Author stuff: Last chapter of the day.
Trigger warnings: Mentions of blood and gore, vomiting and bodily fluids, and mentions of murder.
Drawn From Stone
Chapter Seven
"His brains went splat and then he was dead," Toby said, waving his hands frantically, "but then he wasn't and — oh no. I'm going to hurl."
Darci watched as he ran towards the bathroom, wincing as she heard the wet slap of stomach acid and liquidized food hit the toilet. She looked over to Dr. Lake, who's brow was furrowed as she contemplated while staring down at the cup of tea in her hand. She wondered if she could feel the heat through the paper and thin foam insulation — probably.
Toby rejoined them, wiping his mouth down with a paper towel. He took to twisting it in his hands.
"I don't like this," he said, sitting down next to her on the window sill — it wasn't much of a seat, but neither wanted to take up the only chair in the room.
"Do you know what he wanted?" Dr. Lake said, looking up at him through her glasses.
"To see Jim, mostly."
"What… what did you tell him? Did you say where Jim was?"
"Nuh-uh. Just on a roadtrip with his girlfriend and some family friends. Half truths, you know?"
"How'd he take it?" Darci said, fiddling with a string on her shirt. She was going to have to cut that off when she got a moment.
"Better than what you'd expect from a man whose head was caved in a moment ago." Toby looked at Dr. Lake. "Hey, Dr. L., did you ever — you know — suspect that he wasn't human or whatever?"
The woman frowned and shook her head.
"After everything that's happened the last two years," she said, "I should have expected it, huh?" She gave a little laugh through her nose, a bitter smile crossing her face. "I know how to pick 'em, don't I?"
"Oh, Mr. Strickler isn't too bad. I mean, now that he's not trying to kill us."
"Wait," Darci said, frowning, "what did he try to do? Toby —"
"Not important now!" His voice raised a couple of octaves as he raised his hands to defend himself. He turned back to Dr. Lake. "And, hey, James never tried to kill anyone. That we know of. Or maybe he has and he's like a zombie or something or —"
"You're starting to sound like those kids in your class — what do they call themselves? Creep killers?"
"Creepslayerz," Darci said. She turned her head to glare at Toby. "And we are totally talking about Mr. Strickler trying to kill you later."
"Yeah, Creepslayerz. How are they doing? I haven't had a chance to talk with them in a while."
"I don't even know where to start," Toby said, resting his hands on his hips. "With just Steve, Krel, and Mary, of all people, they're mass chaos. I can't even count how many times me and AAARRRGGHH! have had to bail them out of something or other. And now that Aja and Eli are back — still need to get the full story on that, by the way — I'm kind of afraid that Arcadia won't be standing for a whole lot longer."
"Wait, Aja and Eli are back?" Darci said. She thought about it for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Since when?"
"Since… a day or two ago? I don't remember. Anyway, they came to Earth because of some kind of signal or something. Eli and I haven't had some time to sit down and talk things out. We had plans for today, but… yeah."
"Huh. Aliens. Aliens and trolls. What's next, Camelot? Oh, god, please no. I don't think I could handle it."
"Uh…"
She saw the look that Toby was giving her.
"Camelot's real, isn't it," she said flatly. He nodded and she sighed. "Great. That's just… great."
"It is very real," a voice from above said, "Although, recently, it has become obscenely touristy. Too many gift shops with cheap memorabilia. Same with Avalon — though I wouldn't recommend going there for a vacation. The leprechaun infestation is rather... nasty."
Darci watched with wide eyes as James Lake, Sr., dropped down from the ceiling and on the opposite side of the bed.
Toby was up in seconds, his hammer out, and going for the man's head again. James stopped the hammer with a sword pulled from… honestly, she wasn't sure.
Magic was the only explanation.
"Now, now," James said, "let's not do that again. I think I finally got my eyes back to the way they were."
"What do you want?" Barbara said, slowly rising from her bed.
"To help. But I have to go to Trollmarket in order to get what I need."
"I have to go back," Jim said, drawing Blinky's attention away from whatever conversation he and Merlin had been having. He'd returned to camp earlier that evening with Merlin. Claire was working on some magic or something and texting Mary, trying to get updates. Darci wasn't answering anymore.
Their conversation… didn't seem important, but he had other things on his mind. Like what was going on in Arcadia.
"Master Jim?" Blinky said, all four of his eyes blinking at once. The worried, tired expression almost made him wince. Almost.
"To Arcadia."
"Jim, I know how you must feel, but are you certain it would be safe for you to do so? After all the danger we ran into on the way here?"
Jim shook his head. His hair — fur? — shifted oddly around the roots of his horns — which was an odd, tingling sensation.
"It's not my mom and her health. I mean, part of it is. She's fine, but there's something going on with her and I'm worried."
"Of course you're worried," Merlin said with a bored lilt, eyes scanning the area dully. "I don't know a single whelp that is your age and not not worried about your mother."
"My dad's back."
"Your father?" Blinky said. "James Lake, Sr.? When did he reappear? I thought he left you and your mother years ago"
"So did I! And he wants to get into Trollmarket."
"Oh my…"
"How does he even know Trollmarket exists?"
"Why does that name sound familiar?" Merlin said, tapping his chin.
"Because I was named after him?" Jim said, exasperated.
"No. No, that's not it… It sounds a lot like — but no. He wouldn't be that stupid, would he? Well, he wasn't always the smartest."
