the seven nomads-chapter 3

chapter 3
After Mariah had finished her bathing, she stepped out of the bathing tent, drying her hair with a rag. She walked to the fire and sat down beside it. Phillipe was also sitting by the fire. He pocked at the fire with a stick. Embers floated into the sky and flickered out. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"We're planning on moving again in three days," he said, "Your father told me this morning." Mariah sighed when she heard this. "I'm not surprised," she replied, "My father has a restless spirit. This isd our third move this month." She picked up a stick and thrust it into the fire. Phillipe sensed her frustration and said, "Don't worry, things will be fine."
"I know," said Mariah, "But for once, I would like to just stay in one place for a while. All this moving around has gotten really old." Just then, Charlie the elf ran up to Mariah. "Come, Mariah, old friend. Let us go exploring," said the little elf. Mariah smiled and said, "Ah, yes. I made you a promise and I mean to keep it. When Charlie heard this, he began to dance excitedly around in a circle.
"Exploring, exploring, we're gonna go exploring," he sang happily. Mariah laughed and Phillipe smiled at the happy little elf. "I'll let you go then," said Phillipe to Mariah, "Have a good walk." Charlie stopped dancing and asked, "Would kind hearted sir Phillipe care to join us on our walk?" Phillipe smiled and said, "I'd love to, but I have much work to do. I'll see you around." Then he turned and walked away. Mariah and Charlie headed towards the nearest cluster of trees, which was about one hundred yards away. Charlie ran ahead of Mariah, hopping to and fro. When they reached the cluster of trees, Mariah stopped to catch her breath.
"Whoa there, I need a break," she said, "I'm not as young as I used to be." After resting for a moment, they entered the cluster of trees. Charlie quickly climbed up a tree and scurried along a thick branch. Mariah enjoyed the shade that the trees provided. It made her think of a shelter. As they walked through the trees, Charlie began to sing an old elvish song.
"The trees, the trees, I love the trees,
So splended and so strong;
While others sing of silver and gold
I sing the forest song.
Their leaves are tiny little gems,
That sparkle in the sun;
The brances hold a thousand thoughts,
And upon them I do run,
And upon them I do run."
Mariah's thoughts began to drift. She remembered playing in the forest as a child on warm spring mornings. She would have so much fun playing with the other children and elves. They would play hide n' seek and tag until the sun turned a bright red color and set at the horizon. Then, their mothers would come to the edge of the forest and call them home for supper and bedtime. Mariah remembered her mothers soft voice calling her.
"Mariah, my dear," she used to say, "Come along. The day is nearly through." Then, Mariah would run to her mother and would jump into her arms. Her mother would sweep her into the air and carry her home. Mariah remembered very little about her mother, because she died young. Just then, she heard a loud cry and was jolted back to reality. She stopped and listened. It sounded like an animal of some sort. Maybe even a troll! Her heart began to thump faster. She looked around, but saw nothing. THen she realized that Charlie was gone!
"Charlie!" she yelled, "Where are you?" She started to run, and as she did, she tripped on something. She turned to see what it was. When she saw it, she nearly screamed. On the ground in front of her was a human skull. It still had hair growing on it. Mariah stumbled backwards, right into some large. She slowly turned and found herself staring up at a large troll. It loomed over her, breathing heavily. It's yellow eyes narrowed as it stared at her. The troll flexed it's huge muscles and grunted something in it's rough language. It reached out it's large hand and stroked Mariah's chin. Then it pulled out a strange curves knife from it's belt. It bared it's long, sharp teeth and let out a low growl.
"Please....no," whispered Mariah. The troll lifted up the knife above it's head and waited. It hissed at her. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Charlie jumped onto the trolls head. The troll roared and dropped it's knife. Mariah quickly grabbed it and backed away from the troll. Charlie laughed as he poked the troll in the eye with a stick. The troll roared in pain and grabbed at the small elf on it's head. It managed to grab Charlie for a moment, but then Charlie bit the trolls hairy finger. The troll screamed and fell to it's knees. The whole ground shook.
"Run, Mariah!" yelled Charlie, "Run, my child!" Mariah wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to leave her friend. She ducked behind a tree to rest a moment. Her mind was spinning. Then, she stepped out from behind the tree and confronted the troll. It glared at her. "Let go of my friend!" she shouted. THe troll still had ithe tiny elf in it's grasp. Then the troll sneered and tossed Charlie aside. The elf rolled and hit the trunk of a nearby tree.
"Now get out of here!" said Mariah, pointing the large curved knife at the troll. The troll seemed amused. It tilted it's head to the side and growled. Then, it suddenly ran towards her. She closed her eyes and held out the knife. "Help me, Plaru," she whispered. Then she felt the knife meet flesh. The ground shook. When Mariah opened her eyes, she saw the troll writhing in pain on the ground. It's left arm lay beside it, completely severed. Mariah couldn't believe what she had done. She dropped the knife and ran over to where Charlie lay. She scooped him up in her arms and turned to run.
As she ran, she heard the troll roaring behind her. Tears filled her eyes as she ran. "No," she thought, "I must be strong." She ran through the trees with Charlie in her arms. She didn't know which direction she was running, but she kept on. A leering peep darted in front of her, startling her. It ran into the trees and out of sight. Finally, Mariah came to the end of the tree cluster. She had come out in an unfamiliar place. She searched the land scape for her camp. About one hundred yards away, she spotted a band of travelers. AS she got closer, she saw that they were elves. Most likely the ones that had been trading with her nomad camp.
Mariah waved them down. The elf rider closest to her stopped the beastsnag he was riding and said, "How may I assist you, my fair lady?" Mariah politely bowed to the elf and then said, "I'm afraid we're lost. And my friend here might be hurt." The elf eyed the body of Charlie lying limp in Mariah's arms. "Goodness!" exclaimed the elf, "Whatever happened?" Mariah sighed and said, "It was a troll. We were attacked by a troll!" The elves jaw dropped open when he heard this.
"Troll?! Where?" the elf asked, glancing about. Mariah motioned in the direction of the cluster of trees she had just exited. "Can't be," said the elf, "Trolls never leave the forest of darkness. It's their home."
"But I saw the troll," she said, "I cut off it's arm, I did." When the elf heard this, he burst into laughter. The rest of the elves joined in. "Looks like we found a crazy one, boys," said the elf, "Come on, let's go." The band of elves began to move. "No, wait!" said Mariah, "I'm not joking! My friend needs help!" But it was no use. AS the band of elves moved away, a young elf near the back of the line reached into a pouch and pulled something out of it. The elf tossed the object in Mariah's direction. It landed at her feet. She reached down to pick it up. It was a small bottle of green liquid . She didn't know what it was. She wondered if it was medicine. She wasn't about to pour some unknown liquid into her friends mouth.
Mariah got down on her knees and lay Charlie on a bed of soft grass. She cradled hisin her hands and slowly laid it back. "Oh, Charlie," she whispered, "Please wake up." She looked at the bottle of green liquid. It had some elven writtings on it. She tried to unscrew the lid, and it came off quite easily. She dipped the tip of her pinky in the bottle and then put it to her mouth. The liquid tasted bitter sweet, and left a strange after taste. Moments later, she felt a refreshing feeling wash over her. For a moment, she forgot where she was. When she came to her senses, she decided to give some of the green liquid to Charlie. "It's worth a try," she thought.