Anders, both astonished and confused about what was happening, had a host of questions pulsing through his mind. All he could do, however, was wait to see how the events would unfold.

“I know he is here, I can smell his blood,” Thargon shouted, sniffing the air with his black disfigured nose. “You will bring him to me or die!” Thargon ordered Theodor.

“He is far away from here,” Theodor said. “Somewhere where you will never find him.”

“You lie!” Thargon bellowed. “I know he is near. If you don’t bring him to me, believe me when I say, I will kill you.”

Theodor stood silent in the road.

“Die, you fool!” Thargon bellowed as he kicked his hound forward, leaping toward Theodor.

Theodor drew an arrow from his quiver and let an arrow fly at the giant beast. For the second time the arrow stopped right before hitting its target and fell to the ground. Anders couldn’t just stand idly by and watch his uncle be attacked by the beast, so he ran out of the woods in an attempt to help Theodor. But as he did so, the giant hound was already mere feet from his uncle. Anders watched horrified as the hound came down hard on Theodor and sank its sharp teeth into his chest.

Bursting forth from the darkness, a man wearing all black came rushing from behind where Theodor had been standing. The man shot a brightly colored sphere from his palm. The small circle of light flew through the air and exploded just before hitting Thargon in the chest. The explosion sent a bright-radiating flash of energy out in every direction. Anders attempted to shield himself from the explosion, but the shockwave hit him, knocking him backward. Everything went dark.

Chapter 4

Pursuit

Anders awoke; as he opened his eyes, he found he was peering straight up at the clear blue sky. Daylight. The bright light warmed his cheeks as he attempted to remember what had happened. Confused and disoriented, Anders thought the sky was rocking back and forth. Thinking his mind was playing a trick on him, he tried to make it stop, but the rocking wouldn’t go away. His body hurt, and his corded muscles stiffened like steel when he attempted to move.

Remembering the Grandwood Games, everything afterward came rushing back to him. The games, the attack, and, “Theodor!” Anders yelled, bolting upright and looking around. To his surprise, he wasn’t on the forest floor where he had fallen the night before. He wasn’t even on land. In fact, he was on a cot at the aft of a ship. He began to panic.

How did I get here? he wondered. Was I captured? Where are Theodor, Thomas and Kirsten?

All of the memories of what had happened swirled in a collective jumble as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

I must have been captured, he thought, coming to the only conclusion that seemed possible. Yet he thought it odd that he was the only prisoner that he could see. He double-checked to see if he was restrained or bound in any way. He was not.

Crouching low as he rose from the cot, he crept along the ship’s stern. Peeking over the railing, he looked down on the main deck. Nearly two-dozen people worked below him. Their dark skin and tribal tattoos gave their identity away instantly.

This is a Rollo Islanders’ ship, he realized.

Using the railing to lift himself to his feet he could take in the entirety of the ship. He took a deep breath in and exhaled with the relief of knowing he wasn’t a prisoner. Anders examined the faces of those onboard and recognized the large, dark-haired man as Red. Max stood near Red, as did the strange man who he had seen arguing with Theodor in the woods a couple of days earlier. Anders searched through the rest of the faces on deck, but Thomas, Kirsten, and Theodor were not among them.

Max was the first to notice Anders standing at the railing looking down at them.

“I’d better go tell him what happened,” Max said to Red and the man in black, at the same time nodding toward Anders. The two followed Max’s gaze and saw Anders had awoken.

Catching him by the shoulder, the man in black stopped Max, who was on his way across the deck to fill Anders in on what had happened. “I’ll tell him,” he said. “I know the most about why this happened and what it means for him.” Max nodded in agreement and let the man proceed.

Already on his way to confront him, Anders walked squarely up to the man in black and violently shoved at his chest. “Where’s my family and who the hell are you?” he demanded angrily.

The man in black put his hands up to show he meant no harm and said soberly, “Calm down, Anders, I am not your enemy. I helped prevent the soldiers from capturing you.”

Anders was about to attack the man again, not believing his claim, when Max rushed in and wedged himself between them. “Whoa. Anders, settle down.”

Anders’ eyes darted from Max, to the man, and back to Max again. Max saw Anders’ shoulders relax and said in calming tones, “Listen to what he has to say.”

