenabletopresson.Shehadbecomestrongerandtougherthanshehadeverimagined,andnowthatshesawtheEasternCrossing,sawthatitwasreal,shewasdeterminedtofindReece,whateverittook.Sheonlyprayedthathewashere.

Astheynearedit,Selesewasawestruck:themagnificentEasternCrossing,theoneshehadheardofsinceshewasachild.OfthefourcrossingsbridgingtheCanyon, theEasternCrossingwas the longest.Beingsituatedon theMcCloudsideoftheRing,Selesehadneverbeenhere,andbeingfromasmalltown,shehadneverseenanythingsobigandintimidatinginherlife.ThebridgecrossedtheCanyon,anditseemedtostretchforever,toanotherworld.

TheCanyonitselfleftherspeechless.Shehadneverseenanythinginnatureremotely like it.Avast chasm in the earth, filledwith swirlingmistsof everycolor.Selesefeltamagicalenergycomingoffit.Shemarveledthatanythingsobigandbeautifulcouldexistintheworld.

Selesereachedthefootofthebridge,stoppedherhorse,anddismounted,asdidIllepra.Thetwoofthemstoodthere,breathinghardbesidetheirhorses.

Seleselookedoutandwondered.ShesawnoimmediatesignofReece,andherheartsank.

“Perhapshealreadycrossed?”Illepraasked.Seleseshrugged.Shehadnoidea.Selese scanned the floorof thebridge, and she sawsomethingwhich she

recognizedwithherexperteye:blood.Shefollowedthetrailnervously,Illeprabesideher.Clearly,agreatstruggle

hadtakenplacehere.SheonlyprayedthatReecehadnotbeeninvolved.As they headed farther onto the bridge, Selese spotted corpses on the

ground,andherheartleapt.SheprayednoneofthemwereReece’s.Selese rushed forward, nearly crying as she knelt down, and turned each

bodyover.Shebreatheddeep,sorelievedtoseethatthefacesdidnotbelongtoReece.Noneofthesewerefacessherecognized.

“They bear the markings of the Empire,” Illepra observed. “Empiresoldiers, all of them,” she said, turning them overwith her boot. “Theywerekilledbysomeone.”

“By Reece,” said Selese, hopeful. “I’m sure he killed them. These menwere probably taking the Sword. And he stopped them. As a good knightshould.”

“Andwhereishe,then?”Illepraasked.Selese stood there and looked all around, wondering. Could Reece have

turnedaroundandgonehome,withtheSword?Thatwouldbemosttragic,ifshehadriddenallthiswayfornothing.

Selesewenttotherailing,laidherpalmsonit,andstoodthereandlookedout.Shesighed,lookingdownintothemist,andwondered.WasReeceouttheresomewhere?

AsSeleseranherhandsalongthewide,smoothstonerailingofthebridge,shefeltsomethingwhichmadeherstopandlookdown.Therewas,shenoticed,ajaggedchipintherail.Shenoticedblood,andachunkoftherailknockedoffbelow.

Selese turned and looked at the dead soldiers, and looked back at themarkingsontherailing,andsuddenly,shepieceditalltogether.

“The boulder,” she said. “There was a struggle. It was hoisted over theedge.Look.”

Illepra came hurrying over, and Selese leaned over and pointed out themarkstheboulderhadleft.

“Thentheymusthaveabandonedthemission,”Illeprasaid.“Hemusthaveturnedback.Perhapshe’sbackwiththecampevennow.”

Selesestareddownforalongtime,andfinally,somethingdawnedonher.“No,”shesaid.“Reecewouldneverabandonamission.Itisnotwhoheis.

Hedidnotturnbacktosafety.Heisdownthere.”Illeprapaused,confused.“Downwhere?”sheasked.“Down there!”Selese said, pointing. “Hedescended to the bottomof the

Canyon.Hewenttosearchforit.”“That is madness!” Illepra said. “Who would do something as crazy as

that?”Selesesmiled,proudofhim.“Reeceisamanofhonor.HewoulddoanythingforthesakeoftheRing.”Shethought,workingitoutinhermind,andanotherideaoccurredtoher.“Heprobablywentdownhastily,ashishonorobligedhim,butwithnoplan

toascend.Heistrapped.Wemustgodownthere.Wemusthelphim!”

