The Troll King (The Bowl of Souls Book 9) (6 page)

“Then what do we do?” Willum asked.

“She must use her illusion,” she replied. “And avoid drawing attention to the staff, especially if witches or listeners are nearby.”

“But we tell Xedrion the truth,” Sir Edge added firmly, his eyes fixed on Jhonate.

She frowned back at him, “I would not suggest a lie. However, subterfuge is sometimes necessary where my father is concerned.”

“And when he finds out later?” Edge said.

Her frown didn’t abate, but she relented. “Very well.”

“Then I suppose we have a plan,” Edge said. “Let’s return to the others. I’m sure they are tired of waiting.”

“Yeah. Great.” Willum followed the two warriors back to the road, still unsure about the plan. They were depending on Tarah to be reasonable in all of this. Considering how erratic she had been acting lately, there was no telling what she might do to mess things up.

Theodore had similar concerns. “
Ho-ho, Willy. And what do we do when that idiotic gnome walks up to every Roo-Tan we pass
?” He continued with an eerily accurate impression of the gnome’s voice, “
‘Ooh, you have a wood staff just like Pretty Tarah’
.”

He won’t say that
, Willum replied, his thoughts uneasy.

“
If you say so. Ho! You’re probably right. It will be much worse
!”

When they arrived back with the others, Djeri was pacing back and forth, his gauntleted hands were clenched into fists. The moment Willum came into view, the dwarf strode to Willum and gripped his arm uncomfortably tight. The glare in his eyes pierced through the slots in his helmet.

“And what did you tell them, boy?” he said in a quiet, but intense voice.

“What they needed to know and nothing more,” Willum replied evenly. He had left out the fact that Tarah had a tendency to speak with her dead relatives, for one thing. “Don’t worry. They’re on our side in this.”

The Roo-Tan warriors closed in around the group looking to Jhonate’s brother for orders. Qurl gave Willum and Djeri a curious look as he approached Sir Edge and his sister. “So what did you learn?”

“The woman has magic that disguises her presence,” Jhonate replied.

Qurl’s eyes narrowed. “She is a wizard?”

“No,” said Sir Edge. “The magic comes from a bound weapon.”

“Oh,” the Roo-Tan warrior replied, the tension leaving his shoulders.

“We should go now, brother,” Jhonate said. “It is time we met this Woodblade woman.”

Qurl signaled and the procession continued, Djeri and Willum moving to the front of the group to lead the way to the camp. Willum wondered what Tarah was doing. Surely she had seen their approach by now. He felt a sudden stab of worry. “Uh, Djeri. What about Cletus? These guys are sticking pretty close to us. What if he thinks we’re prisoners and decides to attack?”

“I’m sure Tarah’s keeping an eye on him,” Djeri replied unconvincingly. A few seconds later he took off his helmet. “Turds. Just . . . wear a big smile and look at ease. He’ll be fine.”

They traveled as far as they could by road without incident and Djeri led them into the forest. A short distance in, they came across the campsite. Two bedrolls were laid out on the ground. Neddy and the warhorse stood to the side. The fire pit still contained a few smoldering coals, but there was no sign of Tarah or the gnome.

“Is that Albert?” Sir Edge said in surprise. He strode forward and ran his hand along the warhorse’s flank, briefly touching the scars from the burns Albert had sustained during the battle with the bandham. “Hey, boy. What are you doing here? Gwyrtha, its Al-!”

The rogue horse growled and Edge froze mid-sentence. “Gwyrtha says there’s someone in the trees.”

“Hello, pretty Djeri. Hello Willum,” said a voice from overhead.

The warriors around Willum gasped and pointed upwards, some of them brandishing their weapons in surprise.

Peering down from high above them was Cletus. The gnome warrior was upside down, looking for all the world like he was standing nonchalantly on the underside of the branch above him. If not for his floppy ears hanging down towards them, it would have been quite disorienting, but Willum knew that it was just another of the gnome warrior’s uncanny weapon tricks. He could see the thin silvery chain that was gripped in the gnome’s hand anchoring him to the branch above.

“Uh, hey, Cletus,” said Djeri, leaning back to peer up at him. He pointed to Edge and Jhonate. “This is Sir Edge and his betrothed, the daughter of Xedrion. They are the people Willum and I went to get. Remember?”

Cletus blinked and looked at the two of them, who were staring back up at him, mouths agape. “Hello pretty lady. Hello, strong man. Why did you bring so many fighters? Do you want to fight?”

