Chapter 50
Allie
From the mist, they came.
Their white fur blended in with the surroundings, their blue hands and faces the same shades as the glaciers still pressing against the crater’s walls.
The perfect camouflage for this frozen land, now under attack.
“Are those…?” Dax whispered, gloves crinkling as he gripped on tighter to his daggers.
“Trolls,” I breathed out.
Larger than any human, heavily armed with their gargantuan maces, marching toward us.
The warriors tensed, raising their weapons once more. Devoid of arrows, I pulled out the dagger I kept in my boot, hand shaking.
Maybe we’d wandered too close to their lairs and they’d come to scare us away.
Had the smell of blood attracted them? The sound of clashing metal? The cries?
And if so, had they come to join the fight–or pick off the tired, wounded survivors?
Slowly, they advanced, the mist clinging to them as if it didn’t want to let them go.
Ten, twenty, dozens of them prowled closer. Despite their size, their large, flat feet left little marks on the snow, and no noise.
The people of Solkar’s Reach had learned to survive in the crater, but these magical creatures looked to have been birthed by it.
With each of their steps, my muscles tensed further, stomach sinking.
They far outnumbered us.
The warriors were in need of treatment, not another battle.
My power was almost depleted, barely sizzling inside of me.
The trolls stopped a good distance away from us, their narrow eyes watching us as suspiciously as we did them. Another advantage they had; the cold wind slid along our eyes like razorblades.
If the trolls hadn’t moved–hadn’t wanted to let themselves be known–we wouldn’t have detected them.
So why had they come out in the open?
I tightened my hunter gaze on them.
They were armed, yes, but they held their clubs loosely in their large hands, not upright to intimidate and attack.
They moved slowly. Hesitantly. They looked like the perfect predator, but didn’t have the gait of one.
I’d seen enough battles and hunts to know this wasn’t either.
The wind hissed between our two groups, as if eager for more bloodshed.
Neither of us bridged the gap, the trolls looking our way expectantly–the same way my warriors looked at me.
Waiting for a command.
One which could damn or save us.
But I didn’t know–
My gaze snagged on one of the troll’s legs. A healing wound, turned almost scar. A precise cut, made by a human’s hand.
My eyes jumped to its face. I recognized him.
He held up the satchel I’d given him, the leather now more crumpled.
He recognized me, too.
I allowed my shoulders to relax slightly. He hadn’t come here to kill me after I’d helped him…right?
All of them were waiting for something–from us.
They’d come here for us.
No.
They’d greeted us.
“Stand down.” My hiss bounced off the crater’s bare wall.
Vylkor looked at me like the avalanche had banged the logic out of my skull. “But–”
“I said stand down.” I slashed my gaze toward him. “Now.”
“They’re armed! They could harm you–and us!”
“Do you see them waving their maces at us?”
Vylkor clenched his jaw.
I lowered my dagger toward the ground, loosening my grip. Dax’s gaze raced between me and Vylkor, before he let his hands fall to his sides.
Reluctantly, every other warrior followed our example, Vylkor among the last to do it. But he still followed command, choosing to trust me once more.
I jutted out my chin at the trolls, hoping it wasn’t a sign of violence for them. I’d learned the hard way not to bare my teeth at a hungry wolf during winter.
The largest one of them, who stood at the front of the group–pack? herd? swarm?–and had fangs long enough that they peeked from underneath his top lip, jutted out his chin back at me.
Hopefully a good sign.
But then he opened his great big mouth, fangs glistening in the light, and let out a bone-searing roar. I flinched at the howl, all of my instincts screaming at me to run or fight.
I forced air in and out of my chest.
I’d seen them do the same thing during that secret gathering I’d fallen into, weeks ago. Each troll had roared as it had taken its turn.
More trolls began to roar in unison, the chaotic chorus vibrating the ground underneath our feet.
It was harsh and guttural, evolved to shake the snow off the tree tops and hills. But it didn’t sound menacing. Only imposing.
“Does anybody have any idea what they’re saying?” I yelled over the ruckus.
The grunts hit so deep, they gnashed against my bones.
“We can’t even speak the tongue of the wolves, and they live among us,” Vylkor yelled back.
The grunts stopped suddenly, leaving behind only a ring in my ear and a tightening in my chest.
The silence was heavy, filled with expectations.
One wrong move, sound or scent, and we’d be in danger.
I squared my shoulders, and took a hesitant step forward.
The largest troll mirrored me.
“What are you doing?” Dax hissed after me.
“It looks like I’m going to negotiate,” I said, unsure of every word. “Second me.”
“Second–” Dax choked. “You’re insane.”
Probably. But, still, I didn’t stop. My stubborn knees shook as I forced them to move.
Dax swore behind me, but the snow crunched as he followed.
I swallowed my small sigh of relief. One wrong gesture could be interpreted as an act of aggression.
Or maybe I needed to be more aggressive to win their respect?
I could only guess at the rules, painfully aware that this could end very, very badly.
Up ahead, the troll I’d healed in the forest stepped forward, following its own leader. He was just as large, but its limbs were tighter, longer. It could move faster. A scout, perhaps–which explained why in Xamor’s name it was even near the city in the first place.
The wind blew harder, as if trying to shove me away from this path.
I chanced a look behind me, gaze easily finding Vylkor’s. “If they attack me, you run back to the city. Don’t stop for anything.”
Vylkor opened his mouth, looking on the verge of arguing. But then he clenched his jaw and nodded.
Slowly, Dax and I drew dangerously near, until the troll was close enough that his large arm could swipe me into oblivion. His massive body cast a long shadow over me and I hated that I had to look up at him.
My heart galloped.
What now?
Neither of us moved.
The wind hissed.
My power simmered deep inside of me, as if telling me it was still there.
Slowly, not taking my eyes away from the troll’s, I lowered my dagger to the ground. Behind me, Dax made a gargled sound, but he knew better than to protest right now.
The seconds ticked by as I righted myself, muscles tense and ready to snap. The troll’s sharp gaze tracked my every movement.
Finally, it let its mace fall to the ground with a deafening thump.
Under my shocked gaze, it crouched and sat down, crossing its legs. It still towered over me.
I hesitated. Unarmed, if I sat down, I would be more vulnerable than standing. It had the upper hand based on sheer weight alone.
As if sensing my apprehension, the creature inclined its head.
I inhaled sharply. Every being in the world knew exposing their neck was dangerous. The trolls already knew our weapons could slice them.
I took the show of trust for what it was, and I sat down cross-legged. I stared up, every muscle in my body telling me to jump up and run.
If this was a negotiation, it would be the hardest of my life.