A/N: Hello, folks! Sorry for the slight delay with the update, but it was a deliberate decision. After all, today is the first anniversary of this fic. I still cannot believe that the whole year has passed since I mustered my courage and posted this story. Back then, I wasn't confident that I could go past ten chapters - I was scared to lose motivation as I wrote a story in my third language. So I want to thank everyone who supported me through this year, left kudos and comments, or even read it silently. Right now, I am confident that I'll manage to finish this story (I have finished the full script, after all - some additions or tweaks to it will still happen, but I know that I won't face the writer's block for sure).
Another news is regarding my update schedule - I have been updating each Friday for several months (with a few exceptions), but now I'll be switching to each Sunday. So, it's still weekly updates, but on a different day.
As for my other WIPs (for those who read them too), nothing is dropped or abandoned. Now I finally can pay more attention to them too.
An endless abyss, eerily still and serene. Dark and silent to the point of being maddening. Not that empty though - she could easily discern flying - floating? Ugh, this place was surely too confusing! - debris.
That was yet another oddity - how could she see with no light source? Well, to be honest, Claire had given up on finding any sense in the mysterious dimension.
It had started right after the miraculous magic outburst that had saved her from the wicked creature. The girl had felt so drained afterward that she had simply lost consciousness in some minutes.
And it had thrown her inside this bizarre… space? Claire still struggled to find a proper name for it. On the other hand, what was the point in giving labels? It would change basically nothing.
At first, the girl freaked out, trying to find any kind of exit without any success. As some time had passed - some minutes? A week? The whole eternity? The notion of time was impressively vague here! - she had calmed down and tried to explore more methodically.
Endless - that was the only conclusion she had gotten after non-stop floating. Or at least vast enough to guarantee that any visitor could travel for centuries, never reaching the border.
At least, waking up remained the working way out.
On the other hand, Claire nearly wished to be back to the mysterious dimension because she felt horrible after coming to her senses. Everything hurt, the room kept spinning, and she couldn't muster any strength at all. It was worse than any disease she had had before.
Claire tried to look around carefully not to make her condition worse. It took several moments until she recognized the guest bedroom. Oh yeah, with all the wreckage in her own room, it would be odd if her mom and dad left her sleeping there.
Speaking about the parents… As the girl's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she finally noticed both Javier and Ophelia sleeping on the floor.
Of course, they were worried - who wouldn't after discovering their daughter in the half-destroyed room? Claire imagined too many questions incoming, but…
She had no idea what to tell.
The truth? About that monster? As if someone would ever believe, especially her rational mother!
Besides… Wouldn't the truth be too dangerous? What if the creature returned to silence everyone knowing about its existence? Mom, Dad, Enrique - they all could get hurt or even worse.
Claire's consciousness drifted away once again amid worrying thought - and the unknown space welcomed her once again.
It started to annoy the girl already - she subconsciously disliked this dimension. It was too eerie and evidently tried to lull her mind into the fake security. No, she couldn't lower her mental guard even for a split second here.
Another wake-up - another escape.
At least, this time, Claire didn't feel that drained. Some pain remained, and she felt weak and sore, yet she could already feel some improvement.
The girl could hear her mother bickering with someone downstairs. Apparently, that was the police - and of course, they had failed to find the perpetrator. Why would they have arrested anyone? They hadn't been looking for a monster to start with - and it would mean no leads.
Claire closed her eyes wishing everything to be just a horrible dream. Alas, the reality wasn't that kind to her - the quarrel downstairs continued with Ophelia starting to accuse everyone of not taking their job seriously. Her mom could be so hot-blooded at times.
The girl wondered why her dad hadn't intervened by now - shouldn't he see at least some irrationality in his wife's accusations? Or maybe he totally agreed with her and simply hadn't joined.
Everything was such a mess. Some days ago, magic had been just a bright miracle, an amazing adventure, and a way to escape the boring triviality. Now?
No one had bothered to tell Claire about the dangers attached.
Neither Douxie nor Jim. At least one of them should have known about the monsters. Was it so difficult to mention those?
It felt like a legit betrayal.
Javier entered the room with a tray - and beamed the second he saw his daughter awake. Claire could see some vague signs of exhaustion on his face. Just great - now she had worried her family for no reason. Hadn't her parents already had enough sleepless nights when Enrique was born?
Back then, she had sworn to herself to be a responsible elder child and not burden her parents needlessly.
