The Lutin Chronicles
Chapter 5
Hunger
By Oren Otter

Kayrok felt dizzy from looking straight up, but so small was he compared to the creatures before him, it was really the only way he could look them in the eye.  Standing a full twenty feet tall, the two giants were imposing, to say the least.  "Me name Alnatak." said one.  "This me frother, Alnalam."

"Hi." said Alnalam.

"Hi." said Kayrok, trying not to sound timid.

"Walking gnome speaks us you haves many food and many gold.  You gives many food and gold for works."

For a moment, Kayrok suspected that he was being mugged, then the light dawned.  "You're looking for jobs!" he said.

"Yes!  Me and frother wants jobs.  You gives?"

"Absolutely.  We could use your strength for hauling construction materials for the aqueduct.  When are you available to begin?"

Alnatak stared at the lutin commander.

Point decided to step in.  "You carry rocks." he said.  "Build water bridge.  Start now?"

"Start now!" Alnatak agreed enthusiastically, clapping his enormous hands.

"I'll let you show them what to do." Kayrok told his assistant.  "It looks like Smallbeard wants to talk to me."  Stepping away from the giants, Kayrok turned to the dwarf.  "Report." he said.  Then, remembering that Smallbeard was not one of his soldiers, "I mean... what can I do for you, friend?"

"You are not going to believe this." said Smallbeard, opening his hand, showing a number of glistening beads.  "What does this look like to you?"

"Pearls." said the lutin, simply.

"Aye.  That's what they are.  And do you know where I got these from?"

Kayrok shook his head.

"From in there." said Smallbeard, pointing in the direction of the pass.  "We'd just hit the mile mark on the pass.  I was about to call for a break so the boys could celebrate.  Then one of the gnomes calls me over and shows me this.  Pearls don't come from mines, Kayrok!"

"These did, apparently."

"When we found both gold and silver in the same mine, I thought we were lucky.  When Pythonus found those emeralds, I figured we must be blessed.  Then came the diamonds and I started thinking something weird is going on.  Now, we just hit a vein of pearls.  The furthest inland we can possibly get, not a molusk for thousands of miles, a mile into solid rock, and we... hit... pearls."

"Is this a problem?"

"Problem?  No, of course not.  These alone would pay the whole mining force for a month.  But boss, it's flipping WEIRD!"

"I'd say that's the theme of this whole operation, wouldn't you?"

"Aye.  There's no arguing that."

"Spread the news about hitting the mile mark." Kayrok said.  "We'll have a party."  The commander left the dwarf and went to get himself a drink from the water vessels next to the clinic.  Having learned to take a good whiff before drinking, the captain detected a familiar smell.  "Almonds." he remarked.  "Sujan!" he called across the camp.

"Yes, Sir!"

"Put Azpat on KP and have the water reserves checked."  Then he imagined the possible result of letting the psycho poisoner near food.  "Scratch that!  Make it latrine duty!  Oh, and make sure the giants know to sniff."

A whistle blew.  Lunch time.  Right on cue, the steam engine came chugging into camp bearing Splim and the chuck wagon.  The completion of the railroad from Cephas to Mountainshade had been one of the most celebrated accomplishments of the past month.  It was largely due to the hiring of an enormous workforce from Solace and Rider that the tracks had been laid so quickly.  The workers were more than happy to put their all into the job, because it meant fresh hot meals from the kitchen in Mountainshade instead of cold meats and vegetables, which was what they'd had by the time the food got delivered by more conventional means.  By rail, the trip now took a mere twelve minutes.

Across the bridge at the entrance to the camp, someone shouted.  Kayrok ran over to find Sytet clutching his wrist, his hand bearing a red and blistered circular burn.  Next to him stood Mika Greenstar, mayor of Solace, a terrified expression on his face.  "What happened?" asked Kayrok.

"Oi didn't do anythinge!" Greenstar insisted.  "Oi asked Sytet aboute buying some things from the thurge.  He said he'd get them for me.  Oi had just given him the moneye when he screamed."

"What money?"

Greenstar held up a silver coin.  "This."

"Silver is poison to Sytet.  Sytet, go see Gitch about that.  Tell him I sent you."

