Chapter 2 — A Year

Morgan stared at the king.

“A year?”

“Yes.”

The king nodded quickly.

“A year. Once the necessary preparations are complete, we can—”

“You're lying.”

The king froze.

Morgan's grip tightened around his collar.

“You're lying to me.”

“I assure you, I am not—”

“You're scared.”

Morgan looked directly into the king's eyes.

“I've spent enough time around liars to know what one looks like.”

The king swallowed.

Dre glanced over his shoulder.

“Yeah.”

Morgan looked at him.

Dre shrugged.

“Dude's lying.”

The king's face tightened.

“You have no proof of that.”

“No,” Dre said.

He turned completely around.

“But we don't need proof.”

Morgan finally released the king.

The old man stumbled backward, nearly falling over his robes.

Morgan looked down at the blood covering his hand.

Then he looked at the terrified students standing across the room.

A few were crying.

Others hadn't moved since the first man died.

One girl was staring at Morgan like she was seeing a monster.

Morgan couldn't blame her.

He looked back toward the king.

“Fine.”

The king blinked.

“Fine?”

“Yeah.”

Morgan wiped the blood from his hand onto his pants.

“You've got a year.”

Dre's eyes narrowed.

“Morgan…”

“I know.”

Morgan looked toward the massive doors at the end of the chamber.

“We could just leave now if we want. Guards won't stop us now.”

He shrugged.

“If he's lying, we'll figure it out.”

The king's expression briefly changed.

Just for a moment.

Morgan caught it.

So did Dre.

Sir Barnes was still unconscious on the floor.

The king stood frozen in the center of the summoning chamber.

And for the first time since the heroes had arrived…

He looked afraid.

“So what now?”

“Chancellor! Show them where they'll stay. We'll sort out the rest later.”

The king waved a dismissive hand before turning away.

A middle-aged man in elaborate robes stepped forward nervously.

“This way, please.”

Dre and Morgan exchanged a glance.

Neither of them said anything.

They followed the chancellor through a set of massive wooden doors and into a long stone corridor.

The difference between the summoning chamber and the rest of the castle was immediately obvious.

The chamber had felt ceremonial.

This place felt lived in.

Large windows lined one side of the hallway, letting in the warm light of the setting sun. Tapestries hung between them, each bearing different symbols Morgan assumed belonged to noble families or military units.

Servants hurried past carrying baskets, trays, and armfuls of clothing, occasionally glancing at the strange group following the chancellor.

Morgan kept his eyes moving.

Castle.

Definitely a castle.

At least they got that part right.

He glanced behind them.

Two guards stood near the doors they'd just passed through.

Morgan kept walking.

Two guards. Probably more around the corner.

He looked ahead.

Long corridor. Multiple doors.

No obvious exits.

His eyes moved toward the windows.

Too high to reach from the floor.

Good to know.

“Hey, mister.”

Morgan looked over.

The same Japanese kid from earlier was walking beside him.

“I'm Tanji. What's yours?”

“Morgan.”

Tanji smiled.

“Nice to meet you.”

Morgan gave him a small nod.

Tanji looked toward the other students.

“We should get everyone together and figure out what skills and ranks everyone has once we're alone.”

Morgan raised an eyebrow.

The kid was already thinking ahead.

Kid's got a good head on his shoulders.

Morgan glanced at Tanji again.

Would make a good sergeant one day.

Morgan sighed.

Then he remembered something.

He wasn't supposed to be thinking about soldiers.

He wasn't supposed to be thinking about ranks.

He was supposed to be thinking about his family.

His wife.

His son.

His daughter.

And the baby that hadn't even been born yet.

Morgan looked down at his hands.

There was still blood on them.

He clenched his fists.

Revenge.

The chancellor stopped in front of a large wooden door.

“Here is where you will be staying. Someone will be by in the morning.”

He opened the door.

Morgan stepped inside.

His eyes immediately began scanning the room.

Seven bunks.

One door.

One way in.

One way out.

No windows.

Morgan stopped just inside.

Prison.

It was nicer than any prison he'd ever seen, but the layout was unmistakable.

He looked at the door again.

No escape route.

Good to know.

The chancellor gave them one last nervous glance before closing the door behind him.

The second the door shut, Dre walked over to one of the bunks.

“Morgan, dibs on top bunk.”

Morgan stared at him.

“Dude, there's seven other bunks and you want the top bunk?”

“I called dibs.”

Dre pointed toward the bunk.

“Dibs is dibs.”

Morgan waved his hand toward the bed.

“Fine. Take it.”

Dre smiled.

Morgan turned toward the others.

“Hey, kids. Gather up.”

The students reluctantly moved toward him.

Tanji stood at the front of the group.

“We need to have a little pow-wow.”

One of the students nodded.

“You said it, Mr. Morgan. Y'all two are out of line and need to chill.”

Morgan raised his eyebrows.

“Chill?”

He looked around the room.

“They ripped us out of our lives and we're just supposed to accept it?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

Morgan stared at the kid.

The student's voice remained calm.

“They were telling the truth. They can't send us back.”

Morgan's jaw tightened.

“But we will go back as soon as our task is completed.”

Dre stepped forward.

“What are you saying, kid?”

Tanji looked at him.

“This isn't our first time.”

The room went quiet.

Dre's expression changed.

“What?”

“We've done this before.”

Tanji glanced toward the other students.

“In a different world.”

Morgan's eyes narrowed.

What?

“Some of us, anyway.”

Tanji's voice became quieter.

“Some didn't make it back the last time.”

Morgan felt something cold settle in his stomach.

“How many?”

Tanji hesitated.

“Enough.”

Dre folded his arms.

“And you're just okay with doing it again?”

Tanji shook his head.

“We don't really have a choice.”

Morgan looked around the room.

A few of the students wouldn't meet his eyes.

Others looked like they'd already accepted what was coming.

Morgan slowly exhaled.

“So let me get this straight.”

He looked directly at Tanji.

“You've done this before.”

Tanji nodded.

“You fought a Demon Lord.”

Another nod.

“And some of your friends died.”

Tanji looked down.

“Yeah.”

Morgan stared at him for a moment.

Then something clicked.

He remembered the king's words.

Heroes.

Fodder.

His stomach tightened.

“The last Demon Lord…”

Tanji looked up.

“Yeah?”

Morgan's eyes narrowed.

“You said last Demon Lord.”

Tanji looked confused.

“Yeah.”

Morgan slowly looked toward the closed door.

The king had been afraid.

The guards had been afraid.

And now these kids were telling him they'd done this before.

Morgan's jaw tightened.

So this wasn't an accident.

The king hadn't summoned them because they were special.

He'd summoned them because he needed replacements.

Morgan looked back at the students.

“What the hell happened the last time?”

Tanji swallowed.

“The last Demon Lord was a rough one.”