Greetings all. I hope this chapter finds you well. Without further ado, let's get going.
Chapter 4
A Dangerous Mineral
"I'm so done. These creeps waltz into New Jersey acting like the next big thing, attack my best friend, and have the gall to say they're the protectors of humanity? And then they threaten my Wingman!?" Toby slammed his hands on the table. "James, have you heard of these posers?"
The phone was quiet for a time, and all they heard was the sound of a goat bleating. Then at last a response came. "I know Lancelot was pretty torn up when I left. And he and Merlin definitely butted heads. I had heard about him organizing groups to protect the land, but that wasn't a strange idea. The Gumm-Gumms were a real threat for hundreds of years, and a single Trollhunter wasn't going to be able to defend all of them. So the idea that the 'Trollslayers' is a thing doesn't shock me. It does shock me that they'd still exist. Fifteen hundred years is a long time, and they've been quiet if it's been ongoing. They've been in the game a while; it's no wonder they knew how to lure Jim in."
Toby glared at the mark on Aaarrrgghh's hand. His friend hadn't looked away from it after hearing what it meant. His green eyes were unfocused, distant. The thought that the troll was remembering things that Gunmar had made him do, had poisoned his mind into thinking, made him want to scream. "I just don't get it. They can't just assume that because trolls have made mistakes they're bad or can't have changed!" He pushed Aaarrrgghh's side, hugging him tightly. "Dude, I don't care what that mark says. You're one of us. Don't let some glow-in-the-dark magic bother you."
Aaarrrgghh turned and nuzzled the top of Toby's head. "Can't change past. Mark is reminder. But Aaarrrgghh glad Toby still feels the same." Toby just hugged tighter until it hurt his arms, as if being hurt himself could draw some of the pain from his friend.
Jim and Claire both had pensive looks on their faces. "Of course we feel the same, Aaarrrgghh," Claire said. She leaned against Jim, putting her head on his shoulder. "You've more than proven how much you care about humans and trolls. You're our family. I just don't know how we're supposed to react to this threat. I think all the new trolls are trustworthy, but if some of them eat humans it could really be a huge problem. For the trolls as well as us."
Blinky had the tips of his fingers pressed thoughtfully together. "For now let us continue with heightened security. If they're true to their word, we will prove ourselves peaceful and perhaps find a way to get a treaty in place. If not, we'll consider our options."
"If these golems let up, maybe I can come over and persuade them to pull their heads out of their a-holes," James said. Everyone blinked at the phone. "Sorry, trying to set a good example for Mordred. When he learns a new word he just asks what it means in front of anyone. It's a little embarrassing to be asked what the f-bomb means in a public grocery. Did you get my notes about the golems? The stone sample came from one of them."
"Yes. That is another cause for concern, as if we didn't already have enough." Blinky turned to his workbench, opening a cardboard box. A green light shone out of it and he winced. "Ah, yes, hm. That's definitely putrestone."
"What do you mean? What's putrestone?" Jim approached to look into the box, Claire beside him. "Just looks like a glowing green rock. I like how that's something completely ordinary to me now."
"One of a very few minerals that can harm trolls. Its properties are harmless to humans, but if a troll holds it with his or her bare stone, it starts burning quite painfully. Prolonged exposure can cause one's stone to eat away, rather like rot or acid." Blinky put the lid back on. "I haven't seen a sample in some time. Trolls are careful to destroy it wherever we find it, as it has a very low melting point. Even a bonfire can break it down if stoked enough." Toby was quietly relieved – if there was one thing they had with Draig around, it was firepower. The golems would go down like butter on hot toast. "I don't know where there would be enough to create that many golems."
"So someone is making golems out of troll kryptonite. Great. We've killed over twenty at this point, and I'm pretty concerned about the trolls that chose to stay here. The golems keep popping up and dragging us all over the place." James sighed, a crackle over the phone. "Eli's still pretty freaked out about his magic. Mordred's trying to make him feel better, but I think he's scared he's going to sprout trees in dangerous places or they'll go all Evil Dead or something. To be fair, he is sprouting trees in the living room."
Claire tapped her fingers uneasily on Blinky's workbench. "So he got upset and his magic kicked in? That just seems so sudden."
