Years of such attacks however had the desired effect and there were now far fewer Trolls and those that still existed stayed hidden in the most inaccessible places far from the likes of man.
“I have to find out what has happened to this forest,” Marcos answered. “We will go to the woods heart, for there will my questions be answered.”
“Will it be safe?” Casius asked recalling Connell’s tale.
“There are no safe places left, Casius.” Marcos answered swinging up into his saddle. “In days such as these only the dead have nothing left to fear.”
Suni rode up his gelding tossing its head, anxious to be moving. “Come, it is a long way and we are wasting daylight.” He waited for them to mount and led the way north into a broad path between the trees. It was as if the forest had cleared the way ahead to hasten their progress.
For nine days they rode, the trail ahead never shifting. It was an arrow straight corridor slicing through the heart of the verdant giants.
The land changed subtly, large boulders lay among their path, gray monoliths entrapped by enwrapping roots. The way before them rose gradually becoming steeper as the days progressed.
The higher they climbed the larger the trees became. Towering giants with trunks so broad that fifty men holding hands could not encircle them. Among these behemoths they ventured, crossing many fast flowing rills of icy cold water. The gurgling call of the passing water added the only sounds to the eerily silent forest.
On the ninth day they came to a steep boulder strewn hill. The massive trees crowded its face, their roots weaving about the boulders and each other. To Casius it resembled a fishermen’s net. Cast by some wading giant, ensnaring a small part of the forest.
Brilliant rays of sunlight streamed through the trunks upon the hills crown. The golden light was alive with clouds of small insects.
The clear light was a welcome sight to Casius. As the picked their way up the slope he could see small patches of sapphire blue sky showing through a break in the canopy.
At the top of the rise they emerged from the line of trees and stared in awe at the view before them.
They stood on the rim of a large shallow valley. A perfectly circular lake lay within the vale. It’s tranquil waters reflecting the clear sky above.
A light fitful breeze out of the north sent ripples across its mirror like surface. Riding upon its currents, colorful birds wheeled in the sky, their boisterous calls echoing in the valley, adding life to the wood. Disturbing their smaller kin who flitted among the branches chirping incessantly.
“Glin’eress,” Marcos announced breaking the silence. “The heart of Nallen Forest.” He pointed to the east where a craggy pinnacle of stone rose several hundred feet into the air. The narrow top crowned by a giant tree whose leaves shined golden in the sunlight.
The base of the Tor straddled the shore, the waters of the lake caressing its rough walls. A waterfall fell from the heights from within the gnarled roots of the lone giant squatting upon its peak. Plunging into the lake it shrouded the base with clouds of mist that drifted onto the shore.
Marcos pointed to the tree atop the Tor. “There lies our goal, the great tree Asua Tuell. Heartwood of this land and mother of the forest.” He lowered his arm slowly; “A great wrong has been done here, a betrayal of all that is good. She is dying. I can feel her agony, it is almost to much to endure, I only hope that we are not too late.”
“We are too exposed here,” Suni said with a shake of his head. “We should await the cover of darkness before approaching the Tor.”
“Our enemies eyes are sharpest at night,” Marcos said looking up at the early afternoon sky. “The task before us is safer done while the sun yet shines.”
Marcos took the lead, staying within the tree line they clung to the forest’s shadows making their way along the valley wall.
“What do you make of that?” Connell asked drawing everyone’s attention. He was pointing through the trees to a spot on the shore near the pinnacles base. A huddled form lay there swathed in rags.
“A man?” Casius guessed. He could just make out what looked like twisted limbs.
“Not from the distance,” D’Yana added squinting her eyes. “If it is a man then he is a giant.”
“Troll,” Suni said. “Or what remains of one.”
“We must be vigilant,” Marcos cautioned. “Trolls seldom travel alone.”
“And they rarely welcome surprise guests,” Connell added, loosening his sword in its sheath. “If we are attacked, stay close together. Facing a Troll alone is a sure path to the after life.” He pulled his bow from behind his saddle and slung a quiver of arrows across his back.
D’Yana drew her bow as well and knocked an arrow. Seeing the giant’s carcass on the shore had reminded her of the dangers they faced.
It did not take them long to reach the spires base. The roots of the stone outcrop merged with the ridge that bordered the valley.
Casius looked up the nearly vertical side of the rock. It would be an onerous climb. The narrow ledges and deep clefts were passable, but they would have to proceed with caution.
They left their horses in a small clearing that Suni had found nearby. With the horses secured they returned to the Tor Carrying only their weapons. They encircled the rock base looking for the easiest way to make the ascent. The body of the Troll lay nearby and could easily be found by the fetid stench coming from it.
There was not much left of the brute. A thick boned skeleton eight feet or more in height. Clothed in rags and tattered bits of dried flesh.
Its rib cage was shattered, a stout branch wedged firmly in the wound.
“The tree attempted to defend itself,” Connell remarked after looking down on the body.
“It is so large,” Casius remarked. “How does one kill such a thing?”
“With luck and a large number of men.” Connell answered. “It is only a Rock Troll, Ice Trolls are twice this size and twice as hard to kill.”
