Page 80 of A Darkness So Sweet
ChapterThirty-Three
MAIA
“This is a stupid idea,” Gunnar grumbled beside her.
On Maia’s other side, Ragnar seemed to agree with his brother. Both of the trolls were on edge, and she didn’t know what to say to calm them down. In truth, she wasn’t feeling great about this plan herself.
But some part of her needed proof. She’d seen what humans did to the trolls, and while she hadn’t seen what the trolls did in response, she knew damn well they weren’t innocent. Maia needed to see how the humans of this town would react when they were faced with what they had done. Perhaps it was naïve of her to hold out hope that her people would make the right choice. But she really needed to give them the chance to not disappoint her.
One last chance. One last hope that maybe, though the kings didn’t agree, that the people of this kingdom could provide some peace for themselves.
They walked toward the village. Each troll near her was armed to the teeth. Ragnar even had knives in his hair, twisted in the tall peak of the braid that fell down the center of his head. Not to mention the knives strapped to his arms and thighs, the sword at his hips, and the shorter blade on the other side. There were so many weapons on each of these trolls that it was clear they were a threat.
And yet, they were not running toward the village. They were not letting out those whooping calls that usually warned humans that trolls were attacking. The war band was calm and quiet as they walked toward the village.
A tall wooden barrier circled the town. It was crudely built—just logs that had been stood on their end and driven into the ground. The uneven heights made it seem like there were fingers surrounding the village, waiting to clamp down on the people within.
A small gap, just large enough for six men to walk through side by side, was the entrance to the town. At least there was no way for the human soldiers to be above them, because there hadn’t been a second level of this wall built.
As it was, she could see there were countless soldiers on the other side of the gap. They all waited, their swords gleaming in the sunlight, ready to start yet another battle that many of them wouldn’t come back from.
Gunnar shook his head. “And a fight it is.”
“You don’t know that yet,” Maia desperately replied. “You haven’t even tried to talk to them.”
“They don’t want to talk, fire hair.”
Ragnar put his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to slow down so they were near the back of the war band. “You will stay hidden if a fight starts. I don’t want you getting involved.”
“I didn’t plan on it. I have no idea how to fight.”
“Good. Don’t let them touch you.”
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning his attention to the head of the group. Already, a few people from the town were coming out of the safety there—two men and a woman.
The first man who led the way seemed to be the leader of the soldiers. He wore gleaming armor that was expertly molded to his body, the joints moving soundlessly as he walked. This was not a man who had grown up on the outskirts of this village. Maia had only seen armor like that closer to the city, and within the castle itself. The swagger in his step also betrayed a confidence that didn’t come from a place like this.
The man and woman behind him were hesitant in their movements. Their clothing, while still nice, wasn’t anywhere near the quality of the other man’s armor. And they held each other’s hands in a grip that was so tight she could see their white knuckles even from the distance where she stood.
“Trolls!” the man in armor called out. “This is a first. I’ve never seen your kind try to barter before. Have you finally learned how to speak?”
A chuckle erupted from within the village. She could only imagine those were the soldiers just waiting to pour out of the false safety behind the tree trunks.
Gunnar walked to the head of the group, pushing some of the trolls aside to be the first to speak. “We’ve come to warn you that the mountain is off limits. Any human who steps foot on our land will be killed. We’re taking our home back.”
“And just how are you going to do so? We have more soldiers than you do, and that mountain belongs to our king.”
“Your king has no claim to our homeland.” Gunnar placed a hand on the sword at his hip. “There doesn’t need to be any more bloodshed today. We understand that you have willingly fought with our people, and that you desire to see more of us dead. But I can promise you will suffer far graver losses.”
“With our new weapons, I think you’ll find the battle will end in ways you could never have imagined.” The soldier grinned, and an icy chill went down her spine.
Maia had met men like this before. They’d come in to speak with her father, but never about flowers. They dealt in information. Control was their drug, and any instance where they could exert control over others was where they thrived.
This soldier wanted the trolls to attack. He wanted another reason to fight them, because he had some trick up his sleeve.
The trolls surrounding her shifted. She could feel the nerves suddenly rippling through them, like the man’s words were a wave that crested and swelled throughout their numbers. They knew, she realized. They knew there was something wrong, and they still came here. With the intent that they would give the humans a chance.
Perhaps she wasn’t the only fool who’d hoped for too much.
