Chapter 15
STYGL
CYRUS TRIED to sleep, sitting on thecold stone. The shackle around his neck bit at his throat. The large, shaggyTier sat dozing to his right. Her manacled right arm hung from the chain likebutcher’s meat. It would be morning soon, Cyrus thought. How could he escape?
Grim snored inthe glow of the smoldering fire. Stygl had sulked offhours ago, to lick his wounds somewhere in the shadows.
“Make a soundand I’ll split ya belly to brain.”
Cyrus’ breathcaught in his throat. He saw the knife glinting in the darkness. Then Stygl moved into the light.
“Get back!”Cyrus shouted.
Grim shiftedin his sleep. Stygl shoved a rag into Cyrus’ mouth.
“I said, shutup.”
Cyrus tried toscream. He produced only a muffled cry. He looked up towards Tier. The yeti’seyes were open and staring down at him. Her face held no emotion. Cyrus reachedout for help. She turned away.
Could Cyrusblame her? He would have done the same had someone killed Edward or Fibian. Were his friends truly dead? Was Cyrus about to jointhem?
Stygl unlocked Cyrus’ neck using a rusted, iron key, then dragged him by thecollar further into the cavern. Cyrus slid struggling over sharp rock andslippery ice. He clutched at the ground in search of a weapon. Nothing.
Stygl hauled Cyrus out of earshot. He forced him to his back and stepped onhis belly, pinning him to the ground. Cyrus struggled to breathe. The trollstruck a piece of flint against his knife and ignited an alcohol-doused torch.The flame flickered, then bloomed.
Stygl’s right eye was blackened and swollen, and a sort of sap dripped from thebroken branches on his face.
“Now, let’s gosomewheres a little more private,” Stygl grinned, his breath sour and sweet with the stench ofbooze and meat.
Cyrus tried tofight, but the troll dragged him kicking and clawing into the bowels of thesubterranean hollow.
Deep withinthe cavern, the air smelled of musty rock dust. The torchlight illuminated clustersof egg-like sacs hidden in craggy alcoves. Several small skeletons lay scatterednear the ruptured cocoons. Some had teeth marks on their arm and leg bones;others had large bites out of their skulls.
“Filthy klops,” Stygl said, “Sees, I toldyou they was cannibalish swine. Eats their own young.And it’s all that witchy queen’s doin’.”
Cyrus peeredaround at the abandoned catacomb of monstrosities. He could not die in a placelike this. What was happening?
“Now let’ssee,” Stygl slurred.
He pulled offone of Cyrus’ boots. The cold air snapped at Cyrus’ toes. He scrambled and triedto scream.
“Stop yer strugglin’,” Stygl said, ripping off the second boot.
Cyrus drovehis heel into the troll’s bulbous nose.
“Gahhh!”
Stygl grasped his face. Then he pushed Cyrus belly-down to the ground, forcingthe air from his lungs. He pulled off Cyrus’ leather trousers. Cyrus kicked Stygl in the mouth. The troll slapped his legs aside andpulled the jacket off his back. Cyrus’ flesh screamed, his long underwear doinglittle to fend off the cold.
The troll graspedCyrus by the left wrist and picked him up off the ground. Cyrus kicked andpunched as Stygl raised him to his slavering mouth.Stewing gas wafted out of the brute’s throat. Cyrus wriggled, making his arm golimp. He slipped several inches through the troll’s grip. Stygltossed Cyrus in the air and caught him near the elbow. Cyrus twisted and thrashed.His toes scraped Stygl’s moss-coated teeth. Hereached up and gripped the branch growing from the troll’s nose. He twisted andpulled. The appendage broke free.
“Gaaahh!”
He stabbed thebroken limb into Stygl’s left eye.
“Nooooo!”
The troll droppedhis prey and clutched his face.
“I’ll cook youalive for this,” Stygl shouted.
Cyrus pulledthe key off Stygl’s hip, then grasped the large torchoff the ground. He fled back towards the mouth of the cave, leaving the defacedvillain lost in the darkness.
Chapter 16
BACK FROM THE DEAD
CYRUS PULLED THE GAG from his mouth and made hisway stumbling through the twisting tunnel. He had to get away from Stygl. He had to escape.
His feet hit ice.He slipped, landing hard on his backside. The torch struck the ground andspattered to bits. Cyrus regained his footing and continued on towards thefaint firelight. Stygl hollered behind him. The trollwas growing near.
Cyrus graspedalong the frigid walls, searching for a way out. Come on! Which way is it?The light was playing tricks. He struck solid rock. A dead end. He felt alongthe craggy stone. His feet grew numb and his fingers burned. He made his wayaround a sharp corner. There lay the entrance to the troll’s cavern.
He spied Grim,asleep by the fire. Then he saw Tier, chained to the wall. She wanted him dead.She was going to double-cross him the first chance she got. She loved her mother,the mother that he, Fibian and Edward had taken. CouldCyrus leave her to die, or condemn her to the yeti slave camp?
He ran toTier’s side.
“You escaped?What are you doing?” she asked, her expression bewildered.
Cyrus jammedthe key into the lock and turned. The insides would not budge.
“Grim,” Stygl shouted, from the cavern’s depths.
“Come on, youstupid lock,” Cyrus whispered.
“Stygl?” Grim yawned, half-waking from his drunken slumber.
Cyrus withdrewthe key and inspected its teeth. One of the prongs was rusted through and hadbroken off.
“It must havehappened when I fell,” Cyrus moaned.
“What’s goingon? Where’s your clothes?” Tier asked.
“Stygl, you better not be messing with the prisoners,” Grimslurred.
The troll roseto his side. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the campfire. Cyrus tried againto unlock the shackle. Tier gripped him by the arm. Cyrus attempted to pullfree. No!
“Please,”Cyrus said, “It was self-defense. She was going to kill us.”
“Don’t be a fool,”Tier sneered, “Warn the others. Run!”
The yetipushed him away. Cyrus stared back at her. It all felt wrong somehow.
“I’m going totie off your chopped limbs,” Stygl cried, “Let youwatch as I dine on your bones.”
The one-eyedtroll found his way back to the main chamber.
“I’m sorry,for everything,” Cyrus said to Tier.
“Run,” theyeti roared.
Cyrus gritted histeeth and sped for the exit.
“Stygl, what you going on about?” Grim asked, wiping thesleep from his eyes.
Cyrus spedpast the larger
