Secrets
Chapter 24
Backstabber
Blinky had wanted to see day break over Arcadia ever since he beheld his first sunset during the Troll's brief, magical stint as a human.
"Great Gronka Morka," said Blinky in awe. "Is it possible the sunrise is even more impressive than its descent?"
"Are you sure you want to risk getting yourself burn and turned to stone?" Talia concerningly asked seeing him and Arrrgh out in the open, "And since when did you take interest of the sun?"
Jim had forgot to tell her that Blinky was previously once turned into a human being from after being exposed to one of the magical potion's gas that Gatto the Giant Mountain troll had kept from within his molten lava stomach during from one of their adventures reclaiming the first Triumbric Stone.
"It's okay, Tally," Claire assured her with her Shadow staff in hand all dark. "As long as I'm providing them some shade they'll be fine. So just kick back, relax, and let's watch this moment of a lovely scenery."
Talia knew that time was running short and they needed to solve the mystery as soon as possible, but Claire was right. Who could ever argue with something like this? The orange and red vibrant colours of the sun painted the sky like a picture perfect work of art. And this view over Arcadia was breath taking.
Jim on the otherhand was on his phone typing and distracted. Claire turned around and took notice of this, "Jim, you're missing the best part." she said.
"Sorry, just texting my mom," said Jim distractedly. "She seemed pretty miffed about the basement. But now it sounds like it's clean again?"
"Gotta love that Draal," said Toby. Putting his hands behind his head and reclining along their grassy lookout point. "He slices, he dices, he does windows!"
"Har, har, Tobes!" said Jim, pressing send.
"I thought that Draal wasn't the cleaning type," Talia smiled raising an eyebrow.
"Neep, neep," said Chompsky of the beautiful sunrise before them.
"Yeah. . .amazing," Jinx agreed with the little Gnome.
"Eh, I've seen better," NotEnrique replied with a dismissive wave.
"Well, its certainly the most radiant sight my eyes have beheld," said Blinky.
"Arrrgh make sure you see another," promised the gentle giant beside him.
Jim looked up from his cell and absently nodded in agreement. But on the inside, he felt slightly less confident about Blinky's chances. Twice now, the Trollhunter had see The Book of Ga-Huel outwit and outlast the Trolls in his Void Visitations, as if the tome willed their deaths-as if it had a cold, calculating mind of its own. Jim struggeled with the feeling that he was still missing some big, important detail about the book. Like this blank spot was right in front of the Trollhunter, staring him in the face, and yet he could not see it. And the more Jim tried to focus on the problem, the further it retreated into the murky limits of his understanding.
The whole thing made Jim feel very tired all of a sudden. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his mom for a few hours. Barbara's latest text told Jim that she was about to see patients at the hospital, and Jim figured she'd be safe in such a public setting.
"Hard to believe our party was less than two days ago," Claire sighed.
The friends sat in contented quiet with the memory of their melon bashing before the bushes rustled behind them. The saw Draal trudging out to joing them on the promotory.
"Draal?" Talia asked surprised to see him thinking that he would still be at Jim's house keeping an eye on his mother.
"Draal, we were just talking about you!" said Toby. "Thanks for the cleanup effort!"
Draal did not answer. Marshall and Talia could sense something was not right about him. Jim studied his face, unable to read the Troll's neutral expression. A new wave of worry hit the Trollhunter, even if he didn't quite know why. Jim's voice cracked as he asked, "Draal? What is it? Did my mom get to the hospital okay? Is she safe?"
"She is," said Draal, devoid of emotion. "But you are not."
"Jim, look out!" Talia pushed him out of the way in time before Draal swung his metal arm. She transformed into her beast form, then was punched right straight in the face sending her flying and crash dragging the dirt in the ground.
"Tally!" Marshall ran up to check on her.
Jim yanked the Amulet out from his pocket and said, "For the Glory of Merlin Daylight is Mine to Command!"
The armor appeared and embedded itself onto Jim. Draal came right at Jim again with another swing, but then he activated his left gauntlet forming a shield colliding it against Draal's metal arm with sparks flying.
Everyone leaped into action, Blinky and Arrrgh carefully stayed int the projected shadow as the barred Draal's path.
"Draal, cease this madness at once!" said Blinky. "How could you, the son of Kanjigar the Courageous, turn on your Trollhunter? In all our years, I never took you for a backstabber!"
Arrrgh's eyes glowed purple again, prompting Toby to say, "Uh-oh. Looks like we're in for round two. . . ."
But Arrrgh's aggressive stance faltered when the wind shifted. His senses of smell had been heightened ever since his resurrection, and Arrrgh widened his nostrils to take in a full range of scents. He wrinkled his nose and said, "Not Draal."
"Do you mean to say this Draal is an imposter?" asked Blinky.
"Ceorcere!"
An amber aura of multiple whips coiled themselves around Draal like snakes suppressing him from all of his movements keeping him from attacking Jim. Marshall stood tall with his right glowing hand shaking from enduring all of the pressure restraining this big troll. Talia got back on her feet with her dagger in hand as everybody surrounded "Draal", who cracked an unsettling michievous grin.
"That's gotta be a fake. I've never seen Draal smile!" said Claire.
"And why would he be smiling? We caught this fake?" Marshall said still concentrating on holding the imposter.
