Chapter Eleven - Mashups to the Rescue
Clampers, Ozzy, Cadence, and CJ led the adults through the dark woods. Barb wore the soundwave glasses, searching for any colored lights that indicated sound made by the singing children. The little army consisted of Delta Dawn, Trollex, Hickory and Dickory, and the K-Pop Gang.
"We're almost there." Clampers whispered.
"I'm not picking up at soundwaves." Barb looked around so much that Trollex had to hold her hand to guide her around things she might trip over or run into. "That means the kids are either not singing or they're too far away."
"Once we get close to the cottage, we'll send a couple trolls down to get a look at things." Branch instructed. "Let's get a good lay of the land before we launch a full assault and risk a kid getting in the crossfire."
"This place is creepy." Gomdori gulped, scooting closer to her nearest sister. "Why is this part of the forest so different from the rest?"
"It's like Kikimora's magic sucks the life from the land around her." Hickory breathed.
"This is true witchcraft." Dickory growled. "Magic should be used for good, not evil."
"I don't understand how we missed this while searching the forest." Kim-Petit mused.
"Well, if this Kikimora is a witch, then she probably puts up enchantments to camouflage her home." Branch theorized. "It's possible her magic is failing, and the camouflage fails intermittently. Let's hope this is one of those times."
Ozzy spotted Kikimora's cabin first. Wani, Ari, and Baby Bun snuck closer while everyone else hid in the shadows. The trio returned minutes later.
"Definitely creepy." Ari shuddered.
"Kikimora is monstrous. She's putting on makeup and gathering materials from her workspace." Baby Bun reported.
"But there aren't any kids in there." Wani finished. "Just an empty cage."
"Kikimora probably moved them." Cadence groaned. "Where could they be?"
"Did you see two dogs?" Ozzy asked. Wani shook her head. "Deimos and Lupe are probably guarding the kids somewhere."
"Is that them?" Barb pointed to a wolf-like creature trotting up to the cottage.
"One of them." Clampers confirmed. "If we follow him, maybe he'll take us to the other kids."
"That thing appeared out of nowhere." Delta Dawn pointed out. "In this darkness, how can we follow him?"
"We do have flashlights." Branch said. "But that won't do us much good if we can't keep an eye on him."
CJ scratched her head in thought, and an idea came to her. She reached into her hair, felt around for a moment, and located a kazoo. She stuffed it into her pocket and pulled Clampers, Ozzy, and Cadence closer. They whispered to each other as the adults discussed a plan. Then, before any of the adults could stop her, CJ slipped away and ran towards the cottage. She did not even make it to the door before it flew open and Lupe lunged from the porch. He tackled CJ and pinned her to the ground. Kikimora walked with grace and poise, bending over CJ and smiling as though she caught the child with her hand in the cookie jar.
"Well, well, well. What have we here?" Kikimora mused.
CJ glared at her. "You're the one taking kids from Music Central!"
"Yes, and you and your friends were so kind to lead me to my prey." Kikimora said. "I was having such a hard time figuring out how I could infiltrate the newest troll kingdom."
"The kings and queens will stop you." CJ taunted.
"I very much doubt that. My home is protected by my magic. If they haven't found me by now, they never will. Besides, do you really think the different trolls can all live together in harmony? There's a reason they isolated themselves and stopped being friends. Believe me when I say it was inevitable; and when the current troll leaders decide to disband Music Central and return to isolation, I will not be surprised." Kikimora looked to Lupe. "Take her to the other children. Pop Trolls are always so full of life. Perhaps she can quicken my return to beauty."
Lupe grabbed CJ's shirt in his teeth and trotted off into the woods. When Kikimora disappeared into her cottage, the hidden trolls ran after Lupe and CJ. Branch and Clampers ran faster than the others. They could hear CJ playing her kazoo as loud as she could, and they followed the sound. Lupe was fast, though, and he even ran up into the trees and seemed to vanish. Branch and Clampers paused in their running, and they realized they left everyone else in the dust.
"CJ!" Clampers called into the darkness. She listened for the kazoo or CJ's voice, but heard nothing.
