The bus pulled up in front of a vaguely familiar house. It took Toby a second to place where he'd seen it before. It was one of the houses he and Jim had passed when they were escaping Bular. He slowly stepped out of the bus into the chilly night air with the sinking feeling that he knew exactly why they'd been called here tonight.
He was right.
The inside of the house looked like something out of a slasher movie. There was blood on the floor, some of the furniture was overturned and the backdoor had been torn off its hinges. The goblins in his backpack sniffed the air and chattered in excitement.
Alfhild was already there of course. Her hands were casually shoved into the pockets of her leather jacket as she talked to a short cloaked figure. When the changelings that had been in the bus settled into a semicircle in front of them she trailed off and turned to look at them.
"Okay, Y'all!" She barked. "As you can see we're getting this place cleaned and ready for a cover-up, but before I assign your jobs I will introduce our guest."
The cloaked changeling she had been talking to moved forward and faced them. Their eyes glowed yellow behind their black mesh mask.
"This is Viper, she will be observing you tonight. Continue as normal but be sure to answer any questions she asks you."
The gathered changelings shifted and Toby could practically feel the tension in the room ratchet up. Understandably too, it generally didn't bode well when higher-ups from HQ started nosing around. Most changelings had something they were hiding so it was hard to tell what or who they were after. Toby, however, was hiding a whole powder-keg of secrets. He bit back the urge to swallow.
Kracka sniffed at his neck and Toby quickly shoved down his fear, imagining locking it in a box the back of his mind to deal with later. He had a role to play.
Alfhild was now assigning jobs. She moved to stand in front of him and he shifted to attention.
"1870, you're in charge of getting the blood out of the upstairs bedroom- Just the one across from the stairs, the master bedroom is fine- and clearing up anything else suspicious," She paused eyeing the goblins. "You can tell them to take care of any bone shards and any cloth or other materials that are deemed unsalvageable. Make sure they know not to mess with anything else."
"Yes, ma'am."
Alfhild was watching as Toby switched to Goblin to relay her orders. Kracka and the others were a little disappointed that they would not be getting free reign to eat anything they wanted, but relented when Toby promised to find them a treat when they were done.
The goblins scampered off and Toby went to the supply corner to grab a carpet cleaner. After eyeing the stairs for a moment he shifted forms and then picked it up.
The room he had been assigned was decorated like a jungle. The walls were painted with trees and animals. Handcrafted cloth vines hung from the ceiling. The ones near the door had been ripped and dangled limply to the side as if something tall had snagged in them. The toucan patterned sheets had been pulled off the bed and ran parallel to a trail of blood leading out from under the bed. The smells of blood and fear and salt hung rank and yet strangely sweet in the air.
Toby swallowed, his stony hand clenching around the handle of the floor cleaner and making the plastic creak. He quickly shifted back to human form. He could still smell the blood, but at least it didn't make him feel…
The changeling quickly shoved that thought down and took a deep breath through his mouth. He was fine. This wasn't his fault. They'd taken a different route Bular would have gotten them. He was just being stupid. He had been on the surface too long. That was all.
He got to work. With each pass of the cleaner the blood stains became lighter. Maybe by the time he was done his hands would stop shaking.
The changeling carefully finished the floor and made sure the vines were back in place. He tucked the last one up and took a step back. The room was back to looking about as neat as a child's room would look normally.
He should head downstairs to check on the goblin's they were probably getting to the end of the more obvious stuff now. If he left them on their own too long there was no telling what they would get into.
He turned around and yelped.
Viper was standing in the door watching him.
How long had she been there?
"Hi…" He said awkwardly. "Do you need something Ma'am?"
Without acknowledging his question in any way, she turned around and left.
Well that was creepy…
Toby pressed a hand to his chest for a moment. His heart was racing. He took a few deep breaths to calm it down.
He spent the rest of the time directing the goblins and making sure they didn't eat anything important. Once they were done, he hesitantly approached Alfhild, who was talking to Viper again.
