I Suppose I'm getting better, Jim thought. He was really getting tired of not being out in the field, but on the other hand, Blinky and the others were right. They hadn't seen anything. Cat eating goblins really didn't need the Trollhunter.

Maybe Gunmar really didn't escape. Jim shook his head. No, he didn't think he'd be that lucky.

"Jim, here's your problem," Claire murmured. "X is off."

Jim bent over and frowned at the equation. Math hadn't exactly been his forte, and that had been before six months in the Darklands and two months trying to avoid going nuts. Ditto for English, Ditto for everything, although Principal Uhl had decided to hold off some classes for summer school. Jim didn't think they could have pushed through otherwise, since they were both having to complete their sophomore year and keep up with their junior year.

But Jim really wanted to graduate with his friends.

"It's…" He frowned, and focused on the rest of the equation. Where did I… "Five, not three."

"Right," Claire said. "And I think we're finished with the chapter."

"Finally!" Jim said. "Can we just get credit for beating up trolls?"

"How about a kiss?" Claire asked and leaned into Jim as their lips met. Her lips were warm against his, and Jim put his arms around the petite girl as they kissed.

It was odd. Jim and Claire had kissed in the Darklands, desperate, quick moments. Out here they'd slept together, clinging together, lest the nightmares come.

But there was something different about kissing in a warm living room, in front of a little fire, their homework scattered around them. Not desperate. Not needy.

Just wonderful. Sometimes Jim wondered—no, not yet. He wouldn't even ask that yet. Beyond the fact he'd probably turn red, faint and make an idiot of himself, that was up to Claire.

"You think there's a hive in here, Trollhunter?" Draal asked.

"Yeah," Toby said, looking at Arrrggghhh and Draal. Steve and Eli were there to, but Toby really didn't think they were ready to go off with just him for backup and he had a feeling that this was a big nest. The area hadn't just seen stray cats go missing, but a few dogs and Ophelia had let him know that animal control had found several half-eaten deer and coyote carcasses.

Which means that they're hungry or numerous enough to bring down a much bigger animal. So not Awesome-sauce. Goblins tended to be scavengers at best, but the bigger a hive got, the smarter it got. The good news was that from what Blinky had said, the biggest hives never got much smarter than a chimp, so Toby's ugly worries about killing a troll—a person, weren't rising up here. Even better, anything short of complete extermination left the hive intact and able to regrow, hopefully with a better idea of "this isn't yours"."

But for now, this was probably going to be the most dangerous mission Steve and Eli had been involved in, hence Draal and Arrrggghhh. Fortunately, it was late at night, no buildings on the street had cleaners or security guards, and they'd pulled some traffic cones out to block the street.

"Okay!" Toby said. "What's the plan?" Please have listened, Steve… Toby had come to the conclusion that God himself must have been protecting him when he was busy not listening to Blinky, trusting Jim or Claire to handle things.

"Go in and check for goblin sign!" Steve said.

"And put the warding signs on the doors," Eli added, holding up the several cardboard signs, the gleaming troll sigils on them.

"Why?"

"So that the goblins don't go into the streets."

"Right, remember, when you kill one, the rest will go for you." Toby frowned. "So back off and let me, Arrrggghhh and Draal handle it."

"I can—"

Steve fell silent as Toby tapped his armor, then reached out and tapped Draal's stony skin.

"I'll run back to you guys," Steve said.

"Good. Let's go."

Toby pushed the door open revealing the dark warehouse beyond. Stealing keys gets a lot easier with the adults in the know.

"Keep your flashlights on," Toby said. Gara's enchanted jewel made the interior look like it was bathed in bright moonlight, but the other two humans weren't so lucky. Eli and Steve had tried to get a hold of NVG systems, but even the best night vision goggles feel short of what Gara could do, and after the third time Draal had blindsided the two in a drill, everyone had agreed just going with flashlights would be best, at least until they could get their hands on the really good stuff.

"Smell that?" Steve said. "That's disgusting…"

Arrrggghhh sniffed. "Food."

"Yeah," Toby said, and flipped the light switch next to the door. There weren't any windows facing the street and so they could use it without fear of detection.

Until the damned goblins turned off the lights. But right now, there were none in sight. Just huge mountains of boxes, stacked almost to the ceiling.

And a maggot ridden, dismembered deer carcass in front.

"That's weird," Toby muttered. Wouldn't a worker have noticed it?

"What were those things?" Mary hissed. "Why was your boyfriend wearing armor! Why are Steve and Eli there, and what were those things!" The Asian was pale as she and Darcie watched the group enter the building.

"I don't know! Obviously, my boyfriend doesn't tell me everything!" Darcie said. Should I call dad? No. She wasn't going to get Toby into trouble until she knew he was doing something wrong. Besides, they had the key, so maybe they were allowed in there. At least the trick with her phone and Steve's backpack had worked.

"Well, let's get to the car and go back home," Mary said. "You can ask him tomorrow!"

"No… I wanna get a closer look." Darcie said. "Let's go around the side. They have some windows there and we can see what they're doing. If it's just cosplaying…"

"Mom and Dad are going to seriously ground me for this if I don't get back soon," Mary grumped. But she followed Darcie as the two crossed the street from the alley where they'd been hiding. Darcie moved down the side of the building, the narrow access way choked with garbage the few windows covered in grime.

"Look!" Mary said, pointing up to a window that was next to the fire-escape ladder. "One's open!"

Darcie nodded. "And it's big enough for us to get in." She climbed up and moved the glass aside, wondering why it, alone of all the windows, felt like it had just been oiled, and were those… claw marks?"

Maybe I shouldn't… Darcie shook her head. She could get in, check and then leave. Mary behind her, she went through the window, ending up on a second-floor walkway that surrounded the open area of the warehouse, a few second level offices dark and neglected.

Below them, they could hear, but not see, the others. A powerful, resonating voice rumbled through the chamber. "Trollhunter, they must have abandoned this lair. Why else would they leave food behind?"

"They've been eating a lot, and don't goblins like their food pretty maggoty? If they've got enough food, why not let it, um, ferment?"

Goblins? Maggoty? That was Eli's voice?

"Hey, Buttsnacks! Look at this!"

Steve. Of course.

"What is—fireworks?" Toby sounded confused. "But these are skyrockets! They're not legal."

"There must be enough here to give the entire city a show!" Steve said.

"Or blow it up," Eli said. "Look! These aren't just normal fireworks-this is mortar bomb, you know for the big shows."

"Darcie…" Mary whispered, her voice trembling.

"I'm trying to list—"

"There's something up here with us…"

Darcie looked up, to where Mary was staring at the window they'd come in through.

The window that now had bone-white things coming through it, as more came out of the obviously not-abandoned offices.

"Waka-Chaka…" One hissed, staring at them with his malicious yellow eyes.

Mary and Darcie's twin screams filled the building.