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

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