“Two sets of tracks,” he said. “The trolls split up to follow both trails.”

“I see that.” I pointed to the right. “Chris went that way. His horse is shod, the other isn’t.” I took in the churned up snow and horse dung. “The second rider was waiting here for him. They knew there would be more than one and they wanted to split the trolls up.” I kicked a clump of snow. “Chris never intended to kill Roland with that shot – he knew they’d be shielded. He wanted the trolls to follow him.”

I started down the path Chris had taken, but not before casting a backward glance at my friends. “Keep your wits about you.”

We moved at a more measured pace, Marc in front, Victoria at my arm, and Vincent holding up the rear. All three of them had weapons in their hands, heads turning at the slightest sound, and eyes scanning our surroundings for any sign of motion. Or scanning them as well as they could. The sun was directly overhead, and even though the forest with its thick evergreens blocked most of the brightness, I still caught all three of them wiping their eyes with the back of their hands.

A scream echoed through the woods, and we stopped, waiting for another. “From the other trail, I think,” Marc said. “But hard to say whether it was human or troll. Let’s keep moving.”

We stepped into a clearing, and the sun beat off the pristine snow, making even my eyes sting.

“Stones and sky,” Vincent hissed. “Never thought I’d miss being stuck underground, but I do.”

They were walking blind, so I tried to look every which way for them. Despite the chill in the air, sweat dribbled down my back, and every bird chirp or crack of a branch made me jump. I rotated in a circle, peering into the depths of the forest as I turned. Though we were almost through the clearing, I rotated again. Then something caught my eye.

“Stop.”

Marc froze. I circled around him, noting the way the hoof prints moved up the side of the path, whereas the troll’s boot prints just… disappeared. “Give me your sword,” I said, then, taking the blade, I poked the ground in front of the last footprint.

Solid.

I shuffled forward a pace, and poked the ground. Nothing. A thought occurred to me, and I snapped my head up so hard my neck clicked. But there was no troll hiding in the branches above. Frowning, I took another step, and the ground fell out from under my foot.

I shrieked and threw my weight back, sprawling in the snow.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Victoria said, even as Marc added, “And the mice discover a way to kill the lions.”