The Bowl of Souls: Book 01.5 - Hilt's Pride by Trevor H. Cooley Page A
Authors: Trevor H. Cooley
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disabled earlier. Its arms were moving about sluggishly, its head already stitching itself back together.
Hilt lopped the head off, no longer caring if he was just making more trolls. The bright light of day stung his eyes. Wincing, he stormed out of the cave.
Beth stood a ways up the slope to the right of the cave entrance, glaring as he approached. In one hand she held a dry pine branch. In the other she held his fire stick. The cap was off. Yntri stood at her side, Beth’s dead viper draped around his shoulders like a reptilian scarf.
“I told you to wait for me down the slope!” Hilt barked.
“And let you charge in to your death?” Beth asked incredulously. “There was no way I was letting you be that stupid.”
“And you!” Hilt jabbed a finger at Yntri Yni . “Why didn’t you stop her?”
“You think he could?” Beth said.
The elf shrugged and clicked helplessly. Hilt couldn’t be angry with him. There was no stopping Beth if she was determined.
“Well look at me. I’m fine. Not dead! Not even a scratch. I was sneaking up on it. All you did was get its attention.”
Beth’s glare faltered. “Oh, well-.”
“Look, just stay out here and give me a few minutes. I’m going to go back in. There’s something I want to try.”
“You’re not going back in there.” Beth said matter-of-factly “You promised to escort me to the top of this mountain.”
Hilt grabbed his hair in frustration. “And I will. But first I need to go back and-.”
“No,” Beth rubbed the end of the fire stick against the dry branch in her other hand.
Hilt threw out his hand in warning, but she didn’t give him a chance. Beth tossed the burning branch onto the nearest slime trail. A line of fire streaked towards the cave entrance lighting every trail it crossed.
Wasting no time, Hilt ran to Beth and tossed her over his shoulder, then turned and ran away from the cave. “Yntri!” he yelled, but the elf was already running ahead of them.
When the line of fire hit the pool of slime at the mouth of the cave, there was a whoosh and then a sharp crack. Hilt was knocked from his feet by the concussive blast. His chest struck the ground and Beth tumbled away from him, rolling across the rock.
IV
Hilt’s ears rung and as he gasped for air, he looked back to see an enormous twisting plume of flame roaring from the cave entrance. Troll trails everywhere had been lit and the entire ridgeline was aflame. It was sheer luck that the blast had not knocked them into one of those flaming areas or tossed them down the mountainside. Even so, the heat was so oppressive that he feared his clothing would combust. He crawled to Beth.
She was moaning softly. Her left arm had fallen across a lit troll trail and she hadn’t yet noticed that the sleeve of her dress had caught fire. He beat out the flames and dragged her to her feet. He grabbed her arm and pulled her further away from the blaze. She staggered along in a daze at first, bruised up and moaning. Then the behemoth’s pained roar echoed from the inferno behind them. She forgot about her discomfort and began to jog beside him.
They didn’t turn back until the air cooled and they caught up to Yntri. The elf stood with arms folded watching the blaze, the flames reflecting in his squinting eyes. Hilt glanced back over his shoulder. The fire still poured from the cave mouth, flowing upward into the sky like an upside down waterfall. Hilt released Beth’s arm and looked her over to make sure she was okay. She was bumped up and bruised and her dress had torn in a few places, but from the way she glared back at him, he figured that she had recovered from her tumble.
“What on earth were you thinking?” Hilt snapped. “We could have all been killed!”
“I made sure we were standing in an area clear of slime before I lit the trails,”
Hilt lopped the head off, no longer caring if he was just making more trolls. The bright light of day stung his eyes. Wincing, he stormed out of the cave.
Beth stood a ways up the slope to the right of the cave entrance, glaring as he approached. In one hand she held a dry pine branch. In the other she held his fire stick. The cap was off. Yntri stood at her side, Beth’s dead viper draped around his shoulders like a reptilian scarf.
“I told you to wait for me down the slope!” Hilt barked.
“And let you charge in to your death?” Beth asked incredulously. “There was no way I was letting you be that stupid.”
“And you!” Hilt jabbed a finger at Yntri Yni . “Why didn’t you stop her?”
“You think he could?” Beth said.
The elf shrugged and clicked helplessly. Hilt couldn’t be angry with him. There was no stopping Beth if she was determined.
“Well look at me. I’m fine. Not dead! Not even a scratch. I was sneaking up on it. All you did was get its attention.”
Beth’s glare faltered. “Oh, well-.”
“Look, just stay out here and give me a few minutes. I’m going to go back in. There’s something I want to try.”
“You’re not going back in there.” Beth said matter-of-factly “You promised to escort me to the top of this mountain.”
Hilt grabbed his hair in frustration. “And I will. But first I need to go back and-.”
“No,” Beth rubbed the end of the fire stick against the dry branch in her other hand.
Hilt threw out his hand in warning, but she didn’t give him a chance. Beth tossed the burning branch onto the nearest slime trail. A line of fire streaked towards the cave entrance lighting every trail it crossed.
Wasting no time, Hilt ran to Beth and tossed her over his shoulder, then turned and ran away from the cave. “Yntri!” he yelled, but the elf was already running ahead of them.
When the line of fire hit the pool of slime at the mouth of the cave, there was a whoosh and then a sharp crack. Hilt was knocked from his feet by the concussive blast. His chest struck the ground and Beth tumbled away from him, rolling across the rock.
IV
Hilt’s ears rung and as he gasped for air, he looked back to see an enormous twisting plume of flame roaring from the cave entrance. Troll trails everywhere had been lit and the entire ridgeline was aflame. It was sheer luck that the blast had not knocked them into one of those flaming areas or tossed them down the mountainside. Even so, the heat was so oppressive that he feared his clothing would combust. He crawled to Beth.
She was moaning softly. Her left arm had fallen across a lit troll trail and she hadn’t yet noticed that the sleeve of her dress had caught fire. He beat out the flames and dragged her to her feet. He grabbed her arm and pulled her further away from the blaze. She staggered along in a daze at first, bruised up and moaning. Then the behemoth’s pained roar echoed from the inferno behind them. She forgot about her discomfort and began to jog beside him.
They didn’t turn back until the air cooled and they caught up to Yntri. The elf stood with arms folded watching the blaze, the flames reflecting in his squinting eyes. Hilt glanced back over his shoulder. The fire still poured from the cave mouth, flowing upward into the sky like an upside down waterfall. Hilt released Beth’s arm and looked her over to make sure she was okay. She was bumped up and bruised and her dress had torn in a few places, but from the way she glared back at him, he figured that she had recovered from her tumble.
“What on earth were you thinking?” Hilt snapped. “We could have all been killed!”
“I made sure we were standing in an area clear of slime before I lit the trails,”
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