Gaia's Champion Ch. 09

"Among these friends of hers, were a couple who used to believe as we did, so I thought it harmless. But, as was my right, I went to collect her at the end of the long weekend but was led astray by someone. He called himself 'Frank' but I know his true name as Jason Bjornsson," Chad said as he described the man.

"Jason Bjornsson... that name sounds familiar," Wayne mused.

"I haven't done a full dive into his background just yet, but I will learn more about this man. I know where he lives and where he works, so if we monitor him, we may find out where Eva and Amelia have gone," Chad stated.

"You think we should question him?" Paul asked, an evil glint in his eye.

"We could try, but from what I've seen and learned of this man, even you would have a hard time breaking him, father," Chad replied. "Besides, if he was the one, or one of the ones helping her, he may yet lead us to her, without the need for alerting him."

"Excellent work, young man! I approve of your initiative and grant you leave to conduct a Watch of this man. Take the other young men here with you, discuss and form a plan. The Elders and I have other business that we must speak of," the Pope told him. The other young men of the group, sons of the Elders, all got up to leave and plan, but Darren lingered.

"Father? What of what you told me?" the young man asked.

"Worry not son, it will be discussed. Right now, you have more important things to worry about. Go with Chad and help as best you can. Your efforts will determine who is chosen for you," Wayne told him gently.

"Yes, father. Thank you!" Darren said enthusiastically before leaving with the other young men. Once they were gone, the door to the room was locked, and the Elders proceeded with their business.

"You are certain that your son bears a power like your wife's?" the Pope asked.

"Yes, your Holiness. It is manifesting, and it soon must be contained, before he discovers its true nature," Wayne stated.

"To think that a man of our order finally wields such power. Your bloodline is truly blessed, Wayne Marston," Paul said, bowing his head respectfully.

"Be that as it may, we must select a suitable woman as that boy's wife. Before his power grows beyond our methods to contain," the Pope rattled.

"I agree, Holiness. But the biggest issue is, which woman among the church would be suitable and which one believes as we do?" Wayne wondered.

"Bruce, you have the list?" the Pope asked.

"I do, Holiness. There are at least ten who would be suitable candidates, but a bloodline check must be done, before we select the one who can contain the boy," Bruce stated.

Wayne listened as Bruce listed the women in question, and he smiled slightly. Most of the women on the list were those that Darren despised. But there were a couple who he was sure that Darren wouldn't mind. As long as their blood was strong enough, he was sure that his son wouldn't complain too much. Though it galled him a bit to match his son like this, this was their way and their way had to be adhered to.

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Jason made it home in record time, taking less traveled routes to his apartment, so he wasn't seen. It would have normally taken him twenty plus minutes to make it up the hill. But his Gaian enhanced body gave him the strength and stamina to cut that time in half, easily! He slowed down as he walked up to his apartment, not wanting any curious onlookers or busybodies spying on him.

He walked into his apartment building after digging his keys out of his pocket and ran up the stairs. He walked inside the apartment and heard the shower running. He smiled to himself, thinking Phalmina and Xaera were likely getting cleaned up. Considering the appearance of both women, he figured a shower was in order for the both of them.

He left the food on the kitchen counter and walked to the fridge, rummaging around for some fruit. He finally found the blackberries he bought and was washing them when the bathroom door opened. Jason heard both women yammering and called out to them.

"I'm in the kitchen. I hope you ladies are hungry, because I splurged and grabbed some Vatican burgers," he called out.

"Thank you, Jason! I love how you think about others first!" Phalmina said behind him. He turned around and was greeted by the sight of Mina and Xaera in towels, as their hair was mostly dried. Phalmina cleaned up real nice, as her skin practically glowing and her hair shone like spun copper. Xaera however was, for lack of a better word, exotic.

She stood a little taller than Jason, at around six-foot-two, with Caribbean blue skin that glowed like Mina's. Her physique was like that of a crossfitter, but soft enough to look feminine, especially with her assets! Her rack was considerable, easily bigger than Phalmina's and her hips were so round, it would have made JLo seethe with envy!