"Oi thought that was a mythe.  Yon Urik has a chaine made of silver."

"Which he never touches at night.  Different curse, different effects.  Do me a favor and apologize to Sytet.  He's had a rough month."

"Oye."

Kayrok suddenly realized that it was lunch time and he didn't have any food.  Feeling a pang of hunger, the Captain got into line behind Urik.

"Afternoon, Captain."

"Afternoon.  How are things with you, Urik?"

"Oh, couldn't be better, Sir.  Mara and I are very happy.  I've started construction on a house about halfway between here and Mountainshade.  Oh, and Mara's pregnant."

"Congratulations!" said the commander as he pumped Urik's hand.  "When did you find out?"

"Just this morning."

"And when is the baby due?"

"Sometime this evening."

"I thought we solved that little time problem."

"Well, Sir, you can't put a youth charm on a prenatal foal, now can you?"

"I suppose not.  Speaking of foals, how is Micho?"

"Fine, Sir, fine.  He's learning to read."

"Read?"

"Oh, just simple words.  See Spot run kind of stuff."

"Still, it's pretty impressive for a pony."

Urik smiled.  "That's my son!"

Kayrok soon found himself first in line.  Splim ladled out a hearty bowl of beef stew and a cold glass of strawcherry juice.  Both smelled delicious.  The lutin commander crossed the busy clearing where lutins, gnomes and dwarves milled about with their lunches, mingling and relaxing from their hard work.  Sitting down on a log bench near the coral, he proceded to eat, making sure to say a prayer of thanks to whatever benificent deities may be listening.  About halfway through the meal, Kayrok thought he saw something odd.  A creature, hidden in the bushes, was staring at him.  It looked as though it might be a mandril, its face covered in bright blue, white and red.  It was there for only an instant, disappearing when Kayrok looked directly at it.  He chalked the eperience up to the pressures of leadership and mentally scheduled a relaxing dip in the pond.   

"Thank you all, you're wonderful customers!" declared Splim as he put the day's take into a sack and tied it closed.  Even with military personel eating for free, business had been good.  Splim loved being a chef, and very soon, he would love being a rich one.  He gave a copper coin to the train's driver, an elderly gnomish engineer named Frank, and bade him drive back to Mountainshade.  The ride was pleasant, with rolling prairie going slowly by, followed by the sun dappling the tracks through the forest canopy.  Then trouble hit.

* * *

It was Stella's first day working with Gitch and Hornbeam.  She had been one of the lower eschilon nurses at the hospital in Solace.  Here, however, she was the only nurse.  And while it was a lot of work, it was also very liberating.  When Sytet came in to get his burn treated, she made him feel right at home, pouring some soothing, cool water over the burn.  It seemed a simple enough problem.  No need to bother the doctors.  After gently cleaning the hand and patting it dry, Stella took some salve and rubbed it over the wound.  Sytet screamed in agony.  Hornbeam rushed in to see what had happened.  "It burns!" shouted Sytet.  "Get it off!"

Hornbeam hurriedly worked to clear Sytet's hand of the cream.  "Stella?" she asked impatiently.  "What did you put on his hand?"

"Burn cream." Stella replied.

"What KIND of burn cream?"

"Silver iodide."

"Stella, you incompetent fool!  You don't use silver iodide on a werebat!"

"I... I didn't know!"

Sytet's skin was blistered two inches past the wrist, now, and he was in torment.

"Get me a bottle of aloe and one of lavender.  Then prepare some comfrey leaves with witch hazel water."

Stella dashed to comply, her eyes near tears because of this terrible mistake.

* * *

Feather and Snowhare, two of the waitresses at Splim's diner, were getting worried.  The boss should have been back by now.  After the first hour, Feather decided to go looking for Splim.  She found him.  Near the edge of the forest, she spoted the overturned steam engine and chuck wagon.  Frank was severely injured, unable to walk.  Splim had been knocked unconscious.

"Frank!" called Feather as she rushed to help him.  "What happened?"

"Bandits!" Frank exclaimed, hoarsely.  "A hoarde of the buggers.  They had painted faces and wilde oiyes.  They overturned the engine, breaking moi leg in the fall.  Then they beat poore Splim senseless!"

