Secret of Gloomwood Forest

by Keira Gillett

  “Jötunheim,” Hector answered, and then clarified when he saw her confused face. “Giant-land. I wish to trade with them for their beautiful home goods. They are known for their excellent craftsmanship and as a people with many great artisans among their ranks. They are also good farmers. You’d need to be if you’re this far north.”

  “What do you trade them?” Aleks asked. “Clothes?”

  Hector shook his head and took another piece of meat. He bit into it and gestured toward another corner of the cave. “Music.”

  “Music?” Aleks asked doubtfully.

  “Music,” Hector confirmed. “They love it, but can’t play it – they say the instruments they make to their size don’t carry the same resonance. And they hate the sound of their own voices, but love to hear singing. So I trade them music.”

  “How do you do that?” Filip asked as he gave Zaria the last piece of meat from their rabbit. “Trade them human-size instruments and sheet music?”

  “You could,” Hector agreed, “and they do appreciate them, but since they can’t really play them without risking destruction of the instrument, I trade them in a more modern way.”

  “Digitally?” Zaria guessed.

  Hector nodded. “They love iPads. It amazes them that humans could have placed so much music on such a tiny thing. Some of the giants still prefer vinyl records, but most love the diversity I can get them with iPads.”

  “So they listen to music on earbuds? How is that possible? Wouldn’t they be too small?”

  “Speakers,” said Hector. “I also trade the giants speakers, batteries, chargers, generators, and other items to make the process work.”

  “Wow!” Zaria said. “Cool.”

  Geirr was skeptical. “And you can make a good living off of this?”

  Hector laughed. “Elves and humans both love the giants’ goods, not that humans know the items are giant-made. I tell them it’s Scandinavian, which technically it is.”

  Filip took a drink from the water-flask and wiped his mouth before passing it to Aleks. Casually, he said, “And where do the elves live in comparison to the giants?”

  Hector began to gather the remains of the meal. “They’re about a three-day journey from the giants by horse. On Norwick it’s about a half-day trip. Is that where you’re headed – to Álfheim?”

  Filip looked flummoxed. He sputtered a bit trying to figure out how to answer, when Aleks came to his rescue.

  “We’re just curious as to what you might trade with them. They probably don’t need music. Everything I’ve heard about elves from my grams indicates they’re wonderful musicians with crystal voices, like tinkling bells.”

  Hector rubbed his hands together and held them out to the fire. He said, “Elves trade in secrets and knowledge. They are very skilled in architecture and animal husbandry, particularly the exotic kind like Norwick here. I got him for a dozen secrets regarding human politics and six books on various sciences like solar energy, computer programming, and string theory.”

  “How do you get secrets?” Geirr asked, folding his arms. He tried to stare Hector down, but the man was oblivious.

  “And that’s my secret,” Hector said with a wink at Zaria. She giggled.

  “Seems kind of cheap,” Filip said. “I mean you can pick up a lot of books for very little at a bookstore or online.”

  “True,” Hector acknowledged. “Elves are curious that way, and I think it helped that Norwick didn’t particularly like his previous owner. But now I think it is time everyone tries to get some more sleep before daybreak. We’ll be moving slower, because Norwick is recovering from the troll attack. It’ll be important to stay alert.”

  Zaria stood and tugged Filip’s arm. He shuffled to his feet, stretched, yawned, and stretched again. “I’m ready,” he said.

  “Well, I need to go to the bathroom,” Geirr grumbled. Aleks nudged him in the shoulder and waved him to follow. They went in the opposite direction.

  Hector added a few logs to the fire, and then moved toward Norwick. He said, “It should be safe to sleep. Norwick and I will keep guard at the entrance.”

  “Good night, Hector,” Zaria called out.

  “Good night, Princess,” he returned.

  It was as she drifted off to sleep that Zaria wondered at his calling her that. She hadn’t told him what Olaf called her and yet he used the same moniker. She’d have to remember to ask him about that in the morning.

  * * *

  Chapter Six: When Trolls Ambuscade

  Zaria understood what Hector meant about speed the next morning. Apparently winter-wyverns were not speedy on land. Get them airborne and their grace and agility became apparent, but on land it was another story. Compounding the group’s troubles was the weather; it had snowed overnight.

