Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (175 page)

He had four children, three males and a female, though two of the males were already dead. He knew that four offspring was a lot for a troll. Searching his memories he learned of the troll gods, and found that he knew about many gods. Even Ishanya. It seemed trolls never forgot a thing they learned, and histories were passed down verbally from one generation to the next. Gnak could recall a tale told to him by a troll more ancient than himself of a time when the gods walked among the men of Thurr. It told of the goddess Ishanya, rising to power and glory, only to abandon those who served her as they were slaughtered in a battle that included nearly every race. Now he knew why they called her the deceiver. Could it be true that his goddess was so twisted as to abandon those who loved her at their greatest time of need? No. Gnak knew it had to be a matter of perspective. Though the trolls were obviously more intelligent than he would have ever thought, their knowledge of the world was skewed by their distance from it.

Walking across the room, Gnak found that although his movements felt slow, his troll mind seemed pleased with his pace. Every one of his joints hurt, but even so he crouched down beside the body he had left behind. He had never before seen it quite like this. Sure he had peered in reflective surfaces, but never had he had an outsider’s vantage.

Though he was riddled with odd and deforming scars where his flesh had been burned and charred away, and his naught but bone fingers lay partially exposed through torn gloves, he was not appalled by what he saw. With one blank eye staring back at him in return, he inspected his body and found that he was proud of the specimen he had become. It was true, he was not the prettiest of his race, but just looking at himself, he was frightening, and that counted for something.

Turning slowly, he looked towards the door to assure himself that none peered in to see what it was he was doing. Then, focusing himself mentally, he lunged. Trembling as sweat poured from his body, Gnak blinked his eye several times and rolling he rose to his feet as he stretched his muscles with a sly grin. It felt good to be back in his
own
body. Checking inward, he was happy to find all as it should be, and Jen was there right where he had left her. He had what he had come for. The troll nation was his. All he needed to do now was figure out what to do with them.

Without enough information to make an informed decision he worked through everything he
did
know. From experimenting on desert foxes he knew a body could live at least a day without its essence. With that knowledge, he knew he would have to continually transfer back and forth between his own body and the body of the troll king in order to keep both alive. He could only hope that there were no risks involved in sustaining both bodies this way. This decision led him to another discovery. No matter what he did, he now had to do it with both bodies, as he could not leave either behind or it would die.

With his newfound knowledge, he began to formulate a plan that would take him back to his clan and the goblins who should be coming to meet with him. It had been many days since he left the camp, and only the gods knew what was ensuing in his absence. He hoped Pantak was keeping everything in order.

It was more than two hours when Gnak thought his plan was devised. He doubted the trolls would give him any trouble as they apparently were very loyal to their leader. No, the problem would be the return journey home.

“Jen. You talk Gnak?” he asked into the scorching air inside the stone and wood building.

“Yes, Gnak, I suppose I can,” she replied with a giggle that seemed to bounce around inside his head.

“Found trolls. Found better power. Ishanya give way to make all work. Gnak very happy.”

“That’s wonderful, Gnak, are the trolls under your command now?”

“Yes, Gnak take troll king body.
Is
troll king now.”

“Perfect! You didn’t have to kill anyone?”

“None die. Work good.”

“I bet Ishanya is very happy with you right now, Gnak. What will you do now?”

“Gnak take troll king back to camp. Must see many goblin kings. Make all understand. Make all work for Gnak.”

“Sounds like you have come very far, Gnak. I am so proud of you. Maybe soon you can take me home?”

“Gnak hope so. Learning much. Is good, Gnak think. Soon learn how bring back Jen.”

“I look forward to it, Gnak. Now get back to work,” she ordered in her bubbly voice.

“You have a lot to do.”

Gnak knew she was gone again without even speaking further. Her words had emboldened him and made him certain that he was on the right path. He knew what he needed to do, but he needed further knowledge of the troll people and a safer path down the mountain.

Rising, he walked about the odd building seeking the coolest place possible. It only took a few minutes to discover that the northernmost corner of the building had a small draught and cold air blew in, creating a semi comfortable zone within the building. Backing into the corner, Gnak lunged out of his body.

Gasping as he connected with the troll king, he found the experience much less unpleasant than the previous. It seemed that transferring from one body to another was getting easier. Oddly, this body felt cold, and so, following his newfound instincts, he stalked out of the building to round its walls to the nearest of the village’s fires.

Standing downwind of the monstrous blaze, he was blasted by heat as his body’s temperature began to climb. Looking around he noted that several trolls witnessed his presence, but all continued about their tasks. Winter was coming, and so high in the mountains it was likely that more snow would begin falling soon. There was much to be done.

