Greetings all. I hope this chapter finds you well.

Chapter 12

Unease

Jim was torn between needing to be clean, needing to get rid of the dirt and sweat on his skin and in his hair, and his fear of a tub of water.

The entire chamber was made of putrestone, and the green glow made it easy to see the basin of water in front of him. It wasn't dark, wasn't very deep carved into the crystal, but the thought of dunking himself under water made his heart hammer. Heck, he'd avoided pools ever since-

A shower would have been too much to ask. Still, he wasn't going to turn his nose up at the matter. He slowly peeled his suit jacket and shirt off, but before he removed anything else he gave Geode a look. "You mind?"

She was standing in front of the entrance to the chamber. "Do I mind what?"she asked. If she hadn't been so emotionless it might have been blithe.

"People don't usually like to wash when others are watching them. It's an invasion of privacy."

She seemed to survey him. "I do not understand. Is nudity the issue?"

"That's a big part of it. Where I come from you don't get naked in front of just anyone." She didn't move and Jim decided that she wasn't going to. He told himself it didn't really matter, it wasn't like she cared. Trolls wandered around in any state of undress and it didn't matter, and it sure didn't bother them to see a naked human, so why should he care if a golem saw him? With great reluctance he finished undressing and - keeping his clothes strategically over certain places – slid into the water before putting the clothes aside. He bristled at the cold temperature but, as he'd thought so often, beggars couldn't be choosers. Give this much to Geode, she'd made the floor of the basin flat and he didn't hurt himself on any jagged chunks of crystals.

The golem had brought soap – more Arabic text, and a little English for a brand he didn't recognize unfortunately. The shampoo was the same, though he was a little impressed she had figured out there was a difference between soap and shampoo. "Are you stealing this stuff?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Stealing…that is the removal of items against the will of the proprietor of a store or without their consent and knowledge? If so then yes, I am stealing them. I have no method of purchase." She seemed quite unbothered.

"Are there any precious stones down here? Rubies, diamonds, anything like that? If so, why don't you leave one of them in the store when you leave? At least that way they might be able to recoup their losses." She gave him a funny look, one that was blank but absorbing. Jim tried to ignore the foolish feeling that manifested. He sank into the water, shivering at the cold and still afraid to dunk and rinse his hair. Come on, he told himself, it's just water. Go under the water. It's not going to hurt you. Nothing's going to pull you down, it won't go dark-

He forced himself under and came up immediately, gasping for breath. Scrambling out of the basin, Jim pushed his hair out of his eyes – black, too dark, he couldn't see – and huddled his limbs together for warmth. Geode watched with impunity. "Are you afraid of bathing?"

"No. Just going underwater." She offered a towel – great, she'd stolen more stuff. At least she was thorough – and he dried off and switched clothes as quickly as he could. Goosebumps rose all over his body and he rubbed his arms, trying to warm up. "So. What did you want me to identify?" he managed at last.

Geode beckoned. "Some items in my dwelling." He followed obediently, pulling his shoes on and making a knot in the hem of his t-shirt so it didn't dangle to his knees. Glad no one could see him, he tried and failed to make sense of the twists and turns of the tunnels she led him down. A few times in these and he could pick them up, but she moved too quickly and his head was spinning from being out of the prison for the first time in days. He couldn't deny he was curious; what did a golem collect?

She stepped through an opening and he stopped, looking through and feeling very, very small. The room went upward for stories, shelves created from flat facets of crystal. It was wide as well, at least fifty feet in diameter. And it was full of stuff.

Jim had seen hoarding shows on television, but there was a method to this madness that made it almost neat. Scarves and hats and shoes on this shelf, a bird feeder on that one, six shelves full of books and magazines hung over their heads. Four sofas lumped in one corner sat next to a pile of discs in a shiny mass, and endless chairs and stools littered the floor. Jim stepped through, turning in a circle and trying to make sense of what he saw. Broken televisions and monitors seemed to interest her especially, as she had them stacked like a totem pole next to the entrance. And these were only the tip of the iceberg – lamps and tables and toys and clothes were in their own places, a glorious mess of bizarreness.

Jim looked at her slowly. "…Why are you gathering all this?"

Geode did not answer. Instead she pulled an item at random from the nearest stack and showed it to him. "Begin identifying."

"Okay." He turned it over. It was nothing more than a teddy bear, a little beat-up. "How about we make this a game? For every item I identify, you have to tell me a little bit about yourself."

