Sword of Kings
Chapter 42 – In the Dark Lord's Lair

by Bill W

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Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. 
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.
Don’t read this story if:
**You’re not 18 or over,    
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don’t want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story.  Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author’s permission is a violation of that copyright.  Legal action will be taken against violators.

I wish to extend my thank you to Emoe57 for his editorial assistance with this chapter.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other ‘constructive’ comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

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The companions stood looking over the edge of the chasm, trying to ascertain what had happened to Alaric. Quintain called to him several times, but there was no reply, which only heightened their concerns. Although they were unsure as to why the elf had failed to respond, they were also reticent to speculate as to what might have happened to him. The warriors thought it would be best to just wait and see how badly he had been harmed, so they slowly began to drag Alaric back to the surface. It didn’t take them long to discover this was not going to be an easy task.

It was a struggle just to raise the elf even a meter, because he seemed to weight ten times more than he actually did. The task was made even more difficult, due to the fact that many of their hands had suffered rope burns, when they tried to stop his fall, and their footing was less than desirable. This not only concerned them, but it also caused them to worry that they might drop Alaric and lose him forever. To prevent that from happening, they began to look for something to anchor their burden to. Although those involved hoped to find a sturdy outcropping, a boulder or something similar they could tie the end of the rope to, they weren’t able to discover anything of the sort. Therefore, they were forced to continue to struggle to pull the elf’s limp form back to where they were standing, with no safety line.

As they brought him closer to the brink, they heard Alaric groan. That slight noise lifted their spirits tremendously, because it let them know he had survived the fall. He might be injured, but he had not been killed. This knowledge seemed to give them renewed strength and a greater sense of determination, which they then directed toward completing their task. Utilizing this sudden burst of energy, they began tugging on the line again, raising him even further. After many more minutes of this arduous labor, they were able to drag Alaric’s limp form onto the pathway.

The elf was only semi-conscious and the right side of his face was becoming discolored and beginning to swell, but the rest of the group was relieved he wasn’t in worse condition. Quintain stepped forward and began to untie the ropes, so he could examine Alaric injuries more closely. When the dwarf touched certain parts of the elf’s chest or face, Alaric would groan and his body would flinch involuntarily. This let the dwarf know he would have to examine those areas more closely and then provide whatever treatment he could. After many minutes of tending to him, Alaric’s head began to sway from side to side and his eyelids began to twitch. Eventually, the elf was able to open his eyes completely, although they appeared glazed and unfocused. Slowly, he was coming to.

“Uh…uh…damn,” he groaned, as he tried to look around. “I’m so sore. What happened?”

“You slipped and fell,” Quintain told him, while continuing his ministrations. “Can you tell me what troubles you the most?”

Alaric groaned again and tried to shake the cobwebs from his mind. After a brief pause, he answered. “My head aches, my chest hurts and other parts of my body are pretty sore too,” he responded, “but I guess none of my problems are life threatening. Maybe I should try to get up.”

“No!” Quintain countered, adamantly. “You lie still for a while, until we see how you are doing.”

“I’m not staying behind,” Alaric challenged, thinking they were planning to continue on without him.

“Don’t worry,” Kieren assured him, while looking over the dwarf’s shoulder, “we won’t leave you. I think Quintain just meant that we’d wait until we were certain you had regained enough strength to go on.” The dwarf nodded his head in confirmation.

“Oh, all right,” Alaric replied, somewhat groggily. The elf started to relax a bit, but then his body suddenly stiffened and he looked up at the other two. “I kind of recall what happened now. I lost my balance, didn’t I? I remember. I thought I was done for, but the ropes stopped me from falling all the way to the bottom. When they yanked around my chest, they squeezed all the air from my lungs. I had to struggle to catch my breath, and then I slammed into the wall. I guess that must have knocked me out, because I don’t remember anything else until I opened my eyes and saw you.”

“Just lie still and regain your strength,” Quintain told him. “You’re going to need it later. You rest here, while I go and tend to some of the others.”

“Why? What happened to them?” Alaric wanted to know.

“Some of them were injured trying to save you,” the dwarf told him.

