Claire watched as Jim was marched to the deeps. They're going to kill him. My boyfriend. The man who saved my brother. And he's not even a troll.
Jim had never asked for this. None of them had. And now he was being judged for saving a human.
Saving her brother. Claire had made her preparations, but she hadn't said anything. She hadn't wanted to do this. But…
"Stop!" she shouted.
"The judgment has been made, human. You have no say in this." Usurna smirked down at her.
Claire felt like she was about to piss herself. But she forced any tremors out of her voice. "What about the United States government. Or the United Nations. Because if you send Jim down there, they'll know about it."
Suddenly, the room became absolutely silent.
"We've helped you, we've fought for you, we've bled for you. My brother was taken because of your war." Claire said, her fury boiling up, overwhelming any fear she felt. "And now you want to sentence Jim to death! No. Not unless you want a bigger war than even Gunmar could give you."
"You do not have that power," Usurna said. "You're just a child."
"Who has been collecting information since this trial started. Who has emails and letters ready to go, especially if we don't come back," Claire snarled back. "How many of you know about the Internet? How many trolls know enough to avoid cell phones and cameras?" She smiled. "And even if they don't believe me fully, there's enough information that they'll check, and what do you think the world will do, the moment they find out about the trolls who eat humans." Claire looked around at the frozen room. "Jim never asked for this. None of us did. He has saved Trollmarket not once, but twice, and this is the thanks he gets?"
"Claire—don't—"
"Jim, no! This is no time for you to be self-sacrificing. That almost killed you when you saved Enrique." She looked up at Usurna. "Here's how its going to be. We leave. Forever. We're done with you and you're done with us. If anything happens to us, you get to read about the trolls on the front page of the New York Times, and the next people to come visit won't be nearly as polite."
"You dare," Usurna's voice was a hiss.
"I dare," Claire quietly said. She pulled out the horngazel and let it fall to the ground. "And you have a decision to make."
"You are banished—" Usurna seemed barely able to form words in her fury. "You will be killed on site if you ever return to trollmarket, and any troll who so much as acknowledges your name shall be treated as a traitor. You are cast out!"
Claire new trollish, and the words were far more than what they sounded like in English. It was as close to a formal excommunication as a troll could get, a punishment worse than death. The trolls turned away. Those who had supported them, who had been their friends, hesitated, and then, shame on their faces, they too turned again. Vendel paused, shook his head.
"So be it," the elder troll said. "I cannot fault your decision, fair Claire. Farewell." And with that, he turned.
"I—"
Claire looked at Blinky and Aaarrrgggghhh. "You know what you have to do."
"I cannot."
"But you must." Claire shook her head, and walked to Jim's cage, struggling with the locks, until a stunned Toby came to help her. Their two closest friends were still looking at them.
"We've been cast out," Claire said. "But it's worth it. Good bye, Mr. Blinky."
"No…" Jim said. "I am…I have to be the trollhunter."
Blinky took a shuddering breath. "But you cannot be one here. Usurna will kill you if you remain. There have been cases of this in the past—the trollhunter was exiled, and we simply awaited the return of his amulet, though never for such a petty reason." He looked up at the ranked trolls. "Master Jim, I believe I shall accompany you—"
"Me too," Aaarrrggghhh said.
"But you couldn't—Blinky, that's centuries! You'll be exiled even after we're dust!" Claire burst out. She hadn't expected that.
"I find the company here to be less than congenial," Blinky said. "I will not miss it, and there are trollish communities that do not heed Usurna's rulings. Regardless, we best be off."
"Right."
"But without the horngazel…" Jim fell silent as Claire summoned a portal.
"It's too my room. I have an anchor, and believe me," she looked around the chamber at the trolls, backs turned on them, many of them trolls Jim had saved, "I have more than enough in the way of negative emotions now."