He could make a new staff later. A long and straight branch, whittled down and then smoothed out until all the wood grains were as soft as his furs. A good tool took time to craft, and while he wasn’t eager to make another spear so soon, there was no reason to gripe about it any longer. It was a necessity, and Skarde wasn’t lazy, not when there was an endless amount of tasks to do that only seemed to grow with the impending winter.
“I’m capable of more than just running, hiding and crying you know. And you didn’t ask me to do anything. You ordered it.”
“I did no such thing.” He scratched his head trying to remember the exact words that came over him. Perhaps I was...harsh. As long as she didn’t mistake kindness for affection, he guessed he could be kinder with his words, but the moment it led to anything else, he would have to shut it down. Besides, he wasn’t used to the constant company or being around a female for that matter. This was all new territory for him. An adjustment period was likely required.
“And I wasn’t just sitting on my hands being useless. You made me sit here and then told me to work the fire,” she continued, plainly ignoring his comment.
“Which nearly died out, and would have had I not intervened,” he said, pointing out through gritted teeth. By Erike’s axe, are all humans this ignorant?
“What would you have me do?” Her eyes shot up from her task and pinned him with a look sharper than the dagger she held.
And he knew how sharp it was because he was the one that sharpened it.
“Should I have placed my hands in there and burned myself? As if I don’t have enough wounds as it is. I may be human, but I don’t have a death wish. I could have left my spot in search of a tool to use, but I was afraid of what might happen if you came back and saw that I was gone.”
Skarde grunted as he regarded her with narrowed eyes. The way she said the word human was oddly accented.
Does she mock me?
Had this not been his first day covering with a human, perhaps he would’ve been able to discern her perplexing behavior with more ease. Against his better judgment, he ignored her comment and studied her further.
With her face tilted downward, she continued slicing the deer as if it was no burden to her. Perhaps she wasn’t as unintelligent as he’d long since assumed humans were. If anything she seemed much more lively than before, but something nagged in the back of his mind. As spirited as she appeared to be, she still spoke with reservation.
What was she holding back? What secrets lay hidden in that curious mind of hers? His curiosity was piqued, especially when it could lead to revealing more information about the other humans.
“Sit.” He pointed to the stump and winced slightly when his request came out more like an order. Perhaps the human was right. “Please?”
Besides finding more seating arrangements, something he’d need if he planned on keeping her around, which he did, he’d also have to keep a tighter rein of his emotions. Not that the human was bringing out the worst in him, but more that she challenged him to reconsider what he thought he knew; the teachings from his sire and tribe.
Placing her hands on her thighs, she did what she was asked to by gracefully lowering herself onto the grass, then proceeded to wipe her bloodied hands on her muddied garment. He found it off-putting. Even her hair was a soiled mess. Furthermore, there was a slight odor that covered the fruity aroma she naturally gave off. The scent of her unwashed body forced his nose to wrinkle. At some point he’d have to convince her to bathe, if not for her sake, then his.
Ridiculous humans…they have all these villages, yet they can be so uncivilized.
But that isn’t true, is it? This female, despite her...shortcomings, Skarde found her rather intelligent and thought-provoking.
She’s been…far more than what I’ve expected.
Stalking over to the cave, he picked up one of the smaller furs he used for bathing, dipped it in the spare bowl of water she’d move to the entrance of the cave and wrung out the remaining moisture. Then he grabbed two rods and some strips of fur he used as rope and returned outside, back to the female.
Skarde held the cloth out in front of him and patiently waited for her to take it. Shooting her arm up, her hand shook hesitantly, but still wrapped around the material.
Then their fingers brushed.
A hot spark rushed through his skin at the contact. Upon hearing her gasp, his eyes bolted to hers. If he thought they were captivating before, the brilliant blue color had somehow shone brighter. Then Skarde did something he shouldn’t have. He placed his free hand over hers. Surprisingly, it too was heated by the contact.
Her eyes widened at the suddenly brazen move. But was it really brazen? He didn’t understand his reasons for wanting to touch her, so it couldn’t have possibly been more than simple curiosity. She was human after all and simply wasn’t breeding or mating material.
If that were true…then why is it so hard to let go?
Realizing their fingers still touched, her cheeks blushed a rosy red. Before he could stop her, she retracted her arm, accepting his offering and not a second later, she scrubbed the filth from her hands and fingers.
Why did he want to stop her? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out. It wasn’t the first time their skin made contact, but there also wasn’t a searing flame licking his skin when they previously touched each other either.
Skarde placed the remaining chunk of deer meat on a rod and set up his spitting roast over the fire. Then he speared the small tidbits she sliced from the deer earlier onto two smaller rods and handed her one of them.
“We will eat this, and save the remaining meat for later.”
Finished with the fur cloth, she placed it on the ground beside her foot and then took her food graciously before holding it over the fire. The flames licked at the meat, cooking the outside faster than it could cook the inside. Clasping her trembling wrist, she raised it slightly higher.
“Your food will taste better when it cooks evenly.”
