The sound of a woman softly humming filtered through my ears and into my brain.
“Rosedaaaaaale,” she sang sweetly. “The place where flowers grooooow.” Her voice was melodic and soothing, “Rosedale, the land of fertile grooooound.”
I popped my eyelids open and recognized the sweet troll woman from the border.
Pushing her singing out of my mind, I grasped for that bond that kept me in touch with Sawyer.
‘Sawyer? I’m in Troll Village!’ I tried, and whimpered when the cuffs lit up my arms in excruciating pain, frying the tender skin there.
There was no reply and now that I focused on it… I felt… nothing. I couldn’t feel him like I normally could. His essence, once so tightly woven to mine, was… severed.
The woman’s singing cut off as she walked over to me, eyes wide in alarm. She’d tied my shoulder up in a leather sling and had laid me in a handmade cotton bed. Dark rough logs were stacked high to make the walls; packed dry mud filled the gaps. A kerosene lamp hanging on a hook illuminated the polished dark wood floor, and everything from the muted woven rug to the carved nightstand looked handmade. It was simple yet clean and homely. I was lying on a makeshift mattress in the corner of an open living room. The fireplace at the far wall held a pot inside as orange flames licked at the edges.
“You thirsty?” The woman came over, carrying a stainless-steel cup of water.
At the mere mention of water, my tongue felt swollen and dry. She held the cup to my lips and I chugged half the thing in one swallow.
“Thank you,” I panted as she reached underneath me and heaved me into a sitting position, resting my back against the wall and shoving a pillow under it to make me comfortable.
The jasmine flower she wore behind her ear caused the scent to wash over me. I noticed she looked about my age, maybe a year or two older. When she pulled back to hand me some more water, I laced my fingers over hers and stilled the cup mid-air. “Thank you. You saved my life.” My voice cracked and she nodded. Even for being in her early twenties there was a hardness to her. She was beautiful, but tough times had not left her unmarred. My gaze ran over her soft caramel skin to the two tiny tusks that protruded out of her cheeks. Her honey-brown eyes were almond shaped and her thick, silky hair made me envious. I never thought I would think a troll was beautiful, but she was.
“They’re monsters,” she said, and something dark flashed across her face. I wondered if she’d had a personal run in with a vampire, one like mine. “And us women gotta stick together.”
That brought a smile to my lips. No matter our race or differences, she only saw the commonality. “What’s your name?” I asked, taking the water and helping myself to another mouthful as she fussed about me, checking my shoulder injury.
She smiled. “Marmal.”
“I’m Demi.” I used my left hand to grasp my right injured elbow in a typical troll gesture of being well met that I’d learned from Delphi, and her smile grew wider.
She grasped her elbow and bowed her head. “Well met, Demi. How did you learn our greeting?”
I sighed. “Delphi…” I wasn’t sure if she would know what that was, but she winced the moment I said it, so that told me she did.
“Banished? Is that where you got those?” She pointed to my wrists.
I nodded. “Sort of. Wore them all my life, but these are new. Vampires.”
Again that vicious predatorial look was back. “I tried to take them off while you were out. They shocked me!” she spat.
“Magic. Keeps me from shifting.” Again I felt for Sawyer and again got nothing.
No. No. No. What did that mean? Was it this place, being in Troll Village? Or were we simply too far away from each other? I’d done something in my anger before. I’d severed our imprint and it was barely working before, and now it felt completely busted.
I wanted to cry, but Marmal pulled me from my panicked thoughts.
A frown pulled at her lips. “Are you running from Werewolf City? You can stay here a few days, but the vampires will probably speak to the Troll Council and they’ll come looking for you eventually and turn you in.”
That was the last thing I wanted. “I’m actually trying to get back to Wolf City. The vampires kidnapped me. Do you know a way?”
She frowned. “The closest way to Wolf City from here is through the Wild Lands, Vampire City… or all the way around.”
I frowned. “All the way around what? I didn’t grow up here.”
Vampire City and Wild Lands were out of the question.
She nodded and stood, walking across the room. She went to a little wooden desk and pulled out a piece of old suede. “Here, you can have this extra map I made for my little sister. She’s married off now.”
