Salutations readers! Another chapter is here. Features a snippet of the "Tiddleypom" song from A.A. Milnes' The House at Pooh Corner which I can lay no copyright claim to.


Chapter 9

Home and Heroics


Barbara Lake knew for a fact that Claire Nuñez was as big a worrier as she was. The girl hadn't sat in the gyre for longer than a second before shooting to her feet. "Maybe this is a bad idea. Do you think maybe I should-?"

"Claire. Honey. Sit down." She obeyed reluctantly, clutching her purse in her lap. "The others will be fine for two days."

"But what if more stalklings move in? Or maybe a gruesome? I know, I know, Jim can handle things like that, and Toby and the others will help if something happens." Claire buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I must sound like a control freak."

"You sound like a worried woman. It's what we do." Barbara paused as the gyre rocked. "I really appreciate you being there for Jim. You two are very close. But you need to take time to spend with your family. Jim wants you to be happy and healthy and balanced." She wrapped an arm around Claire's shoulders. "I promise, you'll make him so much happier coming back after some rest with your parents and Enrique."

"You're right Dr. Lake." Claire breathed deeply and tried to relax, and Barbara felt the tension in her back ease. "I'm glad you came. You just get these things."

"Call me Barbara. And you don't get to be a single mother of a sixteen-year-old boy without reading a lot of child rearing books." She leaned her head back against the seat. "I'll worry about the teeth. You just spend time with your family."

"Thank you Barbara. I'm looking forward to seeing them." Claire paused. "Um, so, you're going to get his baby teeth."

"Yes, I keep them in my dresser." Barbara tilted her head. "Something on your mind?"

"Well…it's just…do you keep any other stuff in there? Like…baby pictures?"

Barbara barely held a laugh back. "You know Jim would be extremely embarrassed if I showed his girlfriend his baby pictures."

The silence was broken only by the gyre's motions as they pelted back toward Arcadia. Then, Claire cleared her throat. "Can I still see them?"

"Absolutely."

Claire grinned. "Yay."


"Mi preciosa pequeña princesa! Papá te ha extrañado tanto!" Claire shrieked and threw her arms around her father's neck, letting him pick her up and spin her like she was a little girl. He planted a kiss on her cheek and immediately searched her eyes. "You are much too thin. Beautiful as the dawn, but thin. You haven't been eating chorizo."

"Papa, no chorizo in the world is as good as yours. I'm too spoiled to eat it anywhere else." She hugged him tight, the smell of his aftershave so familiar that it stabbed her heart.

"Well it's good you visited then. Because I am going to cook a feast tonight." He released her at last, beckoning her inside. She passed the front door and the smell of home, of her mother's perfume and the detergent they used and her father's preferred air fresheners, overwhelmed her. "Come, your mother will want to see you. And Enrique has grown so much in the past few months."

Mom stood at the sink, up to her elbows in sudsy water. "Javier, who was at the door?" She turned and her hands shot to cover her mouth. "Claire! Oh honey, I didn't realize you would be here so early! And I was just about to make guacamole…"

Claire bounded over and kissed her mother, ignoring the soap getting all over her jacket. "I'm so glad to see you Mom. Where's Enrique? How has everything been? I need details!"

The sound of a baby fussing made her release her mother. "Is that Enrique?"

"Oh no, that's Walter Jr. He loves snuggles." Mom dried her hands and led Claire into the living room. A playpen was set up and beside it was a cradle, with a small baby inside. He babbled and reached for them and Claire spied a blond head of hair in the pen as Enrique hauled himself onto his feet. He wore blue overalls and a red shirt, and he pointed at her and screeched in delight.

"Mi hermanito! Oh, you're getting so big and handsome!" Claire darted in and swept him up, smooching him. Enrique babbled and cooed, and Claire set him on her hip. "I know, I've missed you too."

"Claire, tell us all about Hoboken." Dad picked up Walter Jr. and blew a raspberry, making the baby cackle. "We want to hear all about the city, and how the trolls are doing, and how we can help them. Isn't that right? Yes it is!"

Her father could be such a goof. Seeing him with a baby had been the funniest thing when Enrique was born. Claire dandled Enrique, bouncing him with a grin. In spite of missing Jim and the others already, it was wonderful to be with her family.

