Chapter 7
Seven
Caleb
Ihurried down the hall to the main room before turning and going down the stairs that led to an area where no guest was ever allowed.
The walls changed from brick and mortar to the rough natural stones of a cave.
As I walked deeper into the mountain my glamour faded.
Gone was the smartly dressed businessman.
My feet were large and heavy, but I was able to walk more quietly now.
My hands were massive and covered in old scars, bumps, and wounds that didn’t heal quite right, and with nails I’d used as weapons many times.
As I rounded the last corner my family were all gathered there.
“Son, tonight your brother will bring us the first meal of the Yule. I’ve missed you all so much.
” , my mother, stood by the huge cauldron she’d been cooking humans in for centuries.
She towered over all of us, a giant mountain troll who was more powerful and deadly than any other.
Parents used stories of her to keep their kids in line, but it wasn’t the children we were after.
No, we had moved on from the children. Now we all preferred adults who had been touched by evil.
“The broth is ready. We only need the special ingredient; your brother should be here any second.”
In this form we didn’t speak the way we did when we were human, we didn’t need to.
Separately we were strong enough and fast enough to kill any human without a minimum of effort, but together nothing could stop us.
Each year we made sure the hotel had twelve special guests.
We treated them like kings and queens until the night of Yule they were chosen for, and tonight was no exception.
“Who are you? What do you want with me?” a voice echoed through the cave and my brothers all stirred in anticipation.
Finally, Gully shoved the human to the ground; a hood over his head kept him blinded, but he wasn’t tied.
For a moment he didn’t move, then he slowly slid the hood up.
The moment he realized he had no chance of escape was obvious.
His eyes were wide in fright, and he shook from head to foot.
He may not know what we were, but he knew to fear us.
One of us started to growl and it spread through the cave until we’d all joined in. “Bring him,” Mother shouted.
“No, no stop please, I don’t know what’s happening.
” We all knew who he was and what he was guilty of, but that had already been settled months ago, now was time for him to pay.
Mother grabbed him in her massive hand which covered most of his body.
“No!” he continued to scream out while a rumble of excitement echoed through the room.
“David Jameson, tonight you pay for your sins,” Mother said, but to him it would sound like the grunts and groans of a wild animal, and even though he didn’t understand, he started to scream.
Mother took out her knife and cut off his head before throwing him into the boiling cauldron.
None of us cared what he was guilty of, or what his name was.
It was all a formality and a tradition. Something which soothed our unyielding need to feed on human flesh, and once a year that need was satisfied.
I glanced at the carvings that had been in this cave from the very first time Mother brought me here to meet my brothers.
It depicted a giant troll boiling children and eating them.
It was a need we all shared and one none of us could control.
We kept this tradition, but now we fulfilled the need in a different way. Now we made adults who deserved it pay.
For a time, Mother stirred and added a few more things as we waited.
Then finally she looked at another brother, and he left for a moment before returning with our bowls.
Each was massive and carved of stone. We did as we always did and lined up for her to give us our share.
The human did not matter anymore, he never had, all that mattered was that we ate.
I hurried over to the side of the cave that was my area for as long as I could remember and sat while eating the most delicious food I’d ever had.
It was always the same. Each human was different, but those that had done evil deeds tasted the sweetest to us, and we were more than happy to search them out throughout the year.
“Do you know who will feed us tomorrow?” Mother asked.
“Yes, Mother, and for every night of Yule. There are some staying here that are innocents, but no one will notice when the others are gone,” Saus said.
He had the gift of sight and was able to guide us to find those who were the perfect victims. Some years there were only a few but this year we would feast.
“My lads, you’ve all done so well,” Mother said as she picked up an arm from the cauldron and ate it, bones and all.
“This year we won’t be hungry.” Mother never left the cave, but we all knew it was our duty to bring food to her and if we didn’t, we’d become the meal—eventually.
We were all the children of ogres or trolls, but none of us were brave enough to go against Mother.
What she wanted she got, or someone died.
We finished eating and as soon as we were done our bowls were all cleaned and stacked neatly as they were before.
They’d be needed again for tomorrow. I cleaned my bowl and stacked it then without another word walked back toward the hotel.
As soon as I crossed the area where the cave ended and the brick and mortar began, I was once again in my human form.
One of my brothers had just walked through the door to the hotel before me and as soon as I opened it there stood Syd.