Adventurers Wanted 1) Slathbog's Gold by M.L. Forman

to keep the small tree branches from slapping his face and poking him in the eyes. He moved as fast as he dared in the darkness under the trees, worried about every little noise he made. Soon the trees began to thin, and he could see moonlight filling an open clearing in front of him. His eyes, accustomed to the darkness beneath the trees, could see clearly across the open ground.
    On the far side of the clearing stood Shahree, stamping her hooves in fear. About halfway across the clearing was a massive figure—ten feet tall, five feet wide, and with long arms and oddly bowed legs. Alex’s mouth went dry, certain he was seeing a troll for the first time.
    The troll was closing in on Shahree, a huge club raised over its small, round head. It was clear that Shahree was afraid to run into the darkness under the trees, and the troll was using that fact to trap her.
    Alex could see Shahree’s terror, and her helpless fear filled him with an anger he had never felt before. Even though he had only known the horse for a few days, he already felt a great fondness for her. He wouldn’t let this troll kill her.
    “Over here!” Alex shouted, jumping out of the trees without thinking. “Over here, you stupid troll!”
    The troll turned away from Shahree. It spotted Alex moving into the clearing and lowered its club slightly. The troll tilted its head to one side, as if considering how dangerous Alex might be. Then, without any warning, the troll charged. The creature was faster than Alex would have thought possible for something so large.
    Before Alex could stop it, the huge club came down, missing him by inches and shaking the ground under his feet. Alex staggered backward, tripping over an unseen rock and falling to the ground.
    The troll grabbed Alex by his left leg and lifted him up until they were face to face.
    “Run, Shahree!” Alex yelled. “There is nothing in the darkness to fear. Run, and find the others.”
    The troll, apparently understanding what Alex had said, turned to look at Shahree. The horse whinnied loudly, and without hesitation, she bolted into the darkness under the trees. The troll made angry sounds that Alex thought might be curses, and when it looked at Alex again, anger burned like tiny flames in its eyes. Alex wondered if the troll would club him on the spot, but then the troll lowered its arm to its side—Alex’s head almost hitting the ground—and started off toward the far end of the clearing.
    Swinging along upside down and helpless, Alex knew he was in trouble, but he had no idea what to do. His sword hung at a strange angle to his body and he couldn’t draw the blade. His friends were far off and scattered, looking for the lost horses, and it was unlikely anyone would hear him if he yelled for help.
    Looking at the troll’s heavy leather boots gave Alex an idea, an idea he almost lost when he noticed the troll was wearing three boots—three boots for the troll’s three legs. Putting aside his surprise, Alex pointed his finger at the boot nearest him and called out.
    “Inferno!”
    Three things happened almost simultaneously: the boot burst into bright red flames; there was a deafening roar as the troll stamped madly to put out the flames; and Alex was dropped on his head.
    Rolling away from the troll’s burning, stomping foot, Alex rubbed his head. He hadn’t expected to be dropped quite so quickly, and he felt lucky the ground was soft and damp. Scrambling to his knees, he saw the troll had almost put out the flames on its burning boot and was turning around to look for him.
    “Inferno!” Alex called again, focusing on a different boot.
    The second boot burst into flames and the troll howled even louder than before. The troll stormed around the clearing, trying madly to douse the flames in its boots. A stream of angry sounds flowed from the troll, and this time Alex was sure they were curses.
    Alex knew he couldn’t kill the troll by lighting its boots on fire, and in its rage, the