Finally, it threw its head back, and let out a great big roar that made me wince as it vibrated from the creature’s chest into me.
I mirrored the movements, looking up at the hazy sky, and yelled until my throat hurt.
I’d howled for the people of Solkar’s Reach.
Now I roared for its trolls.
The wind mellowed as we parted, as if the crater itself had been appeased by our choice.
After everything that had happened, it felt more like a bad omen.
We both got up, inclined our heads, and turned to each of our groups.
“What did you just do?” Dax asked, dumbstruck.
“What’s right.” I patted the snow off me in quick, precise movements, not wavering for a second as I looked at my shocked warriors. “They’re coming home with us.”
Chapter 52
Allie
“This is a bad idea,” Dax said after the fiftieth time he’d turned to look behind us at the pack of trolls marching toward the city.
More of them, mostly younglings clinging to their grandparents’ large hands, had appeared from the mist, watching us with the pure fright dancing in our warriors’ eyes.
They’d made quick work of gathering their maces, while my group had watched on disapprovingly. None of the warriors had voiced their displeasure, but I could see it in every scowl and flinch whenever a troll got too close.
They were frightened–and they were furious at me.
“I couldn’t leave them behind to get slaughtered. Neither of us can withstand a full Northern attack on our own. We don’t have people to spare to protect them. Not that any of them would agree to it, anyway,” I said, already tired from the endless discussion I knew I’d faced once we reached the city.
I might as well have brought a flight of dragons to darken the skies of Solkar’s Reach.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, it’s the right thing to do,” Dax said. “But nobody’s happy about this.”
The warriors marched as far away from the trolls as possible, huddled together between us and the creatures.
Except Vylkor. He marched at the back of the line, wearing the mightiest scowl of all.
“Let them,” I said with a confidence I didn’t truly feel. “I won’t send the trolls away.”
Whether the people of Solkar’s Reach wanted to admit it or not, the trolls had protected the city when they’d faced the Northern soldiers.
My gaze lingered on the crater’s rim. So much territory to cover.
“At least one good thing came out of this,” I said.
“You remembering who you really are?” Dax asked. There was still hope in his voice; more than I would’ve liked.
The irony didn’t escape me.
Here I was, leading people who were enemies mere weeks ago, despite them not being thrilled about it, when I couldn’t do the same for my own Clan.
“That we know they’re avoiding the passage,” I said. “It would have been much easier for them to crawl through it instead of risking their lives scaling those walls.”
Whatever Ryker had done to protect the entrance worked.
I could only hope those same strange traps would help us protect as much of the rim as we could.
