Twin Curse(2)

Mianna danced across the room. "Can you button me up, Bri?"

Performing the requested service, Brianna listened to Mianna babble on  about the food and dancing planned for the evening, her eyes shining.  She turned and let Mianna button her up, grateful for the steady stream  of words her sister uttered, leaving her with little to do except nod  and agree.         

     



 

By the time the twins came downstairs and walked across the grass to  join the gathering in the village square, there was quite a crowd.  People sat in groups at the long wooden tables, sharing stew and bread.  Brianna and Mianna helped themselves to a large bowl and a crusty roll  each, then found a seat at a table with some of their friends.

Sari showed off her baby, a tiny squalling, red, angry face with nothing  endearing about it. Her husband, Breck, stood behind her proudly and  ran and fetched her stew, water, or whatever she requested. Mianna cooed  over the baby and was rewarded with a moment's smile from the infant.

Probably just gas, Brianna thought sourly.

She turned away from her sister fawning over the baby, not wanting to  see the longing in her eyes. Why did things have to change? Why couldn't  life just continue the way it had been for the last year, letting her  ignore the fact that her future had been irrevocably altered?

"Do you want to dance?" Corlin's voice at her elbow interrupted her  melancholy thoughts, reminding her that even if there weren't any men in  the village she wanted to marry, there were still plenty she was happy  to dance with.

Corlin was a good dancer and easy to talk to. It was a pity he wasn't a  few years older, or he might be a possible alternative to Terion. If Mia  was so set on getting married, Brianna might at least look around so  that she could have a say in it.

"Got some new blood in town, huh?"

"What?" Brianna stared at Corlin, confused.

He nodded to a table by the bonfire where a man sat eating some stew,  awkward in his leather armour. "Turned up this evening. Reckon he's  going to try his luck over the ridge?"

"Probably."

They had plenty of those sorts of visitors, itching to do battle with  the trolls. They all went up over the ridge, but none of them ever came  back. They all seemed to think it was some game, and that the danger  must be exaggerated. Some even boasted that they would be the one to  finally defeat the trolls.

As if.

As if all the good men and women, ones like Kylis and her father, had  been somehow inferior. Emotion welled up in her and for a moment,  Brianna was afraid she was going to cry again. The thought of breaking  down in front of Corlin and the other dancers on the floor mortified  her. She mumbled a need for a drink of water, and fled the dance floor.

And ran smack bang into Terion. He caught her as she stumbled, setting  her on her feet and letting go before she could snap at him to do so.

"Hi, Brianna."

"I know, Mia talked to me," she answered quickly before he could say anything.

There was an awkward silence.

"I'm sorry, Brianna. I told Mianna not to say anything to you. I know  you and I have never really clicked, but she said you would understand  and …  she and I …  Well we … "

Brianna sighed. "I know. I told her I'd give it a chance. I can't offer anything more than that," she said roughly.

Terion nodded.

Again there was an awkward silence.

"Do you want to dance?"

"Sure, why not?" Anything was better than standing here not knowing what to say.

Terion danced well, and to her relief, he didn't bug Brianna to talk.  She was grateful enough that she gave him a kiss on the cheek as the  music faded.

Mianna waited excitedly by the dance floor. "Well?" she asked.

"It was just a dance, Mia. Give me a little while to get accustomed to  the idea." Brianna tried not to snap, but Mianna's face fell anyway,  stirring more guilt.

To make up for it, Brianna hugged her sister. "He's sweet, Mia. I can see why you like him."

And she could. Terion was just what her sister was looking for. He'd  make an excellent father, and he'd always be there for her. Not like  Kylis. But would he ever make her heart beat that little bit faster as  their fiancé had?

Could she settle for second best?

"Serrile, you just have to see this! You won't believe it."

Brianna looked up at the sound of Ethean, the village elder, calling out  her mother's name. He ran across the grass in bare feet, nearly  tripping over his long brown robes, waving a leather-bound book in front  of him.

