There was not even time to berate himself for his stupidity in letting his guard down before the other troll struck. The beast must have been stalking him, since it came from the side; around the corner of the building he had been heading to. The barest hint of motion out of the corner of his eye gave him just enough warning to half turn his upper body and get his bow under the creatures chin. Fortunately, his reflexes were sharp, because without even forming the thought, his body rolled with the troll and one leg got under it enough to push off as they went over. The force he applied, added to the troll's own speed, was sufficient to separate them and send the shaggy beast tumbling several yards past him. Searing pain lanced through his left shoulder as he continued his roll into a defensive crouch, but he did not have time to see how bad the damage was. The troll was already scrambling to its feet and turning to face him.
Meric's longbow now lay a few yards away and to his right. Dismissing the weapon as too far, he had his dagger out and was still unsheathing his sword when the creature let out a scream of pure rage and charged. Without having time to clear his weapon and bring it to bear, he spun away and sliced at the closest arm with his dagger. This move gave him time to set his feet properly and ready both blades, but he had hoped it would also do some damage to the beast. No such luck. As sharp as he kept his short blade, he did not think it even made it through all of the fur to the skin beneath. It did manage to make the troll angrier, so that was nice.
Better prepared this time, when the charge came, he was able to shift aside easily and even took half of its right hand off as it passed. Instead of scaring the troll off, or at least giving it pause, this appeared to make the beast lose its mind. There was some more raging aloud and it did not even try to set itself before lunging in a wild flail of sharp claws and strong limbs. This time Meric was just a bit too slow as he spun clear. One of the beast's wild swipes slammed into him while he was slightly off balance, causing him to go down. He sprawled out on the stone path landing hard on his wounded shoulder, sliding a few feet. The pain dazed him momentarily, but he fought through it and tried to regain his feet. He was able to get one knee under him and had enough clarity to realize he had lost his dagger when he sensed the creature was looming over him, about to strike.
The next few seconds were almost too confusing for him to sort out. Just as he was thinking it might be smarter to flatten back out and roll, another pained scream was ripped from the troll and Meric's vision was eclipsed by a pair of sturdy black boots. Realizing that he should probably be feeling a lot more pain at that moment, he rolled to his back and looked to see who the owner of the boots might be and if they were the reason he was not being eaten. Yelic stood with his trident extended across Meric and into the chest of the troll. The troll that had large curls of flame rolling up over its shoulders originating from the arrow planted in its back. Heaving a huge sigh of relief, Meric relaxed back and lay still for a moment.
"Thank you... both." He gave a little wave to the roof-top where Malina was looking down upon him and then looked to Yelic with a tired, weak smile.
"You think you could get off your lazy backside and scoot clear? This thing's getting hot."
Using what felt like all of the energy he had left, Meric pushed with his legs and right arm to start sliding away from the engulfed troll. He was not moving very fast, but luckily another from his squad grabbed his collar and sped up the process.
"Much obliged, Sorma." She winked at him, swung her thick black braid over her shoulder, and then dropped him.
Meric grunted when his head bounced off the stone path, but decided not to mention it. After a few deep breaths, he sat up, wincing at the pain radiating from his shoulder. It throbbed, but still seemed to have the full range of motion, so he counted himself lucky. From what he could tell at a cursory glance through the tears in his leathers and shirt, he was going to need stitches. A shiver racked his body at the thought of the foulness that might be found infesting the claws of these unclean beasts, and he hoped that a thorough cleaning would be enough to take care of anything that might cause infection. The fear of losing an arm to the rot was not exactly far-fetched in this instance.
Fortunately, one of the Dwarves in Malina's group was a skilled healer. Meric had heard her shouting for Enber just before sitting up and the Dwarf was already trotting his way from the back side of the building Malina was standing on. It did not take Enber long to cut back the material and begin debriding the skin. A painful process that Meric tried to sit through as stoically as possible, feeling that he deserved a little pain as punishment for his stupidity. He thought he was handling it well until the Dwarf poured some medicinal tincture over the wound. It took an enormous amount of will power not to smash his fist into Enber's smiling face when that happened. On the plus side, Yelic seemed impressed with his restraint, mumbling about knocking out his own "attacker" the first time he had been doused with the stuff.
As the first stitches were begun, Yelic sent his party back to searching and stayed to watch over Meric and Enber while they were otherwise occupied.
"It's not too bad... didn't even cut up the muscles too much. Need to be careful about tearing out the stitches, but you should be able to use your bow just fine. Probably hurt though." Enber kept working while he talked.
"Thank you, Enber. You do good work." Meric was honestly impressed as he watched the Dwarf finish up the two lines of tight suturing.
Giving a sharp nod in acknowledgment, the Dwarf checked over his work and then pulled out ointment and bandages from the pouch slung around his shoulder.
"That last one won't need stitches. We'll just wrap it up good with the rest of it. Shouldn't even scar too badly, though might still be enough to impress your lady." Enber ended his statement with a bark of laughter and a hard slap to Meric's other shoulder.
