Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
A Troll
In Need of a Comfort Healer
Bria woke slowly and smiled before she even opened her eyes. Kaelan’s arm remained wrapped securely around her waist, his warmth surrounding her as completely as the cloak covering them.
Though the situation itself was dire, she was happy, happier than she had ever been. She finally experienced for herself what it meant to fall in love, and it was grand.
She smiled and breathed deeply, his scent a mixture of things, fresh cut pine, rich dark earth, and some she still could not place but continued to favor.
The cave was quiet except for Kaelan’s light breathing. She glanced around beyond the entrance and saw that the sky had begun to lighten.
Sunrise was not far off, and it had been a while since she had watched one.
Careful not to wake him, she eased herself free, got to her feet, and slipped outside, raking her fingers through her rumpled hair until it fell smoothly.
The air carried the cool crispness that arrived just before dawn. The eastern horizon glowed faintly with streaks of pale gold and soft pink.
For several moments she simply stood there enjoying the peace.
Then she spotted Henry.
The troll sat atop a nearby boulder, his enormous frame silhouetted against the growing light. He appeared lost in thought.
Bria approached slowly. “Good morning, Henry.”
The troll nearly toppled off the rock. “You know name?”
Bria smiled. “Aye, I do.”
A grin spread slowly across his broad face. No one had ever looked so pleased simply to hear their own name. And he seemed not to care how she knew it.
“Good sleep?” he asked.
Bria settled herself on a nearby stone. “I did and you?”
He nodded. “Slept good.”
For a time, they watched the sunrise together, the silence feeling comfortable.
She finally spoke, wanting to learn more about the troll. “Do you have family, Henry?”
Henry’s smile disappeared.
The change was immediate.
“Grammy.”
Bria waited and when he remained silent, she said, “So, you only have your grammy?”
Sadness filled his large eyes as he nodded.
“You miss her?”
“Much,” Henry said, “but Ogga says Henry no go home.”
Bria’s heart ached for him. “Why?”
Henry picked at a loose thread on his sleeve, saying nothing.
Just when she thought he would say no more, he spoke.
“Ogga hurt Grammy.”
The words struck her hard and any fear she had for the witch turned to anger.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
Henry’s large hands clenched. “Ogga say if Henry no listen…” His voice faltered. “Grammy get hurt.”
Bria’s anger rose instantly. “She threatened your grammy?”
Again, Henry nodded, though this time tears glistened briefly in his dark eyes, but he blinked them away quickly.
“Grammy old.” His voice cracked. “Only family left.”
Bria reached out and placed her hand gently over one of his. His fingers were enormous compared to hers. The vision came quickly, an old, woman troll smiling as she hung a large shirt on a tree limb to dry.
“Your grammy loves you so very much,” she said without thinking.
A tear ran down Henry’s cheek.
For the first time since meeting him, Bria realized how lonely he truly was.
“Henry protect Grammy.”
The determination in his voice surprised her.
“Aye,” Bria said softly. “You do.”
The rays of sunlight filled the horizon then, bathing the hills in gold.
Henry watched. “So pretty.”
Bria smiled. “It is pretty.”
For a little while neither spoke.
And for the first time since entering Driochmor, she felt she had made a true friend.
Bria gave Henry’s hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it. “Henry, may I ask you something?”
The troll nodded.
“The pendant. Where did you find it?”
He scratched his head. “In stream.”
Bria blinked a bit surprised. “A stream?”
Henry nodded. “Trying catch fish.” His large hands demonstrated the motion. “Fish fast.” A look of frustration crossed his face. “Henry too slow.”
Bria smiled. “I very much doubt that.”
“Fish think so.”
That nearly made her laugh.
“Fish was a big one.” His arms spread wide. “Very big.”
Naturally, the fish grew larger with the telling.
“I reached.” His hand darted forward dramatically. “Missed fish.” A disappointed look crossed his face. “Got necklace.”
Bria stared at him. “You scooped up the pendant instead of the fish?”
Henry nodded miserably. “Wanted fish.”
“So, the pendant was simply lying in the stream?”
“Aye.”
“Was there anything nearby? Maybe a cottage? A village?”
Henry shook his head. “Just water.”
The stream could have carried the pendant from anywhere. Which meant the place where Henry found it would offer nothing new, nothing for her to touch. It also meant there was no reason for them to travel there.
Henry suddenly brightened. “Metal piece brought luck. Got fish after found it.”
Bria smiled. “I am glad that you got a fish.”
Henry grinned proudly. “Big fish.”
Bria heard movement and turned to see her husband move away from a tree he had been leaning against.
“You heard?” she asked, wondering how long he had been standing there.
“I did. That pendant could have come from anywhere. I wonder what made Ogga think it belonged to the healer?”