"Don't worry. We're getting closer." Branch made a fire in the blink of an eye. "If she keeps playing, we can follow her trail once Barb and the others catch up."
"Right." Clampers exhaled slowly.
Branch smiled and tousled her hair. "You're doing great. But you don't have to do this alone. We got your back."
Clampers grinned at this. She gladly accepted Branch's invitation for a song, knowing it would guide their friends to them so they could track down the other kids. Despite her fears for her friends, Clampers put all her energy in the upbeat tune and imagined how proud her aunt would be once this was all over. Branch's smile was infectious, and his goofy dancing made Clampers laugh.
It wasn't long before the rest of their rescue party found them.
"Nice singing, guys!" Barb tapped the soundwave glasses, still pressed up against her face. "Best of all, I'm seeing some faint soundwaves coming from that direction. I bet you anything it's CJ and/or the kids!"
Branch knelt down to be at eye-level with Clampers, Ozzy, and Cadence. "You guys have been a massive help. CJ's little stunt was a bit risky, but we would not have made it this far without you. Now, we're about to do something really dangerous. We don't want to see you get hurt, but we also need every soldier we got. So, you three must do everything we say, all right?"
"We will do whatever is needed, Mr. Branch." Cadence nodded.
"Let's go save those kids." Ozzy urged.
Barb located the soundwaves and guided the group through the forest. They arrived at a large, bare tree littered with holes. Everyone hid, as close to the tree as they dared, while Barb analyzed it.
"The soundwaves are coming from halfway up the tree." Barb reported. "It's dark, but I can't see anything that could be holding the kids."
"Then they must be trapped inside the tree." Dickory deduced.
Branch pulled a pair of binoculars from his hair. "From what I can see, there's only one way in or out, and that's through a hole at the base of the tree."
"Those mutts will be prowling about." Hickory warned.
"We need a decent distraction." Delta Dawn said. "Something that draws both of them out of the tree."
"My sisters and I are pretty distracting." Wani mused.
"I got some strobe grenades." Trollex pulled a couple round spheres from his hair that looked like mini disco balls.
"If you guys can draw out Deimos and Lupe and keep them outside, we'll get the kids to safety." Barb said.
"And then we can lure the dogs back into the tree and trap them there." Delta Dawn suggested.
"What should we do?" Clampers asked.
The adults exchanged glances, silently coming to agreement that they shouldn't just leave the kids here. "Why don't you join us in getting the kids out safely?" Delta Dawn offered. "We need to check every nook and cranny for them."
"We can do that." Ozzy confirmed.
The K-Pop Gang and Trollex ventured forward first. Trollex hid amongst the roots of the hollow tree while the K-Pop Gang snuck into the hole. A bit of commotion emerged from the tree. Kim-Petit, Baby Bun, and Ari shot from the hole, followed by Deimos. A minute later, Wani and Gomdori lured out Lupe, who managed to shut a heavy door behind him. Trollex leapt into the skirmish. He threw one of the strobe grenades at Lupe. The grenade exploded and released a rapid series of flashes that blinded Lupe long enough for Trollex to spin around and slap him with his tail. Delta Dawn charged for the door to the tree and used her back horse legs to bust her way in. The interior of the tree had ladder-like stairs and cages hanging from poles and stuck to walls.
"CJ! Coral Blush! Blue!" Clampers called.
"We're here!" Coral Blush waved from one of the hanging cages. "Lupe has the key to the cages!"
"The hinges are strings." Branch pointed out. "We can cut them loose." Luckily, he, Delta Dawn, Hickory, Dickory, and Barb each had their own knife. Clampers, Ozzy, and Cadence hugged their friends, and the Mashups got to work guiding the kidnapped children to the door. Ozzy and Coral Blush led the pack; CJ, Cadence, and Blue surrounded them to keep everyone together; and Clampers made sure no one got left behind, including the adults. Ozzy looked outside and saw Deimos and Lupe circling Trollex and the K-Pop Gang. The dog demons moved too fast for any of them to escape. Every time they tried, a snap of teeth nearly took a chunk out of them.