Shaking his head, Gnak extracted himself from the troll’s line of thoughts. He had other things to worry about. It was a long and slow process, with so many years of memories stored in the king’s head, but over the next hours Gnak discovered what he needed to do.

If the troll statues surrounding the giant prism had not been enough evidence, Gnak’s newfound memories showed him that trolls were efficient in cutting and carving stone when the need arose. If winter was coming, they would need a source of heat to keep them warm so they could work at a reasonable pace. He knew just the place to start, and how to get them working.

Seeking more memories to use to his advantage, it took Gnak little time to find a better path down the mountains. It seemed the king of trolls was familiar with nearly every nook and cranny upon the mountainside, a fact that Gnak could easily put to use. It was time to act.

Pulling a horn from his belt, which was his only clothing, the king of trolls pressed the horn to his lips and blew. A deep resounding note echoed off the mountain faces to bound back upon itself again and again, as all the trolls ceased what they were doing and all turned in his direction. Slowly, to Gnak’s way of thinking, the trolls all began to move in his direction. He could not wait for all of them. Some would take hours to return from their hunts. Only some would have to be told of what he planned, they would see to it that his orders were spread among the people. Gnak liked the way trolls worked. Simple was good.

Night was again upon them as Gnak, in the king’s body, felt he had enough of his people gathered to issue his orders. Though several hundred had gathered around him, none talked or moved, each conserving their energy for whatever task their king required. Using the king’s memories to his advantage, he addressed them in a way that would be familiar to them, making gestures the king was known to make.

“My people, a great and terrible thing has happened to us this day. As most of you surely know by now, an orc was brought to our home and with him he bore a message,” Gnak began, enjoying the ease of the words. “The orc is the new leader of his nation, and he is sworn to a god who has shown him a vision. I believe his words to be true; however, before I could act on his words he fell ill. I see now that it is up to me to return him home as you would want the orcs to do the same for me if the roles were reversed. I will go to the orcs and return to them their king. I will meet with their clan leaders and discuss our future. With winter coming we have tasks that we perform year after year to ensure our survival, but this year will be different. A sign from the gods has been given and there are new tasks that need to be completed. There is little time. We must hurry or else risk insulting the gods and those who would be our allies in this endeavor.”

On Gnak went, describing that which he wanted the trolls to do. It seemed simple enough to translate what he saw in his vision of the city into words for the trolls to follow, and when he was done all ended just as he hoped. There were no questions. There were no cries of anger over the changes he was making. There was simple and unquestioning obedience. What he was asking for would be difficult and would require a lot of work from the trolls, but it would make life easier in the coming months.

His orders given, Gnak turned and left the congregation that was now dissipating to begin upon his tasks. Entering the large building where he had been brought as a captive, he walked to the back corner and, seizing up his orc body, he hefted it over a shoulder. Leaving the building, he stalked away from camp at a slow steady pace towards now familiar trails that would speed his descent.

With night upon him, Gnak lumbered down the mountain trails within the troll king’s body. Though his pace was somewhat slow, at least relative to his size, he stretched out his stride to its limit with each step. With gravity on his side, every step down the mountain propelled him at least twice the distance he would be able to cover with his orc legs. All in all, he supposed he moved at a decent pace considering he literally had to carry himself down the mountain.

It was strange to Gnak that the trails he followed were both new and familiar, as he made discoveries that he had seen hundreds of times before. Each bend in a trail was both a confirmation of his memory and a realization of someplace new. For hours he enjoyed it immensely, playing a game with himself where he would guess what lay around the next bend only to turn the corner and verify it. He was right every single time. It was as if he were psychic. Then again, for all basic understandings he supposed he could be, if he only took the time to peer at the world through the eyes of everyone he met.

The thought sent him reeling. What a wonderful way to learn all the secrets of the world. He could discover in mere minutes from the memories of those he met, what would take a lifetime to achieve in the natural manner. He could become the most knowledgeable leader in the world. Gnak set himself a new goal. He would not just gain a better understanding of the common tongue. No. He would master it, and every other language upon Thurr. He would learn the world over without leaving his home. He would know everything there was to know and he would use it to lead his people into a better future. Ishanya’s gifts were amazing.

It was several hours of daydreaming later when Gnak decided that he was far enough away from the troll village to be seen by prying eyes. He doubted any would follow him, but that did not mean that there were not others out upon the face of the mountain, hunting or gathering supplies. Assured of his security, he placed his orc body upon the ground and shifted into it with ease.

Stretching and wiggling his extremities, Gnak blinked away the severe dryness of his one good eye, realizing that for future shifts he would need to remember to close his eyes first. It took many moments to remove the dust and ache from his eye, but when it was gone he realized yet another discovery that excited him. Having been absent from his orc body for several hours, and now returning, he felt invigorated, as if he had just awoken from a nap. It made sense, he supposed, that as his body lie frozen it was at rest, essentially sleeping without his will to control it. He would never have to sleep again! He could just shift from one body to the other, back and forth, for all time. With a satisfied grunt, he nodded to himself, jutting out his jaw and gnashing his teeth. He would be able to learn the world twice as fast now. Things were really beginning to look up.