Illeprashookherhead.“Thatwouldbeimpossible.Thereisnowaydown,exceptforthosewalls,

andImyselfcannotclimb.”“There’sanotherway,”cameavoice.Theyspuntofindanoldmanstandingatthebasethebridge,leaningona

cane.Hewasgrizzled,hunchedover,withalongwhitebeardandshaggyhair.Heworearaggedcloakandlookedasifhe’dseenthewoesoftheworld.

“Youarebravegirls.Icannotdenythat.SoIwilltellyou.There’sanotherwaydown,tosavetheonesyoulove.”

Selese turnedandwalked towardshim, intrigued,andasked,“Whatotherway?”

“I am thewatcherof theCanyon. I see all thatgoesonhere. I saw themdescend.”

“Youdid?”Seleseasked,wide-eyed.Henodded.“Theyscaleddown,withoutanyropes.Youarecorrect.Thereisnowayout

forthem.NotwithouttheLindenRope.”“TheLindenRope?”sheasked.Theoldmannoddedbackslowly.“Awaytogetdown,tothebottomoftheCanyon,andtogetbackup.Ithas

notbeenusedsinceIwasayouth.ButIknowwhereitlies;theystillkeepitinmyvillage.Icanleadyoutoit.Therestisuptoyou.”

Selese surveyed him.He stared backwith translucent, knowing eyes.Heappearednearlyblind.

“Whywouldyouhelpus?”Illepraasked,suspicious.Hesmiled,revealingonlyafewteeth.“Iadmirecourage,”hesaid.“Whetherinamanorinawoman.I’mtooold

for itmyself. I’llgiveyouwhatever toolsyouneed toexpress itonyourown.Besides,IhatetheEmpire.”

SeleselookedtoIllepra,asifaskingwhethertotrusthim,andshenoddedback.

Buthewas alreadywalking,head low,movingalongwithhis cane, as ifexpectingthemtofollow.

CHAPTERTHIRTYFIVE

Reecestruggledwithallhismightashestoodthere,boundtothepost,hiswristsandanklestiedbehindhim,unabletobreakfree.Hestruggleddesperately,and as he looked over he saw all of his legion brothers struggling, too, allequallyunsuccessful.Theywerealllinedup,eachboundtoatall,woodenpole,ten feet apart from each other, laid out in a semicircle, so that they could seeeach other. Before them, hardly twenty feet away, they all faced the hugeglowingpitofmoltenlava.

Smalland largechunksof lavaspewed intermittentlyoutof thehole,andReececouldfeeltheheatofitevenfromhere,singinghisface.Ashewatched,asmallsparkoflavawentflyinginahigharcandlandedonhisforearm,burninghim.Hewrithed,screaming,asitburnedasmallholeonhisskin.

Sweating, Reece knew they had to do something fast. The Faws hadoutwitted them, and now they were all their prisoners, facing certain death.Centrawascaptive,too,buttheymusthaverecognizedhimasalocal,becausethey kept him apart from the others, two Faws holding his arms roughly, hisarmsbound,whileathirdheldasmalldaggertohisthroat.

AsReecestoodthere,hescannedtheirenvirons,searchingfortheDestinySword. Itwas still lodged in theboulder, and theboulder, tied to a long rope,was being hoisted, one pull a time, up the far side of theCanyon.Dozens ofFawspulledat it, andwitheachpull, it climbedhigherup theCanyon. ItwasascendingthewrongsideoftheCanyon,theeasternside.Reeceknewthatifitreachedthetop,theSwordwouldcrosstheCanyon.TheShieldwouldbedown,andtheRingwouldbefinished.

Hehadnotime.Hehadtostopthem.ButReecehadbiggerproblems:asitwas,itappearedthattheywouldnotevenmakeitoutofherealive.

TheFawsspoketoCentraquickly,inalanguageReecedidnotunderstand,andastheydid,theygesturedfranticallytowardsReece.

“Theyaretellingmetogiveyouamessage,”Centrasaid.“Theywantyoutoknowwithjoyanddelight thatyouareabouttobekilled.Youaretobethesacrificeoftheday.Theywantyoutoknowthisbeforeyoudie,sothatyoucantakesatisfactioninknowingthatyouarefoodfortheirgod.Andtheywantyoutosufferfromyourdeathevenbeforeyouexperienceit.”

