He smirked, and it rolled into a laugh. So little time had passed since he left the Russet Woods, and yet it felt as though the Grump of then was lifetimes removed from the Grump of now. He sighed, yanking the shovel from the soft earth. "And it's all because of Rose. Strange how one little accident can change so much."
Grump plodded downhill. "Then again, like you always told me, there are no accidents."
His calm thoughts constricted as a pebble clattered on stone just behind him. The tranquility of the ruins crumbled.
Grump's smile flattened. He wheeled around, glaring uphill at the towering temple ruin. Not a blade of grass or wraith bloom petal shifted. Suddenly, he was aware just how exposed he was on the hillside beneath a moon that shone far too brightly.
Just downhill where the land flattened, a broken wall struggled to remain upright. He snarled at the temple and vaulted downhill, rushing to the wall's dark side. His heartbeat thundered in his ears while the Hunger sang its intoxicating song. He was the old Grump again, fighting the monster within him and fleeing from every shadow.
"It was nothing," he murmured, holding the shovel's handle between his brows. "Get a hold of yourself, you fool."
Deep breaths passed in and out his lips. His brows knitted together, and he pressed the shovel harder against his forehead. "You daydream too much. Rose needs you. Go to her."
Grump slipped from the darkness. Another wall teetered on collapse beside the one where he hid, forming a corridor capped by stars. Moonlight framed a figure disguised beneath a sullied burlap cloak. A loose hood masked the stranger's face. Grump growled. He turned around. Another figure stood at the opposite end, framed and cloaked exactly like the first.
Hunger sunk its claws in Grump's heart, but he fought it back. Rose needed him. Boil depended on him.
He looked to the wall—a Hunger-fueled leap might be enough to clear the height. He bent his legs. Their muscles tightened.
Robed figures melted into view from atop the wall. They brandished longbows nocked with glimmering barbed arrowheads, the bowstrings creaking as they went taught.
Grump cursed and turned to the figure before him. "I've got no quarrel with you, fair folk. Let me pass and we can end this before human blood wets the land. Go back to Alberlilly. There's nothing for you here."
Wind rippled through the figure's cloak. "I told you I would hunt you across Oya," he said. "Did you think I wouldn't find you?"
"What? No, you?"
The man stepped forward, throwing his hood back. His haggard, golden beard hung from a square chin. A single scar split his left brow, and his pale hair was tied behind his ears so his bright eyes reflected the twinkling night.
Crimson edged Grump's vision as the Hunger's song became a tempest's roar. "Human who took my home from me."
"Monster who took the child from me. I knew you would make it through the Ridge. I feared I lost the trail, but imagine my surprise when we came to Banwil-on-Estervale and met a group of survivors fresh from the peaks, singing the praises of a strange troll who delivered them from the evil within Getshabal. You seem to have made quite a few friends since we last met."
"How many other homes have you destroyed while you hunted me down?"
"I'll burn as many as I must to have the child back. Give her to me. Surrender her now and your death will be quick."
"Hah! So even after hearing how I saved your kind from slavery and death, the best you can do is grant me a quick execution? Typical human."
"You're a monster, and the monster's always going to be in your nature. You might play at kindness like children play at being knights, but one day you'll get tired of the game, and the true troll will bear its tusks. The Order cannot allow servants of darkness to proliferate. It is our holy mission to keep safe the world the Amber Circle left behind, and you—you—threaten everything we have fought, bled, and died for. You darken the light of amber. You chill its warmth, and so you chill the hearts of all mankind."
"That's some nerve calling me a monster when you burnt my garden." He tightened his grip on the shovel. "I wanted peace. I wanted my plants. You took that from me, and because of that I swear on all my ancestors I'll make sure you never get her."
"Then you die, troll, and you die slow."
"Pain doesn't scare me."
"Maybe not, but you'll fear me before the sunrise."
The man lifted his hand and squeezed his fist. Arrows thudded in Grump's shoulders, tearing flesh and burning muscles. Grump charged forward. He roared, shaking stones from the walls and toppling a bowman who cracked his neck on a shattered brick.
Grump's charge faltered. He reeled, a numbness creeping across his back as the world spun. His shovel slipped and slapped against the wet grass. His legs turned to mush, and he crashed onto his knees.
Grump's great weight toppled him. The robed men landed spryly around him. Boots and burlap filled his swimming vision. Men snickered, jeered, and spit. A strong hand jerked his head to the side until his bleary eyes met the human Grump loathed. Rage lit the man's eyes, but it was tempered by a will cold as a wraith's heart.
"You will not survive this night," the man whispered. He patted Grump's cheek and straightened. Then, he rammed his boot into Grump's face, and the world blinked out.
CHAPTER FORTY
A Man of Order
"So it will wake before sunrise?" a distant voice asked.
The voice drifted from a distant point beyond a sea of throbbing black. Grump floated toward the sound, his mind desperately searching for the waking world that kept shimmering above the sopping, inky well of his consciousness.
"There wasn't enough poison to keep it out for too long. Hold on, look. Its head moved. Think it might be coming around," another said.