#
Malina watched Meric being tended to for a few moments before shifting her attention back to her area of responsibility. Her heart was still calming from its racing pulse. Meric's stumble and fall when the troll struck him was probably what saved him, since it gave her a clear shot with no fear of hitting him. She had heard the trolls grunts and initial screeches, but had only partially paid attention, assuming that Meric would soon be silencing it with an arrow.
It had taken her a few precious seconds to sort out the subsequent noises enough to realize there was a scuffle at street level.
Luckily, she had been in time to help. How he had gotten himself into that situation would have to wait until later. For now, she had a job to do. Movement on the front side of her chosen watchtower reaffirmed that fact. The creeping troll never saw the arrow that drove into its brain, and was already fully aflame by the time Alric reached the corner. Her squad had just finished clearing the previous building and was headed to the front of the one the troll was readying to ambush them from. Alric looked back at her with a grin and then led Thanin and Davic into the abandoned home.
Malina continued to scan the area while they were inside. Once they finished she would climb down and move forward with them. Their system was simple, yet effective, and moved along quickly for the most part. Only delayed when they came across some trolls to dispatch.
More movement caught her attention, but this time on her level. A few buildings over she watched as a small fireball streaked from Alyssa's hand, down to ground level. Her friend had decided to watch from the top of the buildings like the archers, saying that what she did was similar enough that it would work well for her. Malina had to agree, having seen the magic user strike down numerous trolls already. Alyssa took one more survey of her area, responded to a shout from below her, and then began to climb down from her perch.
Malina was suddenly overcome by the strangeness of the situation. Here she was, who knew how far underground, fighting trolls... alongside Dwarves... with a magic wielding Lady from one of the most prominent noble houses in two kingdoms. And, almost as outlandish, the man she was going to marry was somewhere out there doin
g the same. That last part might be the most inexplicable of all. She absently adjusted the bracelet clamped on her left wrist as she pondered her strange life. The promise band was an achingly beautiful work of art. A gift, along with the matching one James wore, from Dhuren when he found out about their recent betrothal. A nearly complete circle of silver with gold inlays of elegant, flowing patterns and script. The writing was in the common tongue, and read: "For a Life Soon Complete". Malina did not usually go for all of that sappy sentimental drivel, but in this case she had to admit that the words rang true. James Bridgewater did fill some void in her soul that she had not even known was missing something. She had dismissed the notion of being a housewife and mother about the time she quit playing with dolls. Which, for her, had been much sooner than most young girls. With a father that was a legendary Royal Scout with no sons, Malina was learning to hunt while most girls were having imaginary tea parties.
A muffled shout and thump broke her away from these thoughts. The noise had come from the structure that her companions were clearing and Malina waited a few tense moments for some sign of what was happening within. A relieved sigh was let out when all three Dwarves came out laughing. A couple days of this level of stress and she might decide that a quiet home life was not too bad a thing. After a moment of laughing that thought off as ridiculous, she continued to hunt.
#
And so it went. For the rest of the night and into the middle of next day they hunted. Fortunately, the worst was already over. As Fastil and Maikus had believed; the trolls were attracted to the noise and smells of the party as they fought their way through the city. As a result, the majority of the beasts came to them; allowing Dhuren's forces to hunt down all but a few stragglers by the time they had reached the center of Roamet. They maintained their grid search and vigilance until the very end, but the rest of the city was nearly free of trolls. Only a handful more were found and easily dealt with.
A watch rotation was set and the rest of the party practically collapsed into a much needed slumber. Meric was not assigned a watch, and given how much his shoulder still throbbed, he did not argue. After cleaning up and taking a few moments to reassure Alyssa that he would be fine, he was asleep before her arms had even fully wrapped around him.
Bleary eyes took in his surroundings some indeterminate time later, eclipsed by the head of auburn hair resting on his chest. He was about to attempt easing her aside when she looked up at him.
"How are you feeling?" She had propped up on one elbow by the time she finished speaking.
"I am good... could probably sleep some more, but that is just the lazy talking." Meric squeezed the hand that was still resting on his chest.
A nod was her reply and then she stretched gracefully while he unabashedly enjoyed the view. Alyssa smiled at him, this time shaking her head before giving him a quick kiss and moving away. Not long after, he was sitting at a table in the common room of the inn they had camped in, eating a porridge-like substance that actually had some flavor to it. Alyssa leaned into his side enjoying a bowl of the same and listening to the others around the table. She flashed a smile at Brody when he passed them each a steaming cup of coffee. Meric's focus was brought back to Maikus as he began speaking to Dhuren.
"We lost five and have many wounded to tend to, but considering the number of trolls that were dispatched it could have been much worse. The detachment that will be staying has already left for the city center. They will continue to sweep the area, keep it infestation free, until the King sends the reclamation team. Once they are here, the Guardians will assist unless they are needed in the fighting ahead."
"Good. When will the rest be ready to move on?" Dhuren spoke calmly, but Meric believed he was as anxious to get going as the Humans in the party.
"According to the maps, there is a Respite a half-day's march from here along the route we are taking... I thought we would give them until mid-day to rest, and then move on. This would also give Lady Camden time to investigate the library."
"Agreed. Good work, Maikus. Tell all of your warriors... they did their people proud. There will be songs sung about the retaking of Roamet."
