*
Winifred and Derry met them at the door. “Gertrude, you are late for supper. You were about to go hungry. Derry and I were eyeing up the last two pieces of oven-browned squab. A few more minutes and you would have been sucking on bare pigeon bones!.” Winifred then noticed the king. “Gertrude, it is a good thing that I did extra baking today or our company surely would have starved! Your Highness, please come in and take a chair.”
“Madam Winifred, if I took your chair, I am afraid that would be stealing. Now I ask, what kind of a king would that make me?” Octavius smiled a broad smile.
Winifred gushed and turned a darker green. “Both of you please do come in and wash up and take… I mean, sit down. Derry, would you please get some more blog ready?”
The two ladies set themselves to the chores at hand. Before Octavius and Gertrude even sat down, the table was laden with a feast.
The foursome sat down at the table. Octavius looked uncomfortable. His large figure on the small chair was a comical sight to see. Octavius tried to slide one of his long legs under the table. The table lurched and a couple of mugs fell to the floor.
“I am so sorry for being so clumsy tonight.” This time Octavius blushed, and everyone laughed.
Derry poured all of them a steaming hot mug of blog. She looked at Winifred. “It appears as if we went to all this trouble for nothing, Winifred. I guess we will have to eat the squab after all.” The two ladies watched as the king and Gertrude filled their plates.
Gertrude watched the king filling his plate. “Octavius……”
Gertrude, mind your manners. This man is our king. Surely you do not call him by his first name!”
“It is quite alright, Madam Winifred. I gave him permission to call me by name. Now would you please tell me some of the names of these delectable looking food items on the table?”
Winifred started to tell Octavius what he was about to consume. “Now this is oven-roasted pigeon, and this is…” She pointed to a dish that looked like spaghetti.
“Mother, I am sure Octavius and I have more urgent things to talk about, other than food.” Gertrude watched the king gingerly place food upon his plate. He held his breath as a not quite cooked beetle scampered from the main dish and regained his freedom.
Octavius took a bite of the food. “Madam Winifred, this is absolutely delicious! You must give this recipe to my cook. This dish has such a lively taste, and I love the crunchiness, too.”
Gertrude smiled, his eyebrows raised. “I am sorry yo…, I mean Octavius, but that is an old family recipe and my mother can not reveal it to anyone.”
Winifred scowled at her son. “Nonsense, every……”
“Everyone in the kingdom would want the recipe, once it was made public.” Gertrude quickly interjected.
Derry was sitting there sipping her blog. She understood what Gertrude was trying to do. “Winifred, Gertrude is right. I am sure the king would be satisfied with another invitation when you make the dish again.”
Octavius smiled. “Your hospitality is very much appreciated, Madam Winifred.”
“Octavius, you said that you had some questions for me.” Gertrude took a quick slurp of his blog. ”I have some questions for you also.”
“I am a guest in your house. I will answer any question you ask. If I do not know the answer to the question, I will tell you truthfully.” Octavius looked directly at Gertrude and then to each lady.
Gertrude acknowledged Octavius. “I will do the same. Why do you come to me for answers to your questions? With all of your guards and dealings with trolls, you probably know more of what is going on in our village than we do.”
“It is true that I know a lot about what happens here in your village. However, I do not know everything. Something sinister and deadly is lurking in my kingdom. I must find out what or who is responsible and destroy it before it destroys the land that I have promised to protect with my own blood.”
Gertrude was silent. He took a bite of food. He was not only digesting his meal. He was also trying to digest what the king was saying. “Today I went looking for some answers to some problems that have been plaguing my sleep. I went to my aunt and uncle’s house and found it empty. My aunt is a seamstress, and it is odd that she would not be working the treadle or sewing. I also have not seen my cousins, her sons, in at least two days’ passing. Munion, the cobbler, told me he had seen them leave earlier in the day with a human.” Gertrude paused, looking for a reaction from Octavius. He took another slurp of his blog. “Munion said that this human looked very unsavory. He said that they had headed up in the direction of the glen. I searched its entire length and found not one trace of them. Oh, and something curious...” Gertrude glanced at his mother and Derry. “Frack was supposedly in their company, carrying his apothecary supplies.”
“Who is this ‘Frack’ fellow?” Octavius asked, with what looked like a beetle’s leg stuck in his teeth.
