Ingrid pulled herself up on her hip, propping one arm on the thick green ground. "Where is here?"
"Asgard."
She looked at the young woman with wide eyes and pushed to her knees. Her mouth was suddenly dry and her heart raced like a rabbit for its den. "Asgard? Am I . . . dead?"
Smiling again and shaking her head, "No, sweet girl. I've brought you here so I could explain a few things to you before you go back." She took a hold of one of Ingrid's hands.
Where are my gauntlets? My hands don't feel cold.
"My name is Hnossa. I'm your guardian. You have special gifts, Ingrid. Gifts that we have not seen in a millennia. Long ago, it was foretold one would come who possessed the ability of sight as well as healing. One greater than Groa, wife of the morning star. That person would be necessary to stop a great tragedy in Asgard and Midgard, which could change the future for both worlds. You are that person, my dear."
Stunned, Ingrid sat frozen. I must be dreaming; this can't be real.
"It is real, very much so, and I need you to listen. We haven't much more time," Hnossa said.
"I didn't speak aloud."
"Yes, I am sorry to intrude, but it is important that you learn who you are and what you must do." Releasing Ingrid's hand, she tucked a strand of hair away from her face and took a deep breath. "I wish I could tell you this in a more gentle way, but it is not possible. There is a movement underway by unknown forces that threaten to destroy all the realms. You must develop your gifts to stop them before they finish their task."
A cold chill skittered down Ingrid's spine. "You must be mistaken. I can't do anything great. I can't be who you're searching for." Ingrid clenched her fists in and out. She gasped in quick, shallow breaths.
"I know this must frighten you, but I want to help you. You are not meant to be a shieldmaiden, that is true, because your destiny is something so much more. You are the key to our survival and the only one who can correct the imbalance of our worlds. Develop your skills, but guard yourself. The abilities you own are powerful--there will be those who want to use you for their own selfish gain. Be wary of those who speak in the shadows. We will see each other again."
Every muscle in Ingrid's body tensed. This was what the woman in the woods had told her also. How could this be?
Before she could ask any questions, Hnossa pressed an index finger to Ingrid's forehead and instantly she was freezing, wet, and terrified.
10
Back in the water, clinging to the crate lid, Ingrid tightened her grip on the rough edge, choking and coughing as the icy river sloshed over her face. The current tossed her small body as if it were a reed pulled from the root and the rush of water muffled all sounds. Numbed hands made it hard to keep her grip. Pinching her eyes shut, she waited for her watery grave. Seconds later the swirling water subsided, and she floated calmly along. Tired of its anger, the river pushed her toward the shore. Bumping against the soft mud and spongy reeds, she lay her cheek on the slippery wood and allowed her body time to relax. Freezing, her teeth started clacking together as she rolled off the board. Using her elbows she pulled herself up the bank and onto the mucky shore. Her lungs burned as she coughed up the slimy water she'd swallowed. Mud squished between her fingers and the smell of rotting leaves filled her nose. Insects buzzed around her ears and frogs croaked close by. Ingrid sat up but couldn't see over the reeds. Gray clouds covered the sun, muting all color and pressing cold further into her core. Her tunic twisted around her legs and she bent over to work them free.
A pungent, acrid smell burned the hairs of her nose. Ingrid didn't move. Sucking sounds came from beyond the reeds as something moved toward the edge of the water. Biting down on her bottom lip, she kept as quiet as possible. More sucking sounds showed more than one body getting closer by the second. Hunched over, she tried to spy a quiet way out of the reeds. The air grew thick like cold gravy. Nothing made a sound as if the whole world held its breath.
Something warm and slimy dropped onto the back of her neck, instantly causing her to retch at the smell. She flailed around to get to her feet but found herself lifted and hanging sideways. A spindly, yet strong arm pressed her into a soft, sticky body. Heat rose off the form like fog, blanketing all Ingrid's senses except the need to vomit. Liquid poured from her eyes and nose in response to the smothering fumes of rotten eggs and dead fish. Her insides compressed as thick, gooey slime oozed over her and slid down her neck and into her hair.
