I was afraid.
It was completely illogical, I'd spent many nights under the protection of my runes and all had been none the wiser to mine and uncle's presence. Nonetheless, I was afraid because this was the first time a hunting party had stumbled on me by my lonesome.
'Don't be afraid.' I recalled Uncle saying. 'They can be reasoned with. But fear makes their blood boil with violence, they're very sensitive to it.'
I finally took a breath. Nnenya, my lungs were burning with the need for air. I hadn't even noticed my breathing stopped. I stood up on shaky legs and quickly packed away everything I'd set down on the camp. It wasn't much, uncle and I always carried light for convenience. I recalled the ward stones closer to me so they could effectively erase my presence and huddled very closely to the tree I'd been leaning on earlier.
I hadn't seen the party yet. It was dark and moonless, and even with the light of the stars I could only make out very little. But I could hear them. The ground shook with every step they took.
I tried to calm my heart, but it was futile. I was terrified. Uncle and I had spoken at length about what I was to do if I found myself in danger and he was, for some reason, unable to protect me, but talking and actually experiencing it were two completely different scenarios. For one, I couldn't keep the terror at bay or calm my heart down, and that made me even more terrified because if by some stroke of ill luck, they found me, I'd torn me apart and eaten. My thoughts didn't get the chance to spiral any deeper because everything exploded into chaos.
A garmr, larger than any I'd ever seen, crashed into the clearing with a dire elk's neck caught between its jaws. What little concentration I'd had on keeping my rune stones hovering close by went up in smoke as I quickly got my feet under me and dove to the left. The tree I'd been leaning on shattered under the combined weight of the two colossal beasts as they crashed onto it and sent splinters flying everywhere. Luckily, I was quick enough to shield my eyes behind the length of my arm because a piece of wood lodged itself deeply onto it just moments later. I was on my feet and scanning for any direction I could run to in seconds, heart in my throat. But it quickly became clear that that wasn't going to be easy.
I couldn't run to the river; the Ogres wouldn't follow me there but the Nymphs would be less than welcoming this time. Somewhere inside I knew with certainty that they'd already surrounded their prey and consequently my camp. My rune stones were somewhere in the mess of crushed wood, so hiding my presence was paramount to my survival, especially because I knew I reeked of sweat and fear.
Somehow, whilst I wasn't watching, the dire elk got free from the perilous grip. It had already righted itself and angled its wide antlers threateningly at the garmr. The beast didn't look threatened or even slightly deterred. What it did was slowly circle the elk, prowling in between the large evergreens and using its black coat to disappear into the darkness of the night. Little huffs and growls gave away its position to the elk, otherwise, it moved almost noiselessly around its prey. There was the occasional booming laughter or loud jeer from within the woods, no doubt from the ogres. It probably amused them that the garmr was playing with its prey.
The elk shifted again, angling its antlers to where the large creature finally stepped out of the dark. On its dished face, a row of bloody canines gleamed dimly from behind the garmr's long snout, which was pulled back into a severe snarl. Its powerful and stocky legs caused the ground to tremble faintly with every careless step it took towards the elk and black beady eyes never lost track of its intended prey. I almost lost control of my extremities, the fear in me was so thick now. I knew that if the Ogres didn't find me and kill me first, this creature would. I tried summoning my ward stones but they didn't heed my call.
The second and the third try were of the same result.
Unconsciously, I started shaking my head in denial. The only reason my rune stones wouldn't return after I'd summoned them would be if they were destroyed. And if that was the case, would I manage to escape? How would I survive the woods without the protection of the runes?
A twig snapped behind me and before I could make out anything besides a pair of legs that went on forever, everything went black.
I woke with a gasp, flailing my arms in panic.
I was alive.
Why was I alive? I should've been dead by now; they should have killed me already. Did they want to watch me suffer before they eat me? Why hadn't they killed me already? It was as I flailing that I realized my wrists were bound together, but not my legs. I sat in a hurry, getting ready to sprint but…
Amethyst orbs bored deeply into mine from the other side of the fire.
"Peace be, godling. We mean you no harm."
I'd always imagined ogres to be… hideous. The ogress staring back at me was anything but. Her appearance was mystifying from up close. She was easily twice my height and I could tell that even though we were both seated. She was lean but muscled, her ashy grey skin was glossy and mapped with thin white scars. Her face was angular and mostly chiseled, with a pair of implausibly artistic brows nestled above upturned, feline-like, eyes. Her red hair glowed along with the light of the fire, loose and untied as it fell over her shoulders like a fiery river. Two bone white horns menacingly curled in a dangerous spiral peaked out from her full head of hair, just as fearsome as the war hammer that was perched on her left and the garmr casually seated on her right, licking its bloody clawed paw.
As soon as I saw the beast, all the fear returned. I couldn't look away from its humungous body, shaggy coat and sullen expression.
"He will not harm you either." The ogress said when she noticed what he was looking at.
I reluctantly looked away from the garmr. The ogress had a party of four, excluding herself and the beast. They were all male from what I could see. The ogress was the only one of the party wearing pants whilst everyone else was in a one-piece garment kept in place by a belt. It was probably some sort of loinskin. The males also had different kinds of horns. Theirs were midnight black and simply curled upwards. Their faces were much more severe and angular than the ogress, but no less enchanting. They were surprisingly not bad to look at, especially when there was light and the absence of fear. One of them was narrating a tale and drawing laughter from the other three.
The ogress threw me a waterskin and I accepted it gratefully.
"Why am I not dead?" I blurted out as soon as I drank my fill.
My fingers dug into the waterskin as I watched for her next move. I immediately regretted saying that. Was it too insensitive?
