The Rite begins!

The champions of Odin's Spear stood together for the first time. They stood in a half-circle around High Priest Ragnor, each holding out their left hand as the old priest murmured a low chant.

The priest went to each champion in turn and made a small cut on each outstretched hand. Denni was the first, and the scrawny boy flinched and yelped in pain. Yolna rolled her eyes at him.

When Ragnor got to Ria, she didn't flinch at all. He cut Josk next. Josk flinched when Ragnor cut him, and he looked over to see Ria smiling proudly at him. She hadn't flinched at all.

Ragnor went to them one-by-one. Karn was last. He gritted his teeth at the cut. And then something else... Josk saw the young sorcerer flick his fingers out when Ragnor turned his back, and the priest's bloody knife flew from his belt. Karn caught it, and slipped it into his own cloak.

Then Ragnor went back around the group, collecting a couple drops of blood from each in a drinking horn.

"You are all blessed by Odin," he said. He tossed the blood on the fire, and Ria felt a surge of warmth flood her body. She looked at the others, and could see that they felt the same thing. "Together," Ragnor concluded, "you will bring great glory to our people!"

The crowd cheered around them. The champions stood before their clans and raised their arms, and the ritual was over.

"You will now journey south," Ragnor said as he went back through them one more time. This time, he bandaged their cuts. "Your first stop will be the Lodge of Passage, where all champions before you have stayed one night before leaving our lands for the southern kingdoms. You will not return until you have a prize worthy of our people."

The seven youths were hustled towards the road. The Lodge of Passage awaited at the border, but it would take the rest of the day to get there.

"It didn't hurt," Denni said, rubbing his bandaged hand. "I barely felt it."

"Sure," Ria said. "Whatever you say."

"We all saw you flinch, Denni," Brudd said. He clapped a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. "It's okay. It hurt me, too."

"Really?" Denni said.

"Sure," Brudd said, laughing. "But only a little!"

Hanna pulled Josk aside, away from the others for just a moment. "Josk, did you see what Karn did?" she whispered. "With the knife?"

"Yes," Josk said. "We'll need to watch him. Who knows what he's up to?"

"He's Loki reborn, that one," Hanna said.

"Enough talk," Yolna said, haughty and impatient. "Let's get moving?"

"Who put you in charge?" Ria asked.

"She's right, though," Josk said. "We can make it before midnight if we move fast."