  From her perch on Norwick’s back, Zaria scanned their surroundings at varying speeds according to Hector’s directions. She and Aleks, who sat behind her, were to watch for trolls. She kept her hand on the hunting knife Hector supplied her when they first started.

  “Just in case,” he had said, before handing another knife to Aleks.

  Hector was well supplied, but he didn’t have enough snowshoes for everyone, so he had directed Aleks and her to ride Norwick. He showed them how to saddle the wyvern properly and assisted them up onto Norwick’s back.

  As for other weaponry, he kept a rifle slung over his shoulder. To Filip he gave a fully stocked quiver and a large bow. Then he handed Geirr a fishing spear and the quintet and Norwick set off, heading north toward the giants.

  “I can’t see,” Geirr complained to Filip, shuffling the spear to his other arm while batting uselessly at the smog drifting in front of his face.

  Filip commiserated. “That’s why Zaria and Aleks are lookouts. What I hate isn’t Norwick’s breath, but this snowdrift we’re wading through. This sucks.”

  Zaria laughed. “I’m happy to switch any time.”

  “Not me,” Aleks replied. “I like it up here.”

  Zaria laughed again and unzipped her jacket, warm despite the cold. Norwick threw off a lot of heat. She tugged off her gloves and stuffed them in her pockets as well. She gave a happy sigh as she wiggled her fingers in the cold air.

  “Much better,” she confided in Aleks, watching as he quickly followed suit.

  “Oh yeah,” he agreed. “Better.”

  “Do you two see anything?” Hector called from the front.

  Aleks and Zaria spoke simultaneously. “No.” “Nothing.”

  “Keep your eyes peeled,” Hector warned. “Trolls are not likely to give up once they’ve found quarry in the area.”

  “We might have been safer on our own,” Aleks whispered in Zaria’s ear.

  She frowned. “Why do you say that?”

  “Well didn’t Olaf give us safe passage?” he asked. “It seems to me we’d be better on water.”

  Zaria didn’t like his conclusions. “Maybe, but what if these trolls wouldn’t honor Olaf’s deal?”

  “We didn’t see any trolls yesterday and were perfectly fine, until Hector sent his pet to ambush us.”

  Zaria stroked the fur on Norwick’s neck. “I hear what you’re saying, but Hector hasn’t done anything to harm us. He’s trying to help.”

  Aleks rubbed his freckled nose and shrugged. “I’m just saying, it’s awfully suspicious that we ran into him before we ran into trouble.”

  “We won’t run into trouble if we keep a lookout like we’re supposed to do. You watch the right, and I’ll watch the left.”

  ***

  As dusk fell on the group, it happened. From the shadows, a horde of trolls let loose a battle cry and charged through the smog. Many of them waved spears in the air, their snarling faces utterly terrifying.

  “Circle up,” Hector yelled, grabbing the back of Geirr’s jacket and pushing him toward Norwick. “Stay close to Norwick. Don’t let them get underneath him.”

  Geirr nodded, looking dazed as he flexed his shoulders and positioned h
is spear in front of him. Filip came up on his right and let an arrow fly. It flew into the mix and the trolls parted around it, flowing forward like water. Filip cursed and notched another arrow.

  Anxiously, Zaria surveyed their attackers. She hadn’t seen them coming. She failed her one duty. She gripped her knife, tensing for the right opportunity to slide off Norwick into the fray. Their attackers would reach the group soon, and then the real fight would begin.

  The trolls blended into the background as quickly as they broke into the foreground, covered as they were in dirty white fur coats and tan breeches. They were not as lanky as Olaf had been – some were considerably bulky. Their skin was grayer, and she wasn’t sure, but it looked like they had tails. Big droopy noses dominated their faces as they roared, covering the remaining distance in seconds.

  “On your left!” Aleks called out. All three on the ground looked left and saw a massive troll lumbering forward from the tree line.

  Hector raised his shotgun and fired at the enormous troll. The shells struck, but barely slowed the creature down. “He’s their leader. If we can kill him, we might stand a chance.”

