“The last type are leaders. Those are the ones you should fear. There are only three kinds: trolls, giants, and dragons. Thankfully there have been no giants or dragons in a hundred years, but trolls are bad enough. They are clever, evil, and seem to be getting larger. There are rumours that a new troll king has taken power not far from Derwin. I suspect he is the one who sent those monsters to watch your house. You see, the Monster Crusher must kill all monsters and keep the tunnels secure. But they have one job in particular: kill the leaders. So you, Laura Ledwick, have one main job to prepare for: to kill the troll king. Do that and you buy us all some time.”
Oh, perfect, I thought. I shook my head, incredulous that he was even talking about this. I looked down at my protruding stomach and lifted my hands, frowning.
“But I’m not a warrior—”
“Not yet,” Eldon agreed calmly. “But I will do everything I can to make you one. You will return every night to conduct training—”
“I can’t do that,” I objected. “I have school. I kind of need to sleep at some point.”
“Take naps,” Eldon said.
“But—”
“The monsters are on the move, Laura. That’s why the house has chosen another Monster Crusher.”
“I can’t—”
“If you don’t, Riverfield will be exposed to the monsters. Your family and everyone you know will be in danger.”
I hesitated, looking around at the warriors. “What would I have to do?”
“It’s very simple: learn how to crush monsters.”
Eldon suddenly walked past me, heading for the obstacle course.
“And we start now.”
Chapter Eleven
I followed him to the start of the strange obstacle course that was laid out across the courtyard. My mind was still reeling. There was no way this could all be real. And yet there was a castle looming over me, a group of strange warrior people watching my every move, and some sort of fake sun creating daylight underground. It was tough to argue.
“The Monster Crusher must possess a few virtues,” Eldon explained. “Strength, courage, and a sharp mind. Monster crushing isn’t just bashing things in with a hammer. It’s strategy. It’s a mental battle against the monsters. And it’s facing your fears.”
He stopped and looked out over the various obstacles.
“What are you afraid of, Laura?”
I thought about that for a moment. I was going to say spiders, but that wasn’t really the only thing. I was afraid of evil pretty girls and losing my brother and seeing myself in the mirror every morning. So I just shrugged and looked at the ground.
“Lots.”
I thought Eldon might be mad, but he just nodded.
“Good answer. You will have to face some tests before you earn the Iron Hammer. We don’t risk them on just anyone. We have lost a few in the past with Monster Crushers who weren’t ready. So we begin here.”
I looked out over the obstacle course, feeling my stomach tighten. I didn’t usually do well with physical exercise. Not anymore, anyway. “What is it?”
“We call it the Warrior’s Way,” he explained. “It measures your readiness to fight monsters. It tests your speed, your agility, your strength, and most importantly, your weapons skills. Monster Crushers and Swords have trained on the Warrior’s Way for three hundred years.”
I nervously checked out the course, sweat already beading on my forehead.
Eldon gestured to the first obstacle—a row of ten logs that had been laid out like train tracks, though each stood half a metre off the ground. It would be tough just getting over them, never mind with any speed.
“You will proceed clockwise through the obstacle course,” he said, slowly walking forward. “The row of logs first—a test of agility and speed. From there you will move through each obstacle, always remembering to kill the monsters along the way. If any survive your attack, then you fail. There will be weapons laid out for your usage.”
The other warriors had formed a loose ring around the course, watching with folded arms and very skeptical expressions.
“So I just…run through it?” I asked, wringing my hands together.
“That’s it,” Eldon replied, sounding dubious himself. “We will use it a lot for your training.” He glanced at me. “I imagine you don’t do much…fighting.”
I snorted. “Or running, walking…moving.”
He sighed. “A true Monster Crusher can do this course in less than two minutes, slaying the monsters on the way with perfect killing blows. If you do it in five minutes today, I will be happy.”
I turned to the first obstacle, feeling my skin tingle with nerves. I didn’t want to do it, especially in front of a crowd, but I didn’t seem to have much choice. I figured I should at least give it a try. Maybe I was a warrior. I had never actually tried to be one.
“Are you ready?” Eldon asked quietly.
I paused. “I guess.”
“Begin!”
It was bad. Like terrible. The only sport I ever played growing up was softball, which, like I said, I was actually really, really good at it. I was the best hitter in the state—better than any boy my age. I hit my first home run when I was eight years old, which isn’t even supposed to happen in girls’ softball. I remember the field going dead silent as that ball sailed over the fence. I think my coach fell off the bench.
I quit when I was eleven though. It’s going to sound stupid, but I got sick of the snickers as I rounded the bases. I got sick of looking at myself in that uniform knowing I was the biggest girl out there. I got sick of the boys making jokes on the bleachers. My dad was devastated when I gave it up. My coach too. But I just wanted to hide. I didn’t like people watching me.
Well, so much for that.
The first part was
