They all fell silent, so silent, one could hear a pin drop.
Thor could feel all the stares, and he felt himself racing with energy, felt more alive than he ever had. He knew it was crazy, reckless, that the chances were impossible. But he also felt that this was what he was born for, felt proud of himself for not giving into his fear. It wasn’t about surviving. It was about honor.
“You have a big heart, Thorgrinson,” Kolk said. “And you do the Legion proud. But you would not survive. Not even you.”
“It is not about surviving,” Thor said. “It’s about doing what is right. For our kingdom. For all of us.”
The men remained silent.
“But no one else volunteers to go with you,” Brom said. “Even among these brave and fine warriors. And I cannot blame them.”
“Then I will go alone,” Thor said, resolving himself. He was determined.
“I will join him!” came a voice.
Thor turned to see Reece step forward, beside him.
“And I!” said O’Connor.
“And I!” said Elden.
“And we!” said the twins.
Thor felt emboldened as all of his friends stepped forward, the group of six standing as one, ready to face death together.
Kolk shook his head.
“You are crazy, all of you,” Kolk said, “and the bravest men I’ve ever seen.”
Brom stepped forward, placed a hand on Thor’s shoulder, and looked him in the eye.
“Whoever you are, boy,” he said, “you do your ancestors proud.”
He examined Thor deeply, as if deciding.
“Go then,” Brom finally said. “Find the sword. Bring it home. The fate of our kingdom rests on you.”
“We shall leave King’s Court and journey to Silesia and form a new court in your absence,” Godfrey said. “We will await your return. Be quick about it. And don’t die.”
The men dispersed, and Thor stood there, feeling his world changing, reeling all around him. Then he felt a hand on his wrist.
Thor looked over to see Gwendolyn standing beside him, tears in her eyes. His heart broke at the sight of her.
“Before you leave, talk with me a minute,” she said.
Thor walked with her, stepping away from the crowd, and they took privacy behind a stone wall. She looked up at him, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
“I don’t want you to go,” she said. “Please. Not after all we’ve been through.”
“But if I don’t, the shield will stay down,” Thor said. “The Empire will attack. We will all be finished.”
She shook her head.
“We are all finished anyway,” she said. “The Sword is gone. The shield will never go up again. You will never find it. You will just die alone out there. If we are to die, I would rather that we die together.”
Thor shook his head.
“Then your death, all of our deaths, would be on my head, because I had not tried to find the Sword. I must do this Gwendolyn. You, of all people, must understand. Please. I do not want to leave you. Know how much I love you. I wish for nothing more than to stay by your side. But I must do this. For our kingdom. For the Ring. For honor. Don’t you understand?”
She nodded slowly, looking down at the ground, wiping her tears.
Thor felt the ring his mother had given him, burning inside his shirt, and at that moment, he wanted more than anything to get down on one knee and to propose to Gwendolyn, to ask her to be his wife. A part of him felt that this was the moment.
But another part of him felt it would not be fair to her to propose. He was about to leave, to head off into what was a likely death. If she were to be married to him, that would leave her a widow, forever. It would not be fair to her.
Thor decided to keep the ring where it was, and as soon as he returned-if he returned-he would propose to her then. Then, they could live together forever.
He reached down, raised her chin and looked into her eyes. He smiled down at her, wiping away her tears, and leaned in and kissed her.
“I love you, Gwendolyn,” he said. “More than I could ever say.”
She choked up in tears, crying, and threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.
“I hate you for going,” she said.
“You will be safe this time,” Thor said, his heart breaking. “You will be with all these men. You will run your own court. An entire army will be protecting you. No one can hurt you now.”
“It is not for myself that I fear,” she said. “It is for you.”
Thor finally pulled her back, and looked deeply into her eyes.
“I will return to you, my love,” he said “Not the moon and the stars and the heavens in the sky can keep me from you.”
She smiled up weakly, a tear running down her cheek.
“I wish I could believe that,” she answered.
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
King McCloud burst from his castle as the second sun was setting in the sky and ran across the plaza of his royal court, filled with rage. He leapt onto his horse, followed by dozens of his loyal men, and kicked, taking off at a gallop through his small city, through one of the arched gates, and onto the dusty road leading up the mountain. He kicked the beast harder and harder, outrage burning through his veins. He had just received the news that his son had escaped, his bride with him, had broken free from his grasp before he’d had a chance to torture and kill them both and make a public display of them.
McCloud burned with the indignity of it all. He could not believe that little witch had outsmarted him. He had been in a foul mood since returning home, and now he was in an outright fury. If it was the last thing he did, he would hunt them both down, find them before they could reach the safety of the MacGil side, and torture and kill them both himself.
McCloud galloped, dozens of men following, desperate to reach the hilltop outside his court where he could have a good vantage point, see exactly where they were, and decide how best to hunt them down.
Ungrateful little boy, he thought. He realized now that he had made a mistake to let Bronson live all these years. He knew from the time he was born that he should have had him killed-should have had all of his sons killed-so that no one could ever threaten to depose him. He had been too soft. Now he had paid the price.
He had also been foolish to keep that MacGil girl alive as long as he had. He knew from past experience that it was always a good idea to kill women as soon as possible, and not take any chances with them. He again had become too soft in his old age, and he resolved to be crueler and more vicious than ever before.
McCloud screamed and whipped his horse again and again, until it bled, the horse screaming, as they all charged and finally crested the top of the hill.
From this vantage point, the setting sun flooding the sky in scarlet, matching his mood, McCloud could see on the horizon his son, Bronson, with Luanda, riding for the Highlands. His anger burned anew. It looked like they had a good day’s ride on him, and catching them would not be easy. No matter. He would hunt them down, make a sport of it. He would ride all night if he had to, and would not rest until he pounced on them and crushed them to death with his bare hands.
McCloud sat there on his horse, watching, breathing hard, and was about to whip his horse again, to charge off after them, when suddenly, something came into view which confused him. He blinked several times, unsure what he was seeing.
Before him there came into view an army of horses. It was the biggest army he had ever seen, unlike anything he had ever laid eyes upon. It appeared to be a million men, covering the entire countryside, swarming his way, like a swarm of ants.
He turned, and in every direction they were there, millions of men, turning his land black with their bodies, their horses, closing in on him from every direction. He could not understand what was happening. From their dress, they appeared to be Empire men. But it was not possible: they were inside the Ring. Across the Canyon.