Reecehalf-grinnedamidsthispain.“That’sverykindofthem,”heanswered.“What are they talking about?” O’Connor asked aloud. “What kind of

sacrifice?”Centra spoke back to the Faws in their native language, and they

immediately answered him. Centra hesitated, then looked over at the pit withapprehension.

“Theyplantothrowyouintothelavapit—”Centra paused, clearly not wanting to translate the rest of it, but they,

unhappy,jabbedhimwiththedagger.Hecontinued:“—andwatchasitslowlyburnstheskinoffyourbodies.”The group of Faws rose up in a chorus of gleeful laughter, obviously

delighted at the spectacle thatwas about to come.Their laughterwas like thechirpingofsmallbirds,anditgratedonReece’snerves.

A dozen of these little orange creatures rushed forward and stood facingtheirleader,whowasbiggerthanalltheothersandwhosatatopawoodenpost.The leader said something in a language Reece did not understand, and theothersturnedandstaredatKrog.

“They have decided to kill Krog first,” Centra said. “They say theweakmustalwaysbesacrificedfirst.”

Kroggulped,writhingtobreakfree.“Still think it was a good idea to come down here?” Krog called out to

Reece.Reececouldnotallowthis;heknewhehadtodosomethingfast.“Takemefirst!”Reecescreamedout.TheFawsgrewquietasCentratranslated.“Whyshouldtheytakeyou?”Centratranslatedback.“Tellthemthattheirgodsarewrong,”Reececalledout.Centratranslated,andtherecameanoutragedgasp.AFaw stepped forward and pointed his dagger inReece’s stomach, hard

enoughtocausepain.ButReecewasundeterred.“Tellthemthatgreatgodsrequirethesacrificeofthestrong!”Reececalled

out,desperate.“Nottheweak!Youdoyourgodagreatdishonortogivehimtheweak.Iamthestrongesthere.Takemefirst!”

Centratranslatedfuriously.There came a long pause, as their leader stared back coldly at Reece.

Finally,henoddedathimwithalookofrespect.“Perhaps you are right in this,” Centra translated. “Yes, youwill do just

fine.”TheFawsletgoofKrogandinsteadturnedtoReece.“Leavehimbe!”Krogcalledout.ButtheFawsignoredhim,andtheymarchedforReece.

“Pssst!”Reeceheardahissingnoise,andheturnedtoseeIndra,abouttenfeetaway.

Herwristsweremovingbehindherback,eversoslightly,andhelookedcloselyandnoticedsheheldasmalldaggerhiddeninherpalm.Assherubbedherwristsup and down, one strand at a time shewas severing her twine. They had notboundherankles,astheyhadtheothers,probablybecauseshewasawoman.

IndragaveReeceaknowinglook,andhegaveheroneback.Whenthetimeisright,hewhisperedtoher.

Shenoddedbackknowingly.The Faws came up behindReece and hoisted his pole out of the ground

withhimstilltiedtoitandcarriedhimthroughtheair.TheymarchedwithReeceandthepoleovertheirshoulders,gettingcloser

andclosertothemoltenpitoflava.Astheyapproached,justfeetaway,Reecefelttheheatgrowingsostronghehadtoturnawayhisface.

Reecewas brought closer and closer to the edge of the precipice, and astheyraisedhimhigh,hefelthimselfabouttobehoistedovertheedge.

“Ithasbeennicehavingyouasourguest!”Centratranslated.Thechorusofgratinglaughter,likechirpingbirds,cameagain.Suddenly, therecameascream,andReecewassurprised to realize that it

wasnothis.Reece sawadagger lodged in the templeofoneof theFawsbesidehim,

whocollapsedatReece’sfeet.ReecelookedoverandsawthatIndrahadfreedherself,andhadthrownthe

daggerexpertlyandkilledtheFaw.Nowwas his chance. Reece spun around, the pole hewas bound to still

attached to his back, and whacked the other Faws hard in the ribs with it,sendingthemhurtlingbackwards,screaming,intotheglowinglava.

Reecesank tohiskneesand leanedbackagainst thedagger lodged in theFaw’s head. He yanked it out with his fingertips and quickly cut the ropesbindinghiswrists,thenhisankles,freeinghimselffromthepole.

SeveralmoreFawsrushedforwardtograbhim,buttheyweresurprisedasReeceroseup,free,daggerinhand.Hestoodandchargedthem,slashingtheirthroats,andstabbingothersintheheart.