Her hair was red, but not ginger red like a human's, but a deep, heart blood red. She possessed green eyes that glowed with an inner light and features typical of a beautiful Nordic woman. A pair of small tusks jutted up from her bottom lip, which Jason found cute and endearing. The most surprising thing he saw on Xaera was that she had four digits on her hands and feet, rather than five.

"Jason, hello?" Mina called, getting his attention.

"I'm sorry, but when two beautiful women are standing in my kitchen wearing nothing but a towel, I might get a little tongue tied," he responded. Phalmina giggled at this while Xaera blushed, her face turning a cobalt blue.

"I was always told that I was ugly," Xaera mumbled.

"You are the complete opposite of ugly! You are both beautiful and exotic! Hell, I can tell you guys would be lining up to date you if they knew about you!" Jason told her earnestly.

He watched Xaera's face go from a bright cobalt to a deep navy, as she blushed even harder than before. She murmured a quick thank you before her nose started twitching, sniffing out the burgers. Her nose led her to the paper-wrapped burgers, and she looked at them in question.

Seeing as how Xaera likely had little experience with the human world as it was today, Jason helped her out. He demonstrated how the paper wrapping could be peeled back, revealing the burger underneath. She sniffed at it some more; the scent sending her senses into overdrive. Then, she took an experimental bite of the burger as Jason handed Mina her onion rings.

The look on her face was priceless, as though the troll woman had just discovered the most delicious food possible! The next bite she took consumed one third of the burger and she chewed quickly. Before Jason knew it, Xaera had demolished the whole burger and was using her finger to pick up any crumbs left behind.

"Is there anymore?" Xaera asked with a cute pout. Her stomach rumbled in agreement, evidently not satiated yet. Chuckling, Jason pulled out two additional burgers and a side of French fries, placing them on the counter. He walked over to the fridge and retrieved a bottle of ketchup for the fries, while Xaera started into her second burger.

"Take it easy there Xaera! Enjoy the food in front of you! It's not going anywhere, so take your time!" Jason chided.

Xaera halted mid bite and nodded slowly, seeing the logic and sense behind it. She then took a much smaller bit of her burger, while Jason also grabbed a few ginger ales out of the fridge and placed them on the counter. He opened all three of them and pushed one to each woman.

"This is a drink?" Mina wondered.

"Yup. A fairly popular one, too. Don't drink it all at once though," Jason warned as he sipped on his.

The ladies did as he suggested and sipped their drinks. Though, upon tasting them, the ladies drank more than a sip. Half their cans were gone before they backed off and they felt weird. Seconds later, both of them let out large belches, feeling immediately better. Phalmina and Xaera flushed in embarrassment as they realized what they just did.

"Told you that you shouldn't have done that," Jason snickered.

"Oh, shush you," Phalmina admonished him while she took a bite of an onion ring. Xaera giggled as she finished her second burger and went into her third.

"Who thought to toast bread, with cheese between them and put it atop of this... burger?" Xaera wondered.

"It's a fairly new thing. Why?"

"Whoever created these... is a genius!" Xaera mumbled with a mouth full of food.

"Don't forget the fries and ketchup. They always pair well with a burger," Jason chuckled.

"I will! There is so much to enjoy! The taste, the spices, the textures... mmmmm!" Xaera enthused as she ate.

"I never thought I'd ever see a troll enjoy a burger as much as humans do," Phalmina commented as she finished her onion rings.

"I'm not a full blood troll. I'm half troll, half human," Xaera said out loud.

"Aha! That explains a lot!" Phalmina exclaimed.

"What does it explain?" Jason asked.

"It explains why she can speak English and enjoys human food. Trolls, by nature, are omnivorous, but prefer meat. Raw, bloody meat. But when they are lacking in meat, they can survive on berries, mushrooms and whatever else the forest provides. Eating human food tends to make trolls sick. Because she is half human, Xaera..." Phalmina went on.

"Can eat human food just like the rest of us!" Jason finished.

"It's odd though, to see a troll here in North America. Most of them are in Europe and Scandinavia, as the colder climates are where trolls thrive," the fairy woman explained.

"I am from Scandinavia. The country that humans call... Norway?" Xaera answered.

"That explains your accent. A couple of my bosses have accents similar to yours, which is why it sounded familiar. If you're from Norway, how did you get here? Especially without being seen?" Jason queried.

