Sure enough, the creature that came thumping out across the erstwhile drawbridge was large, wide, and ugly as a bad date on the morning after. In short, a troll. It had a blobby snout of a nose, lanky hair that fell into its tiny, beady black eyes, and sharp snaggly teeth that seemed to go every which way inside its gaping mouth. It wore a ragged shirt and a loincloth, with a rusty but still dangerous-looking sword hanging from a moldy leather belt around its waist.
“What the hell is that?” Jenna whispered, clutching Day’s arm as it came closer, twitching its nose in the air. Trolls had lousy eyesight but a very good sense of smell.
“Rider,” it said in a hoarse voice as soon as it got close enough to recognize at least one of its visitors. “And dinner?”
Jenna squeaked but gamely held her ground.
“Not dinner,” Day said firmly. “My friend Jenna. She is under my protection. And that of the Queen.”
The troll grunted, in acceptance or disappointment, it was impossible to tell.
“What does Rider want?” it asked.
He debated going into the entire I’m not a Rider any longer speech, but decided it would be wasted on the troll. It was best to stick to the basics with such folks.
“We’re looking for something called ‘the Key of Merlin,’” Day said. “Do you know of it?”
The troll spat something green and viscous onto the ground. “I know it. It is mine. You go away now.”
Day sighed. It wasn’t as though he’d really expected the Key’s owner, whoever it had turned out to be, to just hand it over without a protest. But this would have been a lot easier if it had been in the possession of something cute and cheerful, like a sprite. A sprite he could have bargained with. Something told him that dealing with the troll wasn’t going to be that simple.
Jenna started to open her mouth, but he put one hand warningly on her arm. “I know you like to handle everything yourself,” he said. “And I respect that. But I am a lot more familiar with this land and its denizens, and how things work. So let me deal with this one, if you don’t mind.”
She hesitated, and then reluctantly nodded and stepped back.
Would miracles never cease?
“I have need of the object called ‘the Key of Merlin,’” Day said in a formal tone. “I am willing to fight for it. What are your terms?”
The troll stuck one blunt finger into its nostril and dug around for a moment as it thought. “Challenge of wits,” it said finally. “Very traditional. You win, I give you Key. I win, I kill you.”
Jenna let out a muted protest, but Day ignored her. “I win, I get the Key. You win, I give you my magical steed.”
This time there was nothing subdued about Jenna’s response. “Mick! You can’t!”
He didn’t have time to tell her that Krasivaya could take care of herself, so he just concentrated on the bargaining. As the troll said, it was traditional.
The troll eyed the horse avariciously. “Deal. Challenge of wits. I give three riddles. You answer right, you win. You answer wrong, horse is mine.” Its thick tongue licked its chops.
“The Key first,” Day said, and they waited for the troll to stomp inside, root around noisily, then stomp back outside with a small ebony box that almost vanished inside its huge fist.
There was, Day thought, a certain irony to having a challenge of wits thrown down by a barely verbal troll. But there was no question that it knew its proper folklore forms. No doubt something it had picked up when it lived on the other side of the doorway.
“Very well,” he said. “What is the first riddle?”
The troll gave a wide and dreadful smile. Day was guessing that it had seen this very riddle used on someone else, and that someone had failed the test.
“My life can be measured in hours,
I serve by being devoured.
Thin, I am quick
Fat, I am slow
Wind is my foe.”
“What is the answer?” the troll asked.
Day and Jenna exchanged looks. Jenna mouthed, I have no idea, but he just smiled at her.
“The answer is ‘a candle,’” Day said.
The troll growled and gnashed its crooked teeth. “Next riddle,” it said.
“Every dawn begins with me,
At dusk I’ll be the first you see,
And daybreak couldn’t come without
What midday centers all about.
Daisies grow from me, I’m told
And when I come, I end all cold,
But in the sun I won’t be found,
Yet still, each day I’ll be around.”
The troll’s smile grew even more gruesome. “What is answer, Rider?”
Day laughed. “I would be a fool not to get that one, since it is the letter that starts my own name. The answer is the letter D.”
“Wow,” Jenna said. “I never would have gotten that one.”
“LAST ONE,” the troll trumpeted in a loud voice. Day could practically see the steam coming out of its hairy ears. “You not get this one, I think.
“I grow more in darkness than in light,
Can lead the weakest to stand and fight.
I can’t be seen, but can make the heart sing,
I can lift the heaviest burden though I don’t weigh a thing.
Not even death can cause me to shatter
If I am lost, nothing else will matter.”
Uh-oh. Day pondered asking the troll to repeat the riddle, but he doubted it would help. He had no idea.
“What’s the problem?” Jenna whispered.
“No answer, Rider?” The troll took two giant, er troll, steps forward.
He racked his brain, but Day still couldn’t come up with it. He’d never heard this particular riddle before, and for the life of him, he couldn’t think what it meant.
“I’m sorry, Jenna,” he started to say, but before the words could leave his mouth, she said, “The answer is hope.”
It was like a lightbulb went on in his head. Once she’d said it, the riddle was perfectly clear.
“Hope,” he said to the troll.
