Chapter 8

Jane sat up and stretched. Dawn had broken, and the sun was shining brightly. She smiled. Last night had been beautiful. They had spread out their blankets on the stretching grassland, and had slept beneath the twinkling stars.
But now it was morning. Jane rose to her feet, and grimaced. She was very sore, all over, from her race to the city yesterday. As she went on a stroll in the morning peacefulness, looking around her at the picturesque landscape, she wondered when she ever get home and how.
Suddenly, Jane froze. She had heard a voice. But how could it have been a voice? She turned and looked around her, and saw that she had walked quite a distance away from where Will and Andrija were sleeping. There was no one around her, yet she heard it a second time.
It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard, but at the same time, it possessed majestic power that seemed to her like the roar of a lion.
The voice flowed about her like a warm breeze. A powerful breeze, yet gentle. It spoke to her in another language, yet she understood every word it said.
The voice told her of many things. It had been the voice that had drawn Will and Jane into this world. It was the voice that had whispered to the Hermit in a dream that children from another world were in need of shelter. The voice would always be with Jane, whenever she needed it
Then the voice suddenly wafted away, like a delicious fragrance borne on the wind. It was moments later that Jane awoke out of her daze. She slowly stood up and walked back to Will and Andrija, who were now awake. She told them nothing about the voice.
That was Jane’s secret.

* * *

After eating a hearty breakfast that Andrija had produced out of one of the provisions bags, the children set out on their journey across the prairie. It took them the whole of one day to cross the prairie and reach the summit, and they spent the next night in a forest, by a trickling stream.
They began to approach the summit. Will gazed in wonder at the waterfalls cascading down the mountain, and at the many streams and rushing rivers. “It’s so beautiful,” sighed Jane.
“And very dangerous,” said Andrija. “Trolls, very territorial creatures, largely populate this area.”
“I see,” said Jane. “Do you think we’ll run into any?”
“Without a doubt,” replied Andrija, smiling wryly.
“Oh dear,” sighed Jane.

* * *

It was in a half hour that they had their first encounter with a troll. They were crossing a wooden bridge over a raging river when suddenly a great voice thundered: “Pay up or I’ll fling you into the rapids!”
Jane and Will swallowed and stared about for the owner of this imposing voice.
There was a thump behind them, and they swung around. There stood a little fellow, about three feet high. He had shaggy red hair that stuck out from his head in all directions. His large nose dwarfed his small head and to complete the amusing spectacle, his perfectly enormous ears stuck out like handles on a pot.
Will burst out laughing. “And we are afraid of this tiny fellow? I could throw him into the rapids!” He bent double, roaring.
Jane started giggling with relief. Only Andrija remained serious. “Stop! Stop now!” Her blue eyes were grave.
The laughter was hushed immediately, and Jane and Will stared at Andrija in surprise.
Andrija stared at the tiny troll suspiciously. “Don’t you know that trolls can change their shape whenever they wish?”
Jane felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach.
The troll flushed scarlet and stomped his tiny feet in rage. “Did I hear the word tiny? Tiny, eh? Well, Ah’ll show ya who’s tiny ‘round here.” He muttered something under his breath. His legs grew longer and longer and he lengthened and widened. His ears that had once seemed large were now too small for his gigantic head. His face that had once seemed comical was now malicious.
“Tiny, am I, eh?” He grunted, grinning deviously. He stretched and looked down at the three, evidently enjoying the looks of pure terror written on their faces. “So pay up. You cross my bridge, you pay the toll. Hand it over.”
“H-hand o-over what?” stammered Will, fumbling in his pockets.
“50 Raeves,” demanded the troll. “And hurry up ‘bout it ‘cause Ah’m gettin’ hungry and when I gets hungry…” He guffawed loudly and the harsh sound echoed off the mountain.
“We don’t have anything to give you,” Andrija told him, tossing her blonde hair. “Please do let us cross the bridge in peace, troll. We’ve had enough of your bullying.”
“Ahaha!” crowed the troll. “Bullying is it? Well, bullying is nuthin’ like you’ll be getting in a minute. In a minute you’ll be in the frigid rapids of the river.”
“But don’t you see!” cried Will desperately. “We don’t have anything with us. We don’t have anything to give you!”
“So go away, you nasty oversized bridge-hogging pig!” screamed Jane, clenching and unclenching her fists in rage.
The troll stopped laughing abruptly. He froze in shock and stared at the furious girl. No one had ever spoken to him like that before. He didn’t know whether to run away and hide beneath the bridge or throw the reckless girl into the river. After a moment, his mind was made up. The latter option had proved best, and in a cold rage, he stepped towards Jane.
Will braced himself as the hermit’s words whirled about in his head. …You must protect this girl at all costs…must have courage at all times…
As if in a dream, Will gave a roar and lunged towards the approaching troll. He grabbed whatever he could catch hold of: in this case the troll’s foot. Will kicked, he bit, he scratched, he clawed, he pulled, he pushed- all as the troll screamed in pain and terror and tried to throw Will off the bridge.
The battle was drawing to a climax, and the fighting was growing more and more ferocious. The troll stepped to the edge of the bridge, and Will immediately saw what the monster intended to do. He was going to attempt to kick Will into the river. With the last of his strength, Will gripped the troll’s leg in an even fiercer grip and ran forwards towards the opposite side of the bridge. The troll, losing his balance, gave a last screech, and went hurtling down towards the icy water.
Jane, Andrija, and Will did not wait to see what would happen to the troll. They ran across the bridge and continued running until they were far up the green slopes of Mount Gilgar’s base, out of the troll’s reach.
As they sat down together in the soft green grass and Will opened the food satchel, they hoped that they would not run into any other dangers on their journey.
Jane munched on her food and watched the clear sky. The sun was sinking. It was past midday, nightfall was approaching. As Jane admired the sky she stopped eating. Was it her imagination, or did dark clouds suddenly appear on the horizon? Jane blinked, and they vanished. But an uneasy feeling grew in the pit of her stomach.