his body crossed the edge of the Canyon, Andronicus expected the man to disintegrate, to crumble into ashes, as the others.
But Andronicus was shocked as he watched this man’s body fly through the air, over the rim of the Canyon, perfectly intact, then plunge down below, screaming and flailing all the way down to the bottom, to his death.
Andronicus stood there, blinking several times, not understanding what had happened. It was as if the shield had suddenly been turned off.
Andronicus grabbed another soldier and shoved him, this time right down the center, towards the bridge. The man was terrified, seeing what had happened to his peers, but Andronicus jabbed him in the back of his neck with a spear, and the man ran obediently, bracing himself with his hands before his face as he ran towards the bridge, expecting to die.
But this time, something different happened: the soldier kept running, right onto the bridge, not disintegrating as the others had. He stood there, in the midst of the McCloud soldiers, alive.
The McCloud soldiers all seemed shocked, too. They jumped into action and attacked the lone soldier, killing him on the spot.
They then turned and looked at the Empire army with a whole new respect—and fear. No longer was there a barrier between them. Something had happened.
The hundreds of McCloud soldiers slowly stepped backwards, began to retreat, looking nervous, not understanding what was happening.
Andronicus could not understand it either. The shield was down. It was really down. What had happened?
He would not wait to find out.
“CHARGE!” he screamed.
Thousands of his men rushed forward, onto the bridge, stampeding it, slaughtering the McCloud men as they went. The remaining McCloud soldiers turned and ran.
Andronicus watched, waiting to see what would happen, if the shield would somehow come back up.
But to his amazement, his men were fine. They kept charging, all the way across the bridge, and onto the McCloud side of the Ring. They continued charging, standing firmly on McCloud soil.
Safe.
The shield was down.
Andronicus smiled, happier than he’d ever been in his life. He drew his sword, and charged with them. He blended with the stampede, and he killed some of his own men on the way across the bridge, just for fun. He felt like a little boy again.
In moments he landed himself on the McCloud side of the Ring, feeling the soil of the Ring beneath him for the very first time. It was a moment he had dreamed of his entire life. He could not believe it.
He was here.
Andronicus knelt down and felt the soil with his palms, as all his men rushed past him, then leaned over and kissed the earth.
He looked up and saw, on the horizon, the McCloud city.
He grinned, wider than he ever had in his life.
It was time to pay McCloud a visit.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
As Thor rode back for King’s Court, Gwen on the horse behind him, Reece, O’Connor, Elden and the twins riding alongside them, he felt weary but overflowing with gratitude. The second sun was setting and they all rode at a comfortable trot into the magnificent sky. Thor felt beyond weary, every muscle in his body hurting, as if he had just been through a war.
But having Gwen with him, feeling her hands clutch his chest, her cheek resting against his back, took all of his weariness away. Having her with him made him feel that all was right in the world. He was beyond grateful that she was alive, that she had not been injured, that the Nevaruns had never had a chance to have his way with her. He was grateful that they had survived the encounter, and that he had been able to save her—and that she had saved his life. He felt as if all of his prayers had been answered.
As they rode back towards King’s court, Thor felt triumphant, but also the sting of tragedy, as he thought of their three Legion brothers who had died in battle, whose corpses they carried home now, slung over the back of their horses. And while on the one hand he felt like a returning hero, he also felt a sense of apprehension, as he did not know what they were returning to. After all, it was Gareth, the still lawful king, who had arranged for Gwen to be taken away—and it was to Gareth’s court that they were returning. Gareth was increasingly unhinged, that much was clear, and now that there was a full-fledged rift between The Silver and