The Forbidden Lands (Wattys 2015 Winner)

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight
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I waited for Alianor to return, but she never did. Instead, a male troll came to collect me.

"Coten has requested your presence," the old troll said.

"Is he going to eat me?" I asked timidly.

A low, hoarse chuckle followed. "Trolls don't eat humans. We eat plants. Delicious."

My shoulders relaxed.

"That doesn't mean they won't kill you though."

My shoulders tensed once more.

"Follow me," he said gruffly. "Door's open." I tried to make a run for it, but he caught my dress with his overlarge hands.

"Don't try leaving," he said. "It won't help your case, and you'll never escape."

He kept a tight grip on my tunic, even though I wasn't going anywhere. The warmth from the caves was making me sweat uncontrollably. I could hardly breath.

"It's so hot," I complained.

"That's why we made you stay in that cold room. You'd die if you slept in the heart of the caves."

"Oh, you have my thanks for trapping me in there," I said cynically.

We arrived in front of two stone doors. They were carved beautifully, with patterns of plants and fire. Two people . . . er, trolls . . . from inside opened the doors, despite the apparent heaviness of them. On a platform sat six carved-stone thrones with a troll in each one. One throne was larger than the rest, so I assumed he was the troll in charge.

"Human," said the troll-in-charge, "we--"

"Evelin," I interrupted him.

"What?" he said, seeming deeply offended that I had interrupted. Maybe that was another thing about troll customs. Be quiet, and do not interrupt.

"My name is Evelin, not 'Human,'" I said.

"Very well," he said slowly, while frowning. "Ev-u-lin, we are the Council of the Trolli Chieftains. I am the High Chief. We are head over all trolls. We have decided what to do with you."

What would they do to me? I swallowed nervously. The High Chief Troll continued, "You will stay above ground for a week near our caves during day. Trolls will come above, and you will study them each day of the week. At night you will sleep in the safety of our caves. Then, you will study more creatures, until you have enough information to convince the idiotic humans of our existence. You will return in less than three months with humans to help us. Chieftain Coten will explain more to you." I saw Coten sitting among the Chieftains and looked to him.

"Come with me, human," he said. "We must return to the surface."

"It's Evelin," I echoed.

At the surface, Coten began to explain the troll problems to me. "A long time ago," he started. "Humans and trolls lived together. But man decided we were too dangerous to live among men. They cast an enchantment on Havane and trapped us here, along with other creatures. We had to leave our homes and food and were forced here. But the population of trolls is too high for all of us to live together. We need to be free, to have more caves to live in, to return home."

"I see."

"That's where you come in," he said. "Whenever a human comes to the Forbidden Lands, we keep them here out of revenge for what their forefathers did. But we have decided that you must take all the information of us back to your king, and find a way to break this enchantment," Coten said.