"And they took everything?" Feather conjectured as she lightly slapped her boss' cheek, hoping to wake him. 

"Nay!  That's the wierde thing.  They didn't touche a single coin.  They stole the leftovers!"

* * *

Kayrok had just returned from chacking on the construction of the aqueduct when he spotted Sytet coming out of the clinic.  "Feeling better yet?" he asked.

"No, Sir.  I'm in tremendous pain."

"But you'll be better soon, right?"

"No, Sir."

"Aren't you regenerating?  I saw you take an arrow right through the arm and recover by evening."

"This is different, sir.   It is an aggravated wound.  It will not heal quickly.  I will not be using my right hand for some time, and as a bat, I will be useless to you, as I cannot fly."

Kayrok frowned.  This meant the flight to Lavamist was off indefinitely.

* * *

Splim awoke to the concerned faces of his staff and customers.  Rubbing his head, he asked "What the Everdark did I drink last night?"

"We were attacked." said Frank, whose leg was bound and splinted, and who was now applying ale to the inside of the wound via his stomach to dull the pain.

"That's right." said Splim, sitting up and immediately regretting it.  "Weird little guys who looked like monkeys.  They were white with red and blue markings.  I think they may have even had tails."

"Trags."  said someone in the corner.  

Splim looked over to see one of the large goblin guards from Rider.  "Say what, now?"

"Tragso, or trags for short.  They're goblins, but not like you and me.  They're throwbacks to some more primitive era."

"But why did they attack us?"

"They were hungry.  Trags are always hungry.  They'll eat anything.  They'll even eat each other if they get desperate.  The hunger never abates.  Never wanes."

Splim arose.  "We've got to tell Kayrok about this."  Then he sat down again.  "As soon as I get my sense of balance back."

* * *

Kayrok ran a hand through his hair as he heard this news.  "Tragso.  I've heard of them before.  Painted faces.  Skinny legs.  Some of them have tails.  But they usually don't harm anyone.  They're just kind of irritating."

"I've had quite a few run-ins with the tragso." said Point.  "They never stop looking for food.  They're the biggest reason why I defend my orchard so violently."

"But WHY are they so hungry?"

"The Icehearts say that's just the way trags are." said Splim.  "They've never met one that wasn't starving."

"I want to investigate this." said Kayrok.  "Point, do you know where we can find the tragso?"

"I do.  North of Rider, about five miles south of the highway, they have a village in the trees.  But Captain, we can't just walk in.  They'd overpower us and eat us."

"Fetch Norebo and saddle some horses, Point.  We're going to go see Jun."

* * *

Jun's new residence wasn't hard to find.  It was the only structure in Moondark which was completely above ground.  When they entered his hut, a rather foul smell filled heir nostrils.  "Oh!  Captain!" said Jun by way of greeting.  "Come in, please.  All of you, come in.  I've been expecting you."

"You have?"

"I received a message from Onju this morning telling me that you would be visiting and that you would need a few things from me."

"How did HE know?" asked Point.

"Hmm?  I don't know.  I think he said something about a dream.  I decided to assume he was right, of course, and here you are."

"What is that smell?" asked Norebo.

"That, my good lutin, is an invisibility potion.  Guaranteed to make you as clear as the air, except to one another.  You'll need this, of coure."

"Please tell me we're not supposed to drink this." said Point.

"Unless you want to soak in it.  Trust me, it tastes beter than it smells.  I also had Rugi help me with these."  He produced five pairs of shoes.  "I didn't know how many of you there would be.  These shoes will make you completely inaudble, even to each other."

Point held up a shoe and realized he was never going to fit his foot in it.  However, they seemed to work just as well hung around his neck.

"Lastly, Onju said there was a possibility of you being eaten, so I created these."  He handed each one a wand.  "These will fire a blast that will induce a severe bitter taste in the subject's mouth."

"Good thinking." said Kayrok.

"If by any chance you do get eaten, I've also rigged the wands to cause severe indigestion."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

* * *

Stella sat at the edge of the pond, soaking her feet after a hard day's work.  Hornbeam came up to her and sat beside her.  There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before he finally said "Good work today.  Except of course for the whole silver thing."