“Frack is a troll that has been banned from using apothecary. He likes to explode things. His intentions are well placed, but the results are not.” Derry said nonchalantly.
“Do you think he is responsible for some of the fires then?” Octavius looked around the table and noted that all three trolls were shaking their heads ‘no’.
“Frack would never intentionally hurt anyone or anything.” Gertrude was still shaking his head as he spoke. “I believe that Frack was going with my aunt and uncle to give someone aid. I think that somehow the human that was escorting them may have been responsible for Toddy’s near drowning today, though…” Gertrude paused.
Winifred gasped and Derry dropped her mug of blog down the front of herself. “Mercy! Is Toddy alright?” Winifred asked, with tears welling up in her eyes.
Derry had stood up fast and was drying herself off. “Are you sure she is all right?”
“Yes, she will be fine. Toddy was just very frightened and very cold. Someone saw fit to wrap her in her own nets and toss her into the river. I happened to come to the place where the creek runs into the river. Some splashing caught my eye. I dived into the water and had Toddy on shore a few moments later. She was not breathing, but I was successful in reviving her. We made our way to her mother’s house where we were thankfully warmed by her mother’s care and a good hot fire. Toddy told me that she thought it was both troll and human behind her unexpected swim.”
“Gertrude, isn’t it odd that a troll would do such a thing to another troll?” Octavius once again looked at the three trolls sitting at the table with him. “My father once told me that you have some code or law stating that if one troll hurts or kills a fellow troll that he is forever banished from any troll village.”
Winifred spoke before Gertrude could clear his mouth of the food he had spooned into it. “That is true. There are always exceptions. If one troll fights another troll for a just reason, the winner of that fight can remain, however the loser is banished.”
“That sounds a little harsh, to be banished forever. What if the troll that loses is the one who is the righteous one, fighting for good?” Octavius studied Winifred’s face.
“No, our law is very simple in its wording.” Winifred stood up and walked lamely over to a shelf over a small bureau. “These old bones get stiff sitting for a long time.” She reached for the book of laws and codes. She deftly flipped through the well-worn pages as she walked back to the table and sat down. “Let me see…Ah, yes, here it is.” Winifred cleared her voice. “Page twenty-five, paragraph A.” Winifred looked up to see if she had everyone’s attention. “‘Good shall always conquer evil.’ Even if evil prevails, justice will take its course and evil shall die and the righteous will reign.”
Octavius looked at Winifred, and nodded in agreement. “Some very wise trolls must have made that law. I wish our laws were so simple.” Octavius grew quiet for a moment. “If there are humans and trolls responsible for all of this, what is their motive? We have not had any trouble like this since the Troll Wars when your father died
, Gertrude.”
Winifred and Derry looked at each other. They both turned to each other and hugged. The mere mention of the Troll Wars sent shivers through them. It brought back the memory of lost spouses. They both started crying.
“I am so sorry to have upset you with my words. I did not mean to dredge up sad recollections of the past.” Octavius offered very apologetically. “Please forgive me for being so uncaring.”
Winifred dabbed her face with a corner of her apron. “No need to apologize. We are just two sentimental, old trolls wishing for something that will never be again.”
Gertrude and Octavius looked at the two ladies with understanding.
Winifred looked at Gertrude. “Gertrude, it just crossed this feeble brain….do you think Toggart has anything to do with this…me and Derry being poisoned, Toddy almost drowning? The two events are not a coincidence. Toggart said that we would be sorry.”
“Who is this ‘Toggart’ that you speak of?” Octavius peered at Gertrude through squinting eyes, as if the name sounded familiar.
Gertrude eyed the king. “Toggart was our previous Grand Troll. Last week he was removed as head of the governing committee and Gillion inherited the position, being the senior troll on the committee. We will be having a new election in a short period of time. There are two nominees before the committee.”
“For some reason that name has a place in my memory. However, I cannot bring to mind just where to place it…..”Octavius shook his head with a distorted look of puzzlement running across his face.
Winifred picked up her mug of blog. She had finished her meal. She gazed around at all of the empty plates. “I hope you enjoyed your meal, Octavius. Now we must have desert.”
Gertrude coughed. “”Mother, I do believe that with all of your delicious food that we all have eaten, we surely don’t have room for desert.”
“I thoroughly agree with Gertrude. Everything was satisfying. I believe that if I ate one more bite, I would have to walk home as I would surely break my horse’s back.” Octavius smiled broadly while patting his bulging stomach. “The meal was excellent, Madam Winifred and Madam Derry.”