Casius stepped away from the reeking body and looked up at the peak high above them.
“What’s wrong Casius?” D’Yana asked. “Scared of heights?”
Casius smiled, “Only falls.”
“Climb with caution, the rocks above are slick with moss.” Marcos advised them.
Suni took the lead, he moved across the rock face as if born to climbing. He was a skilled climber and led them up the easiest paths possible. Marcos ascended after him with D’Yana and Connell close behind. Casius swallowed his fear and followed his companions.
The climb was arduous and on two occasions they were forced to retreat down a ways before attempting another route upwards.
Casius’s arms ached and his fingers were stiff from gripping the slick rock.
Near the summit Suni had found a narrow ledge and they rested. They all were breathing hard and sweating profusely in the cold air. All except for Suni, the climb seemed to have no effect on him at all.
Casius sat with his back against the stone. He attempted to wipe the dark green stains from the moss off his hands. The color remained firmly embedded in his skin, only a small part transferred to his Lenin shirt.
The roar of the waterfall less than a hundred feet away discouraged any attempts at conversation. The sun hung low in the western sky and the forests shadow stretched far out onto the lake.
Marcos was not pleased it had taken them longer to climb than he had thought. With a nod he sent Suni up the remaining twenty feet. A few moments later a length of rope dropped down onto the ledge.
Casius groaned as the others ascended the rock face with the aid of the rope. When it was his turn he wondered if he would have the strength to finish the climb let alone descend back to the valley floor.
Casius climbed over the edge and entered into a thick tangle of tree roots and brush. Suni stood there motioning him to be silent. Once Casius was past he coiled the rope, leaving it upon the ground. The air atop the Tor was foul, reeking of sulfur and decay. It assaulte
d their senses, burning their throats and stinging their eyes.
Connell grimaced and Casius fought to hold down what was in his stomach.
Although the top of the hill was little more than a hundred feet across, the thickness of the brush made it hard to see beyond twenty feet. The sky above them was hidden from view by the gnarled branches of the great tree that grew here.
The damage to Asua Tuell was evident, its leaves were stained yellow their edges turning dark brown. The bark of the branches was festooned with patches of grayish mold that oozed a thick yellowish fluid.
The ground below their feet was a thickly knotted mat of tree roots and jagged bits of stone. In a few places giant slabs of rock stood out of the tangle leaning precariously.
“We will not move quickly in this,” Connell whispered disapprovingly as he readied his bow. “Not without risking a broken ankle.”
Casius couldn’t agree more he had already stumbled once when a thin loop of root had entangled his foot. From beneath his feet he could hear the flow of running water.
Marcos could see where his attention was drawn and stepped closer to him. “The rock below is riddled with fissures through which the water flows. It is only the roots that holds the stone together.” He said softly. “Come, what we seek is near at hand.” He motioned them onward with Suni once more taking the lead.
They crept carefully forward. The thick brush ended suddenly in a clearing that bordered upon a small glittering pool of water that lay between the outstretched roots of a giant tree.
Its bark was gnarled and dark, nestled within its cracks and crevices large leafed ferns grew. The trunk was so thick it was hard to believe it was a living thing. The bole was easily two hundred or more feet in diameter. Rising overhead it spread its low hanging canopy over the entire peak.
The trees lower branches were void of leaf, twisted skeletal remains of once verdant boughs that clawed at the wind. The dark bark hanging in tatters that stretched to the ground in places, leaving the bone white wood exposed.
Marcos hissed in anger “Asua Tuell is defiled!” He pointed to the source of his ire for the others.
Two huge iron spikes had been driven deep into the trees heart. The black metal smoked where it met the wood. Runes etched into the iron glowed with a sickly green light along their length. Pulsing as the malicious enchantment bore down into the trees defenses. The spikes were massive things as thick as a man’s leg and twice as long.
“Touch them not!” Marcos warned. “They are forgings of Sur’kar’s, and nothing from the furnaces of V’rag should be taken lightly.”
“What purpose does it serve to destroy this wood?” D’Yana asked. The site of the wounded tree offended her greatly.
“It is a remnant of the old world,” Marcos answered. “In days long past it too stood against Sur’kar and would have done so again. Man may have forgotten what has gone before but not this place; the trees have deep roots and deeper memories. The spirit of this place would never bend knee and serve the darkness and therefore it must be destroyed to prepare the way for Sur’kar’s coming.”
“Ware the shadows!” Connell shouted as his bow thrummed, shooting his arrow beyond the tree.
A blood chilling bellow of anger sounded from the gloom. The ground shook and limbs snapped as a monstrous giant burst into the open.
Clutching at the arrow lodged in its neck, its single eye fixed upon them with pure hatred in its gaze. Towering over them at ten feet in height to look upon it was to know fear.
Powerful muscled rippled across its chest beneath its dark craggy skin. Despite its size and awkward appearance it moved with surprising speed. It roared in challenge exposing a mouth full of yellowed teeth behind two enormous tusks that jutted up out of its lower jaw.
