Troll hunched his shoulders.
“What would you have us do?” Iliff demanded. “Go back to the mines where death is certain?”
Troll grumbled but said nothing.
“Here,” Iliff said. “Why don’t we sit and rest, have a bite to eat. We’ve walked a good bit.”
Iliff found a pair of fallen trees whose crook was dim with shade. Iliff pulled out water and some bread wrapped in cloth and offered them to Troll. Troll shook the bread into his gaping mouth. He squeezed the skin until it was nearly empty.
“Go slow!” Iliff pulled the skin down. “We’ve only so much.”
“Humph. At least we could count on being fed back there.”
“We’re in the domain of the Sun now and we’re Seekers after it. The Sun will provide for us.”
Troll grumbled again.
Iliff turned from his companion. For a long time he just looked around, not quite believing that they had made it out. He leaned back and squinted into the high canopy. He tried to see through the gaps in the sweeping leaves, but there was only a gray field beyond, plain and still. He had just told his companion the Sun would provide for them, but now he wondered. After all, he had been away from the path a long time. Perhaps too long.
As he sat considering these things, the shade of their space trickled forward and spread over the forest floor. The songs of the birds thinned to solitary chirps and the world became overcast. When Iliff looked over at Troll, he found his hand hovering just below his eyes.
“I can see a bit now.”
“Hmm… nightfall,” Iliff said. “Adramina told me of this. Come, let’s get a fire going.”
Troll stayed close as Iliff went about gathering wood. The creature peered here and there at the dimming world emerging around him. He sniffed the plants and the branches of trees and, when he got up enough nerve, prodded them with his club-like fingers. By the time darkness fell, and the fire was good and going, Troll seemed more at ease. He set an elbow into the ferns and lowered himself onto his side. He blew at a small white flower in front of him, making it bob back and forth.
“What’s the Sun?” he asked at length.
Iliff had never spoken to Troll of the Sun, at least not at any length. He did not think Troll would understand; after all, there was still much he himself did not understand.
“It’s where we’re going,” he said.
“Is it another mine?”
“No, it’s not a mine. In fact, where we are going is very high.”
“Are we going to a person?”
“I don’t think so. Or if so, it’s a very great person.”
“Greater than the Boss?”
“The Boss?” Iliff laughed. “Do you consider him great? To me he looks small and round.”
Troll’s mouth quivered as if he wanted to smile. “Why are we going there?” he asked.
Iliff thought for a moment. He thought back to the old man’s story, to what Adramina had told him. He considered his own feelings.
“It’s where we are from,” he said at last. “And we will not know peace until—”
“Not me,” Troll interrupted. “I don’t come from any very high place. Trolls are from the mines, from the dark places.” Then a distressing thought seemed to occur to him. His brow bent and folded. “Is there a lot of light in the very high place?”
Iliff nodded. “I think so.”
“Trolls don’t do well in the light.”
“Did Euclid tell you this?”
“No. Trolls did. The older ones.”
“Well, if it’s any comfort, I’ve been in a dark place too. For as long as I can remember. I was a prisoner before I came to the mines.”
Troll raised his head.
“But I don’t believe I was always a prisoner. No, I’m sure that I was somewhere else before I was there.” He turned to Troll. “How do you know you were always in the mines? Think for a moment. You became miserable in the mines, just as I became miserable in the prison. We wanted to be somewhere else. But how could we want to be somewhere else unless we’d known somewhere else?”
“But why does it have to be the very high place with the light?”
Iliff laughed and pulled his cloak around him. “Much has happened today, and I’m afraid it’s caught up with me. I won’t be able to think about getting anyplace at all without some sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning. We’ll plan our course.”
Troll stood and stretched. “You rest. I’ll nose about and try to find us some food.”
Troll hid the sack of treasures inside a nest of undergrowth and stepped over one of the logs. Iliff rested his head on his bag and watched his companion merge into the deep shadows beyond the firelight. He listened to his crunching, crackling footfalls, first over here and then over there, but never far away.
