Doris and Christiana – The Troll Hunters of New Swamp
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“What have we here, then?” said the troll in a gruff voice. His deep blue eyes glimmered as he looked at Doris. He was almost six feet tall, with long arms and legs that made him look very strong and menacing indeed. Dark hair fell from under his black hat. There were large spots of blood on one sleeve; clearly, he had been injured before, but it did not seem to trouble him greatly now.
The troll stepped out into the clearing, blocking the way between the trees so Doris could no longer retreat. She knew she would be safe if only she stood her ground and faced this man head-on. But what should she do? It was vital that she get home safely – nothing else mattered.
What would Christiana say when she found herself locked up again because Doris had run away? And wouldn’t Doris’s father be angry, too?
She tried not to think about anything except getting back quickly. “Who are you?” she asked boldly. Perhaps there was some simple explanation for all this! “Why are you chasing me?”
“I’ve come to punish your kind,” said the troll simply. “You must know better than most that trolls cannot tolerate other races living nearby. You’re lucky I didn’t kill you when you first came among us.”
Christiana gasped. Clearly, she saw the danger that threatened Doris. How could they ever be free to go away together? No wonder their parents had forbidden them to meet outside the forest!
But Doris shrugged off these thoughts. So what if they couldn’t live like ordinary people? Life inside the forest seemed much more fun anyway, and at least it was warm and peaceful. Why shouldn’t trolls want to keep everyone around them happy?
“If that is so,” she replied, “then you can leave me alone without any trouble.” But perhaps she could entice this man into showing her where she lived or how she got back through the swamp. If she could find her own way to come out of the forest…
As she spoke, she took her dagger from its sheath beneath her dress so it hung near the troll’s ear. Now she felt ready to fight him if he tried to harm her. She hoped that someone would help, even though she wasn’t sure whether they were friends or enemies yet.
There was silence, apart from the soft rustling of leaves and branches above them both. Then suddenly the troll laughed. He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Come now, my dear lady, we need never quarrel over such silly matters!”
He was too big and heavy to move quickly; Doris had to wait until he stood still before she moved closer to him.
“My name is Farden,” he said quietly. “And you are Miss Doris?”
“Yes,” said Doris, looking down shyly at the dirt and rocks beneath her feet.
Farden sighed. “Well, Doris, you’d best stay close by me, just in case. This place isn’t safe for young ladies.”
His words sent a chill through Doris’s bones. Her heart beat furiously within her chest. She couldn’t stand still another moment. In an instant, she turned and ran.
Farden gave chase at once. “Wait, missy!” he shouted after her as she sprinted towards the exit of the forest.
Doris was nearly clear when something white flashed past her face, cutting through the darkness and leaving behind it the unmistakable scent of burnt hair. A terrible hissing sound filled the air. She stopped abruptly, whirled around, and stared back at the spot from which the noise had come. The giant form of the troll loomed out of the shadows, its mouth wide open and fangs gleaming with saliva.
Shocked, Doris turned and fled again. Even faster she went, heedless of obstacles in her path and desperate to reach the safety of the village. A horrible scraping sound followed her every step: the troll was running with great difficulty through the scrubby bushes.
Doris looked back again, hoping to see him lose momentum as he struggled forward. Instead, he growled and lurched forwards, slobbering again. The stench of burning flesh grew stronger, and Doris realized it wasn’t his own hair on fire, it was her.
A huge hand reached out for Doris. She spun round again and leaped. But a thick branch struck her shoulder, throwing her back onto the earth hard enough to make the stones rattle. She lay there gasping as the pain in her bruised side began to throb.
“Miss Doris!” cried Farden, but his voice was cut short by the crackle of flames that erupted high above them. Both Trolls squinted upwards and saw that the woods had become a sea of fire. It burned fast and bright – and it appeared to have grown hungry.
With one last screech, the troll raised itself upright and started to run after Doris again. Farden stood motionless, watching the monster rise higher into the sky with each bound until it was almost twice the height of a man.
Its body was covered in blackened patches, revealing the dried remains of skin and flesh underneath. Black smoke streamed out of its nostrils and mouth, and the glow of its eyes became brighter as the light caught them. It roared louder still, and then it disappeared over the treetops. All that remained was a cloud of choking ash that slowly drifted to the ground.
The troll’s sudden disappearance left both men rooted to their spots. They watched, spellbound, as the trees below them burst into flame. Within seconds the whole woodland was ablaze and the flames were racing up towards the dark sky, making shadows dance all around Farden and Doris.
For a long time, neither of them moved. Eventually, Doris sat up and pulled the dirty rag from her mouth, coughing and sputtering.
“What happened?” she asked, but no sooner had the words left her lips than she heard a strange, distant pounding coming from beyond the trees. It sounded like metal striking stone.
“I’ll go and check,” said Farden and vanished into the trees at once. After a few moments, he came back alone, shaking his head in confusion and disbelief.
“It doesn’t seem to be heading this way,” he muttered.
“How can you tell?” Doris asked, wiping some soot from her forehead.
“By the smell of things. I don’t think those beasts want to meet us here.”
Doris nodded. The sound of battle was fading away now, leaving only the crackle and hiss of flames, and the distant thudding sounds of trolls clashing against other monsters somewhere in the distance. Farden stood up and stretched his shoulders. He winced as his muscles screamed protest.
“Do you mind if we get going?” he asked. “I’m not much good at waiting.”
Doris didn’t answer immediately. She looked at the ground thoughtfully, then picked up a small rock. She rubbed her hands together and held the little stone aloft.
“We should leave this,” she said. “It might come in useful later, though…”
She dropped it on the ground and stepped on it. As soon as she put weight upon it, a deep hole opened up under her foot. Doris fell backward into the abyss, disappearing without a trace.
