by Tracy Lauren
It’s a monster that stands before me, the thing mothers warn their children about. A thing of nightmares.
His brow is harsh and his skin is as leathery as his worn boots. Yellow eyes bore into me. He has piercings, gold rings clipped to different parts of his face and ears--his tall and pointed ears. His nose is flat and wide, the septum lower and closer to his mouth than it would be on a human. And his mouth… Oh, his terrible mouth! Fangs jut from between thick lips and he’s so close to me I can feel his breath, hot on my skin. He could rip my throat out and add my bones to his loincloth if he wanted to and I could do nothing to stop him.
He scrutinizes me for so long that I think I might snap under his gaze. Then, he turns his attention in the direction of the flowing water, cocking his head as if listening for something.
Still, I fight against him. I’m helpless compared to his strength though. He doesn’t even seem to be aware of my nails digging futility into his wrist. So I let go of him and skate my hands along the stone wall he has me pressed against. The bridge is old, the oldest thing I’ve ever seen, and luckily one of the stones wobbles. Desperate, I scrape at it and it comes loose in my hand. Fearful of losing my opportunity, I swing it at the troll, aiming for his brow and connecting.
He flinches, releasing his hold on me and checking his eye--dabbing it with his fingertips, looking for blood. My feet hit the ground and I scream as I fight my way along the muddy bank.
But there’s no one here to save me. No one who will hear my screams. No one besides the orcs, of course. And they answer my cries with their own. I suck in a breath of air, hating my stupidity. Still scrambling in the mud, I turn in time to see three orcs dive over the side of the bridge, landing between me and the troll.
They’re all grey flesh and milky eyes, yellow rotted teeth, and wounds that won’t heal. They look at me with hunger in their eyes and my scream dies on my lips. There’s a dizzying moment when time stands still, as they take me in. But it’s quickly shattered by the bellowing roar of the troll.
The orcs spin to face him and I take the opportunity to claw my way up the muddied bank. I hear metal clashing and don’t look back. Once on level ground, I hike up my skirt to run. My feet pound the dirt. Fear and adrenaline carry me faster than I would have ever given my body credit for. I remain close to the flowing water. The monsters will end their battle soon and the victor will continue his pursuit. If I can’t manage an escape, I can always throw myself into the whitewater and pray I drown before anything can pull me out.
The distance between the bridge and myself grows and I hear a faraway cry of pain cut short. For a moment I allow myself to believe the monsters are still locked in battle and that I might actually have a chance of getting away. But a sharp-clawed hand grabs at my hair and I’m ripped violently from my feet. My body rolls to a stop, putting me face to face with a single orc.
He is a gangly thing, yet he towers over me just the same. His mouth twists open in something like a cruel smile, showing me his mangled fangs. He makes some kind of a rough grunt… it’s a sound that is pure animal and I jolt when I hear it. Instinct drives me back and I skitter through a thick carpet of dead leaves. My eyes cut to the water and the orc advances, stalking towards me with menacing purpose. He rips his loincloth away, exposing his vile cock. It’s as monstrous as his face, with a silver ring locked onto the tip and a chain chording up the side. It looks bloody.
“Nooo!” I scream, scrambling to my feet. I’d rather die and so I dive for the stream. The orc catches my leg though and I land flat on my stomach. I’m kicking and flailing as he yanks me closer to him. I reach futility for the water for only a moment before I turn my hands on him, beating and scratching at him, trying everything in my power to ward him off. But his strength surpasses mine and he pins my hands down and yanks my legs apart.
All I can do now is scream and I scream so loud it feels as if my throat might split open. Tears spill down my cheeks as his bruising hands hold me down.
One second he’s ripping at my skirt and the next--he’s torn away from me so quickly I think it must be magic. But it isn’t.
It’s the troll.
He grabs the orc by the back of the neck and the creature that towered over me only a moment ago now looks like a toy in the hands of the troll. And he tosses him as such, throwing the orc hard into a nearby tree. His bones crack loudly inside his flesh and he falls to the ground in a broken heap. My eyes follow this scene and turn back to the troll in shock.
He looks even worse than before, sweating and bloodied… angry even. He narrows his gaze at me. Slowly, warily, I get to my feet. We stand there, facing off. I make a quick movement like I’m going to run and he responds with lightning fast reflexes, grabbing me by the hair. He turns us back toward the bridge, dragging me behind him.
Helplessly, I scream and sob. “No! No! No! No!” It feels like my hair is about to be torn from my scalp. “Please! You’re hurting me!”
The troll is silent, but comes to a halt. I blink back my tears in shock. Perhaps he can understand me? To my dismay though, he grabs me around my waist and hoists me over his shoulder. Perhaps he can understand me, but that isn’t going to stop him from stealing me.