For some reason she imagined Jim there with her, making Enrique laugh. Sitting down to dinner with them. Then the thought changed into him a few years older, holding a dark-haired baby, playing with it just like her father played with Walter Jr. Claire blushed – she got sentimental on her monthly. And babies made her goofy too.

She carried Enrique back to the kitchen, ready to tear into a pile of guac.


"A tourney of two is not as exciting as a tourney of four." Toby's character veered around the screen, grabbing sushi rolls with ease. "Aaarrrgghh really loves the hot springs here. He's conked out." The sound of the troll snoring drowned out the Japanese-themed tune and Jim shook his head.

"Sorry Tobes. Blinky said he might join us tomorrow. I think he was too excited by the phoenix tears to pay attention to a game." Jim didn't watch much television, but there were several screens in New Trollmarket. Trolls had a peculiar love of white noise, and it had been easy enough to commandeer one set to plug in Toby's game. Aaarrrgghh had made himself comfortable, barely able to keep his eyes open after a nice hot soak to wash the smell of lava and sulfur away. "It's nice of Strickler to scout the area. It's been so much easier to get things done with you guys helping."

"Friendly neighborhood Toby-man at your service." Toby seemed bored as they played, restless. "You know what? Claire's back in Arcadia, Blinky is busy, and Aaarrrgghh is taking a nap. I say we have some fun. Stupid, reckless fun."

Jim looked up from the screen. He sucked at Go-Go Sushi, whether he looked or not. Toby's focus was unbroken as he spoke. "What do you mean exactly?"

Toby shrugged. "Go out in disguise, maybe punch out some muggers. Play pranks. Just dumb stuff. Like the time we went hog wild after Señor Uhl's little incident with my breakfast burrito." He nabbed a spicy tuna roll and Jim's character caught on fire after accidentally catching a blob of wasabi.

"Sounds risky. What if I'm spotted?" Jim didn't think he'd ever get used to four fingers on one hand and five on the other. The controller was cumbersome without symmetry.

"That's kind of what makes it stupid and fun." Toby caught a wasabi and Jim knew he'd done it on purpose to even their scores. "You've gotta cut loose in a good way. You build all that up and you'll snap."

"And risk blowing troll secrecy? No way." But the allure of the city, the lights, seeing new people, weighed on his chest. He couldn't go out and risk everyone's safety, but then, if he wore thick enough clothing, and they avoided enough humans…

"Okay, here's the plan. I wear enough stuff to cover me and follow along on rooftops. I can make it from one to the other pretty easy. When we're far enough from other humans, I'll jump down. No going in buildings or anything for me. And we're only going out for a few hours. Got it?"

Toby nodded and won the round with a golden sashimi roll. "Excellent. Let's go then."

"What? Right now?" Toby put down the controller and stretched, like an athlete cooling down after a long sprint.

"Well yeah. We need to get to the city, so we'll need to find a mode of transport. Not all of us can run faster than Usain Bolt." Toby picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. "Any ideas?"

"I can get us to the city. We're only about eight miles out. Give me a second."

Within five minutes they were at the door of New Trollmarket, Jim feeling stupid in a heavy hoodie, baggy pants – it was the only way to cover the armor – and boots. Thinking of his mother he had the blue hat on, though it was impossible to see under his hood. A scarf and sunglasses covered his face, and he felt Toby tremor with barely contained snickers. "I immediately regret my decision."

"No, no, it's cool. Sorry, I just…it's the sunglasses, they kind of make me think of the Invisible Man." Toby contained himself and swiped the opening with the horngazel. The night's chill hit them and Toby shivered as they stepped out onto the rocks and the doorway closed behind them. "So, how are we getting to the city?"

The night air felt good and Jim lowered the scarf enough to inhale it deeply. "Climb on." He knelt and patted his back. Toby stared.

"Look, Jimbo, I'm a hefty dude, I've accepted that. I don't think that's a good idea."

"Tobes, I have thrown a stalkling into a tree and broken the trunk. Trust me, I can carry you like nothing." Toby slowly obeyed, hanging on like a panda getting a piggyback ride. Jim stood easily, scanning the rocks and the hills. To get to the road they would have to get down them, something that easily took experienced hikers an hour in the day. "Don't let go, okay?"

