The Chronicles of Heaven's War: Burning Phoenix (42 page)

Ishtar was petrified. What was she to do?
The girl did not know where she was or where she was to go. The
little fishes that helped her get here were no more, unable to
offer her any guiding light. For endless hours - or was it days or
years? - she pondered timidly what was next to be done. All the
while, the troll quietly sat, staring into the crackling blaze.

When it finally occurred to Ishtar that the
troll was no longer paying her any attention, curiosity got the
better of her. Leaning forward, she called out, asking, “You say
you aren’t going to harm me, but yet you wish to eat me. Who comes
to do your dastardly work of assaulting me so that you may
accomplish your ends?”

Slowly turning his head until their eyes
met, the old troll frowned innocently. “Oh, my tasty morsel, no one
comes to harm you. No one at all…don’t need to.”

“What do you mean?!” Ishtar cried. “I’m your
prisoner here with no escape. You have stolen my guiding light,
my
little fishes, eaten them, you have…”

The troll vehemently shook his head to the
contrary. “You are
not
my prisoner! And I am no thief.
Honestly I came by those fishes, having called them to my net.” He
glared accusingly. “You have eaten little fishes before. Yes, you
have! Your father obtained them from the men at the wharf, or
tossed in a net himself to gather them up from foaming waters. If I
am a thief for catching little fishes, then you must be, too!”

Ishtar stared aghast. “You knew my
father?!”

The troll returned to peering into the
blaze. “I know, have known or will know everyone. No one escapes my
gaze. Yes, yes, he passed this way once. Everyone passes this way.
But he didn’t look all that tasty, or at least I didn’t get to find
out if he was or not. Went his way, he did, off on some other
adventure, left me here to await another lonely sojourner.”

“Which way did he go? How did he escape from
here?” Ishtar asked excitedly.

Turning to Ishtar again, the troll raised an
eyebrow. “Oh, out…”

“Where? How? How did my father escape?!”
Ishtar persisted.

The troll wrinkled up his face. “He did not
escape!
He was not held captive here!” He fussed. “I have
told you too much already. Not fair. Not fair at all. The others
were not snoops like you. I said
out
.
Out!
Not like
the others who obliged me so.”

Becoming frustrated, Ishtar retorted, “You
speak like the senseless old women of my city, a chatterer -
chatterer
with nothing useful to say.”

Angered, the troll stood, glaring, clenching
his fists. “I am
not
a chatterer!
Riddler
, yes,
riddler I am.”

Ishtar stood, fuming. “Well then,
riddler
, riddle me this: You say no one comes to harm me,
yet you intend to eat me! Who then harms me so that you may feast
upon my flesh?!”

The troll grinned wide and, after the
longest of times, answered, “You do...”

Ishtar gasped, holding a hand to her
mouth.

Shaking a finger at her, the troll scolded,
“You are a brash one, you are. Bold of tongue and quick of
mouth...but foolish or wise, I do not know. I will speak to you in
straight and riddling ways. You must figure out which is which. But
first, please step up and search the crystal waters to see we are
not as alone as you think.”

Curious, Ishtar slowly advanced toward the
edge of the outcropping, all the time expecting to be caught up in
some devious trick. Upon reaching the water, she stopped,
waiting.

“Look down.” The troll called across to her.
“Look down into the depths of this blue-green sea.”

Cautiously, Ishtar cast her eyes down into
the sparkling pool. The water was still like glass and just as
clear, so beautiful, the tranquil colors and shimmering rock
formations under its surface. So restful and peaceful, so inviting,
the girl sighed with a desire to refresh her body in a slow,
leisurely swim. Her eyes drifted on down to the bottom of the
glimmering pool. When her mind recognized what her eyes were now
beholding, she recoiled in horror, nearly falling as she bolted
backward.

The old troll’s eyes met Ishtar’s as he
slowly nodded, smiling.

The girl shrieked, “
You lied! You lied!
Thousands they are! Must be! The bones of thousands I see scattered
in piles. Murderer! Murderer!
”

The troll angrily shot back, “Murderer I am
not! Did not harm those tasty souls! Murdered themselves they did,
they did.”

Ishtar shook her head, crying, “Yes, you
are! Tricksy murderer you are!”

