Artemas shook his head, his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Perhaps I could under ordinary circumstances. But I’m very tired right now, and my head aches so that I can’t even think straight. My struggle against Belthasar has left me weakened. I couldn’t shrivel a blade of grass right now, assuming you could find one around here.”
Molly folded her hands and rested them on her bent knees, sulking slightly. “Sounds like you don’t even want to escape, Artemas.”
“I really just want to sleep, Molly, and regain some of my strength. I’ve had a hectic day,” he said, attempting to joke about the situation to put her at ease.
Molly nodded dejectedly as she clicked off the penlight. “Then get some sleep, Artemas, while I think. I’m feeling as cooped up as a chicken in here,” she said, jumping to her feet and wandering about the cave, her voice echoing off the walls when she walked under the twisted stalactites.
“Think away,” Artemas lazily uttered in the darkness, lying down on his side. “Wake me if you think of something good–preferably in the morning.”
“Fine,” she sullenly replied, clasping her hands behind her back as she paced across the width of the cave. She occasionally shot a glance toward the entrance, noting the flashes of firelight and picturing the huge troll Zrugga on his vigilant watch. How could she ever defeat that hulking brute?
Molly sighed with mounting impatience, frustration, and worst of all, hunger. Breakfast at the Inn of the Twelve Horses had been hours ago. Except for a quick bite from their provisions on the way to Three Frogs, that meal had been her largest in over half a day. What she would give for a grilled cheeseburger or a slice of pepperoni pizza right now with a strawberry milkshake to wash it all down. Even the scent of a cheeseburger wafting through the cave would be a welcome treat. Molly shuffled her feet and grimaced. Her imagination was making her even hungrier, leading her no closer to an escape. She plopped down on the cave floor and closed her eyes, at a loss as to what to do while listening to the sputtering flames of the troll’s torch outside the cave.
Moments later, Molly slowly opened an eye and turned her head toward the entrance. As hungry as she was, she imagined that Zrugga would be more famished and miserable than she could ever be. She briefly clicked on the penlight to locate the spot with the largest set of stalactites and then stood directly underneath them. Molly knew she couldn’t overpower the troll, but maybe she could get rid of him.
“Artemas!” she cried, her voice echoing throughout the cave. Molly was certain Zrugga would hear her side of the conversation.
“What’s the matter? I haven’t even had a chance to doze!”
“I’m hungry!” she said, her words reverberating in the darkness. “I need to get some food in my stomach or I’ll faint!”
“Maybe our troll friend outside will find something for us in the morning,” Artemas said. “In the meantime, go to sleep. And quiet down. You’re awfully loud.”
“But I need food! Don’t you understand? I’m not a magician after all,” she complained. “Maybe you can go without a slab of grilled beef or steaming baked potatoes for days at a time, but I can’t!”
“Enough, Molly!”
“At least the trolls in that other cave had food and were nice enough to give me some scraps.” Molly smacked her lips. “I don’t know where they got it, but one of the guards roasted some game over a small fire and the scent filled up the whole cave. One of the trolls must have brought some provisions from the woods. Oh, it smelled so good!”
“Shhh! Keep quiet, Molly, before Zrugga barges in.”
“I don’t care!” she replied. “All I can think about is that roasting meat–wild squirrel, no doubt–skewered on a stick over a fire as the juices dripped and sputtered in the flames. Who would have thought freshly skinned game could taste so good? But one of the guards tore off a sizzling strip and gave it to me to try. Delicious! And they even had a few juicy apples, too! Don’t know where they got those from, but I saw the trolls devouring those like they’d never eaten an apple in their lives. They didn’t give me one, but they sure smelled good. So sweet and crisp as if you had just plucked them from an apple tree on a cool autumn afternoon. I could go on forever.”
“Please don’t!” Artemas insisted, fearing that Zrugga might show up any moment.
