A Feast of Dragons - By Morgan Rice Page 0,35

we wanted to engage you in technical exercises, we would have kept you back in the Ring. Here, there are unique aspects to training, to becoming a warrior, which you will learn nowhere else in the world. This island is known as a training ground to the elite warriors of every kingdom—not just the Ring. They come here from all corners of the globe to train, to learn techniques from each other, to spar with each other. And now it is time to expose you to the best of the best.

“IN FORMATION!” Kolk screamed.

The boys fell into rows of two, side-by-side, Thor standing next to Reese, and began marching up the steep hill, Krohn walking beside them. Thor looked up and saw that this hill seemed to climb right into the sky, the sun beating into his eyes. He could hardly believe they were marching to the top. Even reaching the plateau they had been sparring on had taken hours; to reach the top of this mountain would likely take them hours more.

Reese huffed beside him, out of breath.

“You know not everyone comes back,” said Malic. He was speaking to William who marched beside him. Thor could see the terror in William’s eyes, and he guessed Malic’s point was to scare him. Malic must have sensed that William was more sensitive than the others, and it seemed he wanted to break him. Thor did not understand what Malic’s problem was. Did he hate everyone? Or was he born evil?

“What do you mean?” William asked, fearful.

“There’s a quota, you know,” Malic said. “To the Legion. Even if we do well, they have to leave some of us behind.”

“That’s not true,” Reese said.

“That’s what I heard,” Malic said.

“Not everyone makes the Legion,” Elden corrected, turning around. “But that’s not because there’s a quota. That’s because they fail out. It’s based on performance.”

“They wouldn’t leave us here, behind on this island, would they?” William asked, fear in his voice.

“Of course they would,” Malic answered.

William looked at his surroundings with a new sense of fear. There came an awful squawking noise, and they looked up as a huge bird swooped down low and circled over them. It looked like a buzzard, but had three heads and a long yellow tail. It seemed to stare right at William. It squawked again and raised its tail.

“What’s that?” William asked.

“A galtross,” Reese said. “A scavenger.”

“They say it singles out the walking dead,” Malic added. “Whoever it follows will die next.”

It squawked right at William, and Thor could see him overcome by fear.

“Why don’t you leave him alone?” Thor said to Malic.

“I will treat him anyway I wish,” Malic said. “And when I’m finished, I’ll turn to you.”

Thor watched Malic’s hand slip down and rest on his belt, on his dagger.

Krohn snarled at Malic.

“Try anything against my friend, and it will be my knife you feel in your back,” Reese said to Malic.

“And mine,” O’Connor added.

But Malic, unfazed, only smiled. He actually let out a laugh as he turned back and continued to march.

“The Hundred is long,” he said ominously, then fell silent.

The group, filled with a tense silence, continued to march.

The incline of the mountain became more steep, and soon they hand to nearly get down on their hands and knees and crawl their way up.

After what felt like hours, Thor’s legs burning, finally, they reached a wide plateau at the very top of the mountain. All the boys collapsed, Thor among them.

They lay there, breathing hard, engulfed in an actual cloud. It was impossible to see anything, enveloped in the mist. Thor lay there, gasping for air, more tired than he ever thought possible.

“ON YOUR FEET!” came a scream.

Somehow, Thor forced himself to his feet with all the other boys, and as they did, the cloud lifted. Thor was shocked to see, standing there, a large group of disparate warriors. At their head was the fiercest looking warrior Thor had ever seen. His skin was a light green, his head was bald, he was three times the size of any man, he wore no shirt and short pants, and his muscles bulged. He had three scars across his chest and was missing one eye, and on his weapons belt hung nearly every manner of weapon. He was a one-man army.

Behind him stood a dozen warriors, of all different sizes and races and shapes. They were the most exotic looking warriors Thor had ever seen, and he could tell they had come from countries far and wide