“How badly were they hurt?” the elf pressed, while looking chagrined that his carelessness had harmed more than just himself.

“Nothing serious,” Quintain responded. “Mostly their hands. Some of the skin was rubbed raw when the rope was yanked through their palms. I just want to put some salve on them, to ease their discomfort and speed up the healing process.” Alaric was relieved to learn the injuries hadn’t been any more serious than they were. He didn’t want the guilt of knowing his blunder had maimed any of them or threaten the successful completion of their assignment.

While the elf was dealing with this issue, Quintain dug through his pack. After a few moments of searching, he finally located the container of ointment he had been looking for. Quickly, he began to apply it to the palms of those in need. The white, greasy concoction felt cool and soothing to the recipients and it gradually relieved some of the burning and throbbing sensations that had been radiating from their hands. When Quintain came to Qaim, his mouth dropped open.

“Oh, Qaim,” the dwarf began, his voice cracking with emotion. “I didn’t realize...” His voice trailed off, but this sudden, uncharacteristic outburst caused everyone else to begin to gather around the pair. “Why didn’t you tell us you were hurt so badly?” Quintain continued. This question caused Qaim to lower his head, while still keeping his arms extended, palms up. Now, everyone could see the aignx’s hands were raw and bloody, far worse than anyone else’s. Regardless of the extreme pain he must have been in, Qaim hadn’t uttered a word of complaint.

“I bet it happened when he jumped in and grabbed the rope,” Garreth observed. “You know, when we were trying to save Alaric.”

“I didn’t see him help us,” Sedain commented, trying to cope with this revelation. “The last I looked, he was staying back out of the way.”

“He was, at first,” Rhys interjected, “but that changed when Alaric fell. When it looked like we weren’t going to be able to stop his fall, Qaim raced forward and helped. I really think his effort was what kept us from losing Alaric.

“And he paid the price for doing so,” Quintain added, gaining an even greater degree of respect for their guide. “I must admit, I always thought his claims that the rope would burn him were just a ploy, but I now regret my hasty rush to judgment. Obviously, the ropes do have some unusual effects on his body, as his injuries are far more severe than for anyone else. What makes it even more surprising is the fact that he didn’t have a hold of the rope when it was jerked through our hands.”

The aignx didn’t seem to pay much attention to what the dwarf was saying and was only interested in what Quintain might be able to do for his sore hands. “You fix Qaim?” the aignx asked hopefully, while looking up at his volunteer healer.

“I will do what I can,” the dwarf responded. “I’ve had considerable training in taking care of wounds and I shall be honored to use that knowledge to treat you.”

Qaim seemed satisfied with the response and allowed the dwarf to tend to his injuries. Quintain gently covered both of the aignx’s palms with the same ointment he used on the others, but this time he also tore one of his garments into strips, to make bandages to cover the affected area. Once he had finished, he took those pieces of cloth and carefully wrapped them around Qaim’s injured hands. When Quintain finished treating the aignx, it almost looked as if Qaim had a padded club on the end of each arm. If the rest of the group hadn’t realized how much pain the aignx must be suffering, they might have found the sight comical.

After several more minutes, they were ready to move on again. Turquinine and Hadwin helped lift Alaric to his feet, because they saw he was having some difficulty trying to get up under his own power. Once the elf was standing, they discovered he was still a little wobbly and suffered from brief bouts of dizziness. His right leg was also a little stiff and throbbing, due to its impact against the rocky wall, so some of the others had to aid him when he tried to walk. They allowed Alaric to lean on them, so they could help support some of his weight, until he no longer needed their assistance.

“How do you feel?” Garreth asked Alaric, when they stopped to rest. The lad looked extremely worried about the larger elf’s condition.

“My chest and leg are still sore and my face is swelling more, which is making it more difficult to see out of my right eye,” he told him, appreciating Garreth’s show of concern. “To tell you the truth, I actually feel as though I’ve been in a lengthy battle, but it’s nothing I can’t deal with.”

“Then you’ll be able to go on?” Kieren asked, with equal concern, while eyeing the elf apprehensively. If Alaric felt half as bad as he was beginning to look, Kieren didn’t see how he could possibly be able to continue.