Iliff’s final, fading thought was that he was very glad to have Troll with him.
Chapter 14
When Iliff awoke, it was still dark, though parts of the canopy were beginning to separate from the graying sky. The fire had gone to ashes. Cold dew dampened the ground around him, but the cloak kept him warm.
He sat up and looked about. The sack of treasures was still in the brush, but Troll was nowhere to be seen. Nothing stirred.
Something crashed off to Iliff’s right, startling him. A deep exclamation followed. Moments later, Troll leapt over the fallen tree with something large and hairy clutched at arm’s length. The animal writhed and hissed and snapped its pointed snout. Troll looked from the animal to Iliff and laughed a stone-filled laugh. Iliff had never heard him laugh before.
“Been hunting it the better part of the night.” Troll’s panted breaths fogged the air. “Almost got away from me there at the end. Had to—”
The animal kicked and twisted from Troll’s grasp; it dropped onto all fours and dashed beneath one of the logs. Troll made a move to go after it, but then cursed and landed on the ground beside Iliff. They listened to it scamper off through the brush.
“Should’ve twisted its sorry neck when I had the chance,” he muttered. He turned to Iliff then and seemed to brighten a bit. “You were right,” he said. “This place is full of life, and even more at night. But I didn’t do very good at finding food, I’m afraid.”
Troll turned out the front pocket of his trousers, and a number of foul-smelling things spilled to the ground. Troll raked them into a pile with his fingers. In the dimness, Iliff could just make out the loathsome creatures, some with scales, some with hair and many legs, some with leather wings—all with their heads crushed.
“I found ’em beneath the fallen trees,” he said. “Caught ’em by surprise. It’s not much, but it’s breakfast anyway.”
Iliff watched one of the creatures flex a leg. “Oh… well, there’s still a bit of bread left,” he said. “I’ll have that. You go ahead.”
Troll shrugged and threw the creatures into his mouth. He crunched them up and swallowed them down.
“Humph. That barely makes a dent,” he said. “We’re going to have to do a lot better if we hope to make it out here.”
While Troll sniffed around their camp, Iliff climbed onto one of the logs and surveyed the landscape. If only there were roots to follow out here, he thought. The forest looked more or less the same in all directions, but the floor ahead of him seemed to be rising, if only slightly.
That would be their course.
* * *
Their pace was good that morning. They followed the gentle upslope of the forest, all the while peering about, assimilating more and more of the new world into their sharpening senses. Iliff continued to marvel over the trees, their expansive height and reach, while Troll seemed more intrigued by the low shrubs that tickled past his legs.
Soon gray light began to filter through the canopy, causing Troll to groan and shield his eyes. Iliff guessed they had walked several miles. He found a place where the shadows were dense and Troll could sit to wait out the day. Troll tucked the treasures beneath his knees
and buried his head in his arms.
“The skin’s empty,” Iliff said. “I’m going to look for water and hopefully find us some food.”
Iliff searched a good distance in each direction, guiding himself by Troll’s rumbling snores, but he had no luck finding water. He spent the rest of the morning combing through the plants nearby. He sampled leaves, flowers, and several roots, but none of them tasted like food. Some tasted as if they might make him sick, and he spit these out before swallowing them.
As the dampness and coolness of night slipped from the forest, the small creatures emerged again. Iliff watched a couple of the bushy-haired ones scurry along a tree branch. At length, one of them plucked a green nut from among the leaves and sat on its hind legs to eat it. Aha! thought Iliff. He scaled the tree, which sent the creatures skittering, and gathered a handful of the green nuts. But when he ground one between his teeth, a terrible bitterness broke over his tongue and set it writhing. He spat out the nut and then spat some more until the worst of the taste went with it.
I’d have been better off partaking of Troll’s breakfast, he thought.