Knowing now that both bodies could rest independent of the other, he sought to devise a way to continue traveling whilst in his orc body. After all, the sooner he got back to camp, the better. He dared not build a round cage of lashed saplings and branches as he had done once before. Such a structure was likely to harm both of his bodies if he lost control of it. Instead, he decided he was better off creating a litter of the likes the trolls used to haul supplies.

Whereas an orkin litter was essentially two long poles with a hide lashed between them, that one could pull while dragging the far ends upon the ground, the injured upon the hide, the troll version seemed more suited to the mountainside as opposed to the orc which was designed for sand.

With an idea of what he sought, Gnak went about the surrounding area, collecting what few supplies he needed to create a litter for the troll king’s body. Finding a log a dozen feet long, Gnak pressed his blade to the end and struck it with a rock, driving it into the wood. Then, beating both the tip of the blade and then the handle, he drove the sharpened edge down the length of the log, effectively splitting it in two. It was not an easy process, but worked about as well as he had imagined. Collecting a handful of smaller logs and boughs, he began placing them into a frame-like pattern that would keep the two half logs at an equal distance from one another the whole of their lengths. Cutting strips of leather from the bundle he had carried to the tops of the mountains with him, Gnak began to lash the many poles and boughs together, tying each intersection tight with thick knots.

Appraising his work, he was happy with the device called a ‘sled’ by the trolls in the common tongue. Sitting upon the device he ate the last strip of dried meat he had brought with him, realizing he would need to find enough food for both his bodies on the return trip home. It was well on into morning when he shifted into the troll king just long enough to lay upon the sled, before shifting back to resume his trek down the mountain.

Pulling upon the long length of cord attached to the front of the sled, Gnak put his head and one arm through the loop, and began forward down the path. Leaning into his movements, he was surprised when the sled began to move behind him with relative ease.

Onward and downward Gnak followed the game trails for the entire day without incident. As evening came, he carried his spear in hopes of crossing paths with a hare or stag. When the sky began to darken above, however, he realized he was not the only one hunting in the area as a howl sounded from somewhere behind him. If he had not seen any game thus far, he certainly wouldn’t now.

Moving down the trail at a quickened pace, his hunt ruined, he was surprised when another howl sounded to his right and then another to the left just moments later. Gnak stopped in his tracks. It was already too late to escape.

From seemingly all directions, glowing eyes peered out at him from the shadows at the dire wolves prowled nearer. Slowly they closed in upon him, and turning cautiously, Gnak counted their number. It was a small pack, numbering only half a dozen. He knew he could lay them all out with little more than a thought by simply taking their will, but as he reached out to end the beasts, something more foul was upon him.

Springing from the darkness, a creature that was neither animal nor beast collided with Gnak, Driving him down to the ground. Seemingly half wolf and half human, the muscular thing snapped at him ferociously as it clawed and scratched trying to get a better hold upon him. Kicking out, he drove the creature away and crawled to his feet once more. He recognized the beast from the battle with the humans. It was one of the black wizard’s soldiers.

Though he had no idea what the beast was doing on the mountain, Gnak raised his spear and took aim as teeth tore into his shoulder, and sharp claws dug into his back. Spinning from the blow, Gnak witnessed as three of the dire wolves sprang upon the body of the troll king, biting and tearing viciously. Raising his hand to summon their power, his head wrenched back as the inhuman creature grabbed at him from behind. He went down with both attackers upon him. Entangled with his flesh being torn from him, there was nothing Gnak could do. He shifted.

Rising from the sled, the troll king ripped the fur-covered beasts from his thick flesh and flung them with all his ancient might as they crashed into the trunks of trees and rocky outcroppings, with yelps and barks of pain. Turning, he reached out his hand to summon the wills of those attackers upon his orkin body. With no effort the wills of all three remaining dire wolves flowed to him, each tearing away from a wolf, leaving it inanimate, but the will of the unholy beast remained. Gnak tried again.

For unknown reason, the wolf man’s will was beyond his ability, and watching as it savagely bit into the arm of the frozen orc body, Gnak rose from his litter as quickly as his old body would carry him, and with two great strides he kicked out with one massive leg and listened as the sickening snap of bones followed.

Through the air the assailant flew, twisting and turning only to land upon its feet as if its injury mattered not at all. Growling and snapping, it raced towards him, and Gnak knew this body would not be fast enough to fight the foe. Raising his hand and opening it wide, he shifted again.