"Who, may I ask, are you talking about?" Blinky said, folding all four arms across his chest.
"Hm? Oh, I forgot you didn't know every Knight of the Round."
"Wait, the Knights of the Round Table are real?" Jim said.
"Round Table? Where did you get that nonsense from? Bah, humans! I will never understand them."
"Merlin, who is he?"
"Oh. I never said? The Prince of Benwick, of course."
He had never been so glad to have the Creepslayerz in Arcadia — it was kind of a relief that Steve had answered any of his texts. He'd been afraid that he'd have to go into Trollmarket with just AAARRRGGHH! as backup. He… wasn't entirely sure that the two of them could take on James Lake Sr. if something happened.
The van was cramped, but it was good to be surrounded by friends.
The large group consisted of him, AAARRRGGHH!, Steve, Eli, Mary, Aja, Krel, and James as they made the long trek down to the ruins of what once was Trollmarket. If James had any problems, he and AAARRRGGHH! were at the ready.
Darci had opted to stay a little longer with Dr. L. before leaving shortly before visiting hours ended. At least one of them were able to keep her company. It seemed like they got along while he was there. And he liked the goofy selfie she took while she waited for her dad to arrive.
The crystal stairs no longer glowed beneath their feet. They were forced to rely on flashlights and the bioluminescence Krel and Aja produced in their natural forms.
"What," James said, keeping his own small flashlight attached to his keys on his path, "What happened here?"
"The short answer," Toby said, "Merlin, Morgana, and Gunmar."
Mary was taking pictures.
"And the long answer?"
"We woke up Merlin, Morgana was freed, there was a big battle, yada yada yada, and everything kind of got destroyed."
"I do not think the Akaridian war helped with any of this," Aja said, looking around and gesturing to a demolished stall.
If Toby was being honest, despite her and Krel's strange appearance, he preferred this look on them. They were more comfortable when they could be themselves.
Eli was examining everything — as he always did. This was, what, his fourth or fifth time visiting what used to be Trollmarket? Still, there was all this curiosity about the place for him.
And, amusingly, Steve was keeping him from tripping, falling, and running into everything. And they hadn't even made it all the way down yet.
"You said the stairs used to glow, yeah?" Eli said. "Do you think the Heartstone dying had anything to do with this?"
"Yeah," Toby said. "That's the main reason."
"Trolls feed off the energy of the Heartstone," James said. "I'm honestly surprised to still see one hanging about. How are you faring, Krubera?"
AAARRRGGHH! looked down at James, examining him though the darkness. He helped them down a few steps before answering.
"Wingman help," AAARRRGGHH! said. "Dictatious here too. Find food above. Heartstone not important."
Toby caught sight of a strange look James gave AAARRRGGHH!, but the man did not comment on AAARRRGGHH!'s explanation. He, instead, focused his energy on making it the rest of the way down in silence.
Trollmarket was how they had last left it. There was debris everywhere. Together, he and AAARRRGGHH! were separating what was troll from everything else. They planned to reconstruct as many as they could in honor of those who had passed — Gumm-Gumm or not. They weren't sure if everyone who fought for Morgana's cause was under the influence of Gunmar's Decimar blade. It was best to assume that they had been. They felt less guilty this way.
The Heartstone itself stood dark and gray over the village. It was a cold, dead thing that loomed over them now. He wondered if it would ever glow again. Probably not.
"Blinky's library is this way," Toby said, jerking his flashlight in the direction they needed to go.
"Gunmar did all this?" James said, his own flashlight scanning everything as slowly as his eyes did. There was sorrow and regret etched onto his features. He said something in a language Toby didn't understand — something old and forgotten. AAARRRGGHH! seemed to understand it though and murmured back a response in Trollish.
When the little prayer was finished, James nodded to Toby to lead the way.
The trek to the library was quiet until they got inside. Toby used what skills he had learned in boy scouts so many years ago — he'd only joined to hang out with Jim more, and they ended up meeting Eli this way. And Steve.
Those had been a difficult two years.
In no time, he had a fire going. He and AAARRRGGHH! used Blinky's old candle lighter – something he'd only ever seen in churches before then – to light various candles around the room. Many of the books were destroyed, pages and binding lain strewn across the shelves, overturned tables, and the floor.
Toby was glad Blinky never saw this place in such a state. It would have broken him.
"Oh my," James said, adjusting his glasses. He took several tentative steps in, past the Creepslayerz to survey the destruction. He scooped up a book and flipped through it, the pages in their torn and half-burned state crinkling. "I have seen a great deal of tragedy before, but this? I don't think even Alexandria compares to this."
James' blue eyes scanned the room once more. There was a twinkle that was starting to glimmer in the corners of them.
"However, Alexandria never had anyone who could mend destruction."
"What are you —" Toby started to say. He was cut off by James waving his arm and a yellow energy snaking out of his palms. The yellow energy swirled around, collecting books in a tornado. He could only watch with wide eyes as the books started to pull back together and the pages peeled off any scorch and burn marks.
Without a word to command them, the books relined themselves on the shelves and in piles on the now righted tables. It looked almost like he remembered. Like Blinky and Jim and Claire would come in and they would start discussing Trollhunting business…
"Well," James said, dusting off his hands on his jeans, "where should we start first?"
Author stuff cont'd.: Hoping to get out a few more chapters tomorrow. Thinking 3 or 4?
We'll see.