Indrabrokeintoaction.Sheranoverandfreedalltheothers,cuttingtheirropesoneatatimewithhersparedagger.TheotherLegionwastednotime:theygrabbedtheirweaponsandfoughtbackfuriously.

TheFaws,thoughvastinnumber,werehalfthesize,andnotfiercefighters.Theirgreatstrengthwasinnumbers,butnotincombat.Theypouredoutofthewoodwork, from every possible direction, like angry ants, and leapt on their

backswiththeirclawsandsharpteeth,causingscratchesandbites.But Reece and his men were undeterred, brave warriors who had faced

worse,andtheyeachmanagedtofightandpushthemallback.DozensofFawsfellallaroundthem.YetstilltheFawskeptcoming,thousandsofthem,pouringinfromallsides

ofthecliffs,fromcaves.Therecameanever-endingstream,andReecerealizedthiswouldnotbeeasy.Despitetheirstrength,theywerevastlyoutnumbered.Hehadtoactfast.HehadtoretrievetheSwordandgetthemalloutofthereassoonashecould.

Reeceturned,scanningfortheSword,andsawthattheboulderwaswellupthesideoftheCanyon,andstillbeinghoisted.Hehadtostopit.Hecouldnotletitreachthetop.

“Coverme!”Reeceyelled.Elden,O’Connor,Indra,SernaandConvenrushedforward,circlingaround

him,clearingapathforhimwiththeirswordsasReecechargedforthecanyonwall.Reeceletoutagreatbattlecryandslashedfuriouslywithhissword,ashecuthiswaythroughdozensofFaws,thecrowdgettingthickerbythemoment.

Reece finally reached theCanyonwall, andashedid,he leaptupontoafootholdintheslipperyrock,andclimbedhiswayhighenoughuptheCanyontobe out of reach of the Faws. The boulder with the Sword in it was perhapstwentyfeetabovehim,andReecerealizedheneededtosevertherope.Hedrewhissword,leanedback,andpreparedtochopitdown.

Suddenly, a Faw scaled the wall, grabbed his ankle, and yanked Reecebackwards. Reece slipped; he went falling through the air and landed on theground,onhisback,winded.

Reeceglancedoverandsawtheboulderwasnowtoofaroutofreach,theropestoohighforhimtocut.AndnowthewallwasswarmingwithFaws.He’dlosthischance.

Hehadanidea.“O’Connor,yourbow!”Reeceshouted,ashefendedoffhisattackers.O’Connor kicked two Faws out of hisway, and followedReece’s glance

andsawwhathewasgettingat.O’Connor reachedbackforhisbowand tookaim.Hefiredoffashot,aimingfortherope,asReecehadintended.

Itmissedbyafoot.O’ConnorwasattackedbymoreFaws,knockinghimtotheground,andReeceandEldenrushedforwardandkilledthem.

“Help!”Krogcalledout.Reece turned to see Krog doing his best to fight them off, but limping

heavilyononeleg.TwoFawswereonhisback,tryingtobitehisneck.Reecerushedforward,asdidIndra,andatthesametimetheyeachknocked

aFawoff,Reeceusingthehiltofhisdagger,andIndrastabbingoneintheback.KroglookedatReecewithgratitude.Reece rushed back to O’Connor’s side, helping fight off the Faws and

helpinghimregainhisfeet.O’Connorgrabbedhisbow,tookaimonceagain,handsshaking,andfired

threemoreshotswithhislastthreearrows.Onthethirdandfinalshot,therecamethesoundofsnappingtwine,ashe

landedaperfect,impossibleshot.There came a great whooshing noise, and suddenly the boulder came

hurlingdown,likeameteorfromthesky,andcrashedintotheCanyonfloorwithahugereverberatingthud.

Reecewaselated.TheyhadstoppeditfromrisingtothewrongsideoftheCanyonwall.Nowtheyhadtogetitandgetout.

“TheSword,quick!”Reececalledout.He andhismen fought theirway towards it, through theFaws, attacking

left and right, until they finally allmade their way to the boulder. Elden andO’Connor held the front line, fighting Faws off, while Reece and the othersreacheddownandtriedtohoisttheboulder.

Butitwastooheavy.Itwouldn’tbudge.Allaroundthem,moreandmoreFawswereclosingin.“Thosepoles!”O’Connorsaid.“Isawthemhoist itearlier.Theweightof

theSword is heavy—but only if toucheddirectly. Ifweuse a barrier, like thepoles,itlightensitsweight.”

