A Joust of Knights (Book #16 in the Sorcerer's Ring) by Morgan Rice Read Free Book Online

flames.
    Ragon began to gasp and cough, and Thor
could see he was struggling for life. He felt devastated at the sight of him, this
beautiful man who had been so kind to them, reduced to such a state for
defending this isle, for defending Guwayne. Thor could not help but feel
responsible.
    “Ragon,” Thorgrin said, his voice
catching in his throat. “Forgive me.”
    “It is I who beg your forgiveness,” Ragon
said, his voice raspy, barely able to get out the words. He coughed a long
time, then finally continued. “Guwayne…” he began, then trailed off.
    Thor’s heart was slamming his chest, not
wanting to hear his next words, fearing the worst. How could he ever face
Gwendolyn again?
    “Tell me,” Thor demanded, clutching his
shoulders. “Does the boy live?”
    Ragon gasped a long time, trying to
catch his breath, and Thor gestured to O’Connor, who reached over and handed
him a sack of water. Thor poured the water over Ragon’s lips, and Ragon drank,
coughing as he did.
    Finally, Ragon shook his head.
    “Worse,” he said, his voice barely above
a whisper. “Death would have been a mercy for him.”
    Ragon fell silent, and Thor nearly shook
with anticipation, willing him to speak.
    “They have taken him away,” Ragon
finally continued. “They snatched him from my arms. All of them, all here, just
for him.”
    Thor’s heart dropped at the thought of his
precious child being snatched away by these evil creatures.
    “But who?” Thor asked. “Who is behind
this? Who is more powerful than you who could do this? I thought your power,
like Argon’s, was impenetrable by all creatures of this world.”
    Ragon nodded.
    “All creatures of this world, yes,” he said.
“But these were not of this world. They were creatures not from hell, but from
a place even darker: the Land of Blood.”
    “The Land of Blood?” Thorgrin asked, baffled.
“I have been to the hells and back,” Thor added. “What place can be darker?”
    Ragon shook his head.
    “The Land of Blood is more than a place.
It is a state. An evil darker and more powerful than you ever imagine. It is
the domain of the Blood Lord, and it has grown darker and more powerful over
generations. There is a war between the Realms. An ancient struggle between evil
and light. Each vies for control. And Guwayne, I’m afraid, is the key: whoever
has him, can win, can have dominion over the world. For all time. It was what
Argon never told you. What he could not tell you yet. You were not ready. It
was what he was training you for: a greater war than you would ever know.”
    Thor gaped, trying to comprehend.
    “I don’t understand,” he said. “They
have not taken Guwayne to kill him?”
    He shook his head.
    “Far worse. They have taken him as their
own, to raise as the demon child they need to fulfill the prophecy and destroy all
that is good in the universe.”
    Thor reeled, his heart pounding, trying
to understand it all.
    “Then I shall get him back,” Thor said, a
cold feeling of resolve rushing through his veins, especially as he heard Lycoples
high above, screeching, craving, as he, vengeance.
    Ragon reached out and grabbed Thor’s
wrist, with a surprising amount of strength for a man about to die. He looked
into Thor’s eyes with an intensity that scared him.
    “You cannot,” he said firmly. “The Land of Blood is too powerful for any human to survive. The price to enter there is too
high. Even with all your powers, mark my words: you would surely die if you go
there. All of you would. You are not powerful yet enough yet. You need
more training. You need to foster your powers first. To go now would be folly.
You would not retrieve your son, and you would all be destroyed.”
    But Thor’s heart hardened with resolve.
    “I have faced the greatest darkness, the
greatest powers in the world,” Thorgrin said. “Including my own father. And
never have I backed down from fear. I will face this dark lord, whatever his
powers; I will enter this