Gertrude pushed himself away from the table. He stood up and moaned. “I agree with Octavius. ”Gertrude noticed that the king was taking a little closer look at one of the dishes on the table. “Octavius, would you like to join me outside for some fresh air? I find that after overeating, a little cold air helps clear my mind.”
“I believe I will, Gertrude. When you start imagining that your food is moving in the serving dish, it is definitely time for some fresh air.” Octavius stood up and started walking towards the door. He hesitated, looking back at the dish he had been eyeing up. He shook his head as if he were seeing things. “Yes, I do believe I need the fresh air. I could swear I just saw a worm wiggle in the noodle dish.”
Winifred opened her mouth to speak. “You definitely are seeing things, Octavius.” Gertrude said with a chuckle. He gave his mother a disdainful glance. Gertrude followed the king through the door into the brisk evening air. It was getting chillier he noted. “BRRR! I did not think that it was this cold out. The snows of winter will be approaching soon.”
Octavius pulled his cloak around him a little tighter to ward of the chill. “This cold and the winter snows are two things that worry me about these raids going on. These raiders, human or troll, are hitting us where we are most dependent. If we lose all of our food, all of my people shall face a famine; your people will face it right along with ours.”
Gertrude shook his head. “Nay, Octavius, it will not affect us in the same way as it will you. We depend more on the wild things around us. You humans depend on what you can grow or raise. Nature is far more dependable in supplying our needs. I will admit that we do grow vegetables, but we hunt and gather most of our food. We are also not as picky about what we eat.”
“You speak truthfully, Gertrude. If matters worsen, we may have to ask the trolls to teach us what we can harvest from the wild.” Octavius looked out across the river toward the castle looming in the distance. He remained quiet for a few minutes as if contemplating something. He turned and nodded his head to the north. “It appears that the raids continue. The glow of fires tells me that we are going to be in trouble this winter.” Octavius turned to face Gertrude. “I want to thank you and your mother for your…..”
Before he could get another word out of his mouth, the sound of a horse’s whinny and hoof beats echoed in the crisp night air. Andre appeared from the shadows of the narrow roadway. “Sire, we need your direction on what to do next. Whoever is planning these raids is very cunning. Before we reach an area that has been torched, the villains have vanished as if into thin air.”
“The tunnels!” Winifred gasped.
The three had not heard Winifred and Derry come outside. They turned and echoed each other. “Tunnels?”
“Yes, tunnels. I had forgotten about them completely. When I was a child, I would explore the hills, looking for fun things to do. One day, up by the ancient willow in the glen, I noticed a squirrel disappear behind a rock. I did not think anything of it until I had turned around and saw him scamper from underneath a boulder some distance away. I knew it was the same squirrel because it had part of his left ear missing. I went over to the place where he had disappeared and moved some overgrown vines to find a tunnel. I did not enter as it was dark, and was afraid what might lurk in its depths. I went home and told Derry. The very next day we had an adventure. With candles in hand and extra ones in our aprons, we ventured into the cave. We went as far as a fork in the tunnel. We turned around and started walking back, not wishing to get lost. We were almost to the shaft’s opening when our candlelight illuminated another tunnel. We were exploring, so we both agreed to search the new tunnel. This tunnel turned out to be very short and brought us up to ground level where I had seen the squirrel appear the day before.”
Octavius interrupted Winifred. “Did you explore the caverns anymore?”
Winifred smiled. “Yes, we explored the tunnels extensively. Some of the tunnels twist and turn, while others are straight. We found many opening to the light. I think some of the tunnels even went up by the castle, as we discovered mortared stone. In fact, curiously, one tunnel ended at a stone wall, itself. There seemed no way to penetrate it, either. Every other tunnel we explored had an entrance and an exit. The tunnels extend well out into the farmlands of your kingdoms. They are a quick way to cover ground as they go below the hills and rivers.” She set her gaze on Octavius, then Andre. “I think I know what you are thinking: Some of these tunnels could be used by humans, but some of the tunnels narrow quickly and only a troll would be able to navigate through them.”
“Mother, why did you not tell me of these tunnels before?” Gertrude looked a little bewildered.
“As I have said before, I forgot all about them until the king’s commander mentioned the fact that these evil trolls or people seemed to vanish into thin air.”