ReecejoinedwithConvenandIndraandSernaandKrogas theyjammedthepolesbeneaththeboulder.Asone,theyallbegantomoveit.

Reecewasshocked;O’Connorwasright.TheSwordwasnotmeanttobetouchedbythehumanhand.Butwithanintermediary,likewoodenpoles,theycouldhoisttheboulderlikeanyotherrock.

Theyhoistedtheboulderontotheirshoulderswiththepoles,andbegantomarchawaywithit.

Reece saw theywere in trouble.Theyhad, despite all odds, achieved theimpossible; but now, therewas no possiblewayout.Therewere thousands ofFawsbeforethem,moreandmorepouringin,anditwasalonghiketotheothersideoftheCanyon,andanevenharderhiketogetup.IftheycouldevengettheSwordup.They couldn’t do it under combat. In fact, they’dbe lucky to evenfighttheirwayoutofherealive.

TherewasjustnowaytobringtheSword.Andyet,atthesametime,Reeceknewtheycouldnotjustleaveithere,couldnotreturnempty-handed.AndtheycouldnotleaveitinthehandsoftheFaws,whowouldletitriseintheotherside

oftheCanyon,andlowertheShield.Reecefranticallysurveyedhissurroundings,desperateforasolution.Andthen,suddenly,hehadone.Reecesawtheglowinglavapit,inthecenterofthebattlefield,andasmuch

as it pained him, he knewhe had no choice. If he could not bring the Swordback,hewouldhavetodestroyit.

ButwoulddestroyingtheSwordforalltimedestroytheRing,too?Woulditdestroy the Shield? He did not know. But he had no other choice. It was adesperatesituation,andallheknewwasthatifhedidnothing,thentheSwordwoulddefinitelygetinthewronghands,andtheShieldwoulddefinitelylower,andtheRingwoulddefinitelybedestroyed.

Hehadtorisktheuncertainty.“TOTHELAVA!”Reececommanded.Withonelastdesperatepush,Reeceandtheothersboretheboulderontheir

shouldersandmarchedtheirwaytowardsthepit,EldenandO’ConnorfightingofftheFawsallaroundthem.EverystepwasastruggleonthemuddyCanyonfloor.Footbyfoottheysloggedtheirwaythrough,andsoon,Reece’sfacewashotwiththeglowofthelava.

Theystoodthere,attheprecipice,armsshaking,andReecelookeddownatthemoltenfire.

Theothersrealized,withhorror,whathewasabouttodo.“Areyousureyouwanttodothis?”O’Connorscreamed.Reecewasnotsure.Buttherewasnootherwayout.“INTOTHELAVA!”Reececommanded.Theyallfollowedorders,andasone,theyallbegantohurl itover.Reece

feltthetremendousweightonhisshouldersandarmsastheyhoistedtheboulderandhurledit,theSwordinit,overtheedge,intothemoltenpitoffire.

As it sank, the entire earth quaked beneath them, the greatest earthquakeReecehadeverfelt,strongenoughtoknockthemalloffoftheirfeet.

AndasReecewatched itmelt,hestared into the flames,andallhecouldthinkwas:whathaveIdone?

CHAPTERTHIRTYSIX

Thorstoodthere,swordinhand,facingGwendolyn,whokneltbeforehim,eyesswollenwithtears.Hetriedtoremember.Hesawherface,andinsomedimpart of himself, itmeant something to him.But he could not rememberwhat.Didheknowher?

Allabout them, in thebroadclearing,soldiersonbothsidesstoppedtheirfighting,allstaring,thewaratastandstillasThorfacedGwen,theQueenoftheMacGils.Thor looked intohereyes,beautifuleyes,examinedher face,andhetriedtosummonit.

Somethingcameback tohim…..flashes…hewasnotsurewhat.Hecouldnotpieceittogether.

“Thorgrin,it’sme,”Gwensaid,crying.“Comebacktome.It’sGwendolyn.Iloveyou.I’msosorryforeverythingIsaid.Youarenothinglikeyourfather.Iloveyou.Iloveyou.”

Thorstoodthere,sweatrollingintohiseyes,andhishandsshookasheheldtheswordoverher.Apartofhimunderstoodher;butanotherpartofhimhadnorecognition.