Well, the monster's appearance wasn't her fault, but the girl still couldn't shake off the sense of guilt. She kept nodding with a fake vague smile - the one to ensure her dad she was ok - as he went on asking about her condition.
"And…" Javier hesitated, probably not sure how to ask. "I know, it's too early, but… The police want to talk to you about the trespasser. Your mother told them to, ahem, wait until you're better."
Claire would bet ten dollars on her mother using way stronger words. Most likely, her father shared the sentiment and just informed the girl about the delayed interrogation. But…
She clearly saw that unasked question in his eyes.
What the hell had happened last night? What would have left the room in that state?
And Claire knew she had no explanation or answers, both because she wanted to protect her family and out of fear that no one would believe in any case.
"I haven't seen them good enough… And I was scared…"
In the end, she decided to lie. Well, more like, mix the lie with half-truth - because it had been an actually scary and traumatic experience.
Luckily, her dad had misread her reluctance. The girl cringed mentally - since when did her parents' obliviousness make her happy?
"Just have a rest, sweetie. Tell me if you need something. I can make some guacamole…"
Guacamole sounded tempting, and any other day Claire would jump to the opportunity to savor some, but… Today she needed something else more.
"Can you bring me my phone?"
"Your phone?" Javier raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"I want to text my friends and tell them everything's fine," Claire smiled sheepishly. "Darci and Mary are probably worried sick…"
"Oh, I see," her father nodded. "I called your school, but you're right, it'll be better to inform your friends personally…"
He didn't suspect a thing - and his daughter felt her heart sinking from guilt once again. No, sure thing, she would text Mary and Darci too, but she needed her phone to contact someone else.
Douxie, the one who had introduced her to the world of magic. Or perhaps, Jim, who was also a part of all this madness. If at least one of them could answer her questions Claire's mind could rest in peace.
Or not.
"Oh, Papi, wait! There's a book in my room, The Introduction to Arcane Arts for Dummies… Can you bring it too?"
Yes, perhaps, she could get at least some answers herself.
"That's… an interesting choice of name," Javier drawled skeptically. His expression, however, was more along the lines 'who wrote that stuff?'.
"Just a silly book," Claire forced a giggle. "Need something dumb to relax…"
"Just don't overstrain yourself, ok?"
It seemed her father hadn't suspected a thing for better or worse. The Introduction to Arcane Arts for Dummies actually looked like a ridiculous cheap book someone would pick for laughs rather than a genuine magic guide. Besides, Javier most likely had gotten used to his daughter's unorthodox hobbies a long time ago to question her interest in supernatural stuff.
The time seemed to drag for eternity, and it drove Claire crazy. First, her dad hadn't returned for a while (it was less than ten minutes, though), then he hung in the room for too long (which was also only half an hour max). When the door finally closed after him, she nearly let a sigh of relief.
It was ugly and unfair to keep something so life-changing from her family, but… It wasn't their mess - it was hers.
Claire frowned and opened the table of contents. Even if her magic textbook only contained some basic information, there should have been at least a brief mention of monsters. Perhaps, they had some other name, but it would be odd to omit those.
Alas, the author, apparently, had a different idea about what should or shouldn't be in their book. Nothing in the table of contents suggested any connection to any kind of mythical being. Claire started to flip through the pages, hoping to catch any mention, and…
Nothing. Zilch. Zip. Nada.
The girl felt an urge to kick someone as she threw off the useless book. Granted, she knew close to nothing about the magic world, but, oh boy, those guys had serious problems with setting their priorities straight.
She stared at her phone instead. Texting Douxie - she had his number, it should be so easy, yet…
Claire hesitated for whatever reason and failed to understand why. Was she scared to snap and offend her wannabe magic teacher? Well, he deserved at least some scolding for failing to mention an important trivia to her, so probably no.
Was it out of fear to learn that even Douxie had no idea about the monsters? No, that was just a ridiculously minuscule possibility.
Perhaps, she suspected her magic teacher would ban her from studies because of that incident? Somehow, it was closer, but still not everything.
Claire groaned, texting Mary and Darci instead. A part of her wanted to share her horrible experience with her friends, but she stopped herself from that temptation. Hadn't she already excluded them from some part of her life when she had kept mum about the magic?
Her life just continued spiraling out of control.
Got a nasty virus. Will stay at home for a while(((
A simple message, yet somehow so dry and devoid of sincerity. The same one to both of her friends. Perhaps, she had to write a longer one, but…
Claire was simply too tired. Probably, it'd have been better to follow her dad's advice and sleep a bit - even if she had woken up not that long time ago.