Grump's mind swam through frigid tree sap. His muscles ached and burned like he'd just hauled redwoods up a mountain. His body protested every twitch, every slightest tremble. Still, he fought through the pain. Memories seeped back into his clearing mind. Wraith flowers. Ruins. Men in burlap. The knight.
Grump's eyes shot open. Hunger burned away the dullness and crystallized the world. The human he so passionately hated sat on an ivy-drenched stone beside a small, crackling campfire while other humans lounged along a toppled column behind him. When they saw Grump groan to life, they stiffened and peeled from the stone, hands glued to hilts and steel glinting in the light of their campfire.
"Where ... where am I?" Grump asked, struggling against a force that restricted his body.
The knight picked dirt from his nail with a curved knife. "It was called Carrika once. A beautiful city, home to one of the first temples of the Order. At least it was its home. The Ebon Robes leveled this city in the Wizarding War, including the men, women, and children who lived here. Carrika was one of the first and greatest cities. It was also one of the first and greatest graveyards."
Behind the hunter, the ruinous valley stretched before Grump. In the distance, he saw the split in the woods that marked the road back to Alberlilly where Boil and Rose waited, where Rose's life depended on the flowers in his pocket.
"You should've killed me, human," Grump rumbled. His Hunger swelled his muscles and bulged his veins into pulsing rivers. He snarled. All the humans leapt back, save the one who led them. The man didn't even look up from his seat.
Grump pitched forward. A tight, hard force squeezed his arms and yanked them back. It wrapped around his ribs and stomach, slamming him to the ground. Grump fought the pull, but it hardened its hold the more he struggled. "What is this? Free me. Free me!"
The human sheathed his knife and stood with a sigh. He clasped his hands behind him and clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "Monsters are such mannerless things, aren't they? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sir Dain Shilayle, Commander of the Knights of the First Order. Praise most high to the children of amber."
"Praise most high," his companions echoed. "May amber ever light our days."
"And give us strength to burn the black."
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"Curse you, human!" Grump snarled and pitched left and right, but no matter how hard he struggled, his binds wouldn't break. "Release me!"
Grump lowered his chin while he thrashed and inspected what held him. Chains carved of grey-streaked marble coiled around his arms and squeezed hard against his chest and belly. The binds burned where they touched, and the green of his skin darkened beneath them with deep bruises.
Dain pursed his lips. "I think not, monster. And try as you might with that wicked black magic that gives you strength, nothing will break the chains that bind you. These links were carved from white marble hewn from the Frostcaps and sanctified in the fountains of the Silver Spire. They've been imbued by six high mages of the Elves of Al'shannan—"
"Ancestors strike me dead or shut this idiot up," Grump groaned. "I can't take this stupid prattling and empty titles."
Grump spat in Dain's face. A massive blob slapped the human's sunburnt nose and oozed into his beard.
The knight slowly raked spit from his face and flicked it to the grass. "Suffice it to say, no trollish Hunger will break these stone chains, and believe me when I say they've held much larger trolls than you in their day. Now, I've got little patience for you after the hellish journey you've forced upon me and my men. Tell me where the child is."
Hunger lashed and thrashed through Grump. Crimson tinged his vision as his rage consumed the last of the hunter's drug. "You burned my garden! You destroyed my home!"
"And you murdered Holger! You think you hid his corpse well, but we found it once we dispatched the blackthorns. They would never bury their victim. They prefer to flay them and string them up for show. But you thought you'd be a crafty troll and hide my man from me, didn't you? It's too bad no troll has half the wits of men. Destroying your pathetic garden was the least I could do to repay your crimes, beast. I'll ask you again: Where. Is. The. Girl?"
"I didn't kill that human, you moron. Blackthorn assassins attacked his wagon. He came to me. He gave me the key to the chest. He gifted the child to me."
"More likely you watched the slaughter of my comrades and waited until poor Holger was vulnerable, then stole the treasure for yourself. I know how trolls think. I'm no stranger to hunting greenskins."
Grump snarled at the accusation, even though it was partially true, or perhaps he snarled because it was partially true. He had watched the ambush and turned his back to it even though Holger needed help. It wasn't his business to interfere with the fair folk, at least not until Rose came to him. She was everything now and this human didn't deserve her.
"You know nothing. Release me," Grump huffed.
"What do you think you'll accomplish, taking her to these Hordelands?" Dain asked. "I'm truly curious. There're no trolls in the East, so I have to assume that goblin traveling with you has whispered honeyed words in those filthy ears of yours."
If only Grump had Boil's necklace. He grinned at the thought of those black tentacles crushing Dain's spine as the man screamed. "You'll not get a useful word from me."
"You're not in the swamp anymore, you poor thing. What makes you think you have a choice?" Dain motioned for one of his men. "Egan, I'll know what this troll knows. Now."
The man nodded, throwing his cape over a shoulder. He was a thinner human with gaunt cheeks and a dark, feathery beard and narrow eyes. He favored his right leg as he approached and kept a good distance between himself and Grump.
Egan rolled the sleeve up his right hand, revealing an arm inked with strange runes that shimmered hues of gold in the firelight. He lifted a palm to Grump, and a halo flared around his hand.