"Jim that does not instill confidence in me-eeeeee!" Toby trailed off with a scream as Jim hurled himself down the rocks, landing easily twenty feet from their original spot. "Holy crap, holy crap!" Jim gave him a second to recover and leaped again, heading for the tree line. When they reached the trees he took to the branches, knowing he would have to get through about a mile of them to reach the road. "Why does Twilight make it sound all romantic and peaceful to be carried through the woods, this is terrifying!"

Jim snorted. "Hang on Bella." The trees were a blur as he crossed the forest, enjoying the power that made it so easy. There were definite perks to troll form, he would not deny it.

He smelled the road before he saw it, exhaust and pavement and the rubber of tires. He halted on a thick bough just beside it, and in the distance he saw Hoboken gleaming. "Now we wait."

"For me to lose my Nougat Nummies?" Toby readjusted his grip. "You ever take Claire out like this?"

"Once or twice. I uh…carried her though. In my arms. I didn't think you'd find that appealing."

"You are correct." Toby peered down the road. "Cars come this late at night?"

Jim waited. The rumble of a great weight reached him. "Usually shipment trucks. Which is what I'm banking on." The large shape rolled toward them with groaning tires and he gauged the speed of it. "Okay, hang on, in three…two…one…now!"

He sprang again and landed atop the truck's container, boots muffling the weight to a dull thud. The truck never slowed and Jim relaxed as he gained his footing. "Okay. You can get down now."

"I can't feel my hands. Help." Jim helped Toby remove himself and the boy sat, shaking. "That was scary. But cool. Hopefully I'll get the feeling back in my legs soon." He looked over the edge carefully. "You do this a lot?"

"Only if I have reason to think goblins are pestering the city. It's a big place, I can't go running through it. I've only been there a couple times." Jim sat cross-legged, enjoying the breeze. "So what's the plan?"

"People watching for one. Seeing the town, admiring the lights. Maybe a couple of innocent pranks involving rude pedestrians." Toby grinned wickedly. "Just follow my lead."


Blinky was using one arm to prop up his head and trying to force two of his eyes to function enough to continue reading, but he was failing miserably. The words and symbols blurred in front of him and every time his eyelids fell they were heavier to lift. He needed to sleep, he knew, but to have successfully claimed phoenix tears was an immense victory. Surely a journey of a thousand miles began with a single step, and they'd just made a big one. There was no time to sleep, he had to find out where unicorns hid. They had leads on other items, but the unicorn was the most elusive yet.

He woke with a start. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep until he jerked his head back, sputtering. "Good heavens. I…where was I?"

"A little over halfway to REM sleep I think." The rough voice of Nomura made him relax; she was not the most pleasant troll but she was trustworthy. "Why are you lying to Little Gynt about this?" She loomed in the corner, seated on the desk, skimming the list with slow sweeps of her green eyes. "This isn't anything like a defensive spell. I know changeling magic when I see it."

Blinky rubbed his eyes vigorously. "That doesn't surprise me. As for lying to Master Jim, that is because he would forbid us seeking the ingredients if he thought we were putting ourselves at risk for himself rather than the other trolls. And it would be very hard to enlist his help in getting said ingredients if he was forbidding it." He stood and stretched until his back popped. "Ah. Yes, needed that." Nomura watched him pace across the room and Blinky paused. "Did you need something in particular?"

She studied the list. "Do you have all these herbs?"

"Not yet, though I think they'll be easy enough to get. Most of them." Blinky waited as she mouthed several names. "Would you like to assist us in gathering them? I haven't seen you around recently, and I know you've been very busy helping excavate the tunnels."

"Sure. It's been made known to me that I'm not welcome in the tunnels recently, so this would be better. I'll keep this quiet from the boy." Blinky's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean 'unwelcome'? Have you been dealing with prejudice?"

"Have you been dealing with complaints?"she quipped back. "I'd welcome getting out of this place a while."

Blinky felt the reproach in her, even if it was hidden behind sharp words. "It would be a very great favor if you could recover the herbs on that list. Not all at once of course. You must be careful of the daylight, and of being seen."