The already familiar dark dimension greeted her the second she had dozed off. Would it happen any time she decided to sleep? Somehow, the idea of it didn't seem that exciting.
This space was simply too hostile, trying to intrude on her mind each second. Claire needed to stay vigilant to keep the darkness out of her head. Facing something like that each night? No, thank you, that wasn't something anyone would be looking for!
Some more exploration led nowhere - perhaps, the dimension was empty to start with.
Empty?
A dangerous delusion, for sure. Most likely, the one the mysterious space tried to force upon her.
No, there was something here. No, no, no, more like someone - the true ruler of this kingdom of darkness, the one whose presence alone dominated every inch here.
Claire wished to both meet and avoid that person. Somehow, she felt some kind of kinship with them. Or connection. Or…
When it came to magic, it was definitely such a pain to come up with terms to describe certain senses! It was as if any human language was lacking the right words.
The girl closed her eyes, trying to sense the exact location of the mysterious entity. No one had ever taught her this, yet she was confident in following her instinct.
Just a bit more, and…
The presence disappeared at once, and Claire opened her eyes only to stare at the ceiling of the guest bedroom.
That started to become annoying. The dark space apparently saw no problem when it came to dragging in and pushing out whenever it liked.
Claire checked the time - close to midnight. The entire day wasted on… whatever was going on.
Should she have gone to sleep once again and tried to solve the mystery of the dark space and its resident? Some kind of sixth sense whispered to her not to push her luck to its boundaries. It would be dangerous to go back - and who knew if it would be possible to wake up the next time.
The girl reached for her phone, finding some incoming messages there.
The rehearsal was a disaster without you. Please, come back.
Oh, that one was from Eli.
Do you need any notes on the stuff you missed?
Darci proposed some help.
Don't make me go through the kiss scene with that dumbass Steve! I won't ever forgive you if that happens!
Mary was definitely not-that-happy to be a double for Juliet. Claire wondered if she should have treated her friend to some fancy dessert.
BTW, guess who was looking for you today?
There was a second message from Mary, this time mischievous-sounding. And of course, there was another one, just some seconds after.
Jim Lake, our missing Romeo. I told him to visit you tomorrow, sooo…
Claire sighed. Her friend tended to exaggerate at times. They were simply acquaintances with Jim, not even friends. Wait, no, they both were Douxie's students, so there was some kind of bond and…
She simply couldn't comprehend her feelings when it came to Jim Lake - and, to be honest, right now, she wasn't interested in finding the correct label for those.
There were more important matters to consider. Like that recent attack and the whole deal with the monsters.
Did Jim know about supernatural creatures' existence? If he was as oblivious, shouldn't Claire have warned him?
She touched her neck as the memory of lacking the air overcame her again. No one deserved to go through something like that. If monsters were that hostile, Jim had the right to know and get prepared.
And what if he knows?
An ugly doubt wormed its way inside Claire's mind. Sure thing, it seemed Jim was way above her level in magic already as he had started earlier, so perhaps, his knowledge was also superior, but…
He would have told her about the monsters if he knew. He was a nice guy.
You thought Douxie was a nice guy too, yet he hasn't even mentioned that magic isn't the only real thing. Or will you argue that he has no idea about monsters?
It was nearly impossible to retort to that merciless inner voice. Douxie was skilled enough in magic to guide other people. He had to know, so he had decided to conceal some information.
That was a betrayal - and that was the real reason why she hadn't texted her magic teacher so far.
Claire sat on the bed, hugging her knees and wondering what to do now, with all those recent revelations.
Abandoning magic? Ironically, even a thought in that direction made her freeze to the core. She couldn't - not after getting a taste of all that stuff, not after glimpsing inside the unknown. There was so much stuff she wished to explore and try. Levitation, perhaps? Or some attack magic.
To give up on that miraculous world only because some scary monster barged inside her room? Never.
The true answer lay elsewhere, and Claire suddenly realized that she should have gotten stronger to be able to face such obstacles herself. Or at least focused on defense, for now, to prevent any hostile forces from entering.
Her gaze fell on her magic textbook, lying discarded on the floor. It may have contained nothing on monsters, but it was still useful, so why not learning something new?
Claire planned to go for some wards first, yet… Her eyes caught the word 'dimension' on the random page, and she stopped flipping. Oh yeah, there was still that mysterious space, and if it continued dominating her dreams, shouldn't she have bothered with solving that issue?