“No one wants to fight, Cletus,” Willum said hastily. “These warriors are our Roo-Tan friends. We brought them here to meet Tarah. Why don’t you come down from there and take us to her?”

“Oh!”

The gnome gave his chain a jerk and it came loose from the branch above. He did a somersault as he fell towards them and landed in a crouch before rising to his deceptively gawky seven-foot height. He wore a thin cotton shirt under a runed leather vest and his baggy pants had multiple pockets. It was gnome warrior gear that Tobias had found for him before they left for Malaroo and Cletus was quite proud of it.

“Tarah went to take a bath in the river. You shouldn’t go there,” Cletus said. His cheeks reddened slightly and he whispered. “She took all her clothes off.”

“I . . . suppose we will wait here then,” said Jhonate.

Cletus bent in closer to sniff at her Jharro weapon. “Hey, pretty lady, you have a staff like Tarah’s.” He cocked his head. “Only yours doesn’t have a horse living in it.”

“
See, Willy
?” snickered the imp. “
I told you
.”

“What’s this, Djeri?” called a voice suddenly from the trees beyond them. Willum recognized it as Tarah’s voice but it was amplified and intensified, giving it an otherworldly tone that sent a chill down his spine. “Is Tarah Woodblade so feared that they send an army to greet me?”

Tarah stepped out of the trees and into the small campsite and everyone took an instinctual step back. She was still Tarah, but a more imposing version. She stood several inches taller and broader than usual and the runes on the leather armor that Bettie had given her gave off a dull glow. She was also quite beautiful. Her skin and hair shone with an unnatural luster. Her nose was straight and her teeth flashed a brilliant white as she laughed at their reaction to her appearance. She planted her staff in front of her and it was red as blood. “Well? Are you here as allies or enemies?”

Djeri didn’t respond, his eyes wide with shock. Willum cleared his throat and said formally, “Tarah, this is Sir Edge. With him are Qurl, the Protector of the Grove’s fourth son and Jhonate, the Protector’s seventh daughter. They’re here to take us to see their father.”

The imp sputtered. “
Willy . . . she’s naked
.”

Willum was going to say something else, but choked on his words.
No way
.

“
I’m serious. Ho-ho! She must have come straight from the river without changing. Look at her feet if you don’t believe me
,” said the imp and Willum saw a puddle of water pooling under her boots. “
I can strip the illusion away from your eyes if you would like. Do you want me to show you
?”

N-no. I’m alright
, Willum replied, swallowing.

What are you showing them, Esmine
? Tarah asked, trying to exude confidence. She had a lot of experience putting on a front, but it was ridiculously hard to ignore the fact that she was naked and dripping wet. The eyes of the strangers standing in her camp were wide, though in shock or surprise at her sudden appearance she wasn’t sure.
You put armor on me, right? You said you were putting armor on me
.

“
Oh yeah, you’re clothed
,” Grampa Rolf assured her. The old man had appeared next to the terrifying beast that had to be Sir Edge’s rogue horse.

That gave her some confidence. She noticed that Djeri was staring at her, mouth agape. Of course he saw through the illusion. For some reason, Esmine’s magic had no effect on him.

Tarah gave the dwarf a sly wink before addressing the others. She made sure to use their proper titles as Djeri had made her rehearse. “Hello, Sir Edge. Hello, daughter and son of Xedrion. I am glad you’ve come. I have a lot to tell you.”

They winced slightly at the sound of her voice and Tarah knew that Esmine was putting on a show.
You’re doing more than just dressing me, Esmine.

“I remember this one,”
Esmine said, using Grampa Rolf’s voice.
Esmine still used the forms of Tarah’s dead father and grandfather to communicate with her despite Tarah’s repeated pleas for her to stop. Rolf was the rogue horse’s favorite. There was something about the playful nature of Tarah’s memories of him that appealed to her nature.
“It’s Gwyrtha! We used to run in the fields together.”

If Tarah had the time, she would have been fascinated by this interaction. This was one of Esmine’s peers. Gwyrtha was striking; both terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Unfortunately, Tarah had more pressing matters on her mind.

Esmine, listen. You’re doing more than just clothing me. What is it? Why does everyone look so shocked
?

“
Oh, they’re just trying to figure out whether or not you’re a goddess
,” Rolf replied, running a hand down Gwyrtha’s flank. He leaned over and sniffed at the rogue horse, a very un-Rolf-like smile on his face.

The sight of her grandfather acting like that bothered her.
Stop that, Esmine. Just talk to me. What do you mean, goddess
?

