by H. M. Gooden
"Of course, son. Let's go talk to my friends. I'm sure that one of them can fill you in. Mai, you're welcome to come with us as well, but your time may be better spent getting fit for your dress this morning, in case you're away for awhile. And as much as I hate to admit it, it's still an old boys club. They'll be more open if you aren't present. Astrid? What do you think?"
Astrid sighed and rubbed her forehead, arms crossed in front of her chest protectively.
"Yes, that makes the most sense, I guess. We're needed here, to protect the townsfolk, but Jake and his fiancée would be capable of going on this type of mission. Mai, I agree with Anders. Partially because of the residual sexism."
Astrid temporarily looked irritated, but then continued with the same sad expression. "I also think your involvement will be limited because they'll most likely be more comfortable speaking in Norwegian."
Mai agreed without hesitation. She wasn't fond of strangers anyway. If Jake and his dad could get more information if she wasn't there, she might as well get the dress bit done, even if it niggled at her new sense of equality of the sexes.
Only thirty minutes later she waved goodbye to Jake and Anders, who left at the same time for the men's meeting. She found herself taking a deep figurative breath as she waded into the feminine fray with her almost-mother-in-law.
Astrid was understandably subdued, but still seemed excited about getting Mai ready for the wedding, and was doing her best to smile and be friendly, which Mai appreciated.
"This shouldn't take too long, depending on the style of dress that you want. We can talk to the seamstress, get your measurements done, then swing by the flower shop next to look at what you'd like for the ceremony and reception, and then we’ll speak with the caterer last. I'm hoping that we can be done everything by the time the men return, if that sounds okay with you? It's a big job."
Mai nodded, not quite sure how it would be possible, but game to try.
"Sure. I know exactly what I want so it shouldn't take long."
And it didn't. Mai had a very simple, traditional Chinese long gown in mind. When she explained it to the dressmaker that Astrid took her to, who thankfully spoke English, she merely nodded. She then whipped out a tape measure, taking what felt like thirty different measurements before nodding and shooing Mai and Astrid back out in under twenty minutes.
Astrid checked a box on her paper then nodded. "The flower shop is just next door. He doesn't speak any English though, so just take a look and tell me what you're interested in, then I'll handle the rest."
Mai walked into a lush jungle of a shop, with hanging plants and flowers covering every free surface that wasn't decorated with picture books of floral arrangements.
She stopped to flip through the pages of one of the books and called Astrid over.
"This one's nice. They're the flower for the city of San Francisco. It would be nice to have something familiar at the wedding."
Astrid looked at the page and nodded.
"I'll check on costs and availability."
She walked over to speak with the man behind the counter, returning shortly with a satisfied expression.
"He assures me that he'll be able to procure the necessary flowers for the wedding at a reasonable cost. We're done here. Let's go speak with the caterer next. She's a friend of mine. I'm sure she'll make us coffee and kaffe kake. After all, she must advertise her goods."
Astrid surprised Mai by giving her a wink as they left the shop. They walked a short distance to a nearby house where Astrid knocked on the door.
"Hilde, det er Astrid her. Er du hjemme?"
They waited a few minutes until finally, Mai heard the sound of footsteps getting closer.
"Kommer! Jeg kommer!"
A small woman with messy brown hair answered the door, appearing slightly out of breath. When she saw who was there, she stood up erect and smiled.
"Oh, goodness, come in. I didn't expect you so soon! I was just tidying in the kitchen. You must be Mai, so nice to meet you!"
She stepped back from the door and gestured for them to enter. Astrid led the way while Mai looked curiously around the comfortable building. It wasn't as big as Jake's childhood home, but nonetheless it seemed cozy, with crocheted doilies on the back of the couches, and a fantastic smell in the air. The woman had obviously been baking. Mai looked at her suspiciously when she saw a little twinkle in the woman's eyes, but didn't say anything until Astrid noticed her suspicious gaze and laughed.
