“The foul beasts must have moved in the darkness of night, crawling over the rocks. Hundreds of trolls and thousands of pucas waited over our heads. Must have slain our scouts . . . we had no warning. Swamp-trolls too, the aglaks, though they came later. Everything began when the trolls started throwing boulders down on us. We thought the mountain was tumbling on our heads. Men screamed . . . rocks battered us. Couldn’t even see the boulders coming. Rocks and boulders cracking so loud my ears rang. Screaming. And running. Blood and death everywhere. Naihi, a mate in my company, standing next
...more