Molly had the same fear at first, so she plunged into her food story as fast as she could, hoping her words would make the troll stop and listen. And they did so perfectly. For at that very moment, Zrugga stood outside the entrance listening in, hearing every word of Molly’s that echoed throughout the cave. He was about to barge in as soon as her words drifted outside and disturbed his rest, but Zrugga was instantly captivated by Molly’s description of an apparent banquet only a few caves away. The troll listened to the mouthwatering details as his imagination carried him away to the most splendid feast ever. His legs and knees quivered from hunger. How dare his fellow trolls send him off alone to guard this cave while they gorged themselves on the best fare the wild had to offer! It wasn’t fair. He had to find a way to join them before he starved to death.
“Maybe you’re right, Artemas,” Molly sadly replied. “I’m only making myself feel worse with each roasted squirrel leg I think about or every seedy apple core I imagine myself gnawing upon. I think I will go back to sleep.”
“Those are the first sensible words you’ve spoken in quite some time,” Artemas said. “Now good night to you!”
“Good night, Artemas,” Molly said, lying on the floor and curling up in a bundle. “Wake me when life is worth living again!”
Then she went silent.
Zrugga stood outside the cave entrance for nearly twenty minutes, listening to the heavy breathing within. Apparently his prisoners were fast asleep, but he knew he still had a duty to guard them. Zrugga turned around and gazed into the darkness, facing south where the other caves were located. He sniffed the air, believing he could detect a hint of roasted squirrel in the air, picturing the other trolls indulging themselves in two or even three meals until they were beyond stuffed. It really wasn’t fair!
He could tolerate it no longer. Zrugga tiptoed into the cave and listened carefully again. Though he could see nothing, he clearly heard the breathing of two individuals. The girl’s breathing was particularly loud. They were surely in a deep sleep, he was convinced, not to awaken for hours. The troll stepped out of the cave and fidgeted about for another ten minutes, debating what to do. But his growling stomach could take it no longer. After one more quick listen inside the cave to make sure his prisoners were indeed asleep, Zrugga grabbed his torch and trudged along the rocky terrain. He followed the mountains south, determined to meet up with his fellow soldiers in their cave to enjoy a well deserved meal.
Molly lay inside as still as stone, facing the cave entrance. One eyelid was raised slightly all the while so she could observe the flickering glow of the torch outdoors. When the light faded and turned to darkness, she opened both eyes and smiled, picturing Zrugga marching along the barren landscape in search of a meal that didn’t exist. She wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, knowing her voice would carry. Molly contented herself with a sweet and silent victory.
“Gotcha, troll!” she thought, beaming with quiet pride. Then her mind quickly shifted gears. It was time to escape.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Voices in the Dark
Artemas opened his eyes to a blinding light.
“It’s time!” he shouted, sitting up in a cold sweat.
“Calm down,” Molly gently replied, lowering the penlight. “You must be dreaming. We’re still inside the cave.”
Artemas wiped his brow, exhaling deeply as he looked about in the gloom. “I guess so,” he said. “What time is it?”
“Still early in the evening. And speaking of time, what were you dreaming about? It’s time for what?”
Artemas shrugged. “Um, I’m not sure,” he said. “I seem to have forgotten the dream already.”
“If you say so,”
she said, offering him a hand up. “Zrugga is gone, by the way. We have to leave now before he discovers there’s no squirrel buffet at the other cave.”
“Hmmm? I must have missed something.”
“You mean you fell asleep as I recited my imaginary menu?” Molly said with a laugh, quickly explaining how her deception had gone off without a hitch. “Now, not meaning to be pushy, but on your feet. We have to leave immediately!”
Artemas stood, slowly stretching as he rubbed his lower back. The glow of Molly’s penlight revealed the worry and anxiety etched upon his face. “Do you think it’s wise to leave right this minute? There may be other trolls wandering about.”
Molly grabbed the magician by the hand and led him to the front of the cave.
“What has gotten into you, Artemas? I’m getting the feeling you don’t want to escape,” she said, shaking her head in confusion. “You’ve got to get out of here before Belthasar returns. We’re doomed if that happens.”
“Very well,” he replied. “I suppose I’ve had one too many adventures up to this point. Maybe I’m losing my nerve. We can hide among the rocks until morning.”
