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

so hard he felt his ribs crack. Thor went flying
across the clearing, smashing into a tree before collapsing to the ground. He
felt a terrible headache as he lay there.
    Thor looked up, dazed and
confused, the world spinning. The beast reach down and extracted Thor’s sword
from its stomach. The sword seemed tiny in its hands, like a toothpick, and the
beast reached back and hurled it; it went flying through the trees, taking down
branches, and disappeared into the wood.
    It turned its full attention on
Thor and began to bear down on him.
    Elden stood there, still frozen
in fear. But as the beast charged Thor, suddenly, Elden burst into action. He
charged the beast from behind, and jumped onto its back. It slowed the beast
just enough for Thor to sit up; the beast, furious, flung back his arms and
threw Elden. He went flying across the clearing, smashed into a tree, and
slumped to the ground.
    The beast, still bleeding,
panting heavily, turned its attention back to Thor. It snarled and widened its
fangs as it approached him.
    Thor was out of options. His
sword was gone, and there was nothing between him and the monster. The monster
dove down for him, and at the last second, Thor rolled out of the way. The
monster hit the tree where Thor had been with such force it uprooted it.
    The beast raised its foot, and
brought it down for Thor’s head. Thor once more rolled out of the way; the
creature left a footprint where Thor’s head had been.
    Thor leapt to his feet, placed a
stone in his sling, and hurled.
    He hit the monster square between
the eyes, a fiercer throw than he had ever made, and the creature staggered
back. Thor was certain he had killed it.
    But to his amazement, the beast
did not stop.
    Thor tried his best to summon his
power, whatever power it was that he had. He charged the beast, leaping
forward, crashing into it, aiming to tackle it and drive it down to the ground
with a superhuman power.
    But to Thor’s shock, this time
his power never kicked in. He was just another boy. A frail boy, next to this
massive beast.
    The beast merely reached down,
grabbed Thor by his waist and hoisted him high above its head. Thor felt so
helpless, dangling high in the air—and then he was thrown. He went flying like
a missile across the clearing, and smashed again into a tree.
    Thor lay there, stunned, his head
splitting, his ribs cracked in two. The beast raced for him, and he knew this
time he was finished. It raised its red, muscular foot, preparing to bring it
down right on Thor’s head. He prepared for death.
    Then, for some reason, the beast
froze in midair. Thor blinked, trying to understand why.
    The beast reached up and clutched
its throat, and Thor noticed the head of an arrow protruding from it it. A
moment later, the beast keeled over, dead.
    Erec came running into view,
followed by Reece and O’Connor. Thor saw Erec looking down on him, asking if he
was okay, and he wanted to answer, more than anything. But the words would not
come out. A moment later, his eyes closed on him, and then his world was
blackness.
     

CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
     
     
    Thor opened his eyes slowly,
dizzy at first, trying to figure out where he was. He was laying on straw, and
for a moment wondered if he was back in the barracks. He propped himself up on
one elbow, on alert, looking for the others.
    He was somewhere else. From the
looks of it, he was in a very elaborate stone room. It looked as if he were in
a castle. A royal castle.
    Before he could figure it all
out, a large, oak door swung open and in strutted Reece. In the distance, Thor
could hear the muted noise of a crowd.
    “Finally, he lives,” Reece
announced with a smile, as he rushed forward, grabbed Thor’s hand, and pulled
him to his feet.
    Thor raised a hand to his head,
trying to slow his terrible headache from rising too fast.
    “Come on, let’s go, everyone’s
waiting for you,” he urged, yanking Thor.
    “Wait a minute, please,” Thor
said, trying to collect himself. “Where am I? What happened?”
    “We’re back in King’s Court—and
you are about to be celebrated as the hero of the day!” Reece said merrily, as
they headed for the door.
    “Hero? What do you mean? And…how
did I get here?” he asked, trying to remember.
    “That beast knocked you out.
You’ve been out for quite a while. We had to carry you back across the Canyon
bridge. Quite dramatic. Not exactly how I expected you to return to the other
side!” he said with a laugh.
    They