Exiled - 01 (30 page)

“Not fair, not fair!” Garsmith said.

“Are there rules saying I can’t use magic?” Garsmith shook his head and a sullen look washed over his face. “I didn’t think so.”

 
As the smoke cleared around Ishmar, I saw his gray skin undamaged by the flame and my stomach clenched with nervousness.

“Haha, that’s my boy! Use your fire magic, half breed; his hide is too strong for your trickery.” Garsmith laughed and the crowd joined in and began cheering Ishmar on.

Ishmar’s fists swung at me in a fury and I did everything I could to block them, but he was too strong. His physical strength was beyond anything I’d ever faced.

My body swelled and bruised as fists smashed my face and torso. When I did manage to duck one of his blows, I followed through with force of my own. I smashed my fist into his stomach and jumped to strike his face, but he didn’t react. I was on the verge of exhaustion when Ishmar stopped swinging and lifted me into the air with ease.

The crowd cheered. “Eat him! Eat him! Eat him!” the trolls chanted.

“Bite his head off!” a woman’s voice yelled.

Ishmar smiled and lifted me above his head. He pulled me closer to his face, licking his lips, and I struggled against his grip and freed both my arms. I pushed at his hands, trying to break free, but he squeezed the air from my lungs.

I could feel the blood drain from my face and my head lolled to one side as I struggled for breath. I was high enough to see the white caps crashing against the bank of the river and the sight of the water filled me with determination.

I grabbed his wrists with both hands and pulled a different magic up from my soul. I focused as best I could with little air in my lungs and the pain in my side. I thought of that river, the dark purple rapids smashing against each other with force. Water was a relaxing and healing element when it was calm, but when it was angry, it pulled its victims under its wrath. I was going to see how far my magic could stretch untrained.

I focused my power and let it spill from my body. The cool rush of water filled my veins as the magic moved into Ishmar. His black eyes widened in panic and he released me. I wrapped my hands around his thick neck as I fell, letting the magic flow into him. He fell to the ground with a crash and water spilled from his nostrils. His body convulsed and he coughed waves of water as he took his turn to struggle for air.

“Ishmar!” Garsmith yelled. I turned my eyes on him and his gray skin paled. “Don’t kill him! Please, not my boy,” Garsmith begged.

“Do you forfeit?”

“Never!” Garsmith said in a rush of pride.

“Then so be it,” I said and I turned my focus back to Ishmar. His stubby fingers pawed at me, trying to bat me from his chest, but I put all my strength into holding on to his throat.

His strength dwindled under my magic. He rolled to his stomach, water pouring from his ears and eyes sockets now. I kept my grip on his neck, straddling his back while he fought to hold himself up on his elbows. A rush of water poured from his mouth and he gasped for air, grabbing at the loose dirt around him.

“Papa!” He managed to cry out in a gurgle, clawing his way towards Garsmith.

Garsmith backed up, his prideful face showing a hint of sadness. I let him see the determination in my face until he finally conceded.

“Alright,” Garsmith said.

“Alright what?”

“We forfeit.”

“And?”

“You and your friend can leave, unharmed, and cross the bridge. You have my word,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Agreed,” I said, and released my grip and pulled the magic back inside me. I fell off Ishmar’s back and onto the ground, panting to pull air into my own lungs. My swollen body ached as I crawled to Tiki.

Ishmar coughed heavily, expelling a flood of water from his body. His gray skin had turned white, and when he had coughed the last of the water from his lungs, he collapsed. Garsmith rushed to his son’s aid and began rubbing his back and soothing him.

Tiki moved slowly and jerkily, black and purple with bruises from the waist up. His nose was pouring bright red blood and his lips had multiple splits. Dried blood and dirt added their colors to his flesh. I collapsed beside him in exhaustion.

“Well, that went well,” I said between pants. The magic had taken most of my energy and I was extremely tired and hungry.

“If that is your idea of going well, I do not want to know what you classify as going badly. Ishmar has a strange magic. I could not bring my demon out,” Tiki said.

Loud footsteps neared us, but I couldn’t be bothered to move. Ishmar cast a large shadow over us, the gray coloring coming back into his skin. Panic ran through me, but his thick arms extended and he offered each of us a hand.

“You are a most worthy opponent,” Ishmar said, and bowed his head to me.

 
“As are you,” I said.

“Thank you for sparing me. You are most honorable.”

“I wouldn’t say that, but thank you.”

Ishmar shook his head. “I threatened to end your life, and still you spared me. If that’s not honorable, then I do not know the meaning of the word.” His voice was gentle, and deeper than any I’d ever heard.

“Thank you, Ishmar.”

 
“You are hurt and tired. Please, come eat and rest with us.” I looked at Tiki, who looked to be in too much pain to argue. “I promise you will be safe here,” Ishmar added.

 
“Okay,” I said.

Ishmar led us into another open space. Thick logs surrounded a large fire pit. Three trolls worked around a big pot hanging above the fire, stirring whatever was inside. If it hadn’t been for their breasts, I wouldn’t have known they were female.

“Please sit,” Ishmar said.

Tiki and I groaned as we lowered ourselves onto a log.

“You okay?” I asked.

 
“I will be fine.”

