The crows mocked her from a distance though Fairlain ignored them and continued walking towards the bridge. She had stayed two nights in Ost Guruth, resting and preparing for the next part of her journey. The men of that place were more nervous than she remembered. Some fresh evil had made them wary. The bridge was deserted and the river flowed fiercely beneath it. It had rained in the last two days, and even now the sky threatened a downpour as Fairlain stepped onto the path that led to the Bruinen. From the shadows of the trees she heard the snorting and rooting of boars. Giving the beasts a wide berth, she headed towards the craggy ravines that furrowed the land outside of the moors.
There was a stillness in the air, as though everything was hushed in anticipation of the rain. Fairlain had an uneasy feeling that she was being followed and took her bow from her shoulders, placing an arrow at the ready. The wolves in this place were especially cunning, though there were worse things to be found. The sky darkened and droplets began to hit the earth at her feet. She walked on. Even if she only got as far as Thorenhad she could safely wait for the weather to pass before heading into the Moors. She smiled as she remembered meeting a dwarf there who claimed no small culinary prowess...terrible cook actually, but superb prankster! Suddenly she heard a roaring crash from the ridge above her. Trolls! Quickly she ran to take cover in the shade of the nearby rocks.
Five stone trolls came crashing down from the top of the ravine, jostling each other and yelling in their stony voices. It seemed their descent into the ravine wasn't intentional and once they hit the ground they began fighting amongst themselves, swinging great fists and hurling stones that would crush a horse. Fairlain looked back the way she came. If she could backtrack without the trolls noticing her it would spare her both the arrows and the trouble. Silently, she edged along the ravine's wall away from the conflagration and was almost out of earshot when she heard thunderous footsteps coming quickly from the other direction. Two more trolls were approaching quickly, drawn by the noise of commotion. The rain began to come down in sheets, and the sky became darker still.
Fairlain muttered a curse and drew two more arrows from her quiver, placing them between the fingers of her right hand. She did not like trolls, and it was likely she would only take down one with the arrows she had. The rain was not helping. She raised her arm, trying to sight the troll's eye for the quickest kill when the very air around her seemed to tremble and heave. She lowered her arrow, and shook her head, trying to shake off the rain and clear her sight. There was a deafening sound as though the rocks had cried out. Fairlain reeled back on her heels, and all seven of the trolls fell silent and stood still. Then the light came, filling Fairlain's eyes so she could see nothing else. As the rain continued to fall the lighted faded and sight returned to Fairlain's eyes. All around her lay the stone trolls, crushed into the earth from whence they came, and in front of her stood a tall, hooded figure. Reaching out a grey gloved hand to the girl, the figure spoke in a voice that was the gentlest whisper.
"You are safe now, and Thorenhad is not far. Please come with me there, and you can rest without worry."
