Page 28 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

Eyes widening, adrenaline takes hold of my body. A troll nearly triple my height stands with its back facing us. Long clumps of murky hair fall from the creature’s head, clinging to its back. And, gods, the smell? The creature’s rancid odor hangs in the night air. Bent over the horses, it picks one up and slings it over its shoulder.

Letting out a distressed cry, the horse wriggles, trying to get away, but is effectively trapped. Its hooves scratch against the troll’s damp skin while it attempts to kick itself free.

Father’s stories are… true. Creatures of myth truly live in these woods.

“Gods be damned,” Asheros murmurs, taking in the sight.

“Gods be damned is right,” I mumble.

The others emerge from their tents, weapons drawn and at the ready.

“Hey,” Ronan yells, eyes wild with outrage. “Hands off our horses.”

The troll roughly drapes another horse over its other shoulder and then slowly turns around to face us. Crinkled, leathery skin stretches across a large, pointed nose and a round face while beady, black eyes sweep over us.

Its mouth parts into a grin that makes my skin crawl, revealing jagged, yellowed teeth. The troll steps forward, cocking its head slightly as if evaluating its next meal.

“You’re the troll expert, Bladesinger,” Asheros says, not once taking his focus off the beast. “How are we to deal with this?”

“Uh…” I swallow. My instincts are telling me to fight, but I’m still without my blades.

Think, Lymseia.

Clenching my jaw, I recall one of Father’s stories.

“A troll will eat you at the first glimmer of opportunity,” Father had told Vestella and I by the fire one winter night. “But if you can delay it long enough, until the sun rises, it’ll turn to stone.”

“Won’t the troll know the sun’s rising?” I had asked. “Won’t it run away?”

“It will want to eat you too much, you see,” Father had answered with a knowing look. “So much so, it will not realize dawn has come until it’s far too late.”

“We have to stall,” I say, raising my voice so the others can hear. “Judging by the moon’s height, it won’t be long until sunrise.”

“Stall?” Disbelief colors Savell’s words. “That’s the best we can do?”

Sharing Savell’s bewilderment, Orim raises both of his brows.

“Do you have an obsidian blade?” I demand.

“No.” Savell sighs.

“Then you’ll never cut through a troll’s skin deep enough to do any real damage,” I say, keeping my eyes trained on the beast.

“Seriously?” Orim asks.

“Seriously,” I shoot out, moving backward to put more distance between myself and the creature. “Try not get eaten, will you?”

“Eaten?” Ronan’s voice rises to a screech. “What do you mean, try not to get eaten?”

“You heard her,” Asheros bellows, silencing him immediately. “Do as she says.”

Ronan clamps his mouth shut. Orim takes a breath and readies his sword. I inhale deeply through my nose, clearing my mind. When I exhale, I hone my focus on the troll. If I had any weapons on me, this would be the time when I’d adjust my grip, so they’re comfortable in my hands.

The troll lunges for me. Its long arms swing low, fingers extended. Ready to crush me in its grasp.

I extend my knees to jump out of the way, but not a second too late, Asheros pulls me to his body. Shadows erupt around us the moment he tightens his grip on my waist, and we jerk backward.

The troll clasps its fists around thin air and, not realizing it failed to catch me, immediately brings its hands to its open mouth. The creature gnashes its teeth, as if to chew, but frowns when it realizes its mouth is empty. Dribbles of saliva run from the corners of its lips, teeth bared in rage.

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