Only the Worthy (25 page)

“You’re not a
soldier, boy. You’re not like your brothers. You’re a herder. Your life is
here. With me. You will do your duties and do them well. One should not dream
too high. Embrace your life, and learn to love it.”

Thor felt his
heart breaking as he saw his life collapsing before his eyes.

No
, he thought.
This
can’t be.

“But Father—”

“Silence!” he
shrieked, so shrill it cut the air. “Enough with you. Here they come. Get out
of the way, and best mind your manners while they’re here.”

His father
stepped up and with one hand pushed Thor to the side, as if he were an object
he’d rather not see. His beefy palm stung Thor’s chest.

A great rumbling
arose, and townsfolk poured out from their homes, lining the streets. A growing
cloud of dust heralded the caravan, and moments later they arrived, a dozen
horse-drawn carriages, with a noise like great thunder.

They came into
town like a sudden army, halting close to Thor’s home. Their horses , pranced
in place, snorting. It took a long time for the cloud of dust to settle, and
Thor anxiously tried to steal a peek at their armor, their weaponry. He had
never been this close to the Silver before, and his heart thumped.

The soldier on
the lead stallion dismounted. Here he was, a real, actual member of the Silver,
covered in shiny ring mail, a long sword on his belt. He looked to be in his
thirties, a real man, stubble on his face, scars on his cheek, and a nose
crooked from battle. He was the most substantial man Thor had ever seen, twice
as wide as the others, with a countenance that said he was in charge.

The soldier
jumped down onto the dirt road, his spurs jingling as he approached the lineup
of boys.

Up and down the
village dozens of boys stood at attention, hoping. Joining the Silver meant a
life of honor, of battle, of renown, of glory—along with land, title, and
riches. It meant the best bride, the choicest land, a life of glory. It meant
honor for your family, and entering the Legion was the first step.

Thor studied the
large, golden carriages, and knew they could only hold so many recruits. It was
a large kingdom, and they had many towns to visit. He gulped, realizing his
chances were even more remote than he thought. He would have to beat out all
these other boys—many of them substantial fighters—along with his own three
brothers. He had a sinking feeling.

Thor could
hardly breathe as the soldier paced in silence, surveying the rows of hopefuls.
He began on the far side of the street, then slowly circled. Thor knew all the
other boys, of course. He also knew some of them secretly did not want to be
picked, even though their families wanted to send them off. They were afraid;
they would make poor soldiers.

Thor burned with
indignity. He felt he deserved to be picked as much as any of them. Just
because his brothers were older and bigger and stronger didn’t mean he
shouldn’t have a right to stand and be chosen. He burned with hatred for his
father, and nearly burst out of his skin as the soldier approached.

The soldier
stopped, for the first time, before his brothers. He looked them up and down,
and seemed impressed. He reached out, grabbed one of their scabbards, and
yanked it, as if to test how firm it was.

He broke into a
smile.

“You haven’t yet
used your sword in battle, have you?” he asked Drake.

Thor saw Drake
nervous for the first time in his life. Drake swallowed.

“No, my liege.
But I’ve used it many times in practice, and I hope to—”

“In
practice
!”

The soldier
roared with laughter and turned to the other soldiers, who joined in, laughing
in Drake’s face.

Drake turned
bright red. It was the first time Thor had ever seen Drake embarrassed—usually,
it was Drake embarrassing others.

“Well then I
shall certainly tell our enemies to fear you—you who wields your sword
in
practice
!”

The crowd of
soldiers laughed again.

The soldier then
turned to Thor’s other brothers.

“Three boys from
the same stock,” he said, rubbing the stubble on his chin. “That can be useful.
You’re all a good size. Untested, though. You’ll need much training if you are
to make the cut.”

He paused.

“I suppose we
can find room.”

He nodded toward
the rear wagon.

“Get in, and be
quick of it. Before I change my mind.”

Thor’s three
brothers sprinted for the carriage, beaming. Thor noticed his father beaming,
too.

But he was
crestfallen as he watched them go.

The soldier
turned and moved on to the next home. Thor could stand it no longer.

“Sire!” Thor
yelled out.

His father
turned and glared at him, but Thor no longer cared.

The soldier
stopped, his back to him, and slowly turned.

Thor took two
steps forward, his heart beating, and stuck out his chest as far as he could.

“You haven’t
considered me, sire,” he said.

The soldier,
startled, looked Thor up and down as if he were a joke.

“Haven’t I?” he
asked, and burst into laughter.

His men burst
into laughter, too. But Thor didn’t care. This was his moment. It was now or
never.

“I want to join
the Legion!” Thor said.

The soldier
stepped toward Thor.

“Do you now?”

He looked
amused.

“And have you
even reached your fourteenth year?”

