Chapter 10 Ragnar Hunting

Colt led four kids, along with two protectors to go hunt down Ragnar. They knew a general area he would be in, but they knew he would never stay in one place for long. Colt knew they would have to be careful, but they would have to get as close as they could to get Ragnar’s attention, they would need him to see a few of their swords.

Zada told Colt it would take them close to six days to get to the area Ragnar was last seen in. That gives Ragnar six days to move around and find a new place to hide.

Colt took to the skies on Ranger, allowing him to see ahead of their convoy for any dangers that might be ahead. Eliza and Dallas followed on Thraxal, Klaus and Lyndsey followed in Colt’s truck with Alioth and Neferes. The seven began their trip to hunt down Ragnar, as they headed north through the forest, Zada showed them the quickest path out. They knew if they were in the forest, they were safe and their path was clear, making their first few days of traveling easy. Once they reached the edge of the forest though, they knew they would draw attention and if they weren’t careful Ragnar could find them before they could find him.

As the group approached the forest edge, they thanked Zada for helping them and decided to make camp inside the tree line, this would be their last chance to rest safely. Colt and Dallas took the first watch while the others slept for a few hours. In the distance, just as the sun hid behind the horizon, Colt noticed what looked like hundreds of fireflies flickering on a summer night. As he looked closer, he realized that it was hundreds of campfires, it had to be Ragnar’s army. He didn’t realize how large his army would be, but he began to realize that tomorrow they would have thousands chasing them and there would be no room for error.

“God, we are vastly outnumbered, and we need your hand to protect us. Tomorrow we will come face to face with our enemy. I feel like David standing before Goliath, I ask you Lord to give me the same courage to stand in your name. I’m leading these kids into a situation where no kid should ever be, but it is the way it must be. Please protect them and give them the strength they need. Amen.” prayed Colt.

The next morning everyone discussed the plans to draw out Ragnar. Colt took Eliza and her Sword of Sight and began moving straight for Ragnar. Dallas took Lyndsey and the Sword of Fire and circled around to the left and began their approach. Finally, Klaus took his Sword of Speed and the protectors and moved in from the right. The plan was to draw out a small group to see what Colt and Eliza were doing and then flank them from both sides, cutting them off from Ragnar. Hopefully by capturing his soldiers, allowing them to see the swords, and then releasing them, they would take the news to Ragnar himself. Once they released their captives they turned and began retreating to the woods. As Eliza looked back, she saw a man much larger than the others, barking orders at everyone. It must be Ragnar, it worked, he was mad, and he wanted their swords. As he let out a battle cry, Ragnar’s army began advancing slowly at first and then it became a sprint. It seemed like a competition to see who could reach them first.

They made their way back to the tree line as arrows zoomed past them. His army was right behind them now, they would need the woods to help slow them down but remain within sight. Colt began hearing traps snapping and the enemy wailing. He knew it would help but it wasn’t going to be enough, there were too many after them, he knew when he reached the clearing ahead, he would have to send up the signal to the others to come join them.

The moment they were in the clearing Thraxal shot a fire ball into the air for the others to see. The castle wasn’t far away but there was no way they would make it before being overrun. A.B. spotted the fireball and everyone gathered their weapons and moved towards the clearing.

As Colt and the other’s prepared to defend their ground they turned and noticed Ragnar’s army had stopped before coming into the clearing. As the others joined them, they decided if they moved fast, they knew they could make it back to the fortress.

As the group got to the gates of the castle Emmalyn looked back and realized no one was following them. In fact, Ragnar’s army was still on the other side of the clearing.

“Why are they not coming after us?,” questioned Emma.

“I don’t know, but it seems this battle won’t happen like we wanted. We can use the castle as a place to fall back to, but it would seem, we will have to fight out in the open.” Colt said solemnly.

They gathered their weapons and quickly discussed how they trained. They suited up and quickly gathered to pray one last time before marching into the path of their enemy.

Colt began to pray as everyone circled around, “Lord, send down your angels to protect us. Lead us against the evil that stands before us. When we can’t stand any longer push us just a bit farther. If any of us shall fall today, then we will enter your kingdom with honor. Help us face our giants and stand victorious. In your name Lord amen.”