Octavius turned to Andre. “Regroup your men in the fields and set the other platoons in your command to search for these caves or tunnels. We must set a trap for these ‘scurrying vermin’ before they wreak more havoc in the kingdom.” Octavius grabbed for the reigns of his horse. “We must be off. Thank you for your help.” The king and Andre mounted their steeds and galloped off into the dark streets.
Derry who had been silent turned and looked at Winifred. “Winifred, why did you tell them about the tunnels? They were supposed to be kept a secret. We had promised that we would not reveal them to anyone else.” Derry was almost to the verge of crying.
“We are not children anymore. That phase of our life ended many, many years ago. We are too old to be playing games. Someone else knows about the caves and they are using them to destroy our way of life, and the kingdom we call home.” Winifred’s voice echoed with strong determination. She sighed deeply. Tears welled up in her eyes and her voice cracked as she continued to speak. “The tunnels were our playground,
and every day became an adventure. I remember well the day our adventure ended. We had stayed out too long, well past dark. We did not know that our parents had become alarmed and had set the whole village out looking for us. Remember, Derry? We were just coming out of the tunnels when old Heath of the Willow spotted our candle flame. Our secret was broken at that time.” Winifred dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her apron.
“Yes, I remember everything. I remember my sore bottom and the lecture I got from my father. I remember my mother’s tears of joy when we were found. I remember the promise of never entering the tunnels again. I know that most of the older trolls know of the tunnels, but now another generation will have knowledge of them….but worst of all, now humans know about them.” Derry pulled up a corner of her apron and blew her nose, she grabbed the other corner of the white piece of cloth and dabbed her wet eyes.
“Humans already know about them, and they are not nice humans. I merely balanced the scale of justice.” Winifred had regained her composure. She walked the few steps to Derry’s side and embraced her. Now both ladies started to cry again.
“The secret is out, and tomorrow I am going to go exploring.” Gertrude watched the two ladies as they turned to face him. Their brows wrinkled as they peered at him through tear-swollen eyes.
“You are a grown troll and I can no longer tell you what to do. However, I can ask you not to go. It is far too dangerous to go through the tunnels alone.” Winifred choked back more tears.
Gertrude nodded with understanding. “I will be careful tomorrow. I promise.”
Derry and Winifred turned and headed back into the house to clean up. Gertrude stayed outside, letting the tireless cold wind whip at his face. Deep down in his heart he knew... he just knew who was behind part of this whole mess that was going on. Toggart somehow had his malicious hands tangled with someone else’s filthy hands. Gertrude knew that Toggart was a shrewd troll, but he never heard anyone call him ‘smart’. Someone was the mastermind, but whom? Gertrude went inside. The ladies were finishing cleaning up. “Goodnight, Mother, Derry.” He walked over and gave his mother a kiss on her cheek and gave Derry a hug and ambled into his bedroom. Gertrude donned his nightclothes and crawled into bed. It seemed as if he had just fallen off to sleep when a loud pounding sounded, jolting him awake. With a hatchet in hand and at the ready, Gertrude threw open the door. The suns rays rising over the castle blinded him temporarily.
“Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to ask me in?”
It was a woman’s voice. Gertrude dropped the ax to his side. “Well, I must say, you look quite handsome in your nightshirt.” Norman stepped through the doorway, as Gertrude closed the door behind her. “Good morning, Winifred.” Norman had noticed her tiny figure walking out into the room.
“Good morning, Princess. What brings you down here as the cock is crowing?” Winifred yawned and stretched.
Norman looked at the sleepy pair and laughed. “I am out for an adventure. I overheard my father talking to my mother last night as I passed their bedchamber. He mentioned some tunnels. I just knew that Gertrude would want to explore them today. So I am ready to accompany him.”
Gertrude mocked surprise. “Tunnels….what tunnels are you talking about?”
“Sir Gertrude, you are not going to get rid of me so easy! I heard my father distinctly say that Winifred had told him about some old tunnels.”
“Yes, there are tunnels, but you shall never see the inside of them!” Gertrude shot his mother a ‘help me here’ look.
Winifred took the not so subtle clue. “Norman, the tunnels are a dangerous place. It would be very easy for someone to get lost once in the twisting, undulating passages. Why I remember wh…..”
