A Quest of Heroes (Book #1 in the Sorcerer's Ring)

already late, and he needed to make
himself known.
    He hurried to the first person he
saw, an older man who seemed, by his blood-stained frock, to be a butcher,
hurrying down the road. Everyone here was in such a hurry.
    “Excuse me, sir,” Thor said,
grabbing his arm.
    The man looked down at Thor’s
hand disparagingly.
    “What is it, boy?”
    “I’m looking for the King’s
Legion. Do you know where they train?”
    “Do I look like a map?” the man
hissed, and stormed off.
    Thor was taken aback by his
rudeness.
    He hurried to the next person he
saw, a woman kneading flower on a long table. There were several women at this
table, all working hard, and Thor figured one of them had to know.
    “Excuse me, miss,” he said.
“Might you know where the King’s Legion train?”
    They looked at each other and
giggled, some of them but a few years older than he.
    The eldest turned and looked at
him.
    “You’re looking in the wrong
place,” she said. “Here we are preparing for the festivities.”
    “But I was told they trained in
King’s Court,” Thor said, confused.
    The women broke into another
chuckle. The eldest put her hands on her hips and shook her head.
    “You act as if this is your first
time in King’s Court. Have you no idea how big it is?”
    Thor reddened as the other women
laughed, then finally stormed off. He did not like being made fun of.
    He saw before him a dozen roads,
twisting and turning every which way through King’s Court. Spaced out in the
stone walls were at least a dozen entrances. The size and scope of this place
was overwhelming. He had a sinking feeling he could search for days and still
not find it.
    An idea struck him: surely a
soldier would know where the others train. He was nervous to approach an actual
king’s soldier, but realized he had to.
    He turned and hurried to the
wall, to the soldier standing guard at the closest entrance, hoping he would
not throw him out. The soldier stood erect, looking straight ahead.
    “I’m looking for the King’s
Legion,” Thor said, summoning his bravest voice.
    The soldier continued to stare
straight ahead, ignoring him.
    “I said I’m looking for the
King’s Legion!” Thor insisted, louder, determined to be recognized.
    After several seconds, the
soldier glanced down, sneering.
    “Can you tell me where it is?”
Thor pressed.
    “And what business have you with
them?”
    “Very important business,” Thor
urged, hoping the soldier would not press him.
    The soldier turned back to
looking straight ahead, ignoring him again. Thor felt his heart sinking, afraid
he would never receive an answer.
    But after what felt like an
eternity, the soldier replied: “Take the eastern gate, then head north as far
as you can. Take the third gate to the left, then fork right, and fork right
again. Pass through the second stone arch, and their ground is beyond the gate.
But I tell you, you waste your time: they do not entertain visitors.”
    It was all Thor needed to hear.
Without missing another beat, he turned and ran across the field, following the
directions, repeating them in his head, trying to memorize them. He noticed the
sun higher in the sky, and only prayed that when he arrived, it would not
already be too late.
    *
    Thor sprinted down the
immaculate, shell-lined paths, twisting and turning his way through King’s
Court. He tried his best to follow the directions, hoping he was not being led
astray. He reached the far end of the courtyard, he saw all the gates, and
chose the third one on the left. He ran through it and then followed the forks,
turning down path after path. He ran against traffic, thousands of people
pouring into the city, the crowd growing thicker by the minute. He brushed
shoulders with lute players, jugglers, jesters, and all sorts of entertainers,
everyone dressed in finery.
    Thor could not stand the idea of
the selection beginning without him, and tried his best to concentrate as he
turned down path after path, looking for any sign of the training ground. He
passed through an arch, turned down another road, and then, far off, spotted
what could only be his destination: a mini coliseum, built of stone, in a
perfect circle. It had a huge gate in its center, guarded by soldiers. Thor
heard a muted cheering from behind its walls and his heart quickened. This was
the place.
    He sprinted, lungs bursting. As
he reached the gate, two guards stepped forward and lowered their lances,
barring the way. A third guard