Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow - Jessica Day George [71]
East of the sun, and west of the moon.
Part 4
Beggar at the Palace
of Gold
Chapter 28
The north wind’s great strength failed as they drew closer to the island, and more and more of him dropped away as they went on. At last, at the edge of the island, he was nothing more than a chill breeze. The lass tumbled from the sky to land on the shore of hard-packed snow beside the green-gray water.
The little swirl of ice particles that remained wavered at her feet. “That is the limit of my strength. I must rest here a day or so, before I return.” Its voice was hardly a whisper.
“Thank you, a thousand thank-yous,” the lass said, holding out one mittened hand. “I will do all I can to harm the troll queen, and her daughter. For your sake.”
“For the world’s sake,” the north wind said. Then even the small cluster of ice dissipated. “Farewell,” it sighed into the air.
The lass shouldered her pack, staggering a little under the weight. Rollo shook himself and sniffed the air.
“How does it smell?” his mistress asked.
“Like trolls” was the solemn reply.
“Well, I suppose we’ve come to the right place, then,” the lass said.
And they started walking. The island was not as large as the snow plain in front of the palace of ice had been, nor was it as flat. They trekked up a long rise, and then looked down into a hollow that had two large gray boulders lying in it. The boulders had moss growing on them, and one had a very small pine tree sprouting from one side.
“Odd,” the lass said. “How could anything grow here?”
As they passed between the boulders, Rollo stiffened, and he pressed against the lass’s leg. “Walk faster,” he whispered.
“What?”
“Walk. Faster.”
He relaxed only slightly once the boulders were behind them and they were coming to the top of another small rise. He stopped and looked back, and so did the lass. One of the boulders had changed shape. It was taller, and there was a glowing pair of—
“Eyes,” the lass said faintly. Her knees started to buckle, and Rollo pushed her so that she fell down the far side of the rise. Away from the trolls.
She lay in the little hollow on the far side of the rise and shook. Rollo leaned against her, still at the alert, but the trolls did not follow.
“What am I doing here?” The lass’s teeth began to chatter. “I can’t face the queen of the trolls. I’m just a silly little girl! Father’s fears have all come true: I’ve been taken by the trolls.” She let out a hysterical laugh.
“Hush, hush now,” Rollo said, more worried than the lass had ever heard him. “The trolls haven’t taken you. You came here to fight. You have a name; you used to whisper it to me as a pup.” And he leaned down and said the lass’s name softly in her ear.
She got to her feet, squared her shoulders despite the prickling down her spine at the thought of the trolls behind her, and walked on. Her heart was still pounding, but she did not stop until they reached the doors of the palace.
There was no courtyard, and no wall around the golden palace, but then, there was no need for any. The palace doors rose to four times the height of a man and were set with precious gems in a design that showed the sun and moon eclipsed. Over the doors, dimly seen in the light from the torches that burned on each side, the lass could make out the emblem of the troll queen: an isbjørn on a blue background, with a crown above it and a saw-edged sword below.
Just as she raised her hand to knock, a shadow peeled itself away from a niche to one side of the doors. The lass had thought that the narrow recessed area held a statue of some kind, but it was all too alive.
Another troll, this one tall and thin, with ropes of muscles along his bare arms.
He carried