"But it's such fun to saunter through the streets in my troll form," she said, tone dripping with sarcasm. He crossed his arms disapprovingly. "Don't worry, if changelings are good at anything, it's making themselves invisible." She set down the list and Blinky brought her a quill, an inkwell, and some paper. "You know, if this works, he may face the same prejudice other changelings do."

Blinky froze. He hadn't considered such a thing – he didn't like to think such a thing of the trolls he protected. "Surely such sentiment is not so strong as it has been?"

She shrugged, scribbling a copy for herself. "The only difference I've seen is that trolls know not to attack me. That's about it. But it's nothing anyone can fix. Time and generations can melt sentiment better than words."

"Nomura, who are the culprits? Perhaps I can't change their minds but I can certainly give them consequences for their actions." Blinky knocked the curved old staff against the ground insistently. "I am to guard and lead the trolls, and that includes you."

"And make them hate me more? No, I'll just spend some time doing something useful. It's enough to know there are friends here." She blew on the paper, letting the ink dry. "For Little Gynt I'll retrieve these. I know well what it's like to miss the sun."

Blinky wavered. "Nomura, Strickler has agreed to test the stone formed by the ingredients. If it works on him, perhaps it will work on you as well. If you have hair or teeth from your human form, please let me know." She cocked her head suspiciously. "Trolls like myself feel no longing for sunlight. But you lived as a human. You have tasted their world. If you would like us to try to make a stone for you, I would be glad to do so."

"…If you're making them, might as well test on me too." Nomura folded up the paper into a tiny scroll and slipped it into her clothing. "I used to go to plays and operas. I'd like to again, someday. Trolls are very lacking in their expression and creative performance."

"The song of the Quaggawumps is rather lovely," Blinky demurred.

"Utterly simple. Centuries behind the works of humans in any country. Their passion creates art that can stir even the cynic's soul." She smirked, but not unkindly. "Have you ever heard any Tchaikovsky or Wagner? They're very worth hearing."

"I will never refuse a new source of information and learning. If the opportunity arises I'll make it a point to listen." Blinky followed her to the door. "Nomura. Please do tell me if the treatment continues. If this Trollmarket is to become better than the one before, I need to hear if anyone feels threatened or unwelcome. You've proven yourself loyal, and protected Jim and the rest of us in the Darklands. For that alone I already owe you a debt." Her expression was an odd one, a little amused but grateful.

"Get the boy and me human bodies and me a ticket to the next showing of Swan Lake and we will be quite square, Blinky."


Hoboken gleamed at night.

Jim crept along the low rooftops, amazed at the masses of people out and about in the night. The lights were so bright it felt like daytime, and their chatter rose in waves.

"-Told Maggie that he was a cheater, look at his phone, his exes-"

"-Best show I've ever seen and they just fumble the end, totally botch the theme, how is that even right-"

"-Never going to eat here again, you understand me? Your service was abysmal. I want your name."

He paused, focusing on the speaker. He grinned and lifted the walkie. "Got one Tobes."

"I heard him. He needs a little humble pie to go with that sandwich." The man in question was standing beside a café, gesturing to a half-finished meal and shouting at a small woman. She was a waitress it seemed, her head low and cheeks pink with restrained tears. "What do you think? Banana cream pie or spaghetti?"

"Is there a better humble pie than banana cream?" Jim watched Toby trail between the tables of the café, the outdoor seating along the sidewalk in delicate iron fences. He lingered by a tray of half-eaten desserts and, in a quick move, swept up a tin of about half a pie. He scurried into the alleyway between the buildings and Jim jumped down in the shadows, grabbed Toby's free hand, and leaped back up to the roof. Toby huddled down by the edge of the roof.

"Can you get him from here?" he asked. In answer, Jim scraped the majority of the cream out, rolled it thoughtfully into what looked like a snowball, and took aim.

The man gave the waitress a dismissive wave. "Go figure out how a sandwich works babe, because you obviously don't know-"

Cream exploded across his face, making him stumble backward. The waitress covered her mouth with her hands, shocked, and the nearest customers laughed. Toby snickered. "Excellent, ten out of ten."

The man whirled, looking for the culprit, but found no one. All attention was on him now, and Jim waited a moment and was pleased to see the man throw down a payment and hurry off, wiping the cream from his scarlet face. Toby scooted back from the edge of the building, laughing quietly. Jim wiped his hand against the cement, hoping the man made good on his promise to never return. "This is pretty dumb Tobes. But that was funny."