The blank eyes narrowed. "That was not the agreement. I will feed Paduga if you do as I say."

Jim narrowed his eyes in turn. Gently. "There's a lot of stuff in here. I can tell you about it a little better if I know why you want to know about it. Who am I going to tell?" Geode grimaced, one of the few shows of emotion he'd seen from her. "I'll start as a show of good faith. This is what we call a teddy bear. It's a toy, an item children use to amuse or comfort themselves." He made it "walk" along the nearest table and lifted one paw in a wave. "Children use their imaginations to play with them, make up stories and give them names."

"A 'toy.'" Paduga took the toy, teasing the paw curiously. "In answer to your question…would you not be interested if there was a world of beings you knew nothing about? If they created and made and lived, covered the entire planet? Humans are makers, something that is astonishing with their short lifespans."

Jim held back another question, letting her pick another object instead. "This is a dress." He held it up until Geode took hold of the shoulders. He tugged at the silk hem. "It's a garment. Women tend to wear them, although nowadays women wear pants in a lot of countries too. And actually, men wear robes in some countries, so there's not really a hard and fast rule about who wears what."

Geode tilted her head. "It appears as though there is great nuance in the human world. There is no standard rule?"

Jim crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Well no. Not really. I mean there are things we all have in common, but as far as clothes and food and culture go, every country is a little different. I can only tell you what I know about certain things."

"Understood." She showed him things he would never have expected. There was an ancient rotary phone, something he only understood because his grandmother had one when he was little. She seemed to like turning the dial very much. An empty bag of chips told him nothing about his location. He explained the use of a rubber duck, a rag doll, and a very ugly lamp shaped like a cherub.

"Where are you getting all this stuff?" he asked finally, turning over a teacup.

"I travel to many places. Ever since I absorbed the heartstone, I can travel much more easily." Geode lifted a unicycle. "This item strikes me as strange."

"Why did you do that? Come after heartstone I mean?" She put the object down and gave him a mistrustful look. Suspicion seemed to be one of her only expressions. "Oh come on. Who am I going to tell? I guess Paduga and I could pretend to pass notes to the cat or something." Jim found a Vespa handlebar and felt homesick again. "You had to have a reason."

Geode toyed with what had once been someone's welcome mat. "I knew I needed greater power to obtain certain items. Raw heartstone contained the necessary magic."

"Items for what? It would be a lot easier to figure out what you need if you just said what you were up to." Jim felt like a mouse prodding a trap, cheese just out of reach. "I mean, I assume it has something to do with Morganna-"

Geode's head turned and her glare was thunderous. "I will not inform you about my plans. They are not relevant to you."

He was a very stupid mouse. "You're taking blood from me! And you kidnapped Paduga and grilled her about humans and magic portals! I think it matters why!"

The golem's head tilted like a doll's and Jim realized that the trap had snapped and he had pushed too hard. The blank eyes went narrow, slivers of icy light. "So she told you. I did think you must be on very good terms by now…thank you for confirming it." Jim took a step back, holding the amulet tightly. "I think you have explained enough for now. Come along."

Jim let her take hold of his arm – fighting back right now might get Paduga killed, and his troll form would be a detriment against Geode. She controlled crystal and could seal off every pathway if she wanted. There was no way to escape yet. "We talked some, sure. What else do you expect us to-ow!" Geode's tiny hands belied strength granted by magic, fixed tight as steel around his wrist. She all but dragged him out of the room, Jim fighting to keep his footing. Daylight wrapped around him unbidden, responding to his alarm, and Geode didn't pay any mind to it. "Why are you so angry?" he gasped, twisting his arm in her vice grip. "I didn't say anything that you couldn't have guessed."

Geode stumbled. She recovered quickly but Jim hadn't seen her do something so clumsy. "I am…angry. Yes, that must be this emotion. It is full of heat and sharpness." Paduga was on her feet as they entered the prison chamber again. "How curious. Is this due to greater magic? Exposure to others? I must research this development." Geode gripped his arm tighter and dragged him toward his cell. Stars prickled at the corners of his vision, pain shooting up his wrist.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Paduga paced along the wall, staring at them. Geode froze and looked at her. Paduga's short tail was switching, nostrils flared. "Humans are more delicate than trolls! You can't handle them so rough!" she yelled.