The shaft snapped as the Troll ripped it free. Tossing it aside the Troll lifted a massive hammer and charged. The weapon smoked darkly and pulsed with the same sinister green radiance as the accursed spikes lodged within the tree.
Connell wasted no time and released another shaft at the beast as it splashed through the shallow pool.
The shaft buried itself deeply in the Trolls heaving chest. Another shaft appeared next to it as D’Yana recovered from her fear and loosed her own arrow.
The Troll staggered and blood flecked foam stained its lips.
Casius stood immobile with fear his sword raised in a futile gesture to ward off the Trolls attack. Something grabbed his collar and pulled him clear of the Trolls descending hammer.
The Ground where he had stood erupted in a spray of shattered rock and earth. The force of the impact staggered him, throwing him into Marcos who was still pulling him back.
He was regaining his feet when Suni suddenly leapt over him. Staves in hand the agile warrior dashed forward and struck the beast in the face. The force of his blow actually pushed the Troll back a few paces.
The Troll brought his hammer to bear but Suni was moving to quickly for it. The hammer slammed into the earth once more with a deafening boom that shook the Tor to its roots.
Suni rolled behind the Troll and kicked with both feet. He connected with the giant’s knee and the Troll screamed as its knee gave way with a resounding crack. The knee was ruined unable to bear the Trolls great weight; it fell onto its side with a heavy thud. More arrows appeared in its hide as Connell and D’Yana continued their attacks.
The Creature thrashed violently and attempted to roll over Suni. The Anghor Shok leapt high into the air and landed on the Trolls back. He drove both his staves into the creature’s neck just below the skull.
The weapons did not pierce its hide but they did damage nonetheless. The neck of the brute snapped under the onslaught and with a violent shudder the Troll ceased to move. A long shuddering exhalation was the last act of the brute before death claimed him.
Casius sheathed his sword and took a deep breath to calm his hammering heart.
Suni tucked his staves into his sash and stepped down off of the Troll as nonchalantly as one would step down from a porch.
Connell and D’Yana looked on the man in wonder. Suni had just killed a Troll with nothing more than his bare hands and two simple iron staves.
Marcos stood near the hammer and shook his head in disgust. “More of Sur’kar’s treachery.”
Casius felt ashamed while his friends had fought he had stood paralyzed by fear and only thanks to Marcos’s quick action was he even alive. He walked over to the great tree, too embarrassed to even look at Connell.
As he neared the great trunk he saw a dried out corpse of an old man. Dressed in gray robes with simple leather sandals upon its shriveled feet. The hair upon its head was snow white and obscured the gaping sockets of its eyes.
About its neck hung a thick collar of gleaming gold. Utterly seamless and without blemish it shone brightly in the gloom.
“Have a look at this,” Casius called to the others.
“Warlock!” Marcos said in disgust. “This poor soul was bonded to one of the dark men. He paid for the casting that wounded the great tree with his life.”
“Warlocks and Trolls,” D’Yana muttered. “What next?”
“Aye,” Marcos agreed. “What next indeed. Evil things are stirring and old alliances are being revived. As Sur’kar emerges from the dark many old enemies of man are stirring, coming forth from their hidden lairs.”
“What of the Warlock?” Casius asked. “Should we not search him out?”
Marcos shook his head. “No, he is either dead or so weakened he poses no threat to us.” Marcos covered the corpse with his cloak. “His bond was broken when this man died. The cost of power would have befallen upon him at that moment. Unless he was well prepared he too lies dead.”
“Then the Troll was left here to guard the tree.” Connell guessed.
“It is more likely that the Warlock died and the Troll merely stayed not knowing what else to do.” Marcos surmised. “The Hammer it bore is too great a weapon to leave here. A thing so powerful would
have taken centuries to fashion.”
Marcos laid his hand upon the wounded trees trunk. “Stand back,” he advised. “The spikes are protected and will kill any who attempt to draw them out. There is a slim chance that I can strengthen the tree and give her the power to force them out.”
They stepped back a few paces not sure how far to go.
Marcos closed his eyes and the ring upon his finger flared to life. The brilliant radiance cast the gloom aside and burned clean and pure. The tree shuddered and thin veins of light gleamed within its bark.
For several long minutes nothing seemed to happen, then a low creaking sound emerged from the wood. It grew louder until it became a shrill screech as the Iron spikes where slowly forced back.
The Runes upon the spikes brightened and the emerald light fought to overwhelm the pure light that now shown brightly where the metal entered the bole. The iron began to glow a dull orange that brightened to red. The heat coming from the iron was intense, darkening the bark around them.
The metal continued to brighten until it blazed as brightly as Marcos’s ring forcing the watchers to look away. The torturous scream ended in a muffled boom that shook the ground.
When they looked back Marcos leaned against the tree his ring now dull and lifeless. Sweat lay beaded on his brow and his breathing was labored.
Of the spikes there was no sign, they had been vaporized and all that remained were the two smoking holes in the tree’s bole.
“There is much power in this wood,” Marcos said once his own strength had returned. “Given time she will recover.”
The ground trembled and roots crept up from the earth and pulled the cursed hammer deep beneath the stone.
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