Secret of Gloomwood Forest

by Keira Gillett

  The troop dispersed rapidly, the sounds of many feet and clanking weapons and armor echoed all around the courtyard. Morvin slammed his spear on the ground and watched his trolden hurry to do his bidding. The children watched him from the relative safety of their hiding space in the shadows.

  Morvin seemed content to survey everyone running to and fro across the courtyard. He was less pleased when Jorkden appeared beside him. It was clear the two trolls did not get along. Jorkden started gesturing and saying something. Morvin’s face grew darker with each gesticulation Jorkden made, until the two erupted, trading punches.

  Aleks put a finger to his lips, and edged along the wall, careful to keep behind the engineered waterfall and foliage. Filip went next and Zaria followed. Geirr took rearguard. Every one watched the grappling trolls, hoping they were too enamored of their fisticuffs to look about them.

  It was with a sigh of relief that the children slipped out of the palace courtyard and into the wide thoroughfare of the city. Like thieves, they slinked into the shadows and hurried for the protection offered by nearby buildings. City noise murmured around them, regularly gaining and dropping in pitch.

  This morning, Zaria saw that the light in the city reflected off thousands of mirrors hung at the top of the cavern. It hurt to look at the ceiling where the light bounced around the most. She wondered what had lit the city in the night. Perhaps fire. It made sense to her that it could be fire.

  As soon as he was able, Aleks took a path that led away from the main street and into the alleyways. The buildings towered like stalagmites, each one forcefully jutting toward the ceilings. Minerals and water even dripped steadily down the buildings so that they glistened in the light.

  It looked all so normal in some respects. Laundry hung on lines strung behind buildings, pots of flowers and ferns decorated balconies, smells of breakfast cooking wafted tantalizingly down from above, and voices rose and fell from open windows as conversations took place around kitchen tables.

  Then in other ways it would be clear that this wasn’t a human city. The buildings were obviously strange primitive dwellings hewn from rock. Wolves with their glowing eyes tracked them from the dark alleyways where light hadn’t yet filtered. Geirr stepped in reindeer poop, making many errgh sounds much to Filip’s amusement.

  A horn sounded from the direction of the palace. Trolls raced out to their balconies in various stages of dress. The children lurched across a street into a gloomy alleyway and tried to make themselves small. Shouts echoed in the underground cavern as the trolls yelled at each other to figure out what was going on.

  Aleks and Filip ducked their heads around the corner to watch the happenings. Filip laid a protective hand on Zaria’s shoulder. He gave her a lopsided smile before peering around the corner again. They all held still, holding their breath, waiting for whatever happened next.

  Another horn blasted and the streets exploded with war cries. The happy cheerful citizens of yesterday vanished in an instant, replaced by animal fury. It frightened Zaria, and her whole body trembled. When Aleks and Filip ducked back into the alleyway, their faces were grim.

  “They know we’ve flown the coop,” Filip said.

  “And something about a Wild Hunt…” Aleks muttered.

  Zaria gasped. “No!”

  The boys looked at her in alarm. “What is the Wild Hunt?” Geirr asked.

  Zaria worried her lip, unsure how to explain. “Well, from stories it’s the most terrible hunt of all. The hunters fly above the ground and hunt from above by magic. If you’re human and you witness the hunt you die... or you’re dragged into the underworld, which might be the same thing.”

  Geirr laughed. “Considering these trolls are probably in the mood to kill us, I guess it doesn’t matter, does it?”

  She gave him a cross look. “I’m serious. The Wild Hunt is bad news. I’ve never heard of trolls running one though.” Zaria frowned at them. “In all my stories it has been fairies, spirits of the dead, or Norse gods running the hunt. Never trolls.”

  “So what kind of cavalcade are we expecting?” Aleks asked.

  “Probably reindeer, wolves, and angry trolls,” Zaria said. “I haven’t seen any other animals down here, have you?”

  Filip shook his head. “So we have to avoid flying reindeer? Excellent. We’re being hunted by a very ugly Santa Claus and his uglier minions.”

  Laughter erupted from Aleks. “I hope we’re on the nice list.”

