The creature huffed once more.
More trolls came forward. More weapons clattered to the ground.
The blood on these was caked, almost brown. Old, maybe a week.
But that sight wasn’t the one which pierced my chest. Among the human swords and shields were smaller clubs. Big enough that even our burliest warriors would have trouble raising them to strike–but small enough for a young troll to carry. A training weapon, flecked with blood.
There had been an ambush.
My hand flew to my mouth. The troll grunted at me–in warning or understanding, the roar in my veins couldn’t tell.
The trolls threw their heads back and roared once more. This time it sounded sorrowful and vengeful.
Whispers resounded from my warriors. Some were shocked, others bitter, but none as merciful as I would have wanted.
Lips parted, I gazed up at their leader, whose face had turned more pinched and sullen.
“I’m sorry,” I said and placed my hand on my heart.
Sorrow was the same, no matter the species. Wolves howled and ravens gathered around their fallen brethren, too.
Their leader raised its hand and pushed its long fur to the side, wincing. There, on its chest, was a jagged slash which hadn’t yet scarred over. Its blue face tightened the longer I stared at the wound, breaths turning shallow. It didn’t like showing his weaknesses any more than I did.
The troll inclined its head once more, before another dozen trolls stepped forward, having hidden behind the ranks until now. Some limped, one had an ear cut off, one carried a gash instead of his eye, same as Vylkor.
We were all hunted.
Horror constricted my chest.
Two attacks we hadn’t even known about.
If Sylvester hadn’t alerted me at the right time, we would have remained dangerously ignorant.
I clenched my jaw and looked at the troll I’d healed. I traced my finger on my thigh, in the same place it had been wounded, pointed at the bloody Northern weapons, and then raised my brow, half-dreading the answer.
Had it come to the city to warn us and I’d scared it off?
It huffed, which I was quickly learning meant no. Then it raised its head in the air, locking eyes with my group, and sniffed deeply, nostrils flaring. I held my breath as the pressing seconds ticked by.
Finally, it huffed once more, and I let out a small sigh of relief. But then it looked in the direction of the city and grunted, top lip curling.
This wasn’t any better.
Someone in the city had wounded it–but nobody had sounded an alarm that a troll had approached us.
Nobody had wanted us to know.
Why?
The animosity and avoidance between the trolls and Solkar’s Reach was legendary at this point, but the civilians were principled. It didn’t make any sense.
Nor did these attacks.
The Northerners we’d faced had been trained, but hadn’t seemed seasoned.
I licked my teeth.
Three waves of attacks, all inconspicuous.
