Chronicles of Aetheria

Chapter 2: The Chase

Chapter 2: The Chase 

The creatures, now recognized as Trollocs, suddenly stopped following their leader's movements.

“Let's search for treasure. Taitrum, Neptrum, watch the carriage,” one of the Trollocs ordered, spreading out with two others, leaving behind Taitrum and Neptrum, the one who captured the boy.

Within minutes, they heard a loud bang in the carriage. They ignored it, but the bang came again, louder. Neptrum signaled his companion to check it out.

He marched to the back of the carriage and forcefully opened the door. Since it was dark, he had to peep inside. His eyes widened when they met the blue eyes of the Elven lady. She wrapped her hands around his left horn, broke it effortlessly, and stabbed it into his right eye before he could pull his head out.

He screamed loudly, green blood flowing from his eye. His screams alerted Neptrum, who rushed to the back, seeing Taitrum struggling with the horn in his eye.

Neptrum reached into the carriage and forcefully dragged out an object. It turned out to be a chain used to lock the Elf's hands and legs.

“They've escaped,” he gnashed his teeth and sprinted into the forest immediately, while Taitrum followed, still struggling with the horn.

“I should've listened to him,” he thought, recalling their leader's warning about the boy.

“If you continue this way, the Trollocs will catch up with us,” the blue-eyed lady told the boy as he stopped to catch his breath.

“Oh, Lady Blue Eyes. I'm so tired. Let's take a nap.”

“A nap? What does that mean?”

That was when the boy realized he didn't know the meaning of what he had just said.

Instead of replying, he jumped up and started running again, trying to keep up with the lady's pace.

“You're too fast!” he screamed, urging her to slow down, but she didn't.

She had picked up the scent of the Trollocs. They were drawing nearer with each passing moment. She couldn't afford to delay because of a boy she just met in the carriage. Though he was the reason they weren't still prisoners, her survival instincts overrode any gratitude she felt.

"I'm talking to you, Lady Blue Eyes," he said again, bringing her mind back to the present.

She tilted her neck backward, her gaze meeting his. It was dark, but her eyes allowed her to see clearly, and the boy followed her footsteps.

“The name is Rose, not Lady Blue Eyes,” she replied, then returned her gaze to the pathway, where she noticed a branch crossing the way. It was too late. Rose couldn't avoid it, and neither could the boy.

Rose fell hard on the ground, and the boy landed on top of her. They rolled until they stopped beside six rough-looking feet.

The boy was on top of her, his black eyes peering directly into her blue glowing eyes. Their noses touched, and their lips were just an inch apart. A soft moan escaped her lips as he realized his hands were resting on her chest.

“I never meant to do that,” he said, quickly pulling his hands away.

“You're a dead man,” Rose whispered, trying to push him off, but a foot came into contact with his back, pushing him down.

Rose's eyes widened as she felt the soft moisture of his lips on hers.

The young man's heart raced as he found himself in a compromising position with Rose. He scrambled to his feet, but the weight on him was too much, causing him to accidentally force his tongue into her mouth.

Another moan escaped her lips, which infuriated one of the Trollocs. The creature withdrew his foot from the boy's back and kicked him hard in the left rib, flinging him into a nearby tree.

“Come here,” the Trolloc commanded, picking Rose up by the neck. He raised her to his level and fixed his gaze on her. 

“You think you can escape, huh?” he asked, choking her as she struggled to breathe.

She tried to break free, but it was futile. His grip was too strong for someone of her size. Suddenly, she paused, as if she remembered something.

This act puzzled the Trolloc, and he drew her closer to his face. Their eyes met, and her eyes shone blue.

“Kill them all,” she struggled to say, and he burst into uncontrollable laughter. 

'Is she out of her mind? What does she mean by killing them all?' He thought. Suddenly, his eyes also shone blue, and he dropped her roughly on the ground, turning to his allies.

Before they realized what was happening, he threw a punch that landed on the face of one of the Trollocs, causing the grotesque creature to fall flat.

The other Trolloc quickly unsheathed a dagger, but before he could use it, he was swept off the floor by the compelled Trolloc.

“What’s wrong with them? Why are they fighting each other?” the young man asked as Rose helped him up, still feeling pain in his back. She glared at him thinking about his high level of stupidity. 

“Should they fight us instead?” Rose retorted, and he shook his head.

“Good. Let’s go.” She grabbed his hand and tried to move, but two figures jumped out of the shadows.

“Where to?” asked Taitrum. Without waiting for a response, he hurled a knife at the dude, whose heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

He closed his eyes, expecting death that never came. Reopening them, he saw the knife suspended in the air inches from him.

His mouth fell open in shock. He turned to Rose, who looked serious, clearly the one who had stopped the knife. But how?

Before he could recover from his shock, she controlled the knife into her hand and flung it at Taitrum, who was charging at them.

Her throw was so accurate that it struck his other eye, causing him to collapse to the ground, coughing out green liquids. 

Neptrum growled loudly and felled a tree instantly. The tree fell directly on them, but before it could crush them, the compelled Trolloc caught it.

"Phew. That was a great save." Rose heaved a sigh of relief. 

“What are you doing, Stonetrum?” asked Neptrum with a confused look. He couldn’t believe his leader had sided with their captives.

“I don’t know,” Stonetrum replied, pulling out the tree and flinging it at him.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Rose said, dragging the boy by the hand before he could object. She started running as fast as she could while the boy tried to keep up, leaving the gruesome creatures to face each other.