Fire whispers words of strength. Warmth spreads in a tingling dance. Power bursts with unstoppable force.

The flames that shoot out of Leonie's hands do not resemble any flames anyone had ever seen before. Instead of hurting, the way the Hunters and Gatherers expect them to, they create a protective wall around the trolls.

Leonie's control of fire is so impressive that it harms none. It actually creates a high obstacle that even the best Hunter would not be able to cross without being burnt.

Fear was palpable in the air. Even Arawn and Buckthorn could feel its acidic taste.

Upon creating the protection for the slumbering trolls, Leonie crumbled to the ground utterly spent. Yet, to everyone's shock, the fire kept on burning. It was as if it was an entity of its own, obeying the call of its master.

"Leonie, my dear, are you alright?" Amitola asked, running to her daughter's aid.

"I am fine...just tired. It's been a long day." Leonie said sleepily.

Amitola sat on the ground next to Leonie and put her daughter's head on her lap to use as a pillow.

"That's alright. You did great. You can rest now." Amitola said soothingly as she gently stroked Leonie's hair.

"Daddy...I am sorry, mom. I failed to save him. I am so sorry." Leonie said, tears running down her cheeks.

"Leonie, daddy said you made the right choice, that he is very proud of you," Nald said, having approached his family so quietly that they had not even heard him.

"You've spoken to your father?" Amitola asked with sadness in her voice.

"Yes. I don't know how. While you were dealing with Hunters and Gatherers, I heard his voice, telling me how proud he was of all of us. But he especially wanted you, Leonie, to know that he is not angry with you. He admires your courage." Nald said seriously.

"Thank you...It means a lot," Leonie said, hugging her brother tightly.

Moments later, her eyes closed and she fell into a dreamless slumber which she welcomed with open arms.

Rest was something she needed more than anything. Though she wished to hear her father's reassuring words herself, the oblivion of sleep was something she needed much more at that moment.

***

"Are you sure she will be alright?" Leonie heard Amitola ask what felt like hours later.

"Trust me, Amitola, she will be better than fine. She just needs to rest. It hasn't been easy for her, but I have done everything in my power to make her more comfortable, to chase away the nightmares." Toras said.

"I know, and I am forever grateful to you, Toras. You have proved yourself to be a true friend to this family." Amitola said.

"You know that there is nothing I wouldn't do for you, don't you?" Toras asked his voice full of emotions, which he dared not voice.

"Toras, I... I am not sure...I mean... I..." Amitola stared to say.

"No, you don't have to say anything. These are hard times for you, I understand. I just want you to know that I'll be always there for you and that you can trust me." Toras said.

"I know. I wish..." Amitola started to say.

"Shh, let's deal with the trouble that's coming first. Then, we can talk about...whatever you wish us to talk about," Toras said.

He did not want to force Amitola to reveal how she felt or did not feel before she was ready.

Leonie shifted and gasped as pain sliced through her forehead. It was stronger than anything she had ever experienced before, and it took her some time to adjust to the painful waking state.

Furthermore, she was not sure if what she did had somehow changed her perception of color. The reason for that was the fact that she had never before seen her mother's face that particular shade of red that graced her features at that moment. Real or not, it looked good on her mother. It made her look full of life and energy.

"What is it?" Amitola asked in alarm.

"Just a headache. I must've moved too quickly." Leonie said.

"Here, now that you are awake, you can drink this," Toras said, offering her a container of green liquid that did not look appetizing.

Still, Leonie closed her eyes and drank all of it in one go, sure that she would not be able to drink it otherwise.

"What was in that?" she asked, the awful taste still coating her mouth.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Toras said, smiling broadly.

Having in mind that she was already feeling better, Leonie did not question him any further.

"The trolls! Are they alright?" she asked, almost jumping out of bed she had no memory of reaching.

"The trolls are fine. You protected them. They are still sleeping off the effects of the sleeping powder, and so is Rimar." Amitola said.

"What are we going to do about them?" Leonie asked.

"I am not sure, but we might as well try a few cleansing rituals while they are asleep," Toras said, sounding unsure of himself, which was quite rare.

"Will it work?" Leonie asked.

"I haven't got the slightest idea, but I will do my best to make it work. Are you well enough to help me out?" Toras asked.

"Yes, but how can I help? I don't know anything about any rituals." Leonie said.

"Well, to start with, I need you to stop the fire," Toras said.

"Will the trolls be safe once I do?" Leonie asked.

"Absolutely. You scared off both the Hunters and the Gatherers. They ran away like rabbits but said they were going to discuss strategy. They won't try angering you again, that's for sure." Toras said, grinning.

"Then, let's get started," Leonie said, her headache long forgotten.

As they exited the house, they could see Rimar rousing from his sleep, slowly shaking himself awake.

"Did I miss something?" he asked, followed by a yawn of his enormous jowls.

"Not much," Leonie said, smiling at her friend.

"Why is part of my fire burning around the trolls, then?" he asked.

"Oops. I thought it was listening to me too easily. Sorry, I guess I borrowed your fire again." Leonie said, smiling sheepishly.

"That's alright. Do you still need it?" Rimar asked.

"No, but I am not sure how to bring it back. I summoned it on instinct." Leonie said.

"That's not a problem. I know what to do." Rimar said.

As he said that, he opened his mouth as much as he could and started sucking in the fire. It went to him with such an ease that Leonie could not help but stare at her friend in wonder.

Once all of the fire was where it belonged, Rimar noticed Leonie's questioning look.

"What?" he asked.

"That is so awesome! I didn't know you could do that." Leonie said excitedly.

"Well, I guess there are still a few things that we can learn about each other," Rimar said, giving her his biggest toothy grin.

The same one that had managed to scare off even the bravest people over the years. Of course, Leonie found it endearing, the fact which she was wise enough to hide from him.

"Let's get started," Toras said, appearing next to them with some herbs in his hands.

"What are those for?" Leonie asked.

"There are many different types of cleansing, and since I have no idea what we are dealing with, I am planning on doing all of them," Toras said.

"What do you need me to do?" Leonie asked.

"Burn this bundle of herbs while going around the trolls and chanting this," Toras said, giving her the small note.

"How is this supposed to work? I have no magic." Leonie asked.

"Trust me. Just do what I said." Toras said.

"Alright," Leonie said, doing as she was told.

"Amitola, would you please gather a bucket of water from the lake. We'll need it for the last part." Toras said.

Amitola immediately sprang to action while Nald approached Toras.

"What should I do?" Nald asked, wishing to be helpful.

"You go stand by Rimar. The two of you will be the guards. Keep a close eye on the trolls and warn us if they start waking up." Toras said.

Then he proceeded to go around the trolls chanting and using a lot of different hand gestures.

After a while, he went to Amitola, taking the bucket of water from her. Then he proceeded to sprinkle small amounts of the liquid on each of the slumbering trolls.

"They are waking up!" Nald cried out.

The trolls started stirring, and they suddenly jumped up, making the earth shake. The troll closest to Toras, a large female, was in utter panic.

"What have you done to us?" she asked, lowering her foot in an attempt to crush Toras.