“Magic,” Henry said. “Strong magic. Hurt Ogga to touch.”
“So, Ogga was vain enough to assume that if she could not touch the pendant then the only person more powerful than her would be the healer the king searches for,” Kaelan said.
“And since neither you nor Henry had any trouble holding the pendant then I can assume that the power belongs to a witch and not a healer.”
“Then there is no point in going to where Henry found the pendant,” Bria said.
“Agreed,” Kaelan said. “It is time to seek out the council.”
“Nay. Nay,” Henry said, shaking his head. “Ogga be angry.”
“We are not going back to Ogga, Henry,” Kaelan said firmly.
“Must go back,” Henry said, louder now. “Henry must return.”
Bria reached out and placed her hand gently on Henry’s arm before the troll grew too upset. He looked at her with something she had not expected… hope.
The world around her seemed to soften at the edges the way it always did when she used her gift and she felt it immediately. Worry for his grammy.
Kaelan watched his wife calm the huge troll, though he was surprised to see the sadness in her eyes.
“What troubles you, Bria?” he asked.
Bria explained to him about Ogga threatening to hurt Henry’s grammy if he did not obey her.
“We must help him,” Bria said.
Kaelan was not surprised to hear that. With his wife being a comfort healer, she would do anything to ease someone’s suffering.
“Where is your grammy, Henry?” Kaelan asked.
Henry hesitated. “Not far. Ogga put spell on Grammy.”
Kaelan exchanged a quick glance with Bria.
“What sort of spell?” Bria asked gently.
Henry’s large hands twisted together nervously. “If Grammy go too far from cottage. Grammy die.”
Bria’s heart continued to ache for him. “Did Ogga tell you that?”
Henry nodded quickly.
A sudden wind whipped around them carrying the sharp bite of autumn with it and Bria shivered. Kaelan’s arms wrapped around her like a warm cloak, and he drew her back against him, tucking her close.
Before any more could be said, a familiar streak of gold shot through the trees.
Henry swung at it instinctively and missed.
The golden light darted easily past his hand and came to an abrupt stop in front of Bria.
Fiora hovered there, her delicate wings beating so rapidly they blurred.
“You must come with me. Now. Right now!”
The urgency in the fairy’s voice instantly caught Bria’s attention and Kaelan’s as well, feeling his body stiffen against hers.
“What’s wrong?” Bria asked.
“You will find out soon enough,” Fiora said in a tone that meant she would say no more.
Bria glanced at Henry. The troll stood nearby, worry etched across his broad face.
She shook her head. “Not before we help Henry.”
That perturbed Fiona and she snapped, “What’s the problem?”
Bria quickly explained and afterward Fiora quickly disappeared without a word and reappeared moments later.
This time she was not alone. Two men emerged from the trees behind her, both wrapped in heavy cloaks against the morning chill.
Fiora pointed dramatically at them. “They came with me. The council thought I might need help with you both.”
Bria’s gaze shifted between them.
The older looking of the two stepped forward. “We can secure Henry’s grammy.”
Henry’s frown spoke louder than words, not sure of the two men.
“Before you begin to worry senselessly, you should know that Ogga cannot possibly have cast a spell on your grammy,” Bria said.
Henry looked unconvinced. “Ogga said—”
“Ogga lies,” Fiora snapped impatiently. “The council stripped her powers years ago. Fear is often more useful to her than magic.”
Henry fell silent, though his frown remained.
Bria could not blame him for not trusting what he was being told. But there was one way to be sure.
She stepped forward and reached her hand out to the older looking man, “May I?”
The man didn’t hesitate. He held his arm out.
She had barely touched him when she felt honesty in him.
“Go with them, Henry. They will help you.” Bria placed her hand on his arm, his frown not fading. “They will make certain you and your grammy are safe.”
“You?” Henry asked.
The genuine concern in his large eyes for her brought a glisten of tears to her eyes.
“I will keep her safe,” Kaelan said, “and I have no doubt our paths will cross again.”
“You meet Grammy,” Henry said and finally smiled.
“We look forward to it,” Bria said and gave Henry a hug, though her arms didn’t reach nearly far enough around his waist.
Henry grinned and tears pooled in his eyes as he walked away with the two men, turning twice to wave to her before the forest closed around him.
Kaelan took Bria’s hand in his as he stepped beside her and looked at Fiora. “What is it that you would not say in front of the troll?”
“Word escaped Driochmor, though how the council does not know, and that worries them as well. The tide is changing. War is not only coming to Scotara, but within Driochmor itself. Two sides want different things. Two factions wish to rule.”
“What word escaped Driochmor?” Kaelan asked impatiently.
Fiora flitted close to Bria. “The king knows that a Wise lives and he has called for her execution.”