"Yes, Mai, she also has secrets she keeps from the regular human world. Part of why she's such a gifted baker, really. We have different names for them, but she's much like your Mr. Brown from Scotland that Jake has told me about. She's our local version of a brownie." Mai nodded, hardly surprised. It seemed like otherworldly things were more common in this town than what she'd experienced in the States. Maybe it was the small town itself, or maybe it was because the locals had grown up believing in their fairy tales, she couldn't be sure.
Hilde ended up making the most delicious cake that Mai had ever tasted. After eating it, she was more than happy to let the other two women plan the menu. Astrid had already divulged that they would be paying for the wedding earlier, so Mai didn't feel overly attached to decisions about the food. She knew that her friends would eat anything as long as it was delicious. And after trying the cake and feeling her regret when it was gone, Mai was confident that anything Hilde made for them to eat would be amazing. Mai spent most of the time listening to the two women throw ideas around in a mix of English and Norwegian, while she nodded with a mouth full of one sample or another. It was so much easier than trying to interrupt, and it allowed her mind to wander back to Jake, wondering if he'd discovered anything about the troll and the missing children. By the time ten thirty rolled around, the two women were satisfied with the menu, and Mai was stuffed.
Mai gratefully said goodbye to the caterer. They walked the few blocks back to the house, all the boxes on Astrid's check list checked off and a pleased Astrid to show for their efforts. However, Mai had already put the plans to the back of her mind, eager to hear what the men had discovered.
JAKE FELT OUT OF PLACE, yet strangely at home as he entered the diner with his father. Just as he remembered from his childhood, men sat around in varying styles of work attire, drinking coffee and discussing the day. Usually, the discussions were about what the fishing was like or about politics and news, but today the diner had a darker air. Jake stayed behind his father, silently watching as a man he recognized as the minister clapped his father on the back and shook his head.
While he’d only spoken Norwegian with his family over the last few years, Jake was grateful to find that he was able to keep up with the conversation easily.
"Anders. I'm glad to see you here. We welcome your presence and any help that you may be able to give us."
Anders gripped the hand on his shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze.
"Of course. My family and I will always be here to protect the village, whenever possible. What do you know?"
Jake listened silently as the minister spoke, watching as other men came and formed a loose grouping around them. The men stood with set jaws, none of them speaking, but the anger and grief on their faces obvious even in their silence. Jake felt helpless with his own rage. He knew some of the kids that had gone missing, particularly Aud's friend, who'd been at his house so many times throughout the years she almost felt like another sister.
"I had a dream."
A man approached from the back of the group. Without a word, the men parted to let him move closer to Jake and his father. The man was old and frail, with a long white beard and a weather-beaten fisherman's cap on his head. He tottered forward, using a cane for support, and Jake leapt forward to steady him. The man smiled and squinted, looking carefully at his face.
"Ah, Jake Larsen. Just who I was looking for. You were there, as well as a girl with long dark hair. You must go to them, quickly. Follow the path of the troll along the
river and be careful you do not lose yourself on the way."
Jake drew back in surprise, feeling a pit form in his stomach. The man's eyes were blurry and seemed to have cataracts, but somehow Jake knew that this man could see further than Jake could with his clear eyes. The man bobbed his head several times then muttered under his breath before he tottered away the other direction, the men again parting to let him by.
"I see Jorgen is still alive. I haven't seen him in months and was wondering. This is good." Anders nodded as though he'd just received a pleasant surprise.
The minister leaned toward Anders. "Ja. He's getting older and more reclusive, and maybe a little crazy in his old age, but his dreams are still sound."
The minister then turned to Jake. "You must do as he says, and follow the path. We believe that they have been taken to Hardangervidda. We don't know how long you have, but if Jorgen had a dream, we at least have hope that it's possible for you to succeed."
Jake felt his shoulders stiffen and he nodded his head once. He would bring the children home, if it was the last thing he did.