The ogress laughed at my reaction. "Are you my enemy?"
"I don't think so." I said, slowly.
She raised her brow at me, amused. "Tell me, godling, what are you doing here by yourself?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. 'Don't be too quick to part with details about yourself. Find out more about their intentions first.' Uncles voice said in my ear.
I averted my gaze, looking instead at the dire elk slowly being cut up by the other members of the hunting party. "I'm traveling."
"There are easier ways to travel." Was her response.
I met her gaze for a moment before settling back on watching the other hunters. My eyes would reveal the lies from the truth if she looked too deeply into them, she wouldn't be able to discern my thoughts. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell what she was thinking either.
"I know." I said, vaguely. I bit my lip, suddenly curious. "Why do you call me godling?"
She made a peculiar sound with her mouth, but resisted the urge to look at her. "You are… a nehk." She said.
"No, I'm not." I denied, a beat too quickly. "I'm not.".
"I have never met one of your kind," she said. "and neither have my people, not for many generations. But we are told young that should we come upon a godling, we will know."
'Nehk' was what they called those like me. Uncle was always tightlipped about the history behind it, all I knew was that it was an insult. I didn't even know if there were other's like me out there or if I was the last one. However, I could tell she'd only called me that word to make me understand what she was talking about, not as an insult.
"This is the last place I thought I'd meet an Audhalen." She said this looking at my hair.
Pale hair was very uncommon in all races but the one I belonged to. Elves also had lighter shades of hair, but it never got quite as pale as Audhalen hair. Sometimes dwarves had red hair like ogres, but they were mostly brunettes.
"I didn't think I'd run into a hunting party either." I said under my breath.
"I am Nala, and those are my sons. We are of the southern Ogron Tribes. Bor, my youngest and most unruly, is the one with a crocked nose. The twins are Frey and Forde and that ugly one who talks too much is my eldest, Tyr." She gestured to the other, who looked our way at the sound of their names. The one named Tyr hadn't stopped weaving his tale.
I huffed a little, amused despite the circumstance. Tyr did seem to be the most talkative of the lot. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nala. This one's name is Ketil."
"Well met… Ketil." There was an obvious pause when she said the name I gave her, but the smile on her face told me she hadn't taken offense to my lie. "Might I ask what brings you to these parts, child of Nnenya?"
I hesitated. "I'm on my way to Felvas."
"Were you not warned of the dangers of these woods?"
"I would've picked another way if it meant less risk to my continued existence. But as it is, these woods seemed the lesser of two evils."
"Even if it is filled with ogres and all sorts of hardier folk?"
'Yes.' I wanted to say. Instead, I raised my bound hands to get her attention on them. "Er…would you mind untying me?"
She immediately nodded, probably to avoid giving my thoughts the chance to spiral again, and rose to remove the thick ropes. I craned my neck, marveling at her full height. She was taller than her sons by more than a few heads, almost three times taller than me.
"These woods are no place for your kind. Tensions are high between ogres and the trolls these days, we've been killing each other indiscriminately since fall. I'm afraid you would not have survived an encounter with another of my people or theirs. Violence is heavy in the air."
I was lucky, yes, but a part of me was disappointed in my failure to override my fear. If only I'd reacted quicker, left the campsite before the garmr and elk crashed into it and ruined my rune stones, maybe I would've avoided being caught.
"So it's true then," I started. "that fear invokes bloodlust from within you?"
She raised a brow at me and I continued. "Is that why you had to knock me out?"
"Partially. Momo" she gestured to the garmr by her side, "would've hunted you after the elk. And the scent of your fear had already excited my sons beyond reason. The young one's aren't as good at reigning in their instincts during a hunt. It is why an elder must always be present within every hunting party."
I was a little surprised. Uncle had somewhat known that ogres could be reasoned with, but that was only the half of it. Most of the texts I'd read had labeled them mindless beasts who were good for nothing but war.
"Why are your people and trolls…quarrelling?" I asked.
She gazed into the fire pensively. "They're expanding their territories, moving further down the mountains out west. It is highly unusual behavior. They've lived up there for millennia, uninterested in all else but themselves. For them to suddenly invade our lands…is worrying, is it not?"
I hummed in agreement. It really was odd. It was almost unheard of to come across trolls. "The gods are scheming."
"They must be." She said. "The situation is most peculiar, almost as much as your presence here."
"I... I'm trying to find a way to stop," I swallowed. "it."
"Your gifts?"
I scoffed. "My curse."
"Why do you think it is a curse?"
I gave her an incredulous look. "Being hunted because of my…because of them is reason enough. It doesn't help that they're so volatile I can't even use them to make my life easier or protect myself."
"What do you know about your gifts, godling?" she asked. "What do you know beyond what you've been told?"
"I…" I bit my lip. "I know that I hold a slippery thread in my hand. I know that if I pull too hard or let go everything could unravel."
"Not much then." She said after beat of silence. "Tell me, why do people fear the hardier folk so much?"
"Because they're dangerous?"
She huffed amusedly. "Are you not dangerous yourself?"
"Yes, but that's because of my abilities."
"Let me rephrase that. Are your people not dangerous themselves?"
I frowned. "Yes, but…"
"But what?" she continued. "We are creatures of war, yes. And sometimes our young kill without meaning too. But if we train them, then harming others will be a choice, not something out of their control.
I think the same applies to you. Regardless of that fact, your life was in peril earlier when we crossed paths, and yet the only one who was injured was you. Tell me, godling, maybe I am mistaken. Have you intentionally hurt those who hunt you?"
"Of course not!"
"Then why do they want you dead?"