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

troll might simply ignore the flames and rush him. For a moment Alex considered running, but he didn’t think he could outrun the troll, even with its burnt feet.
    Stepping a little further away from the troll, Alex drew his sword. The sword’s edge shone like blue flame in the pale moonlight, but he didn’t have time to appreciate its beauty. Alex watched for an opportunity to strike as the troll continued to curse and stomp around the clearing.
    Seeing his chance, Alex summoned his courage and leapt forward, swinging his sword with all his strength. He thought he was close enough to hit the troll, but the blow seemed to miss completely, and Alex spun around, falling with the force of his own swing.
    The troll’s screaming and howling convinced Alex that he had managed to injure it after all, but he feared he hadn’t done much damage. He scrambled to his feet, ready to strike again. A strange heat was growing inside of him, but he didn’t have time to wonder what it might mean.
    To Alex’s surprise, his first swing had completely removed one of the troll’s three legs. Off balance, the troll lifted its club and swung wildly. The club caught the edge of Alex’s sword, knocking it out of his hand.
    Alex reached for his sword, but he could see the club coming down again. He rolled away to escape being crushed by it. He tried to get back to his feet again, but the troll was right on top of him, its curses filling the air. Alex managed to roll away a second time, but as he did, he hit his head on a large, sharp rock. His eyes blurred as he struggled to get up, and he could see strange flashes of light in front of him. Something warm and wet ran down the side of his face, but Alex didn’t have time to think about it.
    He was in more danger now than he had been before. The troll had him cornered, and Alex couldn’t get to his sword. He looked up at the troll as he tried to clear his vision. Its eyes were burning with rage and its club was raised, ready to strike the fatal blow. Alex wondered what it would feel like to be squashed by the huge wooden club.
    “Quench!” Alex yelled in desperation, his hand pointing at the troll’s body.
    Alex closed his eyes, waiting for the club to fall, but nothing happened. Opening one eye, he looked up. The troll was still there, but it wasn’t moving. Its mouth was slack and its eyes had lost their burning anger.
    Alex staggered to his feet and hurried to retrieve his sword. He wasn’t sure how or why, but the quench command had frozen the troll in place. He leaned on his sword, dropping to one knee as he gulped in the cool night air, wondering what he should do next.
    “Alex!” Arconn’s voice called loudly. “Alex, where are you?”
    “Over here,” Alex called back, his voice weak and shaking. “I’m here.”
    Arconn, Thrang, and Bregnest came crashing into the clearing, their weapons raised and ready for battle. The three of them stopped as soon as they spotted the frozen troll. They looked from the troll to Alex and back again.
    “What have you done?” Thrang asked in wonder, his eyes fixed on the troll.
    “I quenched his fire,” said Alex, wiping the blood off his face. “At least, I think that’s what I did.”
    “What—?” Bregnest asked without lowering his sword.
    “Is Shahree all right?” Alex interrupted. “Did she find you?”
    “She is fine,” said Arconn, moving to Alex’s side and examining the cut on his head. “She told us where to find you. She is helping the others find the rest of our horses.”
    “She told you?” Alex asked.
    “We elves can speak to many animals,” Arconn replied. “She knows what you did for her, and she will not forget the debt.”
    “I had to,” said Alex, feeling tired and shaky. “I mean . . .
I . . . I couldn’t let that . . . that thing just kill her.”
    “Tell us exactly what happened,” said Bregnest, his eyes fixed on the troll. “We should know all before deciding on a