"Get your filthy human mojo away from me!" Grump thrashed against the chains, but even with the Hunger coursing through his blood, he couldn't free himself.
Egan sighed words in a language Grump couldn't understand. The human's voice filled the air. It echoed on the ruins and rolled in waves across Grump's sweating cheeks. Pressure built against his brow. A force like a finger drilled into his skull. He huffed and grunted, twisting his head in a vain attempt to shake the invisible force violating his mind. The magic sunk past his skull and rooted in his thoughts. Grump's mind was no longer his alone. This force shared it with him, invaded it, seeded itself in his most private emotions and sacred memories.
"There," Egan said, lowering his hand. "It is yours now."
Dain retook his seat, warming his hands by the fire. "I ask again, troll. Why do you carry the child to the Hordelands of the East? What is here that you desire?"
Grump clenched his teeth, shutting his eyes. His tongue fought against the force manipulating it. The trespasser in his mind lashed its own will onto his lips, moving his mouth in slow, low tones. "We ... take her to a wizard."
The humans gasped, rushing behind their leader, their faces glowing orange and red against the firelight and eyes twinkling with excited fear. The knight raised his hand, and, they stilled. "There are no wizards in Oya."
"Boil says there is," Grump growled. "He says if we take Rose to the wizard, we each get a ... a wish."
Dain's cheeks reddened. The man snorted, then barreled a laugh and slapped his knee. "Troll, there are no wizards in Oya. The Torn Ocean keeps them at bay, good and bad alike. This goblin friend of yours has filled your head with lies."
"No. I trust Boil. He wouldn't lie to me."
"You're far too trusting then. The horde saw the sign in the sky, same as everyone else, and did something about it, just like everyone else. Did you know our scouts have reported goblin sightings all over the East and West? They've been sent to all the corners of Oya to take the child for themselves. Looks like they almost succeeded, thanks to some dimwitted troll."
"No." Grump squeezed his eyes shut. Boil would never lie to him. His friend would never betray him.
"Oh, yes, you poor beast of burden. I'm sure he trailed Holger for days, looking for the perfect opportunity to take the child for the horde. When the blackthorns attacked, he thought he had his chance, but he didn't quite count on you getting in the midst of things. But he's smart, this greenskin, and he spun a tale a lonely troll might believe."
Grump ground his teeth. He clenched and unclenched his fists, helpless as he was in the chains and under the spell. "No. No...!"
"He probably showed up at your home very conveniently and at just the right time, didn't he?"
"Yes." The spell compelled the word from Grump's lips. "Ancestors ... save me from this!"
"They'll not help you," Dain said with a sigh. "No one will. This journey of yours was a fool's errand. Now, tell me where to find the child, and let's end this humiliation. I know you are a proud creature, and you did save some of my kind in the Ridge. Your death will be a quick, merciful one, because the Order is merciful in all its doings."
"She's in an abandoned barn not far from the town's gates." Grump sobbed, doubling over. "Stop this! Get out of my head!"
Dain clapped and launched from his seat with a laugh. "Wonderful! I do believe that is enough. Men, get the horses. It's time to end this. Kill the goblin and take the child. We cannot let the horde have a wizard of their own. This girl will be the rebirth of Amber. After all these generations, our time is upon us!"
Grump's watery gaze shot up. "So she really is a wizard then!"
The knight wore a smug smirk that curled up a cheek. He wanted Grump to know the treasure he was about to lose. "Not yet, but she will be soon enough. With our help."
"I am going to help her," Grump said. "I am going to save her."
A smile split the human's lips. "You? Save her?" He turned his back and laughed. "Pitiful thing."
"I am going to save her! Now free me, or—"
Dain whipped around, the long, silver shard of his sword reflecting dancing flames as it tasted air. The knight slashed the blade across Grump's shoulder. Blood blossomed around the steel and flowed down his burly arm. He cried out, the pain an inferno racing through his flesh.
"I will not free a monster such as you," Dain said. "But I will
leave my mark upon you before I let the sunrise bake you into another ruin for the valley. Forevermore every greenskin that passes this way will think twice before they enter human lands."
"You have no honor," Grump spat.
This man burned his home. He turned his garden to ash. Now, he had Grump imprisoned and completely helpless. Once again, he was powerless to save the ones he loved.
Hunger's song was a deafening roar. Tears burned Grump's vision—not from the wild pain in his shoulder—but from the wild rage in his heart.
"She will not be your wizard," Grump said in a voice that rolled deep and low from his belly.
Dain came much closer then, so close Grump could feel the man's breath wash across his cheeks. The knight took Grump's neck and lifted his chin. "She has always been our wizard. She is the first, but she will not be the last. The sign in the sky heralded it. While you have been playing puppet to a goblin, we have been hunting the last, great hope to bring the light of amber back to Oya. Did you think you could ever win? You are a despicable creature of the night, a warped child of those that served the Ebon Robes. The world will thank me for ridding it of you."
"I. Am. Not. A. Monster!"
Dain shook his head and jerked Grump's chin away. "You are a monster, and that's all you'll ever be. Enjoy the sunrise, troll. I'll make sure the girl never knows you existed."
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