"We're done Ma'am. Do you have any other tasks for me or the goblins?"
Alfhild glanced at the kitchen where two changelings were working on installing a new door. She tilted her head and absently twirled one of her braids around her finger.
"I don't believe so. You may leave if you'd like, or wait for the bus."
Toby contemplated for a moment. He'd really rather get out of here now, but it was a long walk home and a teenager out this late would draw suspicion.
"I'll wait for the bus," He decided reluctantly.
Alfhild nodded and turned back to Viper.
"So… Any news on the hunt?"
Viper glared at her, or at least Toby was pretty sure she did (it was hard to tell with the mask), and then pointedly tilted her head toward Toby.
Alfhild snorted.
"Oh, please. It's clearly not him. As vague as our Dark Prince's description was I doubt he'd confuse slender with stout."
"Maybe," Viper acquiesced. (Her voice had a rumbly quality to it that suggested she was using her shifter magic to make it unrecognizable.) "But the walls have ears. We don't want our little wolf to catch wind and hide in his den."
They stood in silence for a moment watching as the other changelings worked on finishing up their individual tasks. Toby shifted uncomfortably.
"Sooooo…." He said finally, unable to deal with the silence any longer. "Is it just me or was this messier than usual."
Alfhild snorted.
"Oh it definitely was." She shifted a little closer to Toby and lowered her voice slightly. "Apparently Stricklander told The Dark Underlord himself about last night's spectacle. He actually told Lord Bular that he's supposed to differ to Stricklander as punishment."
Toby winced. "Yeah I could see why Lord Bular would be in a bad mood after that…"
"Oh there's more! Anyway he was really touchy all day yesterday. Stalking around snarling at anyone who even looked at him…" She waved a hand vaguely. "The works."
Her lips quirked up slightly in a smirk and then she leaned forward slightly.
"Now it just so happens some fleshbag saw the whole debacle yesterday. He tried to call the police about it… Can you believe that!?" She gave a little incredulous laugh as if at the absurdity. "Naturally they didn't believe him, but one of our agents heard the whole conversation."
"So he's reporting it, so we can decide whether to monitor it or… discretely remove the human. And then." Alfhild gestures dramatically with both hands. "Lord Bular, who happens to be passing by just then, overhears it. He pins the informant to the wall and demands to address… So of course the frightened sod gives it to him."
She leans back again.
"Anyway we just barely had time to announce a gas leak and clear the neighborhood before Lord Bular arrived… A good thing too. You should have heard the screaming!"
Toby was glad he had not.
"Yeah… Sounds crazy!" (Did he sound too cheerful or not cheerful enough? He wasn't sure.)
"Tell me about it," Alfhild groaned. "I miss the good old days when it was busting people's skulls open with battle axes and doing raids. Heck even working a trade route was better than all this sneaking around."
Viper let out an amused huff and tugged at her hood.
"When were you planted exactly?" Toby asked hesitantly; not really wanting to know but trying to keep himself present.
"Oh way back," Alfhild said with a vague wave, before her lips drew back into a toothy grin. "I was a Viking."
"Yeah?" Toby could definitely believe that.
Despite using the alley behind it as a shortcut for years, Jim had never actually been inside Stuart's Electronics. His eyes widened a little as he tilted his head back to take in the floor to ceiling stock of various gizmos. Toby trailed silently at his side. Occasionally he would pull out his phone to cycle through the apps and then shove it back into his pocket. Jim glanced at him with a slight frown. He was about to ask him what was bothering him when a series of thumps drew his attention away.
"Customers! Welcome!"
A plump man with light skin and brown hair emerged from behind a stack of electronics at the top of the stairs. He was wearing a pink bathrobe, slippers, and a large cheerful smile.
He seemed vaguely familiar. Before Jim could place where he knew him from, Toby perked up and let out a squeak of excitement.