“No fair!” it yelled. “You cheat! You not answer, girl answer. No fair. No get Key.” It hopped up and down, making the ground shake. “Go away. You lose.”
“What?” Jenna put her hands on her hips. “You never said he had to come up with the answers himself, just that he had to solve your riddles. He has, so give us our prize.”
Day would have explained to her that trolls rarely kept a bargain if they could find any way to weasel out of it, but he was too busy drawing his sword, since the troll had drawn its own and was waving it menacingly through the air.
“Yikes!” Jenna jumped back, getting out of the way just before the tarnished blade whistled past Day’s ear.
Then it was just the dance of the battle, dodging and weaving, the clanging of sword against sword, grunting and cursing. It was wonderful. Day hadn’t felt this alive in ages.
Then it was over. With a twist of Day’s wrist, the troll’s sword went flying to land in the muddy moat with a splash. Something with tentacles reached out and dragged it farther into the muck, leaving nothing but fetid bubbles behind.
“Drat,” said the troll. “Liked that sword.”
Jenna gave a tiny giggle of relief from behind him as Day walked up to the creature with his hand out. Up close, the troll smelled as bad as he looked, but with a final reluctant glare he dropped the ebony box into Day’s outstretched fingers. Then he crunched his way up the stone walk to his lopsided house, stomped inside, and closed the door behind him with a vicious thud. The tower on the side tilted even more precariously toward the ground as they left.
“That was interesting,” Jenna said, wrinkling her brow.
“Which?” Day asked. “The riddle challenge or the sw
ord fight?”
“Neither,” she said. “I’m talking about the fact that you didn’t change shape.”
He hadn’t even noticed. Too busy with everything else, he supposed. But she was right, that was interesting. Not to mention something of a relief.
“I suppose it was because you were never in any actual danger,” he said thoughtfully. “I knew that I could handle the troll no matter what. The shape-changing seems to be instinctive; obviously my instincts knew the troll wasn’t a real threat.” He cleared his throat. “To be honest, I was too busy enjoying myself. I know the situation is dire, but this is the kind of thing I do. I mean, that I used to do. It felt natural.” Hell, it felt great. He felt a little guilty that he was having fun while Jenna was in the middle of a crisis.
“I’m glad,” she said, sounding almost as cheerful as he felt. “I have to admit, it was pretty entertaining. Now can we have a look at that Key, since we went through all that fuss to get it?”
“Sure,” he started to say, when the water in the moat began to roil and churn. Six long tentacles rose up out of the murk with a sucking sound, one of them holding the troll’s sword and all the others being ridden by the thin, scrawny creatures they’d run into before. As soon as Zilya’s minions cleared the surface of the water, they began to let out a high keening sound that seemed to agitate the moat monster even more.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Day said, pulling his sword out of its sheath again. “Don’t you things ever give up?”
“Shit,” Jenna said, not sounding amused anymore. “You are seriously going to have to teach me how to use one of those.”
“Good idea,” Day said through clenched teeth. “Maybe later. For now, take this, but go stand by Krasivaya, please. She’ll kick those bastards into next week before she lets one get close to you.” He handed her a large knife and gave her a gentle shove in the right direction before he went charging into the midst of this newest attack.
Fortunately, this batch wasn’t any better at fighting than the last ones had been—assuming it was even a different bunch, since they were impossible to tell apart. The trickiest bit was avoiding being herded toward the sword-wielding tentacle while swinging his sword in the direction of whichever biesy came closest to him. They displayed a kind of animal cunning, working as a pack, but it didn’t last long against a well-armed Rider—former Rider—with someone vulnerable to defend.
A bobbing, weaving movement brought him up underneath the tentacle holding the sword, and his own sharp edge went whistling through the air to send both sword and tentacle flying. They slammed into one of the biesy, skewering it as an incidental bonus, as the moat creature slithered back below the surface with a bubbling groan. After that, the rest of the demons ran off, leaving their dead and wounded behind them. A different tentacle snaked quietly up to snag the one closest to the water and disappeared again.
As requested, Jenna stood next to Krasivaya, holding the knife in one clenched fist, her tense expression loosening a little as he approached.
“You’re hardly green at all this time,” she said, handing him back the knife. “Either that or I’m getting used to it.”
“Very funny,” he said. “I think we’re safe for now. Did you want to have a look at our prize?”
Day wiped the box off with a large leaf and opened it up to peer inside, Jenna leaning over his arm to see too. Inside, on slightly dingy velvet, there was a shiny blue stone on a delicate chain.
“Oh,” she said. Her face fell. “That’s not a key. He gave us the wrong thing.” She looked at the troll’s house, but obviously didn’t seem inclined to go try again.
Day gave a small laugh. “Remember, in fairy tales, things are rarely as they seem. A key doesn’t necessarily mean the kind of key you were thinking of. If this is the Key of Merlin, it is almost certainly magic. There’s no way of telling what it might unlock.” He handed the Key to Jenna, who tucked it away safely in her pocket, and they rode on to find the next one.
