Secrets
Chapter 28
If This Be My Tomb
Six bleary eyes fluttered open. Their pupils dilated, trying to focus on an unfamiliar setting. With a groan, Blinky tried to sit up, but found himself bound to an ornately carved stone table.
"A Gumm-Gumm sacrificial altar," Blinky rasped in recognition.
"It dates back to the Mayan empire," said a being outside of Blinky's blurred field of vision. "You might find it interesting to note that your previous protege, Unkar, also occupied that altar, until Bular- ah, but what kind of author spoils the ending to a story? Oh, did I forget to mention that he was also urinated by that drunken imbecile of a lion?"
Blinky turned his head and saw a potbellied, bespectacled Troll shuffle into view.
"The Dishonorable Bodus," Blinky sneered.
"Not much as far as pen names go, is it?" replied Bodus. "But I'll take it - and take so much more. Starting with this. . ."
Bodus held out Blinky's Horngazel key and began writing with it along the walls, tracing over some old Trollspeak graffiti on the cinderblocks. The faded words suddenly glowed red, as if refreshed. Blinky shivered, recognizing the writing on the walls from that dreadful page in The Book of Ga-Huel.
"That's the only problem with these Blocking Spells- they need to be rewritten every few hours," Bodus said, appraising the crystal key in his hand. "Still, what a curious implement, the Horngazel. It likely draws from the same inexplicable inkwell as my own quill of choice. I'd best jot down this finding in the appendix."
Blinky watched Bodus waddle over to a dim cornere of the enclosed space, where The Book of Ga-Huel sat open on a desk of human origin. Bodus set down the Horngazel, retrieved his crystal pen, and began drawing with it upon his own protruding belly. Blinky gawked in confusion as he watched the writing disappear from Bodus's belly and then appear on The Book of Ga-Huel's next blank page. The parchement blazed with blinding light, forcing Blinky to turn away from it. But Bodus's eyes remained unaffected behind his crystal spectacles.
"Then it is you who has been adding pages to that book of late," Blinky said.
"With some help," said a German-inflected voice.
Blinky craned his head and saw the patchwork Polymorf lurking in the cinderblock chamber. Troll horns wreathed Uhl's head like antlers and a Troll dagger gleamed in his hand. Fluorescent liquid coated the blade, a fat drop beading onto the knifes' point.
"Creeper's Sun," said Blinky, recoginizing the toxin that once turned Arrrgh to solid, lifeless stone. "If this be my tomb, then get on with it, Polymorf. All I ask is that you spare my friends' lives when they come to grieve over me, as predicted on that profane page!"
"Do you really think you're in a position to make requests?" asked the Polymorf, the accent wavering. "And there's no way your friends will ever find my secret lai-"
The Sword of Daylight thrust between two cinderblocks an inch from the Polymorf's nose. Using the wide blade like a lever, Jim pried open a hidden door in the wall from the outside.
"Master Jim!" Blinky exclaimed
The Trollhunter slashed away the ropes tying Blinky to the altar. Toby, Claire, Talia, Marshall, Draal, and Arrrgh barged in after him, the Arcadia Oaks High School library visible behind them. Toby looked at the bookcase disguising the other side of the cinderblock door and said, "Guess Strickler's office wasn't the only room with hideout built into it. Our school is weird."
"And tagged with Trollish Blocker Spells," added Claire, identifying the words Bodus scrawled along the walls. "No wonder I couldn't 'feel' Blinky with my Shadow Staff."
Draal cornered Bodus while Arrrgh swallowed up Blinky in a great bear hug. The horned Uhl went red in the face and yelled at the teenagers, "You five delinquets will be expelled from this school - and from life!"
"You can drop the Uhl act now," Jim said to the Polymorf.
"Yeah, although I was hopeing you were Uhl." Talia said. "But we know who you are." Toby and Claire looked at her confused wondering what she'd meant by that.
"You can't hide the truth," Marshall said raising his amber glowing hands.
"Turns out I've known I've known ever since Talia and I read it from the Nursery back in the Darklands. Isn't that right . . .Eloise Stemhower?"
"The Polymorf's smirk faltered before its entire body shrank and sculpted itself into the petite, red-headed frame of Ellie, the new school librarian. She snorted another adorable laugh and said, "Gosh, guys, you can just call me Ellie. All my students-slash-victims do."
"What do your bosses in the Janus Order call you?" asked Claire, tightening her grip on the Shadow Staff.
"Just because they're Changelings doesn't make 'em my bosses," said Ellie. "I sell my protection, infiltration, and execution services to the hightest bidder. And nobody's been more desperate to pay me than ol' Bodus here. We've been thich as thieves ever since I smuggled him outta Berlin. I mean, who could possibly be a better double or triple agent than a Polymorf?"
"I . . . I think I'm gonna be sick," Toby groaned, his cheeks puffing with nausea, then deflating. "How come you didn't get exposed by the Gaggletack? I saw you touch it with your bare hand! Your delicate, porcelain-skinned bare hand. . ."
"What, you mean this hand?" asked Ellie, holding up her dagger wielding left arm.
The revealed Polymorf then held up her right, which transformed into its true form - a mechanical, prosthetic arm, not unlike Draal's - and said, "Or this one?"
"I guess I meant the one with out the potenetial murder weapon, but they're both pretty bad," Toby said, his heart sinking.
"Aw, sorry, kid." Ellie mock pouted. "Gaggle tacks don't work on metal, even when it's made to look like flesh. But at least you'll all be dead soon. Starting with your biggest target!"
The rest of Ellie's body reverted to its actual state-that of reptilian, chalk-white Polymorf Changeling her poisoned knife at Arrrgh.
"No!" cried Blinky.
The six-eyed Troll stood protectively in front of his much larger teammate, shielding Arrrgh with his own body, and prepared for the worst. The dagger closed in on Blinky's heard - before bouncing off Jim's raised shield. The Trollhunter glared at the albino Polymorf and said, "I don't -eue
"Typical," spat Bodus. "Everyone's a critic!"
The Porcine Troll held open the tome at Team Trollhunters, shining its dazzingly bright light at them. They all ducked behind the altar, but the glare left Toby, Claire, Talia, Marshall, Draal, and Arrrgh groping in the dark.
"Can't see!" grumbled Arrrgh.
"Me neither!" said Toby. "Now I know how Nana feels without her glasses!"
Claire blinked a few times and said, "I think it's just temporary! We didn't look directly at it. We just need enough time for our eyes to adjust!"
"Then it is time you shall have!" declared Draal.
He hunched into a tight ball and blindly rolled around the cinderblock chamber. His spiked body missed the Polymorf but bowled over Bodus, knocking The Book of Ga-Huel from his hands. Jim watched the piggish Troll scurry into a corner, the bright spots now fading from the Trollhunter's recovering vision. He next saw the Polymorf lunger for Blinky, and pulled his six-eyed friend clear of her metal hand.
"We gotta get you someplace safe!" said to Blinky.
But the Polymorf tackled both of them behind the desk while Bodus, still unseen in the corner, put down his crystal pen and picked up the dagger. Arrrgh, Toby, Claire, Talia, Marshall, and Draal's sight all returned, but they still couldn't see much of the struggle on the other side of the desk.
"Now, Blinky!" shouted Jim.
The six-eyed Troll sprang up from behind the desk and made a break for the library - only to run into the poisoned dagger held by Bodus. His four amrs grew rigid. Blinky took one last look at the horrified Team Trollhunters before his body turned to stone and fell apart.