Married off? I knew nothing about troll culture. “And you’re not?” I grasped the map and started to unroll it.
She chuckled. “Men don’t want to marry me. I’m a successful farmer with my own land, no debt, and a brain between my ears.”
I grinned, instantly liking her. “Parents?” I asked, holding the map flat on my lap.
“Died when I was fifteen. I’ve been on my own ever since.”
I frowned. So young, and with a little sister to take care of … that was tragic. No wonder she was so capable; it was her only option.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I told her. I peered down at the map in my lap and my heart sank.
“So… this is a map of Magic City?” I traced my finger along the path I would have to take to get to our nearest ally, the light fey. It was sandwiched between the Dark Fey Territory and the Witch Lands, which touched Werewolf City. That meant I would have to travel through all of Troll Village, and then through the entirety of the Dark Fey Territory to reach the light fey. It was either that or risk going back into Vampire City which wasn’t an option. The Wild Lands also weren’t an option, not after Sawyer killed Butcher. They’d skin me alive on the spot.
“It’s not ideal,” she sighed, “but I can give you one of my donkeys and a traveling pack…”
That was a very kind offer and a good backup plan. “Thank you. That would be great… but if I could just call my friend and tell him exactly where I am, he will send a helicopter to get me before the vampires even realize.” I knew my mom, Raven, and my dad’s number by heart. One of them could call Sawyer, because I hadn’t memorized his.
She looked confused, and then understanding crossed her features and she nodded. “You mean a telephone? Oh we don’t have electronics in Troll Village. We believe they are cursed and will steal our magic.”
My heart dropped.
Of course not. And my cellphone and backpack were MIA since my kidnapping.
Fuck.
“So… I’ll take that donkey and travel pack, then.” I gave her a weak smile as my heart grew more worried. Ride a donkey through the dark fey territories and get to Light Fey City to find a phone and call my parents?
Easy peasy. I totally got this.
Just kidding, this was clearly how I die.
She pointed to my cuffs. “Those will get you spotted quicker. I can’t take them off, but I can cover them.”
She pulled some thick leather from a box under the sofa next to the bed and started to wrap them around the cuffs, measuring. “Stay the night and you can leave at first light? You don’t want to cross these woods after dark. Walk in the day posing as a trader and sleep high in the treetops at night.”
I gulped, nodding. Walk in the day, sleep high in a tree at night. Got it. “Trading what? Won’t they smell my wolf?”
She nodded. “They’ll think you’re Ithaki or Paladin, not a city wolf and not banished. The Paladin wolves often trade furs and bone blades at our market.”
They did?
I didn’t know that. I wondered if my biological father, Run, had done that.
“Okay.” I questioned this plan but was grateful for her help.
“I’ll give you a few items to trade if you get caught, but you’ll have to travel all day to make good time.”
My eyes widened as I became more and more afraid of this plan.
“Got a motorcycle or something?” I gave a nervous laugh and she looked confused again. “It’s like a metal donkey that goes really fast,” I told her.
She clicked her teeth. “Demon technology.” She tapped my cuff. “See where that got you?”
Maybe she had a point, but I missed my iPhone right about now and the connection it gave me to the outside world. Okay, my boyfriend just broke out of an evil love spell, I was trapped in Troll Village, and I needed to travel through Dark Fey Territory to get to the Prime Minister of Light Fey City… an ally who’d sniffed me and moaned. This was fine.
Everything was fine.
She motioned to my jeans and t-shirt. “Traders don’t dress like that. I’ll give you clothes too.”
I sighed. “I don’t have anything to pay you with, but I can—”
She grabbed my hand and held it, her eyes swimming with emotion. “A year after my mom died … the vampires paid me monthly visits.” All vulnerability fled when her eyes creased to slits of absolute hatred. My stomach dropped at her words. “At first, I was just glad they left my little sister alone, but then my old neighbor, Timatu, dropped by and saw what was going on… he taught me how to fight back.”
I squeezed her hand to show support and she nodded, wiping at a stray tear.
“I killed my first blood sucker that summer, and then another, and another, until they learned to stop coming or they’d keep dying.” She flicked her eyes to the wall behind me and I turned to see a rack full of shotguns, silver stakes, a sickle, and other vampire-killing weapons.