"He'll probably be coming to talk to Merlin soon, and Steve's tagging along. So is Mordred. Steve doesn't trust Merlin not to eat Eli if I'm honest." James muttered soothingly to what sounded like a cat. "By the way, kids, excellent job graduating. Barb sent me the video, I'm really proud of you guys. After all this calms down we'll need to celebrate."
"Thanks Dad. And thanks for watching after Arcadia." Jim absently drew his hand up Claire's arm, and it seemed to calm her. Toby knew the feeling – sometimes he and Darci just touched hands and it was enough. It was a strange knowledge of the other person, knowing what could ease their minds. "I don't like all of this happening at once. It just doesn't seem like it could be a coincidence. Do you think maybe the Trollslayers are making golems?"
"If so it's a good plan to keep attention divided. I don't dare leave Arcadia Oaks until we put a stop to them. Wherever the source is, even Draig hasn't been able to find it," James replied. Toby couldn't help but think of Darci again – she'd just started college, and the thought of golems tramping around town made his throat seal shut. Her father had insisted she spend one year locally before transferring to a larger university, which Toby suspected was partly for in-state rates for gen eds, and mostly for him to be able to spend one more year with his daughter locally.
"Let me know if you need backup," Toby said, unable to shake the thought of buildings being knocked in by golems.
"Will do bud. I have to head out," James said suddenly. "Keep me posted about this group and I'll do the same regarding Eli and the golems. If they make a move call me."
They bade him farewell, Blinky hanging up. "I'll stoke a fire to get rid of this. The last thing we need is for it to take root and start growing." He trotted over to the corner where his fireplace crackled gently, moving some coals around with his bare hands. Jim picked up the stone, turning it over curiously before dumping it into the flames. It seared bright and then melted into what looked like a pile of molten glass.
"Easy to get rid of as long as it doesn't get entrenched in an area," Blinky said, crossing his arms sternly. "I'll see if I can't dig up some information about the movements of these Trollslayers; perhaps history will give us a decent reference point on how to progress. At the very least they don't kill indiscriminately like Bular or Gunmar."
"Thank goodness for small graces." Claire sighed. "I guess we should talk to the people that have arrived in New Trollmarket over the past few months. I hate to even think about it, but if some of them have eaten humans recently and don't have a problem with it, the market might not be safe."
Jim's expression was pained and Toby felt Aaarrrgghh rumble with agreement. "Those that have done it and regret it will understand. Need to find out each person story. Important to consider each one separately," the troll said firmly.
"Let's keep this part quiet for now. Last thing we need is people getting all judge-y and scared because of a magic mark made by people that don't even like trolls." Toby gave Aaarrrgghh a final, warm nudge. "I feel like if they'll talk to anyone about difficult pasts, it would be you. I'll help you when I get back, Nana's got her annual checkup and needs a lift." Aaarrrgghh smiled and Toby glanced at Jim. "What about you two?"
"I guess we'll let Merlin know what we heard, see if he has any other defensive tricks up his sleeve. Is Mom coming back soon?" Jim asked.
"Indeed. I believe she's bringing a few items with her, specifically for Mynah." Blinky gave Claire, Jim, and Toby a fond look each. "Don't look so dour children. We've gone through more difficult situations than this!"
Nomura enjoyed her job very much. A museum employee was the perfect career for someone that had seen more history than the average human and had an excellent memory. It wasn't director – not yet at any rate – but to be surrounded by art and history gave her a joy that little else could touch. Save for some Tchaikovsky and Wagner, anyway. The janitor wheeled past her as she entered, smiling at her. Nomura greeted him warmly and continued on.
She always put forth a reserved, gentle face at her job, and it pleased the actress in her that so many found her approachable. It was nice to be liked by the average passerby. In these tall rooms with tasteful art and glass display cases, she was an authority and a knowledgeable one. It wasn't like Trollmarket, where she might be given a dirty look.
It wasn't that things hadn't improved. Time had decreased the suspicion, the venom, but Nomura still felt that separated oddness that came from being a former agent of Gunmar. She spent comparatively little time in the market – as a human she had a life, an apartment, coworkers. And in either form she had Little Gynt and the others. So to be frank, life could be much worse. She might even say it was the best it had ever been. But she was loathe to even think that – it was when one was happiest that things went wrong, always.
Her phone buzzed and she glanced around for patrons before taking it out of her pant pocket. Blinky had texted her. "Do you know anything about troll hunting groups? Sounds like they are as old as they claim."
