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

directions as best he could, repeating them in his head, as he
hurried past the outskirts of the royal court, up a small hill, and along the
edge of a thick forest. To his left, the ground fell off below him, leaving him
walking on a narrow trail on the edge of a steep ridge, a cliff to his left,
and the forest to his right. Forest Ridge. She had told him to meet her there.
Was she serious? Or was she just playing with him?
    Was that prissy royal, Alton, right? Was
Thor just entertainment for her? Would she tire of him soon? He hoped, more
than anything, that that was not the case. He wanted to believe her feelings
for him were genuine; yet he still had a hard time conceiving how that could be
the case. She barely knew him. And she was royalty. What interest could she
possibly have in him? Not to mention that she was a year or two older, and he
had never had an older girl take an interest in him; in fact, he had never had any girl take an interest in him. Not that there were many girls to choose from in
his small village.
    Thor had never thought about girls that
much. He hadn’t been raised with any sisters, and there weren’t many girls to
choose from in his village. At his age, none of the other boys seemed too
concerned. Most of the boys seemed to wed around their eighteenth year, in
arranged marriages—really, more like business arrangements. Those of high rank
who weren’t married off by their twenty-fifth year reached their Selection Day:
they were obligated to either choose a bride or go out and find one. But that
did not apply to Thor. He was of poor means, and people of his rank usually
were just married off in ways that benefited the families. It was like trading
cattle.
    But when Thor had seen Gwendolyn, all
that had changed. For the first time, he had been struck by something, a
feeling so deep and strong and urgent it allowed him to think of nothing else.
Both times he’d seen her, that feeling deepened. He hardly understood it, but it
pained him to be away from her.
    Thor doubled his pace along the ridge,
looking for her everywhere, wondering exactly where she would meet him—or if
she would meet him at all. The first sun grew higher and the first bead of
sweat formed on his forehead. He still felt ill and queasy from the effects of
the night before. As the sun grew even higher, and his search for her was
proving futile, he began to wonder if she was really going to meet him at all.
He also began to wonder just how much danger he was putting them in: if her
mother, the Queen, really was so against this, would she truly have him
deported from the kingdom? From the Legion? From everything he’s come to know
and love? Then what would he do?
    As he thought about it, he decided it
was still all worth it, for the chance to be with her. He was willing to risk
it all for that chance. He only hoped he wasn’t being made a fool of, or
rushing to any premature conclusions about how strong her feelings were for
him.
    “Were you just going to walk right by me?”
came a voice, followed by a giggle.
    Thor jumped, caught off-guard, then
stopped and turned. There, standing in the shade of a huge pine tree, smiling
back, was Gwendolyn. His heart lifted at that smile. He could see the love in
her eyes, and all his worries and fears instantly melted away. He chided
himself for how he could have been so stupid to ever second-guess her.
    Khron squeaked at the sight of her.
    “And what do have we here!?” she cried
out in delight.
    She knelt down and Khron came running to
her, leaping into her arms with a whimper; she picked him up and held him,
caressing him.
    “He’s so cute!” she said, hugging him
tightly. He licked her face. She giggled, and kissed him back.
    “And what’s your name, little fellow?”
she asked.
    “Khron,” Thor said. Finally, this time,
he was not as tongue-tied as before.
    “Khron,” she echoed, looking into the
cub’s eyes. “And is it every day that you travel with a leopard friend?” she
asked Thor with a laugh.
    “I found him,” Thor said, feeling
self-conscious beside her, as he always did. “In the wood—on the hunt. Your
brother said I should keep him, because I found him. That it was destined.”
    She looked at him, and her expression
became serious.
    “Well, he is right. Animals are very
sacred things. You don’t find them. They find you.”
    “I hope you don’t mind if he joins us,”
Thor said.
    She giggled.
    “I would be sad if he didn’t,”