To Complicated to Title

Chapter Eleven

She grabbed the door handle, and stopped. "Rowan..."

"What's the matter now Ella?" She asked.

"The door. It’s locked." Ella said nervously. "Why would he lock the door?" Rowan stood up and walked over to Ella.

"I'm sure its just stuck. Here, move over." Rowan tugged on the door, but it wouldn't budge. "What's...." She started to say when the boat lurched forwards. Rowan and Ella stumbled back, struggling to regain their balance.

"What's going on!?" Ella wailed. There was no reply but a low chuckling from somewhere in the front of the boat.  The laughter sent a shiver down Rowan's spine.

"Ella." She said quietly, grabbing her paw. Ella looked up at Rowan with scared, confused eyes. Rowan pulled her farther away from the door as more laughter poured through the air. It was a dark and sinister sound. The laughter grew louder, closer, and with it came the stench. The smell of rotting food and decaying flesh, growing stronger by the second. Over the horrid laughing, Rowan could just make out footsteps, coming towards their room. Just as the smell grew unbearable, the door clicked, and the handle began to turn.

Rowan and Ella shrank back into a corner, huddled together. The door groaned as it was slowly pushed open. Once the door stood fully open, they could see a squat figure stepping into the room. The ugly beast was obviously the source of the smell, and the thing looked even worse than it smelled. It's skin was a sickly brownish green, covered in hideous warts. It's hand were really more claws, with crooked bony fingers ending in jagged yellow nail. And it's face! It's entire head was lumpy and deformed, with only a few scraggly black  hairs scattered randomly along the top. It's too small eyes were a muddy brown, and set far apart. It had a long crooked nose sprouting horrid little hairs. It's mouth was like that of a snake, lacking any sort of lips. There were just long yellow teeth that might have once been pointed but had rotted down to cracked and chipped stumps. It's mouth opened into what could only be described as a grin. "Hello" It rasped. Rowan and Ella flinched back even further. "You girls don't look particularly happy to see me. Weren't you thirsty?" It asked. Rowan and Ella didn't know how to respond to that. What was that thing talking about? "You almost don't seem  to recognize me." The creature laughed to itself, a horrible choking sound. "Let me jog your memory." It said, holding two water bottles out. "My name is Michael."

Rowan gasped. "W w ah what!?!" Ella stammered. This just made the thing, Micheal, it, laugh harder. "Are you both really that stupid?" He asked. "How is it that not one, but two magical creatures failed to see through my mist." Ella cringed and looked down at that, but Rowan just tilted her head in confusion. Mist? Michael noticed her confusion. "Oh my gosh, you don't even know what that is do you? Oh this is just too easy. Mist is basically the only kind of magic trolls have, to cast illusion in order to confuse prey." Rowan eyes widened at that last word. "Prey!" Ella squeaked. "You don't really mean to eat us do you! Trolls don't eat other magical beings."

"These are tough times, and I don't see any reason not to eat you." He said reasonably. Rowan moved in front of Ella.

"Listen, Michael. We'll just be going now if you'll excuse us."

"Ha. Go where exactly. Because in case you hadn't noticed, we are in the middle of the ocean."

Rowan and Ella looked around. Sure enough, they were surrounded by water. That rocking they felt earlier must have been the boat going out to sea. Ella looked up at Rowan."What are we going to do I knew there was something wrong why didn't you listen to me and now  we are going to be eaten and what are we going to do?!"

"You are going to sit quietly while I eat you." Michael said, walking closer.