Holy shit, homegirl was a killing machine, because she had to be. I understood what she was telling me. That even though I had nothing to give her, getting me away from the vampires was enough payment for her.
“I’m so sorry. Something similar happened to me,” I told her.
She nodded. “So I don’t want payment. I want to pay it forward and help you, like my neighbor helped me.”
My throat constricted with emotion. Gifts that were given with no expectation of return were the best kind. “Thank you. I won’t forget this kindness.”
She nodded and released my hand. “See if you can walk. You seem to have taken a beating and I want to make sure you are strong enough. Bathhouse is just off the porch if you want to wash up.”
And with that, Marmal and I became temporary roommates. I shuffled outside and took a shower in her bathhouse, putting on some handmade cotton clothing she left for me, careful to baby my injured shoulder. It was black and blue, like my eye. I looked pretty beat up, but Marmal had an arnica salve for my eye and a minty rub that I put on my shoulder that lessened the pain.
When I stepped into the kitchen, she called me right over to the stove and taught me how to make pag’al. It was like a sweet puffy bread that was delicious with butter. I also tried goat’s milk for the first time, and even some stewed rabbit. As long as I mentally told myself it was chicken, it tasted great.
Later that night, after helping her clean up, I wished her goodnight and then lay awake for a long time in bed. I wondered what Sawyer was doing right now. Was he still looking for me? Did he still love me? Did he still love Meredith? Raven once told me that love potions only worked if the person genuinely had feelings for another person. It could amp those feelings up but not create them out of nothing.
I didn’t know what to think about that, so I stared at the weapons wall of the house until sleep took me.
I was awoken by the crisp clear sound of Marmal singing. She had a lovely voice. Even though life had been hard on her, it hadn’t dampened her joy.
“Rise and shine.” She stepped over to me with a plate of steaming-hot boiled eggs that didn’t look like they came from a chicken, and some shredded meat over purple potatoes piled high upon the plate.
“Freshen up quickly and then join me for breakfast. I have some things to tell you,” she said, and then set the plate on the table.
I quickly went to the bathhouse and used some of this clay mint teeth brushing powder she’d given me with a handmade toothbrush. I reapplied the healing salves, taking care to try to get under my cuffs with the arnica. My forearms were the most beat up from the constant shocks. I was grateful to see I looked less banged-up today. My split lip was healing; a thick, almost black scab in a line ran down the bottom. By the time I was done, only about ten minutes had passed and I raced back to the house eager to get on my way before I chickened out or vampires showed up.
Marmal was waiting for me; two wicker baskets lay over the top of our food to keep the steam in.
“Thank you,” I told her as we pulled off our baskets and started to eat. “What do you have to tell me?”
A slow grin pulled across her face. “You seem to have caught the eye of the werewolf alpha’s son.”
My heart thundered in my chest. “What do you mean?”
She took a drink from her stainless-steel cup and then leveled her eyes at me. “Because we don’t use technology, we trolls don’t have much in the way of entertainment. So gossip is much loved in our culture.”
Get on with it, woman.
“What did you hear?”
She nodded. “I went over to Larada’s farm early this morning to trade a few things and she said that rumor is…” She leaned forward for affect. “…that the alpha’s son has gone mad searching for his mate who was taken by the vampires.”
Gone mad? I hoped that was a cultural barrier and I wasn’t interpreting that literally.
I sighed in relief. He was still looking for me, that was good. “What else did she say?”
Marmal pulled her long brown hair over one shoulder and away from her food. “That he was sending out delegates to each sector to negotiate your return, and there is a million-dollar reward if you are delivered home safely.”
I swooned a little at that, unable to fight the grin that swept across my face. Thank God Sage pulled that necklace off of him; he sounded like his old self again. But why couldn’t I hear him through our bond?
“But then the vampires said they would pay two million.” Her fork stilled at her mouth.
I swallowed hard, trying to read her face. A two-million-dollar bounty on my head by the vampires was not good.
“I lied,” Marmal said suddenly. “I do want payment for helping you.”
