Chapter 4

The small troll charged into the clearing with a high-pitched shriek.

"Hey!" Kel'nar took a threatening step toward it.

The troll veered away from him and swerved toward Violet.

"Stop!" She held out both hands.

The little troll lunged and clamped its teeth down on Violet's fingers.

Violet screamed.

Kel'nar, Mum, and Zak all rushed toward the troll. Zak was closest and got there first. He pulled out one practice scimitar and smacked the troll on the backside with the flat of the blade. "Leave my sister alone!"

The troll jumped back with a surprised yelp.

Violet clutched her bitten fingers to her chest and crouched down on the ground, sobbing.

Mum pointed her short sword at the troll. "Get out of here," she said. She stalked toward it, waving her sword menacingly.

Kel'nar crossed to Violet and put his arm around her shoulders. "Let's see."

The little troll backed away.

Mum turned back toward Violet.

The troll stopped its retreat. It planted its feet, bared its teeth, and growled a slobbery growl. Then it began to grow.

Zaknafein blinked. Was it his imagination? No, the troll really was getting bigger. And it certainly didn't look cute anymore. The troll was as tall as he was now.

The troll stretched its long arms, tipped its head from side to side, and grinned an evil grin.

Kel'nar and Mum were both focused on Violet's hurt hand.

Zak gulped. He unsheathed his other dull scimitar and held both blades ready. "Kel'nar?" The word came out choked. Zak glanced over his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Kel'nar didn't look up. He was inspecting Violet's bitten fingers.

"Kel'nar, it's growing!" This time there was volume to his words. Zak turned back to the troll and blinked. It was small again.

Mum and Kel'nar looked up.

Violet sniffled hard and peered past Kel'nar's shoulder. She dragged a sleeve across her face.

Mum frowned. "It's the same size as ever it was, Zak. You must've been imagining things."

"I wasn't imagining it, Mum! It was as tall as me for a moment!"

"Hmm," Kel'nar said. Did he believe Zak?

Mum pressed her lips together. "Sometimes we don't think straight when something scary happens," she said as if Zak were three years old instead of nine.

Zaknafein glowered. "But Mum, I know what I saw!"

The little troll just stood there, growling low in its throat.

Guenhwyvar growled back, staring at it with unblinking yellow eyes.

"Chase it off, Guen," Kel'nar said.

The panther growled louder and sprang toward the troll.

It turned and ran, smashing through bushes and trampling plants beneath its clunky feet.

Guenhwyvar followed close behind. She could've sprung and killed it, but she didn't. Somehow the panther always understood what they wanted.

Zak wished Guen could speak. Then she'd tell Mum and Kel'nar that the troll really had grown bigger for a moment. She'd seen it too. At least they'd believe her instead of just thinking it was the panther's imagination. Zak sheathed his dull scimitars with a scowl. He crossed his arms and kicked the layer of spruce needles underfoot.

Mum and Kel'nar were completely focused on Violet again. Mum was finding bandage strips and salve in a pack while Kel'nar led Violet over to the wash basin that sat on the endgate of the wagon. He was rubbing her back with one hand and holding her injured fingers gently. Zak could hear him speaking to Violet in a soothing tone.

Zak sighed and stalked off into the forest. No one noticed him go.

Zaknafein Do'Urden wasn't as skilled a tracker as his father, but Kel'nar had taught him a few things. It was easy to follow the trail of a panicked troll and a six-hundred-pound panther. The broken branches and trampled undergrowth were as clear as an old hiking trail at least.

How far would Guen chase it? Zak would probably meet her when the panther circled back. He squared his shoulders. The little troll would probably tire out soon, and Guen would roar at it and then leave it be. No one had told her to kill it.

Zak walked on. He was going to sneak up on it and watch it without it noticing. Then he'd find out if that growing thing it did had been real or some kind of illusion, like a magic trick. He'd go back to the campsite once he knew more. Mum and Kel'nar always seemed to pay more attention to Violet than to him anyway. Maybe if he returned with new information about trolls that no one had discovered yet, he'd get to be the center of attention for a while. They'd all be amazed by what he had learned. Zaknafein Do'Urden, the great and fearless troll researcher! New books would have to be written to inform people about troll facts, and it would all be because of his curiosity and bravery. Larch Glen village would be famous because of him. Maybe they'd put up a sign. Or a monument. He pictured it now:

Welcome to Larch Glen

Home of famous troll researcher Zaknafein Do'Urden

He first discovered that trolls can size-shift

And then underneath, in smaller letters: His family didn't believe him at first, but they know better now.

Zak grinned. He'd just have to capture that little troll and show it to everyone. Eventually they'd see for themselves.

Off in the distance, branches cracked. Probably Guenhwyvar circling back around to the campsite. Zak smiled. He'd find that tired-out little troll soon. Then he'd tackle it, tie its hands with his bootlaces, and lead it back to their camp. He'd prove he hadn't been imagining things, and he'd get the attention he deserved.

A branch snapped right behind him, and Zaknafein turned.

A huge troll with a missing front tooth grinned at him from so close that Zak could only stumble a half step back before it grabbed him. Those unnaturally long arms caught him and slung him over its shoulder like a sack of flour.

Zak yelled and pounded at the troll's back with his fists, but it just grunted, turned, and carried him off deeper into the forest.