Morgan Rice - A Charge of Valor

Mycoples ascended and continued flying east, towards the Ring.

Thor looked back and saw that the maneuver had cost them some of their precious lead: the dragons behind them were even closer. The plumes of black smoke from the sails had obscured their trail a bit, but Thor knew that wouldn’t last.

“FASTER!” Thor commanded.

They lunged forward, the moisture in the air whipping them as they flew in and out of the clouds. They went so fast that Thor could hardly breathe.

Finally, on the horizon, Thor spotted the shores of the Ring. He saw the strip of beach, and saw, beyond that, the forest, and then the gaping expanse of the deep Canyon. His heart soared to have his homeland back in sight.

There came a sudden roar, and Thor felt the heat behind them and turned to see the dragons even closer, breathing fire, the flames getting so close that they nearly touched Mycoples’ tail. He saw the huge, grotesque faces of the other dragons, too close. He could smell their sulfur smell from here.

Mycoples, despite her best efforts, just didn’t have the energy to go faster. Thor knew that in just a few seconds, if they didn’t go faster, they would all be dead.

“Please, Mycoples,” Thor whispered, “for me. Just a little bit faster. Just one last burst of speed.”

Thor felt Mycoples lurch forward, one last time, with all she had, racing them across the final stretch of Tartuvian, across the sand, the forest, and then, across the huge gaping Canyon.

Thor looked down at the Canyon from this perspective, and it took his breath away. It appeared as a huge gaping chasm in the earth, reaching to the bottom of the world, wider than he could ever imagine, as if it separated two worlds. Its swirling mist shimmered in all different colors, and Thor could feel its magical energy as they flew over it.

As the Canyon flew by beneath them and they finally reached its edge, crossing the threshold into the Ring, Thor felt the Destiny Sword vibrate in his hand. He held it high, and as he did, he sensed an invisible wall suddenly seal up behind them.

The Shield, he realized. The Sword had been returned, and the Shield was restored.

Thor looked back and behind them, the army of dragons, so close, breathed another stream of fire. Thor braced himself, realizing they were about to be engulfed in the flames.

But as they crossed into the Ring and the shield went up, the flames hit the invisible wall, just feet behind them, and stopped in mid-air. The dragons, too, suddenly came to a grinding halt, shrieking as they smashed into the invisible shield at the edge of the Canyon. They stopped in mid-air, screaming in pain, bouncing off it.

Enraged, they circled and circled, breathing flames at the Shield. But the flames simply rolled off of it, and the dragons could not get closer. They roared in frustration, but they could not get in.

Thor and the others cheered. For the first time since this whole saga had begun, since he and the others had set out on their quest, he felt safe. They were home.

Thor reached over and smiled as he stroked Mycoples’ neck.

“You’ve done good, my friend,” he said.

Mycoples purred in return, craning back her neck and lifting her wings. Thor knew she understood.

It all began to process in Thor’s swirling mind. They were home. They were safe. The shield was restored.

Now, it was time to find Gwendolyn.

It had felt like an eternity since Thor had been back in the Ring. Having no news since his departure, he wondered what had happened in his absence. With the Shield down all this time, he feared for what may have come. Was Gwendolyn still in King’s Court, he wondered? Was King’s Court safe from attack? Was Gareth still ruling, and was Gwendolyn safe from him?

Knowing how long the Shield had been down, and seeing all those fleets of Empire ships at sea, Thor assumed the worst. He feared that Andronicus had invaded. And if he had, he figured the first place he would attack would be King’s Court. Thor only hoped that Gwendolyn was still safe inside.

Thor directed Mycoples across the familiar countryside of the Ring, heading towards King’s Court. As they flew, he appreciated his landscape from a whole new perspective. He noticed many familiar landmarks, and he felt so happy to be home. He prayed he never had to leave its borders again.

As they passed over a hill, King’s Court came into view. Thor had been anticipating seeing it with excitement. But when they saw it, his heart plummeted.

What was once the glorious King’s Court, the most magical and impregnable place in the world, was now just a hull, an empty burn-out shell of rubble, completely burned down to the ground. Its walls remained intact, though even these were charred and sections crumbling. Its gates were torn off and the statues and banners of the MacGils had all been toppled. In their stead, Thor’s heart sank to see, was instead a huge statue of Andronicus. And the banner of the Empire.

As they neared, Thor realized that there were no MacGil soldiers or citizens to be found. Just Empire soldiers, everywhere. Clearly, King’s Court had been sacked, and it was now an occupied city.

Thor was speechless. King’s Court. The bastion of strength of the entire Ring. Destroyed. How did that bode for the rest of the Ring? Thor did not want to admit it, but clearly, that could only mean one thing: they had been defeated in his absence. And Gwendolyn and the others had, most likely, been captured. Or worse, killed.

Thor knew Andronicus’ reputation for savagery, and he broke down inside at the thought of anything happening to Gwen. He shut his eyes and tried to force the idea out of his mind; but a part of him already had a sinking feeling. Had Gwen died in the attack on King’s Court? Was she down there somewhere? And if not, if Andronicus had wreaked that much destruction on King’s Court, what other part of the Ring could be safe?

Thor whispered to Mycoples and she dove down to take a closer look. Thor directed her to the camp of Empire soldiers, occupying the city. As they descended, hundreds of Andronicus’ men occupying King’s Gate all turned and looked up. As they spotted the dragon, their faces all froze in fear.

They turned and tried to run, but there was nowhere for them to go. Mycoples breathed fire, and within moments, hundreds of them lay dead.

It was a small vindication for Thor. At least he had killed these men who had dared to occupy this sacred city. But what mattered most was that he find Gwendolyn alive, and unhurt.

They swooped down low and circled the city again and again. But nowhere were there any signs of humanity. It seemed as if everyone who had once been here was dead or gone. Thor wanted to touch down and look for her, but he knew it was pointless until they found some sign of life.

As they circled and again and again, Thor felt increasingly desperate. He did not know where Gwen could be. He started to wonder if maybe Gwen had fled King’s Court at some point and if so, he wondered where she could have gone.

There came a sudden screech, high above, and Thor looked up to see his old friend Estopheles, screeching, circling above them. She flapped her wings and screeched desperately and seemed to be trying to give Thor a message.

Thor closed his eyes and listened, and he felt as if she were urging them to follow her somewhere. Estopheles turned and flew off, and Thor told Mycoples to follow.

They flew over the countryside, heading North, and Thor wondered where Estopheles was leading them.

“Where are we going?” Reece called out behind him. “King’s Court is destroyed. My brothers and sister are back there. We must save them!”

“No,” Thor said. “King’s Court is no more. Estopheles is leading us elsewhere. I sense, to them. We must follow her.”