He climbed a neighboring tree, where birds sang and fluttered and the air was fragrant, and discovered small bunches of pale berries. He nibbled one and waited. There was the barest trace of sweetness. He went from tree to tree gathering as many of the berries as he could, and by late afternoon both of his pockets were filled to bulging.
As Iliff prepared to descend, he heard footfalls—too sharp to be Troll’s. He peeked from behind a branch and was surprised to see a large animal walking on all fours. It was long and muscular, its hair glossy brown with a ruffle of white down at its chest. The animal wore a broad set of antlers that branched upward and outward like a pair of hands, except that the ends were pointed and looked very sharp. Iliff clung to the tree as the animal continued to approach. When it was nearly beneath him, it stopped and looked up. Iliff’s eyes widened but the animal’s remained dark and calm, as if it knew all along that he was there.
“Greetings.” The voice was masculine and commanding.
“Um, greetings.”
“I was told of your arrival. My name is Stag. I am a Keeper of this forest.”
Iliff thought it poor manners to talk with so noble-looking a creature from up in a tree. He leapt down and gained his feet. Stag was even more imposing when viewed from the ground, though Iliff sensed that he had not come to harm him.
“Now then, I am Iliff.” He started to extend his hand, but caught himself.
“And what is your business in the forest, Iliff?”
“I am on a quest to find the Sun.”
Stag looked at Iliff for a considerable while. His eyes remained calm and inscrutable.
“I see you speak the truth,” he said at last. “And so you are welcome here. There is no place for untruths in the forest. Untruths are eventually called into account, and often harshly. In the forest everything is laid bare, sooner or later.”
Iliff considered this.
“And your large companion?”
“Oh, Troll. He’s not here at the moment. He doesn’t do well in the light. In fact, he’s sleeping as we speak.”
“A troll, you say?” Stag furrowed his brow. “We haven’t had trolls in this forest for a long time. No, they were driven out ages ago.”
“You know about them?”
“Yes, the stories tell us that they were large and voracious. They hunted anything and everything and consumed to no end. All the forest was their prey, but they gave back nothing of themselves. They consumed but never were consumed. Not even the turning of seasons could fell them, for they lived forever, it is said. Over time they upset the harmony of the forest. Harmony is the most important law here. It is what sustains us.
“A council of my forebears decided that the trolls were in violation of this law. They offered them a resolution. They could remain in the forest so long as they sacrificed one of every twelve of their number on the eve of each spring. This way they would replenish the earth when it was most opportune, and all could prosper in the coming year. But the trolls were defiant and later slew the head of the council. For an entire season they rampaged. This is referred to as the Time of Fire. They would have destroyed everything had it not been for the other councilors who, through cleverness and daring, lured the trolls underground and sealed the way with a giant stone. Balance was restored to the forest, though it took a long while. We have been vigilant ever since.”
Iliff became aware of the distant rumblings of his companion and hoped that Stag could not hear them.
“I trust you understand my concern,” Stag finished.
“I do,” Iliff said. “And I assure you that the troll that goes with me poses no threat to your harmony. He’s not much of a hunter, and I’ll keep watch over him. I own him, in a manner.”
Stag nodded. “Your intentions are sincere, but beware, for according to the stories trolls are intemperate and not easily governed. My advice is to send him back whence he came. But if he belongs to you, as you say, then pass through the forest quickly. Take only what you need and nothing more. If you must hunt, prey on small animals. Do not try to fell the larger animals, least of all the females, for they are sacred. I warn you now that doing so will bind you here until you have restored harmony to the forest. And there is only one way that can be done.”
Iliff met Stag’s grave gaze with his own.
“I trust you need water,” Stag said. “There is a river not far from here. Down that way.” Stag’s antlers pointed to where the forest floor rose before falling steeply. “I will leave you now to your journey. Follow the laws of the forest and I will assure your safe passage. Defy them and I will return with others to enforce the restoration of harmony. There are members of the council more powerful than myself, I assure you.”