  “What are their hides made out of, steel?” Filip groused, shooting another arrow and watching it as it was deflected easily. He ducked the return fire.

  Spears and arrows peppered the group, as Norwick bellowed and reared on his hind legs. Zaria squeaked. Norwick flailed, using his impressive size, and wings, and teeth to snap at the trolls. It was like riding a bucking bronco, Zaria thought. Jumping off Norwick into the fray was the last thing on Zaria’s mind, as she struggled to hang on.

  Something heavy collided with her, knocking her senseless. Zaria heard Aleks swear. He stabbed wildly at the troll who landed on them, but the thick shaggy fur on the troll’s coat kept the blade from reaching flesh. Zaria was pinned under the troll’s weight, his ghoulish breath making her grimace. She tried kicking her feet, but had little room in which to move.

  “Stop struggling, cheeky girl,” the troll growled. “We don’t want to harm you.”

  “Get off her,” Aleks yelled, shoving the troll. The two grunted and rolled, briefly crushing Zaria. She felt the air go out of her.

  She gasped and struggled into a sitting position, searching frantically for the knife, but the weapon had been lost in the fray. So she did the first thing that came to mind, she pulled harshly on the troll’s tail and kept pulling.

  “Leave him alone!” she shrieked in its ear.

  He roared and knocked Aleks off Norwick in a brutal blow to the head. Rounding on Zaria, he grabbed her by the wrist and bent it back. Zaria cried in pain and released her grip on his tail.

  The troll pushed her into a sitting position and grabbed both her wrists. She tried to struggle but was quickly subdued with bindings. Then when she was unable to break free, he jerked her roughly and leapt from the back of Norwick. They tumbled in the snow.

  “No!” Zaria cried. “Let me go! Let me go!” She tried to stand, but he knocked her legs out from under her.

  “Kafirr wants to meet you, especially your friend. You best be going quietly,” the troll growled. “No more fuss from you.”

  A sharp short jarring noise disturbed the night. The echoes of it, Zaria felt in her bones, even as the sound of Hector’s grunt of pain reached her. She saw two trolls wrestle the rifle out of his grip and knock him out with the butt of it. Everywhere she looked, her friends were subdued, with limbs bound hand and foot.

  “No! Stop!” she begged. Her captor laughed.

  “You be issuing orders, little princess? Mangus don’t know you to be following your commands.”

  Norwick was still rampaging, but his efforts were ignored as a team of trolls circled him with sharp multipronged spears. Every time he opened his mouth, Zaria saw deep red glowing brighter at the back of his throat. Was he building up for a fireball? She bit her lip, anticipating it, hoping for it.

  “You think the beast will shoot fire, don’t you?” Mangus asked, shaking her with his foot. “Us trolls know how to handle winter-wyverns.”

  And it appeared he was right. When the flaring red-orange glow in Norwick’s throat grew bright one of the trolls threw something into his mouth. An explosion boomed violently, scaring Zaria. A pathetic whimper from Norwick alerted her as he curled instantly in on himself. Fog billowed from his nose, ears, and mouth in plumes.

  “Dry ice grenade,” Mangus said smugly. “It sublimes quickly in a winter-wyvern’s belly. It’s most unpleasant for them. Instantly squelches the fire, you see, and can leave the belly frostbitten.”

  “That’s horrible!” Zaria said, aghast. “You’re monsters.”

  The troll’s face darkened with anger. “Shut your mouth, or I be shutting it for you.”

  Before she could respond the large troll leader entered into the midst of the group. “Good job, trolden, let’s get home. Finish securing the beast. Bring them all.”

  Zaria’s troll captor jerked her to her feet and pushed her forward, keeping a hand on the back of her neck the whole time. She and her friends were frog-marched to the tree line. Zaria watched in amazement when a group of them roughly pulled a tree out of the ground, the snow on its branches falling over them all. Under the tree was a large dark hole and it was here that Zaria stepped into the underground kingdom of the trolls.

