Chapter 10

 

 

As the troll raised its club, Jena knew it was up to her to save them. But she didn’t want to hurt the troll. She felt it was more frightened than truly angry. She raised a hand, her bracelet glowing brightly on her wrist.

 

‘Stop!’ she cried out in quite a loud voice for a gnome.

 

‘Keep back, Jena!’ Nyssa exclaimed.

 

‘No, Nyssa,’ Eldor said wearily. ‘Jena is our only hope now.’

 

The troll rolled its large green eyes down to Jena and she swallowed in fear. How was she going to stop it, yet not hurt it at the same time? Then as the troll raised a great foot to step on her, she suddenly smiled at an idea. Closing her eyes, she concentrated very hard on her bracelet.

 

The troll suddenly blinked, its eyelids drooping. It suddenly yawned and dropped its club to the floor. Then sagging to its knees, it toppled over to one side with a great splash. It immediately began to snore, the sound echoing loudly about the cavern.

 

‘What did you do, Jena?’ Nyssa asked in wonder as she stood up.

 

Jena went a little red with embarrassment.

 

‘Well, I thought it was more frightened of us, so I didn’t want to hurt it,’ she replied. ‘I… I put it to sleep.’

 

‘That was well done indeed, Jena!’ Eldor said with a smile at her. ‘Mountain trolls are not known to be violent unless threatened. Mogrom probably trapped it here as a guard. I too would be angry if that had been done to me.’

 

‘It’s bellowing has probably told Mogrom where we are,’ Nyssa said.

 

‘True, but we are here to find her anyway,’ Eldor replied. ‘Come, let us go on.’

 

They moved off through the pillars again and shortly came to the end of the cavern. In the wall was a tall iron door and Eldor gave it a tap with his staff. It swung open and they stepped through it into a small chamber.

 

A spiralling stairway climbed upwards and they headed up it. They passed through several other chambers till they came to a long corridor. At its end was a wide archway and another passage. Eldor stopped at it.

 

‘We’re near Mogrom’s hall,’ he whispered. ‘This corridor will lead us to it. Be on your guard, especially you, Jena. Mogrom may well have used a potion to put Dom under her control.’

 

Jena nodded, not at all happy that her brother might be under a spell. Then Eldor led them down the corridor.

 

* * *

 

Mogrom was sitting on her throne, her eyes glimmering as they looked toward the hall door.

 

‘You’re friends are here, Dom!’ she hissed in delight.

 

‘That’s good!’ Dom said happily, sitting on the edge of the armrest.

 

‘Now remember, you promised to help me get the bracelet,’ Mogrom said slyly.

 

Dom nodded and then Mogrom looked toward the door.

 

‘Welcome, Eldor!’ she cackled wickedly. ‘Please, do come in!’

 

Through the door stepped Eldor, his staff glowing brightly. Nyssa followed a little behind with Jena on her shoulder. As they strode down the hall Jena looked up at some windows high up the walls. Through them she could see bright daylight in the world outside. Then Mogrom held up a hand as they came within a few yards of the dais.

 

‘Welcome, old fool!’ she sneered. ‘I hope you have come to surrender this time.’

 

‘That will never happen, Mogrom,’ Eldor said coldly. ‘Release Dom to me now!’

 

Mogrom looked down at Dom, who smiled up at her.

 

‘You mean my new friend,’ she replied. ‘Well, I think Dom likes it. Don’t you, Dom?’

 

Dom nodded, but Eldor’s voice rose in anger.

 

‘Your spell does not fool me, Mogrom! Release him I say!’

 

Mogrom’s eyes blazed and she stabbed a bony finger at him.

 

‘You can’t demand anything, Eldor,’ she snarled. ‘Here my power is the greater!’

 

‘You can do me no harm,’ Mogrom,’ Eldor replied.

 

‘No, but you have brought friends with you,’ Mogrom said menacingly and waved a hand at Nyssa.

