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Paige shot him an incredulous glance and shook her head, waving off his comment before bending over and smiling at the tiny troll. “I’m here to cross your bridge.”
The troll waddled another few steps toward them and sniffed again.
Paige’s smile broadened, and she straightened to Dewey’s level. “He’s so cute. This is going to be way easier than we expected.”
“Paige–“ Dewey began when the troll lifted its walking stick from the ground.
It swung the stick violently, smacking Paige in the back of the knees. She dropped to the ground, falling forward onto her hands.
“Ow,” Paige shrieked, snapping her head to stare at her tiny attacker. “What the hell?”
Dewey flitted higher as the troll swung again, cracking Paige across the back.
“Ouch,” Paige yelled as she tried to raise her sword to defend herself.
The troll brought the weight of the stick down on her shoulder. Pain shot through her arm and up into her neck. The heavy metal weapon clattered to the ground as the creature smacked her again, this time on the forearm.
A shriek sounded at her side. She glanced over, spotting Dewey desperately trying to free himself from a net that hung over him.
“Dewey!”
“Run, Paige,” he shouted as more green creatures emerged from the woods and yanked on the corners of the net, dragging Dewey down toward the ground.
“Let go of him,” Paige screamed, her fingers searching the dirt next to her for her sword.
The little troll next to her wrinkled his button nose, his fangs showing, and lifted his stick again, swinging down hard.
Paige’s vision blurred, and pain shot through her head and down her neck as he landed the blow against her skull.
She wobbled on her hands and knees for a moment before the world turned dark around her.
* * *
Paige’s eyelids fluttered open, finding nothing but darkness. The scent of moss and dirt filled her nostrils as she blinked her eyes, hoping they adjusted to the darkness quickly. After a few moments, she made out dim details of her surroundings.
Bars prevented her from leaving the small cell she’d been placed in while unconscious. She rose to her feet, smacking her head off the low ceiling. With a wince, she rubbed at the back of her head. Her hand found a large lump from where the troll had hit her at the bridge.
“Stupid trolls,” she murmured, her voice echoing.
“Paige?” Dewey called.
“Dewey?” she answered into the darkness.
“Paige,” he shouted again.
A teal hand waved between two bars across the space.
Paige took a step toward the bars. A rattling echoed in her cell. She glanced down at her leg, finding a large shackle clamped around it connected to a thick chain. She grimaced at the latest development before shambling toward the bars, dragging the heavy chain behind her.
She clutched at them and stared out into the darkness. Dewey’s dark eyes shone back from behind another set of bars across from her, glowing like a cat’s in the dark.
“Paige! Are you okay?”
“I think so. I have a killer headache, though. But other than that, I’m all right. Where are we?”
“Tree dungeon. Where else?”
Paige sank down to sit, shaking her head. “I can’t believe those things are so mean! They look so cute!”