The troll cried back, “
Am not!
”

Ishtar paused in thought, finally cocking
her head. “If you are not, then tell me where I am, who you are,
and how to leave this place.”

Laughing, the troll rocked back on his
heels. “Spirited one she is, but is she spirited enough?” He then
rocked forward, extending a hand. “As I have said, I will tell you
all there is to know in straight talk and riddles, but you must
figure out which is which. Then decide you must.”

Looking into the water and waving a hand
across it, he added, “They
all
chose. Little good it did
them.” Then looking at Ishtar, smugly observed, “And good, I doubt,
it will do you, either.”

Putting his hands behind his back, the troll
began to pace about in front of the fire. Holding his head high,
while occasionally casting a glance toward his next anticipated
meal, he began to pontificate as only creatures of his kind can
pontificate. “Now then, let me answer a few of your rather
mundane
questions.”

He cleared his throat. “The little fishes
that led you to this place are called ‘blind credulity
fishes
’
, because they have no eyes to see with, but they do
have sensitive ears. These fishes will follow heedlessly the
whimsical tune of a lyre, will travel from great distances in
search of that musical lilt that promises them hope, maybe for a
meal, security, a better life...I don’t really know.”

“They shine a false light, for it offers no
security to those following them. Oh, yes!” He nodded with glee.
“Many a foolish folk have followed them to these caves. I guess for
no better reason than they have no purpose of their own in life,
and seeing the fishes are so pretty and bright, assume good things
will come to them if they only follow them along.” He stopped,
facing Ishtar, and laughed while extending his hands wide. “Then I
eat up all the little fishes, and the poor souls who aimlessly
followed them with a false hope become so forlorn.”

He turned and resumed his pacing. “Not all
who come here have followed the blind credulity fishes, no. There
are many other fishes lurking deep in the waters beyond this lake,
and they have minds of their own, tricksy they are, not nice to
those lost souls who follow them along. Bring them here on purpose,
they do.”

“And then…” He pointed up toward the high,
vaulted ceiling. “There are others who fall into here, maybe
because something bad and unexpected happened to them. Yes, that
was how your father came here. Not his fault at all. Didn’t follow
pretty fishes like his foolish child did. Nope, had some kind of
accident, he did, and wound up here, all forlorn over what he was
going to do. Had a family, you know.” He looked at Ishtar, smiling.
“Of course you know. How silly of me…” He laughed.

“Now let’s see…” The troll paused in
thought. Suddenly he snapped his fingers. “Where are you? You have
pestered me with that one. Well, my delightful morsel, you are in
the Land of Uncertainty.”

Ishtar wrinkled up her face, questioning,
“
Land of Uncertainty?!
”

Waving a hand high as he continued to pace,
the troll answered, “Yes. Yes, the Land of Uncertainty, and I am
its lord, caretaker – manager, you might say. The Lord of
Uncertainty… I sort of like that name. I take care of things here,
welcome all its newcomers, and tidy up a bit when needs be.” He
smacked his lips.

Crying out accusatively, Ishtar exclaimed,
“You hold me
prisoner
in the Land of Uncertainty! How am I
to escape? Yet, if my father managed, then I must, too.”

Angrily frowning, the troll shook a finger
at the girl. “I do not hold you here as prisoner!
You hold
yourself!
There is no need for escape from here! Leave when you
wish.” He looked around, smiling. “It’s actually quite nice a
place, I do believe. Spirited you are, but foolish, don’t
listen...don’t listen at all. I am no thief, nor do I hold anyone
prisoner, nor do I harm anyone. If you accuse me of those things
again, I will leave and you can try to figure things out for
yourself!” He grinned and smacked his lips once more.

“No! No!” Ishtar wailed, frantically waving
her hands. “I’ll be good! I’ll be a good girl, quiet as you demand,
and… and… I promise not to speak rudely again.” She sat down and
pleaded, “Please go on, please! I’ll listen intently.”

The troll scowled, his hopes of a tasty meal
slowly fading. “She’s quicker of wit than we anticipated, maybe
smarter, too.” He sighed and shrugged. “I promised her. Whatever
else is there for it? Must keep my promise…” Rubbing an ever-hungry
belly, he laughed. “We’ll see. We’ll see. Now, then! Be on with
it!”

