C.P. Bird - The Portaellen War Chronicles

The troll showed no sign of weakness, his stare unflinching, even though, it felt like his master’s eyes, were going to bore a hole, right through him.

‘I see you Normauss,’ Victory hissed, winking at the troll, and grabbing him by the chin, he pulled him close.

Normauss immediately flinched, at the awful smell, of his master’s rancid breath.

‘Let me down. And she dies.’ Spittle hit Normauss’s face, as Victory said his last few words.

‘Then, I will find the rest of your family and I will massacre them.’

The troll instantly cried out in shock and in pain, when he was suddenly poked, in his left eye, with such force, that his head shot back. Normauss, now lowered his head, and began to rub his eye, as a painful tear, quickly followed.

‘You, I will keep alive, troll. Just.’ Victory’s breathing had increased, and he had become, more excited. ‘Not before taking your eyes. One, at a time.’

Normauss struggled to break free, as Victory now forced open the troll’s mouth.

‘Then, I will take your tongue.’ A wicked, evil smile crept over his master’s face, as he released the troll’s tongue. Normauss choked and spluttered, as he pulled away, in desperation.

‘Finally, I will have you thrown into the deepest, darkest dungeon, to rot. Remember Normauss the troll. You are Mine! I own you!’ The last few words were spoken with such vitriol, that it shook Normauss, to the core.

In an instant, Napoleon Victory’s tone changed, and the wickedness on his face, had suddenly been replaced, with a look of concern.

‘You’re shivering.’ He remarked softly to Normauss, who said nothing.

He just stared. His eyes unflinching and determined, despite the unbearable pain, in his left eye, that was extremely red and weeping uncontrollably.

‘Listen,’ Victory had a gentle hold of the troll’s arm. ‘I do appreciate, what you do for me. For our cause. You have been my eyes and my ears, on the twins. So please. Tell me everything. Since Agent Grimshaw, was persuaded to look after them, on my behalf, have there been, any problems?’

‘No Sire,’ Normauss started, ‘there has been, no enemy activity around the area. It has been very quiet.’

‘Good. That means, that the dying king, or should I say, my hopefully, now deceased brother, seemed to have no idea, of our sister’s betrayal.’ Victory sniggered to himself, once more.

‘That’s good Sire,’ remarked General Grafton.

‘It is General. It is.’ There was a pause, as Napoleon Victory, gathered his thoughts, whilst pacing up and down the room.

Normauss was nervous. He had told, his master the truth. The twins were safe. The troll still felt guilty though. As, if he had lied. He hadn’t. But, the unpredictability of Victory’s moods, made Normauss feel, suddenly vulnerable, and guilty.

‘Anything else to report?’ Victory suddenly asked.

‘No Sire.’

Normauss, now watched nervously, as his master, continued to pace the room. The troll could normally read a situation but this time he was not sure if his master believed him.

The troll’s nervousness, came from a story, that he had made up, to cover his whereabouts, on a mission, a few months ago. He had lied to Victory, and he knew that his master knew. Normauss was sure, that Altoa, had been paraded, in front of him, just moments earlier, as a warning. For it had been his little sister, who he had visited, when he should have been watching the twins. He was willing to bet, that the person in the hood with those blue eyes had followed him and reported back to their master.

The man in the hooded cloak was known as the Assassin. Normauss hated him with a passion. He was sure that the Assassin, felt the same way, about him too. They were rivals. Bitter rivals. They were both, Victory’s best spies. Each working in the shadows to achieve their mission. Normauss had once sworn, to kill him one day. He hoped that day, would come soon. Nobody holds a knife, to his little sister’s throat, and lives. However, that was a mission for another day. Normauss could be patient when he had to be.

Napoleon Victory stared at the short, stocky creature in front of him. He was carefully thinking about what function the troll could serve him next. The King of Wulfdaeden knew of the reputation of the trolls of the Fantaellen mountains. Their cunning, and their abilities to hide in the shadows made them the best trackers in the World of Portaellen. When in battle they also made a fierce adversary.

Even though the troll looked so vulnerable at this moment Victory could still see a fire in the creature’s deep, dark eyes. That fire was the reason that the troll still served a purpose. Victory just had to make sure that he kept him on his side.

A Blackheart guard entered the room with some new clothes for Normauss. As the troll began to dress, Napoleon Victory passed him a sheathed dagger. On the handle, was a raised emblem, of the Tri lance banner, which the troll rubbed his fingers over, as he unsheathed the weapon.

‘Keep that dagger, hidden on your person’, began Victory. ‘I am sending you to where you can be of the most use to me. I am sending you back home. You will be my eyes and my ears in Fantaellen. You will report to General Grafton, who will join you in Fantaellen, within the next few days, because any hour now, our warships will receive the signal, to attack the Fantaellen coastline. The invasion will then begin.’

Normauss quickly dressed. He had been given a white cotton shirt, a pair of black breeches and a black hooded cloak. He had also attached, his sheathed dagger to his belt. He was ready.

‘You may go now Normauss.’ Victory had now closed in on the troll, once more. ‘I expect you to comply. Remember I hold somebody most precious to you.’

‘I won’t forget,’ snapped the troll, his dark eyes, instantly widening.

‘Good. Control that anger, you have. Use it properly.’ Victory suddenly gestured towards the door. ‘Now go,’ he snarled.

Normauss hurriedly made his way towards the door. As he turned the handle, he briefly glanced back at his master. The look of pure hatred that he gave Victory managed to stop the King of Wulfdaeden’s black heart, for a split second. The ferocious and chilling anger in the troll’s eyes, the catalyst.

Victory, instinctively sneered at Normauss, which was followed, by a look of pure distain for the creature, before nodding his head, in acknowledgement of the look, he had been given. He then turned his back, on the troll.

As Normauss closed the door behind him the troll swore, that he would be back one day to bring his sister home.

With Normauss now gone, General Grafton was quick to voice his concerns to his master, about the troll.

‘I know, you don’t trust the creature, Cedric. But he is ideal for the job. Besides we have him held to ransom now. My hope is that once Fantaellen is on its knees, we can bring the rest of the trolls to heel. Normauss will be our way of doing just that.’

‘I still don’t trust him, Sire.’

‘He will comply,’ came the sharp reply. ‘He has too.’

Napoleon Victory began to speak to his general about something more pressing. The twins were now an important piece in his jigsaw. And, he had a plan.

‘I need you to speak to Wulfrik,’ Victory stated.

‘Yes Sire.’

‘The Fantaellen’s will be looking, to take the twins back to Guinlance to keep them safe. Wulfrik and his Wolfdogs are on standby. They await my orders.’

‘Yes Sire.’

‘Send them with half a dozen of your best men to agent Grimshaw’s home. They must bring the twins back here. Alive.’

‘Yes Sire. I will see to it.’

Napoleon Victory was desperate to be The Sovereign of Portaellen. He also needed heirs. Compliant, true blooded ones. He figured that he could make both twins true Wulfdaeden’s by nurturing their minds, their souls, and most importantly, turning their hearts. Just as he had been. The twins were his hope of continuance. The children of a pure, true blood of the direct descendants of the original Portaellen Sovereign.