"Like I said, stupid fun. Besides, haven't you always wanted to just haul off and smack rude people that make waiters' lives heck?" Toby checked his phone. "What else do you want to see?"

"I'm good. I like the lights, and the noise." Jim tried licking the remainder of the cream but found it tasteless. It was worth a shot. "You need anything while we're in the city?"

"Nah. But let's get a little closer to the bigger buildings. I'm not used to so many skyscrapers." Toby was much more comfortable with Jim carrying him from roof to roof after a few times, and held on as they ascended the older buildings for a better view of the sleek, glassy ones. "Makes Arcadia Oaks seem small, doesn't it?"

Jim agreed. It was easy to feel small and insignificant under the high buildings, in the sounds of humanity at night. But it felt good in a way – it was easy to forget that the fate of the planet had once rested on him and his friends. Destiny was a gift but it was a heavy one, and it was good to set a weight aside for a time. He made their way back the way they'd come, into quieter places, before Toby hopped down. Jim smiled when Toby yawned. "What time is it?"

"About two. I guess we should get back. Blinky would flip if he knew we'd been wandering the city in populated areas," Toby said. They hadn't technically done much that night, but the sights and the relative danger had been exciting. "I didn't think there'd be so many people out at night. Kind of cut down on the fun factor."

"It's fine Toby. Just getting out and seeing people is enough." Jim's ears were sensitive enough to pick up smaller noises, distant sounds. "We can take another shipment truck to the same road. They're always going in and out of the city. The distribution center is…"

He paused. Toby waited, looking around as Jim pricked his ears. "Hear something?"

Without answering Jim took off, Toby grabbing on like a monkey to be borne over another couple of roofs. Jim stopped over a small alley between what looked like a community center and a mom and pop shop, peering into the dark. Toby mimicked him.

It was a scene lifted straight from a cop show. A man was standing in front of a woman, her back to the wall, rifling through her purse. "Yell again and I'll make it so you can't." The woman whimpered and Toby and Jim shared a dark glance. She clutched something in her arms – a tablet maybe – and after a second the man grabbed for it.

"No! This – this has all my screenplays on it! Take the money, just leave me alone!" She ducked down in a ball, trying to get around him, and the thug wrenched her arm back, hauling her around. "Ow!"

In hindsight, jumping down on the man and punching him in the face was not the best way to go about things. Jim sent the man flying back, getting a smell of adrenaline and sweat from the figure. He was probably on something, but Jim couldn't determine one substance from another. "Back off," he snarled, hoping the blow would be enough. The clothing concealed him, but it would be hard to keep it in place and deliver a non lethal beatdown at the same time. "Hey, get out of here," he said to the woman. She had wild, mousy hair and a dazed expression on her face.

"You just…jumped from a roof…"

A human in their right mind would have taken off, but the man was obviously not that. Nose streaming blood, he came back swinging, something bright in his hand. A knife – quaint. Jim grabbed his wrist, twisted it until the knife dropped, and carefully kicked the man's middle. Toby puffed as he made his way down a fire escape, kicking the knife away. The assailant coughed and groaned, rolling onto his side before lying still. For a moment Jim thought he'd killed him and the world spun.

Toby checked his breathing. "He's alive. We need to get out of here."

"Wait a sec! Hey, how did you do that? You were on the roof and then you were here…"

The woman. Toby drew away from her, deeper into shadow and pulling his scarf up around his face. Jim sprinted for him, grabbed Toby around the middle and scaled the fire escape in a breath. "Wait! Hang on!" Her voice faded as Jim reached the roof and pelted the other way, Toby grabbing his shoulders and clinging.

Stupid. This was stupid, so stupid. Jim didn't stop until he found a truck on the edge of the city and took a leap to reach it. The wind was scalding cold but he felt none of it but what hit the bottom of his lungs. He settled on the truck and Toby plopped onto the metal behind him, shivering. "You okay?"

"Dude. That was so cool!" Toby drew his jacket tighter around himself and Jim arranged himself so he blocked the wind from hitting his friend. "You just saved that girl from getting mugged, or maybe worse! It was like something out of a comic!"

