Secrets

Chapter 21

Death by Detention

"So let me get this straight," said Toby. "Senior Uhl punishes us for being at school when it's late -by making us stay at school even later?"

"Maybe he is a Changeling after all," Claire deadpanned.

Marshall had his nose stuck into his book of Troll Law hidden behind another textbook shrunk down to size thanks to a shrinking spell he'd learn from June Sturges. It had nearly been two hours of sitting at the school library it was close to dusk. Marshall was deep in thought of worry about his friends they'd left behind in the Hero's Forge. . .even though one of them still holds a grudge against him. But what really concerned him most was leaving them at the hands of the Krubera Queen, Usurna. He'd started to hate her ever since she'd left Jim and Talia for dead at the hands of a monster. But all Marshall can do now is pray that they find some way out of this.

While he continues reading his book not realizing of Tobia's was gazing at their new school librarian, Ellie Stemhower. Watching her stamping return dates into the books without flourish or fanfare. Claire unamused by the look of his drooling goofy expression she notified him. He wiped his mouth with his vest, only to snag on his braces. Then suddenly cold chill breathed on Marshall's neck with a small voice whispering into his ear -

"Beware. . ."

Marshall freezes and slowly looks up, but see's nothing. Then more different voices whispers around the library continueing their spooky and mysterious message.

"She returns - -". they hissed. "- -world is at stake- -the Night shall fall- -Eldritch Queen - -Child of Leo- -in grave danger- -Trollhunter- -must become - -."

"What?" Marshall said softly.

Claire looks at Marshall while Toby stops struggling with vest tangled up in his braces, both staring at him confuse

Glancing between his friends and upward, "D-do you guys hear that?"

Claire and Toby incredulously look around, but they apparentliy heard nothing.

"I don't hear anything, Marshall," Claire whispered.

"Arr ya okaa, an?" Toby asked muffled with his braces still caught by the vest.

Marshall glances around again, still looking troubled, but then shakes his head.

"Uh. . .yeah. You know. . .never mind I probably must've imagined it," he said waving his hand with an amver glow freeing Toby's sweater vest from his braces.

Toby licked his lips and said, "Oh, thanks. Though. . .that didn't taste too terrible. I think I'm starting to see why Trolls are into socks."

Marshall shook his head and raised an eyebrow as Claire rolled her eyes before gazing back at her Advanced Placement American History textbook on the desk. All the text started to blur together after nearly an hour's worth of homework. She was about to call it quits for the night, when Claire saw a painting in the book of the signing of the US Constitution. She squinted, leaned closer, and said, "No way. . ."

Her voice caught Marshall and Toby's attention and watched her pull out her cell and hold a camera lens over the painting. She pinched her fingers on the screen, zoomed in on the image, then gasped. Toby and Marshall looked at Claire's cell and saw a close-up of The Book of Ga-Huel hidden in the painting. A man with a powdered wig and bright yellow eyes clutched the book, leering behind all the Founding Fathers.

"Are you kidding me?" yelled Toby.

Ellie gave a friendly "Shh!" reminding him to use his library voice. After waving sheepishly at Ellie, Toby softly said, "I've been staring at this painting for days in class and never noticed The Book of Ga-Huel! Makes you wonder where else it pops up. . ."

"Yeah," said Claire in a hushed tone. "It does."

She clicked a picture of the painted Book of Ga-Huel, then opened up her phone's we browser. Toby and Marshall watched over Claire's shoulder as she then uploaded the photo into the browser's image recognition app. The screen populated with numerous renditions of The Book of Ga-Huel taken from other works of art. Claire, Marshall, and Toby's eyes widened. They spotted the timeless tome in a fresco of the burning of Rome, in various Renaissance portraits of yellow-eyed royals, even in black-and-white photograph of the library abroad the infamous dirigable, the Hidenburg. Claire, Marshall, and Toby nearly jumped out of their skin whey they heard someone say, "Gute Nacht."

Seniour Uhl had entered the library and greeted Ellie before shooting a disapproving look at Toby, Claire, and Marshall, and disappearing down one of the aisles. Toby stood up with the Gaggletack.

"What're you doing?" hissed Claire.

"Do the math, Claire!" Toby hissed back. "Uhl starts having loud arguments with an invisible someone in his office the same day that The Book of Ga-Huel turns Strickler's office into a tanning salon! We now have photographic proof that the book was in Germany, which is - oddly - our Spanish teacher's country of origin! And worst of all, he gave us detention!"

Marshall and Claire exchanged looks getting the idea where he was going.

"Well, when you put it that way. . .," said Claire.