“I am going with Gertrude, and nothing you say can change my mind!” Norman crossed her arms and planted herself down on one of the small chairs. She had forgotten how much smaller the chairs really were and toppled backward.
Gertrude chuckled. “I am sure glad that I have someone going with me that is steady on their feet.” He walked over to help Norman up. “Are you all right?”
“Just my pride is hurt...” Norman said as she rubbed a sore spot on her backside.
“You two are not leaving this hovel without a decent breakfast. Gertrude, go wash up and get ready and I will get things cooking. Norman, Dear, you can wash over at the pitcher and bowl over there.” Winifred pointed over in the corner to a small stand.
“Winifred, how old were you when you discovered the tunnels?” Norman splashed some water onto her hands and dried them on the small towel hanging on the stand.
Winifred stopped in the middle of what she was doing, gazing thoughtfully at Norman. “I can’t quite recall, my Dear. I know that I was still young enough to be taken over my father’s knee and get spanked. I had trouble sitting down on anything without a pillow under my behind for a whole week. I never went near one of the tunnels again. I had to promise my parents, and a troll is never allowed to break a promise.”
Gertrude came back into the kitchen, looking more awake. He walked over to the stove near his mother and picked up the hot pot of blog. The mugs were already on the table. He took a couple of steps to the table and filled each mug. “I promise that we will be cautious, Mother. I have a princess to look after now.” Gertrude shot a quick glance at Norman.
“I will probably have to look out for you. I have heard from reliable sources that male trolls have trouble seeing anything over four feet high.” Norman said nonchalantly with one of her smiles.
Winifred almost lost the mouthful of blog in her mouth. “No…no, my Dear, you have it all wrong! Male trolls have trouble seeing anything that needs to be done…”
“No fair! Both of you ladies are ganging up on me.” Gertrude smiled and sat down. He pointed to the other chair for Norman to sit in. “I have heard that humans have a hard time sitting down in chairs.”
“We do not!” Norman started to sit down, but once again misjudged how far down the chair was. The next moment found her lying on her back with her legs splayed out above her.
The threesome started to laugh. They laughed until their sides ached.
Gertrude once again went over and helped Norman up. They all started laughing when she almost missed the chair again.
“My Dear, are you sure you haven’t been hitting the ‘boo-boo juice’ a little too much lately?” Winifred smiled and shook her head in disbelief at the clumsiness of her guest.
“Winifred, what is boo-boo juice?” Norman asked with a chuckle.
Gertrude took over from there. He picked up his cup of blog and took a long drink. Then he started weaving around the room and slurring his words. He took another gulp of his blog and his movements and speech became even more exaggerated. Then he ran into the table and fell back onto the floor pretending to have hurt his head. “Ahhhhhhhh… I fell down and got a boo-boo.”
Winifred and Norman were laughing so hard that Winifred forgot about the bread that she was frying on the stove. “Oh dear, now look what you made me do. Well, breakfast is finally ready. The burnt toast can go to Gertrude.”
They all sat down to eat and were quiet for a few minutes. Norman sat, holding her hot mug of blog, taking sips. “Winifred, you really must tell me what is in this blog. It really is quite good.”
My Dear, it is a very simple recipe, first you…..”
“Mother, we really don’t have time for you two ladies to exchange recipes. We must leave soon if we are to explore those tunnels.” Gertrude was shoveling his food into his mouth as quickly as possible. Some egg yoke dribbled out of the corner of his mouth and drops of blog decorated his beard.
Winifred glanced over at Gertrude. She then turned to Norman. “I believe my son is storing food in his beard so that he has something to nibble on during our exploration of the tunnels.”
Norman looked at Gertrude and chuckled. “I believe you are correct, Winifred. Women have to carry their food in their hands, while the men folk
carry their food conveniently on their faces.”
Gertrude flashed a fake scowl, and wiped his face while both ladies had a good belly laugh. “We carry our food that way because it is far more enjoyable when we share it with the ladies.”
“How enjoyable is it when you have to share it with other males?” Norman queried, as a broad grin crossed her beautiful face.
Winifred had taken a mouthful of blog just as Norman had passed her remark to her son. The blog now lay splattered down the wall opposite Winifred. “My dear child, I wish you would warn me not to drink anything. Someone may get an unexpected bath.”
“Mother, Norman and I must get going. Would you please pack us some pork jerky for our travels?”