“We are glad to meet you, Miss Woodblade, but- uh, what you’re doing right now isn’t going to help your case with the Protector,” said one of the strangers. It was Sir Edge. The musclebound named warrior was looking at her with disbelieving eyes. “I’m assuming that your current appearance has something to do with the rogue horse that’s bound to your staff?”

“Probably. Am I glowing or something?” Tarah asked in embarrassment. She turned irritated thoughts towards her staff.
You know I don’t like it when you make me glow
.

“
Why not? It’s effective
,” replied Grampa Rolf. He placed a foot in the stirrup of Gwyrtha’s saddle. “
Look at their reactions
.”

“You’re more than just glowing, Tarah. You’re huge.” Willum said and from the way he kept averting his eyes, she wondered if the imp had told him she was naked.

“You’re fuzzy all over,” Cletus complained, one hand raised in front of his face. The gnome warrior could always tell when there were illusions around. He wasn’t immune to them like Djeri was, but they seemed to cause him discomfort. Especially when the illusions were surrounding Tarah. “And your voice hurts my ears.”

“
Don’t worry. I just added a few enhancements. You know, perfected parts of you that were already there
,” Rolf said, waving a hand absently. He swung his leg up and sat on Gwyrtha’s saddle. The rogue horse didn’t react, of course. Only Tarah knew that the apparition was there. “
It makes you more impressive. Tarah Woodblade needs to inspire awe.
”

What it does is make me stand out too much! You always go too far
. She forced a smile at Sir Edge and the others. “I’m sorry. Esmine has a tendency to show off at times. I’ll get her to stop.”
Stop ‘enhancing’ me, Esmine. Keep the illusion that I’m wearing my armor, but stop the rest of it.

“
Even the nose
?” said Grampa Rolf, raising one bushy eyebrow. He looked awkward sitting on the rogue horse’s back, like someone who had never ridden a horse before. “
You hate when people comment on your nose.
”

Even the nose
, she replied.
They’ll find out about it sooner or later. If they think Tarah Woodblade is ashamed of her own face, it’ll make me look weak
.

“
If that’s what you want
,” Rolf said with a grumpy sigh and waved his arm theatrically.

Tarah didn’t feel any different, but she knew that Esmine had done as she asked because the Roo-Tan warriors relaxed, some of them looking positively relieved.
One more thing, Esmine. If you wouldn’t mind, can you let me see what they’re seeing
?

Grampa Rolf shrugged and Tarah sighed as she saw the leather armor Bettie had given her appear on her body. She couldn’t feel the armor on her skin, but it helped her not feel so naked.

“Is that better?” Tarah asked the assembled warriors.

“You look and sound like yourself again, Tarah,” Willum said.

“You still look fuzzy,” Cletus grumbled.

“Well, there you go,” said Djeri loudly, his voice covering up Cletus’ grumblings. “You got a glimpse at what Tarah’s magic can do. Can you see why we didn’t want to go around advertising that fact?”

“I suppose so, dwarf,” Qurl replied, still looking at Tarah with wary eyes.

“It was a quaint demonstration,” said Jhonate. Tarah noted that the female warrior was the only one of the Roo-Tan that didn’t look suitably impressed. “But your staff’s abilities have nothing to do with the reason we are here. Willum says that you have information regarding this army of demons that have invaded our country.”

Tarah frowned slightly and glanced over to Willum. Just how much had he told them already? “This is true. The army is close to thirteen hundred strong at this point.

“Your friends told my father that there were fifteen hundred,” said Qurl, sending a glare towards Djeri.

“That was the count when we crossed the river into Malaroo,” Tarah replied. She allowed herself a self-satisfied smile. “They were at their strongest at that point, but the journey across Malaroo was hard for ‘em. They had to stick pretty close to the swamps to avoid being seen. They lost a lot of scouts to drowning and troll attacks. You know.” She wiggled her fingers. “Illusions.”

“It was mainly kobalds that were killed,” Djeri added. “The imps are harder to trick.”

Tarah nodded. “At my last count, the army consists of four hundred and eighty imps, seven hundred kobalds, give or take. And then there’s the smattering of humans and gnome warriors that serve Aloysius.”

“Thirteen hundred,” Sir Edge said, his expression thoughtful.

“That is not so many,” Qurl said confidently. “A minor threat.”

Tarah snorted in disbelief. “A minor threat? Mud and leaves! It’s a demon blasted army!”

 “We are not discounting the danger this army poses,” Jhonate assured Tarah, then gave her brother a pointed look. “The Roo-Tan do not allow foreign forces in our lands.”