CHAPTER 20
BY the time the abrupt Otherworld night fell, even Day was ready to get off his beloved steed and rest for a bit. The loss of his immortality hadn’t made him as weak as a normal Human mortal, but he certainly wasn’t as tireless as he used to be. Or perhaps he simply hadn’t healed as completely as he’d thought from his terrible wounds.
Either way, he could tell Jenna was starting to grow uncomfortable, so he led them to a spot along their path that had always been one of his favorites. Her gasp of wonder was a gratifying indication that she liked it as much as he did.
“Oh my,” she said as Krasivaya picked her way carefully down the incline that kept their destination hidden from sight until they were almost upon it. “It’s lovely.”
If this place had been on the other side of the doorway, it would have been called an oasis. Here in the Otherworld, there was a circle of low hills instead of sand dunes, but inside them, there nestled a serene pond, surrounded by softly swaying trees that bore various fragrant fruits. The ground was lined with a mossy grass that felt like velvet under the feet, and the three moons reflecting off the pristine waters made the entire dell glow as if lit by candlelight. Tiny azure nocturnal birds with topknots that twinkled like fireflies flitted from branch to branch, making a melodious chiming noise as their feathers moved through the air.
“This is just amazing,” Jenna said as she dropped to the ground. She immediately took off her shoes and walked through the soft grasses with delight.
“It is,” Day agreed, relieving Krasivaya of her burdens and plucking a few fruits down for her to eat along with the grass. There was no need to tie her up, of course. She might wander a bit, but she would never go far.
He started setting up their minimal camp as Jenna gazed around her.
“This is one of the most magical places I’ve ever found in either world.” Day paused for a moment before adding, “I have never brought anyone here before. Not even my brothers.” Somehow it had always seemed too special and peaceful a spot to share with them. He couldn’t have said why it seemed so right to bring Jenna here, but now that he had, he suspected it would never feel the same without her presence.
“I’m honored,” Jenna said, sounding like she meant it. “It truly is magical.” She looked longingly at the water. “I don’t suppose the pond is safe to bathe in. I feel like it has been forever since I’ve been clean.”
Day chuckled. “That water is purer and softer than any you have ever felt in your life; it is even warm. Go ahead and bathe to your heart’s content. I’ll put together dinner for when you are done. I’m afraid it will just be some cold fruits and vegetables, but I assure you, they’ll be delicious.”
She hesitated for a moment. “Are you sure we’ll be safe? I keep expecting those creatures to leap out from behind every bush.”
“We’ve kept moving,” he answered. “I expect they are still trailing far behind us. And it should take them some time to regroup after that fight earlier. But I’ll stand guard, nonetheless. Go, have your bath.”
Apparently that was all the encouragement she needed, since she ran down to the water’s edge, shedding her clothing as she went, sinking into the water with a sigh of unfettered satisfaction.
Day tried not to look, but it was impossible not to stare. Jenna was incredibly beautiful under the moonlight, the rounded curve of her expanding belly only making her more attractive in his eyes. He drank in the sight of her as if it were the finest wine, stowing the memory away for the time when she would no longer be his to gaze at.
She ducked her head under the water and then rose up laughing, her joyous mirth filling the glade with music as she pushed streaming wet hair back out of her face. White skin glistened like satin, tiny jeweled droplets gleaming with golden light. As magical as this place was, it was nothing compared to the enchantment that was Jenna.
Finally, she emerged from the pond, le
aving a dripping trail behind her. She smiled at Day when she saw him standing there, seemingly unself-conscious about her nakedness.
“This is what you call guarding?” she said with a smile. “Anything could have snuck up on us while you were staring at me.”
“Yes, but I would have noticed them as soon as they blocked my view,” he said.
Jenna snorted, wringing her hair out with her hands. “You can have a turn now,” she said. “I’m guessing I could guard you at least as well.”
Day took three long strides toward her, bringing him close enough to reach out and touch her. But he didn’t. Not yet.
“I could take a bath,” he said softly. “But I would rather kiss you.” He held his breath. “May I kiss you, Jenna?”
She put damp arms around his neck. “I was rather hoping you would,” she whispered. “After all, I can always get clean again later.”
Day bent his head down until his lips brushed hers in the gentlest of kisses. She tasted sweet, like berries under the summer sun, and her lips were soft and yielding as she opened them to his exploring tongue. For a long time, they did nothing but kiss, her wet naked body pressed up against his dry clothed one, his arms draped loosely around her shoulders.
Finally, he could stand it no more and he began to move his lips slowly down her body, worshipping her like the goddess she was with featherlight kisses that trailed down her neck, over the line of her collarbone, pausing to tease and suck on her rosy nipples. When she sighed and moaned, he moved down even lower, kneeling before her and pressing his lips to the glorious abundant roundness of her stomach before laying her gently on the soft, soft grass.
Then she reached up and removed his clothing, piece by piece with trembling hands until they were both bare to the night’s light breeze and to each other. Hands explored, mouths tasted, until finally their bodies were joined together in shared ecstasy, their cries rising up together to reach the starless skies.
They lay together for a while in breathless bliss, then, laughing, Jenna pulled him down to the water, where they bathed together before doing it all over again. Apparently, pregnancy had lent her an even greater hunger for sex than it had for food, a fact that delighted them both.
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