Morgan Rice - A Sea of Shields

Thor glanced back over his shoulder at the boys.

“Do not worry,” Kendrick said. “You will return to them shortly.”

Thor turned to the boys.

“Men, keep on firing!” he boomed out. “And don’t stop until I return.”

Thor turned and walked off with Kendrick and Erec, his heart pounding in suspense as he wondered where on earth these two men, whom he respected more than any men on earth, could be leading him.

Thor followed Erec and Kendrick as they led him through a meandering path in the forest, wondering where they were leading him. Thor knew that Kendrick and Erec were busy with their work with the Silver, and he wondered if something had gone wrong, if they needed his help somehow.

Kendrick, usually talkative, had hardly said a word to Thor, deepening the mystery as they all walked. He and Erec would not say where they were going, which was unlike them, too. In the time Thor had come to know them, Erec and Kendrick had taken Thor in as if he were a brother, treating him with respect. He did not understand what this was about. Was it a reprimand? Did he do something wrong while rebuilding the Legion? Had they decided to choose someone else?

Kendrick finally cleared his throat.

“Before you wed my sister,” Kendrick finally said, walking beside Thor, “something very important must happen. My sister has found, in you, a man worthy of her status. And now you must have a rank worthy of your own.”

Thor looked back, puzzled, still not understanding.

A forest clearing opened up before them, and Thor was surprised to see a dozen members of the Silver standing there, waiting to greet him in their shiny armor that reflected the afternoon suns. They were all expressionless, and Thor’s sense of apprehension deepened. What could it be? Were they somehow upset with him that Andronicus had been his father?

Deepening Thor’s confusion, standing amongst them was Aberthol, along with several members of the Queen’s high council. Most surprising of all, standing amongst them was Argon, who stared at Thor with great intensity, his eyes shining, as he clutched his staff.

Thor could not help but wonder if he were on trial for something.

“Have I done something wrong?” Thor asked Erec and Kendrick as they came up beside him.

Kendrick shook his head.

“On the contrary,” he replied. “You have been a true and noble warrior from the day you arrived at King’s Court. You have defended our homeland selflessly. You have fought off the Empire, and brought us dragons. You have restored the Shield and returned the Destiny Sword. And all this in just so many moons.”

Erec stepped forward and placed a hand on Thor’s shoulder.

“Thorgrin, it is past time for you to have title and rank befitting who you are. You are no longer a mere boy. You are no longer a mere Legion member.”

Erec studied him, and Thor’s heart pounded as he wondered what was happening.

“Thorgrin,” Kendrick said, “it is time for you to join our ranks. It is time for you to join our Ring’s most elite fighting force. It is time for you to join the Silver.”

Thor stood there, staring back, hardly able to think straight, the words ringing in his ears. The Silver. This was not what he’d expected—not what he had ever expected. It was honor reserved for the King’s most elite, for sons of nobles, sons of kings, legendary, lifelong warriors. The greatest warriors who had ever served the Ring. It was an honor most people only dreamed of, an honor that Thor could hardly fathom, and one he had never expected to be given in his lifetime.

As he stood there, facing them, words stuck in his throat. He did not know what to say.

“The Silver?” Thor repeated. “Me?”

Erec and Kendrick smiled, nodded back.

If it were not for all these great men standing here in this forest clearing, before this lake, Thor would have thought this was all a joke.

But he could tell by the gravity of all their expressions that this was no joke.

Thor stared back at all the men, and he had never felt more accepted, more honored, in his life. There was no greater privilege he could dream of than to be one of these great men, to join their ranks, to don their armor, their insignia, their weapons, to be known as a member of the Silver.

“Do you accept this honor?” Kendrick asked.

Thor nodded, barely able to contain himself.

“I can think of no greater honor, my lord,” he said, bowing his head.

Kendrick stepped aside with the others, all of them clearing a path, and as they did, Thor saw behind them the shining red lake. It was small, mystical, a light fog rising off of it, and Thor recognized it immediately: the Sacred Lake. It was a magical place, reserved for the elite, hidden deep in the woods, where one would come to pray to the gods, to transform oneself.

Argon stepped to the side of the lake.

“Come,” he beckoned Thor.

Thor walked slowly to him, the men parting ways, until he reached the water’s edge. Argon reached up and placed his palm on Thor’s forehead, and closed his eyes.

Thor felt an intense energy, a burning heat, coursing through Argon’s palm, radiating through his body, as he closed his eyes and focused.

Argon began to mutter in an ancient chant, his voice stark and rumbling, cutting through the silent summer afternoon.

“By the light of the seven dawns, by the grace of the westerly wind…”

Argon’s chanting trailed off, stopping and starting, as Thor found himself getting lost in the ceremony. Argon switched to the ancient, lost language, and Thor no longer understood the words; but he recognized their intonation, recognized they were part of the formal, ritualized language of the Ring, the ancient language reserved for kings, for holy events.

Argon chanted again and again, and Thor felt as if he were melting into Argon’s palm, as if he were surrendering his brain, transforming, becoming someone else.

Finally, Argon paused, then slowly removed his palm.

Thor slowly opened his eyes and the world was filled with an intense, bright light. He saw Argon standing there, looking down.

“Thorgrin of the Western Kingdom of the Ring,” Argon proclaimed formally. “You are being endowed with the highest honor of the Ring. You are being inducted into a society in which every King has joined. You are being allowed into a sacred brotherhood, dubbed a warrior for all time. You will be the youngest member ever inducted into the Silver. This is an honor that can never be retracted, for your entire life, and for lifetimes to come. Now I ask you: is this an honor that you will accept?”

“It is,” Thor said back.

“Do you vow to uphold the principles of the Silver, to protect the weak, to champion the poor, to lay down your life for your family, your people, for any woman in distress?”

“I do,” Thor replied.

“Do you vow to protect your brothers in arms, to give up your life for them?”

“I do.”

“Do you vow that any injury to your brothers is an injury to yourself?”

“I do.”

Argon paused, taking in the silence, closing his eyes.

Finally, he nodded.

“Follow me,” he said.

Argon turned, and Thor watched, amazed, as Argon walked out onto the water. Thor couldn’t believe what he was seeing: Argon kept walking out onto the lake without sinking, his feet atop the water, as if he were walking on dry ground.

Thorgrin watched him go, then he followed, taking a step in. Thor walked in, unable to float as Argon did, and the water was unnaturally cold for this summer day. He continued to walk in, deeper and deeper, teeth chattering, until finally he was in up to his chest, standing beside Argon.

Argon reached down with his staff, placed the bottom atop Thor’s head, and gently pushed down.