Yes! Newmoon, you are absolutely right. I was so intent on the aftermath I forgot about their reunion, thanks for the good crit. This is a new final chapter.
Chapter VIII
"You, go that way. You two, take that side. Crush them, kill them. To me, to me! Kap, behind you. Radjer, help him. Here come those Hilltrolls. Take back your name boys. Now, to the end. For Gloden, for Fodden, for Glorn!… … … … …" Something has happened. Here comes his claw. "The Eye comes!" All is lost!
The power is gone. The Eye is gone! What does this mean?
The squeakers are running. The Hillboys are running. They are without purpose. But they run this way. We will give you purpose Orken, Maggots, Squeakers. Come to my Claw "Hnnnnnngnnnh!"
oOo
They are calling for the Blackgate to close. It has not moved yet. I should not hope but I do. Still the Blackgate does not move and now Orken are falling down from there. Blagken makes good use of the claw, I hope. The maggots that are not killed by us run past us, they run from the Westmen. I start to smell them. They are coming. We do not need to kill them. Just the squeakers.
What do I see? The Skything's son. He wields her fire! And the old flier that took him! Ah, I see that this flyer is a thrall of the Skything. And the Westmen. "Hail Skything! And your son! Your enemies are my enemies I see! I bow to thee, Majesty!"
"Keep after them, Kap. Down to the tunnels. I will wait here for Blagken and Forjer and any others with them. We will come to the Trollway. Save me a squeaker or two."
Yes, Yes, do I see my Gloden! "Gn? A pin in my hide?" The maggot will pay. For one moment I forget that more maggots than I have ever seen in my life surround us. "Come Gloden, Fodden, my dear. Take these claws. Help Forjer. I never thought to see you alive again. My joy. We must talk - but first we must kill."
Their pins are flying all around us but still they do not move. Great is their shock at their rescue and their reunion with me. They ignore the claws and keep hugging me and I can see him searching behind me. "Glorn?" he asks and he sees the tidings in my face. "Glorn?" he asks again and this time I can not keep it from him. "The maggots chained him and took him to his doom. I could not keep him safe." More pins fly and Fodden swings around and swipes at the maggot and cuts him right through. It also takes half the wall he was on. He and Gloden come to understand and they look at the claw. Then they look at me. "Go!" I tell them. "The claws are mighty. Avenge our boy!" Now a rage has come over them as it was with me. They turn to face the Orken.
The maggots are still great in numbers but most of them are fleeing now. The other Hilltroll are running too but they also kill maggots when they come upon them. There are other beasts that I can not name. All running and shouting. The only smell is blood.
Now the hunt is on! The Westmen fade at our rear. Some had joined the chase but their captains call them home. This is our hunt.
oOo
We chased them…………..
We ran and ran all over Blackland. In caves and tunnels that would turn and turn and then break off to many other paths or double back and I had to stop us before we became lost. I had to get Blagken to help me keep the kin together. They did not want to stop. Joy and rage burned in their hearts. But we had to keep together. We had been apart too long.
oOo
We have chased them as much as we are going to, this moon. Soon the Skything will come to her throne again. The Eye had kept her from this land but she is far mightier than he and has vanquished him. She has struck him down for his treachery. He tried to keep her from her throne and kept his shadow between her and all that is hers. The Eye is no more. Hail to the Skything.
Gloden and Fodden are silent in their grief now. I should have kept our son safer. They blame me not but I cannot forgive myself. Now that the danger is passed and we hold the Trollway I am struck with grief afresh. A lot of our kin have gone to smash the cave of the Eye but we can not join such celebrations. Forjer stays with us and has spoken to us of his youth. He remembers our kin. He remembers all the names of the fallen. He has added Glorn to the list. He holds the language better than the others.
We hold each other. The three of us hold each other while Forjer sings the names of the dead. He sings for Glorn at the last…………
oOo
We will teach the Trollen their language again. There must be new born to us and the young shall need to learn about the treachery of the Orken and the Day the Skything Saved us from the Eye. So Glorn will not die without reason. We will teach these things in his name.
Trollen will not forget.