Jim couldn't say he liked being thought of as "delicate" but Geode's grip loosening ever so slightly brought incredible relief. Paduga's anger was obvious – her ears were twitching, her brow was hard. A meow made him glance at Peanut; the cat was observing, hair on its back standing up straight. "You are conspiring together," Geode said softly. "Not shocking, but…how shall I deal with it?"

She lowered her head and looked at Jim and his stomach went cold. "Perhaps keeping a human is more trouble than I am capable of dealing with?"

A sizzling sound made him jump. Paduga was banging on her wall, putrestone searing her stony skin as she banged on it. "You leave him alone! You're-you're just a stupid marionette! You're not even a real being!" Paduga sneered at the golem. "I could take you down if you fought fair!"

Geode turned her attention to the aswang. "You wretched little…" she began.

"Paduga, stop!" Jim's heart was in his throat. "We're not trying to get out! We're stuck in cells next to each other, what do you expect us to do but talk? We can't get out." Geode paused and a thoughtful look came over her face.

"Yes. I cannot be surprised if you become close. There is said to be camaraderie in such situations." She pulled him toward the cell. "But how close is too close?"

Jim didn't see her hand coming, and it was only after her open hand struck his face that he realized what had happened. She'd backhanded him, hard, and he tasted blood where his teeth hit his tongue. She pushed him through the crystal wall, melding like water around him, and Paduga made a faint squeaking sound of alarm.

Cheek on fire, Jim pushed himself to his elbows and knees. He wasn't in his cell; he was in Paduga's. The aswang shrank to the opposite corner and Jim spat, a rivulet of blood falling between his teeth. "Let us engage in an experiment. Does camaraderie outweigh hunger?" Geode said thinly. "How long can an aswang go without blood before instinct takes over?"

Jim held his face, and with some disgust he swallowed what blood he could. Paduga whined, a keening, animal noise. "No! Don't leave him in here! I don't want to hurt him!"

Geode said nothing but vanished back into the tunnel, leaving Jim slumped in the corner, one ear ringing and the other filled with the animal panic of Paduga's breathing as she curled in a ball on the opposite side of their cell.

Claire sensed so much nervousness in Aaarrrgghh that she wrapped her arms around his left bicep, patting the stone gently. The gyre rumbled softly as they dropped, air cool and quick as they descended deeper and deeper into the earth. It was shockingly smooth without any curves or hills in the route. "You okay big guy?" she asked lowly.

"Haven't been here in long, long time." The gyre rocked slowly as they descended, falling at a steady clip. Occasionally the gyre headed down a short tunnel before continuing its drop, and as they went deeper and deeper, Aaarrrgghh's marks began to glow.

Blinky, Merlin, and Toby took turns peering over the edge. "How deep into the earth are these caverns?" Toby asked.

"Approximately a thousand of your miles, Tobias." Blinky paced in a circle and Toby glanced at Claire, eyes huge. "Yes, now you understand why Merlin's magic is needed. The krubera can survive such pressures, but the rest of us a little squishier. Even I."

"I feel like I need to pop my ears," Toby mumbled. "What should we expect from the krubera jotnar Wingman?"

Aaarrrgghh shuddered. "Not like Gatto. Much more powerful…much older. Very strange. Only ever saw once. Like looking into space. Big and deep and dangerous." Claire stroked the green fur she could reach. "Not bad, doesn't eat krubera. But so, so old. Makes the queen."

"Do you mean 'picks' the queen?" Claire asked. Aaarrrgghh shook his head.

"You see. Krubera live different from other trolls. No heartstone." He showed her his markings, still glowing. "All young krubera given marks, made from moonwater. Queen has direct connection with jotnar of the deep, all others react to her. Magic markings feed krubera like heartstone for other trolls. That why we have marks. Strongest in dark, but Aaarrrgghh used to dark and light. That why he doesn't need heartstone."

"I always wondered why you did okay away from the heartstone." Toby's eyes were clouded, though Claire didn't know whether she ought to ask him what was wrong or let Aaarrrgghh probe the matter. Blinky was energetic, nervous – the news of her dream had brought life back into him, albeit jittery life. Merlin merely gazed over the edge, watching as they dropped.

"So, Blinky…are you okay?" Claire could see the red mark from here, glowing bright as a coal. The only other source of light was from Aaarrrgghh's markings, so bright they cast the cavern into sharp, pale relief.

