The Rock of Ivanore Read Free

was the oldest and tallest of the group, his birthday falling just one week shy of last year’s ceremony. He was therefore the most respected and admired boy in his age group. However, if he derived any pleasure from his status, he never showed it. He was a quiet boy and sought no one’s company but his own.
    Marcus felt rather plain compared to Kelvin. His own hair was straw-colored, his eyes a dull hazel. He was several inches shorter than Kelvin and considered himself much too thin.
    A horn sounded. Squire Slermin, Governor of Quendel, stood before the crowd and raised his hands for silence. “Today marks an epic moment in Quendelian history!” he began. “These boys who stand before you shall embark on a grand quest. If all goes well, they shall return to us no longer boys, but men!”
    The crowd burst into roaring applause. Another horn sounded, and the crowd grew silent. A knot formed in Marcus’s throat. His mouth was dry as flint, and the perspiration ran down his face in tiny rivulets.
    The squire spoke now in a hushed tone. The anticipation in the air was so heavy that Marcus felt it pressing against him. “My good people, it is time for that momentous occasion when the wisest and oldest of our kind pronounces the commencement of this year’s Bleôth Camr Å© . I give you now: Master Zyll.”
    As the squire stepped down from the platform, the water in the fountain began to swirl in wide circles, which soon reached up toward the sky until a column of water churned in the air before them. All of a sudden the column burst like a giant bubble, sending a fine spray across the platform. The boys and those nearest to the fountain covered their faces to avoid the shower, while the rest of the crowd let out a collective gasp of admiration. When they returned their gaze to the platform, they found Zyll standing in the settling mist.
    â€œOn this day of the equinox, this moment of balance and equality, I summon the gods to grant divine protection upon you boys as you begin your journey into manhood. May you be wise, courageous, and cautious in your travels, and may you return to us both unharmed and victorious. Though the journey ahead will be difficult, you must remain undaunted, focused on the task. Those who succeed in this quest will bring the greatest of honors upon Quendel and upon themselves.”
    Those who succeed. The words repeated themselves in Marcus’s mind, and he felt the weight of this responsibility descend heavily upon his young shoulders. It was a burden he felt driven to carry.
    â€œAnd now, my sons,” continued Zyll, sweeping his staff over the heads of the six boys, “it is time to reveal the nature of your journey. Your quest is . . .”
    Here Zyll’s voice paused, allowing his words to settle on the waiting crowd. Marcus counted the seconds that passed in unbearable silence. The other boys shifted anxiously beside him.
    â€œYour quest is to find the Rock of Ivanore and bring it back to Quendel.”
    The boys glanced at each other, puzzled. Jerrid Zwelger cleared his throat and stepped forward.
    â€œMaster Zyll,” he said, “we heard rumors that we’d be hunting warboars in the Black Forest.”
    Zyll struck Xerxes roughly against the platform. “You may hunt warboars if you wish, but it is the Rock of Ivanore you are required to pursue! Now, be off with you!”
    Zyll pointed Xerxes in the direction of the forest, but not a boy moved from his spot. They remained as bewildered as before. Finally, it was Marcus who spoke up. “But Master,” he said in almost a whisper, “what is the Rock of Ivanore? And where will we find it?”
    The old man’s lips trembled as he ground his teeth. Once again he pointed the end of his staff to the forest, jabbing it in the air like the point of a sword. “You will never find the Rock of Ivanore by standing here wipingyour noses on your mothers’ aprons! Go