"No one told me he was a werebeast.  I couldn't have known."

"Well, that's why you need to inform us of who's coming into the clinic and why."

Stella said nothing in response.

"Look... I'm sorry I snapped at you.  That's the way lutins do things.  But that's not what we're about here.  We've become a very different kind of lutin society, and that was beneath me.  I apologize.  You are not incompetent."

"Thank you."

"What say we go to Splim's for dinner?  My treat."

Stella smiled and nodded.

* * *

There was absolutely no sound generated by the footfalls of Norebo, Point and Kayrok as they walked unseen into the village of the tragso.  The ground was littered with all sorts of refuse, from eggshells to fruit peels to the bones of small animals eaten raw.  Kayrok gathered some samples.  Point looked about, making a mental map of the village.  There were about twenty homes, all high in the trees.  The tragso themselves were occupied with eating.  They would climb high into the trees to find some morsel of fruit or small animal, then bring it down and devour it.  Each tragso was white, but that appeared to be the result of paint rather than skin.  Their bodies and faces were decorated with red and blue smudges.  They were naked but for the paint, making their emaciated forms all the more striking.  Features of the tragso seemed very lutin-like, but as Kayrok had said earlier, their limbs were long and thin.  Their faces were elongated, making them look very like monkeys.  And of course, each one had a a tufted tail like a donkey.

The homes were wooden with straw roofs, but showed signs of severe neglect.  Norebo looked around for any non-garbage items he could find.  There were many tools and artifacts simply laying around on the ground, as if someone just dumped them there, deciding they didn't need them any more.  Picking up a beaded necklace, he placed it in a pocket inside his cloak.

Nearby, a tragso saw the necklace rise into the air and disappear.  With a monkey-like screech, he came over to investigate.  Norebo backed away slowly as the trag came closer, sniffing the air.  "Garlic." said the trag.  "I smell garlic!  Where is it?  I want it!"

"Shut up!" called another trag from the trees.

"YOU shut up." said the first trag, now shaking.  "I want the garlic!"

Kayrok took a hold of Norebo's arm and began to pull him away from the trag.  His hand brushed against the creature, who reached out and seized it.  They struggled, but the trag overpowered the lutin.  To make matters worse, the potion was beginning to wear off.  Soon, the rest of the tragso were descendng from the trees, having spotted the hazy figures of Point and Norebo.  Point fired hs wand, but it had no effect.  If anything, the trag seemed to like it.

The chase was short.  All three were captured and hauled up into the trees.  The tragso squabbled over who would get to taste these new meats first.  They fell silent when a trag who was much larger than the rest climbed out among them.  He took a good, long look at Kayrok and his companions.

"Let us eat them." said one of the tragso.

"Raw and juicy!" said another.

"No." said the chief.  "Tonight, we will be full, like we were long ago.  We will cook them, and we will feast.  We will be once again as before."

The tragso howled and jumped about.  It was uncertain whether they were celebrating or expressing impatience.  Probably both."

"Gentlemen," said Kayrok.  "I'm very sorry about this."

"It's all right." said Point.  "We don't die today."

"I wish I had your confidence."

The chief leaned close to where Kayrok and his friends were hanging upside-down.  "I am sorry that we must kill you, and I thank you for your gift of meat."  It seemed a ritual statement.  The chief turned to leave, but then he turned back and said "I truly am sorry.  It is not right to eat people, but the hunger drives us to do desperate things."

"Let us go." Kayrok pleaded.  "We can help you.  We can bring you food and find a way to end the hunger."

"Truly, I wish I could.  But if I did, my people would catch you and eat you on the spot.  At least this way, you have time to make peace with your gods."

* * *

"I really appreciate this." said Gitch as he tossed Alnatak another bag.  "I don't usually get to come out this far to collect herbs, and this area is unusually rich in medicinal plants."

"Me not think you language good." replied the giant.

"Thank you.  Many plants here.  You carry me very fast."

Alnatak smiled and laughed.  "Me is better from horse!"