  Filip grinned back. “I don’t think our chances are good for that. If Santa and his helpers are hunting us down, I think it means we’re solidly on the naughty list.”

  “You two are ridiculous,” Zaria said, laughing nervously. “But seriously, we need to get going.”

  Echoing howls punctuated her declaration which sprung the children into action. Aleks took point again, and the others followed his lead blindly. They kept close and nobody was ever out of reach. Everyone was on alert, looking for trouble.

  Zaria didn’t espy any wolves now as they ran. The wolves knowing eyes were trained elsewhere as the trolls worked to track them down. But it was only a matter of time. She feared they were to be hunted by a whole pack of wolves.

  They ran for several minutes, winding their way through the city. Whenever the noise from the hunt became more acute, Aleks would change directions and put on speed. They had so far avoided detection, and it was imperative they continued to remain unspotted. If they were noticed now, they would be trapped in the city and easily rooted out like a fox flushed out of its hole by a pack of hunting dogs. The thought did nothing to cheer Zaria.

  She looked upward, shading her eyes against the growing sunlight. She tried to search for dark silhouettes against the bright backdrop. They hadn’t seen flying reindeer, or flying anything really, but Zaria wasn’t going to dismiss the idea even if it did sound silly and childish. She knew the Wild Hunt would not stop until it had found its quarry – them.

  A piercing noise ahead caught their attention. Aleks held up his hand to indicate they stop. The children stilled immediately. Zaria couldn’t see anything past the boys, but their trepidation was palpable.

  Aleks gestured to them again, as he took a right turn into an arcade styled structure. With the protection afforded by the roof, the children ceased glancing up in dread. They needed to keep moving, but to Zaria it seemed like they were running in circles and the towering stalagmites didn’t help. Her view was too obscured to know where they were headed.

  “How far?” Geirr asked Aleks when they stopped next at the top of a hilly part of the city.

  “I don’t know.”

  Geirr deflated. “We’re not going to make it,” he complained. “I’m tired. My feet hurt. And I’m hungry again.”

  Filip punched him. “Don’t get all whiny on us now, Geirr. Nobody’s spotted us.”

  Aleks tossed his hands up in the air and groaned. “Don’t say that! We’ll be doomed for sure!”

  Zaria rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a goose, Aleks. Superstition is the last thing we need. Look!”

  She pointed across the rooftops and it appeared the city ended. Darkness stretched in the distance with a faint twinkling of lights near what looked like a dock. Like a specter ghosting through the scene, an icy river skirted the edge of the troll city and disappeared into blackness. The lights from the mirrors did not reach this section of the cavern at this time of day.

  Geirr said, “Thank God.” His good humor didn’t last and his voice took on a cynical note when next he spoke. “But we’ll be exposed. They’ll see us and capture us quickly out there.”

  “Over there,” Filip said, pointing to the last of the buildings near the city’s edge. “A sleigh. We can use that.”

  “A sleigh isn’t going to do us much good,” Geirr countered pessimistically.

  Zaria tapped her chin thoughtfully. “A sleigh could work, especially if that river is as frozen as it appears to be.”

  “We’d need a team to pull it,” Aleks sai
d, getting excited.

  “Wolves? You must be mad! They’re wild animals. They’re not sled dogs.”

  “The trolls tamed them,” Zaria offered.

  Geirr muttered in disgust. “That’s not saying much.”

  “Take it easy, mate,” Filip said. “We can do it.”

  Behind them the cacophony of noises rose. They all strained to hear how close the pursuit was. Aleks looked around puzzled.

  He said, “I don’t see where they’re coming from. The noise echoes too much to pinpoint it anymore.”

  “It’s echoing off the cave’s walls,” Geirr replied. He rolled his shoulders, stood up straight, and took a deep breath. “We should go, yes?”

  Zaria grinned at him, happy he pulled himself out of his funk. “Let’s go!”

  The children raced down the street, whipped past the last major stalagmite tower, and aimed for the short squat building with the sleigh. A horn blew and howls turned into excited yips. Zaria gulped; she did not want to look behind her to see if they’d finally been spotted.

  Filip however did look and yelled, “They just crested the hill!”

  “DOWN THERE!” a deep troll voice boomed.