"Hey!" Toby said pointing a finger at the man. "You're the taco guy."
"I am," He said cheerfully as he worked his way down the stairs. "I wear many hats… Though to be fair, I do have a lot more success selling tacos than radios."
He settled behind the counter and shoved a tangle of wires that were attached to a small glowing blue rectangle to the side.
"Stuart of Stuart's electronics, at your service," He said offering his hand. "What can I do for you?"
Jim stepped forward and shook it.
"We've looking for a vacuum." Normally he would look for it himself but they would need all the help they could get to find anything in this store… or at least to get it out without toppling something.
"A really really reaaaaalllly strong vacuum," Toby cut in. "One so powerful that it could suck up like… a mouse."
"You do know they have mouse traps for that, right kid?"
"It's a very smart mouse," Jim interjected.
Toby nodded vigorously.
"A very very smart mouse. Like Jerry from Tom and Jerry levels smart. We can't use poison either since my Nana's cats might into it."
"I see," Stuart said tapping his chin. "If you don't mind waiting a moment, I'll head into the back and see what I have."
Stuart retreated behind a pile of electronics and Jim and Toby listened as a series of thuds sounded out. There was a loud clatter and then a moment of silence.
"I'm fine!" Stuart called out.
"Do you think he's really okay?"
Toby shrugged in response.
Blinky and Aaarrrgghh were quite relieved to see them when they arrived at Bagdwella's store.
"Ah there you are Master Jim!" The four-armed troll said with a smile. "As far as we can tell the little varmint remains in his hole."
"That's good," Jim said navigating the vacuum over the last bump.
He straightened up and grimaced as his back let out a series of pops. They really should have called Aaarrrgghh to help them bring the vacuum down the stairs. The thing was heavy.
"What's that?" Aaarrrgghh rumbled with interest as Toby set down his bag.
"It's a battery pack to run the vacuum off."
The large troll leaned forward to sniff it.
"Tasty," He said licking his lips.
"Don't eat that," Jim said quickly. "We need it."
"After we catch gnome?" Aaarrrgghh asked hopefully.
"Sorry," Jim said. "It's my Mom's. She might miss it."
Aaarrrgghh sighed and gave him a sad look. Such a big troll had no right to have such big woe-be-gone puppy dog eyes.
"Well… Here goes nothing," Jim muttered as he stuck the hose into the gnome's hole.
The machine roared to life and immediately angry chattering began sounding from inside the wall. Things began thudding into the hose.
"What is it doing?" Blinky inquired.
"It's working," Jim said with a giddy smile. "I can't believe it's actually working."
He'd have to drop back by the shop and thank Stuart later. The man had apparently made his own modifications to it. He held up a hand for Toby hi-five and then quickly returned to bracing the tube. The gnome's chattering became more rapid and then it let out a loud shriek.
Thunk.
Jim pulled the tube back revealing a pair of feet sticking out of it. It shook and Jim was barely able to maintain his hold as the gnome's feet kicked aggressively.
"Quick, get something to trap it!"
Blinky began to scramble around for some form of containment. Fortunately it seemed that Aaarrrgghh was already prepared. Blinky smiled at the green giant when he handed him a sturdy bag, which he then handed to Jim, who wrapped it around the hose.
"Okay… turn it off, Tobes."
Toby pushed the off switch and the roar of the machine died down. Jim pulled the bag back and it immediately began thrashing. He closed his other hand around the bag's opening to prevent gnome from escaping.
"We got him!" Jim glanced over at the vacuum. "Did we get the amulet?"
"I'll check," Toby volunteered. "You get something to tie that closed."
That was a good plan. Jim wasn't sure how long he would be able to hold the bag closed. Bagdwella found them a rope while Toby removed the top of the vacuum and rooted around inside.
"So any luck?" Jim asked coming up behind him.
His friend yelped, clearly having not heard him coming.
"Nope. We probably should keep trying."
Jim winced. This wasn't good. He was fairly certain losing an ancient magical artifact was a big no-no.