MAI WAS HAPPY TO SEE that Jake and Anders had beaten them back to the house. Yet when she opened the door, Mai was surprised to find that Jake had already packed their backpacks, and almost ran right into them. She could see that he'd filled them lighter than when they'd brought them across the ocean, but she was sure they were still full of the necessary equipment for hiking and camping. When Mai looked up, she saw Jake and his dad sitting at the kitchen table, talking quietly to each other.
When Jake saw them enter, he jumped up.
"What did you find out?" Mai asked, rushing to speak first, both curious and afraid.
"It was as Dad feared. There's been talk of the trolls. The men think they're hiding in Hardangervidda National Park. It has a large expanse of rocky land and is sparsely populated. It's known as a place where hikers have gone missing over the years. It seems to be as good a place to start as any, especially with the history of strange disappearances there."
Jake took a breath before he spoke quietly again.
"One of Dad's friends also says he had a dream, telling him to look there."
Mai squeezed his shoulder, no longer disbelieving when people said things like that. His words triggered a memory of her dream from the night before and she wondered if she'd heard or seen something herself, whether it was in the dream, or if she'd heard one of the children as they'd been taken.
"I thought I heard a child crying last night in my dreams, but I completely forgot about it until just now. But I think maybe it means they're still alive? At least, they were when they were taken." Mai shook her head at the awful alternative and continued. "Are we ready to leave? I don't want to waste any time if it could mean the difference between life or death."
Jake rubbed his neck and nodded.
"Bags are packed and ready. You just need to change into your hiking clothes and bring your cell phone, although we likely won't have any reception where we're going."
Mai inclined her head in acknowledgement and quickly went to change. When she returned, she saw that Astrid had packed a small bag of food, which Jake tucked into the top of his back pack before putting it on and holding Mai's bag up to help her. She strapped it on, giving his parents a small smile.
"Thanks for your hospitality. I hope to see you both soon."
Anders gave her a smile, but Astrid surprised her with a quick hug.
"Be careful out there. Keep your eyes open. There are many creatures out there that are hungry for human company. Watch over my son, please. Many of the dark creatures have no hesitation in keeping handsome young men."
Astrid looked at Mai fiercely and Mai felt she was trying to give her a message, although she wasn't sure about what.
Mai agreed instead of trying to decipher the cryptic warning.
"Of course. I'll protect him with my last breath."
Astrid sighed and stepped back before hugging Jake.
"You too, Jake. Protect her. I'd like to have strong dragon grandchildren, someday soon."
Jake hugged her back, giving her a kiss on the top of her head. "Yes, Mom. I will. Don't worry, we'll call if we can."
With those words spoken, Jake turned and opened the door, letting Mai exit first into the bright day.
CHAPTER 10 NYK, NYK, NO WAY
The road became rocky immediately after leaving town. The landscape was harshly beautiful and Mai watched the barren lands and the sky above with wonder, unaccustomed to such large expanses of earth. Living in the city her entire life, she was used to many things being crammed into a single city block. But out here, the sky seemed to come alive with a blue background and the splash of clouds that scuttled above them. Given the breathing land and a sky that seemed to possess a magic of its own, Mai could understand why it seemed that so many Norwegians still knew about the old stories and ways and why they immediately thought of a troll as the reason for kidnapping, instead of a creepy human.
In San Francisco, or even in the towns where Cat and Vanessa had lived, if children had gone missing it would have immediately been assumed that a thirty-something white male serial killer was behind the disappearance, or worse, that a close relative or acquaintance had been responsible. Mai found herself strangely happy to think that it wasn't people being awful for a change. It made the reality of missing children easier for her to cope with if it was an evil creature, instead of the everyday evil that lived in ordinary humans.
They'd walked for a few hours by the time Jake pulled them over to an outcropping of rocks near a small stream.
"Let's take a break here to have some food and water," he said. "We can refill our bottles here before we continue."