Nomura frowned. "Not really. But check the Dishonorable Bodus's note on changeling history. There are a few hundred years where trolls had a lot of human conflicts, enough that even changelings were drawn into it. Might have something."
"As always your intellect is invaluable. Thank you Nomura." She couldn't help but read the message several times, enjoying the feeling that came with a smart troll calling her intelligent. Blinky was quite learned, after all. She didn't let it go beyond that; she'd done a very good job of pretending that embarrassing little head bump had never happened, and part of her hoped that Blinky had forgotten it entirely. And the other part of her that hadn't minded it needed to shut up because it was distracting and annoying.
She pushed the thoughts aside as a familiar figure entered the room, talking on his phone and laughing. The director was a friendly man, shorter than she with a wide smile and a sharp wit. "Ah, Ms. Nomura. Perfect. We've got quite the bit of news. Come along, come and see our geology exhibit! We've got something new!"
"Oh really?" Nomura didn't generally go out of her way to like people, especially average humans, but she was not-not fond of the director. He put his phone away as they went. "Where did it come from?"
"That's the darnedest thing. There was an estate sale not long ago for a building – I think it used to be apartments. Anyway, they had a very unusual stone in the cellar of it." He led the way into the cool, bright room where they housed fossils and minerals. Her changeling nature found it a little amusing how interested by rocks some humans could be when they knew so little of their true nature. "Analysis shows it's from New Jersey soil, but it's the craziest thing you've ever seen! It's a yellow crystal with the most interesting sheen! Almost looks like it'd glow if it was cut right."
Nomura blinked hard. "…Really."
"Yeah, go figure. The guy who bought the place out was kind enough to donate it to us – though the tax break he'll get sure doesn't hurt matters. The building was on Marshall Street, empty as you can imagine. Company that was leasing it liquidated in a matter of days." A entire building leaving? Nomura's heart sank; that was suspicious. In a way that sounded familiar to a changeling that had been pushed to relocate several times in her life. "Ah, here!"
Nomura stared at the glass case and the object inside. It was a hunk of stone as large as her torso, weighty and holding a vibrant, gleaming sheen. Thankfully a human could not possibly detect the faint energy rolling off it.
A chunk of heartstone. That was a chunk of raw, unfinished heartstone. "Might be radioactive. Is it safe?"
"They've done preliminary tests, it's not radioactive. The analysts are saying this might be an entire new type of mineral, previously undiscovered," he enthused. "They're going to do a more in-depth study on it. Might even pull in some real researchers. But they were gracious enough to let us hang onto it for the event tomorrow evening."
"Not to be a Debbie Downer, but it could be something the people living there made artificially." If she was right, changelings had dug it up. Probably had a plan to refine it, use it for something. Then the familiars were rescued and survival became the only task. Hence abandoning the unrefined piece.
"Well, it still looks interesting. Between you and me, people like shiny rocks that look unusual. And as long as it doesn't hurt anyone, I'm okay with them being more interested in that than the founding of the colony. Might help keep this place open." He grinned at her.
Nomura crossed her arms. "So, any more news about the fundraiser event?"
"We're making a big to-do for it, local papers, blogs, everything. It might be a good chance to get people to care about a museum again," he said. It was also a good chance to open the human world up to information that might make it more possible to find trolls, she added mentally. "If you've got some friends that would be interested, please invite them. There's always the new dinosaur fossils, some local artists will have their work up in the lobby…it should be a fun evening."
Nomura glanced back at the chunk of heartstone as he led the way out of the room. With a swift motion she snapped a picture on her phone before stowing it back in her pocket.
"Well, at least we know a little more now." Strickler looked up from his list of contacts. The infirmary was empty that morning, and so it was a perfect place to gather while he rested from his scouting venture for the day. Barbara was at his side, looking at his phone with him, and Jim stood with Nomura and Merlin, examining the picture Nomura had taken. Claire had gone to help Kim prepare for a theatre production – at the unrelenting urging of Jim, Blinky, and everyone else to go and do something that could take her mind off the situation – and Toby was still out with his Nana. "I got in touch with one of the agents. As it turns out they were indeed digging for heartstone ore. Aside from the viable stone we found, there have been a few other stones in the juvenile phase."
"In English honey." Barbara patted between his shoulder blades. She looked young in yellow and wore a knitted sweater and blue jeans. Her hands smelled of latex gloves and the hospital – she'd come over fresh off overnight call, and her sleepy eyes were sweet. He shifted over on the cot he'd commandeered for a seat and she sat beside him, head falling on his shoulder.