The good news was that the author was actually interested in describing all kinds of magical spaces and pocket dimensions. The bad one was that neither of those sounded even remotely close to the dark world from Claire's dream.
Was all of that some kind of advanced magic, so it wasn't covered in this introduction? Somehow, the girl could imagine that. Perhaps, she had already outgrown this level. Or was she simply too hasty, attempting to skip the steps she deemed useless or needless? Wasn't that arrogance?
This time the dark dimension summoned her right amid blink. Now it was outright scary - if the frequency rose, didn't that mean that Claire would end trapped eventually?
She panicked, floating randomly and hitting debris.
Debris? Were those always there? She could swear it was empty the last time!
Help, she needed help. Even that eerie entity would do - Claire could already feel its presence growing stronger with each second. Perhaps, they knew the way out. Perhaps, they…
A hand clasped over her wrist, stopping her movement at once.
"Hey, let me go!"
She tried to wrestle her hand out, punching them with her free fist, kicking and jerking like mad. Why had they stopped her? Why couldn't they allow her to reach her destination?
There was help there. The entity was kind and welcoming, and…
"Ouch, I knew you had a strong punch, but can you stop beating someone who attempts to save you here?" the stranger complained, never letting her go and dragging her farther and farther from the mysterious presence.
Claire stopped trashing. What the heck was she doing? Some seconds ago, her mind had been in some kind of daze or trance perhaps, not that different from a moth attracted by light. Hadn't she thought of the entity as dangerous and eerie before? So why had she expected any help from that one?
The girl hated even imagining what would have happened if she had reached her destination. That was quite a luck that someone had stopped her.
Wait, someone? Was there someone else trapped in that dimension except her and the unknown entity?
Claire looked at her savior's back - they looked forward as they continued dragging her somewhere else.
She knew them - that was a trusted person. Yet, no matter how much she wanted to call their name, it escaped her mind. It was odd, but she didn't find it suspicious in the slightest. Her intuition whispered that it was normal to both recognize and not recognize her savior.
"Have you snapped out of it?" they asked, finally turning back and smiling at her.
"Yeah, and sorry for kicking you."
It was such a ridiculous feeling to talk to someone who was both familiar and a total stranger at once. At least, they didn't mind being unidentified.
"It's not good for you to stay inside the Shadow Realm," her savior warned instead of bothering with introductions or accepting her apologies. They were surprisingly aloof - and it clashed with their appearance too much.
Now she had the name for this space - not that it changed a thing or something.
"You probably haven't noticed, but I'm not coming here because I want it."
Oh, wait, probably she was too irrational with that - her savior most likely had no idea why or how Claire had ended here, so they assumed it had been a deliberate decision.
"I know. It drags you in each time you lose focus," they shrugged, stating it rather matter-of-factly.
Now the girl was sure her previous kicks were justified. That attitude was really annoying.
"So what about stopping blaming me?"
"I haven't blamed you. I've just stated the fact. The Shadow Realm is dangerous. Your soul is exposed to all kinds of influences at the moment, and your body is vacant. Someone may use it as an invitation to possess it."
Claire felt everything freezing inside. Was it that risky? She had thought about her little trips into the unknown as dreams, but those were something else altogether.
"And that… entity?" she asked, remembering how only some moments ago she was deadset on meeting with that treacherously enticing presence.
"Oh, her? She would be interested in your body for sure," her savior responded after thinking for a while. "It's her free ticket to the freedom - would be dumb to miss it. But don't worry, she hasn't noticed you so far - for better or worse, your magic is budding at best. You're just a fledgling, and finding you here will be challenging even for the witch of her caliber."
So, that entity was some powerful witch. Claire wondered if it was good or bad news.
"But she was calling me?"
"Nope. Just your magic resonated with hers. You two have a similar affinity."
The girl nodded. She had read a chapter on magic affinity, so she recognized the term. Though, to be honest, she had not even the slightest idea about her own - it was so tempting to ask, yet she didn't dare to open her mouth. It didn't matter at the moment - right now, she had to find a way to stay out of the evidently dangerous dimension.
Were her thoughts that obvious from her expression? If not, why would the stranger answer something she never voiced?
"It's the last time you're here. Well, unless you repeat that thing that landed you in the Shadow Realm."
"I don't remember anything like that."
