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

tales of these violent savages from the Wilds who had no ambition except
to attack the Ring. And now there was nothing between them. He couldn’t believe
how many of them there were. It was a vast and waiting army.
    “Aren’t
you afraid?” Thor asked Erec.
    Erec
shook his head.
    “The
Gorals move as one. Their army camps out there every night. They have for
years. They would only attack the Canyon if they mobilized the entire army and
attacked as one. And they wouldn’t dare try. The power of the Sword acts as a
shield. They know they cannot breach it.”
    “So
then why do they camp out there?” Thor asked.
    “It
is their way of intimidating. And preparing. There have been many times
throughout the course of history, in the time of our fathers, when they
attacked, tried to breach the canyon. But it hasn’t happened in my time.”
    Thor
looked up at the black sky, the yellow and blue and orange stars twinkling high
overhead, and wondered. This side of the canyon was a place of nightmares, and
had been ever since he could walk. The thought of it made him fearful, but he
forced that from his mind. He was a member of the Legion now, and had to act
like it.
    “Do
not worry,” Erec said, as if reading his thoughts. “They will not attack while
we have the Destiny Sword.”
    “Have
you ever held it?” Thor asked Erec, suddenly curious. “The Sword?”
    “Of
course not,” Erec retorted sharply. “No one is allowed to grasp it, except for
descendants of the King.”
    Thor
looked at him, confused.
    “I
don’t understand? Why?”
    Reece
cleared his throat.
    “May
I?” he interceded.
    Erec
nodded back.
    “There
is a legend around the Sword. It has never actually been hoisted by anyone.
Legend has it that one man, the chosen one, will be able to wield it by
himself. Only the King is allowed to try, or one of the King’s descendants, if
named King. So there it sits, untouched.”
    “And
what of our current King? Your father?” Thor asked. “Can’t he try?”
    Reece
looked down.
    “He
did once. When he was crowned. So he tells us. He could not lift it. So it sits
there like an object of rebuke for him. He hates it. It weighs on him like a
living thing.
    “When
the chosen one arrives,” Reece added, “he will free the Ring from its enemies
all around and lead us to a greater destiny than we’ve ever known. All wars
will end.”
    “Fairytales
and nonsense,” Elden interceded. “That sword will be lifted by no one. It is
too heavy. It is not possible. And there is no ‘chosen one.’ It’s all hogwash.
That legend was invented just to keep the common man down, to keep us all
waiting for the supposed ‘chosen one.’ To embolden the line of MacGils. It is a
very convenient legend for them.”
    “Shut
your tongue, boy,” Erec snapped. “You will always speak respectfully of your
King.”
    Elden
looked down, humbled.
    Thor
thought about everything, trying to take it all in. It was so much to process
at once. All his life he had dreamt of seeing the Destiny Sword. He had heard
stories of its perfect shape. It was rumored to be crafted from a material no
one understood, was supposed to be a magical weapon. It made Thor wonder what
would happen if they didn’t have the sword to protect them. Would the King’s
army then be vanquished by the Empire? Thor looked out at the glowing fires on
the horizon. They seemed to stretch to eternity.
    “Have
you ever been out there?” Thor asked Erec. “Far out there? Beyond the forest?
Into the Wilds?”
    The
others all turned and look at Erec, as Thor anxiously awaited his reply. In the
thick silence, Erec stared at the flames for a long time—so long that Thor
began to doubt he would ever answer. Thor hoped he had not been too nosy; he
felt so grateful and indebted to Erec, and certainly didn’t want to get on his
bad side. Thor also wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer.
    Just
when Thor was wishing he could retract his question, Erec responded:
    “Yes,”
he said, solemn.
    That
single word hung in the air for too long, and in it, Thor heard the gravity
that told him all he needed to know.
    “What
is it like out there?” O’Connor asked.
    Thor
was relieved that he was not the only one asking the questions.
    “It
is controlled by one ruthless empire,” Erec said. “But the land is vast and
varied. There is the land of the savages. The land of the slaves. And the land
of the monsters. Monsters unlike any you can imagine. And there are