Not even The Stinks are this disgusting.
Whatever had ahold of her met up with the others she'd heard moving and they spoke together in a language she didn't understand. Their voices gurgled like stew as it boils and she could hear the dribbling of fluids as the words left their mouths. Whoever, whatever, these creatures were, they were repulsive. Breathing as shallowly as possible, and not daring to open her mouth, Ingrid dangled along, bouncing into the squishy being until she dropped onto the ground, landing on her hands and knees with a splat. She tried to stand, but her feet slipped in the sticky mess all around her and she plopped onto her backside. Lifting her hands, the sticky ooze rose with them as strings of the stuff stretched and clung to every part of her like glue, fighting the bile rising into her throat every second. Hair plastered to her face over her right eye with slime, she opened the other gingerly to a sight she was thoroughly unprepared for. Before her were three of the ugliest creatures, she'd ever seen. Not in any story that Hagen ever told her, trying to scare her in the dark, had such vile, putrid creatures been described. They towered over her as they stood in the shadows of several birch trees, their long, greasy, moss-colored hair falling over hunched shoulders. Each face was full of warts and moles alongside long, prominent noses that dripped long, stringy cords of snot onto their bare rotund chests. Wide frog-like mouths quirked up into fiendish grins as they stared up and down every inch of her. Ragged pants showed from under their overhanging bellies, ripped off at the ankle to expose large hairy feet. Between the four fingers and three toes on each appendage oozed more of the sticky slime. It leaked from their pores and caused trails along the ground, wherever they shuffled their feet, the same sickly yellow color as their skin.
Ingrid wiped her mouth against her shoulder, with little success. "Who are you?" She would have held her nose to block the smell but her hands were so covered in the stench and slime she didn't dare bring them to her face.
The one closest to her spoke in the language she couldn't understand, then looked at her as if it was waiting for an answer.
"I can't understand you. My name is Ingrid, if that's what you are asking."
"You must excuse our use of the old language. We have not come across humans in a long time," the same one spoke as before. "My brothers and I have been away, but it is good to be back." His voice scratched like a wheel without oil and burrowed into Ingrid's ears. "Ingrid, you say is your name?"
She nodded. "Yes, and who are you?"
"Ah, a name is powerful. I will not give up mine as easily as you. We are trolls from the underground. From where do you hail, young Ingrid?"
"I live farther up the river, in a small village. If you allow me to pass, I will catch up to the others I belong with and be away from your home."
"Oh, this is not our home. I think it would be best for you to journey with us instead."
Feeling queasy from more than the smell, Ingrid tried to devise a plan to rush passed the large beings and hurry along the shore. They didn't look quick enough to keep up with her, especially if she darted through the small brush.
Finally my size might be an advantage over an enemy.
Turning to his companions, the leader said something in his strange tongue and they stepped forward faster than Ingrid would have thought possible, grabbing each of her arms.
"Let me go," she wailed.
Not turning his head, the beast called back to her, "You will continue along with us for now." With that the conversation was over and no matter what she said, or how hard she kicked, s
he was trapped, the sticky slime cementing her between her captors in the most disagreeable way.
Overloaded with sensory input, her head swirled, and stuck as she was between the simmering bodies, she shivered with cold. Gooseflesh rubbed against her tunic, still wet from the river. Even though the late afternoon sun hid in the clouds, the trolls clung to the shadows, making the cool breezes more frigid. Somewhere Ingrid had lost one of her gauntlets. Probably in the river.
As afternoon turned to evening then to night, the trolls became more and more animated. Darkness was their sanctuary. Finally they stopped and built a campfire which Ingrid sat as near to as she dared, chattering teeth and blue fingers happy for the warmth. "Where are we going? I think I have a right to know," she said when the chill eased.
"You will make a good servant, we think. We are taking you home to see. If you don't work out, oh well. None the worse for us." The two that never spoke to her made gurgling noises she took as amusement.
"It is time for fun now." All three of them got up and walked into the night, talking among themselves and leaving Ingrid alone by the campfire.
