The Toll (84 page)

Cupping her hand over her eyes to
watch the show, she drifted towards us slowly, shrugging. “Well,
that went better than expected.” Smiling up at Dukos, she winked.
“You take good care of that human cousin under your wing now, you
hear? Best leave him out of Under, take leave to your bridge,
sweet, you know how Ketik gets.” Throwing her arms around him best
as she could, she nuzzled his rib. “Don’t forget where home is,
baby.” Cracking an eye open at his grunt, she pinched his hip.
“Hush you. I’m your mum. You’ll always be my baby. My little duke.”
Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she sniffled, “I just want you to be
happy, especially you. I’m sorry we banned you from seeing your
cousin. We did what we’d thought best at the time. We love you, you
know.”

“
No, we dinna!” Beast
called, snickering.

“
Quiet, you! Or you’ll be
next!” Nugget warned sternly.

Mav snorted, chortling, and the next
round of shouting and bickering started.

Nodding as he stared down into the
woman’s vibrant blue eyes, her youthful face at odds with the way
she spoke to the troll, motherly and affectionate, Dukos grinned
slowly, brushing his knuckles over the much smaller woman’s
cheeks.

“
Love ye, Mum.”

“
Ah. You melt my heart,
luv, that you’ll still say it.” Her fingers gripped him
tighter.

Mum?
It clicked and I gaped. My slow, stunned mind was just now
picking up on all the not so subtle hints.

She had the same swirling
markings marring her human body, trickling all the way up to her
jawline, same swirling design as all the other trolls.
What did they mean?
I
wondered.
Was she a sort of troll now
too?

When Troll was done roaring, he
stormed over, tugging his mate back, snatching Nugget up to toss
her over his shoulder, smacking her rounded ass soundly as he
stormed off, growling at her howling protests. “I’ll blister yer
bleedin’ arse bloody an’ blue, woman! Canna believe ye! More
trouble than ye’re worth!”

“
He’s not really going to
do that, is he?” I murmured uneasily, nudging my
companion.

“
What?” Dukos grunted.
“Beat her?” snorting, he grimaced. “No. Just go fuck a while, if we
be lucky.”

Tension leaving my shoulders, I
nodded. “Better than being beaten.” I hoped.

“
Never heard ‘em goin’ at
it.” Dukos grunted and shook his head. “Tup like bunnies. Haveta
look the arsehole in the eye ta break fast, knowin’ he tups me mum
like a demon.”

“
Shut it, whelp, dinna be
green. Canna help it if yer mum likes me-
Nugget! Shite!”
Feisty woman! See?”
Troll shouted, going from pissed, to teasing, to mad, to taunting
again, “She canna keep her hands off ‘o’ me co-
OW! Wench!”

“
Don’t talk that way in
front of the-
Yow!
You squinty-eyed, hairless bastard! Stop smacking my ass!”
When Nugget’s head shot up to find me staring at her like she’d
lost her mind, she grinned, ignoring her son’s unimpressed grimaces
and glares. “Well, he meant what he said, and that goes double for
me. If you hurt my baby, we’ll kill you. But, you know, welcome to
the family, Demon!” she shouted, waving from over the mountain of a
troll’s shoulder.

“
Oi! Nephew or no’, he’s
still the son of a pisser! No talkin’ to the enemy!”

“
Aunt Daphedaenya?” I
muttered faintly, swaying a little on my feet, ignoring the deep
belly laughs of my troll kin as they all openly mocked
me.

Slapping me on the back, Dukos
chuckled low. “Nugget now, Demon-cos, kin ta me.”

“
Wow,” I muttered, gazing
around the room with a stupid, silly grin on my face.

“
Wha’s tha’ look fer?” Mav
asked curiously, the first from the raucous group to
sober.

“
I’ve always wanted to be a
part of a big family.”

“
Oi! Remember ye said that
when ye meet Ketik!” Hellion taunted. Grinning evilly, he chuckled,
voice deep and menacing. “After he’s done tryin’ ta
eatcha.”

“
He’s trying to rattle me,
right?” I whispered through the side of my mouth to Dukos, face
perfectly impassive. If I was going to make it with this rag tag
bunch of heathens, I was going to have to learn to deal with
them.

