The Lady of Snow and Sorrow - 9. The Troll-Maiden
Since his ascent from the ice trap, Jari completely stopped talking. Jukka had no idea of what was going on in the front man's head at daytime, while the bandmates pursued their search for Kai, but in the evening the lead guitarist would seat by the fire, almost motionless, looking nowhere and stroking the air above his lap with a gesture of the most profound tenderness, as if he were caressing someone's hair.
Though still able to take care of himself, Jari would not react to Jukka's speech and friendly embrace. He would not answer his questions. He had blood on his lips when he coughed and he was soon to fade.
“Hold on, man,” Jukka repeated in a vain attempt to encourage him. “If you give up, you'll become a legit property of Hel. But I don't want to please this bitch that much!”
Their way lay through a highland country which had almost no trees, but was rich in high rocks, narrow ravines and deep caves. This is where the travelers became the prey of mountain trolls. It was Jari who noticed the creatures seconds before the ravens started crying and stopped his giant white wolf at next to the ravine they had to enter. On both its sides, some large deformed shapes could be seen, attempting hard to give themselves for rocks.
“Fucking fuck,” Jukka hissed, also detecting an ambush.
On hearing once again the ravens' nervous cries, Jari slowly turned his wolf and drew his sword. Another group of bastards was coming from behind, the group that they hadn't noticed. All of them were tall, long-armed and broad in shoulders some having horns on their heads. The creatures carried heavy sticks and long spears, and they approached at a threatening pace.
Run!
In a desperate attempt to avoid the clash, Jukka and Jari leapt aside, hoping the wolves would be speedy enough to take them away from the enemy. They darted into a narrow passage between rocks, and this is where a thick net fell onto Jukka's and his wolf's heads. Trying to shake the net off, he saw a troll jump before them; the creature strongly resembled a hybrid between a Neanderthal man and a Velociraptor. He swung the weapon to smash Jukka's scull with a club, but the wolf, who had managed to free its head quarter a second before, got its saber-sharp teeth into the enemy's leg. The salvation was close, but a heavy stone, shot from a sling, hit the animal in the head, and it fell, pressing Jukka to the ground.
Jari swung his sword but had no time to use it, because a blunt end of a troll spear (apparently made of a whole young tree) hit him in the ribs from behind, knocking the Wintersun guitarist unconscious. The wolf's head was caught into a loop, and the trolls who got more numerous with each second, managed to restrain the dangerous animal. So, Wintersun members and their wolves got severely beaten, tightly bound and dragged to a troll settlement hidden in a vast system of caves. The intricate labyrinth was lit up by lamps, made of human and animal sculls. The rare furniture that the captives saw in the rooms was also made of bones and some wood. The paintings on the cave walls looked relatively fresh and depicted no trolls but only normal men and women – growing crops, dancing and hunting a herd of deer. How was that possible?
“Who's that?” asked a gray-haired and particularly disgusting troll dressed in the polar bears' furs and wearing a small diadem between her long gray horns. It had a pair of heavy breasts and must have been a female. She was sitting on a kind of throne, not made of bones, but carved in a giant piece of volcanic glass.
“One smells like an Elf, the other must be mortal,” answered a male troll hunter in a satisfied voice. Huge he was, and his arms resembled long scaly tree-branches.
Though still dazed, Jukka realized that he understood every word the trolls said.
“How nice the boys are!.. Their flesh must taste like wild honey! The blond is lean, but good enough for soup,” - the female troll smiled, showing her yellow wolfish teeth. “Good job, Marglyne, seems we're having a party tonight!”
“Stop, stop, stop!” the third voice intervened, and Jukka turned his aching head back. - I also took part in the hunt, and I was the one who caught the blond Elf and his White Beast alive! Before we eat these losers, I'd like to... play with them a bit.”
Jukka saw another she-troll, clad in polar fox skins and chain armor. She was smaller than the first troll woman and looked much younger, but not much prettier.
“Stop being ridiculous, Skadi!” shouted the old she-troll. “Normally we don't fuck our food.”
“They are not just food!” the young female cried. “They might save us all!”
“You still believe anyone will be able?..”
“Give me just one night, Mom. Just one night and nothing more,” Skadi nervously pinched the pointed end of her long ear.
“Well, they are yours, child” the troll Matriarch sighed. “But it's the last time, you understand?”
“Is there any monster here that does not want to bang us?” Jukka asked himself, gazing with pain at Jari who was moaning with pain next to him. The poor guitarist must have got some of his ribs crushed by the vicious strike of the troll.
“At least, we may win some hours in this battle against time,” the bassist thought.
He heard the familiar sound of the strings. Shit. Someone was fooling around with Jari's guitar. Jukka was glad that it was not broken, but would it live long in the hands of these creatures?
“Hey, give me that piece of shit!” Skadi ordered. “I want them to play for me as well!”