  ***

  The trolls sang boisterously in a garbled mix of languages about the glory of Trolgar, their kingdom. They were pleased with their successful ambush and were boasting of their prowess and vitality. Mangus was replaced by another troll as they marched.

  Firelight from torches danced across earthen walls, as the group moved forward down endless dark passages. There were times when the corridor branched off and times when they took turns. Zaria attempted to memorize the pattern but after a while was befuddled by it all. She could only hope the others were able to keep it straight. If only Hector were awake. He would know what to do.

  The further they went, the brighter the corridor became, lightening first by degrees and then so much the torches became unnecessary. Zaria was in the back of the group, her friends interspersed throughout the horde of trolls. She figured this was to keep her and the boys from talking and hatching escape plans. She craned her neck to see what was happening, but couldn’t see over the shoulders of the trolls.

  Loud rumbling sounds met the party, growing louder until in the crescendo of it, Zaria realized they were drums beating out a victory ballad. The earthen hallway expanded abruptly into a wide cavern, as tall as it was wide. They were at the top and the view below stopped Zaria in her tracks, until a rough hand shoved her forward.

  Zaria craned her neck, looked in every direction, and couldn’t believe what she saw. The cave was floor to ceiling covered in buildings, outcroppings, glowing windows, homes, businesses, and trolls. Trolls in colorful clothing bustled everywhere, lining the streets, waving at the troop, catcalling, cheering, hooting, and stamping their feet in a wild display of enthusiasm.

  Zaria and her friends were marched through the main street, as wide as any human thoroughfare. She saw reindeer and wolves, here, there, harnessed, leashed, or roaming free. They reminded her of pets – horses and dogs – at least until a wolf snarled at her and snapped its jaws. She jumped away in fright.

  The street ended at the foot of a large palatial structure. It soared all the way to the ceiling. Zaria couldn’t determine if it was a fortress, castle, or palace. It sort of appeared to be all three with different architecture used all the way through it. Towers ascended in spiny, spindly, and spirally forms. The outer wall was deep, thick, and rough with archways staggered every now and then as an opening into an inner courtyard she couldn’t quite see.

  Soldiers lined the largest of the archways, spears, bows, axes, and swords stowed in gleaming perfection on their belts. Zaria gulped. Their stoic faces after the sea of cheerful citizens was terrifying. The troll leader of their group was greeted by the head soldier, who looked quite fetching in his u
niform.

  “Jorkden,” the soldier troll greeted. “It looks like your team caught quite a delicious bunch of morsels.”

  Jorkden sneered. “Don’t antagonize them, Morvin. I am to take them to see Kafirr.”

  Morvin curled his lip, stroking his mustache. “Of course they must see the king. Stow the weapons, and you can enter the palace.”

  It was clear to Zaria that Jorkden was reluctant to do this, but he made a motion to his trolden and they handed their weaponry over to the soldiers.

  Zaria’s shoulder was gripped harshly, and she winced. The hand did not shove her as expected. Cautiously she peered over her shoulder and saw Hector staring at her. He was slung like a sack of potatoes over a beefy troll. He looked small without his white stag cloak, and Hector was not a small man.

  Run, he mouthed.

  She shook her head. She wasn’t prepared to run. Not yet. Not without her friends. Not without Hector and Norwick. She looked around; Norwick was trussed up on a large pole carried by many trolls. He looked so sad, her heart broke for the beast. She was going to free him, all of them, if she could. But how? In an underground kingdom surrounded by enemies how did one escape?

  Hector frowned at her and mouthed, Run, again. She shook her head again. She couldn’t rescue Christoffer on her own, although, someone really needed to rescue them first or Christoffer was going to be in for a worse fate. They would be too. Who knew what Kafirr wanted with them?

  Jorkden led the party into the palace courtyard and stopped. The courtyard was a steamy place with plants and rocks and bubbling water from an engineered waterfall. It was beautiful and completely unexpected. Up at the top of a steep set of stairs stood a throne and on the throne sat a troll even bigger than Jorkden.

  Zaria and her friends were forced to their knees as Jorkden took a stiff bow. “My king,” he said, “I bring you fresh meat.”

  * * *

  Chapter Seven: Inside Trolgar