“Yes. I’ll do my best and I’ll try not to slow you down,” Alaric advised him. “I was just bruised and a little shaken, nothing more.” The others seemed comforted by Alaric’s assessment, although a few of them wondered if he was just putting up a brave front, to alleviate their doubts. However, since he had assured them he could continue, they turned their attention to Qaim.

“If you will take the lead,” Rhys told him, “we can get underway.” Qaim nodded, but as their guide moved into position, another voice piped up.

“Won’t his injuries keep him from leading us now?” Garreth asked.

“I shouldn’t think they would,” Quintain responded.

“But will he still be able to find and disarm any other traps we might come across?” Garreth persisted.

“Neutralizing the traps might be a problem,” Quintain agreed, conceding that point. “I’m not sure he’ll be able to manipulate the triggering devices with his hands bandaged like they are.” At that moment, everyone turned and looked over at Qaim, so they could visually inspect the thick wad of bandages wrapped around his palms. The immediately noticed his fingers were barely discernable, as they stuck out of the bulky covering.

“Someone else will have to take over then,” Hadwin stated, quite matter-of-factly.

“No, we can’t do that,” Kieren informed them. “No one else has his abilities and Beraut said only Qaim could successfully lead us to Madumda’s fortress. If we have to, we’ll just wait here until he can perform his duties again.”

“That will take far too long,” Alaric stated, quite frankly, “and we don’t have time to waste. He injured himself trying to save me, so I shall assist him with his duties. It was my clumsiness that got us into this mess, so I’m volunteering to help get us out of it too. I’ll assume the risk, by scouting the way and facing any of the dangers that might still lie ahead.”

“No, Qaim still lead,” a little voice squeaked up from behind them. “Qaim will take young master to bad wizard’s home.”

“Qaim, it will be too dangerous for you to even try to deactivate any devices we might encounter,” Sedain pointed out. “You might accidentally trip them before you intend to, because of those bandages.”

“No, Qaim lead. Qaim do what he promise.”

“Wait, I’ll go behind Qaim and help him do what he is unable to accomplish on his own,” Alaric told the others. “It’s the least I can do.”

“If we get into any situations where only Qaim can do something,” Quintain advised them, “then I will undo his bandages temporarily and then put them back into place, once he has finished.”

The others thought about Alaric and Quintain’s proposals and found them acceptable, but Qaim had already taken matters into his own hands. Without waiting for a reply, the aignx started down the corridor, sending the others scurrying after him. They weren’t trying to stop him, but merely attempting to catch up. They weren’t even talking to each other as they traveled, knowing they had to be as quiet as they could now.

No one knew how much farther they would have to travel before they reached the main part of the fortress, but most believed they still had a considerable way to go. Therefore, the less time they wasted, the better off they would be. Alaric was following closely behind Qaim, but it was very apparent the elf’s injuries were making it hard for him to keep up with the aignx’s energetic pace. No matter how difficult it was or how much pain he was in, Alaric continued on, without complaint.

The rest of the travelers left a respectable gap between themselves and the other two, just in case something unexpected happened. Even though they were ready for the worst, Qaim obviously wasn’t detecting any threats or traps. His pace remained constant and brisk and they encountered no new obstacles to slow them down. Their travel was also relatively easy, since the floor of the tunnel was flat, fairly smooth and the temperature at this level was cool, yet comfortable. It was much preferable to the snow and cold they had been forced to deal with before entering this maze of tunnels beneath Treblanc and it even helped to put each of them in a better mood. It was also a relief to not have to worry about the condor any longer, even though they knew other dangers might be lurking about.

As they moved along, there were several instances when the others noticed Alaric conferring with Qaim, but they tried not to read too much into this. They felt the two of them were most likely just inquiring as to how the other was holding up. Things were going along amazingly well, when Alaric signaled them to halt.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Hadwin asked the elf, after he’d moved close enough so he could whisper his question. The others had moved up as well.

“I have some concerns,” Alaric informed him. “I’ve noticed a scattered collection of bones along the tunnel’s walls and I think we should stop to examine them.”

