The Legendary Warrior (Book 5) Read Online Free

boy along? Can’t you do it alone? I mean, he already fell out of a tree. He might make mistakes.”
    “ Lakrymos wanted him to come along. To observe.”
    “What do you think?” Bastion spoke up, facing Hakin directly. “Should I take over instead? I’ve never done it before, so it might be good experience for me in the future. I don’t want to freeze up in the middle of a battle, you know?”
    “I definitely hear what you mean,” Hakin nodded. “The Quietus children aren’t even allowed outside the Quietus Kingdom until they’ve killed at least a hundred creatures in the forest. And let me tell you, those creatures are not pushovers. Many of our children have been eaten in the process, but I think it’s necessary for growth, particularly if you have no choice.”
    “So I should be the one to carry out the mission, not James?”
    “It depends. Are you ready for that kind of responsibility?”
    “I don’t understand,” Bastion said. Responsibility? Wasn’t it over after the deed was done?
    “Everything takes its toll on our minds and bodies. It doesn’t matter what it is. Too much food makes you fat. Too much ale makes your liver burst. Listening to the Orders excessively might make you elitist. Spending too much time in the village might make y ou weak. Your actions should depend solely on the time of person you want to be. Not many people have killed another if you think about it. That means, in the future, if more times arise in which a person needs to be killed, you’ll be looked upon to act on others’ behalf. No one wants to get their hands dirty, but once blood is upon them, they’ll never be clean again.”
    “I don’t know what I want to be,” Bastion said truthfully, and Hakin chuckled.
    “Then you shouldn’t be looking to take a life. You’re still a child.”
    “Refraining from murder doesn’t make me a child.”
    “In our book it does.”
    “Hey,” James said. “You should give Bastion a little more respect. He’s accomplished a lot, and Lakrymos is hoping to groom him into Allay’s finest warrior someday.”
    “ Hmph,” Hakin scoffed. “Respect. He hasn’t earned any of that with us. What has he accomplished, huh? Tell me. What has he done?”
    James sat there in silence.
    “That’s what I thought,” Hakin laughed as a Quietus handed him a slab of meat. He began tearing at the seared flesh with his teeth. “He’s just strong,” Hakin said with his mouth full. “You respect him because you’re afraid of him, not that he’s actually done anything. Well, that doesn’t work here in the Quietus camp. You earn our respect. Until that time happens, he’ll just be a kid to me and the rest of us.”
    “You don’t know what you’re saying,” James said, but Hakin stood to his feet and faced them both.
    “Stop trembling, brother. Yes, he’s strong. I can sense it. But he’s still inexperienced, young, and easily offended. You have Quietus blood running through your veins. Stand tall and be brave.”
    “We’ll be going now,” James replied, standing to his feet. But Bastion refused to budge. What had he done to offend Hakin and the rest of the Quietus? Why did they look down upon him just because he was young? They were young once. Did they forget how it felt? To be ridiculed for something beyond their control? How was it any different than making fun of the blind, the mentally challenged or the elderly?
    And yet, it wasn’t his personal feelings that he warred against. It was the blatant disrespect. Who were the Quietus to speak so highly of themselves? They had been annihilated, displaced from their Kingdom, and forced to live in the homes of their enemies. It was only by the grace of Lakrymos that they were freed from prison and not destroyed entirely. And now, Bastion and James had arrived to their camp, and they had nothing but disrespect on their lips. They ridiculed him, they said James was scared and basically called him a weakling, and now James was