I should run, but which direction? She stood and turned in a slow circle, trying to get her bearings. The landscape had not been familiar to her all day and a sinking feeling washed over her. That's why they don't need to worry about leaving me here, untied. I can't go anywhere, anyway.
She sat back down with force. The trolls were obviously happiest at night and even during the day she'd noticed they never strayed into the light, always staying in the shadows while they walked. Hagen used to tell stories to her and Selby when they were little about trolls and how they couldn't stand the light. What were those stories? Light and what? Ugh, I need to figure this out. Standing up and pacing, she urged herself to remember. It burns or turns them to stone or something, that's it! If I can make it to morning then maybe I can work them into the light, or it might give me a chance to run. The breeze blew from behind her and brought the foul smell of rotten eggs toward her again. The trolls were on their way back. Ingrid sat down again by the fire, fidgeting with her fingers while her mind raced with possible escape routes.
The trolls crashed back to the campfire holding several dead rabbits, which they threw at Ingrid's feet. "Prepare those for our supper, girl," the leader snarled.
"I don't have a knife."
"Use your hands. You have those."
"I can't. You must prepare them yourself, or give me a knife." Ingrid stood and faced the looming monster.
Talking in their gurgling language, the shortest of the three glared at her and spit words in her direction, then grabbed the rabbits and walked away from the fire. Ingrid sat back down and faced the flames, willing herself not to smile.
Not long after, the roasting meat sent a spasm to Ingrid's stomach. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until the sweet smell overpowered the stench of troll and made her mouth water. Ignoring her own stench and filthy fingers, she tore into the meat when it finished with troll-style ferocity. While the meal was devoured, Ingrid continued to think through her memory. She smiled. Maybe all those years enduring Hagen's teasing would come in handy.
"Yum, rabbit and mead, nothing's better!" Ingrid raised her hand in a mock salute to the trolls as if she held a horn of mead. The slurping stopped as the trolls stared at her. Drool and slime hanging from their fingers as they held pieces of meat halfway to their mouths.
"You don't have any mead," the leader said. The others peered at her sideways.
Ingrid raised her eyebrows. "I do, it's right here," she took another sip. "What? Oh, you want some, too?"
The leader eyed her with a menacing scowl, but the other two nodded their heads with enthusiasm. Ingrid made as if she were going to pass her "horn" to them but hesitated. "It's magical mead, you know. I can't just give it to you. You have to earn it first."
The two gurgled at her and gestured for her to share. She pulled the horn to her shoulder and shook her head. "No, I'm sure of it. If magical mead is not earned terrible things will happen."
"How did you get it? I didn't see you do anything to earn it," the leader said.
"Oh, but I did. I earned it a long time ago. Now, I can have it whenever I want." She raised her eyebrows and let out a sigh. "I wish I could share with you, I really do."
"What do we have to do to earn it?" As eager as the other two, the leader leaned forward, his eyes bright with anticipation.
"Well, let's see. There are feats of strength, stealing from a dragon, performing magic, or winning a game of wits. At least, those were the choices offered to me when I earned mine." She took another drink from her invisible cup and licked her lips. Wide-eyed, the smallest troll mimicked her by rolling his long pointed tongue around his wide, amphibious lips. Ingrid clenched her teeth together to control the gag reflex while a pained smile stayed plastered on her lips.
"What did you choose? Surely, we can do anything you did." The spokesman stood and put his hands on his hips. Gurgles erupted from the other two as they talked over each other. The leader joined in and Ingrid sat back, waiting, as they argued amongst themselves for a few minutes. When they stopped talking they all faced her and the leader spoke again. "We will tell you our choice when you tell us what you chose."
"Magic." A genuine smile and a cock of her eyebrow kept the three silent as they stared. Their meal forgotten, they looked at each other and arguing broke out once again. The hissing, gurgling, and spitting that accompanied their language was impossible to understand, but Ingrid picked up on a couple repeated words. Names. I bet those are their names. Interesting.
"We don't believe you. If you could do magic, we couldn't keep you with us. You are lying."
