The Troll's Eye

 

The portal shimmered behind them, churning with disturbed light.

Handol, the aging thief from the southlands pulled out his "pig skinner" and stared into the misty castle courtyard that had appeared before them.

"Steady, my love," Bradyn cooed, stroking the hawk that rode on his shoulder. "All done. See, it wasn't that bad."

"Speak for yourself," Handol said. "I thought I was gonna puke." His eyes never stopped moving, scanning the misty courtyard bathed in flickering red and yellow light.

Although they were surrounded by swirling fog, it was daytime here on the other side of the magick. "The architecture looks correct," Bradyn said. He blew out the candle in his lamp. "And there it is." He pointed toward a fountain set into the stone wall.

Handol followed as Bradyn walked slowly forward. The water from the fountain seemed to pour slowly, almost like syrup, into a stone basin. The basin drained into a trough that flowed along the courtyard wall and vanished in the mist.

The fountain was shaped like a troll's face. The eery flow of water came from it's open mouth between long fangs. Its eyes were red jewels. Handol sheathed his dagger and pulled out his leather roll of jewelry tools.

Bradyn filled a leather flask with water and corked it closed. "All done, let's go back."

"Gimme a moment," Handol said, a small hooked implement in his hand. "My turn." He went to work on the troll's left eye. It popped off without any trouble. How odd.

"That was too easy," Bradyn said. "All of this was too easy."

"We should go," Handol agreed as he dropped his prize into his tool roll.

They turned toward the portal. But it was gone. 

Of course, Handol thought. Never trust a wizard, his dear granny used to say. She also said not to steal things.

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