"Is it time?" the booming voice continued.

"Time for what?" asked Faith, trying to sound normal.

"To fulfill my duty," the giant blue scrag head turned and looked through the bars.

Faith could see into the huge chamber now. The giant frost troll nearly filled it, but there was room enough for him to sit up. He did not move from his position though, lying on the floor so that his face was level with the bars.

"What is your duty?"

"I protect the seal, the seal of the portal to Khyber."

"You do? I thought you trained young giant warriors for battle."

"Heh heh heh," boomed the troll. "I am Ak'sar the Fierce. I have done many things in my time. Yes, I once trained foolish young giants to fight. I enjoyed my role as a gladiator, the final test for those who would be leaders in the Giant-Quori war. But the Quori took over this island to manufacture their golems. I fought them, but they always returned. They could not kill me and I could not kill them so they tampered with my regeneration device to freeze me."

"This device here?"

"Yes," agreed the troll. "Cold heals me but too much cold will incapacitate me. They discovered this and after a particularly nasty battle, they managed to infiltrate my cavern and neutralize me as I was healing."

"So, you've been asleep for forty thousand years?"

"I don't know about that," the troll yawned and rolled over on his back. "Time is so meaningless. But no I have been awake since the Quori. I was awakened again when the Xoriat lords invaded. I was recruited by the Gatekeepers to be a guard for them. I am a Druid now. I helped them trap insane creatures in Khyber and my role is to keep them from getting out through the portal on this island. I guard the seal."

He was suddenly suspicious. His head swiveled to see who was on the other side of the bars. His nose, long and thin, extended past his mouth and nearly past his chin. It quivered as he sniffed the air.

"Who are you and what do you want? Why have you awakened me? My cause is noble but I am hungry..."

Faith had been studying the device while the creature talked and turning tiles here and there. As she turned the last two tiles, the frosty spray again started to blow but this time it blew towards the frost troll.

"I am a friend," Faith said with a comforting tone. "All is well and you are doing a fine job."

"Are you a druid too?" asked the scrag in a slow voice. The frosty spray was lulling him back to sleep.

"No."

"I think I will eat you then."

"Maybe later. You sleep now."

"I'll... sleep... now..."