Page 83 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
Bronwynn left her instrument in the wagon and jumped down to greet the troll with a warm hug. When they pulled apart, Bronwynn gave Gerda a pointed look. “It’s wonderful to see you here, if unexpected.”
“And you …” Gerda rubbed her neck, clearly embarrassed at being caught green-handed at a bridge outside of the Dark Enchanted Forest.
I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Do you have a permit to create this troll bridge?”
“It’s not a troll bridge.” Gerda sent me a defiant look, and Bronwynn raised an eyebrow at the clear tension my words solicited from the troll.
I waved my hands at the unassuming bridge. “Then why are you here instead of patrolling your own bridges back home?”
“Reasons.” Gerda crossed her arms and stared at me with a calculating look.
“You’ll need to do better than that.” I had to admit, my curiosity was getting the better of me. Plus, we really didn’t know much about how troll magic worked, and King Keith had been increasingly concerned by its implications, given what we’d learned about Gerda this year.
Bronwynn made an unexpected noise, and I glanced her way. She’d pulled out a pack of nuts and was watching us while she ate them.
At leastshewas having a good time.
Gerda stood quietly in thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’m not making a troll bridge here because it’d be too expensive for me to keep it up.”
She sidestepped more than she gave away in that sentence. Common wisdom was that magical enchantment abilities like Keith’s automatons or troll bridges cost the user an experience penalty if they were defeated.
“I can understand that; it must be costing you a fortune in experience points to be away from your bridges this long. But that still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”
“Bridge troll stuff.” Gerda took a step back, her foot almost touching the bridge but not quite.
“You just said—”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Bronwynn choked on her snacks.
I offered the bard a waterskin from my storage ring. She tentatively reached out and took it; her drink was still on the wagon.
“So you aren’t here to capture this bridge, and you haven’t officially abandoned your post,andyou definitely have nothing hidden up your sleeve. We simply ran into you by chance on this empty road over an hour from the border, and we haveabsolutelynothing to worry about. Is that what I’m to believe?”
Gerda’s cheek twitched, and I could see the smile pulling at her lips. “That’s right, Commander General. Nothing to see here.”
Bronwynn piped in. “So do you need a ride back to the Dark Enchanted Forest?”
She reached out and offered her snacks to the bridge troll, who accepted a small handful of nuts. I listened on in interest, politely rejecting the bag when Bronwynn offered me the same.
“That’s a kind offer.” She hesitated for only a second, casting a side-eye at myself, before letting out a long-suffering sigh. “Actually … how about I giveyoua ride? My new [World Bridge] perk lets me connect and fast travel between any bridge I’ve ever crossed. Even if I don’t claim them.”
“Hence why you’re wandering around in different countries crossing unsuspecting bridges?” I commented. I had to work hard to keep the horror out of my voice. Keith was going to have conniptions.
“Yes.” Her innocent smile was almost as worrying as what she’d just said. She checked the air slightly up and to the right of her face, obviously reading a notification of some kind.
I whistled.
Gerda nodded, pleased with whatever she’d found, and pointed her finger at the bridge. “[World Bridge]!”
The entire structure glowed a stunning aquamarine light. Motes of silver lights danced within the blue.
Bronwynn asked, “Where does it go?”
“Wherever I want.” The troll shot us a knowing smile. “In this case, a half hour south of the Black Fortress. Figured I’d save you a day’s travel.”
CHAPTER 50