"Of course. Now that we have a lead and a plan, I'm ship-shape!" He glanced dismissively down his nose at the mark. "The Trollslayers are unimportant. The market is secure thanks to Merlin's magic and everyone stepping up to guard it, and if they are to be believed – which to be frank, I think they are not – then they've agreed with James to hold back for now. Of course there's no knowing how long that this temporary respite will last…"

"They're a bunch of jerks as far as I'm concerned," Toby said coolly. "Why wouldn't they just work with the Trollhunters to deal with bad trolls?"

Aaarrrgghh hummed softly. "Why trolls not work with changelings? They scared." Toby gave him a surprised look. Aaarrrgghh's eyes were gentle. "Aaarrrgghh can understand them being scared. Bad trolls powerful, hurt many innocent people. Can't ignore that. Don't think Trollslayers handle it right, but not angry at them for trying to protect people."

Toby crossed his arms. "Well I am. They're threatening you and Blinky!"

Aaarrrgghh smiled and rubbed his chin over Toby's head affectionately. "They don't know us. Wingman biased."

"Darn straight." Blinky reached out and patted Toby's shoulder. Claire couldn't help but agree – maybe Aaarrrgghh could be sensible and unbiased, but she could not. Merlin said nothing, and not for the first time she wondered what he was thinking.

He lifted his head. "We're nearly there." In reply the gyre slowed and the feeling of her stomach settling back down – maybe even a little too far down judging by the sludgy pull of gravity – made Claire shut her eyes and brace herself against Aaarrrgghh. The dense troll didn't move an inch, allowing everyone to lean on him as the machine landed on the ground. Claire opened her eyes and took in the sight.

Rather than light crystals, there were carvings and painted, glowing markings along the tunnel and it opened up into a cavern filled with marks and expertly crafted tunnels. It almost felt like being underwater, the pressure held back by Merlin's spell but a present sensation. She stumbled down from the gyre and realized that in the cavern there were moving markings, and as they approached they were on the bodies of krubera.

They didn't all look like the warriors, Claire realized. The guard of Queen Usurna had been sculpted and strong, and no fur could be found on them. But among the people there was hair and fur, some cropped short and others long and silky. Little krubera peeped from their parents' shoulders at the newcomers. None of them wore clothing but Claire spotted crystal gems for jewelry on many of them. Some were curious, and others had eyes filled with hostility. This place seemed to be a market, strangely quiet save for the tamp-tamp noises of careful feet on the stone. It felt unfriendly, sterile.

Two krubera came forward and Claire recognized them as guards by their clean-shaven forms and the fierce, stoic expressions. Aaarrrgghh stepped forward and spoke lowly, appeasing. Their dislike did not soften but the tightness of their jaws did, and one replied sharply. Aaarrrgghh nodded and the other guard left, hurrying into another tunnel. Claire noted with some consternation that, when Aaarrrgghh talked, some of the children covered their ears and their mothers tugged them behind their backs, as if looking on him would bring some calamity.

"What did they say?" she asked. Aaarrrgghh turned to her and spoke English.

"Not happy we're here. Krubera having difficult time since Usurna died. Even though she was with Gunmar, she was queen. Hard to recover when leader dies." He shifted uneasily. "Aaarrrgghh not really at home with krubera." Claire could not help but feel a lonely, piercing sharpness in her chest for her friend.

Toby took Aaarrrgghh's hand, jaw suddenly like steel. "What, they don't have a VP or vizier or anything?"

The guard grimaced at him. "The krubera only have a queen," he said, voice like velvet. "When she joins the deep, a new one awakes. But when she is killed, it takes longer for the new queen to be born." Claire blinked, surprised at how good his English was. And a little bewildered at what he was saying. Seeing this, he continued, "The Light of the Deep begets a new queen when the time is right. When the queen's end draws near, the Light creates her successor. When she is killed suddenly, the Light is not able to create one so quickly. The next queen still forms."

"Wait, so the queen's not a regular krubera?" Toby asked.

Blinky, for the first time in days, looked fascinated. "I had heard the queen is always born in a different way from the average krubera…"

Aaarrrgghh looked a little embarrassed, but if anything the guard was mollified by their real interest. The other guard returned. "Come. If the Light of the Deep converses with you, you will speak with respect, and if you make any movement that could be interpreted as an attack, we will kill you. Assuming the Light does not kill you first." There was no animosity in the statement. Claire supposed she should just feel glad they would allow them to speak to the being at all. "The Light has not spoken in fifteen years."

