Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
She shook her head again and flew back to Bria. “Do not worry. A fairy never fails her mission.”
“Mission?” Bria asked, puzzled.
The troll stopped so abruptly that Bria nearly slid off his shoulder if he hadn’t tightened his hold of her.
“Who whispers?” the troll demanded.
The fairy grinned, waved at Bria, and flew over her to flit directly in front of the troll, then she stuck her tongue out at him.
The troll roared and swung his massive hand at her, causing Bria to grab the troll’s shirt to steady herself.
Kaelan hurried toward her, feeling far too helpless, the only thing left to him at the moment… to catch her if she fell. Trolls might be big creatures, but they were faster than one would expect for such a size. Though a troll was no match for a fairy. They were quick to take flight, and they enjoyed tormenting trolls.
The fairy darted aside effortlessly, avoiding every swat and laughing at the troll’s futile efforts.
The troll’s face pinched as he swung at her again and again and missed again and again.
The fairy laughed harder.
“Damn fairy!” The troll snapped his jaws together in frustration.
The fairy spun in a glowing circle around his head before darting safely out of reach.
The troll grumbled and Bria could not help smiling.
The journey continued, Bria growing more uncomfortable with every step. Then out of nowhere a terrible stench drifted around Bria and she almost gagged from the foul smell.
Just when she thought it had dissipated, it came again, stronger this time, then stronger still.
The troll continued walking as though he smelled nothing.
“Bloody hell,” Kaelan muttered and abruptly veered several steps to the side, catching her attention.
She pinched her nose to see if he smelled it too.
He nodded and pointed just beneath her.
She glanced down and the foul smell hit her again… the troll was farting.
Bria quickly pinched her nose again, hoping to avoid the stench.
Kaelan attempted to avoid the odor, but it spread wide, drifting over him no matter where he stepped. Seeing Bria still pinching her nose and waving her hand to chase the stench, it was hard not to see the humor in the scene, and Kaelan could not help but smile, which soon turned into a chuckle.
Bria did not think it was funny, but when the troll let loose with another one and she watched Kaelan gag, she couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous situation.
The troll glanced back suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Bria answered quickly.
The troll grunted and continued walking and farting at intervals.
Even though Kaelan could keep a safe distance back, he didn’t. He suffered right along with her.
Bria never comforted without permission from the person, but this situation called for drastic measures. If she could calm him, it might just ease whatever troubled his stomach and stop his foul gas.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to relax, then she rested her hand on his back. Sure enough, she felt how upset his stomach was. What she didn’t expect was to see clearly what had caused it and was more surprised to learn it had not been food. She saw a vision, the back of a woman draped in black, silver hair hanging down to her waist yelling at the troll.
“Fail me on this and I will make sure you never see your family again.”
Bria almost gasped, feeling how much her threat had hurt the troll and she sent as much comfort to him as she could. It didn’t take long for his churning stomach to calm down and for the foul smell to be no more.
She raised her head and smiled at Kaelan, hoping he understood.
He sniffed the air, smiled, and winked at her.
Hours later the forest finally began thinning some and a fortress emerged from the darkness ahead. Black stone rose high above the surrounding trees while narrow towers clawed toward the night sky. Only a handful of windows showed light.
The place looked less like a home and more like a warning.
Bria looked at Kaelan anxiously, fearful that once they entered the dreadful place, they would never leave it.
“Trust me,” he whispered and she nodded, forcing a brave smile.
The troll climbed the winding path leading toward the fortress gates.
Her brave smile faltered when she realized that whatever awaited them inside would prove far more dangerous than the troll who brought them there.
Long after midnight they were escorted deep beneath the fortress into cold stone passages lit by flickering torches.
The troll finally lowered Bria to her feet in front of a heavy iron door, a slit high up providing the only light in an otherwise completely dark cell. The door gave a mournful creak as he pulled it open with ease.
Without ceremony the troll shoved her inside but before he could separate Kaelan from her, he hurried in after Bria.
The troll shrugged as if it did not matter to him that they remained together and slammed the door shut behind them, followed by the sound of an iron latch locking firmly in place.