“What for?” asked a bewildered Garreth. This caused Kieren to turn and look at his friend now. He realized Garreth had become much more vocal since they had lost Romaric. Before that, Garreth had generally been the shy, quiet one.

“Well, I think it’s important to know what types of animals the bones are from,” Alaric advised him. “It may give us some indication as to the types of things we might yet have to deal with.”

“They are probably just from animals that wandered in here and were killed by the traps or died of hunger,” Garreth commented, thinking they were making too much out of a few old bones.

“Your assumptions are rash and flawed,” Rhys countered. The sting of his comment wounded the young elf’s ego and caused his chin to drop against his chest. “You have not stopped to consider the things you already know. The entrance behind us was sealed and the traps we encountered were not sprung. Therefore, these creatures could not have wandered in from that direction. Secondly, there are no signs of any traps having been activated, nor has Qaim detected any other devices since we encountered the collapsing roadway, so they couldn’t have died in that manner. However, if they came from the other direction, it would behoove us to know what types of creatures they were. That would give us an idea about what to do, just in case we encounter others of their species.”

Garreth was utterly embarrassed by this and felt extremely foolish for having missed those obvious clues. While he was feeling sorry for himself, Hadwin and Alaric moved closer to the pile of bones and began to examine them. Sedain instinctively walked up behind them and held his torch out, so they could see more clearly. The elf and Nardinian picked up the various skeletal remains and scrutinize them, carefully looking for clues. After several minutes of study, they moved back to the others and made their report.

“Unless I am mistaken,” Hadwin informed them, “ these remains are not from any one creature. Instead, they are a collection of bones from several different animals. Seeing there are no skulls, nor a complete skeleton to be seen, I don’t believe these animals were killed or died here. However, neither Alaric nor I have any idea about how these remains ended up where they are.”

“Possibly the others canst conjecture how such a thing might occur,” Turquinine suggested.

“Well, this would only be a guess on my part,” Rhys responded, “but maybe one of Madumda’s slaves were given the task of disposing of these leftovers from a meal and got lazy. That person could have stashed them here, thinking they wouldn’t be in the way and not likely to be discovered.” Everyone was considering this possibility, when the Akiktite offered another suggestion. “It might also be possible that these are the partial remains of various species, including Qaim’s ancestors, who were killed or perished in these tunnels throughout the ages. After they were dead, a scavenger could have dragged various parts here, so they could nibble upon them in safety.”

“That could have happened,” Hadwin agreed, “since it is impossible to tell how long these bones have been here. All we know for certain is that they have not been brought here recently. They are very dry and brittle and there is absolutely no meat on them. That means they’ve most likely been here for quite some time. There are, though, some interesting gashes on them.”

“What doth thou think this means?” Turquinine asked, deeply concerned about the implications.

“Nothing, yet,” Hadwin admitted. “I don’t have enough information to draw any conclusions, but they are not the types of gashes I have seen a blade make. I do suggest we keep our eyes open for further evidence about how they came to be here, though.”

“Agreed,” Quintain confirmed, offering his support.

“Qaim no like bones,” the aignx chimed in, seemingly bothered by the discovery. “Qaim have bad feeling about bones.”

“I think we all do, my nervous friend,” added Sedain, “so let’s move on.”

Qaim didn’t wait for any further instruction and began scurrying back down the corridor. As they moved forward, they began to find other tunnels jutting off of the one they were using, but Qaim didn’t seem to give them more than a cursory perusal. The others were concerned about what might be down them, but Qaim didn’t seem too worried.

“Qaim, maybe we should stop and investigate some of these tunnels,” Rhys suggested.

“We no want those. Follow Qaim,” he said, without even slowing down.

“But shouldn’t we see if anyone is down them,” the Akiktite persisted. “We wouldn’t want someone sneaking up behind us later?”

“No, they empty. Just follow Qaim,” he told them, causing them to reluctantly do as he said.

They began to scurry down the corridor again, but whenever they would pass another pile of bones, the others would make Qaim pause briefly, so they could investigate. Although they hope to discover details to assist them in learning how the bones came to be there, their efforts proved fruitless. They were never able to uncover anything that would shed more light upon this dilemma, so they remained disappointed.

