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

called. Each knight retired to his side, the masses broke up
in an agitated stir, and Thor had been taken by the arm and ushered off by
Reece.
    He’d
been swept away in a royal entourage, cutting the back way through the masses,
Reece tugging at his arm the whole way. Thor was still shaking from the day’s
events. He hardly understood what he had just done back there, how it had
influenced things. He had just wanted to be anonymous, just another one of the
King’s legion. He had not wanted to be the center of attention.
    Worse,
he didn’t know where he was being led, if he was going to be punished somehow
for interfering. Of course, he had saved Erec’s life—but he had also interfered
with a Knight’s battle, which was forbidden for a squire. He wasn’t sure if he
would be rewarded or rebuked.
    “How
did you do that?” Reece asked, as he yanked him along. Thor followed blindly,
trying to process it all himself. As he went, the masses gawked, staring at him
as if he were some kind of freak.
    “I
don’t know,” Thor answered truthfully. “I just wanted to help him and…it
happened.”
    Reece
shook his head.
    “You
saved Erec’s life. Do you realize that? He is our most famed knight. And you
saved him.”
    Thor
felt good as he turned Reece’s words over in his head, felt a wave of relief.
He had liked Reece from the moment he’d met him; he had a calming effect,
always knowing what to say. As he pondered it, he realized maybe he was not in
for punishment after all. Maybe, in some ways, they would view him as a sort of
hero.
    “I
didn’t try to do anything,” Thor said. “I just wanted him to live. It was
just…natural. It was no big deal.”
    “No
big deal?” Reece echoed. “I couldn’t have done it. None of us could have.”
    They
turned the corner and Thor saw before them the King’s castle, sprawled out,
reaching high into the sky. It looked monumental. The King’s army stood at
attention, lining the cobblestone road leading over the drawbridge, keeping the
masses at bay. They stepped aside to allow Reece and Thor past.
    The
two of them walked along the road, soldiers on either side, up to the huge
arched doors, covered in iron bolts. Four soldiers pulled it open and stepped
aside, at attention. Thor could not believe the treatment he was receiving: he
felt as if he were a member of the royal family.
    They
entered the castle, the doors closing behind them, and Thor was amazed at the
sight before him: the inside was immense, with soaring stone walls a foot thick
and vast, open rooms. Before him milled hundreds of members of the royal court,
rambling about in an excited stir. He could sense the buzz and excitement in
the air, and all eyes turned and looked at him as he entered. He was
overwhelmed by the attention.
    They
all huddled close, seemed to gawk as Thor went with Reece down the castle
corridors. He had never seen so many people dressed in such finery. He saw
dozens of girls, of all ages, dressed in elaborate outfits, locking arms and
whispering in each other’s ears and giggling at him as he went. He felt
self-conscious. He couldn’t tell if they liked him, or if they were making fun
of him. He was not used to being the center of attention—much less in a royal
court—and hardly knew how to handle himself.
    “Why
are they laughing at me?” he asked Reece.
    Reece
turned and chuckled. “They’re not laughing at you,” he said. “They have taken a
liking to you. You’re famous.”
    “Famous?”
he asked, stunned. “What do you mean? I just got here.”
    Reece
laughed and clasped a hand on his shoulder. He was clearly amused by Thor.
    “Word
spreads faster in the royal court than you might imagine. And a newcomer like
yourself—well, this does not happen every day.”
    “Where
are we going?” he asked, realizing he was being led somewhere.
    “My
father wants to meet you,” he said, as they turned down a new corridor.
    Thor
swallowed.
    “Your
father? You mean…the King?” Suddenly, he was nervous. “Why would he want to
meet me? Are you sure?”
    Reece
laughed.
    “I
am quite sure. Stop being so nervous. It’s just my dad.”
    “Just
your dad?” Thor said, unbelieving. “He’s the King!”
    “He’s
not that bad. I have a feeling it will be a happy audience. You saved Erec’s
life, after all.”
    Thor
swallowed hard, his palms sweaty, as another large door opened and they entered
a vast hall. He looked up in awe at the ceiling, arched, covered in