Chapter 48 - Troll Hunt (Start of Book 2)

There was nothing like a troll hunt to wake you up in the morning, or so Hump had thought. So far, their hunt had consisted of camping atop a small slope that overlooked its cave while Celaine tried ceaselessly to pound in the lessons that every Dragon Keeper must know, as she had done for the two weeks since they left Bledsbury.

Today, that lesson was working on developing an empathic connection with the hatchling. Or as Bud had so aptly put it, ‘Egg Bonding’.

“Wolf dragons are pack animals,” Celaine had explained. “They’re extremely sociable creatures and it starts in the egg. In the same way we talk to unborn babies, they connect with their hatchlings and share with them their emotions and images of the outside world. If you can’t manage it, the hatchling won’t know how it should behave.”

He understood that, but it didn’t make it any easier.

Hump sat with the wolf dragon egg in his lap doing his best to focus on egg bonding instead of the troll cave barely a dozen metres from where he sat. He felt the warmth of the egg in his hands, the sharp but smooth scales, the faint pulse of life and essence within. He directed his own essence toward it, surrounding the egg and letting its power mingle with his own.

Celaine had told him to imagine an experience that he could remember vividly; to focus on the smells and the sounds, the colours and the feelings that he’d felt there. Choosing a subject was easy. He remembered nothing more vividly than the moment he shared in the memories of the wolf dragon. They were imprinted as firmly in his mind as she was on his soul. The feeling of plummeting through the sky toward the forest, the wolf dragon pack at his side. The thrill, the scent of fresh soil and vegetation, the sound of the birds as the squawked and fled in fear.

He held that in his mind for what felt like a few minutes, channelling his thoughts toward the egg just as he would his essence. Surrounding it in his mind and willing it to accept them. He got nothing. No answer. Not hint that the egg was anything more than a stone filled with essence. Hump opened his eyes and let out a frustrated breath.

“It’s not working,” Hump snapped. “Are you sure I’m doing it right?”

“Well obviously you’re not,” Celaine said. “Otherwise, it would be working. It should come naturally. You need to feel the hatchling,” she said, pushing her hands through the air in a slow, irritating motion, “and open yourself to it.”

Hump glared at her. She was dressed for a fight. A worn green cloak over her leathers, and a light chainmail vest poking out from beneath a green top. Her boots were of good leather and nearly tall enough to reach her knees.

“That’s what I’m doing!” Hump snapped. “Are you sure you’re telling me right?”

Celaine frowned. “There’s no use getting angry at me. I’m just relaying the lessons I’ve heard a thousand times. You’re the one that can’t do it.”

“Gods mercy,” Hump said, thumping his head against the tree at his back.

“For someone with such a poor view of the gods,” Bud said, “you certainly beseech their name a lot.”

Hump turned his glare on the knight and clenched his jaw. “I’m just that desperate,” Hump growled.

Bud grinned. “Sorry. You can do this!”

Hump sighed. The knight was sitting up against a tree at the edge of the outcrop, keeping watch over the cave while he and Celaine trained. He wasn’t much good as a scout. His rusty chainmail armour making him as close to a great big shining lump of metal as one could get out in the forest, but Hump had set up a Hidden Fire veil around the camp the night before. It should be enough to keep him hidden long enough for their ambush to work.

“Just relax,” Celaine said. “Come on. Try it one more time. Take your time and it will come. I’ve never known of a Dragon Keeper that couldn’t figure it out.”

“Great,” Hump said. “I guess I’m just an idiot.”

Celaine rolled her eyes. “I didn’t say that!”

“Sure you didn’t, but you’ve been thinking it. Two weeks and there’s been no progress. I might as well be talking to a bloody rock.”

Celaine leant forward, resting her elbows on her knees and massaging her head. “Did you argue with your master like this whenever you couldn’t do something?”

“Never had that problem,” Hump retorted.

Celaine scoffed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hump growled.

“Nothing. You’re just so modest I was lost for words.”

Suddenly, Bud shushed them. “Stop arguing!” he whispered.

“She started it,” Hump grumbled.

“Actually,” Bud said quietly, his attention on the clearing below. “This time it was you.” He jabbed a finger toward the bottom of the slow. “And it’s time to end it. The troll’s here.”

Hump and Celaine shared a look. Hump quickly returned the egg to its pouch and together they crawled over to Bud’s side on all fours. The ground was wet against Hump’s knees, it had been raining the day prior.

