The Bowl of Souls: Book 01.5 - Hilt's Pride by Trevor H. Cooley Read Free Book Online

were ascending the slope so he came up from the other side.”
     
    “His bow told him?”
     
    “His bow is made from the wood of the Jharro tree. The Jharro weapon forges a link with its master that is quite remarkably similar to the link that a named warrior has with his weapon. It’s quite fascinating and one of the reasons why I went to live with his people in the first place. Anyway, the whistle he gave me is a piece of his bow and because I had it with me, he was able to track us down.”
     
    Yntri clicked at Hilt and stuck out his hand expectantly, Hilt nodded and lifted the small gray wooden whistle from around his neck and handed it to the elf. Yntry touched the whistle to his bow. It stuck to the wood and slowly began dissolving into it.
     
    They were interrupted by a repeat of the horrible sound from earlier. The screeching roar echoed across the slope and Hilt saw a cloud of dust rise from just over the ridge. Beth gasped, clutching her hands over her ears and Hilt squeezed her shoulder with calm reassurance.
     
    “Yntri, you came from over there. Did you see what made that sound?” The elf didn’t answer. Hilt prodded, “That sounded like a hundred trolls back there. Are there so many?”
     
    Yntri Yni set his jaw and stared back at him in silence.
     
    Hilt felt a chill run up his spine. There was something the elf didn’t want him to see. Whatever it was, it was a challenge. Yntri knew how he felt about challenges. “What is it, Yntri? How many are there?”
     
    The elf held up one finger.
     
    “You mean it?” Hilt laughed. He started towards the sound, but Yntri placed one hand on his chest, stopping him. The elf slowly shook his head, his eyes deadly serious. “What? I just want to see it. I have to see it.”
     
    “What are you talking about, Hilt?” Beth asked.
     
    “I’m pretty sure it’s a troll behemoth. I mean, it has to be.” His heart was beating madly in his chest.
     
    Beth’s eyes darted from Hilt to Yntri and back. “What’s that?”
     
    “A troll behemoth is one of the ten monsters of legend; a troll with a rare disease. For some reason its healing ability goes berserk and it starts growing extra limbs, heads, eyes, claws, you name it, and as long as it keeps eating, it keeps growing.” Hilt licked his lips and gripped his sword hilts to stop his fingers from twitching. “They are extremely rare and they are nearly impossible to kill. Only a few men are known to have done it.”
     
    Hilt had seen the bones of one once. A professor at the Mage School had found the remains of one that had died of starvation. He had painstakingly reassembled it and had it on display in the back of the library. It had been enormous. Hilt saw it the day he was named and ever since he had ached to fight one.
     
    Evidently Beth saw the worry in Yntri’s face because she clutched Hilt’s arm. “ Lets go around to the other side. I don’t want to see this thing.”
     
     “Don’t worry. Just stay here with Yntri. I have to go look. I can’t be this close to a legend and not go see it.” He gave her a confident smile. “Don’t worry. I got where I am by knowing my abilities. I’m not going to fight something I can’t defeat. I’ll be right back. I promise.”
     
    He gently pried her fingers from his arm and hiked toward the top of the ridge. There was a slight rumble at his feet as the behemoth roared again. Hilt grinned, and sweat broke out on his forehead. He would keep his promise. He wasn’t about to fight a hopeless battle. He hadn’t prepared for such a task after all. He would want torches and spears, barrels of oil, perhaps some fire arrows . . . but what if? What if it could be done?
     
    Beth watched Hilt ascend the slope with a sinking feeling in her chest. She looked to the ancient elf. “He’s going to try and fight it isn’t he?”
     
    Yntri Yni’s dark look was the answer she hadn’t wanted to see.
     
    Hilt neared the top of the ridge and glanced