"That is a long story that I'm sure that you wouldn't want to hear," Xaera stated dismissively. She took a pull from her near empty can and turned to see both Phalmina and Jason staring at her expectantly.

"Oh! You want to hear my tale?" she asked, surprised.

"Obviously! So come on! Spill!" Phalmina said.

"Do you have somewhere more... comfortable to sit?" Xaera asked.

"That I do! Come on over here," Jason said as he walked over to the living room area, plonking himself down on the couch. Phalmina and Xaera followed, taking their seats and settling in. Xaera ran over a few things in her head, before she breathed out and began her story.

"Suppose I should tell you how everything started from the very beginning. From what I remember and was told, I was found on the doorstep of a troll couple. I was abandoned and from what I understood, I wasn't a pure blood troll. I was what they call... 'Impure'. But Salanah and Davec, my adoptive parents, saw me as one of their own and raised me as their own daughter," Xaera began.

"They were much smaller than I was, especially when I matured and grew into my full size, but they didn't mind. Especially Davec, who had me help with a lot of things that needed doing around the cave in which they lived. It was peaceful and nice, until the day a group of wandering trolls found Davec and I out one night, gathering wood."

"They asked him why he hadn't removed this stain on trollkind and killed me yet. He answered them by saying that I wasn't a stain on trollkind, but they were, for suggesting such barbarism. Without a word, they killed him and came after me, once they were done with him. I was only fourteen at the time and couldn't fight them, so I ran. I had got home before the sun came up, so they couldn't follow me there," Xaera said.

"Wait, trolls fear the sun? Why?" Jason asked.

"Trolls turn into stone when exposed to sunlight. Though they are flesh like any other living being, they cannot withstand the light of the sun and it petrifies them. Literally," Phalmina explained.

"Oh! All right. Sorry to have interrupted. Please continue," Jason told the troll woman. Xaera smiled and went on.

"I got home and told Salanah what had happened. She wept at losing Davec but knew that this day was likely to come, eventually. According to Troll Law, Impures are not to be allowed or tolerated. Any Impure that is found must be killed, without mercy or hesitation, lest they dilute the purity of trollkind. Salanah and Davec took a risk taking me in as they did, but it was one they welcomed."

"Though I was an Impure, they couldn't bring themselves to kill a baby girl. Especially since they wanted children of their own, but couldn't have them. They had given me everything; food, a place to call home and family who loved and cared for me. But the other trolls would smell me out and come for me. There was only one hope, and that was for me to leave without Salanah," Xaera continued.

"I tried to convince her to come with me, but it was no good, as Salanah knew that they'd be after her as well. The best chance for my survival was for me to go alone. Using skills that Davec taught me to lose and mask my scent in the wild, I left the only home I knew. The best way I would keep the trolls from finding me, was to head to a human settlement. Trolls tend to avoid humans, as they smell foul to them and far more numerous," Xaera stated. Seeing Jason's obvious confusion, she elaborated.

"Trolls, while mighty beings in their own right, cannot stand against humanity's numbers, or their... minds?" Xaera questioned, searching for the correct word.

"Minds? Do you mean... intelligence?" Jason wondered.

"Yes! That's it! Though humans are far weaker than trolls, human intelligence is greater. They outwit and outsmart trolls, luring them into traps. The troll king, Kundahr, decreed that humans are to be avoided at all costs. Any trolls who disobey are cast into daylight for their final death."

"Salanah told me the direction to go, so I would find my way there. I thanked her for all the days she looked after me and said my final goodbye. I never saw her again," Xaera told her new friends. Tears glistened in her eyes as she told the story, and Phalmina reached out to hug the woman. Xaera hugged her back, needing the connection.

"We all have things we go through Xaera. But you faced them and are still here," Phalmina reminded her. "You survived, which is more than some people can say."

"Thank you, Mina," Xaera replied as the fairy woman leaned back away from her. She wiped at the tears she had shed and continued with her tale.

"I made it to the village before sunrise and thankfully, it was by the mountains, so I was able to find a cave in which I could stay. I stayed there until the following night, where I found a ravine that had many more caves in which I could hide. Most were unoccupied, so I had my choice of which one I could make my new home."

