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

Thor began to walk
with the others, closer and closer to the bridge, and was able to look down,
deep into the Canyon’s cliffs: they seemed to plummet into the bowels of the
earth. Thor could not even see the bottom, and didn’t know if that was because
it had no bottom, or if it was because it was covered in mist. The rock that
lined the cliffs looked to be a million years old, formed with patterns that
storms must have left centuries before. It was the most primordial place he had
ever seen. He had no idea his planet was so vast, so vibrant, so alive.
    It
was as if he had come to the beginning of creation.
    Thor
heard the others gasp all around him, too.
    The
thought of the four of them patrolling this Canyon seemed laughable. They were
dwarfed even by the sight of it.
    As
they walked towards the bridge, soldiers stiffened on either side, at
attention, making way for the new patrol. Thor felt his pulse quicken.
    “I
don’t see how the four of us can possibly patrol this?” O’Connor said.
    Elden
snickered.
    “There
are many patrols beside us. We are merely one cog in the machine.”
    As
they walked across the bridge, the only sound to be heard was that of the
whipping wind, and of their boots, and Erec’s horse, walking along. The hoofs
left a hollow and reassuring sound, the only real thing Thor could hang onto in
this surreal place.
    None
of the soldiers, who all stiffened at attention in Erec’s presence, said a word
as they stood guard. They must have passed hundreds of them.
    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