Down below, the forest troll lumbered out from amongst the trees. The creature stood half again as tall as Bud, and about as bulky as the scaled brutes they’d faced in the dungeon. Its skin was leather brown and thick, green mossy hair covered it in patches. At the right angle, it might have looked like a rotted tree, from this one it just looked like a stinking mass of angry muscle and teeth. It dragged an entire cow behind it, which did nothing to help Hump’s confidence.

They’d taken on the quest at Kelwoth, a small village mostly made up of farmers. The troll had moved in roughly a month ago and had been killing their cattle. The men of the village had already attempted to hunt it down themselves, but it hadn’t gone well.

Trolls were dangerous in a fair fight, even for a party of adventurers. To the inexperienced… well, the villagers had lost one man, and another was badly wounded. Hump counted that as lucky. Their regeneration in combination with their strength made for a deadly foe. Suffice it to say, the villagers hadn’t been too enthusiastic about leaving the job to three ‘kids’.

But the job paid six silvers, which wasn’t half bad for a couple of days’ work.

“Celaine, you ready?” Hump asked.

Celaine didn’t answer. She slid her bow from her shoulder and gently nocked an arrow.

“One clean shot through the eye,” Hump said. “Nice and easy, and we can get back to the village without a fuss.”

“I know what I’m doing, Hump. Let me concentrate.”

Hump drew a deep breath and pressed his lips together, forcing himself not to say anything.

The troll stomped closer, then stopped outside its cave, sniffing the air. Hump licked his lips; technically, his veil should prevent it from detecting them, but it was far from a flawless veil and he was pushing the limits of its design.

Celaine stood, drawing her arrow back, eyes fixed on the troll below. Her body went taut as the bowstring itself, and Hump felt essence stir. It streamed from her in faint green trails of smoke, barely visible in the overcast forest. The arrow glinted silver, and Hump felt power at its core. The troll must have sensed it too as its head snapped around to face them.

Too late. The bowstring thwacked; the arrow pierced through the air in a silver flash, and thudded into the troll’s eye.

It reeled, letting loose an ear-piercing screech, dropping the cow and flailing wildly at the arrow in its eye. It yanked it free, a glob of flesh coming with it. Its pained howls echoing through the forest. Then its one good eye settled on them. It roared, spittle and blood spraying from its mouth.

“It’s not dead!” Bud said urgently, rising to his feet and drawing his sword.

“Shit,” Celaine said. She slid another arrow onto the string and loosed it, piercing the troll through its collar, just below the throat. A second arrow buried itself beside it a moment later, then another. The troll didn’t even bother pulling them free.

It charged. Long, heavy strides pounding up the slope toward them.

“Well, you can’t say I missed,” Celaine said. “Time for plan B.”

“Bud, go left,” Hump said. “I’ll blast it, Celaine will shoot it in the other eye, then get in close and finish the job. It won’t put up much of a fight if it can’t see.”

“Got it,” Bud said, already racing to the left, his armour chinking. Hump felt a chill in the air as the knight began to channel Heart of Frostfire, enhancing his speed and strength.

Hump willed his essence into his staff, and the power flooded from him. It was nothing like before; his essence moved at the slightest push, gushing from his core and into his staff. The runes along the shaft of the staff flared and essence filled the focus until it shone with bright blue light. He levelled his staff at the nearing troll.

“Blast!” Hump barked. A wave of blue essence exploded from his staff. He tried to direct it at the troll’s chest, but his power burst through his restraints, filling the air between them and completely encompassing the troll from view. It tore up the ground, sending rocks and shrubbery flying. A chill lanced through Hump at the sudden loss of so much essence.

The troll staggered back, nearly falling down the slope, barely keeping its balance. It wasn’t down, but it was vulnerable.

Celaine shot another arrow, catching the beast just beneath its remaining eye, where it dangled loosely from its cheek. The troll screamed again, pulling at the arrow, but it lost its footing. The giant creature crashed to the ground and rolled down the slope.

Bud charged in from the side, the air shimmering with a cold blue chill around him. Ice crusted the ground at his feet as he ran. The troll scrambled onto its knees and swiped at Bud, but the knight stepped to the side and brought his blade down on the arm instead. The blade blazed with frostfire as it carved through scaled hide and bone, severing the limb at the elbow. Crystals of ice formed along the wound, expanding within the flesh of its arm and poking through its skin.

The troll shrieked, lashing out at Bud with its claw in a frenzied rage. Bud dodged back and raised his sword to finish the job, when a boulder hurtled through the air toward him.

“Bud!” Hump roared.

The knight glanced up, eyes widening. He threw himself to the side as the boulder crashed into the ground where he had just been with an almighty thump, as another troll charged into view, bellowing a roar.