"If they see us leave, they'll be too fast for us to get away." Ozzy reported to Barb.
"Mashups, you guys need to lead the kids a safe distance away." Hickory said. "Dickory and I will join the first group to find a hiding spot."
"Ozzy, Coral Blush, you guys stay with me." Clampers ordered. "Cadence, Blue, and CJ will take the next group, and we alternate." The friends agreed, and they got to work. The adults marveled at how well the Mashups worked together, following the guidance of their unofficial leader. Branch ran towards the K-Pop Gang and Trollex. He tackled Deimos, and Lupe nearly ran into them, and the fight started all over again. Branch, Trollex, and the K-Pop Gang were careful to keep the demons' attention away from the escaping children. Soon, everyone was out of the tree except Barb, Delta Dawn, and two more children. Clampers, Ozzy, and Coral Blush escorted them all towards the forest.
Ozzy looked back to the fight and saw Kim-Petit receive a blow from Lupe's claws. She tumbled, flinching as Lupe lunged for her. Branch only just managed to knock him aside. Ozzy made a sharp turn and barreled towards Lupe. He jumped, landed on the demon dog's back, and yanked on Lupe's ears. Lupe managed to buck off the child, and he lunged with his teeth bared. Then, the rest of the Mashups appeared out of nowhere, collectively slamming into Lupe like a stampede of rhinos. Deimos went to help his brother. Cadence zipped and flitted about his head. Deimos jumped and snapped his teeth, but missed her every time. Blue tripped Lupe as he ran, and Coral Blush slapped him in the face with his tail. CJ and Clampers rode Deimos like a bucking bull. Deimos and Lupe spent so much time fighting the children that they forgot about Branch, Trollex, and the K-Pop Gang. The adults thought that they ought to help, yet it seemed the kids knew what they were doing.
Deimos and Lupe ended up running into each other, bonking heads and seeing stars. They snarled simultaneously, looking for their opponents.
"Hey uglies!" Blue shouted. The Mashups made funny faces to goad the demon dogs. Lupe and Deimos charged for them. The Mashups darted into the hollow tree. The demons followed, only to run right past the Mashups who hid on either side of the door. Coral Blush threw a strobe grenade he swiped from Trollex, and the Mashups escaped. Delta Dawn took the broken door and slammed it over the entrance.
"Move!" Branch ordered. The trolls made a break for it, herding the formerly kidnapped children far away from the hollow tree where Lupe and Deimos howled in anger.
It was so late when they returned home that the children dragged their feet in exhaustion. The adults led them to a dance hall in the castle, and the K-Pop Gang brought down all the blankets and pillows they could find. The children found the softest spots available, often grouping together so they could cuddle for comfort. Clampers ensured the comfort of her friends before she settled beside them.
"Hickory, Dickory, and I will keep watch over them for the night." Delta Dawn said.
"You should get some sleep." Branch yawned.
"You, Trollex, and the K-Pop Gang had quite a fight." Hickory protested. "You need to patch yourselves up and get to rest."
"And you, Queen Barb, must have some very tired eyes from searching." Dickory added.
"No, let me help with guard duty." Barb resisted the urge to rub her stinging eyes.
"Come on." Trollex gently tugged Barb down the hallway. "Let's go, guys. It's been a long night." Branch and the K-Pop Gang followed them.
Delta Dawn looked over to the sleeping children. "It's such a relief to have them back."
"Looks like we managed to save all of them." Hickory sighed. "Only one kid lost."
"A tragedy still. But we avoided a greater one." Dickory smiled. "Little Clampers was very brave. Her and her friends."
"What they did was risky. But, yes, they were very brave." Delta Dawn grinned as her eyes settled on her niece.
In the morning, the troll leaders worked together to create a major breakfast spread for the children who camped out in the ballroom. The K-Pop Gang alerted the guardians of the children, who came in droves to reunite with their lost loved ones.
The Mashups were equally praised for their efforts and scolded for doing such reckless things.
"I really don't think we did that many reckless things." CJ shrugged.
"Following demon dogs through a dark forest?" Poppy pointed out.
"Using yourselves as live bait?" Trollzart added.