“I understand,” Iliff said. “And I thank you, Keeper of the Forest.”
“Is there anything more you require?”
“You have directed me to water. Do you also know the way to the Sun?”
“The Sun is not a concern of ours,” Stag said. “We live in the forest because that is our nature. Humans are different. You walk the earth but aspire to loftier places. You become lost between the two and, instead of harmony, you live in all manner of fear and trouble. I’m sorry, Iliff, but I cannot aid you here. Your search for the Sun is unique to your kind. I can only urge you not to linger in the forest.”
The animal’s ears pricked up. “I must leave now. There is business in the dale. May you fare well on your way, Seeker of the Sun. So long as you are in the forest, I will be close.”
Stag dipped his broad rack and sprang past Iliff. His long, powerful form bounded with ease. Right before entering a thicket, he stopped and turned.
“Your troll remains of great concern to me,” he said. “Watch him closely.”
Chapter 15
Iliff awoke Troll at twilight. After a light meal of the berries he had gathered, the two headed down toward the river. The way was steep and thickly wooded, but they soon happened upon a trail that made the going easier.
As they went, Iliff told his companion about his meeting with Stag. He took special care to explain the Law of Harmony and the consequences for disobeying. He stopped Troll in the middle of the trail to make sure he understood. Troll grumbled and nodded. His hunger had put him in an ill mood. Iliff decided to leave out the part about the trolls’ rampaging and being driven from the forest. He was still trying to make sense of this—as well as Stag’s parting warning.
The river was narrow and wound between stony banks where trees rose thin and sparse. Iliff and Troll arrived with the last of the light. They drank their fill and stretched out among the boulders along the bank.
“There’s one less thing to worry about,” Iliff said, pushing the swollen skin into his bag. “Now it’s only a matter of finding food for ourselves.”
“I’ll hunt again tonight.”
“Yes, but remember what I to
ld you about the large animals. They probably use that path to come down to drink. You mustn’t hunt them. In fact, give them as wide a berth as possible, especially the females.”
“Yes, yes, I know,” Troll grumbled.
Iliff’s sleep was fitful. He awoke often to listen for Troll. In half-dreams he saw his companion crouched beside a boulder, preparing to pounce a large animal of the forest. He saw him wrestle her to the ground, crush her head with a stone. When, in the predawn, Troll returned empty-handed and dispirited, Iliff was much relieved.
“Nothing.” Troll kicked at a boulder. “We were better off up in the trees.”
“Perhaps… but we need water, and the river will lead us upward.”
“What about food?”
“Surely there are some prospects here.”
“Lots of small animals, but they hear me coming,” Troll complained. “They run off before I can grab ‘em. There are large animals too, but I didn’t go near them. Like you told me.”
“Good.”
They ate the rest of the berries and then set out along the bank while the world was still dim. At first the forest stood back from the water, exposing a swath of gray sky that mirrored the course of the river. But after several bends, the trees crowded in with such suddenness that there was nothing to do but enter the river itself. Troll knelt so Iliff could mount his back. He waded through the splashing waters until the trees fell back again and the two were able to resume their journey along the bank.
After dawn they made for the shade of the trees. The sounds of night still pulsed and hummed around them, for the forest was dimmer in the river’s deep valley. Troll found a hollow tree, where he stuffed the sack of treasures and hunkered down to rest.
“Are there any more of those berries?” he asked, raising his dense brow.
“No, I’m sorry,” Iliff said. “I’ll try to find some more food while you sleep.”
He searched the surrounding forest the day long. The bits of sky that peeked through the canopy remained gray. The trees stood silent. Many times Iliff sensed that he was being watched and would turn expecting to see Stag, but there was only the dense green of the forest. Iliff regretted now that he had not asked him where to find food.
Escape (The Prisoner and the Sun #1) Page 9