The idea filled me with an odd sense
of fulfillment. This, right here, is where I’m meant to be. Here,
with these crazy trolls, with my clansmen and brother-cousin Dukos,
is home.

Dukos tugged at his ear, as if in
thought. “Never eaten a human, yet. Dinna think.”

“
Right.” Because that’s
really reassuring. It matters not, I told myself, but I made a
mental note never to meet this Ketik, or ever let anyone take me to
Under. I’d heed Nugget’s warning well. I like my skin on my body,
thank you very much.

“
Now, Gobel did, I be
thinkin’. Canna recall, to be certain,” Brosius rumbled.

Definitely never going to Under, I
thought. Never.

“
So...” clearing my throat,
I motioned around us, “You were saying, something about a bridge we
could stake a claim on. Would it be much the same as
this?”

“
Magicks? Oh, aye. Be
thinkin’ loads of it.”

“
Do we have to hunt for
magicks?” I wondered aloud. Would it be difficult for us to find
some?

“
No’ like cos be thinkin’.”
Grinning, Dukos held out the ruby necklace, a blue sheen glinting
off the beautiful strands, so much so it had me squinting at the
sight.

“
I thought she took it?” I
blurted, gaze drifting towards the back of the cave.

“
Mum wouldna leave her babe
off wit’ out a care package, eh.” A deep, rumbling chuckle rolled
out of his chest and he nodded. “Get yer shit. Be gettin’
off.”

“
Now?” I mumbled, dutifully
tossing my sack over my shoulder, my purse full of coins tucked
neatly inside.

“
While day’s still
young.”

“
But... it’s dark out,” I
muttered, following behind as he led the way. Friend. He’d said
friend. I have a real friend now. And if the toll holds, we’ll both
never be alone. A fair price to pay, I thought, a small smile
tugging my lips.

Sticking to the shadows, leading me
straight towards the woods that bordered all along this part of the
countryside, blending with the Lux, he inhaled a deep lungful of
cool night air and sighed. “Exactly.”

Whether he’d meant about the dark or
not, or somehow read my thoughts, I chuckled, slapped him on the
back, and strode right beside him.

Fresh Start

“
What should we call
ourselves?” I asked after a long moment. We’d been walking for the
better part of the night, heading off to this bridge I’d yet to
see.

“
What ‘cos be
meanin’?”

“
A name for our... group,
you know? Like... the two desperados.”

“
The whuh, now? Desperate
weirdos?” Dukos snorted out a laugh, shaking his head at my
grin.

“
No, desperados. You
know-”

“
More like two fools fer
Gryphon food,” an amused voice muttered from behind us.

Dukos stilled, shoving an arm out in
front of me, instructing me to keep my place, cocking his head
slightly as a low growl built in his throat. “Thought ye said yer
piece.”

“
Aye, an’ I
did.”

Slowly turning, Dukos angled himself
in front of me, thick arms bunching as he hissed warningly. It
would have pricked my pride, to be treated like a child in need of
coddling, if I didn’t know I was the weakling in this supernatural
party.

Quirking a brow, Dukos grumbled,
“Figured ye busy.”

Troll shrugged. “Yer mum knows where I
be. She’ll keep.”

“
What ye be wantin’?” There
was a note of impatience to my friend’s tone that implied anything
his father might say wouldn’t be welcomed.

“
Dinna mess wit’ tha’
spindly pile of dried out wood. Go to the Soulle Bridge in Hill.
Here.” Tossing something over his shoulder as he turned, giving us
his wide back as I poked my head around Dukos’ shoulder, his son
caught the lumpy object expertly.

“
What be this?” Holding the
bit of twined leather—a small bracelet—a glowing rock wrapped
around it, his bright orange brows shot up, but immediately pulled
down, perplexed.

“
A charm, compliments of
yer dear ol’ crazy Uncle Zeik.”

“
Zeik escaped?” Dukos’ eyes
darted around the woods.

“
No’ here. Took his captive
deeper inta Under. She willna mind if ye borrow that pretty,
though, I be thinkin’.”

“
What it do?”