  The responding roar from the mob of trolls would haunt Zaria’s dreams for the rest of her life. She tripped on the uneven ground and went sprawling. Her hands stung, her knees throbbed, and she gasped in fright. Two pairs of strong arms hauled her to her feet and half-dragged- half-carried her the rest of the way as she struggled to limp along.

  “Keep moving,” Aleks said gruffly. “Don’t stop. Don’t slow down. Keep going.”

  “You can do it,” Filip said on the other side of her.

  Geirr raced ahead, he hurled open the barn doors and darted inside. As the trio reached the sleigh, Geirr raced out with two struggling reindeer. Their harnesses jingled loudly, adding to the wall of sound approaching them.

  Aleks pushed Zaria up and got her into a seat, while Filip ran to help Geirr. Aleks joined them, and together the boys strong-armed the reindeer into place and hooked them to the sleigh. The animals reared in agitation from the noise, eyes wide with fear.

  Zaria risked looking over her shoulder and moaned. The troll horde was bearing down on them. They had mere moments to escape. The wolves had sprung ahead of the trolls, snarling and yapping as they spread out to block escape routes.

  The boys climbed into the sleigh and Aleks took the reins. “Ho!” he called, slapping them against the reindeer’s backs.

  The bucks lurched forward and the sleigh staggered along behind. Zaria held her breath and the edge of her seat as the conveyance began to pick up speed. But their start had been too slow. Wolves were yapping at their heels and the distance to the river seemed impossibly far.

  “Hurry, Aleks, oh do hurry,” Zaria called out.

  “Ho!” he shouted, urging the reindeer to increase their pace with another slap of the reins against their backs.

  The reindeer ran faster. Marginally. It was no use. Even fresh, the reindeer could not pull four children in a sleigh faster than unencumbered wolves could run, even when weary.

  As the wolf pack grew closer, Filip and Geirr struggled to snap off the arms of the sleigh. Geirr almost fell out when one gave way, but Filip and Zaria managed to snag his jacket and haul him back into the safety of the sleigh.

  The makeshift weapon was put to immediate use as a wolf leapt toward them. Geirr whacked it in the face. A pathetic whimper came from the beast, as it fell to the floor.

  “Gotcha,” he shouted in glee, holding his weapon over his head.

  Zaria was tenderhearted enough to feel bad for the creature, but she had to be pragmatic. The wolves were attacking, and they needed to defend themselves. Softness was not what was needed now.

  She and Filip broke the second arm off, and Filip flanked Geirr. The boys fought off the wolves’ attacks with wild swings. Zaria’s heart was in her throat, and she jumped whenever the snapping jaws grew too close.

  It seemed that more and more wolves were joining the fray. They poured over the barren earth like a flood. The reindeer were slowing; the trolls gaining. Several whoops of triumph echoed in the dark as lantern lights swung crazily in the gloom.

  Just then a new sound reached their ears followed by great gusts of wind. They looked up. Flying drunkenly above them were Norwick and Hector. Norwick looked battered and tired, but his keen eyes glowed in the dark with determination and fierceness. Hector tossed them a rope.

  “Loose the reindeer. Hook the rope to the sleigh. Norwick will pull!” he shouted.

  Zaria scrambled to help Aleks turn the reindeer loose, while Geirr and Filip battled with the lingering wolf pack. She and Aleks got the rope secured and tugged it tight for good measure.

  “Ready!” she called up to Hector.

  “Hang on!” he shouted.

  She fell back against Aleks as the sleigh sprung forward. The distance between them and the wolves widened. Filip and Geirr crowed as the wolf pack fell back. Many of the ones they’d incapacitated were slowly regaining their feet. Some were stumbling still dazed from the boys’ blows. A few wolves still lay on the ground.

  The sleigh reeled as Norwick took a sharp turn. Filip and Geirr were tossed into their seats, as they heaved one way and then the next, skidding over the rough ground until with a thump they landed on the icy river.

  “That was brilliant!” Filip yelled.

  The boys whooped in triumph even as the troll horde howled in rage at their escape. Zaria watched them charge to the river’s edge and stop. They cackled, hollered, stormed, and thundered. But Norwick was leaving them in the dust and soon the Wild Hunt was a prick of light in the distance.