Anders didn’t trust this man, but he did trust Max. He also needed answers about what happened after he was struck unconscious, so he decided to listen.

Anders nodded, and Max stepped out from between them, “I’ll give you two some alone time,” and walked away.

“I’ll hear what you have to say,” Anders said, his gaze steadily glaring at the man in black. “But first tell me where my cousins are and what happened to my uncle.”

“I don’t know exactly what’s become of your cousins, but I can tell you what happened to your uncle,” the man matched Anders’ gaze as the two stood face-to-face. “Theodor did not survive the attack,” the man said, not letting his expression change.

Instantly Anders felt sick to his stomach. When he heard the news, he broke eye contact with the man, and stared vacantly to the side.

“He did the best he could to keep all of you safe and away from the reality he wasn’t willing to face. Your uncle bravely sacrificed his life to make sure Thargon didn’t find you.”

Anders barely heard the hollow words as the memory of the giant hound attacking his uncle flooded his mind. “You were the man in the woods with my uncle that night you met in the clearing behind our house,” Anders said.

“I was,” he admitted to Anders. “And you were spying on us in the trees.”

“How did you know?” Anders asked confused, because he was positive the man couldn’t have seen him that night.

“It’s not important now,” he said. “I did what I could to save your uncle from Thargon, but I was too late to stop his death.”

“You were the one that shot the ball of energy,” Anders said.

The man nodded.

“You’re a sorcerer,” Anders said. “My uncle told us all those who could wield magic died long ago in The War of the Magicians.”

“He had good reason to think I was dead after that terrible war, but that is not what I’m here to talk to you about,” said the man.

“Why are you here?” Anders asked, partially blaming the man for his uncle’s death.

“Let me explain myself. My name is Ivan,” he said. “I knew your uncle well. Theodor and I were good friends before you and your cousins were born. We served together in The War of the Magicians. We were both sent to the same military training camp and became fast friends. Over the years we watched as a great and powerful evil nearly tore this world apart. A very formidable sorcerer whose dark shadow almost crushed out all hopes of peace led these evil forces.

“Near the end of The War of the Magicians, Theodor decided his life as a soldier was over, so he moved to Grandwood. It was there where he became the humble man you knew him to be. He created a comfortable life for you and your cousins, but he did not completely escape the realities of his former life.

“Thargon and his master have been searching for what your uncle kept secret from them for all these years. Thargon’s master will stop at nothing to find what Theodor was hiding; that is why they came to Grandwood. When you saw us arguing in the woods, I was trying to warn him, but he refused to believe the threat was real. I may have been unsuccessful in saving your uncle from Thargon’s wrath, but I was able to keep them from finding you.”

Anders sat in silence for a moment trying to understand all of what Ivan had just told him. Finally he looked at Ivan and asked, “How can I trust that what you’re telling me is the truth?”

“I know it’s hard to believe, Anders. You can choose to believe what I have told you or not, but know that I was a dear friend of your uncle’s and he would trust me to guide you along the path where you have been placed,” Ivan said to him.

“What happened to Kirsten and Thomas?” Anders asked. “Are they on a ship as well?”

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t save all of you from Thargon; your cousins have been taken by him. I promise I will do everything in my power to help you get them back,” Ivan said with conviction. Anders’ stern poise slackened at the disheartening news. A pale look of dread washed over his face as he slouched in silence, Ivan added, “I’ll give you some time to think this all through,” and left him.

Leaning against the side of the ship, Anders looked over the edge at the coastline fading in the distance. He pondered the death of his uncle, who had been like a father to him, and watched as the thin strip of land where Grandwood lay bobbed away, slowly disappearing behind the blue horizon.

Max, seeing Anders alone, joined him by leaning on the ship’s railing. “I’m sorry about your uncle.”

“If what Ivan said is true, that my uncle was hiding something from Thargon and his master, then I feel like I hardly knew him,” Anders quickly wiped a single tear from his cheek with the cuff of his sleeve. “I grew up thinking that Theodor was an honest man. I knew he served in The War of the Magicians, but I had no idea of the extent of his actions. I wish he’d told me more about all this. What am I supposed to do now?” Anders asked through watering eyes.