"Facing off against a crazy witch?" Darnell piped up.
"Okay!" Clampers laughed forcefully before another adult could say something. "We get it. We learned our lesson. We're sorry."
"You better be." Delta Dawn tousled her niece's hair.
"Most of you will be doing extra chores to make up for scaring the bejesus out of us." Riff lifted his beanie to stare pointedly at his little brother.
"But not too many, right?" Blue asked hopefully.
"I think we should not push our luck." Cadence whispered.
"But maybe now you know we can do more than you think." CJ told the adults.
The adults exchanged looks. Trollex floated almost upside-down, with his tail in the air and his head at the level of the Mashups'. "You have all shown that you can do incredible things. That, you have proven. Now, we will hope you learn soon when to and how to ask for help."
The Mashups took a turn exchanging glances. They didn't quite understand Trollex's words. Still, they nodded and willingly went with their respective parents to make do on that promise of chores.
While the families of the kidnapped children relaxed and celebrated the safe return, the Mashups did odd jobs the entire day. Cadence polished every instrument in the Classical Troll orchestra. CJ Suki bathed her and DJ Suki's wooferbugs. Ozzy cleaned his and Riff's entire house and did so much yardwork that he collapsed into bed at the end of the day. Blue assisted a Funk Troll who owned a market stall, making tinsel jewelry and clip-ons, organizing the stall, and delivering orders around Music Central. Coral Blush helped bake several dozen muffins for the café in the market. Clampers did plenty of farm-like chores, like the ones she did in Lonesome Flats: repairing fences, herding animals, gathering food from the forest, etc. None of the Mashups complained much. They were too proud of what they accomplished.
So proud, in fact, that they did not notice Poppy's worried looks while she waited for Quincy, Essence, and their entourage to return from the forest. Only Branch's calming words eased her fears, even when the sun set and the Funk royals did not return.
"They should have been back by now." Poppy sighed. "The Reggaeton Trolls knew the way, right?"
"Yes, they were certain of it." Branch said. "Never thought I'd be the one calming you down."
Poppy laughed. "Weird, huh?"
"What did you always tell me? Just when you think things are going wrong, something goes right?" Branch noticed movement ahead, and he smiled. "There we go."
Poppy grinned; but that smile vanished in an instant. She looked back and forth between the Funk royals and the Reggaeton Trolls. "Where is Kikimora?"
"Please tell me she was already eaten by a beast or something." Branch groaned.
"We should call an emergency meeting. Immediately." Quincy suggested.
"Can we join the meeting this time?" Darnell requested.
"This is above your experience and ours." Quincy said. "You and Cooper need to keep an eye on Clampers."
"But we could help." Cooper said with a hopeful smile.
"You can help by doing as your told." Quincy sounded sterner this time.
Essence smiled comfortingly at her sons. "Do it for Delta Dawn, boys. Please? I'll scold your father about not letting you be more inclusive with solving problems in the kingdom."
"Hey…." Quincy pouted while Cooper and Darnell snickered. The twin princes left for the castle while the other troll leaders congregated in the meeting room.
"We went to Kikimora's cottage, and it was completely abandoned." Essence reported. "Cleared of all materials, books, potions, everything."
"The plant life around the cottage is even growing back." Marimba added.
"Maybe that means Kikimora is gone for good." Poppy said, ever the optimist. "Maybe she realized we would be after her, and she just left."
"If our kingdoms catch sight of her, they know to contact us." Trollzart mused.
"We already warned them to be vigilant, and to keep the children within the borders and under supervision." Delta Dawn added. "With Kikimora vanished, I don't see what more we can do."
"I'm with Poppy on this one." Hickory said. "Kikimora knows we don't go down without a fight. She underestimated us once, and it will take a lot more than that to sneak by us again."
"This summer, when we return to our kingdoms, we should up our defenses." Barb suggested. "She was willing to kill these kids for whatever reason, and we cannot underestimate her just because we beat her once."
"Barb is right." Trollex nodded. "Better safe than sorry. We should also keep up this guard system for Music Central. I'm thinking of doing something similar in Techno Reef."