“I did, sire.
Two weeks ago.”

“
Two weeks
ago!
”

The soldier
shrieked with laughter, as did the men behind them.

“In that case,
our enemies shall surely quiver at the sight of you.”

Thor felt
himself burning with indignity. He had to do something. He couldn’t let it end
like this. The soldier turned to walk away—but Thor could not allow it.

Thor stepped
forward and yelled: “Sire! You are making a mistake!”

A horrified gasp
spread through the crowd, as the soldier stopped and once again slowly turned.

Now he was
scowling.

“Stupid boy,”
his father said, grabbing Thor by his shoulder, “go back inside!”

“I shall not!” Thor
yelled, shaking off his father’s grip.

The soldier
stepped toward Thor, and his father backed away.

“Do you know the
punishment for insulting the Silver?” the soldier snapped.

Thor’s heart
pounded, but he knew he could not back down.

“Please forgive
him, sire,” his father said. “He’s a young child and—”

“I’m not
speaking to you,” the soldier said. With a withering look, he forced Thor’s
father to turn away.

The soldier
turned back to Thor.

“Answer me!” he
said.

Thor swallowed,
unable to speak. This was not how he saw it going in his head.

“To insult the
Silver is to insult the King himself,” Thor said meekly, reciting what he’d
learned from memory.

“Yes,” the
soldier said. “Which means I can give you forty lashes if I choose.”

“I mean no
insult, sire,” Thor said. “I just want to be picked. Please. I’ve dreamt of
this my entire life. Please. Let me join you.”

The soldier
looked at him, and slowly, his expression softened. After a long while, he
shook his head.

“You’re young,
boy. You have a proud heart. But you’re not ready. Come back to us when you are
weaned.”

With that, he
turned and stormed off, barely glancing at the other boys. He quickly mounted
his horse.

Thor,
crestfallen, watched as the caravan broke into action; as quickly as they’d
arrived, they were gone.

The last thing
Thor saw was his brothers, sitting in the back of the last carriage, looking
out at him, disapproving, mocking. They were being carted away before his eyes,
away from here, into a better life.

Inside, Thor
felt like dying.

As the
excitement around him faded, villagers slinked back into their homes.

“Do you realize
how stupid you were, foolish boy?” Thor’s father snapped, grabbing his
shoulders. “Do you realize you could have ruined your brothers’ chances?”

Thor brushed his
father’s hands off of him roughly, and his father reached back and backhanded
him across the face.

Thor felt the
sting of it and glared back at his father. A part of him, for the first time,
wanted to hit his father back. But he held himself.

“Go get my sheep
and bring them back. Now! And when you return, don’t expect a meal from me. You
will miss your meal tonight, and think about what you’ve done.”

“Maybe I shall
not come back at all!” Thor yelled as he turned and stormed off, away from his
home, toward the hills.

“Thor!” his
father yelled. A few of the villagers who remained on the road stopped and
watched.

Thor broke into
a trot, then a run, wanting to get as far away from this place as possible. He
barely noticed he was crying, tears flooding his face, as every dream he’d ever
had was crushed.

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series. A QUEST OF HEROES (BOOK #1 IN THE SORCERER’S RING) revolves around the
epic coming of age story of one special boy, a 14 year old from a small village
on the outskirts of the Kingdom of the Ring. The youngest of four, the least
favorite of his father, hated by his brothers, Thorgrin senses he is different
from the others. He dreams of becoming a great warrior, of joining the King’s
men and protecting the Ring from the hordes of creatures on the other side of
the Canyon. When he comes of age and is forbidden by his father to try out for
the King’s Legion, he refuses to take no for an answer: he journeys out on his
own, determined to force his way into King’s Court and be taken seriously.

But
King’s Court is rife with its own family dramas, power struggles, ambitions,
jealousy, violence and betrayal. King MacGil must choose an heir from amongst
his children, and the ancient Dynasty Sword, the source of all their power,
still sits untouched, waiting for the chosen one to arrive. Thorgrin arrives as
an outsider and battles to be accepted, and to join the King’s Legion.

Thorgrin
comes to learn he has mysterious powers he does not understand, that he has a
special gift, and a special destiny. Against all odds he falls in love with the
king’s daughter, and as their forbidden relationship blossoms, he discovers he
has powerful rivals. As he struggles to make sense of his powers, the king’s
sorcerer takes him under his wing and tells him of a mother he never knew, in a
land far away, beyond the Canyon, beyond even the land of the Dragons.

Before
Thorgrin can venture out and become the warrior he yearns to be, he must
complete his training. But this may be cut short, as he finds himself propelled
into the center of royal plots and counterplots, ones that may threaten his
love and bring him down—and the entire kingdom with him.