Then unexpectedly Draal's giant masculine body changed to a lithe form, his horns retreated into his skull, which now sprouted black hair, and his skin shifted from blue to silver. His shrunken body escaped from Marshall's trapp letting him slip through and cut the amber ropes in pieces. The attacker was now the exact spitting image of Jim Lake Jr. - Daylight Armor and all.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" gasped Toby.
"It's another Polymorf!" exclaimed Blinky.
"Neep?" asked Chompsky.
"A Changeling that can assume multiple identities!" Blinky told the Gnome.
Jim ducked as the second Jim took a swing at him, then he kicked away his duplicate. The fake Jim rolled into a crouch before ramming into an unsuspecting Claire-and spinning her Shadow Staff into the bluff's overgrown bushes.
With the staffe now out of her reach, the shadow that had been shielding Blinky and Arrrgh dissipated. The two sunlight averse Trolls had now choice but to jump under the shade of a tree that was near to them, but far from the Jims.
NotEnrique helped up Claire, Jinx, Blinky, and Gnome Chompsky watched the fight, while Talia assissted the real Jim thanks to her instincts and sense of smell, and Marshall trying to capture the Polymorph with his magic again. Jim and Talia came at the other Jim side to side and collided right into each other after the fake jumped out of the way in time. Marshall reached extending his mutliple lasso ropes while he was in the air, but then the changeling turned itself into a tiny bird escaping from his grasp before turning back into Jim once again landing on his two armored feet.
Talia ran up as the fake backed up avoiding her swings. "This is ridiculous!" she shouted.
The imposter brought up his arm blocking her attack, "Ridiculous for you, but kind of bit fun for me."
Talia and Fake Jim both locked onto each other's hands struggling with both of their strength's. Then the changeling had changed form once again. His black hair turned gray, skin grew fur, and his whole entire body turn feminine looking exactly like Talia's beast form.
"Seriously?!" said Talia offended.
Talia sweeped her leg tripping her dopple-ganger as they tumbled down tumbled down rolling toward the lookout point's precipice. Jinx turned back towards Claire and NotEnrique recovering from the Polymorph's sneak attack rifling through the bushes for the staff and shouted, "Can you guys hurry up and find the darn thing? The thing's turned itself to Talia!"
"Still looking!" NotEnrique sassed. "Hey, Arrrgh! Use that supersnout of yers ta sniff out the real Silver Lion!"
Still confined to the rapidly narrowing shade of the tree, Arrrgh inhaled deeply, then said, "Can't - two Tally's too far away!"
Tally One and Tally Two came to a stop at the very edge of the bluff, teetering over it. They looked at each other in alarm before the ground gave way beneath their combined weight.
"Help!" yelled both Tallys as they fell.
"No!" cried Marshall, Jim and Toby.
Fortunately, Marshall casted his lasso to catch the two Tally's halting their plummet both dangling from the cliff. Marshall held on tight with his feet being dragged towards the edge, but then Jim, Toby, Chompskky, NotEnrique, and Jinx rushed over to the brink and pulled both Tallys back onto terra firma. Now faced with twin Silver lions glaring angrily at each other, NotEnrique asked, "How're we ever gonna be able to figure out which one's which?"
Toby didn't even hesitate. He slugged the Tally on the left with his Warhammer, sending her soaring across the loookout point. The remainig Tally rushed forward and hugged Toby.
"Gor blimey!" said NotEnrique. "How'd you know that was the pretender?"
"Are you kidding?" said Tobiy, hugging Tally back. "I've know this girl since preschool. You think I can't tell which Tally's favourite health snack of all time?"
"Yogurt's for life, buddy," said Tally in gratitude.
They pulled apart and considered the imposter crumpled against the grassy bluff. The being spasmed and lurched upright. It turned its head toward team Trollhunters at an unnerving angle, revealing a face that was a nightmarish hybrid of Jim, Tally, and Draal's likenesses.
"Grumbly Gruesomes!" cried Blinky, turning his six eyes away from the sickening sight.
The creature screamed a shrill, piercing scream that made everyone cover their ears. "Um, Claire, any luck in finding your staff? asked Jim.
"I'm trying!" Claire said, peeking through the dense bushes.
"Please do hurry!" called Blinkky from under the tree, their shade now a sliver.
"No pressure," added Arrrgh, moving his singed elvow from the sunlight.
The Polymorf lifted is bent body off the ground, its features shifting wildly between human, lion, and troll attributes. Jim, Toby, Claire, Marshall and Talia watched aghast as the monstrosity altered its appearance one last time, becoming Senor Uhl before their very eyes.
"You five will be serving detention for a very long time," said Uhl in his thick accent.
The Spanish teacher then broke into a run and pulled Blinky out from under the tree.
"Gah!" cried the six-eyed Troll as his skin started to smoke in the sun.
Arrrgh swiped at Uhl, but the renegade teacher dragged Blinky out of his reach, Jim shouted "Please! Keep Blinky out of the sun! You'll kill him!"
"If you say so," taunted Uhl.
The shape-shifter tossed Blinky into a public trash can, kicked it down the hill, and ran after it. Jim could hear Blinky's retreating voice as he called out, "Master Jim!"
"Found it!" said Claire, pulling her Staff from the bushess.
She broadcast a new shadow over Arrrgh, who tore off his abducted frined. The rest of Team Trollhunters joined the chase, and Jim yelled, "Bring back Blinky!"