"Given a hundred years, there were a few more stones that might have formed heartstones that could one day work. I assume this one was dug up by changelings attempting to study heartstone energy and replicating it." Strickler paused to sip at his coffee. He'd pulled a late night grading the changeling children's projects before going straight into scouting the entire day. Barbara reached for the mug and took a sip too. "When they couldn't take human form anymore they fled underground immediately. I would highly recommend removing the heartstone and quickly."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Jim studied the picture on Nomura's phone. "A gruesome coming after a troll's arm was bad enough, I don't want to think about something being attracted to a chunk of raw heartstone. Can we make a decent fake?"
Merlin grunted. "Certainly. Get some quartz, maybe citrine for color…I can certainly whip up an approximation. One that won't register magic." He fished around in his trench coat pockets – Strickler didn't know where the man had found a love of the things but he wore them everywhere. Along with a tourist's cap he'd gotten in Europe. Strickler thought it looked a little ridiculous, but then, that suited the wizard. "I can have it ready in a few hours. I'm more worried about these Trollslayers at the moment. And the boy that's friends with Mordred…what's his name…Eddie?"
"Eli." Jim gave Nomura her phone back. "Merlin, did you know the Trollslayers existed?"
"In Lancelot's day, certainly. That young man was better at hitting things than thinking, and he had a charismatic way about him. Quite a few promising young wizards joined his defense group. I'm rather afraid we had a falling out when he found out I had been less than honest with Arthur. He was always terribly fond of him. I worked with the trolls over the next few centuries, and the task force targeted Gumm-Gumms, so we were technically allies. Whatever they've been up to in the past few centuries is another story." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Curious that they would appear the same time as the golems."
Nomura grunted dismissively. "Might be liars and just hate trolls. But I had an idea as far as getting the heartstone piece out." She held up two tickets and Strickler squinted to read them. "I can't do it on my own, I'll have to distract guests. But if you and Claire come to the event," she continued, looking at Jim, "I think we can get it switched without anyone being the wiser."
Jim accepted them, turning them over. "Wouldn't it be easier to break in at night?"
"They'll be working and setting up all night. And it's getting shipped out for further analysis after the event. Best chance is at a party with too many people to pick one out in a crowd. And cocktails."
"Should we ask Toby to go as well? What if those Trollslayers show up?" Barbara asked. "They can track Jim when he's outside the market."
"He'll be in public and I'll be there with them. I don't think they'll be stupid enough to attack in a public place, especially after stating their case." Nomura smirked. "Besides, it's formal wear. I think Claire might like the chance to dress up and parade Jim around in a tux."
Jim's mouth twisted. "Very funny. But thank you Nomura. I'll let her know and see what she thinks once she's off work. Merlin, need any help with making the stone?"
"No, I've got it handled. I'll have it ready by tomorrow." Merlin seemed distracted, staring at the wall. "It'll be something. Having Mordred visit for more than a few hours. Won't it?"
Strickler glanced at Barbara, who shook her head slightly. There was little sympathy in her eyes – he knew full well that her anger with Merlin, while eased, was still a hot coal that burned hotter some days than others. "I think it'll be good for him to visit. For you both to help Eli. Are you going to show him how to control his abilities?" Jim asked.
"Yes, I'll give him some pointers." Merlin clapped briskly. "I'll go work on that stone now. I'll even see if I can't make something that might fuzz up any cameras in the museum."
He headed out of the infirmary and Strickler smiled at Barbara. "I do believe Merlin is excited."
Barbara gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't add to the list of things to be nervous of dear, we've got quite enough."
They kept killing her golems. That was not unanticipated, but it was annoying.
The ruins of Heartstone Trollmarket had only the smallest, faintest buzz of magic. Nothing but the empty crystal and stone of what had once been full of light and energy.
She sensed the Lady in the air. Her magic perfumed that dry, dusty place, had made it rich and beautiful once. On hard, clicking steps she wandered the broken place. She found a good spot – it might have once been a study, for there were burnt books and ash that looked like it might have been pages and parchments. Her chest was a quiet, whirling pool of green, made up by the Fetch. She reached into it and withdrew a fist full of small, black crystals. Then she began pulling off pieces of her own stone, bright green shards.