“I was not suggesting we ignore the army, sister,” Qurl said, offended by the reaction to his statement. “I was simply noting that their numbers are insignificant compared to ours. Father could dispatch an army ten times that size from Roo-Tan’lan alone.”

Several of the other Roo-Tan warriors nodded their heads in agreement and Tarah felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. This was the same attitude she had seen in Alberri all over again. They weren’t going to take her seriously.

“
You’re losing ‘em
,” said Grampa Rolf, still sitting awkwardly in the rogue horse’s saddle. “
Can’t allow that. Tarah Woodblade commands attention. Maybe if I added some lightning shooting from your eyes
?”

No
, she replied, but maybe Esmine was right. Maybe being Tarah Woodblade the tracker wasn’t enough. Maybe she needed to be seen as a god. She shook her head and opened her mouth to yell at them, but Willum spoke up first.

 “I think you are missing the point!” he said. “These aren’t normal soldiers. You can’t fight them one-for-one.”

“Perhaps dry foot warriors cannot, but we are Roo-Tan!” said one proud warrior. “We have battled the demon merpeople many times.”

“You haven’t faced these kind of demons,” Willum drew his axe and the runes along its surface glowed as if it had a molten core. The warriors took a wary step back, gripping their weapons. “Do you know what it means to fight an imp? I can tell you because there’s one bound to this axe.”

Willum raised the axe over his head. The runes brightened and smokeless flames burst from them, licking their way up the wickedly curved blade. At the same time, a gust of wind came through the trees and swirled around him, causing the flames to rise and twist into the air. A burst of heat emanated from the axe, causing the warriors to take another step back.

“More illusions?” Qurl asked.

“Not this time,” said Sir Edge. He was the only one of them that didn’t seem disturbed by the display. “He really does have an imp in his axe.”

 “If you’ve fought merpeople you should know that every demon can use elemental magic!” Willum pronounced. “It’s part of their very makeup. Imps are born with the ability to use fire and air. Kobalds are born with the ability to use earth and water. They grow up learning how to wield magic in battle the same way you learn to use your Jharro weapons.” He jabbed the weapon into the air one more time for emphasis and then the flames died down. He slid the axe back into the half-sheath that hung at his hip. “Do you understand what we’re telling you? Facing these demons is like facing an army of wizards, but even more dangerous because they all know how to fight.”

Qurl cleared his throat and raised a hand to silence the boisterous warrior, “We can see your point.”

Tarah was impressed. Willum wasn’t usually so commanding a presence. He usually seemed content to sit back and let others lead.

“
Alright, he’s got their attention
,” said Grampa Rolf, nodding his old head in approval. “
Now it’s up to Tarah Woodblade to close the deal
.”

“I don’t think you do understand, son of Xedrion,” Tarah said, turning the eyes of the assembled warriors back to her. “Because it’s worse than that. The reason it’s worse is because of who is in charge of this army. His name is Aloysius. In Alberri, he was known as a gnome scholar, but he’s a warrior too. And he’s as brilliant a tactician
as any in the known lands.”

“He’s something that hasn’t been seen in centuries,” Djeri added, pausing for emphasis. “A gnome warlord.”

If he had expected that announcement to impress the warriors, he was disappointed. The Roo-Tan people, like most of the world, thought of gnomes as a foolish race. Gnome scholars were highly intelligent, but unable to take care of themselves. And their warriors, though tremendously skilled, were too stupid to be a threat.

The only person to react with interest to the words gnome warlord was Sir Edge. “You’re leaving something out,” the named warrior said.

Willum, who had been hoping for support from his friend, frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Willum, you told me that she’s been using her magic on this gnome warlord’s tracks,” Edge said. “To know what he’s been thinking.”

“I have,” said Tarah.

“Then what is his plan, Miss Woodblade?” Edge’s gaze was focused on Tarah, his eyes pensive. It was the same her father used to give her when he was about to lecture her. She didn’t like seeing that look in the eyes of someone she didn’t know. “Why did he drag those demons all the way here?”

“
Hmm
,” said Grampa Rolf. The old man had disappeared from Gwyrtha’s saddle and now stood by the named warrior, peering at him closely. “
He’s a keen one, this bonding wizard. Be careful how much you tell him
.”

Rolf was right. The truth was complicated. Tarah decided to stick to her planned statement. It wasn’t a lie, after all, and it was likely the best way to get the attention of the Roo-Tan. She kept her voice even, “He wants to conquer the Jharro Grove.”