"Not just in the Dwarven realm, either," a grinning Westerly said to the Guardian Captain.
"Here, here!" Brody raised his mug of coffee.
"You had better watch it, Maikus. Westerly fancies himself a bard. There will be bawdy tavern songs about you all over Glendon, before Spring." This from a grinning James.
Some good-natured laughter, along with good-natured ribbing of Westerly, followed this announcement. Meric smiled right along with the rest of them. It felt good to laugh after the past day-and-a-half of excitement. Dhuren let it continue on for a few moments before he cleared his throat loud enough to get everyone's attention.
"Alright. Finish your preparations, Captain. We will leave after the mid-day meal."
Once Maikus had walked off, Dhuren addressed the rest of them.
"You might all be relieved to know that there will be no more cities in our path before we reach the exit in Northern Glendon. In a few weeks, you will be back above ground."
Meric was glad to hear that. As much as he enjoyed the hospitality of their new friends, he wanted to see blue sky and forests full of trees again. He was an outdoor person, and the caves were too much like being cooped up inside. Even though more strife awaited them above, he was ready to move on. For now, it looked like he was going to a library. He just smiled at Alyssa, who began to drag him in the direction of the exit.
#
Alyssa stood behind Maikus, peering over his shoulder in anticipation as the Guardian Captain studied the Seal protecting the entrance to the Library. Patience wearing, she cleared her throat softly as the Dwarf seemed to be just standing there. The Captain gave an exasperated sigh before reaching out to the runed obstruction.
"Anxious, are we?"
"Well, if I had known you were going to take all day..." This earned a chuckle from Fastil who waited just behind her with Meric.
"Just want to make sure I open it properly," was Maikus' reply. "These are a little different."
Alyssa knew that he was being truthful, and not just teasing her because she so obviously could not wait to get inside. There was no rock obstructing the entry here. It was just the sturdy door that was already a part of the building. The runes were slightly different, but the principle was the same, and she knew she could open the way if need be. However, since she was the visitor here, she would try and be patient.
Finally, the Dwarven Captain mumbled something and reached out to unlock the magic binding the door. As Maikus reached for the latch, Fastil laid a hand on Alyssa's arm and cleared his throat.
"Perhaps I should go next? There is most likely nothing inside, but no reason to chance it."
He hefted his mace and stepped around her. Even though she was itching to get inside, she eased back next to Meric and did not offer any protest. A few more moments would not kill her. Probably.
As they waited Meric tried to offer her a sympathetic look, but it was ruined by the smirk trying to fight its way through. Alyssa just huffed out a laugh because she knew that she was being a little ridiculous. Once the "all clear" was given, she threw Meric a quick smile and made her way inside, once more thankful that he seemed to understand her thirst for knowledge and was not dissuaded by it.
Holding her light aloft, she entered and looked around in the gloom. The entryway opened onto an aisle that crossed the library and lead to a circular shelf that came up to her hips. The centrally located construct looked like it could serve as a work area for the librarian. There were several slips of parchment and some writing implements scattered about, as well as a stool and several shelves filled with scrolls. To either side of the center aisle were rows of shelves that were loaded with books, scrolls, and loose parchment. The top floor of the two story building was full of more bookcases that could be seen from the central desk because of the room's design. The center aisle and the libr
arian's desk were open all the way to the top of the building giving the library an open feel despite being crowded with fully laden shelves.
Alyssa could feel the burst of energy let off when Maikus manipulated a lever set behind the desk, and seconds later the light crystals hanging throughout the library began to glow. Her eyes flitted around, not knowing where to start, as she put away her own light source. To think that all of this knowledge had been laying here, forgotten and collecting dust for two thousand years. It was an incredible sight, and she suppressed the fleeting wish that she could remain here, and uncover all the wonders this place held.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
First Blood
Miller's Crossing was a moderately sized town that was half a day's ride from the fort at Porall Pass. It was a village that was home to several hundred people. Largely a community of farmers and craftsmen, it had been established as a good supply point for Fort Porall since most of their needs could be taken care of there. It was an industrious little village; besides the food supplied by farmers, there were two blacksmith's shops supplying weapons and armor from one, and tools and utensils from the other. High quality wool and cotton were also produced and provided to weavers who then sent their final product on to the seamstresses and tailors. Tanners, carpenters, coopers, healers, cobblers, and one farrier. The town had grown so efficient, so productive, that the Crown had begun buying supplies to support several other forts and garrisons throughout northern Rennick.
As Cody Hess stood in the lightly falling snow on a tree-shrouded hill some distance from the village and watched the fires consuming many of the buildings, he thought that Xavier may not have realized just how important this town was to Rennick's army. Over the last week it had started to become apparent to the newly minted Lieutenant that the Tyrant knew full well that there were Orcs entering his kingdom, and they were allowed to be there. Cody and his men had passed more than one company of soldiers going in the wrong direction. Even with the overheard conversation he had reported to Dane, Cody had not really let himself believe that it was possible. Now as he listened to the faint screams, growing fewer by the minute, he came to realize something else.
An Adept's Duty: The Scepter of Maris: Book Two Page 11