Jim snagged a blanket through the open emergency exit and wrapped Excalibur before he carried the sword into the building. The denizens of Arcadia Oaks knew about trolls, aliens, even wizards, and many had witnessed Jim in his Trollhunter armor, but Excalibur was a secret he was going to keep as long as he could.

Claire wasn't in sight. Neither was NotEnrique or Claire's family.

The old man he'd tried to help a couple days ago tottered past. "Feelin' better, son?" He pointed to the wrapped sword. "Whatcha got there?"

"Prop from school," Jim said. "You haven't seen my girlfriend—the one who was with me the other day?"

"White streak in her hair? Sure." He nodded toward the back of the building. "Went that way. Had a little troll with her too."

"Thanks." Jim hurried to the back. Every few steps he checked the shelter entrance, in case Bianca managed to escape his mother.

Claire met Jim just as she came out of a tiny bathroom. An Employees Only sign hung from the door. "NotEnrique's going to stay in here for a few hours. We found a stash of old socks hidden in a trunk. Guess even the Janus Order had a taste for junk food sometimes. He can snack on those if he gets hungry."

"She's here," Jim said.

"The reporter?" Claire stood with her back to the closed bathroom door. "We weren't at Camelot more than a few minutes. How'd she get all the way over here that fast? The roads are a wreck."

"Don't know, but I don't like it. Mom's keeping her busy."

"You talked to your mom?"

"No. We've got to get out of here in case Newberry—"

Barbara Lake stepped through the front door, sticking close to Bianca. "And this is the main shelter."

Jim hauled Claire behind a stack of metal chairs. He peeked through gaps between the chair legs. "Mom's keeping her near the front, but we can't get to the emergency exit without her seeing us."

"Jim, you've got to tell her what's going on. Douxie will be done with the charm in an hour and a half. If your mom doesn't know what we have planned, and she gets that reporter to leave, Newberry might disappear for now, but she'll be back—and she'll probably have company. This is too important to risk. Go talk to her." She held out open hands and motioned for Jim to surrender the sword.

He would rather endure another beating from Bellroc. But Claire was right. He handed over Excalibur.

"Your mom's gonna realize something's up the second Newberry recognizes you."

"Yeah… I know." Jim steeled for the inevitable and waited until Newberry's back was turned before coming out of hiding. He strolled toward the front of the shelter, pretending to check for cell reception.

"It's Jim from the bridge," Newberry said when he reached them. "Where's that sword of yours?"

His mother's face instantly blanked, but her stare cut like a scalpel.

"Hi, Miss Newberry." Jim put his phone away. "Didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were going to head out. Looks like you met my mom."

"Ah, I see the resemblance. I hope your girlfriend's doing better."

"She's working on it," said Jim.

"Hey, congratulations." Bianca pointed to his mom's engagement ring—now properly oriented again.

His mom blanked again. "That's about all there is to see here. Why don't you—"

"—stay for lunch," Jim said. "They start serving in half an hour."

"I could use something to eat. It's a drive from where I was staying in Arizona," Bianca said. "Fast food just doesn't agree with me."

Claire's parents walked in, baby Enrique asleep in Mr. Nunez's arms.

"Uh, Mom, can I… talk to you?" Jim said.

"I think that would be a good idea." She said it with a smile, but an aura of, "You've got some explaining to do" radiated off her. "Ophelia?" His mom caught Claire's mother before she made it too far inside. "I'd like you to meet Bianca Newberry. She's here visiting. Bianca, this is Ophelia Nunez, Councilwoman." The meaningful look that passed from Jim's mom to Claire's ensured Newberry wouldn't learn anything of value from Mrs. Nunez.

Jim led his mom to a vacated space between two sets of belongings—far enough from Newberry that she wouldn't overhear.

"She can't stay here," his mother said in a harsh whisper.

"I know. I know. We just need a couple hours."

"Who's we?"

"Me, Claire, and Douxie. He's going to make us a repellant charm to slip her. If you get her to leave now, she probably won't stay gone."

"That's fair. But what were you and Claire doing at the bridge?"

Jim wanted to hide. "We were… going to Trollmarket."

"Why?"

He held back a wave of panic. Just barely. "To get the Chronosphere from Blinky."

"And when did you get Excalibur back?"

"Couple days ago," he muttered, eyes on the floor.

"What do you need the Chronosphere for? You said it was useless."

The question gouged, making the lingering ache from his fractured ribs pale. "It—it—" He couldn't—didn't dare say it. "I'm sorry, Mom. I can't—"

"James Lake Jr., you might be eighteen, but I'm still your mother, and while you live under my roof, you're not keeping secrets from me. Not again." If Barbara Lake turned into a troll, she couldn't have been more terrifying.

Words he hadn't dared fully repeat, even silently, formed on his tongue.

It's okay to be afraid, Claire had said.

He clung to her words, barely keeping from shaking in his shoes under his mother's expectant gaze. "I saw them," he blurted before his courage fled. "All of them. Alive." Images from the Chronosphere flashed to memory. Each one offered excruciating promises he knew—rationally—could never be kept.

All traces of his mom's anger vanished, replaced by something much more frightening. Hope.

She didn't speak as she headed for the emergency exit with measured strides.

Jim expected her to stop, turn around, say something.

He waited until she stepped outside before following, but by the time he reached the door, his mom was sprinting up the hill and into the trees.