As they went, Thor could not help but notice on either side of them, impaled on spikes every few feet along the railing, were the heads of barbarian invaders. Some still fresh, still dripping with blood.
Thor looked away. It made it all too real. He did not know if he was ready for this. He tried not to imagine the many skirmishes which must have produced those heads, the lives that had been lost, and what awaited him on the other side. He wondered if they would make it back. Was that the purpose of this whole expedition? To kill him off?
He looked over the edge, at the endlessly disappearing cliffs, and heard the screech of a distant bird; it was a sound he had never heard before. He wondered what kind of bird it was, and what other exotic animals lurked on the other side.
But it was not really the animals which bothered him, or even the heads on spikes. More than anything, it was the feeling of this place. He could not tell if it was the mist, or the howling wind, or the vastness of the open sky, or the light of the setting sun—but something about this place was so surreal, it transported him. Enveloped him. He felt a heavy magical energy hanging over them. He wondered whether it was the protection of the Sword, or some other ancient force. He felt as if he were crossing not just a mass of land, but crossing into another realm of existence.
He could hardly believe that, for the first time in his life, he would spend the night, unprotected, on the other side of the Canyon.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As the sun began to fade from the sky—a dark scarlet mixed with blue that seemed to envelop the universe—Thor walked with Reece, O’Connor, and Elden down the trail that led into the forest of the Wilds. Thor had never been so on edge in his life. Now it was just the four of them, Erec having remained behind at camp, and despite all their bickering with each other, Thor sensed they now needed each other more than ever. They had to bond on their own, without Erec. Before they’d parted, Erec had told them not to worry, that he would stay at base and hear their screams, and would be there if they needed him.
That gave Thor little assurance now.
As the woods narrowed in on them, Thor looked around at this exotic place, the forest floor lined with thorns and strange fruits. The branches of the many trees were gnarled and ancient, nearly touching each other, so close Thor often needed to duck. They had thorns instead of leaves and they protruded everywhere. Yellow vines hung down in places, and Thor had made the mistake of reaching up to push a vine from his face only to realize it was a snake. He had yelled and jumped out of the way, just in time.
He had expected the others to laugh at him, but they, too, were humbled with fear. All around them were the foreign noises of exotic animals. Some were low and guttural, some high-pitched and shrieking. Some echoed from far off; others seemed impossibly close. Twilight came on too fast, as they all headed deeper into the forest. Thor felt certain that at any moment they could be ambushed. As the sky grew darker, it was getting harder to even see the faces of his compatriots. He gripped his sword hilt so tightly his knuckles whitened, while his other hand clutched his slingshot. The others gripped their weapons, too.
Thor willed himself to be strong, confident, and courageous as a good knight should. As Erec had instructed him. It was better for him to face death now than to always live in fear of it. He tried to lift his chin and walk boldly forward, even increasing his pace and going a few feet in front of the others. His heart was pounding, but he felt as if he were facing his fears.
“What are we patrolling for exactly?” Thor asked.
As soon as he said it, he realized it might be a dumb question, and he expected Elden to make fun of him.
But to his surprise, there was only silence in return. Thor looked over and saw the whites of Elden’s eyes, and realized he was even more afraid. This, at least, gave Thor some confidence. Thor was younger and smaller than him, and he was not giving in to his fear.
“The enemy, I guess,” Reece finally said.
“And who is that?” Thor asked. “What does he look like?”
“There are all sorts of enemies out here,” Reece said. “We are in the Wilds now. There are nations of savages, and all manner and races of evil creatures.”
“But what is the point of our patrol?” O’Connor asked. “What difference can we possibly make by doing this? Even if we kill one or two, is that going to stop the million behind it?”
“We are not here to make a dent,” Reece answered. “We are here to make our presence known, on behalf of our King. To let them know not to come too close to the Canyon.”
“I think it would make more sense to wait till they try to cross it and deal with them then,” O’Connor said.
“No,” Reece said. “It is better to deter them from even approaching. That is why these patrols. At least, that is what my older brother says.”
Thor’s heart was pounding, as they continued deeper into the forest.
“How far are we supposed to go?” Elden asked, speaking up for the first time, his voice quivering.
“Don’t you remember what Kolk said? We have to retrieve the red banner and bring it back,” Reece said. “That is our proof that we’ve gone far enough for our patrol.”
“I have not seen a banner anywhere,” O’Connor said. “In fact, I can barely see a thing. How are we supposed to get back?”
No one answered. Thor was thinking the same thing. How can they possibly find a banner in the black of night? He started to wonder if this was all a trick, an exercise, another one of the psychological games the Legion played on the boys. He thought again of Erec’s words, of his many enemies at court. He had a sinking feeling about this patrol. Were they being set up?
Suddenly there came a horrific screeching noise, followed by movement inside the branches—and something large ran across their path. Thor pulled his sword, and the others did, too. The sound of swords leaving scabbards, of metal on metal, filled the air, as they all stood there, holding their swords out in front of them, looking nervously in every direction.
“What was that?” Elden cried out, his voice cracking with fear.
The animal once again crossed their path, racing from one side of the forest to the other, and this time they got a good look at it.
Thor’s shoulders relaxed, as he recognized it.
“Just a deer,” he said, greatly relieved. “The strangest looking deer I’ve seen—but a deer nonetheless.”
Reece laughed, a reassuring noise, a laugh too mature for his age. As Thor heard it, he realized it was the laugh of a future King. He felt better having his friend at his side. And then, he laughed, too. All that fear, all for nothing.
“I never knew your voice cracked when you caved in to fear,” Reece mocked Elden, laughing again.
“If I could see you, I would pummel you,” Elden said.
“I can see you fine,” Reece said. “Come try it.”
Elden glared back at him, but didn’t dare make a move. Instead he put his sword back in his scabbard, as did the others. Thor admired Reece for giving Elden a hard time; Elden mocked everybody else—he deserved to get some back himself. He admired Reece’s fearlessness in doing so: after all, Elden was still twice their size.
Thor finally felt some of the tension leaving his body. They’d had their first encounter, the ice was broken, and they were still alive. He leaned back and laughed, too, happy to be alive.
“Keep laughing, stranger boy,” Elden said. “We’ll see who has the last laugh.”
I’m not laughing at you, as Reece is, Thor thought. I’m just relieved to be alive.
But he didn’t bother saying it; he knew that nothing he could say would change