“We’ll make a beeline for the Gray River is what we’ll do,” Molly said as they bounded through the cave opening into a blast of cool night air. “There’s no way we’re hanging around this place!”
Molly aimed the penlight at the ground, illuminating the rocky terrain. The bright blue light cast an eerie glow upon the harsh and sterile landscape, overwhelming her with pangs of emptiness and isolation. But she knew she had to keep a sharp lookout. Though they weren’t very high in elevation, one wrong step could mean a twisted ankle or a bone-breaking tumble. Then they both saw a torchlight approaching in the distance. Molly quickly turned off the penlight as she imagined Zrugga storming furiously at them with his club swinging through the air. Suddenly a fall upon the rocks didn’t seem so bad.
“Now what do we do?” she whispered, looking frantically about. There was no place to hide nearby. Only the darkness could conceal them, though Molly felt certain that the penlight had already given them away.
“We should go back to the cave,” Artemas suggested.
“No way!” Molly said, grabbing his cloak sleeve and heading left. “This way!”
They had only taken a few steps in the murky shadows when Molly saw the torchlight swiftly drawing near. Zrugga was running, no doubt having spotted them. Her pounding heartbeat echoed in her ears. Molly bent down, feeling for a loose rock to use as a weapon, but found none.
“Stones everywhere except when I need one!” she muttered, glancing up at the torchlight. “No more time, Artemas. We have to run!”
“But it’s too dark, Molly!”
“Either that or face a troll. Your choice!”
“Since you put it that way…”
Molly and Artemas scurried down a small incline as best they could, ready to bolt as soon as the ground grew level. A cool breeze brushed against their faces as small breaks in the clouds opened above, allowing a handful of stars to peek out. But the torchlight continued to advance from their right, gaining speed.
“Get ready to run, Artemas,” Molly said. “I think the terrain gets flatter up ahead. Are you with me?”
Artemas was about to reply but grabbed Molly instead, pulling her to a stop as the flaming torch sailed through the air in a series of fiery somersaults, landing several yards in front of them. The torch burst into sparks when it hit the ground, yet still burned, casting a red and orange glow upon the land.
“Don’t go any farther!” a voice commanded as a dark shape raced toward them, scrambling across the rocks as agile as a tiger. “It’s not safe that way.”
Molly breathed heavily as Artemas stood in front to protect her, though they both now knew that it wasn’t a troll who pursued them. The stranger picked up his torch and signaled them to approach. Molly clicked on her penlight as she and Artemas walked over, aiming the light near the man’s face. She recognized him instantly.
“What are you doing here?” she said with a mix of surprise and caution, facing one of the half dozen men she had spotted at the Inn of the Twelve Horses.
“Trying to save your life, Molly Jordan,” he said, slightly out of breath. “Look!” He pointed to the area that she and Artemas had been running toward. Just beyond it was a long and narrow crevice gently curving like a sleeping snake. “It’s not very wide, but running straight at it in the darkness would have proved disastrous!”
“Who are you?” Molly asked, no longer suspicious of the man as she had been at breakfast. Though unshaven and weather-beaten, he didn’t appear so threatening under these new circumstances.
“My name is Ardon. But if you follow me, Ulric will explain everything,” he promised. “It is not far.”
“He and the others are safe then?” Molly asked.
“Quite safe,” he said, walking alongside the crevice and signaling them to follow.
“There may be a troll on the loose,” Artemas warned as he and Molly trailed after him. “A very large troll.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that one,” Ardon replied. “But as I said, Ulric will explain everything. Hurry now.”
Molly deeply inhaled the lively scent of fresh grass as if it were a gust of pure mountain air. She smiled when feeling the spongy cushion of green under her boots, though it was now shrouded in darkness. And her heart nearly burst in joy when she heard her brother’s voice and saw his grinning face in the gentle torchlight.
“About time you showed up,” Christopher said.