Ingrid stood up, her mouth a tight line of white and her eyes narrowed while she huffed air in and out through her nose. Warmth spread throughout her chest when the leader flinched and the others took a step backward. "How dare you accuse me of lying. Now you have insulted my honor and I won't share with you at all."
"Well, it's too late. You have made the offer and we can make our choice and still have it." The troll poked out his bottom lip, his eyes darting back and forth while he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "If you can do magic, prove it."
"You dare to challenge me?" Ingrid forced herself to stand tall, clenching her fists so they wouldn't see the tremble in her hands. Now what? I don't know any magic. Ingrid sucked in a quick breath as an idea popped into her thoughts. The trolls were all shifting on their feet and making grunting noises from their throats. "Are you sure you want to do that?" she asked and stared at the two weaker ones who looked from their leader to her and back again.
"Yes." It was a statement, but the tone no longer held the menace it had before.
"Fine. Do you see this mark on my face?" She tilted her head and allowed them to look at the mottled purple bruise on her jaw from the fight she'd had in Jorvik. They all nodded at her without saying anything. "Watch."
She closed her eyes and laid her hand on her face, covering the area. Concentrating, she felt her hands grow hot and a pleasing warmth settled into the skin below her palm. There was a tingle at the same time that reminded her of the time she'd snuck a kitten into her bed and it slept next to her face purring. It ended too soon. The sensation faded away. She opened her eyes and pulled her hand away from her face knowing that the bruise was healed.
Another eruption of chatter between the three trolls gave Ingrid time to regain her composure. The bliss she felt while the healing took place left her swaying and drowsy. "I've proved myself, now state your choice."
The troll in charge turned away from the others and they all stood silent. "We are no longer in agreement."
"That is a problem for you then. If you can't choose, I will do it for you. I choose a game of wits. I will make up a riddle and you try to guess what it means."
"No, you could trick us and change the answer."
"I've already proven that I don't lie." Ingrid gave them a sm
ug grin. "We can make it easier if you need it. How about I answer a question that only you would know the answer to?"
All the trolls laughed and jumped up and down with excitement, causing an unfortunate explosion of flatulence. A particularly ripe gust floated toward Ingrid.
Ugh. I didn't think you could be more revolting. "So it's agreed?" A sour taste coated Ingrid's tongue from the fug that hovered in the air. Her stomach wobbled and her jaw muscles clenched as saliva built up behind her teeth, but she swallowed hard and spoke again. "I choose to guess your names."
For a second they stopped again, then a roar of laughter from all three made Ingrid turn her head away from the slime drops that flew from their mouths like sparks from a campfire.
"You will never guess. That was a poor choice, but we are sure to win now so go ahead," the leader spoke with his eyes bright and glistening with his anticipated victory.
Ingrid paced in front of the fire and tapped her chin with her fingers as if she were thinking. The trolls giggled and danced around. She turned and faced them. "I've got them." None of the trolls moved and even the breeze seemed to hold its breath. "Borku." She said it slowly and deliberately, watching their response. "Forgo."
"Stop!" The troll who had done all the talking screamed while the other two howled as if in agony.
Their dancing turned to writhing and bouncing into each other. The screams and howls grew louder until the largest one stopped. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body shook violently. The middle troll fell to the ground and rolled back and forth and the smallest stood still, ragged breaths heaving in and out of his chest. At first Ingrid thought they were acting dramatic because they didn't want to lose. Then a horrendous popping sound made her want to run, but her wobbly legs wouldn't allow it. The largest troll shrieked and exploded, blowing Ingrid to the ground. Seconds later the middle troll emitted an even louder roar and followed the other one into a cloud of debris. The remaining troll spun in circles, screaming in confusion, before he took off at a run straight for Ingrid. She was on her hands and knees and he tripped on Ingrid's huddled form, knocking the wind out of her and sending them both flying several feet away. The troll rolled when he hit the ground and landed back on his feet, barely breaking stride as he kept running. Ingrid watched as he disappeared into the trees and gulped air back into her lungs. Standing, she forced her legs to run in the opposite direction.
Ingrid, The Viking Maiden (Viking Maiden Series Book 1) Page 10