My stomach sank. Two million dollars for turning me into the vampires was a lot of money. She could—
“Pay me in gossip.” She grinned, popping a potato into her mouth. “Tell. Me. Everything about the alpha’s son and how he became so fond of you.” Her eyes lit up and a deep relief rushed through my body.
Gossip was all she wanted? That I could do.
“It all started one morning at Delphi University…” I said, and then proceeded to tell her my entire story with Sawyer. I left out parts like my being a split shifter and found other things to put in its place that would make sense. I didn’t realize, until recounting this story, how many times Sawyer protected me, fought for me, saved me.
By the time I was done, I was left feeling empty without him here, not knowing what was going on with Meredith or any of that. Did he blame her for the necklace or simply let her off the hook? Was he still marrying her because she was a safe bet for his family curse? I had so many questions and zero answers.
Marmal looked feral by the time I’d finished the story. “When you get back, you should hike Meredith right up Waterfall Mountain and push her over the other side!” Marmal declared, slamming her fork onto her empty plate.
I chuckled. Wouldn’t that be nice. “Her mom is some bigwig in werewolf society. He probably slapped her on the wrist.”
She shook her head and sighed, then looked at my empty plate. “Alright, let’s get you off. Remember you need to travel by day and sleep high in the trees at night.” She stood and took our plates to the sink.
I nodded, but suddenly felt scared. Why couldn’t she go with me? See me across to the Dark Fey Territory? She must have read my mind.
“I wish I could escort you, but it’s a two-day journey to the border and then another two days back for me. Four days is too long to leave the animals on my farm. And all of my neighbors have their own work to do.”
I nodded, completely understanding. “I’ll be fine.”
Travel across Troll Village on a donkey, what could go wrong? I sifted through my memories of Packard telling stories of his childhood growing up. Weren’t there dark forest creatures that hunted at night? Or was that in the Fey Lands?
I swallowed hard and followed Marmal outside into the morning light. We crossed the large front yard and then stepped over to the big barn.
“This is Ginny.” She smoothed a hand over the donkey’s grayish fur and the animal nuzzled into her. “She’s trained to come home on her own, so just let her loose when you get to the dark fey border.”
I nodded, wondering how an animal could travel back that far without guidance, but kept it to myself. Maybe it was magic. The trolls had a way with animals.
“This food pouch hangs from her neck, so she will self-feed. It’s got enough for the journey and some extra if you get into trouble.” She indicated a leather sack that hung around the animal’s neck. It was full of some kind of pellet or grain.
I nodded again, growing more and more nervous by the moment.
Heaving a large leather sack over one shoulder, Marmal began to tie it to the animal’s backside, showing me how to loosen and retighten the straps. “Shelf stable food for two weeks, water for three days. Running water is safe to drink, standing water is bad. Got it?”
Fuck.
“Sure.”
Maybe I could just go back to Vampire City and Sawyer could negotiate my return?
Yeah, right.
Flashes of them talking about “bottling” my essence flooded my mind and I shivered.
Next, Marmal stepped over to the exterior barn wall and pulled a shotgun from where it was leaning against the side. “You know how to shoot one of these?”
My eyes widened and I shook my head.
She nodded, breaking the barrel in half to expose two dark holes. “Pop two shells in here…” She snapped the gun shut. “Close it, aim, pull back hammers, and shoot.”
I gave her a dry smile. “Is that all?”
She grinned. “It’ll have some kick, so prop it on your shoulder. It’s your last resort weapon, because you can hear it a mile away.”
I nodded. Pop, close, aim, pull hammers, shoot. Last resort. “Got it.”
She handed me two leather cuffs that fit perfectly over my metal ones to disguise them, and I pulled her in for an unexpected hug. “Thank you,” I croaked.
This woman had quite literally saved my life when all I’d expected of her was to turn me in. It showed me that not all trolls were bad, just like not all Paladin were bad.
Her jasmine scent washed over me and she squeezed me back. If we didn’t live worlds apart, we would be good friends, I just knew it.
“Be safe. You’re a Paladin wolf trader, remember?” She pulled back as I slipped the leather cuffs over my metal ones. They were hard like they were wrapped over plastic or something to help it keep shape, perfectly fitting over mine and covering them completely. I looked like a badass archer and not a girl on the run from banishment.