Farden stared down into the pit, baffled. Then he bent down and felt around the edge where she had fallen. There was a faint roughness to the surface. With a grunt, he dug his fingers into the earth and found himself gripping a tightly woven root.
Using his free hand, he pushed the root gently aside and peered in. To his amazement, there was a tunnel about ten feet long leading off into the darkness. Farden passed his torch into it and flicked on the switch.
There was nothing ahead except more of the same.
After a minute of careful searching, Farden found another root and tugged it out of place. This gave access to another passage and another. And then another, until the two tunnels joined and they were able to walk side-by-side along the winding path between the roots, lit by Farden’s torch.
A few moments later, they emerged into a grassy clearing filled with a dozen or so tall trees. They were unlike any tree Farden had ever seen before. Their trunks were thick and gnarled, covered in lush, green moss. Long, leafy vines ran up their sides and hung from the branches like curtains. It reminded him of home.
But just beyond these trees was something he knew well indeed. In the center of the clearing was an immense mound of earth, grey and lifeless, carved by the passing years into the shape of a giant serpent. As soon as Farden made it out, he held up a finger, signaling Doris to keep quiet.
She nodded and crept towards him from behind a large bush. The creature was enormous: nearly nine feet long and as wide as a house. Its scales glinted in the weak light that filtered through the canopy above. It lay on its back, head and neck protruding from the earth like a turtle half buried in the sand. On its back, it had eight legs, each tipped with a sharp claw.
Each leg ended in a ball joint, allowing it to move freely in all directions. The great beast must have been over five hundred pounds – Farden guessed that it could snap any of the smaller creatures within the forest in one bite.
Though many of its legs were missing, others had grown haphazardly from the ground, creating a jagged stump or a strangely shaped limb. But what surprised Farden most of all was how still and unperturbed the serpent was. It simply lay in the sun, unmoving as Farden and Doris crept closer, watching it every step of the way.
Then suddenly, Farden realized why. At first glance, the monster did not look alive, but when he shone his torch onto it, he saw tiny white sparks darting across its skin, like fireflies. There were hundreds, thousands even; clustered together in different places, flickering on and off in erratic patterns.
Some seemed to be forming words or pictures. All around the beast, the grass beneath it was scorched black, and the air hummed with static electricity and heat. Farden and Doris watched in silence for a while longer, and then moved away quietly, making sure not to disturb the creature.
They walked back towards the forest, both thinking carefully of what to do next. Farden was no longer worried about being eaten by the troll. He now understood that he would either live or die in this strange land, whichever came first.
The question remained whether he wanted to stay here anyway. His friends were waiting for him on the island, and he had unfinished business. But would stay here help? Would the island even let him go if he tried to return?
***
Farden and Doris sat on a nearby log, talking in hushed whispers. Neither of them wanted to attract any attention from the monster lurking just beyond the trees. For once, the forest was silent and calm – and Farden loved it.
“What do you think happens after death?” whispered Doris, turning her face to the sky. The wind blew softly through the treetops and played with Doris’ hair, which flapped in the breeze.
Farden shrugged, unable to say anything for certain, and decided against saying ‘heaven’. The girl had never really believed in it, and neither had he. Besides, there wasn’t much point in telling anyone else about what happened after they died.
Better not to know than to find out too late. Death was a sad thing; it only took a moment in life to ruin everything forever.
“I don’t care,” said Doris bluntly. “Even if I’m right, what difference does it make? How can believing in some afterlife change things? Nothing is real.”
Farden smiled sadly at her. She was quite right, of course, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to believe. Life without hope was a dark place to be.
A horn sounded from within the forest. Both Farden and Doris jumped into action and sprinted back the way they’d come, the same way the monster had gone. With a single, terrified glance, they darted past the monster and back down the tunnel, keeping low and hidden to avoid detection.
They quickly retraced their steps to the first entrance to the labyrinth, and waited anxiously, crouching behind a rock. They kept watching until two figures appeared in the opening, illuminated by the pale light of the lanterns hanging from their belts.
They were Kjorn and Elryn. The latter was wearing a leather jerkin and carrying a sword, while the former wore chainmail and carried a bow. Their eyes immediately fell upon the giant snake lying in the clearing.
Kjorn shook his head angrily. “That’s another one!” he yelled. Then, turning to the guards, he continued, “You were supposed to kill it! What’s going on?!”
Doris hid behind the rock, trembling. A slight smirk crossed her lips.
Elryn looked nervously from the snake to Farden and Doris, standing in the shadows. “This one looks different,” he muttered.
The three of them watched the serpent and began to discuss what to do about it again. It wasn’t the first time this had happened in the last few days. They spoke in hushed tones, so as not to draw the monster’s attention, but still enough for Farden and Doris to pick up on what was being discussed.
“Maybe it has a mate?” suggested Kjorn hopefully.
“It would have to be pretty stupid to stick around with something like that,” replied Elryn, with a hint of sarcasm. “Or else it might get eaten…”
“There are more of them somewhere though,” said Kjorn. “We should search for them.”
“No, we can’t afford to waste our time looking for them,” said Elryn firmly. “If there are more monsters in the woods, we need to keep an eye on this one and put it out of its misery before someone gets hurt. We’ve got plenty of traps set up in these tunnels already.
We’ll catch it when it comes round tonight if it doesn’t leave. Deal with it then.”
Kjorn nodded reluctantly. “All right… but let’s make sure to use your spell, whatever it is. I’d rather not lose anyone else to a damned snake.”
He turned away and marched off, followed closely by Elryn. Farden and Doris stared at each other for a moment. There was nothing more to say.
The End