Winifred nodded. She pushed her self away from the table and wrapped some jerky into a cloth that appeared to be covered in some waxy substance and then placed it in a burlap sack. She walked over and grabbed her coat and wrapped a heavy scarf over her head. “Well, why are you both sitting there? I thought you wanted to get going?”
Gertrude was going to protest, however he noticed the determined look on his mother’s face. He had learned long ago to pick his battles well. This was not the time to do so. He wiped his face and hands once again and got up from the table. “It is still early. We should be able to explore a good portion of the tunnels.”
Norman was putting on a heavy cloak and pulled the hood over her head. The cloak was made of sheep’s wool “I wore this as father doesn’t want me traveling right now due to all of the problems. He is afraid someone will take me hostage.”
Gertrude went over to an old cupboard in the corner of the room and withdrew the cloak and hat Norman had made him. He reached in the cupboard once more and pulled out a long leather bag. He set it upon the table. His arm disappeared inside to retrieve its contents.
Norman’s eyes grew wide as Gertrude revealed his hidden treasure. Gertrude hoisted up a golden sword, the likes of which she had never seen. “Gertrude, that is a beautiful piece of weaponry you have there! May I please see it?”
With both hands, one on the hilt and one at the blade tip, Gertrude handed the sword over to the princess. “I have never in my lifetime seen such a marvelous blade such as this.” She raised it in the air. Then, before either Winifred or Gertrude could say anything, she had bounded through the door. Once outside, she wielded the sword as deftly as any man. “I would dare say that I would not want to face the individual bearing this sword in battle.” Norman turned to see Winifred and Gertrude watching her. “Did you fashion this blade, Gertrude?”
“My father did. He was a master craftsman.” Gertrude reached out his hand. “May I please have it back?”
“I am so sorry, Gertrude. Please forgive me for being so forward. I did not mean to offend you, or your mother.” Norman passed the sword back to Gertrude in the same manner that he had passed it to her.
“That sword was very special to my husband, Sebastian. He worked on many swords before he fashioned this one. He so loved that sword that he even gave it a name. ‘Octem’ he called it, for it was the eighth sword that he had fashioned. One of the sword’s predecessors was given to your grandfather, King Norman. All of the other swords before it were melted back down.” Winifred started to tear up, her voice cracking with emotion.
“I am truly sorry, I meant no disrespect.” Norman was on the verge of tears herself.
“All is forgiven and forgotten, Princess. We should go now. We have spent too much time on the past. The future is the most important thing now.” Winifred said as she regained her composure.
Gertrude put his sword back in its sheath and swung it over his shoulder. They walked quietly through the streets, passing a few trolls out about their business. Some of the trolls offered a greeting, while others were too busy to bother. They soon found themselves up in the glen. Winifred was now leading the way. They came to an outcropping of rocks where the glen ended.
“The entrance is around the other side of this huge boulder, if I remember correctly.” Winifred stopped short in her tracks and put her hand out to stop Norman and Gertrude. She put her finger to her lips. They heard voices. The voices were approaching them. Quickly they dived into some nearby bushes. Three figures approached them. As the figures passed, Winifred had to suppress a gasp. Her sister and brother-in-law went by with a vile-looking human close behind. They stopped and started talking.
“Tell Lemerich that we will return within the week. Thank him again for taking such good care of our injured son.” Phoebe looked at her husband. “We cannot tell anyone that we have been in contact with Toggart. No one would understand.” Phoebe turned to the human. “Thank you again, Modak, for leading us through the tunnels. We can continue by ourselves. We know the way from here.” Phoebe and Farkle watched as Modak disappeared around the rock. “We must get home. I have lost too much time from my work. My customers will be furious with me if I am late with their orders.” Farkle just nodded to his wife, and they both set off for the village.
Winifred was the first to regain her standing position. She watched the figures of her sister and brother-in-law disappear from view. “What in the name of Kern were they doing with that filthy human?” She turned to Gertrude who had just untangled himself from a grapevine. “Norman, it is all right to come out now. The coast is clear. Norman?” Winifred and Gertrude walked over to where they had plunged into the bushes. “Norman, are you in there,Dear?” Winifred’s voice was showing more and more concern.
From somewhere, they heard Norman’s voice. “I’m down here. I am all right. I fell into a tunnel.”