“THORNICUS,MYSON!”Andronicusboomed.“Donotbelieveher!Sheistheenemy.Theenemyofyourfather.Sheisfilledwithlies.Shehascometobetrayyou.Ifyouaremyoneandonlyson,youmustanswermenow.Killthiswoman.Killherforme.Killher,andproveyourloyaltytomeonceandforalltime.”

Thor heard his father’s words, and they resonated through him, like acommandthatcontrolledhislimbs,thathecouldnotshake.Itwasasifhehadspokenthewordshimself.Theyweremorethanacommand.Theywerelikehisownwill,spokenaloud.

Thorstoodthere,armsshaking,andfinally,heknewwhathehadtodo.Hisfatherhadspoken.Andthatwasallthatmatterednow.

Suddenly,KrohnsnarledandleaptforThor.Thorspunandreactedwithhisbattleskills;hebackhandedKrohnwithhis

gauntlet. Krohn yelped andwent flying sideways through the air. GwendolyncriedoutasKrohnlandedonhisside,severalfeetaway,whining.

Thorraisedhisswordagain,thistimetostrikethefinalblow.Forhisfather.It was time to be his one and only true son forever.Whatever it took. Gwenwept,butitnolongermattered.Thorhadtodowhathehadtodo.

“THORGRIN!”

Avoicecutthroughtheair,forcingThortostop.Itwasafemalevoice,onehe did not recognize. One he had never heard, yet which seemed so deeplyfamiliar.

Thorturnedandsawawomanemergefromthecrowd.Sheapproachedhimslowly,herwideblueeyeslockedonhis,asshewalkedallthewaythroughtheclearingwithoutflinching,staringathim.

She stood beside Gwendolyn. She lay a soft palm on Gwendolyn’sshoulder, and continued staring at Thor with intensity, her eyes shining rightthroughhim.

“You cannot harm her,” the woman said, calm, confident, authoritative.“YoucannotharmherbecauseIcommandyou.I,Alistair,commandyou.”

Thor looked into her eyes, and the sound of her voice resonated throughThor’sbody, fighting insidehim, counteractingAndronicus’svoice. Itwas themostintensesoundhe’deverheardinhislife,andthevibrationdidsomethingtohim he could not understand. Somehow, it was breaking the hold on him,breakinghisfather’sspell.Forthefirsttime,hewasbeginningtogainclarity.Hefeltasifafogwaslifting,asifmanylayerswereslowlybeingpeeledback.

Thorwantedhertospeakmore—hecravedforhertospeakmore.“Alistair,”herepeated.Somehow,thenamerangthroughhishead.Hedidnotknowwhy.“Thorgrin,”Alistair said,“youwillnotharmher,because that isnotwho

youare.ThatiswhoAndronicuswantsyoutobe.Butyouarenotyourfather.YouareThorgrin,oftheWesternKingdom.Youarenotyourfatherandyouarenotyourmother.Youareyourownman.Iknowthis,becauseIknowyou.”

Thor blinked, sweat stinging his eyes, as a battle raged within him. Themore she spoke, the more he felt Andronicus’ influence waning. Thor stoodthere,waveringwiththesword,hishandsshakingviolently.

“Thorgrin,” she said, stepping forward, layingagentlepalmonhiswrist.As she did,Thor could not resist. Slowly, he felt himself lowering his sword,relaxinginhergrasp.

Somehow, shewas the only one.Theonly onewho could get through tohim.Sheheldsomeenergy,somethinghecouldnotunderstand.Witheverywordshe spoke, it made him come back more to himself, to see the real situationbeforehim.

Thor looked around, and for the first time, he was overwhelmed withclarity. He saw Gwendolyn, the one and only true love of his life, kneelingbeforehim,crying.Hesawhimself,withutterhorror,holdingasword,pointingitather.HesawKrohn,whining, lyingonhisside.Hesawhimself facingoffagainsthisownpeople.

Itwasmore thanhecould take.Thordespisedhimself.Hewanted to runtheswordthroughhisownheart;hewouldratherkillhimselfthaneverpointaswordatGwendolyn.Hefeltatearrundownhischeek,feltanawfulguiltbegintowellupinsideofhim.Hefeltasifhe’dbetrayedthemall,allofhispeople,alltheoneswholovedhimmost.

