It’s suicide.”
"We
have no choice," Thor insisted. "We have come to find the Sword. And we
must follow wherever it went.”
The old
man lowered his head and shook it sadly.
"Will
you show us the way?” Thor asked. “In the morning?"
"It's
your death," the old man said. "I can show you how to get anywhere.”
Satisfied,
Thor leaned back onto the furs—but as he stretched his arm, he suddenly felt it
singed, and he yanked it back quickly, crying out in pain.
He
turned and looked, expecting to see a fire, but he saw none. He wondered what
happened, how he had gotten hurt.
"I
told you to close those shutters boy!" the old man yelled.
The
boy ran over to Thor and quickly closed the wooden shutters beside him. As Thor
watched, he realized he had been sitting beside an open window. Thor was
puzzled as he looked down at his arm, which had a slight burn mark on it.
"What
singed my arm?” he asked.
"The
moonlight," the boy answered.
“Moonlight?”
Thor asked, shocked.
“It’s
strong in these parts. Never put yourself directly in its light. It burns you.”
"It's
only the first moon that burns you,” the old man added. “It wanes in a couple
of hours, after the spiders leave. The second one is fine to walk under.”
Thor
rubbed his arm, leaning back, and he wondered at this place. He felt a million
miles away from home. A part of him felt as if he would never return.
"Fetch
the meat," the old man commanded, and the boy crossed the cottage and appeared
with a heaping platter, overflowing with meats.
Thor and
the others—especially Krohn—all perked up, opening their sleepy eyes and
leaning forward. Thor dared not ask what sort of meat this was, hardly knowing
the names of any of the animals out here anyway. But it smelled delicious, and
as the boy brought it closer, Krohn smacked his lips and whined. The boy
laughed and served Krohn first, ripping off a hunk and throwing it through the
air; he laughed harder as Krohn snatched it. Krohn wagged his tail as he
carried it off to a corner of the room and chewed.
Thor
smiled as he and the others used the sticks to lift a piece from the platter.
The boy and the old man did the same, and all of them settled back, eating
contentedly by the fire. Thor took a bite and was surprised by how flavorful it
was—and by how tough the meat was. He felt his energy returning as he chewed.
The
boy then carried over a sack of wine and goblets, handing one out to each, and
filling them. Thor drank, and the strong liquid went right to his head.
With
his full belly, the strong wine and the warm fire relaxing him, Thor felt
himself getting sleepy. But he shook it off. He was leader of this group, and he
could not let himself go to sleep just yet. He wanted to make sure the others
were asleep first.
As
they all sat around, the room fell into a comfortable silence. Soon, the room
was punctuated by the sounds of the old man snoring; the boy giggled. Krohn
came back over to Thor, rested his head in his lap, and closed his eyes and
slept, too.
Thor
and his brothers remained awake, wide-eyed, each staring into the fire. They
had each seen too much today, and all of them, despite their exhaustion, were
on-edge. There was a somber, unspoken silence amongst them, as if they all knew
they were on a journey that must lead to their deaths.
"You
ever think about how different life was before we joined the Legion?" O’Connor
asked.
"What’s
the point of thinking that now?" Elden asked.
O'Connor
shrugged.
"Sometimes
I think about what I left behind,” O’Connor said. “Not that I regret it. I just
wonder about it. How life would have turned out differently. Sometimes I miss
my hometown. My family, you know? I guess I miss my sister most of all. She's
two years younger. Now, with the shield down and the Empire invading, I think
of her, alone back there. I don't know if I will see her again.”
"If
we make it back in time," Thor said, “we will rescue her.”
O'Connor
brooded,
"We
have no choice," Thor insisted. "We have come to find the Sword. And we
must follow wherever it went.”
The old
man lowered his head and shook it sadly.
"Will
you show us the way?” Thor asked. “In the morning?"
"It's
your death," the old man said. "I can show you how to get anywhere.”
Satisfied,
Thor leaned back onto the furs—but as he stretched his arm, he suddenly felt it
singed, and he yanked it back quickly, crying out in pain.
He
turned and looked, expecting to see a fire, but he saw none. He wondered what
happened, how he had gotten hurt.
"I
told you to close those shutters boy!" the old man yelled.
The
boy ran over to Thor and quickly closed the wooden shutters beside him. As Thor
watched, he realized he had been sitting beside an open window. Thor was
puzzled as he looked down at his arm, which had a slight burn mark on it.
"What
singed my arm?” he asked.
"The
moonlight," the boy answered.
“Moonlight?”
Thor asked, shocked.
“It’s
strong in these parts. Never put yourself directly in its light. It burns you.”
"It's
only the first moon that burns you,” the old man added. “It wanes in a couple
of hours, after the spiders leave. The second one is fine to walk under.”
Thor
rubbed his arm, leaning back, and he wondered at this place. He felt a million
miles away from home. A part of him felt as if he would never return.
"Fetch
the meat," the old man commanded, and the boy crossed the cottage and appeared
with a heaping platter, overflowing with meats.
Thor and
the others—especially Krohn—all perked up, opening their sleepy eyes and
leaning forward. Thor dared not ask what sort of meat this was, hardly knowing
the names of any of the animals out here anyway. But it smelled delicious, and
as the boy brought it closer, Krohn smacked his lips and whined. The boy
laughed and served Krohn first, ripping off a hunk and throwing it through the
air; he laughed harder as Krohn snatched it. Krohn wagged his tail as he
carried it off to a corner of the room and chewed.
Thor
smiled as he and the others used the sticks to lift a piece from the platter.
The boy and the old man did the same, and all of them settled back, eating
contentedly by the fire. Thor took a bite and was surprised by how flavorful it
was—and by how tough the meat was. He felt his energy returning as he chewed.
The
boy then carried over a sack of wine and goblets, handing one out to each, and
filling them. Thor drank, and the strong liquid went right to his head.
With
his full belly, the strong wine and the warm fire relaxing him, Thor felt
himself getting sleepy. But he shook it off. He was leader of this group, and he
could not let himself go to sleep just yet. He wanted to make sure the others
were asleep first.
As
they all sat around, the room fell into a comfortable silence. Soon, the room
was punctuated by the sounds of the old man snoring; the boy giggled. Krohn
came back over to Thor, rested his head in his lap, and closed his eyes and
slept, too.
Thor
and his brothers remained awake, wide-eyed, each staring into the fire. They
had each seen too much today, and all of them, despite their exhaustion, were
on-edge. There was a somber, unspoken silence amongst them, as if they all knew
they were on a journey that must lead to their deaths.
"You
ever think about how different life was before we joined the Legion?" O’Connor
asked.
"What’s
the point of thinking that now?" Elden asked.
O'Connor
shrugged.
"Sometimes
I think about what I left behind,” O’Connor said. “Not that I regret it. I just
wonder about it. How life would have turned out differently. Sometimes I miss
my hometown. My family, you know? I guess I miss my sister most of all. She's
two years younger. Now, with the shield down and the Empire invading, I think
of her, alone back there. I don't know if I will see her again.”
"If
we make it back in time," Thor said, “we will rescue her.”
O'Connor
brooded,
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