Gertrude parted the bushes and tore the vines apart. Norman had accidentally found another entrance to the tunnels. Gertrude helped lower his mother down through the hole and then he followed. The darkness overwhelmed them. The glow of a candle illuminated Winifred’s face. The others lit their candles from hers.
“Are you all right, Princess?” Gertrude inquired, a note of concern in his voice.
“Yes, I am fine. I was almost discovered, though. If it had not been for my dark cloak hiding me against the corner of the tunnel and that weak candle flame, I am sure I would be in a lot of trouble now. The person who passed me headed in that direction.” Norman pointed over her shoulder down into the dark chasm.
Winifred walked out ahead of Gertrude and Norman. “We must keep quiet. We do not know how well this system of tunnels is traveled during the day. I have some memory of where these tunnels begin and leave off, so it is best that you follow me.” The three explorers walked for some time before Winifred came to a halt. “There is a shaft of light up ahead. If my memory serves me correctly, we should be over on the other side of the human village lying to the southeast of the castle. Just one of us should go and check it out to see if there is anyone stationed there. If whoever goes gets captured by the raiders, at least the other two have a chance of making it back to the glen without capture.”
“I will go.” Gertrude did not hesitate to walk towards the entrance. He paused at the opening just inside to let his eyes get accustomed to the brightness of the day. Slowly, he inched his head out. All of his senses seemed to be tingling. There was no sound of human or troll activity and he saw no one. The opening appeared to be by an old chimney of some sort. He ducked back inside and went back for the ladies. “It is clear. I did not see or hear anyone.” Gertrude could feel his pulse racing. He tried to calm himself down. They all cleared the entrance without any problem.
Winifred looked around. “This looks like an abandoned mill or something. Do you know where we are, Norman?”
Norman removed her hood from over her head and looked around. “I believe I do. Yes, I am sure of it.” Norman walked away from Winifred and Gertrude and turned. She pointed northward. “I can see one of the castle’s spires from here. We are at least a two hour’s walk from there.”
“We are just outside of the human village that surrounds the south side of the castle.” Gertrude said. He motioned for Norm
an to rejoin them. “Norman, do you believe that my mother and I would be safe if we walked through the village with you?”
Norman looked confused. “Why would you want to do that? I thought we were going to try and find some of the people responsible for the raids?”
“We are. I think that the human that was with my aunt and uncle lives in this section of the village. He is somehow acting as a spy or courier for this ‘Lemerich’. If we point him out to you, maybe you will recognize him. Maybe we can ask around to see if anyone knows of this Modak.”
“We need not do any searching. I know of this poor excuse for a human. He served my father for many years very loyally. Then over a short period of time he seemed to change drastically. He was always drunk on brew and he became very foul-smelling. My father banished him from the castle when the cook found him stealing stores. My father was going to have him put in the dungeon, but he found out that he had four children and a wife to provide for, so he just told him he could no longer enter the castle. You mentioned someone named ‘Lemerich’. Why?”
Winifred looked at the princess. “We are sorry. We forgot that you did not hear the conversation between my relatives and Modak. You had fallen down into the tunnel. My sister referred to Lemerich and asked Modak to convey a message of thanks to him.” Winifred could see anger flaring in Norman’s eyes.
“We shall go and tell my father at once. He shall have this traitor boiled in oil. How dare he repay my father’s kindness in this treasonous manner!” Norman started to turn, when Gertrude grabbed her arm.
“You mustn’t tell your father, Princess. We need Modak to lead us to the encampment where Toggart and the other trolls are hiding. We can put a ‘tail on this donkey’ and catch all the people and trolls responsible for all the terrible things that have been happening.”
“I must tell my father, Gertrude. If I don’t, I will feel as if I am betraying his trust. Besides, Modak does not know that we have figured out that he has been found out. My father has people throughout the village that are loyal to him. He can have these people watch his comings and goings.” Norman looked at Winifred.
“The girl is right, Gertrude. We must tell King Octavius. We do not have any need to hide anything from him.” Winifred looked at her son. She knew that he would not argue the point with her.
“Agreed, but we must tell your father as quickly as possible so he can have someone watch this two-legged vermin. Shall we go through town or the tunnels?” Gertrude asked with hesitation.
Winifred looked at both of them. “It will be safer walking through the village rather than the tunnels.” The three hurriedly walked the cobbled streets towards the castle. A few people recognized the princess and curtsied or bowed, otherwise no one bothered them.
Chapter Four