After their most recent examination, however, Qaim suddenly refused to budge. “Qaim no want to go on,” he announced. “Floor wet. Make it hard for Qaim to walk.”

Almost as one, the others looked toward the ground, to see what he was talking about. Some knelt down, while others simply bent over, but they all ran their hands over the tunnel floor. By doing so, they discovered a slimy coating covering the surface of the walkway. Seeing Qaim was the only one who was not wearing boots, he was also the only one who could feel this muck on the soles of his feet. Dutifully, the warriors began to study the liquid, to see if they could figure out what it was.

“Does anyone have the slightest idea what this stuff is?” Quintain asked, after conferring briefly with his brother. “I have lived and worked in tunnels for many years and I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The rest of the contingent was unable to offer any suggestions, because none of them had ever encountered anything similar either. They continued to study it and make observations, hoping that might give them some additional insight.

“It seems to be concentrated at the center of the corridor,” Hadwin noted, after checking the floor from wall to wall.

“Is it possible this is something Madumda put here to make sneaking in more difficult or to cause intruders to leave tracks, which could then be followed?” Kieren asked, in an effort to try to come up with a possible answer.

“It doesn’t seem likely,” Hadwin responded. “If that were the reason for this gunk, I think he would have spread it from wall to wall, not just down the center. It doesn’t make sense that he would have left a way to avoid it, if either of those reasons were his intent.”

“True,” Kieren said, agreeing with the Nardinian’s statement and conceding his own idea was not likely.

“Let’s just move closer to one wall or the other then,” Alaric suggested, “so we don’t lose any more time.” The others agreed with his advice, but Qaim was still uncomfortable with the amount of slime that still adhered to his feet. After a few more paces, the aignx stopped again.

“Qaim’s feet hurt. Qaim want to stop. Qaim not walk more.”

Quintain walked over to his hairy little companion, so he could examine his feet. After doing so, he turned toward the others. “I believe it would be best if we remained here for a while. I need to tend to this before it gets any worse. The soles of Qaim’s feet are very red and tender and I believe the gook on the floor is causing this irritation. I would venture to say his soles look nearly as bad as his hands now.” The others gasped audibly, as they visualized how badly his feet were injured. “They must be very painful and it’s no wonder he is finding it difficult to walk,” Quintain continued. “Why don’t we take a meal break, so I’ll have time to tend to him?”

Everyone agreed with this idea, if only for Qaim’s sake. Sedain immediately set about ripping the garment he used earlier into more strips, so they could be used to bandage the aignx’s feet. Quintain had already dug the salve back out of his pack and was ready to start, when Rhys handed him one of his shirts too. “Use this to wipe the slime from Qaim’s feet,” he told Quintain. “If that ooze is causing his problem, then you’ll need to remove it, before you apply the ointment.”

Quintain thanked the warrior for his donation and then began to carefully wipe the slime from Qaim’s soles. The aignx remained motionless and allowed the dwarf to do what he thought best, much the same as a child would let a parent tend to his needs. Qaim seemed totally content to let Quintain take care of him. Besides, he was not familiar with the methods they were using and wouldn’t have been able to do this for himself anyway.

“You’re lucky I brought this salve with me,” Quintain told him, “for I almost didn’t pack it for this trip. This should help to relieve most of the soreness and reduce the irritation. You should be able to continue in about half an hour.”

“Thank you, master dwarf. Qaim like you.”

“You’re welcome, my friend, and I like you too,” Quintain replied, sincerely. “Please let me know when you think you’re ready to continue.”

“Qaim will,” the aignx told him. Even through all the fur, Quintain thought he could see the aignx smile.

After Quintain walked away, Garreth made his way down to where Qaim was sitting and handed the aignx a small bundle. “Here, these are my old boots,” he told him, “but you can have them now. I put them in my pack when I was given these new ones at Leander. I thought I might need them in the future, but I see you can use them more than me. Please take them and put them on. They will protect your feet from further harm.”