Pain from his torn shoulder and arm shot through him, but Gnak could not delay. Snatching up his fallen spear, he rolled forward into the oncoming beast and thrusting with all his might he drove the shaft up and into the gut of the creature as it passed. With the butt of his spear digging into the rocky ground, the beast rose up upon the shaft, such was his momentum, and flung forward, it sailed towards the hand of the awaiting troll. Gnak shifted.

Clamping his massive hand closed, he looked down as the beast in his grasp snarled and snapped at him, trying to claw at his thick flesh with its fingers. Squeezing, Gnak watched as the beast silenced its protests before its neck snapped. With its head lolling to the side at an odd angle, Gnak dropped the creature and watched it crumple into a pile of fur upon the ground. It was an unnatural beast. Of that he was certain. And it seemed now that his power was limited to the dominion of natural beasts.

Checking his wounds, Gnak found the troll king’s body to be nearly free from injury. So thick was his flesh that the wolven teeth and claws had barely managed to do more than scratch him in several places. Shifting again, Gnak found his orc body to be in much worse condition. With bite and claw wounds all down his arm and shoulder, he could only feel the seeping wounds upon his back. Pain arose from nearly his whole left side.

Shifting again, Gnak collected what was left of the shaman’s salve and using the troll king’s body he applied it sparingly to those wounds that appeared to be the worst of the damage upon his orc body. Though they now had enough food for the trip, Gnak wondered if his wounds would fester, and become infected as they had done in the past. His orc body had been through a lot in the last few months.

Deciding that he should let the body rest so that it might heal better, he remained in the troll king and placed his orc body upon the sled. Collecting two of the wolves, he quickly gutted and skinned them before building a fire. As the sun rose into the sky, Gnak roasted a pair of the giant wolves upon a spit and listened as their fat dripped from their bones into the waiting fire below.

In his ancient body he too remained near the flames, letting his body absorb the heat. If he wanted to use this body, he needed to speed the metabolism to a reasonable level so he could move more quickly. But speeding the inner workings of his body had setbacks as well. In order to sustain the quick movement and his health, he would be forced to eat frequently. He tossed two more of the wolves directly into the fire and watched as their fur burned away. After an hour he removed the charred carcasses from the fire and began tearing blackened hunks of their flesh away with his teeth.

Though he would have thought the meal disgusting just days ago, in
this
body he found it suitable, and even enjoyed biting through the gut sack of one of the beasts as its hot juices flowed into his mouth. Chomping through his meal, he kicked the last two remaining carcasses into the fire and let them char as the first two continued to roast above the fire.

It was more than two hours later, and nearly halfway through the night when he finished his meal. His stomach stuffed to capacity, the troll king dropped the half of the wolf he hadn’t eaten, and rose to gather his supplies. Piling the charred and roasted meat atop the litter with his orkin body, he lashed it into place and grabbed up the cord to begin pulling the sled down the mountain.

Though his eyes in this body were not as suited to darkness as were his own, he managed to pick out the trail well enough, and used his familiarity with the mountain to guide him. When the sun rose he picked up his pace further, and found that with circumventing both the cliff face and the crater, he would likely reach the base of the mountains the very next day.

With the sun occasionally on his face between the evergreen boughs of those trees that covered the mountainside, Gnak strolled easily downhill, sifting through the memories of the king of trolls. He discovered that though they were big in stature, their race as a whole was relatively small, with fewer than five thousand of their kind.

Able to recall memories from centuries ago, Gnak was able to witness the king’s run-ins with races that he had never even heard of. One such race had the thick legs of beasts but a human-like torso. Its head was that of an animal as well, with great bent horns that jutted out from each side of its head. Another race was of small yellow men, similar in size to that of the goblins. Though they closely resembled the humans, the smaller race was remembered by the troll king for their knowledge of mechanical items. Knowledge was the key. Gnak had found a useful addiction.

Just as he had predicted, Gnak reached the base of the mountains the very next day and, setting out across the softer surface below, he trekked through the desert sand towards the camp of his Gathos clan. With each passing day he shifted several times, but primarily used the troll for travel as his orcish arm grew worse by the day. At first it just swelled, but then a fever set in and looking back, Gnak could see sweat on his other face’s brow. Just as he had feared, infection had set in.

His fourth day in the sand brought the first signs of others of his kind. Apparently reaching the edge of the lands where his clan now patrolled, he crossed tracks of both orcs and goblins regularly.

Cresting a small dune, a flash of light in the distance caught his attention and squinting his deep-set troll eyes. Gnak spotted an orcish patrol less than a mile from him. If he could see them, then certainly they had spotted him as well. Dropping the leash to the sled, Gnak turned to prepare for the orcs who would surely come, but quickly raised his hands in a non-threatening manner before he shifted bodies.