“
Protection, fer yer human
pet,” Troll spat, “sos he dinna end up prey ta Others, or
food.”

“
Why this hill?” I asked
suspiciously, fingers tightening over the bag slung over my
shoulder.

“
Ye want ta clan wit’ me
youngest? Ye’ll show me ye can be trusted. More dangers in Hill fer
a wee human pisser than a troll. But, stay by him, an’ he’ll keep
ye well. Much like he’d be goin’ off on his own wit’ the likes of
ye in Hegtrag to some piece ‘o’ shit ancient bridge.”

“
Oh.”

Protectiveness rolled of
the older troll in waves. He’s worried for Dukos. A father nervous
about his youngest taking off on his own.
He cares.

“
I don’t mind a bit of
adventure,” I called to my glaring friend as he stared holes into
his father’s back.

Grunting in surprise, Dukos blinked
and glanced down at me. “Ye dinna?”

“
Sure, this hill place
sounds intriguing, and I’m up for an adventure. What say you
brother-cousin, up to the task?”

“
No afraid. Dukos’ll do
it,” he grunted out quickly, offended at the way I’d made it sound,
implying exactly that.

Surprised, Troll turned his head, the
side profile of his scary visage visible in the bright moon’s
light. “Warning still stands, wee demon man.”

“
I won’t hurt him. You have
my word.”

“
Ye surprise me, son ‘o’
the pisser.” Troll let out a long, deep breath. The cool night air
made it look like smoke as the rapidly cooling air puffed out
through his nose like dragon smoke.

“
I-I do?” I stammered, sure
I’d just somehow been complimented. Somehow.

Nodding, Troll slowly started forward.
“Nothin’ like yer old man. Right pisser, he was. And,
Dukos?”

“
Hmm?”

“
Yer mum aint the only one
that thinks ye forever their babe, remember that,
arsehole.”

Fingering the small stone as it glowed
bright, gripping it tight in his closed fist as he handed me the
bracelet, he grinned wide, eyes lightening. “Dukos loves ye too,
fucker.”

“
Fuckin’ right.” And then,
as fast as he’d appeared, Troll disappeared behind the thick
brush.

“
I think I’m beginning to
understand this family better,” I murmured dryly, adjusting the
ties on my protective charm.

“
Mm. He likes ye,” my
friend mused, nodding.

“
Gee, how can you tell?” My
sarcasm was lost on my traveling companion, or so I’d
thought.

“
Och, bein’ funny man now,
eh? Hah.” Dukos slapped me on the back, possibly a bit too hard,
sending me flying into a bed of dried up brown leaves and squished
muck.

“
Oomph. Ugh.” Spitting a
bit of greenery I dared not identify out of my mouth, torso and
hands covered in grime, I rolled into a dried patch of earth,
thankfully just off to side of me, and glared up at my accomplice
accusingly.

Crunch, crunch. Dukos stood over me,
offering me a hand up as he grinned, chuckling darkly, deep,
glowing eyes glinting in the dark. “Too late ta back out now, cos’,
‘member? Kin ta me now.”

“
I think I liked you better
when you grunted, pointed, and snarled.

“
Me too.” Shoving a huge
hand in my face, sending me reeling back towards the ground, he
bellowed out a huge belly laugh, lumbering off into the
woods.

“
Hey!” I called, “I thought
I was going with you!”

“
Come,” he tossed over his
shoulder, and continued to walk.

“
Be careful what you wish
for,” I muttered, letting my head flop back with a thump. And I
meant that in more ways than one.

“
Oi! Demon piss, Duke! Da
said ye’re goin ta the Hill!” We’re goin’ too, ye
arseholes!”

At the sound of Hellion’s voice, and
his brothers’ rumbling after, I rolled face first back into the
muck and groaned.

“
Why did I ever think I’d
want brothers, again?” My muffled words ended on a squawk as a huge
paw hefted me up.

“
Jus’ kiddin’,” Dukos
chuckled, holding me out in front of him as I dangled in the air.
White teeth gleaming as he put a finger to his lips, he threw me
over his shoulder, my bag in his hands, to jog away from his
siblings’ bellowing shouts.