The Beginning - Tor's Quest, #6

Find out how it all began. When his father died, Tor had no intention of taking over the throne and initially refused to take part in the quest. However, when the opportunity presented itself to help a friend, he reluctantly agreed to compete against his brothers. When he gathers a team to help him, collecting new friends and old along the way, little does he know the dangers they will all face. The clues they have to solve are not easy and the challenges they have to overcome seem almost impossible at times, but teamwork and friendship will keep them going forward. When asked to commit murder, Tor tries to refuse, but is given no choice.
He almost quits when a companion has to walk into fire in order for the team to continue on the quest, but it is the death of one of them that makes him question whether the quest is worth the sacrifices he and his friends are forced to make. When the issues one of his team has with the ruler of another country causes problems for everyone, Tor begins to doubt the wisdom of travelling with friends instead of hired mercenaries, until he finds out the hard way just how uncontrollable 'thugs for hire' can be.