“I can help heal you.”

“No, no. I have seen what your magic can do.”

I laughed and it made me wince again. “Really, I can.” I reached out towards him and he tried to pull away from me, but it hurt him too much to move. I placed both my hands on his back and called on my magic. The water flowed up through my soul in a smooth calm wave and out my hands.

Tiki gasped, but quieted as his muscles relaxed. I sent my magic out over his body and imagined that smooth water was rolling over his wounds, washing away the blood and bruises as undamaged caramel skin revealed itself. It took everything I had left.

When I opened my eyes, his bruises were gone, replaced by flawless flesh. His lips had healed and all that remained of his wounds were the stains of dried blood.

“Amazing,” he said as I pulled my magic back into me.

All the trolls had stopped and were staring at us, some with awe, others with surprise, and some with anger, which I didn’t understand. I didn’t know how to react, and I didn’t have the energy to move. I hadn’t realized how much the magic would take out of me.

I tried to pull up my magic again and heal my own wounds, but I couldn’t focus; I needed food and rest. I tried to stand, but black dots swam around me and I had to force my eyelids to stay open.

“Chase?” Tiki said, his voice was distant.

“I’m fine. I just need....” I started, but the light around me dimmed and I fell to the ground. I remembered seeing the dirt approaching, but the darkness swallowed me before I hit it.

~~~~~~

Chapter 28

I awoke in somebody’s tent and could see the flickering light of a fire through the opening. I tried to move and realized I was in a cot of some kind.

“Chase!” Tiki said. He moved to the side of the bed. “Are you alright?”

I tried to sit up. I was still in pain, but it had receded. “I’m fine. I think. I don’t know what happened.”

“You blacked out. Your magic, it drains you.”

I knew that using your magic took energy, but I’d never seen anybody react like this.

“What time is it?”

“It will be morning soon.”

Panic coursed through me and I swung my legs over the edge. “We need to go! We have to get to Rayna.”

“I know, but first you must eat.”

“We don’t have time, Tiki! I’ve slept for too long.”

“You will be of no use to Rayna if you are weak. You must eat. The trolls’ chief has offered to take us to Galthor, a man who can help us with travel arrangements. The trolls are a powerful people of many abilities, and you have earned their respect.”

“Fine, first we eat, but then we leave.”

Only a few trolls remained around the fire and Ishmar was one of them. His attention turned to me as I sat on one of the logs, and he came over immediately with a steaming wooden bowl and matching spoon.

“Here, eat,” he said.

“Thanks.”

I looked down at the steaming bowl filled with a thin black liquid with strange green lumps. I lifted my gaze to Ishmar and raised a brow.

“It is very good. Eat,” he said.

“What is it?” I asked, poking at the lumps with my spoon.

“It is vesorla soup. I caught it myself in the river this morning,” he said with a proud smile.

I took a spoonful and examined it. It smelled kind of like old socks, but I needed to eat something. My stomach growled and I slid the spoon into my mouth. After you got past the dirty foot flavor, it wasn’t disgusting, and I was grateful. Tiki was right; I wasn’t going to save Rayna on an empty stomach.

“Ishmar, why are you so much bigger than the rest of the trolls?” Tiki asked.

Ishmar lowered himself and sat crossed legged in front of us. “I get my size from my mother. She’s a giant.”

I coughed and choked down the mouthful of food I had. “I’m sorry, did you say a giant?”

Ishmar nodded.

“How do a giant and a troll…” I started. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

“That’s why my demon was contained,” Tiki said.

“Yes, the giants have strange abilities,” Ishmar said. “My mother and father had me at a young age and were not ready for marriage. I split my time between their tribes. Although I may seem oversized here, I am small when I am among my mother’s family.”

Ishmar didn’t speak with grunting and snorting between his words like the other trolls, but his voice was so deep I found it hard to understand at times.

“The friend I’m looking for comes from a similar situation,” I said.

“Her mother is a giant and her father is a troll?” Ishmar asked with excitement.

“Not exactly,” I said.

Ishmar didn’t have time to ask any more questions, as footsteps came up beside us and he jumped to his feet. He lowered himself onto one knee and bowed to the men that arrived.

A short, thick man with a black beard that hung from his strange chin to the ground stood beside me. His small beady eyes watched me with a strange expression as he pulled his ankle length hair into a ponytail. Two more trolls behind him stood motionless, dressed in armor and holding their helmets under their arms. Both had matted black hair twisted into dreadlocks and black scars on their faces.

“Chief Sorent,” Tiki said.

“Are you ready?” Sorent asked.

“I think so,” he said, looking at me.

I nodded and Sorent stared down at me, an odd look on his face. “So you are the one who almost killed our Ishmar,” he stated.

I looked up at him but didn’t respond.

“A noble thing you did, boy,” he said, followed by a snort. “The trolls owe you great thanks for having spared his life. He is a great warrior among our people, but I suppose not as great as you.”

I was left wordless again. I didn’t want to say anything to offend him. I was relying on him to get us to Alkalina Lake.

“Regardless,” he continued, “he is of great value to my army and I owe you thanks. Your friend Tikimicharnikato of the Suriattas clan has told us you need to get to Alkalina Lake.”