to act as if the bodies of dead strangers mean anything to him.”
“Well, I wouldn’t,” Giselle agreed, just as they reached the spring and the start of the broader trail that would lead back down to the encampment. “The only thing I am not surprised by is how long he has considered himself to be an ally of the Bruderschaft, since he seems to be a very good creature, and probably has been from the time he was . . . well however trolls are made. Trolls live a very long time, I believe.”
“Very. Really, I have never heard of one dying of old age.” Rosa looked back at the dark gorge behind them. “I’ve asked him how long he’s been our friend, and how he came to be our friend, but he only looked confused. I don’t think he understood the question, because I don’t think he understands the passing of time in the way that we do.”
It was deep twilight on the trail now, but Giselle did something she had only just learned how to do: she gathered Air Magic, made it visibly glow like a lantern, and set it to float above Rosa’s head. She did the same for herself and Cody, and was rewarded by their nods of thanks. With the help of those lights, it was possible to see the trail quite clearly.
“Well, whatcha think happened?” Cody asked shrewdly. “Miz Rosa, I been around you long enough t’know there’s likely one good notion, and prolly three or four buzzin’ round that head of your’n.”
Rosa laughed. “You are right, and I do have an idea,” she said. “I think that when he was a very young troll, he must have encountered a proper Earth Master before he got a chance to learn to prey on people. I think that Earth Master found him this gorge, protected him, taught him how to be a shepherd, and got him his first flock. By treating him well, and respectfully, Pieter became a friend, which is how Giselle and I treat our Elementals.”
“A’course, that there Earth Master got hisself some mighty fine protection thataway,” Cody pointed out.
“Of course,” Rosa agreed. “Nothing is ever one-sided. I think that long-ago Earth Master recognized what a good bargain it would be for both of them. But trolls do not generally understand the concept of bargains, so he made the arrangements without mentioning anything of the sort, and only when Pieter grew in understanding did he introduce such things to him. Now, of course, Pieter understands such things very well; he bargains with us for the few things that he needs, and considers himself well paid for his protection with what we bring him. He recognizes us at once, even if he doesn’t quite grasp how time passes for the rest of us. He’s shown great sorrow and some confusion when we’ve told him someone he knew long ago is dead.”
“He understands death?” Giselle asked, then shook her head. “Of course he does, if he has a flock of goats and eats some, and sees dead bodies in the stream.”
“He has quite a sophisticated concept of death,” Rosa replied. “I have been down in that gorge, and near his cave he has . . . well I would call it a memorial garden, made with stones with the names of people he has learned are dead on them, all planted with ferns and mosses. Sometimes he just sits there and contemplates them.”
“Really!” Giselle found herself touched. She would never, ever have expected that sort of behavior out of a troll, of all things.
The encampment was in sight now, and just as well, because twilight had truly fallen, and the lights and campfires were welcome sights ahead.
“One day, when I am not being run from pillar to post by my duties, I intend to come here and sit down with Pieter for several days and write down his history,” Rosa continued. “He might not understand the passage of time, but there is nothing at all wrong with his memory. And he might not remember peoples’ proper names, but he never forgets what he calls them. I think that by starting with me and going backward, I can figure out how long he has been there. And I can certainly get the tale of his earliest recollections out of him. After that I can at least match the rather descriptive names he calls people with the records of the Brotherhood.”