No, seriously, what did they mean? Sure thing, Claire had been experimenting with all kinds of magic spells from her textbook, and some of those seemingly never worked, but she definitely had never tried anything connected to dimensional travel or space manipulation. And especially not something that cut her soul from her body!
"I understand it wasn't intended, but well, you pushed yourself way beyond your limits," her savior sighed, looking at her with some sympathy. "When there's not enough magic in your body, the spell would use life force as a substitute…"
No, they couldn't imply that…
"Do you mean?.." Claire started, already horrified by the possible answer.
"It was a near-death experience, yes."
They probably could be vaguer instead of giving the exact answer. At least, in that case, Claire would be able to trick her mind into believing that it was something else and her usage of magic couldn't be harmful.
Though…
She wasn't a small kid to be that naive. If physical straining of the body could have consequences, why wouldn't it be the same for magic? How many times did people get traumas during training simply because they overestimated their capabilities? How was it different from her situation? Claire had never tried any attack magic, and the wreckage she had caused was way beyond a primitive blast. And she had definitely felt the consequences, be it soreness or lack of physical strength. She just needed to add 'soul leaving the body' to that list, no matter how horrible it sounded.
At least, it shouldn't have continued according to her savior. Wait, no, that made no sense.
"You've said I wouldn't get here anymore, but I'm pretty sure that my condition worsened. This time I got here during a blink!"
It would make sense for her soul to leave the body while she was unconscious or sleeping. But she was awake the last time!
Wait, why would she trust the peculiar stranger? Yes, there was some familiarity even if she couldn't identify them, but couldn't there be some kind of magic with that effect? Perhaps, they could be even more dangerous than that other entity - the powerful witch? Was that information correct to start with?
And even if they weren't an enemy, they could still lie or hide something. Claire shouldn't have trusted random people that easily - especially if she met those in the mysterious dimensions!
There was no response.
Claire suddenly realized that her savior (could she still consider them one though?) had never released her arm and continued to drag her away during their conversation.
"There's something more," she whispered, "but you won't tell me."
"I won't."
"Why?"
"You'll learn yourself eventually. It's your domain, not mine - and you probably can gasp it better than anyone else."
Ok, that was cryptic. Or perhaps, that jerk was simply pulling her leg trying to escape interrogation.
Her domain? What could it possibly mean? Spacial magic? Shadows? Soul leaving her body? Hopefully, not the last one, because it wasn't the talent Claire wished to have!
"Whatever," she groaned. "I bet you won't explain in any case!"
Probably, she should have kicked them more when she still could.
"Well, there's another question you want to ask, which I probably can answer…" the stranger suddenly smiled. "Why do I look exactly like the certain person you know?"
That was true, and even if her mind kept blocking her full comprehension, Claire still knew who exactly it was.
"You're not him."
"I'm not him."
It was just a confirmation - not even for a second, Claire had considered the stranger to be one and the same as the person she knew. Their presence was drastically different from his. Still…
"Please, don't tell me your looks are based on my subconscious thoughts because that's awkward."
Awkward would be an understatement of the century because she would never be able to face the guy in question!
"Nothing like that," the stranger shook their head. "I'm just a xxxxxxx, x xxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxx xxx xx xxxxxxxx xxxxx xx xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxx xxxxxx xxx xxxx xxxxxxx. Xxx xxxx xxx xxx xxx xx xxxxx xxx xxxxxxx xxxx xxxx, xx x xxxx xxxx xxx, xxxxx xxx."
Claire stared at them in total bewilderment. She knew they said something life-changing, something outlandish, yet her mind refused to both register or recall their words. Those were in English yet came out as a meaningless combination of sounds.
"Can you… repeat the last part?"
"Unfortunately, you won't be able to perceive it," they sounded genuinely regretful, disappointed even. "It seems to be outside your domain…"
Domain again. What was up with that term? Claire silently swore to investigate it as soon as she woke up.
"Just don't jump inside the Shadow Realm until you're ready. You'll perish otherwise," the stranger broke the pregnant pause with another cryptic warning.
She wanted to argue back, to ask more - but her soul was already on its way out. The ceiling of the guest bedroom greeted her once again.
Any time when Jim considered the most likely person to suffer because of his recent responsibility as the local protector, it was always his mom or Toby. Probably, even in the reverse order - Toby and then Barbara. After all, his best friend bravely participated in all that crazy trollhunting stuff despite having no armor to protect him.
Learning that Claire could possibly have gotten hurt came out of nowhere.