 

A strong wind suddenly tore through the hall and it snatched Nyssa off the floor. She landed heavily and Jena lost her grip on her braid. She fell to the floor also and had the breath knocked from her.

 

‘I could easily tear your precious elf apart!’ Mogrom hissed. ‘Now give me the bracelet!’

 

But even as she spoke a low rumble was heard coming from beneath the castle. It shook the floor and rocked Mogrom in her throne. She leapt to her feet in fury.

 

‘What have you done, you meddling fool?’ she shrieked at Eldor.

 

‘It’s your doom, Mogrom… something I should have done long ago,’ Eldor replied. ‘I have awakened the castle’s defensive magic that will see its end.’

 

Fear filled Mogrom’s eyes as the floor continued to shudder, the air filled with angry rumbling. As this was happening Dom jumped down from the throne. He managed to run over to the winded Jena and quickly pulled the bracelet from her wrist.

 

‘This belongs to Mogrom!’ he said and turned away.

 

‘Dom... no!’ Jena gasped in shock.

 

Dom ignored her and ran back towards Mogrom. But before he could reach her another mighty shudder shook the floor. There was a shriek of tearing stone and a great crack suddenly opened wide in the floor between them.

 

‘I have it, Mogrom!’ Dom cried as he reached the edge of the crack.

 

‘Give it to me!’ Mogrom snarled as she stepped to the other side. ‘Give it to me!’

 

Dom tossed the bracelet into the air toward her and she reached out a bony hand. She leaned forward to catch it and as it landed in her hand, she gave shrill cry of triumph.

 

But suddenly the hoot of an owl sounded above her. She looked up to see a white owl swooping down from a window above. It was Moonwing and he quickly plucked the bracelet from her hand.

 

Mogrom screamed in rage and lunged at it in desperation. At the same time another shudder shook the castle and the crack in the floor opened wider. Mogrom suddenly lost her balance and with a dreadful shriek, toppled forward. Then she fell into the crack and disappeared into its shadows.

 

At that the spell over Dom was broken and he swayed dizzily over the crack. But Eldor quickly leapt over to him and snatched him up. At the same time Moonwing flew over Jena and dropped her bracelet to her. She picked it up and slipped it back onto her wrist. Then Nyssa was on her feet and picking her up.

 

‘We must flee!’ Eldor shouted above the rising rumble. ‘The whole castle is coming down!’

 

They fled the hall with the gnomes in their arms, sprinting through the door as the entire floor crumbled away. Down several corridors they raced as the castle shook and shuddered, almost knocking them off their feet. Then stumbling around one corner they blundered into a crowd of goblins milling about in panic.

 

‘Run, you fools’!’ Eldor bellowed at them as he and Nyssa shouldered their way past. ‘That castle is collapsing!’

 

His cry broke their fear and they hurried after them with screams of terror.

 

An archway appeared ahead with daylight beyond and they emerged into a courtyard. They fled across it to the castle’s shaking drawbridge and dashed over it. Then they were safe, stopping at the start of a trail leading down the mountain. The terrified goblins, Craw among them, kept running down it.

 

Eldor and Nyssa turned and looked back at the castle.  It was completely collapsing now, its walls crumbling away into a huge hole that had opened up beneath it. The last to fall was Mogrom’s tower. It split down the middle with a mighty crack, then crumbled into pieces and vanished.

 

‘Good elves!’ Nyssa gasped. ‘We only just made it!’

 

‘We did indeed,’ Eldor agreed wearily.

 

‘What’s wrong with Dom?’ Jena asked worriedly, her brother lying very still in Eldor’s arms.

 

‘He’ll be fine, Jena,’ Eldor reassured her. ‘He sleeps after Mogrom’s spell was broken. He’ll be his normal self when he wakes.’

 

Suddenly the shrill bleat of a horn sounded behind them. They looked around and saw a large company of elves running up the trail. Nyssa cried out and waved. Her father, King Nemon had arrived.