A Realm of Shadows by Morgan Rice

have a role to play in
the coming war.”
    As they neared,
Merk found himself silently reaching under his shirt and gripping his dagger,
though he knew it would do no good. It was an old habit he had, whenever he was
nervous. He saw the long bows over these warriors’ shoulders, saw the strange
weapons they held in their hands—long, dangling chains with spikes at the end—and
he knew he was vastly outnumbered. It made him feel vulnerable. It was a
feeling he had rarely felt before—he had always made a point of planning ahead,
of never putting himself in such a position.
    The currents
picked up and their ship soon touched the shore, a hard bump onto the craggy
beach. Without pausing, Lorna jumped off and landed on the sand, walking
gracefully, not missing a beat, while Merk fumbled to get off the edge of the
ship as it rocked. He landed clumsily behind her, his boots splashing in the freezing
waters as he tried to catch up.
    He followed Lorna
as she approached a group of waiting soldiers and stopped before one,
apparently their commander, standing out front before the others, nearly twice Merk’s
size. The soldier looked graciously down at Lorna but then looked over at Merk
and scowled down at him as if he were intruding. Merk tightened his grip on his
dagger.
    The soldier
turned back to Lorna and half-bowed.
    “My lady,” he
said deferentially.
    “Thurn,” she
replied. Are my Watchers safe?” she asked.
    He nodded back.
    “Every one of
them,” he replied. He turned to Merk. “And who is this beside you?” he asked, tightening
his grip on his chain.
    “A friend,” she replied.
“He’s not to be harmed.”
    The soldier
reluctantly tore his gaze from Merk and looked back at her. Merk did not like being
on this isle, but he did like hearing the word friend . He’d never had
anyone call him a friend before, and for some reason, it touched him. The more
he thought about it, the more he realized he felt a strong connection to Lorna,
too. He wondered if she were just using the term, or if she genuinely felt the
same way about him.
    “An army of trolls
follows on our heels,” she said, in a rush. “We cannot defend. Not even you. Come
with us to the mainland. We shall continue the battle in Escalon.”
    The soldier
stared back at her solemnly.
    “We are of Knossos,” he replied. “We retreat from no enemy.”
    “Even if death
is certain?” she pressed.
    “ Especially if death is certain,” he replied. “To run would be to lose our honor—and honor
is more sacred than life. Take your Watchers and go to the mainland. We shall make
our stand here.”
    Lorna sighed,
clearly frustrated.
    “You would be killed
here for harboring my people. I cannot allow that.”
    “We would be
killed for doing our duty,” he replied.
    Lorna frowned,
realizing she was getting nowhere.
    “Don’t you
understand?” she added. “You face monsters. Not humans. Trolls—honorless, nasty
creatures. They have no regard for life. They are crossing the Bay of Death and will soon surround this fort. Now is your chance to escape. Leave, and
live to fight another day, in another place, on your terms. There are other
ways to win. To stay here means death.”
    For the first
time, the soldier grinned, as he looked out and scanned the horizon behind her.
    “An honorable
death, encircled by my foes,” he replied, “is all I have ever prayed for. All
that my men have ever prayed for. The gods have answered our prayers on this
day.”
    Behind him, all
the warriors of Knossos, all lined up with perfect discipline, suddenly raised
their chains high in the air and grunted in agreement. They all stared back
through the metal slats of their helmets, fearless.
    Merk had never
seen such a display of courage, and he was moved by it. For the first time in
his life, he felt as if here, on this isle, with these men, he was part of
something greater, of the cause he had so desperately sought.
    Lorna turned to
Merk, looking resigned.
    “Go,” she