"So, there I stayed for years, safe from the trolls that hunted me. Eventually, I came into contact with other creatures of Gaia who lived nearby. They were brownies mostly, but there was a nest of Sprites who had made their home nearby. I even stumbled upon a glade of fairies, who let me visit them from time to time," Xaera told them.

"It was a peaceful existence, but a lonely one. I missed my parents and hoped that Salanah had gotten away. I don't think she survived though. I waited for years and hoped that she'd come for me one day. But after a while, I realized that I was on my own, so I lived for myself."

"Over time, I stole from the village, but things that people could easily make or replace. A stool here, a washbasin there, basic things to turn my cave into a home. My thievery hadn't gone unnoticed and a group of humans came looking for me. Little did I know that these humans were a persistent lot," Xaera chuckled.

"I did everything I could to evade and lose them, but they would not be shaken. Some of them fell away, thinking the whole endeavor pointless. In the end, three of them eventually cornered me in a cave that had only one way in or out. It was then I learned that the humans searching for me were children!" Xaera scoffed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up! Are you saying that a bunch of kids chased you down?" Jason asked, incredulous.

"Yes, they did. A more persistent bunch I have never encountered since. Ragnar, Rolund and Sigi. They weren't hunting me, just wondering who had been stealing the various things in their village. Finding me was a surprise for them and one of them was telling off the other, telling him that trolls were real. They befriended me and kept my existence secret from the rest of the village."

"They helped through the years, occasionally bring me bits of food here and there. Sometimes, they brought me presents and things I could use. Time wore on and they eventually grew up, but they never stopped visiting. One of the three, Ragnar, took a more vaunted interest in me as he grew into manhood."

"Ragnar expressed... feelings towards me, feelings that I returned. I wanted something more from him, and he did from me. Not knowing how things were supposed to work, we fumbled our way through, until one day... I... hurt him. I never meant to hurt him, but... he was damaged, beyond what his body could heal or what the village healer could do for him and he... died."

"The other boy, Rolund, told the villagers of my existence and they came for me. They didn't care that it was an accident, they just wanted blood and vengeance for their dead son. I never thought Rolund would have ever betrayed me. He was my friend, but I never saw it coming. I did the only thing I could, I hid until nightfall and when I saw my chance, I ran and never looked back," Xaera sniffled.

"Having nowhere else I could go, I ran to the glade where the fairies were. They were kind enough to take me in and give me a place to live. They sealed the glade from human eyes and none would ever find me there. But even in the glade, I had no way of moving around and little company, aside from the fairies. I wanted to be out and to roam the country again but had little choice but to stay where I was."

"One fairy, Yselen, took pity on me and told me that there was something they could do for me. They could perform a spell that would send across the world, to other lands, where man had yet to roam. A place where I could walk the lands and not find anyone for days. I would be alone, but free to do and go as I wished. I accepted the offer, as Norway held too many painful memories for me."

"Using the portal stone, they linked with one that was still active and sent me through it, to this land. A land that wasn't ravaged by the hands of man. At least, not yet. I walked out of a cave where the stone was and came here, to this land, North America as you call it. I have been here since, staying out of sight, roaming the land while I still could, but keeping my distance from all humans."

"Knowing that humans could be treacherous, I kept to myself, not wanting to risk what happened from before, to happen again. It has been that way, even when man encroached on my home and changed it," Xaera finished, with a note of bitterness in her voice.

"You have gone through a lot, much more than anyone else could have endured in a lifetime. The fact that you are here, telling us this tale of yours, proves one thing about you," Jason told her.

"And that is?" she asked, looking at him with a measure of doubt.

"That in some ways, you still have hope. Hope for a better day than the one that came before. Hope for the time, when you can have friends and family again," he told her. Xaera opened her mouth to refute him but found that she could not. Jason's words had struck a chord with her, and she realized that she agreed with him.

"I suppose you are right," Xaera said with a small smile.

"The cave with the portal stone, you know where it is?" Phalmina asked excitedly.

"Of course I know where it is. I still live there and it's in the park where I found you two," Xaera stated matter-of-factly.