(If you would like, please make a donation to support our friends in Lahaina as they continue to work through the tragedy of the August 8, 2023 fires. You can donate here: The Hawaii Community Foundation. )
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Not Such a Narrow Escape
The sunlight was blinding after having been in a cave for over a day. But as his eyes adjusted Toby took in several things at once.
Off to his right Oliver lay on the ground, his arm over his eyes, moaning in pain. To his left he saw Evy in a similar position, trying to protect her eyes. As he lifted his head and squinted he could see Clygon struggling to get from his knees to his feet.
Standing over all of them were three trolls, licking their fingers, seemingly enjoying the stalactite goop that had exploded over all of them.
And standing at his head was Lucas. Clean as can be. Wearing what looked like expensive sunglasses and a hooded cloak to protect him from the sun. The goop must have missed him.
Saaba was nowhere to be found.
“Here,” Lucas said as he handed sunglasses to Oliver and Evy. “I always carry spares just in case.”
“How… how did you… know… we… would be here?” Toby asked, wiping disgusting stalactite mucus from his mouth.
“I didn’t. It was… what’s the word… kismet.”
“Kisswhat?” Toby asked. Another word I’ll have to Google.
“He’s here to guard the entryway,” Oliver said, putting on the sunglasses.
“What entryway?” Clygon asked, finally on his feet and wobbling over to Toby to help him up.
“Do you want me to tell them?” Lucas asked, but not in a polite way. He was taunting Oliver and Evy.
“This is an ancient entryway into the mountain,” Lucas decided to answer anyway. “I brought these three,” he pointed with his head to the three trolls, “to stand guard over it. Since our home has been breached we can’t stand by and let it happen again.”
“So that’s why you did what you did?” Toby asked Oliver, “because you knew it was a way out? That the ancient door might burst under the pressure? Wow… good thinking!”
But Oliver didn’t have time to acknowledge him.
“So… you’re in league with the trolls now? So much for your Giants Only policies!” Evy snarled at Lucas. She tried to jump up and confront him but she slipped in stalactite pus and fell onto her butt… hard.
“Let’s just say we have finally come to an agreement, one I confess I’ve been working on for some time for such a time as this. We want to keep the world out. The trolls want the Sword. Seems like we can help each other, don’t you think?”
Clygon looked at the three trolls, still busy licking the stalactite goop off of themselves and still enjoying it.
“Do I know you?” Clygon snarled.
One of the trolls stepped forward. Like most of the trolls Toby had encountered, this troll was squat and wide, with dark straw-like hair growing every which way all over his rough-skinned body. The nose hairs were particularly disgusting on this one. A small squirrel could swing from them. He wore some sort of fur cloak. Over his shoulder he carried what Toby assumed was some kind of weapon. The troll had that familiar troll vomit-sweat smell, now mixed with the noxious stalactite odor. The other two trolls looked almost identical to him.
“I’m Hythron.” He mockingly bowed to Clygon. “And this is my younger brother Hythron.” The second troll bowed. “And this is our younger brother, Hythron.” The third brother bowed.
“You all have the same name? That’s… that’s…” Toby said.
“Dumb!” Oliver said.
“Brilliant!” Hythron #1 said at the exact same time. “Made it easier for our mom to remember our names!”
“Yes,” Clygon said. “I remember your family. Not big on the smarts, but well-respected for your muscle!”
The three Hythrons bowed, perceiving Clygon’s remark as a compliment but what Toby was sure, from the tone of Clygon’s voice, was an insult. Or maybe they liked insults.
“Do you know who I am?” Clygon asked.
The three Hythrons moved closer.
“Do you recognize him?” Hythron #2 asked his brothers.
“Nope,” answered #3.
“I don’t think so,” mocked #1.
Toby could see the irritation growing on Clygon’s face.
Clygon stood straight.
“I’m Clygon!”
The three brothers took a step back, seeming to recognize who stood before them.
And then… they broke into huge belly laughs. Tears streamed down their faces. Hythron #1 bent over, barely able to breathe.
“We’re… so… sorry… your excellency…” laughed Hythron #3.
“Actually,” giggled Hythron #2, “we’re not.”
Clygon looked ready to pounce. But then he shrugged his shoulders.
“Did I smell that bad?” he asked Toby.
“Worse,” Toby said.
“Nice chat everyone,” Lucas said, “but I have a new governing body to oversee, giants resistant to our cause to lock up, and now need to figure out what to do with the four of you.”
Toby noticed the sky starting to gray as clouds began to fill the sky. It was then that he realized that they were high up on a mountain. Around him he noticed what looked like giant ancient ruins. Perhaps the ruins from when the giants lived above the ground? He could see a valley below and what looked like a glimmer of a river. The River Glaedaan?
The wind picked up, signaling the approach of a storm.
“We’re not going to get down the hill before this storm hits,” Oliver yelled through the increasingly strong winds. “We need shelter.”
Lucas nodded.
“You three!” he said to the Hythrons. “There’s a small enclosure just off to your right that will give you shelter while providing a view of the area. You can stand watch over there until I can send some giants up to close up this entrance.”
The Hythrons headed off to their post.
“You four, if you give me your word of no funny stuff, can join me in the mountain as we ride out the storm, rather than out here. We’ll spend the night and then head back down tomorrow, stopping along the way to check out the other entrance.”
“The other entrance?” Toby whispered to Oliver.
“We have three total, but we only use one when absolutely necessary. This one here and the one down below have been sealed for centuries.”
Big drops of rain began to pelt them. So they dived back through the mountain entrance and walked down the slippery-from-the-stalactite-goop path a ways until they found a more open area suitable for a fire, for sleeping, and for calls of nature.
They ate in silence, the food provided by the giants made a super-sized drink or extra-large fries look small. But the food was actually quite good. And Toby was hungry.
As they settled in for the night Lucas said, “Oh, by the way, so I don’t forget…” At this he chuckled as if making a joke, “… I believe you have something I need, Toby Baxter. Could you please hand me the Sword? I need to deliver it to Plythar tomorrow.”
“You’re actually going to give the Sword to the trolls?” The tone of Clygon’s voice suggested he was incredulous. There’s that big word again.
“Of course. Why not. It’s useless. It’s missing a piece and there’s no way it will ever be found. But Plythar doesn’t need to know that. We’ll let him waste his time trying to get the Sword to work again while his trolls help make sure that no one ever enters our home again!”
Toby rolled over in his sleeping bag trying to ignore him. But Lucas loudly cleared his throat.
“The Sword, Toby! Now! Or I just might have to get a bit nasty. And Oliver and Evy know what I’m like when I’m nasty.”
“Evy says just give it to him,” Evy said.
“But…”
“Toby,” Oliver said quietly. “Give him the Sword.”
Toby dug into his backpack and pulled out the leather bag holding the broken Sword. He reluctantly handed it over to Lucas, then turned and covered his head with his pillow.
Now what will I do? No Sword. No river elf friends to help. And no Saaba.
And that was his last thought as he fell asleep.
Where’s Saaba?”
Except that that wasn’t the last thought. He had one more last thought. A last last thought.
When he had handed the Sword bag to Lucas he noticed that the Sword didn’t give off a glow.
(Chapter 12: The Hills are Alive, is coming on Monday)
Copyright 2024 Tim Wright