“Qaim no wear,” the aignx protested. “Qaim not put those on his feet. Qaim be all right.”

“But…” Garreth started to protest, when Quintain cut him off. The dwarf had turned back and followed the young elf, to see what he was up to, so he had overheard the entire conversation.

“That was a very noble and generous offer, Garreth,” Quintain told him, “but I’m afraid the boots might do him more harm than good. You see, Qaim isn’t accustomed to using footwear and your boots would probably be an even greater source of irritation and discomfort for him. They would most likely give him blisters, as well as irritate his damaged flesh, seeing they probably aren’t his size either. I’m sure he appreciates the intent of your offer, but the balm I applied to his feet should do the trick and he should be able to continue before long.”

“Yes, Qaim thank you. You very nice to Qaim.”

“That’s okay,” Garreth told him, although he looked slightly disappointed that his offer had been rejected. “I just wanted to help.”

“You did,” Quintain advised him, “whether the boots were of use or not. You have shown great compassion and I’m sure that did more for Qaim than your boots could have ever done.” The dwarf clasped the elf’s shoulder and winked at him, to emphasize his point. “You should go back and finish eating now, if you haven’t done so already. Qaim will let us know when he’s ready to continue.”

Garreth did as he was told and returned to his place next to Kieren. Not much more time passed before they were getting to their feet again and preparing to start out, after Qaim informed them he was ready. As they proceeded down the tunnel, they passed several more corridors that intersected the passageway they were following. The warriors still felt that maybe they should be investigating these passages, at least briefly, to make sure there weren’t any threats hidden down them. However, Qaim continued to assure them it wasn’t necessary. After considering all he had already done for them, they weren’t about to press the issue further and continued to trail behind him. The aignx never hesitated nor deviated from his course, and he wasn’t even remotely tempted to turn down any of these new passageways. Instead, he continued to lead them steadily forward.

Even though the others weren’t questioning this any longer, it still troubled Kieren a little. He wondered if possibly they should have taken one of the other corridors, instead of following the one they were on. He privately debated whether those tunnels might be the passage that would lead them where they needed to go or even if they might be a shortcut to the fortress. After many minutes of this internal conflict, he remembered Beraut’s words again. He heard the wizard’s admonition that they should trust the aignx implicitly. After considering what he’d seen Qaim do previously, Beraut’s advice was enough to convince him not to worry about this further, so he followed their guide eagerly. They continued on like this for many more minutes, until the aignx signaled them to stop and gather around him.

“Qaim feel there something ahead,” he whispered. “Qaim sense something else in tunnel too.”

“Do you have any idea what it is?” Hadwin asked him, keeping his voice hushed.

“No. Qaim not know, but Qaim feel something else here too.”

“Thou must stayeth here and protect Kieren,” Turquinine announced to the others, “whilst I goeth ahead, to investigate what lurketh about. Thou must remain steadfast and vigilant until I return.”

The other warriors began to object, advising Turquinine they felt a small party should be sent to check out Qaim’s warning, but the warrior wasn’t about to listen. Instead, he drew his sword and started to creep down the passageway, intent on leaving everyone else behind to defend Kieren. Reluctantly, they allowed him to go on his own, although they did take some other precautions. They used this opportunity to move Kieren and Garreth near the back of the group and then they placed Alaric and Sedain strategically behind them, to protect against an assault from behind. Eagerly, each individual grasped his favorite weapon in his dominant hand and prepared to defend himself. They were now ready to confront whatever enemy might suddenly appear.

At this point Garreth turned to Kieren and made a suggestion. “Use your cloak to keep from being seen,” he urged his friend.

“No,” Kieren objected. “I can help fight against anything that’s out there too.”

“Don’t be dumb,” Garreth shot back, less than tactfully. “Even if we are attacked and some of us should fall, you have to do everything you can to keep going. Don’t let your pride put you in danger.” After giving Garreth a strange look, Kieren grudgingly agreed with his friend’s advice and pulled his cloak securely about his body. Then he waited to see what was going to happen next.