The corners of Jari's mouth formed a kind of smile. Even now, when the risk of being devoured (perhaps, alive) was so close, his guitar was the main thing he cared about. Skadi easily threw the guitarist over her shoulder and dragged the bassist after her into the depth of the mountain, where bats flew and where water fell. Had Jukka's hands been free, he would drop some small things to mark the way. But in ten minutes he could hardly remember it.
“So, my kittens, what about some good song for the beginning?” - the troll girl asked, turning the guitar in her hands. - Which of you can play this thing?”
“You should untie us first.” Jukka answered.
“Fair enough,” Skadi nodded. “Anyway, you cannot harm me, as you've got no weapon.”
Jukka gazed at the she-troll once again. She was a head taller than he and Jari were, she was strong, and she hadn't been beaten. If even he succeeds in hitting her with the guitar, he will break it rather than do any serious damage to the troll. As Jari still was numb, he started playing, but his fingers were rigid with anger and fear and gave quite a petty sound. The troll girl made a discontent grimace, but did not tie his hands back.
“Here's the choice you've got, sweeties.” Skadi announced. “Either you become my lovers, or you become my tribe's dinner. Why are you staring like this? Am I not pretty enough?”
“No, miss. It's me and my friend Jari who are too weak, unpretty and ill-looking,” Jukka said, making his best in diplomacy. “Besides, none of us has enough sex drive to satisfy such a passionate young lady. In fact, we can't satisfy our wives and lovers back home, the poor things are always angry...”
“At least you might do your best if you really wanna live,” Skady laughed.
Jukka wanted to argue that one cannot challenge physiological reactions, but at this moment Jari woke from a stupor.
“Listen,” the guitarist wheezed out all of a sudden. “I agree to be killed. But you should let my friend Jukka go.”
Skadi looked at him, startled.
“Are you giving your life for him?”
“I am. And, besides, I'm a much better guitar player. Let me prove it.”
In five minutes, the troll-maden collapsed to the floor, her face wet with tears, her shoulders shaking, her breath broken. The concentrated sadness produced by Jari's fingers pierced her heart like and arrow. Jukka was about to faint. He knew of his friend's music abilities perhaps less than Teemu but more than anyone else, it was difficult to surprise him, but this time Jari surpassed himself – even with an acoustic guitar. If he had an electric one, he could have probably crushed the troll tribe with emotion.
“What is it? What are you guys doing with me?” Skadi pronounced, panting. “Is it a kind of magic?”
“No, it's a song for my friend, who's no longer with us,” Jari exhaled. “Another one is in trouble, but may be still alive, so you must let Jukka go. If you want, I will play all night long. Please.”
Skadi shook her shaggy head in hesitation.
“If I release your pal, other trolls will catch and consume him. They've been hungry for a very long time. This dead friend of yours... He must've been someone really good, eh?”
Something exploded inside Jari after the long days of silence. He spoke about the one he lost and he could not stop. He spoke of the years of mutual respect and admiration, of rehearsals, concerts and excruciating work on music writing and endless rewriting, and his self-hatred Teemu always managed to appease with his warm smile and funny jokes. He also spoke about Kai and his family in Helsinki which was missing him so much.
“Don't you think that if I'm a girl you can manipulate me like this!” Skadi yelled, pulling at her own hair. But deep inside her heart, she was feeling an agony.
“Sorry, I had no such intention.” Jari said. “But what exactly has happened to you, Skadi? I guess sex is not exactly what you want.”
“Most of all I want to be human again...” Skadi grunted. “Many centuries ago, one bastard, a very mighty goddamn sorcerer, wanted to take me as a wife. I had already known he was a sick and evil man, so I refused without giving him any hope. The next morning we found ourselves like this – me, Mom and all our people. Everybody transformed. Our neighbors, including Elven motherfuckers, declared a war on us, thinking we became blood-thirsty and dangerous, they slaughtered some of my kinsmen, they pushed us into this wilderness, and soon we became true monsters.”
“Skadi, could you give me one of your hairpins?” asked Jari politely.
“So that you could stick it either into my throat or into my eye, right?”
“To be on the safe side, you may break the pin in two, but I should repair my instrument so that I could play more songs tonight.”
She did as he said and continued: “Before he left, that son of a bitch said that only then I will regain my normal shape when a man consents to make love on me. But - alas! - everyone chooses death. They just don't understand that trolls will eat human flesh until the curse is broken... And my tribe - they've put up with it. They've got accustomed to living like that, even my mother!"
The troll-maiden gazed with hope at Jukka, while Jari was scratching Runes on the surface of his guitar. It was the last thing one would ever expect him to do...
(to be continued)
Previous chapters:1. Intro 2. The Breakdown 3. The orphaned band 4. The quest starts 5. Unholy Night 6. His Family 7. The wolves of Izmiran 8.The Essence of Cold
Note: I don't own the characters