Toby stomped into the aisles and found Uhl in the World Travel section. The stern teacher noticed his student approaching and said, "May I help you, Mister Domzalski?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, Seniour Uhl," Toby began politely. "I think we had ourselves a bit of a misunderstanding earlier and - HEY WHAT'S THAT OVER THERE?!"

He pointed behind Uhl, who turned around to see what the fuss was. Toby rushed forward and pressed the Gaggletack against his teacher's hand. Seniour Uhl shrieked and fell backward into the book-shelves. Claire and Marshall ran up, saw Uhl completely buried under a pile of books, and heard Toby ranting, "Oh my gosh! UHL'S A CHANGELING!"

Panicking, Claire extended her Shadow Staff, Marshall dragged and took Toby inside the new portal. The black hole vanished, leaving behind the motionless Uhl - and Ellie Stemhower, hiding meekly behind her clipboard in the next aisle over. . .

:)

Back in the Hero's Forge, Blinky, Arrrgh, NotEnrique, Jinx, and Chompsky observed another shadow portal spit out Claire, Marshall, and a blathering Toby.

"Uhl! Gaggle! Book! Tack!" he shouted at his Troll's and cat friend.

"Egad! Has Tobias gotten into the Elix-Lore again? asked Blinky.

"Where's Usurna?" Marshall asked.

"Did she take Jim and Tally?" Claire worried.

"Master Jim and Lady Talia still have not returned from the Void," said Blinky in concern. "As for Queen Usurna, NotEnrique arrived just in time to scare her away with his- -or better yet- -" The trolls looked down turning towards the black cat familiar.

;)

While the teens were stuck in detention NotEnrique arrived with Jinx and Gnome Chompsky just as Blinky described. NotEnrique was attempting to make another comedy performance but instead. . .she became distant and alarmed when she saw Jinx with them.

Usurna scrammed covering her nose hiding her face to prevent from seeing anything suspicous, because she could not bare the humility of letting everyone know of her deep dark secret. Just like that the Krubera's left leaving everyone in the Hero's Forge confused.

"

Marshall scratched his head confused wondering why would a troll be afraid of cats? But Enrique knew the answer to their question, because he's seen it himself back at the library. He climbed up on Marshall's shoulders and explained, " I know what you're all thinking. You know in most cases where everybody has their own secrets. . .or better yet their weaknesses?"

"Uh. No?" Marshall said not sure where he was going with this. NotEnrique looked at his knuckles while everyone curiously gathered. NotEnrique climbed ontop of Marshall's head and grabbed his face, "Well get this." He jumps off of him and lands on the arena floor. "Usurna. . .isn't like other trolls. You all know that we are afraid of sunlight and eat mostly about everything including cats but she. . ." NotEnrique turned around with his hands behind his back smirking looking right at Jinx. "Is allergic to. . .him."

"Say whaaaaa?" Toby sang wide eye looking back at Jinx.

Claire chuckled as if this were somekind of joke, "Nuh, uh. No way. . .trolls aren't allergic cats."

"Oh, but it's true," NotEnrique walked up wraping his arm around Jinx's shoulders. "Jinx's fur made that Krubera wench blow out mucas from her snout."

"Usurna's. . .allergic to cats?" Marshall surprisingly asked. Everyone grew silent for a moment exchanging each other's looks before they all burst into laughter, besides Claire. Gnome Chompsky fell back kicking his little legs hysterically, Blinky's six-eyes began to water up filled with joy almost as if he'd forgotten from what he'd saw from the book, Arrrgh pounded his fist to the floor as he laughs so ever loudly, Marshall held onto his chest like he could not stop, Toby fell on his butt wrapping his arms around the laughing Changeling and talking black cat. Claire crossed her arms shaking her head unamused by their imaturity.

"Guys, come on," she said. "It's not funny that some people have rare severe allergic reactions to something especially if. . ." she slowly then started smile trying to fight off the laughter. "If. . .if. . .Phwaaaah! Ah, ha, ha, ha! Who am I kidding! How can a troll eat cats be allergic to them?!"

Chompsky slowly began to stop laughing as he looked up towards the Soothscyrer upside down noticing something was happening. As the light was showing from the relic everyone stopped laughing.

Jim and Talia stumbled out of a whorl of blue mist and into the Forge, Arrrgh quickly catched them in time and said, "Had us worried."

"Sorry, big guy," Talia said, shaking off from the crazy ride.

"Blink, turn to page seven hundred and twenty-seven in The Book of Ga-Huel!"

Blinky did as told and held up the requested page for all to see. I contained the same blueprint Jim saw in his Void Visitation to the Mayan temple, only now completely rendered.

"Looks like a ruddy arm ta me," NotEnrique said dismissevly.

"That's not just any arm," said Jim. "It's a mechanical one. Like-"

"The one I built for Draal," Blinky realized, his six eyebrows cocked in suspicion.