Ravens and Roses

Chapter 2: The Magic of Trolls

Isyivel hated the trolls for all they had done and continued to do to her lands. She knew that she would gladly slay the leader of the trolls herself if they had harmed one hair on her brother's head. She was proud of her brother's wife for taking charge as she did. She liked Maegden. There was an inner strength there that she believed even Maegden didn't know she had. 

Isyivel pulled herself up onto one of the mossy boulders beneath the elms of the woods. She surveyed the clearing ahead. Scorch marks marred the ground ahead beneath the trees. The stench  of troll fell heavy in the air. The guards slowly climbed down the boulders and formed a perimeter around the faerie princess. Isyivel nocked an arrow in her yew bow. Her breath became slow and steady as every bit of her focused on her surroundings. She stepped off the final rock, landing on the lush grass of the forest. The remnants of a recent camp and a struggle were apparent here. The guards and Isyivel moved in a fluid motion as they searched the clearing. The clearing was not far from the meadow where the reception had been held less than an hour ago. Isyivel had already spoken with those that had been stragglers at the celebration. Ettrian had thanked all those in attendance and walked toward Brethel-Athan. Isyivel believed that the trolls had caught him here on his way back to the palace. What bothered her the most was the fact that her brother had not flown home on his return and had instead decided to simply walk. 

Isyivel overturned the burned ash and logs with her foot in attempt to determine what had occurred at this sight. She saw the obvious tracks of at least two dozen trolls and the soft boot prints that could only be Ettrian's. There were the clear magical marks that the trolls had left behind as they had used the king as their living target. Isyivel winced as she noticed a trickle of blood on the ground and a falter in the footsteps of her brother. She followed her brothers steps and they stopped at the scorch marks. "Bring me the sorceress. I need knowledge of this magic, now!" Two of the guards took flight to bring forth a sorceress who could determine the magic the trolls had used against the king. Isyivel saw that beyond the signs of magic, the steps became erratic and then stopped completely. 

Alinar and Eldar two of the king's most trusted among the guards landed with the sorceress they had gone to retrieve. The sorceress although she was older, was quite beautiful. She walked toward the marks on the ground where it appeared that the king's steps became erratic. "Aithlin, thank you for coming so quickly." Isyivel spoke sincerely. "I believe my brother met his greatest struggle here at this point." Isyivel stated pointing her nocked arrow at the place on the ground. Aithlin knelt and ran her fingers over the scorch marks. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Aithlin reached into a small leather pouch strapped to the belt around her waist. She tossed a pinch of powder onto the marks and closed her eyes once again. She began chanting in the ancient faerie tongue. A thrum of power could be felt in the air. As a warrior the the thought of magic had always unnerved Isyivel just a bit. She watched closely as Aithlin concentrated. Suddenly Aithlin's lids flew open and her once brown eyes were glazed over and milky white. She seemed to be watching a scene unfold that only she could see. Toward the end of her spell she ducked and shrieked. Isyivel looked at her men to see their reactions to the sorceress. 

Aithlin shook her head and dusted her velvet dress free of leaves and dirt as she stood. She blinked and stepped closer to Isyivel. "Your highness, I have grave news. The trolls have used a form of transformation magic upon our king. I was unable to see exactly what sort of transformation he undertook. I am sorry. I wish I could have done much better. I will watch my dreams closely, for there are times when the final answers do not come until I lay my head to rest at the end of the day."

"Do not apologize Lady Aithlin. You have done far beyond what we were able to do. I will see that you are compensated for your efforts here today. On behalf of our new queen, I thank you for this." Isyivel nodded and motioned for the guards to escort Aithlin home. Transformation magic was not one of the magics that trolls were really known for. In fact they mainly just used a simple form of magic that blasted a bit of fire or electricity at their enemies. Isyivel had never really heard of a troll that could master something as complicated as transformation. It took a lot of focus and concentration. Trolls had simple war mongering minds that grasped the ideas of fear and tyranny much better than they ever could the ideas of magic and sorcery. Isyivel looked over the clearing once more and then flew with the guards back to Brethel-Athan to break the news to her brother's new wife.