"Toby, it's been a while. Should I shadow jump to him?" Claire asked worriedly. She fidgets with her shadow staff. Jim had left for a stroll and had not come back.
"Nah, give the guy a couple more minutes, he's been in love with the outdoors ever since the Darklands," Toby said, eying a Nougat Nummy on the table.
Claire threw it to him. "It's been an hour, Tobes!" she exclaimed.
"Don't you know these things take time?" Toby unwraps the Nougat Nummy and pops it in his mouth. He continues while chewing. "Beshides, it'sh no' like he hashn't done it every day."
Claire looked at him, disgusted. "I'm going, Toby." She gets up and extends her staff. "Jim," she whispers, concentrating. The warmth leaves her body and a black portal escapes the staff. "Coming?"
"Duh," sighs Toby, swallowing.
Claire lets him through the portal first. She's about to enter when she hears a scream on the other side. She rushes through and follows Toby's gaze to where he's staring, the latter frozen in fear. She looks down and covers her mouth with a gasp.
There, lying on the ground in the dark alleyway, in a pool of his own blood, was Jim.
Claire rushes to his side. She checks his pulse (still there, thankfully) and looks all over his blue jacket which was twisted with deep red blood. She notices that it's ripped on the side and finds a giant gash, around the same height as his daylight sword. Claire immediately takes her own jacket and wraps it around the wound. She gazes at his handsome face, his beautiful bluebell eyes slid shut in a state of deep unconsciousness.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Jim!" Toby shrieks, stuck in place from terror.
"Toby, help me!" yells Claire. "He's barely breathing! You support his head, we need to get him to Blinky now!"
Toby (who seemed to realise if he just stood in shock, his friend would die) quickly ran over to his best friend and held his head up. "Oh god." Reality sunk in for Toby when he saw Jim's unmoving body, limp open mouth and still chest. He visualised Jim's happy smile, his determination and just wanted to sit in a corner and cry. He settled for a sob, one that shook his body (there would be time for proper crying later).
Claire took her staff and made a portal to Blinky. She slid her hands underneath Jim's lifeless back. She and Toby carried him through and yelled for Blinky.
"Blinky!" yelled both Claire and Toby.
AAARRRGGHH! came running first. His eyes widened at what Claire and Toby were carrying. He knew by the panting and desperate eyes of the children that the time for questions would be later. AAARRRGGHH! used his large hands to gently lift Jim out of the two teenager's arms.
"You clean. I take Jim to in-firm-na-ree and get Blinky." said AAARRRGGH! in his deep rumbling voice. Jim was still bleeding, but not much.
"Clean?" questioned Claire. That was when she realised she was covered in blood. Toby was too. "Come on Toby, Jim will be safe here. We need to wash and get Jim's mom."
AAARRRGGHH! nodded and walked away.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Toby.
Claire shadow jumped Toby back to his house, and then she portalled herself to her own house.
Claire showered so quickly she was sure it was a new world record. She called Toby and he said he was finished too. Claire shadow jumped to Toby's house and from there they both ran to Jim's house.
Claire and Toby frantically started knocking on the door until Barbara answered.
"Kids?" She asked. "What are you doing here this late, I- where's Jim?"
"That's what we're here for, we know where he is" gushed Claire. "You need to come with us. You can trust us."
"I- okay. Where do we need to go?" asked Barbara.
"The canals," replied Toby. "We should drive. We need to get there as soon as possible."
The three got in the car and sped to the canals. The ride was quick, though it felt like a lifetime to Toby and Claire.
"We're here, now what?" asked Barbara.
Claire extracted a Horngazel from inside her purse. She drew the archway on the canal walls and the magical door opened.
Barbara stared with wide eyes. "How on earth did you-"
"We'll explain on the way down," said Claire.
"So wait. There are good trolls, and bad trolls, and you and my son? Trolls don't exist! Do they?" asked Barbara, breathing a little heavy.
"You're about to see a whole bunch of them," said Claire, impatient but trying desperately not to show it. Jim needed them!
They ran down the final steps and into Trollmarket. Barbara saw the trolls and started screaming.
"No, they're good! There's no time for this, we must keep moving!" said Claire.
They dragged a terrified Barbara through Trollmarket and it's confused trolls and reached the infirmary.
"Now, Barbara. What you are about to see will shock you. You won't like it. None of us will. But we thought you deserved to know." said Claire.
Barbara nodded, obviously still terrified but trying to hide it.
With a sigh, Claire led the others through into the infirmary.
Claire saw Blinky huddled over the only occupied bed. She rushed over to him and asked, "Is everything okay? Will he... will he make it?"
Blinky smiled. "Our beloved Trollhunter will survive the ordeal. His wound is treated and he is getting along as he should be. However, he is in an extremely weakened state. He will not be allowed to leave for quite some time."
Claire sighed and looked at the once strong boy. "Alive. That's all we can ask for at the moment."
Toby and Barbara joined them. The latter had still not seen who the current subject of worried conversation was. "So, who did you want..." she ended her sentence with a gasp. "Jim!" she cried, shoving Blinky out of the way and huddling over her son. "Why? What happened? What did those trolls do to him?" she started sobbing into her son's chest, which was rising and falling much more evenly.
"We need to talk," said Claire.