Morgan Rice - A Clash of Honor

They reached a major intersection, a fork in the road, and Thor lead his men to the left, forking from the road that would have led directly to his hometown. His destiny was bringing him a different way. As they turned away, towards Sulpa, Thor could not help but glance back, over his shoulder, at the old, familiar road. He thought of home, and wondered what his father was doing there now. He wondered if he missed Thor. Probably not. He probably pined for his three other sons; he probably assumed that they were the stars of the Legion. He would be surprised to hear how well Thor had done. Thor was sure he wouldn’t even believe it.

Thor drove it from his mind; instead he thought of Gwendolyn. Her touch lingered with him, and as they had parted only hours ago, he still felt as if she were right there with him. He was distracted, found it hard to think of anything else. It hurt to have left her there, and he also felt the absence of Krohn, whom he had not been apart from since he had found him. Thor felt as if he’d left a big part of him back there, in King’s Court. And even though Krohn was with Gwendolyn, he couldn’t help but fear for her safety. He resolved to finish this mission quickly and return to her soon as he could.

Thor was kicking himself for not mustering the courage to ask her the question. Why was it so hard? He resolved that when he returned, the first thing he would do, whether the time was right or not, would be to ask her, no matter what the circumstances. He just had to force himself to. He was beginning to realize that no time was the perfect time. If she said no, then she said no. But at least he had tried, and had faced his fear.

“What’s the name of this place again?” O’Connor called out as they rode.

Thor snapped out of it.

“Kolk said it is named Sulpa,” Thor said. “A small village, but in a strategic location, between the valleys.”

“Apparently, they were hit pretty hard,” Reece added.

“Well I don’t see why we need to go and clean up after their mess,” Elden said. “We certainly have better things to do. Like training.”

“Every town is a link in the chain,” Reece answered. “We don’t want any weak links. Besides, these are our people. We owe it to them.”

“No we don’t,” Conval said. “We are warriors. Not homebuilders. We only owe it to the kingdom to protect it from threats. And to kill our attackers.”

“Part of protecting the kingdom is keeping it strong,” Reece answered. “We protect it not only by fending off attackers, but by fortifying our towns for attack.”

The boys rode on in silence for a while, and as they did, the landscape began to change. The beautiful green hills gave way to a landscape that turned desolate and dusty. It was like walking through a desert. The contrast between the two terrains was stark. Thorn bushes, ten feet high, rolled in the wind, and stuck to everything. The road faded in the dirt, and it became hard to keep sight of where they were going. Thor didn’t like the look of this.

“Is this the only way there?” O’Connor asked.

Thor held out the map Kolk had given him, and stared at it again.

“That’s what it says,” he answered. “Kolk warned us. He said there’d be a barren stretch. The village is surrounded by desert. Then it turns fertile again.”

Thor looked around at the apprehensive faces of his brothers, who were spread out from each other, and he realized that now it was time for him to assume his role as leader, make them feel as if they were being confidently led, and put them at ease.

“Just stick close together and we’ll be fine,” Thor commanded. “One never knows what might come out at us in these parts.”

The others, respecting Thor’s command, listened to him immediately and tightened their formation, all of them riding much closer together. They all became more alert, on edge, as an odd, high-pitched wind howled through the open desert. Thor had heard stories about this wasteland. He didn’t want his men to be another victim of it.

They rode for hours in silence, and as the second sun grew long in the sky, on the horizon there appeared the first glimpse of fertile land again. Thor exhaled with relief. They had made it without incident.

“Mind if I stop?” Reece asked.

The others turned and looked at him and Reece gestured over to a small cave, nestled in a huge boulder in the empty landscape.

“Got a go,” he said, “I can’t hold it any longer.”

Thor shrugged.

“Do what you have to,” he said.

Thor sat there, on his horse, impatient in the heat of this place, as a large thorn bush went rolling past him with a loud, rustling noise. He flinched. He was too on-edge. This place was eerie. All around him his men bore arms, on guard. He was relieved to see that he was not the only one being cautious.

“So what do you think will become of the Ring?” Elden asked Thor. “Do you think Gareth’s men will-”

A shriek cut through the air, and Thor immediately dismounted, as did the others, drew his sword, and sprinted for the cave. The shriek came from inside. It was Reece’s.

Reece came flying out of the cave, running at full speed, and as he did, Thor spotted a strange animal stuck to his arm. Reece flailed, shrieking, and Thor finally realized what it was: a Forsyth, the largest and deadliest spider in the Ring. Black and furry and covered in red spots, it had twelve legs, and its body span stretched over Reece’s entire arm, from his forearm to his shoulder. It clung to him, not letting go, despite Reece’s frantic efforts to brush it off.

Thor ran to Reece and grabbed the insect with both hands, yanking its furry arms with all its might, trying to pry it off. But it did no good.

Thor drew his dagger and plunged it into the head of the beast.

The beast screamed, then let out an awful hissing noise, and reached up with one of its tentacles to try to grab Thor’s hand. Thor slashed the beast again and again, and his brothers came running up and slashed it, too. Finally, it let go of Reece and turned to the others, opening its small mouth and spitting out a liquid right for them.

Thor dodged it, but the liquid grazed the arm of one of his Legion brothers, and he screamed and clutched it, smoke rising from his sleeve as the acid ate away at it.

The beast dropped to the desert floor and scurried away. A few Legion hurled daggers at it, but it went too fast for them to hit. In moments, it was gone.

Reece clutched his arm, bent over in agony, and Thor draped an arm over his shoulder.

“You okay?” Thor asked.

Reece bit his lip and shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said.

Thor looked down and saw the wound-and was aghast. There was a large, circular spot on Thor’s arm, and the wound was deep, oozing green puss and blood. O’Connor, beside him, tore a piece of linen from his shirt with his teeth and wrapped it around Reece’s arm to staunch the bleeding.

“The venom of a Forsyth is toxic,” Elden said grimly, analyzing the wound. “It will spread through his system. It will paralyze him. If we don’t get him help soon, he’s finished.”

Thor looked over at Reece, who looked more pale than he’d ever seen and who started to shake.

Before Thor could react, suddenly there came a noise, a distinct clicking noise, and he looked over with the others and his heart stopped.

From out of the cave there slowly crawled another Forsyth, pausing at the entrance, then slowly creeping towards him.

Thor and his brothers slowly backed up, one step at a time, Thor helping Reece.

“On your horses!” Thor commanded. “Let’s get out of here. Now!”

It was the first time Thor had ever commanded his fellow Legion members, and strangely enough, it had come to him naturally. He did not seek a leadership role, but it felt comfortable to him, and he felt that he could help the others, who were paralyzed with fear, by taking charge for them.