"For now, I think we can breathe easier." Tresillo said with a grin.
"He's right. Summer will arrive sooner than we think." Branch said. "We need to make plans for Music Central this summer and autumn."
"I think we all have harvests to think about and preparations for winter when autumn comes." Delta Dawn said. "When should we reunite?"
"I have received many letters requesting homestay and exchange student programs." Trollzart piped up.
"Lots of trolls asked me about something similar." Poppy said. "That's definitely something we should do during the summer."
"Hickory and I want to revisit our homelands in the mountains. It's less treacherous now that winter has passed." Dickory announced.
"We'll keep an eye on Music Central while everyone is gone." Tambora offered. Marimba and Tresillo nodded in agreement.
"The girls and I have our K-Pop World Tour this summer." Wani cast a playful grin to Barb. "With less string stealing."
Barb quickly caught the jest, and she forced a laugh to hide her panic. Unfortunately, Wani noticed her discomfort, and she sent an apologetic smile. Barb cleared her throat. "You know, what if we spent the winter holiday here in Music Central? Our first Holiday Bash Fest together."
"Is that a Rock Troll version of Midwinter Yuletide?" Poppy asked.
"We call it Christmas." Trollzart chuckled.
"I think that's a wonderful idea, Queen Barb." Essence said. "I'm sure a holiday together will be a welcome relief from our incoming busyness."
"Any opposed?" Trollex asked. Upon seeing no disagreement, he cheered. "Winter holidays in Music Central it is!"
Just as the leaders said, the last weeks of spring passed quicker than anyone realized. The trolls prepared for the first day of summer, regardless of their plans. The Reggaeton Trolls promised lots of fun to be had in Music Central for the summertime. A handful of trolls who were only visiting Music Central packed their things to return home. Some troll families had two homes: their new home in Music Central and a holiday residency in their motherland.
Such was the case for most of the Mashups. Clampers, as heir to the Country Troll throne, would go to Lonesome Flats with her aunt. Coral Blush, CJ, and Ozzy would return with their families to Techno Reef, Pop Village, and Volcano Rock City. Cadence had orchestra summer camp back in Symphonyville. Blue was the only one to remain in Music Central fulltime.
When the first day of summer arrived, it made sense to have a celebration to welcome the new season. The Mashups enjoyed themselves until they realized that, tomorrow, they would separate for the first time since their friendship blossomed.
"I mean, it won't be forever." CJ reminded her friends. "I hear the troll leaders are coming back for the holidays."
"No way will any of our families be missing out on the parties we'll have then." Ozzy agreed. The kids looked out from their spot in a tree. What started as a jarring change to see so many different trolls now became commonplace. It would feel strange to be surrounded by only their kind of trolls.
"I will miss you all." Cadence said. "I will write to you from summer camp."
"The mail system has definitely improved." Coral Blush said. "I'll send all of you letters."
Clampers looked to the harp sculpture atop the castle. The sculpture she and her friends designed. She glanced to her friends. Each one of them so different yet similar to each other and herself. She grinned broadly. "You know, I think our kings and queens hoped we would get along to make the Music Central statue. But I don't know if anyone expected us to be friends."
"I think we work great as friends." Blue said. "Like Queen Poppy says: you can't harmonize alone."
"Oh! I almost forgot!" CJ reached into her hair and pulled out bracelets made of string and beads. "I made us all friendship bracelets. I know, it's such a Pop Troll thing to do."
"And nothing to be ashamed of." Ozzy affirmed.
CJ smiled in thanks and passed the bracelets around. "I wove them with colorful strings and I included a little charm for each of us. No matter where we go or what we do, we'll always be friends. Right?"
"Mashups stick together." Blue nodded.
"Friends forever, making music together." Clampers opened her arms, and the Mashups gathered around for a group hug. Despite knowing they would see each other again, it was nice to vocalize what they already knew: that they would indeed remain friends for the rest of their lives, and no amount of distance would change that. Of course, friends always have their ups and downs. Who knows what sort of challenges they would need to overcome? The future seemed so far away.
Right here, right now, they could only think about the next time they would see each other.