lived in peace for hundreds of
years," said Mallara."Surely--"
"The peace began with the Asking," said the
Troll, gently."Our Asking and your Vow."
Mallara frowned and fought back an urge to
look up and watch the sky fall."The peace?" she said."Five hundred
years -- all because of the vow you want me to fulfill?"
"Yes," said the Troll."Are you
frightened?"
Despite herself, Mallara laughed."If Burn
were here, he'd claim we do this sort of thing so often we're bored
by it," she said."And I'd deny it. Of course I'm frightened. And I
still don't know what you asked, or what was promised."
And please tell me quickly, she thought. The
sky is so close.
"We came to one of your folk many years ago,"
the Troll said."We told this person that we would fight no more. We
told this person that we would ask your folk to take our place as
caretakers. We gave this world to your folk, Staff-bearer, in the
hope that your magic will carry on what our hands and hearts began
so long ago."
Mallara shook her head.
"Us?" she asked."My folk?"
"That is what we asked," said the Troll.
"And what did we vow?"
"Your folk swore that, on a day to come, a
Bearer of the Staff would meet my folk here, in this place between.
Your folk swore that the Bearer would make a way from our world --
your world, now -- into another. A world like we once had, Bearer.
A place cool and wild and green."
The sky fell, but Mallara no longer
noticed.
"We give you the old lands," said the
Troll."And you give us new ones. That is fair," said the Troll."You
will grow wise, and we will grow young. That we asked, and that you
vowed. It is time, Bearer. Open the way, and give my folk a new
world to raise. Such was asked. Such was vowed. It is time."
The Troll's voice faded, and Mallara knew he
was gone. Gone to collect his kin.
All of his kin.
Mallara kicked at the sand and threw back her
robes and spared a single precious moment cursing the idiot who,
five hundred years ago, babbled a vow they almost certainly didn't
understand and couldn't possibly fulfill.
"This is the place between," whispered her
staff."Our world lies on one side. What lies on the other?"
"I don't know," said Mallara, through
clenched teeth."But every Troll in the world is about to come here
and ask us. I guess we'd better find out."
Mallara lifted her staff, stared into the
sunless, plummeting sky, and spoke a long, loud Word.
Far away, along every horizon, the world grew
dark and quietly began to end.
"Turn the page," snapped Burn. The shimmer
read.
"Oh, no."
"What is amiss, Sir Burn?" asked the
Mayor."What does it say?"
Burn buzzed."It says your First Mayor made a
deal with the Trolls," said Burn."It's written in flowery
mayor-speak, but in essence you people promised you'd give the
Trolls a shiny new world of their own if the Trolls would just go
away for a long time and leave First Mayor Hohan breathing and in
one piece."
Mayor Frick brushed the right end of his
drooping moustache out of the corner of his mouth."Are you
sure?"
Burn's buzzing sharpened."I'm sure," he
said."I wish I wasn't. I wish I had the slightest doubt. I wish
your First Mayor had promised the Trolls a slice of the Moon or ice
from the Sun, because my Mistress would have a better chance of
producing either than she has of handing the Trolls a new
world."
The Mayor stared."What do we do?" he
said.
"Elect smarter Mayors," said Burn.
"But--"
"You're on your own," said Burn."Good
luck."
Burn vanished. The Mayor looked down, saw a
drawing of a Troll tossing handfuls of armored knights into a moat,
and slammed the Book of First Mayors firmly shut.
Burn hovered in the clock-tower's shadow,
probing the air for hint of magic or musk of Troll. Hours passed,
each marked by the brassy clang of the clock and the slow descent
of the sun.
"I'm a fine one, I am," muttered Burn in
disgust."Just hung here and ogled while the Sorceress held hands
with a Troll and stepped off to who knows where."
A pair of tipsy
years," said Mallara."Surely--"
"The peace began with the Asking," said the
Troll, gently."Our Asking and your Vow."
Mallara frowned and fought back an urge to
look up and watch the sky fall."The peace?" she said."Five hundred
years -- all because of the vow you want me to fulfill?"
"Yes," said the Troll."Are you
frightened?"
Despite herself, Mallara laughed."If Burn
were here, he'd claim we do this sort of thing so often we're bored
by it," she said."And I'd deny it. Of course I'm frightened. And I
still don't know what you asked, or what was promised."
And please tell me quickly, she thought. The
sky is so close.
"We came to one of your folk many years ago,"
the Troll said."We told this person that we would fight no more. We
told this person that we would ask your folk to take our place as
caretakers. We gave this world to your folk, Staff-bearer, in the
hope that your magic will carry on what our hands and hearts began
so long ago."
Mallara shook her head.
"Us?" she asked."My folk?"
"That is what we asked," said the Troll.
"And what did we vow?"
"Your folk swore that, on a day to come, a
Bearer of the Staff would meet my folk here, in this place between.
Your folk swore that the Bearer would make a way from our world --
your world, now -- into another. A world like we once had, Bearer.
A place cool and wild and green."
The sky fell, but Mallara no longer
noticed.
"We give you the old lands," said the
Troll."And you give us new ones. That is fair," said the Troll."You
will grow wise, and we will grow young. That we asked, and that you
vowed. It is time, Bearer. Open the way, and give my folk a new
world to raise. Such was asked. Such was vowed. It is time."
The Troll's voice faded, and Mallara knew he
was gone. Gone to collect his kin.
All of his kin.
Mallara kicked at the sand and threw back her
robes and spared a single precious moment cursing the idiot who,
five hundred years ago, babbled a vow they almost certainly didn't
understand and couldn't possibly fulfill.
"This is the place between," whispered her
staff."Our world lies on one side. What lies on the other?"
"I don't know," said Mallara, through
clenched teeth."But every Troll in the world is about to come here
and ask us. I guess we'd better find out."
Mallara lifted her staff, stared into the
sunless, plummeting sky, and spoke a long, loud Word.
Far away, along every horizon, the world grew
dark and quietly began to end.
"Turn the page," snapped Burn. The shimmer
read.
"Oh, no."
"What is amiss, Sir Burn?" asked the
Mayor."What does it say?"
Burn buzzed."It says your First Mayor made a
deal with the Trolls," said Burn."It's written in flowery
mayor-speak, but in essence you people promised you'd give the
Trolls a shiny new world of their own if the Trolls would just go
away for a long time and leave First Mayor Hohan breathing and in
one piece."
Mayor Frick brushed the right end of his
drooping moustache out of the corner of his mouth."Are you
sure?"
Burn's buzzing sharpened."I'm sure," he
said."I wish I wasn't. I wish I had the slightest doubt. I wish
your First Mayor had promised the Trolls a slice of the Moon or ice
from the Sun, because my Mistress would have a better chance of
producing either than she has of handing the Trolls a new
world."
The Mayor stared."What do we do?" he
said.
"Elect smarter Mayors," said Burn.
"But--"
"You're on your own," said Burn."Good
luck."
Burn vanished. The Mayor looked down, saw a
drawing of a Troll tossing handfuls of armored knights into a moat,
and slammed the Book of First Mayors firmly shut.
Burn hovered in the clock-tower's shadow,
probing the air for hint of magic or musk of Troll. Hours passed,
each marked by the brassy clang of the clock and the slow descent
of the sun.
"I'm a fine one, I am," muttered Burn in
disgust."Just hung here and ogled while the Sorceress held hands
with a Troll and stepped off to who knows where."
A pair of tipsy
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