Most of all, Gwendolyn. The woman he’d loved more than he couldpossibly say.Hewanted to drop to his knees and beg her forgiveness, to begeveryone’sforgiveness.

ThorturnedandlookedatAlistair,andashiseyeslockedwithhers,hefelthimself awashwith new layers of clarity. Finally, the veil was lifted. Finally,Thorwasreturningtohimself.Whowasthiswoman?

“Thorgrin,youwillnotharmanyone,”shesaid,“becauseyouarenotofthem.Youareoneofus.Iknowthis,becauseIknowyou.Iknowthis,becauseyouandI,wesharethesamefather.Andthesamemother.”

Shelookeddeepintohiseyes,andhefeltentranced.Hefelthewasonthevergeofagreatrevelation,onethatwouldchangehisentirelifeforever.Ashestared,theearth,theentireRing,suddenlyquaked,thegroundshakingviolently,inexplicably,as ifsomecosmiceventhad just takenplace,as if theRingwereabouttosplitintwo.

ButnotbeforeAlistaircouldsayonelastthing:“Iknowthis,Thorgrin,becauseIamyoursister.”

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InA SKYOF SPELLS (BOOK #9 IN THE SORCERER’SRING), Thorgrinfinallyreturnstohimselfandmustconfronthisfatheronceandforall.Anepicbattle occurs, as two titans face each other, and as Rafi uses his power tosummonanarmyofundead.WiththeDestinySworddestroyed,andthefateoftheRinginthebalance,ArgonandAlistairwillneedtosummontheirmagicalpowerstohelpGwendolyn’sbravewarriors.Yetevenwiththeirhelp,allcouldbe lost if it were not for the return of Mycoples, and her new companion,Ralibar.

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When the Empire is finally ousted from the Ring, and Gwendolyn has herchance for personal vengeance against McCloud, there is great cause tocelebrate.As thenewQueenof theRing,Gwenusesherpowers tounitebothMacGils and McClouds for the first time in history, and to begin the epicrebuilding of the land, of her army, and of the Legion. King’s Court slowlycomes back to life once again, as they all begin to pick up the pieces. It isdestined tobecomeamoregloriouscity thanevenher fathereverdreamedof,andintheprocess,justicefinallyfindsGareth.

Tirusmustbebroughttojustice,too,andGwenwillhavetodecidewhatsortofleadershewillbe.ThereisagreatconflictamongstTirus’sons,notallofwhomsee things thesameway,andastruggle forpowereruptsonceagain,asGwendecides if she will accept an invitation to the Upper Isles, thus making theMacGilclanwholeonceagain.ErecissummonedtoreturntohispeopleintheSouthern Islesandseehisdying father,andAlistair joinshim,as theypreparefortheirwedding.ThorgrinandGwendolynmayhaveweddingpreparationsintheirfuture,too.

Thor becomes closer to his sister, and as all settles down inside the Ring, hefindshimselfsummonedtoembarkonhisgreatestquestofall: toseekouthismysterious mother in a faraway land and to find out who he really is. Withmultiple wedding preparations in the air, with Spring returning, King’s Courtrebuilding,festivalsafoot,peaceseemstosettlebackontotheRing.Butdangerlurks in the most unforeseen corners, and all of these characters greatesttribulationsmightbeyettocome.

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TableofContentsCHAPTERONECHAPTERTWOCHAPTERTHREECHAPTERFOURCHAPTERFIVECHAPTERSIXCHAPTERSEVENCHAPTEREIGHTCHAPTERNINECHAPTERTENCHAPTERELEVENCHAPTERTWELVECHAPTERTHIRTEENCHAPTERFOURTEENCHAPTERFIFTEENCHAPTERSIXTEENCHAPTERSEVENTEENCHAPTEREIGHTEENCHAPTERNINETEENCHAPTERTWENTYCHAPTERTWENTYONECHAPTERTWENTYTWOCHAPTERTWENTYTHREECHAPTERTWENTYFOURCHAPTERTWENTYFIVECHAPTERTWENTYSIXCHAPTERTWENTYSEVENCHAPTERTWENTYEIGHTCHAPTERTWENTYNINECHAPTERTHIRTYCHAPTERTHIRTYONECHAPTERTHIRTYTWOCHAPTERTHIRTYTHREECHAPTERTHIRTYFOURCHAPTERTHIRTYFIVE

CHAPTERTHIRTYSIX