She nodded silently, but her eyes kept glancing in his direction when he wasn’t facing her way. Unfortunately for her, he was all too aware of her movements, even the stolen glances he assumed she thought were taken in secret.
“Speak what you wish to say,” he sighed, rotating his food.
He was worried whether he’d have enough food come spring, after the winter and his conflicting feelings about breaking his vow to his tribe. If the gods and King Erike would rain hell on him for turning a blind eye to their way of life. And he worried why he was so drawn to this human. What was it about her?
Why her? Why now? And why a human?
“You never told me what you plan on doing with me. Or what you are or what your name is for that matter.”
A mixture of anger, hurt, and if was even possible, more worry, shot through him at the implications of her questions. Should he tell her? He wasn’t even supposed to keep her alive. And yet, here she was. As if her life wasn’t enough, she also required his secrets too? Ignoring his initial reaction that would’ve led to harsh words and an unhappy human he obliged her request for knowledge
“I suppose I can tell you now, but know this,” he lightly threatened, “should you ever escape, I will come for you. Should you reveal my secrets, I will not hesitate…to end the lives of those you tell. And if you betray my trust by some other means, I will abandon everything I know and make you suffer along with me.”
“Okay...I don’t want it to come to any of that,” she replied with a shaky voice that also contained a hint of determination.
Hopefully enough to keep her out of trouble.
I don’t want it to come to that either, female.
“I will allow you to live–”
A loud, but relieving exhale escaped between her lips, interrupting him. A tiny smile graced her face. Skarde could only assume she thought she was getting an easy pass. He didn’t care for her earlier statement that she wasn’t lazy. Sure, she didn’t ha
ve the tools to stoke the fire as he asked, that was his absent-minded fault, but she wasn’t without a voice.
Her survival now depended on her ability to contribute, because he couldn’t allow her to leave, and he certainly wasn’t going to tend to all her needs. If she wasn’t capable of doing that on her own, this little saving her life thing would not work out. And for some reason, he really wanted it to.
Maybe her fiery spirit reminded him of his younger self, before he lost everything to his foolish mistakes. Or maybe it was the lonely ache in his chest, tired of being alone. Either way, despite his initial hatred for humans, this one in particular was growing on him. That, or she was the offspring of a siren and a human.
It could be possible, right? And then it would at least explain his irrational thoughts and behavior. He nodded his head, silently answering his own question because he preferred the answer compared to its alternative.
Clearing his throat, he started again. “I will allow you to live.” He paused, waiting for another interruption, but when it never came he continued. “You will do as I ask you, contributing as I see fit. Whatever needs you have, I ask that you deal with them yourself. You are not to leave my sight, or this area for that matter. And...you will answer any questions I have, even if you don’t want to. I expect your compliance and nothing less.”
“I can accept that…since there’s no alternative.”
“I should not have to explain that there is indeed an alternative to this arrangement," he replied, but immediately regretted his choice of words which implied her death.
I never thought I’d be so conflicted over one measly human.
She nodded quickly.
“I am known as Skarde, and I am a troll.’ He puffed his chest proudly at the proclamation of his kind. He may no longer have his tribe, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be proud of his heritage, even if he was conflicted over his rough past.
“I’m Delilah,” she responded. “Human.”
He scoffed, of course, he was well aware of what species she was. Who wouldn’t be able to recognize their pale skin, strange clothes and severe lack of defenses.
Pulling the rod back from the fire, he ripped a piece of the tender meat and tossed it into his mouth. Closing his eyes, he savored the bursting flavor across his tongue. It had been far too long since he had any deer meat, it was one of his favorites. The moment was ruined when he remembered he also needed to get to the bottom of their declining population, among other animals that seemed to disappear from his mountain.
Across from where he sat on the ground he watched the female nibble her meal with her strange flat teeth, not eating much by any stretch of the means. It never occurred to him that humans had flat teeth and it made him regret feeding her something completely unacceptable to her palate.
He stretched his legs by walking over to his supplies she’d organized earlier. Knowing there was a bowl of fruit somewhere he sifted through each item, but when he couldn’t find what he was looking for, he settled for the bowl of nuts instead.
Nearly rolling his eyes for the second time, when the female was incapable of speaking up when she found herself lacking, he rippled the rod of deer meat from her hands.
"Hey! I was eating–”
“No, you were not.” He handed her the bowl. Irritation flared through him when she didn’t graciously accept what he’d offered her as she had with the deer meat. So he lowered it to the ground, placing the bowl by her feet instead. "Watch the spit roast, and when the meat has finished cooking, put out the fire. And if you could, please continue whatever it was you were doing before.”
Chapter Twelve
Delilah
In a way, Delilah was relieved when he stormed off, leaving her alone to tend to the remaining food without having to deal with his grumpy demeanor. The troll, Skarde, as she learned, was soft and almost kind one minute, then brutally harsh the next. Delilah found it rather jarring, and the constant back and forth caused her head to spin in circles.
Still, she couldn’t complain too much. For the time being, she had a safe place to stay, food to eat and she didn’t have the guardsmen chasing after her.