Molly wrapped her arms around him. Also greeting her, Artemas and Ardon were Ulric, Garrin and Collus, along with four more of the six men she had spotted at the inn. They were on the edge of the plains north of Three Frogs, resting as a cool breeze swept by, slowly breaking up the clouds above. One by one the stars popped out, appearing like hundreds of winking eyes as the gauzy cloud remnants drifted eastward.
“What’s going on?” Molly asked. “I thought I was the escape artist. How’d you all get here?”
“A little planning ahead,” Ulric casually said as he lounged on the ground. “And now that you and Artemas have joined us, we can go.”
“Go where?” Artemas asked.
“To the encampment.” Ulric stood and pointed to an area left of Three Frogs.
Molly and Artemas turned around and looked. The soft glow of dozens of campfires lit up the southeastern edge of the plains less than a mile away. There, King Rupert waited with three hundred of his finest soldiers. Round tents with wide vertical stripes of green, silver and yellow had been hastily pitched as horses grazed in the tall grass and small meals were heated over snapping flames.
“Where’d they come from?” Molly whispered in awe, wondering what had happened in the last nine or ten hours since she had been pulled off her horse by a troll. “I get stuck in a cave for a while and the whole world changes.”
Ulric happily explained as they walked to the encampment, staying just on the edge of the plains as they made a large semicircle around the eastern side of Three Frogs.
“As I mentioned before, it’s wise to think a few steps ahead of your adversary,” Ulric said. “That’s why I sent Ardon and the others to the Inn of the Twelve Horses ahead of us. After our meeting in King Rupert’s chamber, I instructed Emmett to prepare a team and send them to the inn. As we didn’t know what to expect while following Artemas, I thought it best to have another set of eyes keep their eyes on us.”
“Clever move. But you could have let us in on your little secret,” Molly said.
“Not that I wouldn’t have trusted you,” Ulric replied. “But since it would be utter foolishness to reveal our tactics to the enemy, the fewer people who knew of the plan, the better.”
“A wise policy,” Artemas agreed. “Very wise.”
“By the way, I’m happy to see you in such good spirits, Artemas. Belthasar’s influence upon you seems to have faded,” he remarked. “Your cl
ever dispersal of clues to find you proved very effective. How did you manage that?”
“As I told Molly earlier, I really cannot say,” Artemas said with a sigh. “It is all a big mystery to me. Perhaps Belthasar was laying a trap that backfired. After all, I did escape, thanks to Molly.”
“We can discuss it in more detail at the encampment,” Ulric said, noting that Artemas appeared tired and not in the mood to talk.
“I want to know how you escaped, Ulric,” Molly inquired. “And what happened to you, Chris? I saw you run north just before I got pulled off my horse. And how did King Rupert’s army get here, too?”
“Anything else you wish to learn before I begin?” Ulric asked with a chuckle.
He quickly explained that he had sent Christopher to the nearest outpost to send warnings to King Jeremiah about the impending troll raid and to King Rupert about the situation with Belthasar. Ulric hoped that Christopher would meet up with one of the six men from the inn since they had been secretly following on the plains.
“Only Ulric didn’t plan on Rogus chasing me to the woods,” Christopher said, describing his encounter with Bolo and the other trolls and how he pretended to be Belthasar in order to escape. Molly was impressed as he detailed his dramatic acting skills. Then after Christopher met the two men from the inn who had secretly followed him into the woods, one of them, Tandrak, returned to the outpost to send warnings to the two Kings. Ardon, the second man, and Christopher left to meet up with the four other soldiers from the inn.
“And then they rescued you from the caves?” Molly asked.
“Just as Ulric had predicted,” Garrin said. “After Belthasar finished questioning us while inhabiting that Fennic character, he left me, Ulric and Collus tied up in one of the caves. Only two trolls guarded us. The other trolls went with Fennic to plan their strategy elsewhere.”
“Those two guards were less than enthusiastic about their duties,” Ulric pointed out as he walked through the grass. Molly attempted to keep up with his long strides. “When darkness fell, the remaining five of my men from the inn along with Christopher easily defeated the two guards and freed us. We left the trolls tied up in their own cave.”
The Endora Trilogy (The Complete Series) Page 62