“They never mentioned a second troll!” Bud shouted. He hurried to his feet, dodging around a tree as the wounded troll scrambled after him on all fours—well, threes.

“Finish it off,” Celaine said, already running down the slope. “I’ll hold off the other one.”

“Be careful,” Hump called after her.

“When am I not,” she retorted, loosing an arrow into the second beast, cutting its roar short.

The wounded troll floundered to its feet and turned its disorientated eye on Bud. Hump opened what used to be his potion pouch and pulled out a handful of sharp rocks. Gathering his will, he channelled essence through his hand, filling them. Empowered, he threw them forward. “Rockshot!”

The dozen or so rocks shot forward, trailing bronze light as they peppered the trolls back. It fell to its knees, raking at its back with its claws. Bud lunged forward, shining streaks of cold light radiating from him. Empowered by Kelisia’s blessing, he raced across the distance, sword swing at his side. The blade carved a line through the troll’s neck.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then slowly, its head toppled from its neck and hit the ground with a thump. Its body slumped, then fell beside it.

The other troll let loose a roar that made Hump’s heart stop.

“Watch out!” Celaine shouted.

It was upon them so fast Hump had hardly turned, but Bud charged to meet it. He jabbed at it and the troll caught the sword with its hand, screaming as frostfire froze it solid. But it didn’t stop. It kicked Bud in the chest and sent him flying.

Before it could give chase, an arrow struck it from behind the knee, piercing all the way through until the arrowhead stuck out through the kneecap. Its leg gave out beneath it and it tripped, falling to the ground.

“Celaine, get out of the way!” Hump shouted, gathering his essence for another blast spell, this time infusing it with fire essence. The runes smouldered, the focus blazed red. Hump levelled his staff at the troll as it struggled to rise, and snarled, “Blast!”

The world erupted in fire. Hump winced as the heat of the air scorched his face and a cone of fire filled the world in front of him. Beyond it, he heard the troll’s agonised screams. Hump willed the supply of essence to stop, but it responded slowly, the jet of flame narrowing to a faint steam before finally going out. He gasped, catching his balance on a tree at his side. A wave of tiredness washed over him.

Before him, the troll writhed on its side, its flesh blistered and bubbling. Its body blackened and charred. Good luck healing that, Hump thought.

Celaine rushed forward and buried a silver arrow through its skull at point blank. The troll let out one last breath and went still.

“Are you both alright?” Celaine asked.

“I’m good,” Bud rasped. The knight was flat on his back, arms outstretched on either side. “Just need a moment.”

“I’m fine too,” Hump said. Across the clearing, the leaves on the lower half of a tree smouldered. If it hadn’t rained the night before, he could have started a forest fire. It had been messy work. While his essence came to him more easily than ever, he could barely control even a fire infused Essence Blast. Whatever the dragon’s imprint had done to him; he was one step away from being a liability.

“Two trolls,” Celaine said. “They better pay extra for this.”

“Don’t count on it,” Hump said. “They didn’t look like they had much.”

“And they didn’t seem to like us much either,” Bud added.

“Well they’ll like us now,” Celaine said. “I think they don’t think they believed we were adventurers even when they saw the medallion.”

“I’m getting tired of being mistaken for a criminal,” Bud said. “First a bandit, now a conman.”

“You could always let out a bit of your frostfire aura,” Hump said. “That’ll sort them out really quick.”

Bud smiled and shook his head. “Kelisia’s blessing is not for personal glory.”

“Besides,” Celaine said quickly, “they’ll have him blessing everyone in the village if he starts showing off. We don’t have time for that.”

Hump grinned. “Good point.” His smile slipped as he looked at the two bodies. “We should probably freeze the heads. It’ll keep things from getting too messy. Can you move yet, Bud?”

“Just about,” Bud said, struggling to right himself. Celaine walked over and offered him a hand, pulling him to his feet with her dragon-blooded strength.

“I’ll get the sack.” He staggered back up the slope to the campsite to fetch his leather pouch. As he returned, he pulled out a large cloth sack that the villagers had given them. “They wanted the head as proof,” Hump said. “We’ll give them two.”

Bud raised his sword, frostfire shimmering along its edge as he swung it down and beheaded the second troll. He held the sword to its head, and the frostfire blazed even brighter than before, filling the air with a cold wind. Once it was frozen, he moved on to the other troll.

Celaine held her hands up. “Just saying it now, I’m not putting them in the sack.”

Hump rolled his eyes and held the bag open. “Drop them in, Bud.”

Bud looked between them both, exasperated. “Nice to see you both on the same page again!”