Thor hurried back to the Legion’s barracks at the crack of dawn, luckily arriving before the day’s training began. He was winded when he arrived, Krohn at his side, and he ran into the other boys just as they were waking, beginning to file out for the day’s assignments. He stood there, gasping, more troubled than ever. He hardly knew how he would make it through the day’s training; he would be counting down the minutes until the night’s feast, until he could warn the King. He felt certain the omen came to him so that he could deliver the warning. The fate of the kingdom rested on his shoulders.
Thor ran up beside Reece and O’Connor as they made their way out to the field, looking exhausted, and began to line up.
“Where were you last night?” Reece asked.
Thor wished he knew how to respond—but he didn’t really know where he had been himself. What was he supposed to say? That he had fallen asleep outside on the ground, on Argon’s mountain? It made no sense, not even to him.
“I don’t know,” he answered, not knowing how much to tell them.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” O’Connor asked.
“I got lost,” Thor said.
“Lost?”
“Well, you’re lucky you made it back when you did,” Reece said.
“If you had come back late for the day’s assignments, they wouldn’t have let you back into the Legion,” Elden added, coming up beside them, clapping a beefy hand on his shoulder. “Good to see you. You were missed yesterday.”
Thor was still shocked at the difference in how Elden treated him since their time on the far side of the Canyon.
“How did things go with my sister?” Reece asked, in a hushed tone.
Thor blushed, unsure how to respond.
“Did you see her?” Reece prodded.
“Yes, I did,” he began. “We had a great time. Although we had to leave abruptly.”
“Well,” Reece continued, as they all lined up side-by-side before Kolk and the King’s men, “you will get to see more of her tonight. Put on your finest. It’s the King’s feast.”
Thor’s stomach dropped. He thought of his dream and felt as if destiny were dancing before his eyes—and that he was helpless, fated to do nothing but just watch it unfold.
“QUIET!” yelled Kolk, as he began to pace before the boys.
Thor stiffened with the others as they all fell silent.
Kolk walked slowly up and down the lines, surveying them all.
“You had your fun yesterday. Now it’s back to training. And today, you will learn the ancient art of ditch-digging.”
A collective groan rose up among the boys.
“SILENCE!” he yelled.
The boys fell quiet.
“Ditch-digging is hard work,” Kolk continued. “But it is important work. You will one day find yourself out there in the wilderness, protecting our kingdom, with no one to help you. It will be freezing, so cold you can’t feel your toes, in the black of night, and you will do anything to keep warm. Or you may find yourself in a battle, in which you need to take cover to save yourself from the enemies’ arrows. There may be a million reasons why you need a ditch. And a ditch may be your best friend.
“Today,” he continued, clearing his throat, “you will spend all day digging, until your hands are red with calluses and your back is breaking, and you can’t take it anymore. Then, on the day of battle, it will not seem as bad.
“FOLLOW ME!” Kolk yelled.
There came another groan of disappointment as the boys broke down into lines of two and began marching across the field, following Kolk.
“Great,” Elden said. “Ditch-digging. Exactly how I wanted to spend the day.”
“Could be worse,” O’Connor said. “It could be raining.”
They looked up at the sky, and Thor spotted threatening clouds overhead.
“It just might,” Reece said. “Don’t jinx it.”
“THOR!” came a shout.
Thor turned to see Kolk glaring at him, off to the side. He ran over to him, wondering what he had done wrong.
“Yes, sire.”
“Your knight has summoned you,” he said curtly. “Report to Erec at the castle grounds. You’re lucky: you’re off duty for today. You will serve your knight instead, as all good squires should. But don’t think you’re getting out of ditch-digging. When you return tomorrow, you will be digging ditches by yourself. Now go!” he yelled.
Thor turned and saw the envious looks of the others, then ran from the field, heading for the castle. What could Erec want from him? Had it something to do with the King?