Morgan Rice - A Clash of Honor

But Andronicus was shocked as he watched this man’s body fly through the air, over the rim of the Canyon, perfectly intact, then plunge down below, screaming and flailing all the way down to the bottom, to his death.

Andronicus stood there, blinking several times, not understanding what had happened. It was as if the shield had suddenly been turned off.

Andronicus grabbed another soldier and shoved him, this time right down the center, towards the bridge. The man was terrified, seeing what had happened to his peers, but Andronicus jabbed him in the back of his neck with a spear, and the man ran obediently, bracing himself with his hands before his face as he ran towards the bridge, expecting to die.

But this time, something different happened: the soldier kept running, right onto the bridge, not disintegrating as the others had. He stood there, in the midst of the McCloud soldiers, alive.

The McCloud soldiers all seemed shocked, too. They jumped into action and attacked the lone soldier, killing him on the spot.

They then turned and looked at the Empire army with a whole new respect-and fear. No longer was there a barrier between them. Something had happened.

The hundreds of McCloud soldiers slowly stepped backwards, began to retreat, looking nervous, not understanding what was happening.

Andronicus could not understand it either. The shield was down. It was really down. What had happened?

He would not wait to find out.

“CHARGE!” he screamed.

Thousands of his men rushed forward, onto the bridge, stampeding it, slaughtering the McCloud men as they went. The remaining McCloud soldiers turned and ran.

Andronicus watched, waiting to see what would happen, if the shield would somehow come back up.

But to his amazement, his men were fine. They kept charging, all the way across the bridge, and onto the McCloud side of the Ring. They continued charging, standing firmly on McCloud soil.

Safe.

The shield was down.

Andronicus smiled, happier than he’d ever been in his life. He drew his sword, and charged with them. He blended with the stampede, and he killed some of his own men on the way across the bridge, just for fun. He felt like a little boy again.

In moments he landed himself on the McCloud side of the Ring, feeling the soil of the Ring beneath him for the very first time. It was a moment he had dreamed of his entire life. He could not believe it.

He was here .

Andronicus knelt down and felt the soil with his palms, as all his men rushed past him, then leaned over and kissed the earth.

He looked up and saw, on the horizon, the McCloud city.

He grinned, wider than he ever had in his life.

It was time to pay McCloud a visit.

As Thor rode back for King’s Court, Gwen on the horse behind him, Reece, O’Connor, Elden and the twins riding alongside them, he felt weary but overflowing with gratitude. The second sun was setting and they all rode at a comfortable trot into the magnificent sky. Thor felt beyond weary, every muscle in his body hurting, as if he had just been through a war.

But having Gwen with him, feeling her hands clutch his chest, her cheek resting against his back, took all of his weariness away. Having her with him made him feel that all was right in the world. He was beyond grateful that she was alive, that she had not been injured, that the Nevaruns had never had a chance to have his way with her. He was grateful that they had survived the encounter, and that he had been able to save her-and that she had saved his life. He felt as if all of his prayers had been answered.

As they rode back towards King’s court, Thor felt triumphant, but also the sting of tragedy, as he thought of their three Legion brothers who had died in battle, whose corpses they carried home now, slung over the back of their horses. And while on the one hand he felt like a returning hero, he also felt a sense of apprehension, as he did not know what they were returning to. After all, it was Gareth, the still lawful king, who had arranged for Gwen to be taken away-and it was to Gareth’s court that they were returning. Gareth was increasingly unhinged, that much was clear, and now that there was a full-fledged rift between The Silver and these new men Gareth had brought in, the tension had never run so high. It felt as if King’s Court was on the verge of a civil war, and that all that was needed was a spark. And as Thor charged back towards the place with Gwendolyn, in defiance of Gareth’s orders, he could not help but feel as if maybe he carried that spark.

Thor braced himself. He was too weary for another battle now. But that might be just what he was walking into.

Thor knew that Gwendolyn and the others had to either find a way to depose Gareth, or that they all had to flee King’s Court for good and find a new home, setup a new court elsewhere. It was not safe here anymore.

As they neared King’s Court, Thor knew that the first place they had to go was the Hall of Arms, to meet up with the Legion and see whichever soldiers were currently here. He knew that many of them, like Kendrick, were still stationed in the field, rebuilding and refortifying the Ring. But several fine warriors, including Kolk and Brom, were still stationed here-and Godfrey was here, too, their best hope at finding the proof they needed to indict Gareth.

As Thor and his men trotted through the open plaza of King’s Court, crowds of onlookers gathered, watching the ragtag group in wonder, and Thor could feel the stares, feel word already beginning to spread. He knew it was only a matter of time until word of their arrival reached Gareth and his men, and he turned sharply towards the hall and doubled his pace. He needed to rendezvous with them before anything happened.

Thor and the others entered the plaza before the Hall of Arms, and several members of the Legion and The Silver were milling around outside of it and looked up at them in surprise as the group rode in on their horses, covered in blood, wounded from the battle. One of the Legion members called out, and soon many more came rushing over, as Thor and the others dismounted.

Thor heard a whining, and his heart leapt as he looked down and saw Krohn, being led towards him by Steffen. He knelt down, elated to see him well, and hugged Krohn as he leapt into his arms, limping, looking weak, but very much alive. Gwen knelt down and hugged Krohn, too.

“Illepra took good care of him,” Steffen said, smiling.

Krohn licked Thor and Gwen all over, and they kissed him back.

The doors flew open and several members of The Silver came pouring outside, milling excitedly around Thor, Gwen and the others; they were swept up in the crowd and ushered inside the hall, the doors closed quickly behind them.

As Thor entered the Hall he could feel hundreds of eyes on him. The Hall was packed, overflowing with Silver and Legion members, all of whom came hurrying over to the group. At their head was Kolk and Brom, along with Atme and several other famed warriors whom Thor recognized.

Kolk, then Brom, embraced Thor, then the others, and Thor could see the relief in their faces.

“You have returned,” Kolk said. “We heard, too late, of Gwen’s capture, of your expedition. You should have come to us first. We would have joined you.”

“There hadn’t been time,” Thor said.

“Gwendolyn!” came a voice.

Godfrey rushed over and embraced her, relief on his face.

“You’re alive,” he said, shocked.

All the soldiers looked at Thor and the surviving Legion members with a new respect, with a look of awe. Thor felt proud. Surrounded by these men, he felt as if he could finally take a deep breath and let down his guard.

“Not all of us made it back,” Thor said, his voice growing deeper, more authoritative. “Three of our Legion members died, I’m sorry to say. There were nine of us.”