Page 68 of The Lands Defying
“Kyt.”Yes,the troll replies to me.
Oh my Gods.
Darius loosens his hold on my throat, his eyes still trained on the Troll. The rest of the trolls shuffle, and our small group tenses once again as they move toward the large troll before us, gathering behind him. The next second, they are dropping to their knees, heads bowed with two fingers resting over their hearts.
“Halis,”Heirs, the troll’s voice whispers, and the ground beneath us trembles.
I waver on my feet, Darius’s hands coming to my waist to steady me as I look around in shock as smooth, polished stones appear around the trolls kneeling before us. The colors range from the darkest of black to the brightest of reds, to the deepest of blues, the brightest of oranges. The light reflects a prism of colors on the ground, shimmering in the sun so brightly I have to blink a few times.
“Well, shit,” Leo chuckles, moving to stand next to us as the rest of our group follows.
“Where are they coming from?” Josh asks, stepping up beside me.
“What are they doing?” I wonder as I watch more and more stones appear.
Darius’s breath tickles my ear. “They are an offering to us.”
“An offering?”
He grunts. “Trolls keep these precious gemstones of the land buried deep within the earth. They are a rarity, spoken about in texts, the most prized possessions of the trolls. Not a single gemstone of the trolls has been seen in centuries.”
I look upon the dozens of gemstones in awe, a kaleidoscope of colors littering the ground. “Wow,” is all I say, not sure what it means, but in awe of its beauty. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“They are offering not only the gemstones, Rhea, but their loyalty.” Shock courses through me, and I look over at the troll’s lowered heads, seeing the smiles on their mouths.
“How do you know that?” I whisper.
Darius’s breath tickles my ear. “My library has an abundance of knowledge.”
“Remind me to read more.” I want to know what other wonders are hidden between the pages at his keep.
The ground stops trembling and what I can only presume is the leader of this group lifts his head, a smile still on his face.
“We have been waiting for your return, Heir of Zahariss, Heir of Cazier,” he says, reverence in his voice.
“Waiting for what?” Darius asks, the heat of his body still at my back, still protecting me.
“To right the wrong,” he replies, and a harsh breath releases from me.
“Why do people keep saying that?” I turn my head to the side, looking up at Darius as he peers down at me. “Solvier said that… Belldame, and now...” I trail off, not even knowing the troll’s name.
“Kruten,” he says with pride, and stands, the other trolls still kneeling. “I am the leader of the Troxion Tribe,” he waves a hand out. “Trolls.”
“Nice to meet you, Kruten.” If we ignore that he offered me his cum and made it spurt out of his cock like a waterfall. “Why do you say right the wrong?”
“Rogures,” he spits, and I jolt, feeling Darius tense. “They are unnatural, caused by bad things. Bad blood.”
“Bad blood?” I ask, my brows furrowing. My mind thinks back to what Sam once said about smelling bad iron.
“Do you know how to get rid of them?” Darius demands. “Where do they come from?”
The troll shakes his head. “I do not. Only that they are not meant for the lands. The bad is here too, similar, but more, maybe. Come. I will show you where you can rest safely and we can talk, Halis. It is not good to stand still for too long in The Drylands. It is much more unpredictable since more and more people come through here, as it is trying to defy the bad.” He turns and starts walking between the kneeled trolls.
“What?” I say, peeling myself from Darius and ignoring his growl as I jog over to Kruten and stop him with a hand on his arm. Darius soon rips it off him a second later. A burst of my power coats my skin and I snarl at Darius, but he snarls back.
“Stop it,” I growl at him, annoyed by his overprotectiveness at the moment. “What do you mean more people? Have you seen any wolf shifters?” I rush out to Kruten, my heart beating wildly within my chest.
“Kyt, many wolves. They seem to have set up further north.” I turn my eyes to Darius as the others curse.