After chancing another glance at the girl,
he cast his eyes downward and began to pace anew. “As I said, this
is the Land of Uncertainty. All the peoples of all the worlds will
one day pass through this world, or have passed. Many take their
leisure here, never leaving this place. You see, uncertainty suits
them well for no decisions are they forced to make in the Land of
Uncertainty. They just lean back on that stone slab there, the one
you are sitting on, and wait for my cousins, the Fates, to decide
their future.”

He tipped his head back, laughing in
derision. “
The Fates!
Oh yes, the Fates. There are three of
them you know:
Laziness
,
Mindlessness
, and
Timidity
.”

“Laziness waits upon those who lack ambition
of heart, body or mind. ‘Let us drink and party the day away, and
when night comes, let us do the same’. Whatever work done is only
done to satisfy momentary desire. There is no thought given to the
future, just the day, the hour…” he hissed, “the minute…”

Lifting a hand high, he declared, “The lazy
ones often fall into a sound sleep on the very stone you’re on,
eventually to roll off into the waters and drown, or come to their
doom when the floods slowly steal their perch from them, they
waking too late to their approaching demise. Down they go to the
depths below.” Looking longingly into the waters, he smacked his
lips.

Repulsed at the thought of this
monster
stripping the flesh from the bones of those
unfortunates
, Ishtar nearly let out a shout of condemnation,
catching herself up at the last second by placing a hand over her
mouth.

Looking over at the girl, the troll shrugged
innocently. “We are only cleaning up the waters. Someone has to.
Besides, they’re not my kindred, not my kind. I’m no cannibal. Do
you call the bugs, worms, or birds that find a carcass, whether it
be of yours or some other kind, a cannibal? No. They’re just doing
what they were designed to do, clean things up a bit, so that the
world doesn’t become befouled and sickly. True, these lost souls
are tasty, but still, I’m only doing my job. Is it wrong to like
your job?”

Ishtar said nothing, sickening dread filling
her heart as she haltingly shook her head ‘no’ in troubled answer
to the troll’s last question.

He clapped his hands, singing merrily, “Yes!
Yes! You agree with us! Yes! Yes!”

Then turning away and putting on a more
scholarly tone, the troll continued. “Anyway, they blame the Fates,
you know, always do. Never blame themselves for being lazy, never
do.”

He tapped the side of his head in thought.
“Now let me see, where were we? Hmmm...” He snapped his fingers.
“Oh, yes. Now we get to the mindless ones. Hee, hee…”

“Mindlessness is my closest companion and
greatest ally. There are so many, just like you, who like to follow
pretty things, paying no never mind to where they may be going, or
what might happen to them. They mindlessly follow along behind
anyone offering them a little guidance – light, you might say –
sort a’ the blind leading the blind, if you catch my drift. Hee,
hee,
catch
, you know.”

The troll swept his arm about. “They end up
here just like you. Then they get all muddled up, havin’ ta think,
I mean. Unlike those who are too lazy to think at all, these ones
start to think on their own too fast...not used to it, you know.
They begin to panic, seeking some form of escape. Like I said, no
one’s a prisoner here, no need to escape, gotta think that one
out.”

“Anyway, since none of them ever thought on
their own before, it’s too much work to begin now, other than how
are they going to make
escape
. Hee, hee, no need for escape…
Soon down they go into the depths far below, seeking the one
passage that will deliver them from this place, the Land of
Uncertainty.” He shook his head, frowning in mock sadness. “Soon
they’re off in a rush. Down they go far into the deep and drown,”
he smacked his lips, “or they’re off to see my brother, the Lord of
Despair.”

Ishtar bolted upright. “
The Lord of
Despair?!
I have heard of him, long ago when I was but a
babe.”

Grinning, the troll nodded, “Yes. Yes. The
fellow is well known among your kind.” Then he frowned, “Most
dreaded, too. Not a nice person like me. The Lord of Despair sings
such a merry tune to ensnare his captives. Then he eats them down
whole, alive, reveling in their outcries and pleas for mercy. He,
my tasty child, is someone you should wish never to meet.”