"Ooh!  Verucabane!" said Gitch with delight as he reached to pick some.  As he did, he heard some strange noises.  It sounded like monkeys screeching.  "Alnatak, what's that?"

"Us see." replied the giant, picking Gitch up and setting him on his shoulder.  In a moment, they were in the Tragso village.  Everyone froze.  A second later, the tragso attacked.  Alnatak did his best to beat them off.  While the giant kept thm busy, Gitch jumped into the trees and cut the captives free.  In a moment, all four were riding in Alnatak's hands while his ten-foot legs carried him swiftly through the forest toward Rider.

* * *

"It's the white clay that makes it all possible." said Gitch as he sifted through the assorted refuse which Kayrok had given him.

"Makes what possible?"

"The plants.  These plants normally don't grow this far north.  But the white clay reflects sunlight back up.  It makes the area almost tropical with the double sunlight.  So it's perfect for growing things like this." he held up a piece of soft woodpulp.  "Calistocane.  They prefer soil with elements which make them very bitter to the taste."

"They say it's an acquired taste." Splin agreed.

"So to get animals to spread their seeds, they produce a chemical that makes bitterness be perceived as sweetness.  Well, once you do that, a whole new world of foods is opened up."

"Which explains why the bitter blast didn't seem to affect them." Norebo observed.

"And look at what we have here... Centaury.  An appetite stimulant.  Bitter orange.  That will increase your metabolism like nobody's business.  Gentian.  Another appetite stimulant.  Koso bark.  A bite of this is like a day without eating.  And there are plenty of other culprits here.  Green tea.  Cassia.  Turmeric.  Yerba.  Ceyenne.  Any of these things by themselves will make one hungrier."

"But combine them all and you end up starving." Kayrok finished.  "The tragso have gotten themselves into a vicious cricle.  The more they eat, the hungrier they get."

"And the huingrier they get, the more they eat the herbs that make them hungry." Point observed.

"Now we know the reason." said Norebo.  "What do we do with the information?"

"We're going back to the tragso village."

"Are you mad?" asked Gitch.  "You almost got eaten!  And you're going back?"

"Not empty handed.  You and Splim are going to work together to build me a secret weapon."

* * *

This time, Kayrok was taking no chances.  He had enlisted the help of four royal guards from Rider.  He also had both giants with him this time.  Alnatak was bringing up the rear while Alnalam took point, pulling a large wagon behind him.  A small army of lutins, dwarves and gnomes also accompanied him, as well as Point, the cyclops, who was currently serving as his personal bodyguard.

"I hope this works." whispered Splim as they neared the village.

"You and me both." agreed Gitch.  "If it doesn't, we'll probably be fired."

"Yeah.  We need to have a talk about your priorities."

One of the tragso spotted to oncoming army.  He let out a screech.  A second tragso joined in, followed by a third and forth.  Soon, the entire tragso village was in an uproar, working themselves into a frenzy.  When they could stand to wait no longer, they charged.

"Fall back!" ordered Kayrok.  "Fall back!  Alnalam!  Uncover the weapon!"

"Do what?" asked the giant.

"Take lid!" said his brother.

"Oh."  Alnalam lifted a cover off of the wagon to reveal two giant watering troughs full of stew.  Stopping for only a heartbeat, every one of the tragso jumped up on the wagon and began gorging on the stew.  They ate and ate until they could not possibly hold any more, then they continued to eat.  When all of the stew was gone and the tragso filled to overflowing, they all fell to the ground, half-torpid.

"How many appetite suppressants did you put in there?" asked Splim.

"Every one in the book and several that weren't." replied Gitch.

The chief of the tragso waddled over to Kayrok.  "How did you do this?" he asked.  "And why?"

"Because we really do want to help.  We can make the hunger go away and not come back.  Will you let us help you?"

"Yes!  Anything to make the hunger stop!"

"Men, take the troughs off of the wagon and help the tragso get on."

"Where are you taking us?"

"To Cephas, within the mountains.  We will feed you for the next three days while the poisons that make you hungry work their way out of your bodies."

* * *

As soon as the Tragso were safely within Cephas, they were given lots of water to drink to begin the flush.  And flush they did.