Alarm shot through her but she forced her face to remain neutral. Merlin turned in a circle, looking at the markings with great interest. "Because it had nothing to say? Or because Usurna wouldn't let anyone near it?"

The guard's expression flashed with hurt, betrayal. Usurna's turncoat nature had left scars it would seem. "Usurna told us the Light was in foul spirits. We believed our queen and never ventured down to her keep. But she speaks so rarely there was no reason to doubt."

Claire fidgeted. "We have to try. We need her help." The guards nodded and turned in unison, leading them down another ornately-marked cavern. Glyphs and pictures of fine, careful detail lit the tunnel and Claire wished they could spend longer looking at them. It would have been lovely to examine the art, maybe make reference for the crystals in New Trollmarket. They could adjust the veins, make them grow in similar patterns, beautifying the tunnels. Maybe she would be able to manipulate the energy when she could control her powers…Jim would help with the shaping…

"You may enter. Stand on the dais. We will wait here and watch closely." The guards stood on either side of an opening taller and wider than two krubera. A mossy substance hung in it like a curtain, white and soft and sprouting mushrooms. Aaarrrgghh held it aside so the others could enter first, keeping an uneasy eye out for threats.

Within the room was nothing but more markings, carved heavily on the walls everywhere. Claire scanned the chamber, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The wall bulged inward in a certain place, as if the stony walls had been hollowed only to a certain point. Aaarrrgghh immediately lowered himself to a respectful knee. "Lady of the Deep," he said softly, reverently.

Claire followed his gaze, frowning. What was he looking at? It was nothing but a stone wall with markings-

A white line suddenly shifted and an eye as big as her torso opened, perfectly round and with a white sclera, a glowing blue iris and, instead of a pupil, a milky place in the center. Claire saw her own stunned reflection in the surface of it and the eye shifted to focus on them. An identical one opened ten feet away.

"Welcome." The voice came from all around them, echoing softly from every mark. Magic hummed in the light and Claire steeled herself against the buzz of it against her skin. Blinky looked at each of them, a little stunned, before drawing himself up and standing before the Light of the Deep.

Nomura had wanted to go with Blinky and the others. Really, really badly. But Blinky had asked her to stay behind and work with Strickler to keep things in check. With James nearly walking into walls due to exhaustion and Barbara being either a sheltie or a wyvern, somebody needed to keep this place running. His trust touched her more than it ought to, though it did little to ease the heaviness of her heart.

"So the sentries are full for the next few days, great. No one's reporting any sign of the Trollslayers." James mouthed the items on the list. Nomura reached over his arm to check off a few items.

"Changeling children have been fed and put to bed, Bagdwella's really stepped up to help. Claire's family arranged another litter sweep of Arcadia Oaks and Strickler and I brought back some scrap to add variety to the diet." Crystal was good, but metal was important to troll nutrition. Any of it. "None of my old contacts have heard anything about Jim." She added this with distaste. "I know Claire and the others are working on that piece, but I still…"

"I know," James said faintly. "My contacts are looking too. I wish they could turn up something, anything." Nomura nodded, scribbling with a pen on the list. "Our guests doing all right?"

"Yeah, still safe and sound. Five have been helping with the tunnel maintenance, and the ones that were injured are doing a lot better thanks to the heartstone." She looked up when she heard familiar steps entering. Strickler was in troll form, wings flexing. His yellow eyes were threatening in the dark up until one spotted the sheltie bouncing along behind him.

"Morale is steady. Many are concerned but are being constructive with their worries. And as long as Barbara is using the glamour, we can say 'Jim' around her without the wyvern's fury taking over," Strickler continued. Barbara reared up on her hind legs to look at the list, dark nose bobbing. "Of course we figured that out earlier, but it's helpful nonetheless."

"Any injuries or illnesses among the trolls?" Barbara asked.

"Nothing more than sprains or the occasional crack. Nothing balm or hot rocks can't ease away." Nomura helped the dog up so she could see more easily. "Mynah could go into labor at any time though."

"I know. I'll be present for the baby, but I'll need someone to be my hands, do the chiseling."

Nomura's grunted. "I can handle that part." Barbara's ears relaxed.

"Well that's one less thing to worry about." Strickler met her eye and Nomura recognized the look – trouble. "Unfortunately we have another situation that is concerning to me."

James rubbed his eyes, elbows on the table. "What's up?"