He turned on the vacuum and tried again, this time going until it was sucking up nothing else, and then they emptied out the bag. Bagdwella sorted her things out of the dust and announced that all was accounted for. Unfortunately the amulet didn't turn up.
"Maybe it's too heavy?" Toby suggested.
"I don't think so," Jim said with a frown. "The vacuum got the gnome and it was much heavier than the amulet."
He turned to Blinky and Aaarrrgghh.
"Did you guys watch the hole all night?"
Blinky nodded.
"Aaarrrgghh and I took shifts and made sure it was never unsupervised." He paused fidgeting a little as his eyes darted around. "Perhaps there is another opening to the tunnel."
Jim grimaced. He rubbed at his arms. This just kept getting better. What now? He glanced at the wiggling bag.
"Does anyone here speak gnome? Is there any way to interrogate one?"
"I'm afraid not, Master Jim," Blinky said with deep regret. "I know some have studied gnomes and their language. Unfortunately none of them live in Trollmarket." He shot a glare at the bag as the gnome let loose a string of angry sounds. "That and most attempts to understand the vermin resulted in insults."
Well that was just great. Jim sighed.
"So what should we do?"
Blinky rubbed the back of his hand and shrugged.
"I am afraid I am at a loss… I suggest you retire for the night and we reconvene tomorrow with fresh ideas."
"What about the gnome?"
Blinky picked it up and handed the bag to him.
"Keep him on hand for the moment… as a precaution… but once we find the amulet you must finish the job."
"Finish… Wait you mean kill it?!"
"Of course. That is one of the Rules."
Jim's stomach clenched as he accepted the bag from Blinky. He could understand seeing the gnome as annoying… but to kill it?
"Come on Toby," He said as he turned to leave Bagdwella's shop.
The shorter boy followed him slowly, brows furrowed.
Toby and Jim pulled into their cul-de-sac just as the sun slipped behind the trees.
"Hey…"
Toby turned and blinked at him. Jim noticed there were dark bags under Toby's eyes. He had been distant all day. When had he last had a full night's sleep? Something twisted in Jim's gut.
"Do you want to stay over tonight?" His voice came out so much more hesitant than he wanted. "We can watch a movie and I'll even make my Ultimate Party Popcorn."
Toby's brows drew together and his gaze flicked away for a moment. The twisting in Jim's gut grew more pronounced. Then Toby's expression relaxed into a smile.
"Yeah… that would be nice," He nudged Jim's shoulder with his own. "Besides how can I pass up on your Ultimate Party Popcorn?"
Jim bumped him back with a smile. He let out a quiet breath of relief. They were still okay.
Toby listened as Jim's breathing slowly leveled out.
He stared at the dark ceiling, eyes carefully kept open. The images of last night were still too fresh in his mind. A reminder of what would happen if they messed up. If they were caught.
Of the consequences of their actions.
The changeling quietly rose to his feet. His hand slipped into his pocket closing around the cold metal circle. Its tingling energy pulsed against his fingers like a heartbeat (He wondered if it matched Jim's). His gaze flickered to his friend's sleeping form.
It would be so easy to get rid of it. Jim had no obligation to the trolls. Toby certainly didn't. He could slip away and hide it somewhere no one would ever find it. Maybe he could even destroy it. There would be no way to release Gunmar if the amulet was gone, right?
His fingers clenched tightly and he thrust it deeper into his pocket. He glanced at Jim. The room seemed to brighten slightly as his eyes glowed. He wondered what the human would see right now if he woke up.
Author Note:
Well time to go edit my outline. Toby was originally not supposed to steal the amulet at this point... But well... things happen.
Stuart gets an appearance!
Well that's all for now... Be sure to leave a review they always make my day!
Edit: 10/5/2019
I've currently got a lot on my plate. So I'm going to be taking a short break while I get things in order.
I will be back with the next chapter of this before the end of the year.