"Calm down, Jimbo!" Toby patted his back. "Why do you assume the attack? Maybe Claire simply saw something unusual. Eli cannot remain the only one noticing trolls and goblins forever! Besides, they have no reason to attack her."
That was some sound reasoning, and Jim wished he could be that optimistic, but…
"She skipped a day."
"Oh, come on, everyone skips occasionally!"
"Not Claire. Do you know that her parents will ban her from participating in the school play if her marks go down?"
Romeo and Juliet meant a lot to Claire, she would never have risked her chance to have her dream role unless something serious had happened.
Yet Toby refused to give up:
"Ok, fine. But why would trolls attack Claire?"
"Because I like her!"
Seriously, why would his best friend even question that? Wasn't the connection obvious?
"Jimbo, just take a deep breath and think rationally," Toby groaned, evidently annoyed. "How could evil guys learn about your crush? Sure thing, everyone in school knows, but…"
"We talked at the museum! And the museum lady most likely noticed!"
"Jimbo, evil dudes have no idea that James Lake Jr. is the Trollhunter, remember?"
"Oh."
No wonder that his best friend was so skeptical. Jim definitely panicked and assumed the worst, but now that he actually thought about it thoroughly, Tobes was right.
So far, he had done basically nothing to compromise his identity. And well, even if he had, how could trolls possibly learn about a highly specific connection to the Latina. Those stony brutes seemingly had trouble comprehending some aspects of human life. Jim still shivered, remembering how Blinky and Aaarrrgghh decided to introduce themselves to him.
So, of course, Bular or Barverra couldn't pick up something that nuanced and…
Wait.
Wait.
No.
He kept avoiding the elephant in the room for too long.
Sure thing, most trolls probably knew close to nothing about humans, but…
There were also those whose forte lay in hiding amid humans. Changelings! Hadn't he brought up the museum lady not that long ago? If one of those were inside the school…
Jim was doomed then. Claire would be only the first victim of attacks, anyone else could be the next, and… All lines of defense turned useless out of nowhere.
"I think it's my fault," Douxie, who stayed silent during the argument, suddenly butted in. "The Janus Order was checking GDT Arcane Books, and Claire was one of the customers. Probably it happened because they search for the Trollhunter's wizard ally…"
Everyone turned to him.
"Too far-fetched," Zoe shook her head. "More regular visitors would make more sense. Like me, for example…"
"Maybe they also attacked someone else, I have no way to check now," Douxie disagreed at once. "I should have thought about the possibility…"
"I still think we should check what exactly happened before assuming the worst," Toby interrupted impatiently.
They all were the team, yet a small incident had already planted some seeds of discord. No, it was nowhere close to an actual fight, but everyone still had their own opinion.
It couldn't continue like that. Jim recalled his own failed attempt at speech after his victory against Draal. Back then, he hadn't been able to finish. Now?
"We can't fight now, especially if the enemy is more aggressive in their approach!"
This time everyone heard him. Perhaps, because they were more open to hearing out his opinion.
"So what's the plan?" Douxie inquired. Jim noticed that Zoe and Toby were expecting his answer too.
Wait, since when had he ended up as the one in charge? Shouldn't Merlin's apprentice be the leader instead? He was the older and more experienced one, so how did their positions manage to switch that fast?
"Check the situation, I guess," Jim answered without much confidence. "We need to learn what's happened to Claire…"
He would never forgive himself if his connection to the girl resulted in endangering her. Even if Douxie blamed himself, he also got involved only to help the Trollhunter. In the end, everything was connected to the noble obligation to protect two worlds.
Yeah, sure, two worlds! Even keeping close people safe was quite a challenge already, and it had been less than a month.
"So, visiting Claire then," Douxie nodded. "Whatever she wants to tell, it's not something she's willing to discuss on the phone…"
"Without me," Zoe added, much to everyone's surprise. "Come on, she doesn't even know me! Besides, I think someone should check if other customers of GDT Arcane Books were attacked - and Casperan couldn't do that. Who knows if the changelings made a deal with one of those. Some people would be more than happy to get rid of Merlin's apprentice…"
Jim could swear there was some anger and displeasure in the witch's voice. She obviously implied something only her and Douxie understood - and judging from the latter's darkening expression, he got it.
"Just be careful," he said, some worry evident in his tone.
"Oh, please, messing with me would cost them too much," she smirked. "Cheer up, guys, whatever comes next, it's better to face it with a firm resolve!"