In a few minutes there were a dozen golems. "I need time. Keep them occupied, keep them out," she whispered. They lumbered away, heading for the exit that led to the canal.
A piece of heartstone would be hers soon. But she needed more information. She found the hole she'd been digging in the library, seeking a new shelf. So much of it was destroyed, but if she could only find a little information it would be worth the stone shed for the golems keeping the humans above ground and patrolling Arcadia.
An hour passed as she searched, then two. She felt one golem die, and another. But at the death of the fifth she discovered what she needed; a volume about magic and portals, only half-burned away. She skimmed it before deciding it was time to go – she had to be ready.
She took the book and disappeared in a flash of green light. The golems fought until they were all dead, and no one knew that there had been an intruder once again in the dead remnants of Heartstone Trollmarket.
"I feel like James Bond or something. Minus the womanizing," Jim added, a tiny crystal in his pocket, ready to be swapped with the chunk of heartstone. His collar was snug – he tugged at it a little, feeling a bit silly. He could hear Claire walking around in her bedroom as she changed.
"There better not be any womanizing," she called through the door, sounding amused. When she spoke again she sounded more serious. "I don't like the Trollslayers being able to track you when you're outside of Trollmarket. I'm with your mom on this."
"We'll be in public – secrecy is important to them too, so I don't think they'll make a move. I personally don't like the idea of them tracking me to your apartment."
"Which is why I put a ward in here," she replied smartly. "If they have any brains they'll stay away from us period. Otherwise they'll find out exactly how dangerous a Nuñez woman is."
Jim paced across the room, looking at the pictures of Enrique on her walls. Over the years they had added more and more, and he was glad to see Claire featured in ones where he was older. Walter Jr cropped up too, and he knew she kept pictures of NotEnrique in her drawer – one couldn't very well explain those photographs if a guest entered the living room. She'd taken pains to spend more time with her family; after the first six months when she stayed by his side, supporting him through the darkest part of his life, she'd fought to get balance back. And it made him proud to see her balance her work, her passion for the theatre, and her family – both troll and human – so well.
And even then, she made time for him. A picture of the two of them from their second anniversary drew his eye. It hadn't been anything too out there, just a movie and dinner. Her face was flushed with color and they were both grinning – the movie had been horribly dumb, so bad it was good. And dinner had been fine, but she'd whispered as they left that she was sure he could have made a soufflé even better than the one in the restaurant. He'd taken her up on the challenge and, as it turned out, even a fallen soufflé was delicious. It had been a wonderful evening.
There was never a day when he wasn't grateful for the work his family and friends had put into the changeling stone. Because of it, he didn't have to wonder what it felt like to fall asleep on the couch with Claire snuggled into his side comfortably, without worrying about how awkward it was to lean up against a literal stone. He didn't have to wish he could take her to dinner, to a movie, anything. If she got sick and had to go to the pharmacy, he was right there with her. He didn't have to miss how the sun picked out the tiniest freckles on her nose. When she had a play, he didn't have to hide in rafters. He could watch her from the audience, applaud like anyone. And when her eyes spotted him when the actors took a bow, that glow in them…it was perfect.
He pulled himself out of his reverie. "I think we should all move in pairs as much as possible. Just to be safe." Jim fiddled with the bow tie, glad that Strickler for one knew how to tie one. The door to Claire's bedroom squeaked open and he turned. "Ready to…?"
His question trailed into silence. Claire was resplendent in black, the evening gown strapless and stretching down to her ankles. A modest slit in the side revealed one leg and high heels, and her lipstick was a deep, muted red. She'd let her hair down and it all tumbled around her shoulders, framing her face. "What do you think?" she asked, turning in place. "Too much? Too little? I've been dying to wear it but I never had a reason."
Jim blinked hard. "I think Jim dot E-X-E stopped working." She snorted with laughter. "You…wow." He reached out and she took his hand, stepping close enough for him to catch the scent of her perfume and see the shine of her earrings. "I just…I don't even know what to say. You look amazing."
"I normally don't?" she asked archly, but he saw the joke in the way her smile quirked.
"Of course you do. But this is special." Jim lowered his head and she tilted her chin enough to meet him in a kiss, long and slow. She twined her arms around his neck, and Jim wrapped her waist in his arms, pulling her against him. When their mouths parted he was breathless.
"Oh." She stifled a laugh. "I forgot the lipstick, you've got…hang, on, I'll get a tissue."
