Read Online A Reign of Steel by Morgan Rice - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Morgan Rice
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was the old woman from
his village, the one always hunched over her stew, always yelling at him as he
ran by, disturbing her chickens. Was he seeing things?
“What
are you doing here?” he asked, dumbfounded.
“The
question is: what are you doing here?”
Thor
blinked, confused.
“I’ve
come to find my mother.”
“Have
you? And how do you plan to do that?”
Thor
looked down at his relic and saw that the arrow was no longer pointing in any
direction. It had shattered. He had arrived, and yet now that he was here, he
was on his own. He had no idea how to find her now.
Thor
stared back at the woman.
“I
don’t know,” he finally answered. “How big is the Land of the Druids?”
The
old woman threw her head back and cackled, an awful, grating sound that sent
shivers up his spine.
Finally,
she said: “I can tell you where she is.”
Thor
looked at her in surprise.
“You
can? But how would you know?”
She
stirred her cauldron.
“For
a price,” she said, “I will tell you anything.”
“What
price?” Thor asked.
“Your
bracelet.”
Thor
looked down at his bracelet, the golden one that Alistair had given him,
shining in the light. He hesitated. He sensed it had tremendous power, and he
felt it was the only thing protecting him here in this land. He had a
premonition that, if he gave it to her, he would lose all of his strength.
Then
again, Thor needed to know where his mother was.
“It
is a gift,” he said. “I am sorry. I cannot.”
The
woman shrugged.
“Then
I cannot help you.”
Thor
looked at her in wonder, frustrated.
“Please,”
he said. “I need your help.”
She
stirred her cauldron for a long time, then finally she sighed.
“Look
into my cauldron. What do you see?”
Thor
looked at her, confused, then finally glanced down at her cauldron.
He
blinked several times, caught off guard, and leaned in closer, trying to get a
good look.
In
the still waters, slowly, a reflection emerged. At first it looked like his
face; but then, slowly, he realized it was not his face. It was the face of Andronicus.
Thor
looked at the woman, who stared back, evil.
“Who
are you?” he asked.
She
smiled wide at him.
“I
am everyone,” she said. “And no one.”
She
jumped up from her cauldron, reached up and snatched the bracelet off his wrist.
As Thor reached out to grab it back, she suddenly transformed before his eyes,
morphing into a long, thick white snake. Thor watched with horror and realized it
was a deadly Whiteback, the same snake he’d spotted on his first date with
Gwendolyn. The sign of death.
The
snake grew longer and longer, and before Thor could react, its tail wrapped
around his ankles, then around his shins, knees, thighs, waist, and chest. It
constricted his arms, and he stood there, barely able to breathe as it crushed
him.
The
snake then leaned back all the way and opened its fangs wide, and Thor turned
his face, feeling its hot breath on his neck and knowing that, in moments, it
would sink its fangs into his throat.
CHAPTER TEN
Romulus marched across the southern province of the Ring,
watching with glee as his tens of thousands of men charged forward for the
gates of Savaria. Hundreds of citizens of the Ring streamed for the city gates,
and the knights standing guard lowered the huge iron portcullis and slammed it shut
with a bang, just as the last person entered. They raised the drawbridge over
the moat, and Romulus watched, and smiled wider. These Savarians really thought
they could keep him out. They had no idea what was coming for them.
Romulus heard a great cry, and he looked overhead to see his
host of dragons come flying, circling above, awaiting his command. He raised
his fist and lowered it, and as he did, they dove forward, racing for the
horizon. For Savaria.
The
dragons flew over the massive walls, over the city gates, as if they did not
even exist, and as they came close to the ground, they breathed a wall of fire.
Screams
of
his village, the one always hunched over her stew, always yelling at him as he
ran by, disturbing her chickens. Was he seeing things?
“What
are you doing here?” he asked, dumbfounded.
“The
question is: what are you doing here?”
Thor
blinked, confused.
“I’ve
come to find my mother.”
“Have
you? And how do you plan to do that?”
Thor
looked down at his relic and saw that the arrow was no longer pointing in any
direction. It had shattered. He had arrived, and yet now that he was here, he
was on his own. He had no idea how to find her now.
Thor
stared back at the woman.
“I
don’t know,” he finally answered. “How big is the Land of the Druids?”
The
old woman threw her head back and cackled, an awful, grating sound that sent
shivers up his spine.
Finally,
she said: “I can tell you where she is.”
Thor
looked at her in surprise.
“You
can? But how would you know?”
She
stirred her cauldron.
“For
a price,” she said, “I will tell you anything.”
“What
price?” Thor asked.
“Your
bracelet.”
Thor
looked down at his bracelet, the golden one that Alistair had given him,
shining in the light. He hesitated. He sensed it had tremendous power, and he
felt it was the only thing protecting him here in this land. He had a
premonition that, if he gave it to her, he would lose all of his strength.
Then
again, Thor needed to know where his mother was.
“It
is a gift,” he said. “I am sorry. I cannot.”
The
woman shrugged.
“Then
I cannot help you.”
Thor
looked at her in wonder, frustrated.
“Please,”
he said. “I need your help.”
She
stirred her cauldron for a long time, then finally she sighed.
“Look
into my cauldron. What do you see?”
Thor
looked at her, confused, then finally glanced down at her cauldron.
He
blinked several times, caught off guard, and leaned in closer, trying to get a
good look.
In
the still waters, slowly, a reflection emerged. At first it looked like his
face; but then, slowly, he realized it was not his face. It was the face of Andronicus.
Thor
looked at the woman, who stared back, evil.
“Who
are you?” he asked.
She
smiled wide at him.
“I
am everyone,” she said. “And no one.”
She
jumped up from her cauldron, reached up and snatched the bracelet off his wrist.
As Thor reached out to grab it back, she suddenly transformed before his eyes,
morphing into a long, thick white snake. Thor watched with horror and realized it
was a deadly Whiteback, the same snake he’d spotted on his first date with
Gwendolyn. The sign of death.
The
snake grew longer and longer, and before Thor could react, its tail wrapped
around his ankles, then around his shins, knees, thighs, waist, and chest. It
constricted his arms, and he stood there, barely able to breathe as it crushed
him.
The
snake then leaned back all the way and opened its fangs wide, and Thor turned
his face, feeling its hot breath on his neck and knowing that, in moments, it
would sink its fangs into his throat.
CHAPTER TEN
Romulus marched across the southern province of the Ring,
watching with glee as his tens of thousands of men charged forward for the
gates of Savaria. Hundreds of citizens of the Ring streamed for the city gates,
and the knights standing guard lowered the huge iron portcullis and slammed it shut
with a bang, just as the last person entered. They raised the drawbridge over
the moat, and Romulus watched, and smiled wider. These Savarians really thought
they could keep him out. They had no idea what was coming for them.
Romulus heard a great cry, and he looked overhead to see his
host of dragons come flying, circling above, awaiting his command. He raised
his fist and lowered it, and as he did, they dove forward, racing for the
horizon. For Savaria.
The
dragons flew over the massive walls, over the city gates, as if they did not
even exist, and as they came close to the ground, they breathed a wall of fire.
Screams
of
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