Chapter 23
Returned
A few minutes later, after Kile reminded Robert his Chinook was still hovering around near the tree line on the west side of the clearing, they landed it and carefully prepared it and stored it into Dad’s pack again. The boys were even more proud than before of their choice to go helicopter rather than airplane. It wasn’t just different, it was anti-goblin!
The group of five were just settling their nervous laughs and collecting their thoughts, preparing to enter the troll caves when the ominous sound began thudding to their ears and through the boulders upon which they leaned. Several thuds softly shook the earth for a few seconds and then stopped. Everyone looked to one another, Kile’s face perking up somewhat but still just as surprised as the others were nervous. Then the thudding resumed.
Around the corner of the piled borders protecting the entrance to the troll cave came a monstrously large, bloated and pink creature that must, by Rick’s estimation, be at near 14 feet tall. It carried a great staff and upon its head was a fairly crude looking golden crown. As it turned and saw the humans and little troll it grinned and started thudding in their direction. Behind it a second, and then a third colossus creature, only slightly less large, and certainly not much less muscled, thudded along behind him.
Stomping nearly right up upon Rick Jr. and the rest of the human group, Rick’s finger twitched as he carefully rested his hand upon the grip of the M-16.
“Friend,” Kile whispered cautiously to Mr. Johansson.
Rick Jr. nodded ever so slightly. Still the same the beast noticed the weapon and glanced at it momentarily, grin dropping only slightly. The trio of adult trolls stopped within inches of Rick and King Karapace bent low to address the human. His voice rumbled something in Trollish and then he stood erect again, outstretching his arms to either direction. He then turned to Kile and spoke.
“T’raeri nang’thul, Kile?”
Kile nodded in return and smiled.
Home at last. Despite his desire to stay with Robert, Kile was relieved to be back home at last.
The second largest troll, slightly darker in color than the King stepped sideways a bit and seemed to be glancing around the glen and into the depths of the thick tree line. He returned his gaze to the human father and pointed at the gun. Then slowly he pointed to the drying husk in the middle of the glade, and back at Rick again.
Rick nodded slowly. Dronosh paused for a moment, then grinned. He nodded and raised both hands in fists before him. He struggled doing so, but managed to raise both thumbs and then smile again.
Human father returned the gesture and stood up, smiling as well. Sara, Marissa and Robert all rose. Robert grinned, happy to see the King in good spirits, and that Dronosh was not ready to eat them this time.
Then the third troll stepped around the King as Karapace continued to have a small discussion with Kile in Trollish. He placed a very large palm upon the man’s head, patting slightly and with his other hand pointed an index finger at his chest. “Pet’s father?” he said looking back at Dronosh.
Dronosh nodded an agreement and smiled. The third troll, Scrimp, grinned too and then removed his giant hand from the human’s scalp. He held it up to his friend and made a sort of pinching gesture with his forefinger and thumb, leaving a couple inches between the two. Both Scrimp and Dronosh laughed. When satisfied Scrimp placed both of his hands upon the human’s shoulders and then pulled him in, pressing Rick’s face into his chest. Once in that position, he attempted to lightly swat the human male’s back with one palm, and then stood him back in his original position.
One thing Rick had learned about first meetings with locals is that one never lets on when a soldier is not entirely comfortable. The slap on his back had hurt like he’d been swatted with a baseball bat a couple times, but he smiled all the same. He stuck his right hand out. Scrimp turned to Dronosh one more time, received a smile and nod and gave the same right back to the other troll and then turned and shook Rick’s hand. By the time the trollish palm engulfed the human’s entire forearm it was more like he was shaking his entire body, but at least he wasn’t lifting the figure entirely off the ground as Little Ricky had received months before.
When the greetings were completed, King Karapace turned to Sara and Rick and pronounced, as best he could, “Thank you. We return Richard.”
Stepping away, the family could see a smallish, Kile-shaped shadow creeping out the entrance, and then, hand in hand with the female troll leading him, came Little Ricky.
Sara ran to her boy and hugged him, crying and lifting him from the ground. Rick stood beside them both and wrapped his arms around the pair as well. Robert and Kile joined them and did their best to enclose them with a ring of smaller arms.
After several seconds of kisses from Mother on his forehead, Ricky said, “Okay! Okay, Mom! I’m fine. You can stop now.”
She laughed and swiped at her tears, setting him back on the ground.
“Man!... Not in front of my friends, Mom!” the little boy said.
Robert and Kile both giggled. Behind them, they could hear Scrimp chuckling too in his deep trollish baritone voice. As the King presided over the reuniting he smiled pleasantly as well. In that moment, Kile knew there could be a treaty between his kind and the humans. Mission: Successful! He could not wait to tell the Queen.
Karapace was about to invite the humans into the cave to see what Little Ricky had experienced and to give a tour of his great city. But then came the goblins’ hooting rally cries. He turned, fixed Rick Jr.’s eyes and said, as clearly as he could muster in the human speech, “Must go now.”
The trio of large trolls nearly had to drag Kile towards the cave as he kept turning and waving farewell. The last thing he said as they disappeared out of site into their cave was, “Use the Jogah!”
Troll Brother Page 62