Jim grinned, cradling her face in a hand. "Maybe one more of those first?" She smirked mischievously and kissed him again before stepping back and fetching a tissue, dabbing his mouth clean. "Not my color I guess?"
"Mm, no, not quite." She went back to the bathroom to check her makeup. "I think I'm ready if you are. A night of scandal and espionage in fine dress…it's not what we're used to, is it?"
"'Scandal' huh? Sounds fun." Jim brought her jacket and helped her into it.
"Well, what would you call stealing an item from a museum?" She zipped up her jacket and Jim offered her his arm. She looped her hand into the crook of his elbow. "Let's go Mr. Lake."
"As you wish Ms. Nuñez." He escorted her out of her apartment, amulet tucked safety in his jacket pocket and Claire walking close to him.
"You're sure it's heartstone?" The questioner didn't bother injecting any civility into his tone. Victoria's hands formed fists in her lap.
"Victoria has the greatest observation skills of any of us, and she would never come forward unless she was sure." Lance looked up from the picture, fixing the dissenter with a look that had made trolls cower. "Tell the others. I want to see this for myself. And I'm sure the trolls will be interested in it, the Trollhunter is moving in that region of the city."
The man inclined his head and left, and Victoria tried not to be too pleased when Lance returned his gaze to her. "It'll be a good opportunity to see how they handle a supernatural item in a human city." She sat beside him – while traveling they often stayed in hotels, and he always picked a room that was very basic for himself. He had no less than six protective wards going around the rooms for the others. She could feel the magic on him like the heat from a fire. The coffee maker beeped and he took the pot, pouring a cup for her before himself.
"It will. And we'll be right here if something goes wrong." He absently passed her the ceramic container for creamer and sugar. "It's the purple, not the pink. I know you hate that artificial sweetener." Victoria glowed; he remembered little details without even trying. She accepted the sugar and poured it into her mug.
"I believe they're sincere," she said at last, stirring her cup. "I've been researching the Trollhunter. Some of the troll accounts we've discovered are dismissive due to his kind nature and 'creative' way of dealing with enemies."
"He doesn't kill every foe and suddenly he's a weakling." Lance made a disgusted noise. "I could well believe a troll would feel that way."
"But others are inspired. I wonder if we're on the edge of a breakthrough for troll society and cultural norms." She was cautiously optimistic about the idea. Lance rested his chin on his hand.
"I have to be honest," he said quietly. "He's powerful. He could have killed one or two of us. Might have overwhelmed us. He doesn't know how to fight magic and he held back; those are the only reasons we contained him. Not to make light of your skills."
"No, I agree. If he hadn't care about life, I at least would have been badly hurt." She rubbed her bandage. "Well, more hurt. I think you could have gone toe to toe with him, but the rest of us…no, we're fortunate he is what he is." Victoria folded her hands, settling them on the table. "He's definitely not a conventional troll warrior."
"What of the transmutation? Why did that occur?"
"We've confirmed Merlin is alive and created the potion that caused it. Different accounts indicate that the Trollhunter utilized it of his own volition…mostly." She gave him a look. "I don't know how willingly a frightened, bound sixteen-year-old can undergo what basically accounts to an unholy baptism, but Merlin didn't physically shove him under."
"He never does. He lets his puppets act as they like, with just the faintest tug on the strings." She was quiet; Lance had internalized the hatred his ancestor bore against the wizard, and it didn't seem wise to push. "I assume it was so he would have the physical force needed to kill Gunmar? To fit his prophecies?"
"Perhaps. Foresight's a terrible thing to have. To see what might be, but think you can't change it. It might very well make a person unable to relate to others on a meaningful level if given its head." She'd done studies on the magic and found the support for absolute accuracy in prognostication very wanting. "He was wrong about his magic – Morganna had commandeered it from within the heartstone. And he has no idea of the magic research and discovery that's occurred over the centuries, so I think we can label him as moderately dangerous."
Lance smiled. It was a rare thing and it made her heart skip. "You're the most brilliant of us Victoria. I don't know what we'd do without your sober analysis."
"Well, I suppose it's a good thing you don't have to worry about being without it." She stood up. "It's a formal affair. We should get going."
"You're right." Lance stood and Victoria dared to brush a little lint off his suit sleeve. "Let's observe this Trollhunter and his comrades. See how they operate."
End of Chapter 4
