An Oath of Brothers by Morgan Rice Page B

nodded.
    “She is young, after all,” he replied. “And no one has come along to name her. I could have. But the task, I knew, awaited you.”
    Thor closed his eyes, trying to allow a name to come to him. As he did, he thought of Mycoples and Ralibar, and wondered what name they would have wanted, what name would best honor her parents.
    “Lycoples,” Thor heard himself blurt out. “We shall name her Lycoples.”
    Lycoples raised her neck and screeched, breathing fire straight up into the sky, a small flame, still young, and Thor jumped back, startled. She spread her wings wide, lowered her head, and she suddenly leapt up into the air, circling, flying high above, higher and higher, until Thor watched her disappear from sight, in wonder.
    “Have I offended her?” Thor asked.
    Ragon smiled and shook his head.
    “On the contrary,” he said. “She quite approves.”
    Ragon reached out and clasped a hand on Thor’s shoulder and began to lead him on a walk.
    “Come, young Thorgrin,” he said. “We have much to discuss, and this isle is far bigger than it seems.”
    *
    Thor and the others followed Ragon, winding their way through the island, taking everything in as they went. Thor could not believe how comforted he felt being here, in Ragon’s presence, especially after their long sojourn across an endless, unforgiving ocean, after so many days with no hope or land in sight, and with their provisions running so low. And especially after emerging from the land of the dead. He felt as if he had been reborn, as if he had emerged from the deepest rungs of hell to the highest levels of paradise.
    But there was more to it than that. Thor also felt deeply at home with Ragon, felt comforted in his presence, the same way he had always felt around Argon. In some ways he felt that having Ragon here was like having Argon back.
    Thor also felt incredibly comforted by the sight of Lycoples, circling high above, screeching every so often to make her presence known. He looked up and spotted her and was thrilled to see her. It made him feel as if Mycoples were back with him again, as if a piece of himself had been restored.
    And yet, even with all of this, there was still something more to this place, something else that Thor could not quite detect, lingering just beneath the surface. He sensed something here, a presence, something he could not quite put his finger on. He felt as if there were something here waiting for him, something that would make him whole again. He did not understand what it could be, here in this empty place the middle of nowhere, but it kept gnawing at him, his senses screaming at him that there was something crucial here, somewhere on this island.
    They marched for hours, and yet strangely enough, Thor found that his legs were not tired in this place. It was the most idyllic place he’d ever seen, and they strolled through rolling hills, through lush fields of green, and Thor felt as if he were being cradled in the very arms of paradise.
    They crested a hill, and as they did, Ragon came to a stop, and Thor stopped beside him. He looked out, and was shocked by the vista: there, in the distance, sat a castle made of light. It shone in the sun, sparkling, looking like a golden cloud, yet in the shape of a castle. It had a translucent feel to it, and Thor realized the castle was entirely composed of light.
    He turned to Ragon in wonder.
    “The Castle of Light,” Ragon explained.
    They all stared, silent, Thor not knowing what to say.
    “Is it real?” Thor asked, finally breaking the silence.
    “As real as you and I,” Ragon replied.
    “But it looks to be made of light,” Reece said, stepping forward. “Can one enter?”
    “As surely as you might enter any castle,” Ragon replied. “It is the strongest castle known to man. Yet its walls are made of light.”
    “I don’t understand how that can be,” Thor said. “How can a castle at once be so light, yet so strong?”
    Ragon smiled.
    “You will