Once he left the others, Turquinine never hesitated nor slowed down, until he observed a faint glow radiating from farther down the passageway. The Mitikuan cautiously crept forward, until he rounded a slight bend in the tunnel, where he attempted to see what lay ahead. Using great stealth, he knelt down, so his upper body would be closer to the floor. Then he eased his head forward, until he could view what was there. Almost immediately, he spied a troll.

The troll was considerably larger than the Mitikuan and posed an immediate threat to their safety. He was sitting alone, in a spot where the tunnel widened out into a small chamber. Turquinine scanned the area more thoroughly, to see if there were any others with the ogre, but the Mitikuan discovered the behemoth seemed to be alone. The knight continued to look around, hoping to learn if there was anything else he should be aware of, before he decided on a course of action. After a thorough visual investigation of the area, he ascertained the only things there, besides the troll, were a large club and several torches, which hung on the walls and lit the area quite nicely. The brightness they generated would also make it difficult for Turquinine to be able to sneak up on the creature or for the group to slip past him undetected. Not knowing what else to do at this point, the knight continued to merely observe the ogre.

Turquinine was immediately confused by something the troll was doing. It appeared the ogre was talking to someone, but no one else was there - at least not from Turquinine’s vantage point. After straining to reinspect the entire area, just in case he had missed something the first time around, the Mitikuan concluded this creature was only talking to himself, while tossing pebbles at a small hole in the opposite wall. It appeared to be some sort of game he had devised, but as he played, the troll continued his muttering. Wanting to hear what was being said, Turquinine slid forward on his belly, along the base of the wall. Finally, he inched close enough to discern some of the ogre’s monologue.

“It’s not fair that Bilgy have to stay down here all the time” the behemoth rambled. “The master should make others come down here too, not just Bilgy. Bilgy wants to take Srejan out for a walk. Bilgy like to walk at night and take his pet with him.” At that point, the troll began to mumble, making it hard for the Mitikuan to make out what was being said. Turquinine was now only able to catch bits and pieces of what was going on, but he wanted to hear it all. Frustrated by this turn of events, the knight slid a little closer, while still trying to stay concealed in the shadows.

As he did so, the troll suddenly stood up, which caused the giant warrior to freeze in place. Turquinine feared he had been discovered. Instinctively, he grasped the hilt of his sword tightly and prepared to jump to his feet, to do battle, but decided to first see what the lumbering titan’s next move was going to be. While the Mitikuan watched intently, the troll merely walked over to the far wall and collected the pebbles he had thrown there. Once he’d picked them all up, he moved back to his seat and started his game over. At that time, he also resumed his soliloquy, not knowing nor suspecting he had an unwanted audience.

“Why can’t Bilgy go above and be with the others? It because they think Bilgy too ugly and too dumb to be their friend. I not too dumb! I want to take my pet out to play. We want to have fun too, but nooooo, Bilgy always sent down to watch the tunnels. No one care what Bilgy think. No one care how Bilgy feels. Bilgy just have to sit down here and wait.” The troll paused momentarily, which caused Turquinine to worry the ogre might have heard something and was now listening for verification. The Mitikuan even held his breath, so the behemoth wouldn’t be able to hear him inhale or exhale. Turquinine had just about reached the point where he wouldn’t be able to suspend his breathing any longer, when the troll started speaking again.

“Bilgy supposed to kill anyone who tries to get to his master. That Bilgy’s job,” he stated, although not very happily. “Bilgy stuck here for long, long time, with only Srejan for company. Bilgy play with his pet, but we want to play outside. It not fair. Maybe Bilgy just take his pet and go out the backdoor instead.”

Having made this pronouncement, the troll looked down the hallway that led to the rear door - and that was when he spied the whites of the Mitikuan’s eyes. Turquinine froze and squinted, hoping the troll would think he had been mistaken, but it was too late.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” the ogre demanded, as he picked up the large wooden club that Turquinine had previously noted lying on the ground beside him. Menacingly, the troll stood up and stepped toward the knight at the same instant. Seeing he was out of options, Turquinine leaped to his feet, lifted his sword in a defensive stance and blocked the tunnel opening. He was prepared to stand his ground and battle this behemoth, if need be.