Lifting her bottom off her seat, she reached out and turned the spit roast. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her how he’d rudely snatched her food out of her hands and replaced it with a bowl of nuts. She didn’t want the damn nuts; she wanted deer meat.
Then again, didn’t he say that she’d have to provide for all her needs herself. Did that also include food? Water? How could he possibly expect her to hunt her own food when she wasn’t allowed to leave his sight? And if he wanted her close by at all times, why in the world did he keep leaving?
With a heavy sigh, she reached for the designated branch she’d been using to keep the fire going, and poked the embers. Unsatisfied with the result, she stood up intending to scout for more firewood.
“I’m just collecting some wood for the fire,” she said before her voice trailed off. Who was she talking to anyway? Skarde? He was nowhere around and she highly doubted he sat in some tree just to watch her, especially when there was so much to do as he so blatantly claimed.
Bending down, she grabbed a hefty armful of branches that had long since fallen from their respective trees and set them down a few feet away from the fire pit. More like a hazardous pile of scalding hot wood. It was nowhere near close to a firepit. She tossed a couple sizable branches in and then got up for a second time, but this time it was for something else. Rocks.
Everyone knew a fire was much safer when it was surrounded by a sturdy wall if something happened and the ground caught fire and it spread. Forest fires were dangerous. The thought made her grimace. With all the wood, leaves and other debris, this entire area would be ablaze in just a few short moments.
Just like it had when a neighbor of hers had left their backyard fire unattended for some time. It only took one ember to light their ground and head to their beautiful home. Several people died, and those that survived were left with horrific burns. And to add Dalton’s sting to their burning loss, her father jailed the only remaining survivor, Mr. Fitzgerald, for the unsightly mess the accident had made. It wasn’t even the man’s fault. He wasn’t even home that day, and he lost his entire family in that fire.
It was beyond cruel.
And for the first time since her father’s death, Delilah was feeling lighter and less pained by his death. He was an awful man. She guessed she had been so worked up about receiving lashings she’d forgotten how horrible he treated others. Perhaps with him gone, Bethania might rebuild into a peaceful, thriving community. Even though she knew she could never return, it was all she could hope for the poor, ill-treated inhabitants of her village.
Getting back to her little project, she continued to sift through and collect rocks, placing them as she needed. While it wasn’t her best work, she quickly set up a temporary wall for the fire, careful to not burn her hands in the process. Furthermore, she planned on keeping her eye out for better rocks so she could build something more sturdy and permanent.
Permanent…
She froze, unable to wrap her mind around the stinging word. As much as she tried to understand how only a few short days ago she was living at home, unmarried, with her abusive father and now she was stuck living on top of the mountain in the middle of nowhere with a troll, she just couldn’t.
It wasn’t crazy. It wasn’t bizarre. It was so much more than that, and Delilah didn’t think there was such a word in the English language that could explain it. So instead of wasting her time trying to, she came up with a plan instead. Waiting time was never her forte, not when she was so used to her father breathing down her neck the moment she’d take a break from her unending list of chores.
She would do exactly what this troll wanted her to. She wasn’t going to cause problems, do anything to upset him, or break his trust. Delilah was going to simply be his friend. It was quite obvious that he was lonely, and maybe, just maybe, one day he’d see the e
rror of his way and set her free. Amicably.
And with the last shred of hope she held onto with her dear life, she poured it all into her simple plan and silently prayed.
***
Hours passed by like a blur, and not a single moment was wasted. After the meat finished cooking, Delilah poured a bowl of soiled water she’d found earlier over the fire to put it out just as Skarde requested. Then she finished what she’d started earlier before he interrupted her organizing the cave.
She headed back outside to sit on the stump and take a break. The sun moved to the highest point in the sky but was now beginning its descent. Based on that and the placement of her shadow, it was early afternoon. Despite the cooler weather from the previous days, the weather was much more pleasing on her skin.
A tickling sensation rippled across her arm and Delilah cooked her fingers together, forcing them from scratching the spot even further. It was already tender from earlier when she scratched the area into oblivion.
Rolling her sleeve up, her mouth dropped open at the unsightly angry red skin. No wonder it was tender. Somehow she managed to scratch open her skin and given how red she was, it could get infected.
It had been days since she’d bathed. She smelled in places that shouldn’t smell. Itched in places that shouldn’t exist and generally felt like she’d been dunked in a barrel of slime. There was nothing she wasn’t more desperate for than to bathe. Hell, she’d jump into the freezing cold river had she had an extra set of clothes to wear.
Unfortunately, extra clothes were not available at the moment.
Remembering she’d had the same thought earlier, anxiety crept its way in and whispered how all her problems could easily get much worse.
I’m not listening to you anymore!
Eventually, Skarde returned, and Delilah put her thoughts of bathing on hold.
While he was gone, the entire floor had been completely swept clean, well...at least as far back as she possibly could get, given the lighting situation. In addition to that, she finished sifting through his belongings and stacked what she could neatly against the wall.
The Lonely Troll Page 8