cared not for his village, or his father, or his brothers. Without the Legion and Reese-and Krohn-he did not know what he would have left.
Krohn yelped and Thor looked up and saw the barracks before him. The king’s banner flew at half mast, and he could already see dozens of boys sulking, and could tell the mood was somber. It was a day of mourning here. The king, their leader, had been murdered, and worse, no one knew who did it, or why. There also seemed to be an air of expectancy. Would the armies be disbanded? The Legion with it?
Thor saw the wary looks of the boys as he walked through the large, arched stone gate. They were stopping and staring at him. He wondered what they thought of him. Just the night before he’d been thrown into the dungeon, and Thor was sure that the rumor had spread that he had something to do with poisoning the king. Did these boys know that he was vindicated? Did they still suspect him? Or did they think he was a hero for trying to save him?
From their looks, he could not tell. But he did know that the tension in the air was thick, and he could tell that he clearly had been a subject of conversation.
As Thor entered the large wooden structure of the barracks, he noticed dozens of boys stuffing their clothes and various objects into canvas sacks. It looked, oddly, as if the Legion were packing up. Was it disbanding? he wondered, in a sudden panic.
“There you are,” came a voice he recognized.
He turned to see O’Connor standing there, smiling in his typical good-natured way, his bright red hair and freckles framing his face. He reached out and clasped Thor’s forearm.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in days. Are you okay? I heard you were thrown in the clink. What happened?”
“Hey look, it’s Thor!” yelled a voice.
Thor turned to see Elden hurrying towards him, a good-natured smile on his face, embracing him. Thor was still amazed at Elden’s attitude towards him, ever since he had saved his life across the Canyon, especially when he recalled the hostile greeting Elden had once given him.
Coming up beside him were the twins, Conval and Conven.
“Glad to have you back,” Conven said, embracing Thor in a hug.
“And I,” Conval echoed.
Thor was relieved to see them all, especially as he realized that they did not assume he had anything to do with the murder.
“It’s true,” Thor responded, looking at O’Connor, not sure which question to answer first. “I was thrown into the dungeon. At first they thought I had something to do with the king’s poisoning. But after he was killed, they realized I had nothing to do with it.”
“So they let you free?” O’Connor asked.
Thor thought about that, not quite sure how to respond.
“Not exactly. I escaped.”
They all looked at him, wide-eyed.
“Escaped?” Elden asked.
“Once I was out, Reese helped me. He brought me to the king.”
“You saw the king before he died?” Conval asked, shocked.
Thor nodded back.
“He knows I am innocent.”
“What else did he say?” O’Connor asked.
Thor hesitated. He felt funny telling them about what the king said about his destiny, about being special. He didn’t want to seem like he was boasting, or seem delusional, or cause envy. So he decided to omit that part and just tell them how it ended.
Thor looked him in the eye. “He said: avenge me.”
The others looked at the floor, grim.
“Do you have any idea who did it?” O’Connor asked.
Thor shook his head.
“As much as you do.”
“I would love to catch him,” Conven said.
“As would I,” Elden added.
“But I don’t understand,” Thor said, looking around, “what is all this packing? It seems as if everyone is getting to leave.”
“We are,” O’Connor said. “Including you.”
O’Connor reached over, grabbed a canvas sack, and threw it at Thor. It hit Thor hard in the chest, and he grabbed it before it hit the ground.
“What do you mean?” Thor asked, puzzled.
“The Hundred starts tomorrow,” Elden answered. “We are all preparing.”
“The Hundred?” Thor asked.
“Do you know nothing?” Conval asked.
“It seems we have to teach this young one everything,” Conven added.
Conven stepped forward and draped an arm across Thor’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, my friend. There’s always much to learn in the Legion. The Hundred is the Legion’s way of making us all hardened warriors-and weeding us out. It is a rite of passage. Every year, at summertime, they send us for a hundred days of the most grueling training you’ll ever know. Some of us will return. Those who do are granted honors, weapons, and a permanent place in the Legion.”
Thor looked around, still puzzled. “But why are you packing?”
“Because the Hundred is not here,” Elden explained. “They ship us off. Literally. Far from here. We must journey across the Canyon, into the Wilds, across the Tartuvian Sea, and all the way to the Isle of Mist. It is a hundred days of hell. We all dread it. But we must go through it, if we are to stay in the Legion. Our ship sails tomorrow, so pack quickly.”
Thor looked down at the sack in his hand, unbelieving. He could hardly imagine packing up what few things he had, crossing the Canyon into the Wilds, boarding a ship, and spending a hundred days on an island with all the Legion members. The thought of it excited him; it also terrified him. He’d never been on a ship, had never been across the sea. He loved the idea of advancing his skills, and he hoped he would make it and not be weeded out.
“Before you pack, you should report to your knight,” Conven said. “You are squire to Kendrick now that Erec is gone, aren’t you?”
Thor nodded back. “Yes, is he here?”
“He was outside with some of the other Knights,” he answered. “He was preparing his horse, and I know he was looking for you.”
As Thor stood there, his mind reeling, the thought of the Hundred excited him more than he could say. He wanted to be tested, to be pushed to the extreme, to see if he was as good as the others. And if he made it back- and he felt sure he would-he would return a stronger warrior.
“Are you sure that I’m included, that I’m allowed to come, too?” Thor asked.
“Of course you are,” O’Connor said. “Assuming, of course, your knight doesn’t need you here. You need his permission.”
“Ask him,” Elden said, “and be quick of it. There is much to do to prepare, and you’re already far behind. The ships will not wait. And whoever does not go, cannot stay in the Legion.”
“Try the armory,” O’Connor said. “I saw Kendrick there just an hour ago.”
Thor needed no prodding. He turned and ran from the barracks, out the door and across the fields, heading for the armory, Krohn yelping and running at his heels.
In moments he reached it, breathing hard, and there was Kendrick. He stood there alone, inside the armory, looking up at a wall of halberds. He looked pensive, intense, lost in thought. Thor felt as if he had intruded on private time, and felt guilty for interrupting.
Kendrick turned, and his eyes were red from crying. Thor thought of his father’s funeral, remembered Kendrick lowering him into the ground, and felt terrible.