  “Why don’t they chase us?” Zaria asked loudly, trying to be heard over the boys’ enthusiasm.

  “Because this frozen river belongs to Olaf,” called Hector. “Two different kingdoms and nay do they cross, unless war is the goal.”

  * * *

  Chapter Nine: Emerging into Álfheim

  Hector and Norwick landed some hours later, careful to set down on the frozen river. The sleigh skidded to an uneasy stop. Pinpricks of light came down in shafts from the ceiling where natural holes allowed sunlight to slip through. It was still gloomy, but it wasn’t completely dark.

  Zaria was glad to stretch her legs. She hopped out first and ran over to their rescuers. She rubbed Norwick’s fur with affection. He nuzzled her head with his chin, as happy to see her as she him.

  “Brave, strong, smart, wyvern,” she told him, stroking his leg. The wyvern rumbled halfheartedly. “How is he?” she asked Hector, concerned.

  He stared at Norwick for a long time. “His fire is gone and that does something to a wyvern.”

  “Will he get it back? One of those horrible trolls gloated about a dry ice bomb.”

  “It’s possible he could,” Hector said, moving over to Norwick and examining him. He stroked Norwick’s neck, legs, and wings. “He wouldn’t be worth much to the trolls, if he didn’t have fire. So I can’t imagine they used more than they needed to stop his flame in the first place.”

  “How soon before he recovers?” Zaria asked.

  The others had joined them by this point. Filip reached out to the poor beast. “I hope he does,” Filip said, scratching at Norwick’s chest.

  Geirr petted Norwick too and said, “He seems cooler than before.”

  “He is,” Hector replied. “His internal fire is what keeps him warmest, although his fur helps. I’ll have to keep an eye on him.”

  “You’re all right,” Zaria whispered to the creature, pressing a kiss to his snout. “You’re with friends now. Rest.”

  Norwick nodded sleepily, liking this suggestion. He curled up on the ice, wrapping his wings around his body and tucking in his head. Geirr and Filip patted him a few more times and stepped away. Zaria followed Hector as the man moved around his pet, unloading and repacking items strapped on Norwick’s back.

  “So how did you escape?” Aleks deman
ded from the back.

  Zaria shot him a look of disapproval, which he ignored. Filip and Geirr watched on in curiosity and wariness. It hadn’t occurred to them to wonder if Hector’s presence among them was a trick.

  “Well?” Aleks repeated.

  Hector stopped working on his packing and turned to face Aleks. In his hand was the stargazer, which he held out to the boy. Aleks took it with a mulish expression on his face. He obviously did not want to be thankful for its retrieval.

  “Awfully convenient,” he said, his eyes never leaving Hector’s face.

  “Just the opposite actually,” Hector returned mildly. He stood with his feet apart, shoulders squared, and removed the antlered hood of his cloak. “What do you want to know?”

  Aleks pressed another notch in the stargazer and it lit up. Beams of light shot through the star-shaped holes and illuminated the gloom around them. Zaria saw that the river lay close to one side of the cavern near the walled boundary.

  “I want to know if you’re here because you bargained for your freedom with the trolls and plan to steal what we have to retrieve for Olaf.”

  Hector stroked his blond beard idly. “If I did, would I tell you?”

  Aleks’ lips thinned in displeasure. “No, I suppose not. So I guess we’re at an impasse.” He looked at the others. “We should leave them and keep going.”

  “With what supplies?” Zaria asked, folding her arms. “Are we to travel on foot?”

  Geirr nodded. “I know you don’t like it, Aleks, but we don’t have much choice.”

  “There’s always a choice,” Aleks said, waving the stargazer meaningfully at the others.

  “I’m not human,” Hector said. “I’m an ellefolken. Your toy will not work on me, nor would Norwick be of much use to you. He’s not cut out to carry four people and he’s in no condition to keep dragging your sleigh.”

  Aleks put down his hand. “You’re a what? Elk-folk?”

  “Aye. We’re forest folk; we prefer living around alder trees. You could say my people are cousins with the elves of the Álfheim.”