Page 21 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
He put it on and headed into bed, the troll still on his mind.
CHAPTER 9
Why Did He Have to Be So Pretty?
Gerda
The second the door closed behind me, Iran.
It was a short distance to the west wing elevator, but I ignored it, choosing the stairs instead. I didn’twantto be trapped in an elevator right now—not while adrenaline was still coursing through me. I took the stairs two at a time, and by the time I reached the sixth floor, my heart had settled enough that I could focus on anythingotherthan escaping the duke of the North.
Despite my fake calm, I’d been in a constant state of panic from the moment I’d heard his voice.
It had been a wonder I’d been able to say anything to him at all with the myriad of emotions that had accompanied his presence, from excitement to nervousness to fear—not at the anger or accusation that had flashed in his silver eyes. No. I was afraid because I’dreallyliked the Julian I’d met while playing Henrietta. But I wasn’t Henrietta, and this wasn’t a game.
The sixth floor of the tower held three guest rooms. I went inside mine, kicked off my shoes, and promptly fell on the bed, screaming into my pillow.
“Why does he have to be so pretty?” I mumbled. His gaze was so fierce that it had sent shivers down my spine. His straight eyebrows came together in a way that made it look like he was hard to please and constantly unamused, but there were laugh lines around his full lips.
The picture of him as a young boy had been so cute I’d almost melted.
Alright, time to pull myself together and figure out a plan.
The sixth piece of my treasure quest was in the locket; likely the shard of crystal. I didn’t think I wanted to complete the set if it meant stealing the locket.
Most of the treasures I’d found up until this point had been in secret vaults or hidden dungeon rooms. I’d picked up the Royal Valarian Mantle in the rubbleof the Annual Spellscript Collegium in Servalt last winter. Other exceptions were the King Kraken’s Heart, which I’d stolen from an elf, and the Master Cast Crystal, which had come from alongfetch quest.
It had all started with an ogre named Morga, who lived in the Dark Enchanted Forest. She had a habit of eating people who annoyed her, but her favorite food was fruit. I’d just needed to get past the dire wolves and unicorns to pick a Moondew apple and bring it to her, and then she’d granted me leave to take one item out of her treasure chest.
Of course, the treasures in the chest were just things she’d collected over the years from all of her victims. Instead of seeing the items as a pop-up list to choose from like in the game, I’d actually gotten to rifle through the whole pile. There’d been the knife I was looking for, but also a nice pair of white spider-silk knee-high socks.
I’d paid her for the socks.
After that, I’d brought the knife to an old widow who lived in Servalt and let her know about her husband’s sorry fate. She’d thanked me and offered me a tattered old map as a reward. The map had led to a hidden cave in the mountains behind Thistlecrick, deep in the Dark Enchanted Forest.
Even if Ihadplayed the video game before, Ineverwould have found my way without the map. It had taken three hours to trek up the mountain and even longer to find the cave. I’d also needed the enchantment on the map to magically open the barrier around the entrance.
Inside, I’d found a letter from the Archwizard Jeffrey, creator of the Crystal-Cast Crystals, congratulating his successor on figuring out the map. The cave had held the Master Crystal and the theoretical notes on the Crystal-Cast system.
I still had the papers in my storage ring and intended to pass them along to Grand Duchess Calisto when I had the opportunity. She was the only person skilled enough to use the knowledge effectively.
I rolled onto my back and sighed, my mind wandering once again to Calisto’s son.
And his locket.
And the treasureinsidehis locket.
There was an obvious route in the game. I bet that if Henrietta raised Julian’s favorability to a certain level, he’d justgiveher the locket as a token of his love.
But I wasn’t Henrietta; I was Gerda. The Bridge Troll.
Did I evenneedto complete the second season scenario and find all of the set pieces?
Henrietta had probably needed them to fight Necromancer Chloe and the army of undead from the Dark Enchanted Forest … but I didn’t need to fight Chloe. My goal was to level up [World Bridge] until it was powerful enough to maybe send me home.
Simple and easy.
[Perk:World Bridge. Establish a permanent link to any bridge you cross, even those not under your control. You may travel to that bridge as if it were under your control. All previous+Troll Magic [Dimension]bridges under your control are included inWorld Bridge.