"It was dumb. Dangerous. She might have seen me."

"But she didn't. And you totally saved her." Toby watched the last of the city lights fade into grass and trees and Jim dared to lower his scarf, heart pounding hard and painful. "Jim, what's more important? Never risking a secret – which, by the way, trolls risk all the time when they come into towns – or protecting people?"

Jim groaned. "I know, I know. But…I'm the Trollhunter. I shouldn't put them at risk with anything I do." He rested his chin on his fist. "I'm such a screw up lately Tobes."

"Well this was all my idea. So that makes me a screw up too." Toby crossed his arms and turned away. "Have you considered that maybe it would be a good thing if the world knew about trolls? Arcadia Oaks is making it work. Though there aren't nearly as many trolls as there used to be in the area since they came here."

"A big city finding out about beings that don't particularly like them and may or may not have eaten them at one time? I just don't think the world is ready." Jim lifted his head; there were no stars over the city. When they reached New Trollmarket there would be many. "I don't think the trolls are ready, come to think of it. They still hate changelings, a lot of them. Can they handle tons of full blood humans on a daily basis?"

"Blinky and Aaarrrgghh can. So can Nomura and Strickler and NotEnrique. Jim, the world's never 'ready' to deal with things, it just has to take them as they come. Just like we do." Toby's hat whipped in the wind. "Well, I had fun anyway. And I think we did a good thing."

Jim watched the hat wobble and the lights of the city shrinking away. "Thanks Toby." Toby turned and smiled, and the rest of the ride passed in silence.


Claire slipped in the back door and sighed. A day with her parents and Enrique – and Walter Jr. of course – had been just what the doctor ordered. Mary and Darci had dragged her all over town that evening and her ankles would be sore from skating in the morning, but Arcadia Oaks was so familiar, so soaked in good memories, that even small signs of the destruction from Gunmar could be pushed aside. A street lamp that was still bent, a place where the grass wasn't quite growing back.

The Lake house was quiet, but from the upstairs the faint sound of a television drew her. Claire tiptoed up them, refusing to look at the bathroom. That was where-

No. Don't think about it.

Barbara was sitting on the edge of her bed, a little box in her hand. Her focus was on the television, and Claire looked at the screen, noticing dozens of VHS tapes on the floor.

"Okay, is this thing working? The red light is – yeah, yeah, it's on. Okay. The date is August third, year – oh heck, it's on the video, who cares? – and this is a video of Barb and Jim because I am not getting in front of this thing. I haven't shaved or anything." The woman on the screen had a red ponytail and a boy sitting in her lap and Claire's breath caught in her throat.

"James, get that thing out of my face, I look awful." The screen Barbara wrinkled her nose.

"No, Mommy is pretty!" Jim could only have been four, wearing blue pajamas and his hair wild as if they'd just woken up. He yanked insistently at the arm of the person holding the camera. "Daddy, tell Mommy she's pretty!"

"Barb, you are beautiful, gorgeous, brilliant, and super pretty. At all times. And our son will be a heartbreaker one day." The camera shook a little as James readjusted it. She rolled her eyes and Jim tugged her t-shirt sleeve. "What do you think kiddo, think Mommy will sing the song with you?"

"Yeah. Mommy, sing the Pooh bear song please!" Barbara smiled faintly, mirroring her expression on the screen.

"All right, all right." She mouthed the words softly as the young woman on the screen began singing. "The more it snows-"

"Tiddleypom!" Little Jim giggled and her smile grew in response.

"The more it goes-"

"Tiddleypom!"

"The more it goes – on – snowing." By the end of the song James was cracking up and the camera swung down, as if he'd lost all composure. Barbara wiped her eyes and Claire was silent as the video ended and the next clip started. The camera was by a door, a white blue in front of it, and Barbara's voice was speaking. "James is up making breakfast for my birthday and he's letting Jim help. I think we're going to go on a little trip today, but someone's going to need a bath beforehand." With a snicker, the camera pushed past a door peeking into the kitchen. James stood at the counter, whistling as he made French toast, and Claire couldn't hold back a snort – little Jim was intently whisking a large bowl of eggs, and was splattered with them. James must not have noticed, setting the child in a chair away from the stove.

