closed his eyes and focused, feeling an energy rise up within him, feeling his body grow warm. He tried to let his energy force take over, guide him, control him.
Thor took several steps forward, leaned back, and hurled the spear through the air.
He watched as it went flying, and felt a swell of pride as he sensed that it was on course.
It was a perfect strike.
The spear sliced the main rope in half, and it snapped with a resounding noise. As it did, their burning sail began to topple, then came crashing down, landing vertically across the ship, and engulfing the entire deck in flames.
Screams rang out from the savages, as many were caught on fire. Moments later their ship started rocking violently, and then it turned sideways and capsized, bodies jumping off into the water.
The Legion members let out a shout, victorious, and Thor wondered if anyone had seen the throw that he’d made.
“Nice one,” someone said, and a boy he did not recognize patted him on the back.
Thor turned and saw others looking at him in admiration, and he felt his pride swell. He felt a sense of victory. He had at first been terror-stricken stricken to see that Empire ship, to realize they were really in hostile territory. But now that they had defeated it, he felt that anything was possible. He felt that, if they could withstand this, they could withstand anything.
Just then, there came a shout: “EMPIRE FLEET!”
Thor looked up and saw one of the Legion high up on the mast, looking out and pointing at the horizon.
Thor ran to the railing with the others and looked out. His heart dropped: there, on the horizon, sat an entire fleet of Empire ships.
Thor’s heart pounded in his chest. There was no way they could defeat this many ships. And no way they could escape back to the Ring in time. They were finished.
“THE RAIN WALL!” someone else yelled out.
Thor turned in the other direction, and saw, on the horizon, what looked like a wall of water. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was a perfectly clear day, clear skies all around them-and yet, on the horizon there sat a straight wall of rain. It didn’t move, but just sat there, like a waterfall in the middle of nowhere.
“What is it?” Thor asked Reese, standing beside them.
“It’s the boundary to the other side. To the Dragon’s Sea.”
“TO THE OARS! ROW FOR THE RAIN WALL!” Kolk yelled, frantically. It was the first time Thor heard fear in his voice.
Thor raced back to his spot, rowing with all he had, as did everyone around him. Their ship started moving quickly, right for the wall, and as they got closer, strong current sucked them in, towards it, like a whirlpool. Thor looked back and saw the Empire ships bearing down on them.
“And what of the Empire ships?” Thor called out to Reese.
Reese, in front of him, shook his head.
“They won’t follow. Not through the rain wall.”
“But why?” Thor asked.
“It’s too dangerous. They wouldn’t risk it. Beyond that wall, there lies a sea of monsters.”
Thor looked down at the water, and wondered.
“But if it’s too dangerous for them, what hope is there for us?”
Reese shook his head.
“It’s the only way. We have no choice.”
As they neared the rain wall Thor heard the great roar of water hitting water, felt the spray even from here, and looked back to see the Empire ships had stopped the chase.
Thor felt relieved to be rid of them, but scared for what lay before them. Krohn whined. As Thor’s body became doused in freezing water, as his world became a blur, he grabbed onto the mast for dear life, as did all the other boys around him. In moments he was doused with water, spraying down so hard it sent him flying across the ship. He tried to grab on, but he could not, as he lost his grip and slipped all the way across the deck. Water filled his eyes, his ears, his nose, and as he reached out, flailing, as he tried to breathe, water filling his lungs, he could not help but wonder: if these waters were too dangerous for the Empire, what sort of creatures could possibly lie beyond?