In spite of her other worries, Brianna was intrigued. She'd loved  Ethean's visits when she was little, enjoying sitting on his lap and  hearing tales from long ago. At nearly seventy, he was the oldest person  in the village, his occupation as a scholar protecting him from  fighting in the troll raids. Usually, he only found out about a raid  when he wandered out of his cottage days later.

What did he have to tell her mother now? Her feet led her across the  grass of their own accord to where the old man held the open book under  her mother's nose. "See, I told you we must have some sort of purpose  here … "         

     



 

"Trolls!"

The voice, floating on the wind, froze everyone in the village. Ethean got such a shock, he dropped his book.

Chilling screams followed the sound as the watchers in the pass died,  sacrificing their lives so that those in the village might have a chance  to survive.

A small figure, the runner, whose job it was to warn the village, ran across the open field, yelling frantically.

The sound unfroze Brianna and sent her racing back to the house to grab  her sword, cursing the long skirts that would hinder her in the fight.

She sprinted to join the other villagers forming a wall on the outskirts  of the buildings, staring at the half dozen hulking dark shapes that  loped out of the dark gap in the ridge, and across the field.

Adrenalin surged through her veins.

Behind her, she heard Mianna's panicked voice calling and a child  wailing. Brianna's resolve hardened. No trolls would make it through the  line to chase the frightened children tonight. Not if she could help  it.

"Ugrrrrhhh." A troll raced directly towards her. His sword, twice the  length of her own, swung down, moonlight glinting off the blade.

She tucked and rolled, springing straight back onto her feet and swinging her sword at his thighs in one smooth motion.

The edge of her sword cut into his tough flesh, slicing a gash the width of her hand.

The troll didn't seem to notice. He swung at the visitor, who had surged  into the battle. His leather armour was no match for the troll sword.  Red blossomed on his shoulder, but he didn't stop. He followed through  on his strike, his height enough to send the blade arching up into the  troll's thigh, where it stayed, lodged hard.

This time, the troll roared in pain. He bent and cuffed the man with his  hand, sending him tumbling backwards. The visitor didn't move again.

Brianna let out her rage in a battle cry and launched herself at the  troll's back. The tip of her sword aimed at the space just under his  ribs, one of the few vulnerable points.

The troll roared again, reaching around blindly to try to claw her off  his back. Brianna held on with all her strength, squirming to keep out  of reach of his hands. She twisted her sword with all her strength.

He bucked to one side, succeeding in throwing her clear, though not in  dislodging her sword, which stuck out of his back like an arrow. As he  wavered on his feet, Corlin and Ambria rushed in, slashing at his body  wherever they could reach.

Swinging his fists wildly, the troll teetered towards where Brianna lay,  the wind knocked out of her. His bulk loomed over her, and she  scrambled to pull herself out of the way before he fell. A thud  reverberated through the soil as he crashed to the ground behind her.  She let out her breath in a gasp of relief.

Struggling to her feet, she stared at him for a few moments, but the  troll didn't move. Brianna reached for her sword, bracing her foot  against his body to pull it free, then looked around for the next troll.

Forcing herself to ignore the villager bodies that littered the ground,  she spotted a tall shape lurking in the shadows of a building. A growl  forced itself out of her mouth. He had no sword and clearly wasn't one  of the fighters. His job was to find food or tools to steal while the  others kept the villagers occupied.

Smaller than his counterparts, he would be an easy target.

He didn't see her coming, he was so busy bending over a body on the  ground, rifling through its clothing. The brown robes caught Brianna's  eye. Ethean.

The troll picked up the book the old man had been so excited about  earlier, sending rage flooding through Brianna. He would pay for this  desecration.

"Glahhhh."

The sound gave her just enough warning to turn, but not enough to move  out of the way as another troll barrelled down on her right. She swung  her sword in desperation, knowing the small weapon could not block his  larger one.