Barbara looked up. "Oh! Claire. Hi, I just…well, I found the teeth, and then the photo albums, and then the tapes." Claire meekly approached, sitting beside her at the foot of her bed. "I know parents always say this, but they grow up so fast. I could swear yesterday he was little enough that he needed my help reaching the counter." Barbara sighed and her eyes were dry again, if a little tired. "How was your family hon?"

"Good. I told them we're setting out tomorrow morning. They're sad, but I promised I'll visit a lot sooner." Claire waited as Barbara switched off the VCR and the television, turning instead to the photo albums spread over her bed. "Are those the pictures?"

Barbara opened the first one in answer and Claire cooed. "Oh my gosh. He's so tiny."

"Full term, but he's always been lanky. Barbara flipped the page. "This is when James tried to figure out the car seat for the first time. It took him half an hour. He wouldn't let me explain no matter what I did."

Claire laughed. "Jim's face! He makes that same face when he's annoyed at something!" The furrowed brows and thin line of his mouth were too familiar, even as an infant. They broke into peals of laughter, sitting together and poring over the pictures. Toby featured in later ones, the two side by side, and Claire halted over one of Barbara in a cap and gown with a slightly older Jim beside her. "I've seen this picture. Jim has a copy of it in his wallet. I saw it once when he was changing it out. He was so proud of you for graduating and taking care of him alone…"

Barbara bit her lip and the laughter drained out. Claire hated herself instantly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine. I'm glad to hear it." Barbara took her glasses off, holding her forehead. "I'm sorry Claire. I just can't begin to explain how much you love your kid…and then you can't save them from terrible things." Claire saw tiny lines around the woman's eyes, lines that hadn't been there a few months ago. "Having kids is not for the faint of heart. They become your whole world, and you want to demolish everything around them that might hurt, even a little. But you can't."

Claire thought of Enrique. It wasn't the same, she knew, but it was the closest thing she could imagine. "It's going to be okay. We've got the phoenix tears and the baby teeth." She put a hand over Barbara's, thinking of her own mother. Jim couldn't be here to comfort her, but Claire could. "Barbara, have you thought about transferring hospitals? Maybe moving to New Jersey?"

"I have. If the stone works for Walter, maybe he could find work as a teacher and it would be possible. Right now though, the only place he can teach is here. Arcadia Oaks at least knows about trolls." Barbara stood up, holding the album. "Your parents will be wondering where you are. I'm okay Claire. Though I appreciate you worrying about me." With an impish look she handed Claire the album. "I'll need it back in the morning. Jim must never know."

Claire held it gently, cradling it in her arms. "Mum's the word."

End of Chapter 9


Preview of Chapter 10

After a scramble he obeyed, and for the first time he got a good look at who they'd been pursuing. A dark blue changeling was in front of the others, teeth bared, about as tall as his chest. Behind her were two boys, both shorter and bright red, clinging to each other. And at least half a dozen changelings the size of NotEnrique in varying shades of green and yellow. A pink changeling girl shivered beside them, and held a very tiny blanket.

The silence was broken only by the blue girl's panting. "Get away. I'll kill you, hear me! I'll kill you pureblood!" Jim said nothing, merely crouched and made himself small, sitting crosslegged on the floor. She lowered to all fours, ready to strike. She couldn't hurt him if she tried.

"By Deya," Blinky murmured, "they're all children." He held back and Jim was grateful. This situation needed to be dissolved as quietly as possible to prevent anyone from getting hurt. Or traumatized.

"It's okay. I get it, you're scared." Jim took in the wide, glazed eyes and swallowed. "Are there any adult changelings here?"

"No. You purebloods made sure of that!" The girl gestured for the smaller ones to get back. "But I'll kill you just the same! I will!"

Nomura made a sharp, short sound in her throat, rather like a dog barking. Jim had never heard her make that sound but the changelings instantly pricked their ears, staring at her. One of the little ones put their fingers in their mouth, confused. Jim let them consider for a moment before continuing, in a gentle voice, "My name is Jim Lake. I'm the Trollhunter. We came here to get some basilisk venom for a formula. Our friends-" he gestured to Nomura and Strickler, "-knew about this place and we came to see if we could get some. We didn't know if anyone would be here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."