Page 19 of Shadows of Air and Earth
“Fucking goddess,” Riley cursed, quickly removing his blades.
A feral grin of her white teeth flashed in the darkness. "That didn't quite go according to plan," she snickered, "I can't imagine why? Even the shadows attempted to slightly coerce them."
I quirked a brow down at her. "Slightly?" Goddess help us, this could not be the deadly general they recounted terrifying stories about to keep fae in line—she was…she was…
"One of us," Ri finished my unspoken thought but there was worry underlining his words…because for now there really wasn’t an us. Snapping his hand down with a maskingchuckle, he held it before Remnant Dark. "Need any assistance, General?"
Grunting, she clasped hands with Riley and we all stood in one fluid movement, facing the roars that were getting closer and closer to where we stood. Sighing, Remnant straightened her leather vest, sweeping her hair back from her face and giving me a quick second look. "Not to make you uncomfortable or anything, but did you know that you are absolutely irrevocably stunning with your hair back?"
Riley choked next to me and I felt my eyes widen more than they had when I first saw her gazing up at us after having been tossed like a sack of potatoes by fucking trolls.
Grasping my hair, I flung it back over my face. "I hardly think that should be the point of our conversation, General. The tunnel is caving in and I can't stop it quickly enough to fight trolls. Riley's air is the only thing holding it back from fully collapsing…" The burn of bitter emotion seared my throat as I spoke that truth aloud for a second time today.
"That's not all," she added, pressing her lips together and shaking her head, "these trolls. They are protected somehow, my shadows can't touch them."
I sputtered despite myself. I had seen her shadows take down possessed spirits from beyond the veil. There was absolutely nothing that could ever defeat them. "What do you mean your shadows can't touch them, what kind of power can do that?"
I could just make out her shrug in the darkness. "No idea but killing them is out of the question."
"I'm sorry," I added dryly, "did I just hear you say you don't plan to kill the horde of trolls trying to annihilate us by bringing this tunnel down on our heads?"
Green eyes sent me a sharp look. "Whatever has shielded them has also hurt them, it is driving them feral." She shruggedagain. "Besides you would be mad too if you were a giant troll stuck in a tunnel with no end in sight and smelled like that."
On cue Riley gagged. “Not to break up this lovely tête-à-tête,” his nose wrinkled with disgust, “but I am pretty sure we better come up with a plan soon because I can’t take another moment of this putrid air.”
Tilting his chin to the tunnel, we could see the clear outline of darkened shapes charging towards us, clubs bashing against the walls, their escalating howls and sweet goddess—red eyes? Trolls did not have red eyes. This must have been what the General had meant byprotected.
I shivered when a deep sense of foreboding shot up my spine. I was never one to ignore these kinds of feelings. It was a warning…of something beyond our understanding, something I didn’t want to know.
Chapter 12
Remnant Dark sighed—a sighI had heard many times in my life, one that said,I can't believe I'm about to fucking say this but…
"Well I didn't want to have to resort to this but—it's time for a swim." She looked around the tunnel reluctantly with an air of sadness.
Andthereit goddess damn was.
Xi practically sputtered, but before anyone could respond, the horde of trolls charged, and I cursed. Shoving the shadow fae back against Xi, I stepped forward focusing the pressurized air towards their massive forms. They were close enough now that I could just make out the glint of their large tusks, wiry-haired bodies, and thick, trunk-like arms carrying spiked clubs scraping across the marbled ground.
Barely feet away, my eyes watered at their rancid smell, knowing that enough concentration of their stench had the ability to knock a fae unconscious for days. Blasting air from my outstretched hands, the gale forces hit the leading troll directly in the chest, sending him roaring backwards, crashing thunderously into the other five. In perfect domino sequence, they all tumbled one by one back down the tunnel—-and thank the fucking goddess they took their ass fetor with them.
Snickering over their infuriated roars, I said dryly over my shoulder, "Well, would you look at that, the trolls are on the roll."
Xi groaned and I considered myself lucky that she was even talking to me, her words from just moments ago haunting me.Will you collar me and force my hand…
Unable to contain myself, the stress of the situation too great for me to handle, I added with an even wider grin, "It's a nice day for a troll stroll wouldn't you say?” I shrugged animatedly, “Just trolling around here. Perhaps when we get tired we can settle down for a nice cuppa tea and a quaint game of troll bowl."
Remnant Dark giggled behind me, "Trolling…" she repeated with an amused murmur.
Xi hissed, "Are you two serious right the fuck now?”
"As serious as a toll from a troll," I added, the sweat pouring down my brow from the massive amounts of power I was using. I watched the dark shapes smashing against the walls and wrestling over one another to rise. Their exertion and clumsiness generating a series of goddess awful flatulence that had me gagging on my own laughter from the grotesque smell.
"Dragoon!" Xi hissed at me in warning.
"Hey Riley?" Remnant stepped next to me smiling, "What do you call a troll in a bubble?"
I grinned madly at her, "I don't know General, whatdo youcall a bubbled troll?"