Strickler checked the opening of the alcove, going so far as to look into the tunnel before returning. "I follow news reports from the city. It's an old habit I can't quite shake." Nomura knew what he meant. As a changeling one had to be able to read the signs. Whenever one of their agents went missing, it was important to find out why. "I've been hearing about disappearances lately. It may be nothing, but…"

She cocked her head. "Are you saying you think trolls are-?"

"It may be nothing." He spoke more firmly. "I just know that the places they've gone missing have been on trails and outside the city. It's not beyond the realm of possibility. And if that is the case, the Trollslayers will become a problem again."

"Not to mention the poor people that were taken," Barbara said softly. "I hope it's not true." Her tail hung low and sad. She shook herself. "I think the glamour's wearing off. I need to go to the heartstone to charge it. I'll be a wyvern while it does, so don't say you-know-what around me then."

"Very well dear. I'll join you later." Strickler knelt and pecked the top of her head before she bounded off into the tunnel. James watched her go before looking back to the list.

"I'll go look into this. I don't have as much rapport with the trolls here as you guys do, and I sure have never been terribly good as a midwife. But I can investigate these disappearances…since I'm not much use at finding my son." The bitterness in his voice was familiar, and Nomura put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll hold the fort. That way he can recover when we get him back. If there's one thing I know, Claire and the others will find him. Heck, they crossed into the Darklands themselves to get him." James did not look reassured but there was gratitude in the mechanical smile. "Keep us posted."

He left the room and Strickler was motionless. "I'm worried about Barbara. Specifically the spell on her." The yellow eyes had a glassy sheen, one that told her he hadn't slept well recently. "Only an incredibly powerful being could have turned her into such a potent magical creature. And James appears to know this person."

"I heard him and Merlin arguing about them. Well, her." Nomura rapped her fingers on the nearest crate. Blinky was the definition of "creative clutter." "Apparently she helped seal Morganna away, but wouldn't kill her. She made Draig's glamour too, and was the one who put Merlin to sleep in the cave. James said it was to save his life…"

Strickler opened his wings and closed them, unease making him fidget. "We need to find out about this person. When James and Merlin are both back, after Merlin makes the ink and Claire has her marks, we'll sit them down and get an answer. I don't like not knowing who this powerhouse is."

"'Knowledge is power.'" Nomura smirked. "How very changeling."

"Are you guys and James all right?" Mary peered into her phone screen. "It's kinda dark where you are."

"Sorry, the light crystal needs to be charged. Hang on." Eli moved to a place where she could see him, Steve and Mordred coming into view. "James is worn out but he won't stop working. I'm still trying to keep my magic under control. It's…not as bad as before."

"Good. I'm sure they'll figure something out. How are TP and C-bomb?" Eli shifted uneasily.

"They went to talk to some really powerful troll being to get an ingredient for the ink I told you about. Toby's worried and Claire…she said she saw Jim in the Astral Plane – the dream world thing, y'know – so she's better." Eli took off his glasses to clean them. "It's just crazy all the stuff happening. How are you all holding up?"

"We're fine. There's-" Mary began, pausing when she heard the crunch of crystal. "Hang on, b-r-b."

"Who actually says 'b-r-b?'" she heard Steve say. There were only three golems this time, two of them down by Darci and her father deeper in the market. Mary had taken over what had once been some kind of pub to stay in – they slept in the market to keep watch, and thank goodness for magic or there would be no signal – and the sickly green golem trudged inside curiously.

Mary took out her bo staff and caught the golem under the foot as it lifted up, throwing it off balance and making it fall. As it hit the ground she jumped onto its back and took careful aim. She jabbed the end of the pole down into the creature's back, squarely into the chest cavity, and the golem immediately crumbled as she broke the heart. Breathing hard, Mary looked down the length of the market to see the other two golems crumbling. Darci and her father were lowering their guns, looking grim. She shot them a thumbs up before returning to her phone. "Like I said, we're fine. There aren't as many golems now. I wonder if whatever was making them doesn't care about the market anymore?" She shrugged.

"How are Betty and Julian? And Edgar, he was being a little shy when I left," Mordred added.

"The owl and the fox are both doing great. The bear is…difficult to handle. He keeps going in the house. But he seems to like us." Taking care of wild animals and killing golems. Mary sighed. Maybe not the most conventional ways to spend time after classes for a college girl, but it beat frat parties and beer pong.

End of Chapter 12