“Be careful, Demi. When you make it back, if you send word to Marmal at Rosedale, rumor will reach me and I’ll know you are safe.”
Both of our eyes were glistening. We were two women who had bonded over hard times, and it was tough to say goodbye. I couldn’t reach Sawyer, I was all alone, and if the vampires weren’t after me I would just stay here for a while with her and learn to cook and tend to the animals. It was peaceful here.
“Go on!” She waved me off and wiped her eyes. “I can’t be seen crying, I have a reputation to uphold,” she joked with a smile.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and then hopped onto Ginny. Reaching back behind me, I slipped the shotgun between the straps of my pack for easy access. Then I pulled out the oil-stained map Marmal had given me and pointed Ginny in the direction of the Dark Fey Territory.
“Goodbye, Marmal. I’ll send word.” I waved to her.
She nodded, swallowing hard, and waved me off with glistening, teary eyes.
Part of me wanted to stay longer. Life was easy and joyous here on the farm with her, but I knew I needed to get back. I needed to see Sawyer. I needed to kick Meredith’s ass. And most importantly, I needed to find out more about what the vampires wanted with me, what this bottling of my essence was all about.
I passed a few farmers who waved or greeted me, asking what I had to trade. Marmal had given me a few less-than-desirable items so that I could just be on my way. And people did decline quickly. It seemed a Paladin trader was a regular fixture here in Troll Village. I wondered just how bad they could be if the only one I ever met had saved my life, and if my mother loved one. Maybe Sawyer was wrong about them.
Obviously he was.
The day went by painfully slow. No TV, no social media, and no one to even talk to. I found myself having made-up conversations in my head. A conversation with Sawyer, another with Meredith, with Sage, and even Eugene. I felt like I was going crazy by nightfall. I didn’t stop to eat, just shoved bits of dried berries or nuts in my mouth as Ginny walked, and only took a rest if she seemed like she needed it.
Now that darkness was creeping in the forest, I decided to climb a tree like Marmal said and attempt to sleep. It wasn’t until I looked up that I noticed there were actual little platforms every hundred or so feet. Sitting in the treetops was a wooden bed… it must be a normal fixture in troll society, like a free hotel or something.
Careening Ginny over to one of the platform bed trees, I tied her to the bottom and poured some of my water in a dish, giving it to her. “You did good today.” I patted her as she sucked water through her pursed lips and ate from her food pouch. Next, I shouldered my pack and my shotgun and started the task of climbing the tree.
This is so much easier when you’re five years old.
With my injured shoulder, climbing was near impossible. My foot slipped a few times and I almost dropped the shotgun twice. When I finally made it to the top, my right arm was quaking with fatigue; exhaustion bled from my limbs as I stretched onto the flat, hard wooden sky bed. My thighs and ass were sore from riding the donkey all day and flexing constantly to counterbalance myself. I couldn’t imagine how she must feel carrying my weight all day.
Through the trees, I watched the sky slowly darken above me. How the hell had I gotten to this moment? My brain struggled to comprehend how I was lying in a treetop in Troll Village when two nights ago I’d been getting ready to meet Sawyer and have him announce I was the one he was picking. I sighed, pulling the thin suede blanket over me that Marmal had packed. Fatigue and pain burned in my limbs, and even though it was probably only like 7 p.m., I was ready for sleep.
There was one thing I wanted to do first though. I knew he was probably desperately worried about me and I wasn’t sure if I broke our bond or if we were too far away or what, and even though it would hurt, I had to try.
‘Sawyer…?’ I whispered, flinching as the hot wires shot electricity up my barely healing arms. I waited, stilling my thoughts and hoping for anything. A word, a feeling, a sign…
I must have lain there an hour waiting for Sawyer to respond. At some point when the darkness hit, I heard hoof beats and yips and growls. Like a pack of wild hyena’s was down there feeding on something. Now I understood why trolls slept in the trees… I tried to stay awake, incase whatever animals were down there could climb, or if Ginny needed me, but my limbs felt too heavy and finally sleep took me.