"Sure. I was starting to get thirsty anyway. How far is it to the area where the men think the trolls are?" She passed her bottle to Jake to fill.
He squinted at the sun before looking over to the stream, then handed back her bottle.
"At least a solid day's travel. It kind of depends, but there isn't a faster way unless we want to go as dragons. But even that only helps if we travel by water. I don't find I have any more stamina hiking that way, plus it feels weird. There isn't much water between here and there and I think it’s better to be seen as two average human hikers. If we get captured or seen, we want to be seen as nonthreatening and weak."
"Makes sense," said Mai, as she took a sip from the bottle, adding, "I just hope that we aren't too late."
Jake twisted his mouth with worry. "Me too, Mai, me too. I know most of those kids. Heck, I babysat some of them. It hurts to think of what they may be going through. But we'll get them before it's too late, I'm sure of it."
Jake stood up and stretched. He looked around and pointed out another group of rocks beside the river a bit further away. "I'm going to go use the facilities, okay? Holler if you need anything."
Mai nodded and turned the other way to give him privacy. She looked off into the sky, watching a few birds fly lazily by and occupied herself with the barren beauty around her, until she gradually realized it was a little too quiet when the birds suddenly flew away.
She turned to look over to where she'd seen Jake go and realized that she couldn't hear or see him any longer. Curious and more than a little worried, she stood up then hesitated. Maybe he'd just bent down, or was, um, squatting or something, she thought, still not wanting to interrupt anything. But after waiting a few seconds longer, she sighed, and began to walk toward the direction where she'd last seen him.
No Jake. The other side of the rocks was empty, except for his water bottle. It was tipped over onto one side, with a small puddle of water underneath it and had almost stopped dripping. Mai looked towards the river and saw not even a ripple on the surface. The water had become curiously calm, almost resembling a lake of glass. Mai could feel the wrongness of the water and knew that she wasn't alone. She allowed her power to fill her and reached her mind into the stream, questing for what was disturbing her sense of the water and causi
ng an eerie chill to ripple down her spine.
At first, she couldn't tell what was happening, but as she delved deeper, she saw a shadow of darkness and knew that another being of water, a dark creature, was hiding in the depths of a rocky crag close to where Jake had disappeared moments earlier. She allowed her body to ripple and change into her dragon form, feeling a low growl rumble through her chest.
Mai dove into the water, cutting through it with surgical precision and heading to the area of rocks she'd seen filled with the darkness. The colour of the river bottom changed from smooth, light-brown gravel at the edges to a dark green mildewed slime, which became progressively fouler the closer she approached. She felt her mind assailed by the impurity there and found it hard to reconcile the surrounding darkness at the bottom with what had looked so innocent on the surface.
This was obviously the home of something evil. Mai approached cautiously, ready for a surprise attack from any direction. She silently glided up to the largest rock and peaked out from behind it. As she'd expected, something was lurking there. The creature's back was toward her and in front of it, she saw Jake.
His eyes were closed and he was in his human form, floating but tied into place with a cord made of a greenish substance. She wasn't sure what the creature was, as it didn't resemble anything she'd ever seen before. It appeared vaguely human in shape, with long hair-like tendrils that extended down its back and a misshapen appearance, as though it had been squashed by something much larger.
As Mai watched, it seemed to shift shape, becoming longer and more serpentine as it adjusted the cord holding Jake down. It looked like it was readying itself to wrap it around his neck. The rage that Mai had been holding back bubbled up inside her. Anger at the thing that had taken her man, anger at the reason they were out here, anger at everything that she'd been holding down for so long.
The growl slipped out before she even knew that she was doing it and the creature whipped around to look right at her. Her view from the front wasn't any better. Now she could see that it had weird insect-like features and large eyes that glowed an ugly, eerie yellow. It appeared surprised to see a greenish-blue dragon behind a rock, but the monster's initial immobility quickly dissipated and it began to advance.