Meanwhile, Kayrok sent a large team to collect all of the calistocane they could find and burn it.  The resulting bonfire could be seen from Rider to Point Grove.

The Tragso were unruly at first, always demanding more food and screeching wildly.  Most of them had to be shut away.  But as the toxins washed out of their systems and the hunger diminished, they began to act more like civilized goblins, which in itself was quite an accomplishment.

The chief, whose name was Lo-mahle, spent a great deal of time talking with Kayrok, having suddenly found so much time on his hands no longer occupied with foraging, hunting or eating.  The clay covering his body had been washed off and replaced with a long, flowing shirt that reached to his ankles.  This made him feel much more dignified, and he was proud to walk about Cephas and Camp Dimtorch as a man who had been freed from a long, hard slavery to hunger.

"We owe you so much." said Lo-mahle to Kayrok as they slowly walked along the path to the waterfall.  "You have given us back our lives.  In truth, we owe you those lives, as we would have taken yours."

"Help me." said Kayrok.  "We have much work to do, and I can use all the hands I can get."

"For you, anything.  But you should know that we do not work well underground.  Tragso love the open air and the sunshine."

"Then perhaps building the aqueduct, or laying railroad.  Or paving roads.  All of these things would keep you outdoors."

"And you will feed us?"

"I'll pay you enough to feed yourselves.  You'll be able to buy three hot square meals a day and then some."

"What about the railroad?  Will you bring it to our village, Anhunger?"

"Of course."

"And you will run the train often, so that we may visit the restaurant of the lutin who made us than fine, fine stew?"

"Of course."

"Then we will not only help you, but we will give ourselves to your kingdom.  Allow us to become part of your federation, my Captain."

"Do all your people want this?"

"If you feed them, they will.  And any who do not, I will persuade."

Kayrok shook the trag's hand, and a second later was swept up in a firm embrace.

* * *

The vote to allow Anhunger into the federation had been unanimous.  Kayrok had planned wisely and held the council meeting at Splim's.  A belly full of good food tended to make the most argumentative soul amenable to his ideas, and his recomendation was well received.  As the various mayors went their ways for the night, Kayrok sat next to Onju, fiddling with a tiny pair of jewels.  "Pearls." he said.

"Pearls." Onju agreed.

"I prayed a few days ago.  I asked Vertarbna to give me a sign if it was really him blessing us.  Then we struck pearls.  I'm told there's an explanation for it.  Their used to be a salt water lake here.  The sand was very fine.  It would often get into the shells of molusks and make them produce pearls.  Then some disaster struck.  Mountains on either side of the lake collapsed inward.  That's why there are so many different minerals here.  The molusks were crushed, but the pearls remained, buried under tons of stone."

"That's very interesting." said Onju.

"It's all conjecture, of course.  But if it's true, then Vertarbna began to answer my prayer thousands of years before it was spoken."

Onju took a good long drink.  Then, staring at the wall, he said "I used to live near the coast."

"In the arctic?"

"Oh, yes.  In the fjords directly north of the Death Mountains.  During the summer, fishing was bountiful.  Life was good, there.  I had a little girl named Anika.  She had a string of stone beads that she just loved.  She called them her pearls.  Then one day my father asked her to give him her beads.  She didn't want to, but she did it.  Then he threw the beads away.  At first, anika cried, because she loved those beads so dearly.  Then he gave her a string of perfect white pearls."

Kayrok sipped his drink and listened, silently.

"We are happy to accept good from Vertarbna, but we must be ready to accept evil as well."

"But I thought Vertarbna was a god of love."

"He is.  When he gives us evil, he always repays us with even more good.

"What are you saying?  That he's going to curse me?"

"My God spoke to me in a dream, Sir.  He told me about your coming encounted with the tragso.  But he revealed much more to me as well.  There will be hard times ahead.  The forces of Everdark will try to break you.  There will come a day when you are ready to raise your fists to the sky and curse Stormhaven itself."

"I understand." said Kayrok.  Then, after a moment, "Onju, what happened to your family?"

Onju's chest jerked as he supressed a sob at the memory.  "My life in the fjords, Sir... that was my beads of stone."