A/N: Hello, folks! I am sorry for another long delay. This April turned out to be horrible for my family - we lost a dear relative on April 16, and I needed time to grieve. I don't think it's possible to ever fill the empty spot she left, but I feel that no one truly dies as long as fond memories remain.
I have no idea if I can return to my regular weekly update schedule fast but I'll try.
She hadn't been in such a wonderful mood for a while. Was it that surprising with all those ridiculous complications and delays to the plan, Bular being, well, Bular, Stricklander scheming, and Jim turning secretive out of nowhere? There had been simply too many things to chew.
Yet…
Barverra couldn't help smiling, remembering her recent talk with her son. Not everything had been lost - apparently, she still could make everything work. Her boy was open to the idea of a family reunion, and it seemed that he hadn't closed his heart entirely. The dinner tonight had been nearly the same level of warm and fuzzy as some months prior.
Yes, she could still close that annoying rift. Instead of rushing, the mother could simply try the baby steps approach, revealing information slowly and carefully. Jim would surely understand everything eventually - even her reason for silence.
Even Gunmar's kin stance in this world.
Well, that one would probably need the most time, and before that Barverra would need to teach her son to embrace his true nature.
It wasn't a bad thing to be a troll - quite the contrary, fleshbags surely missed a lot of stuff. Like the genuine beauty of the night. The daughter of Gunmar could tell for sure that the time after the sunset simply felt lacking when she was in her human guise.
But when she was her true self - yeah, it was as if she ruled over everything. Barverra was free, unrestricted by rules or laws. She might have been an adult, yet it was still thrilling to leap from roof to roof, crossing impressive distances in a matter of seconds.
She always wished to show this side of her life to Jim. Oh, her boy would totally adore this one. It was fun, and, well, her son was still a kid, despite being mature in some matters.
Yes, everything should have worked perfectly…
Barverra didn't even know how she had ended at the base as it had never been in her plan for the night. No, she actually was more interested in finding that Gumm-Gumm soldier turned changeling. After all, the daughter of Gunmar had realized that she somehow had approved another brute causing too much chaos. What was the point of stopping Bular from being reckless when some other ally would have done something equally stupid?
On the other hand, no big news recently could mean that the former soldier was at least slightly better in stealth than her brother. Perhaps, being in the Janus Order had left some mark, though most likely, Gomragg himself would deny it.
Still, Barverra preferred to have more control over that goon's actions. Bular's fiasco with Kanjigar was perfect proof that some trolls were not allowed to act independently or else…
Yeah, she didn't even want to imagine what kind of stunt might have happened this time.
Yet, despite all the concerns, the female somehow came to the base instead of combing the city. What had she expected? To find Gomragg there? To recruit Bular for some help?
And, of course, neither of Gumm-Gumms was there. Why would have they? The son of Gunmar was too restless, and the former soldier was obviously too motivated to catch the Trollhunter.
Apparently, the entire backup team of impures was elsewhere. Even Nomura was absent, which was unusual.
On the other hand, Stricklander had somehow decided to supervise the construction process himself or something.
Or maybe not - the schemer was seemingly lost in thought, fully engrossed in moving chess figures on the board before him.
Any other day, Barverra would have been annoyed, however, right now, her mood was good enough to the point that she didn't even mind an idle chat with the head of the Janus Order.
Besides, chess - wasn't that game Jim's recent interest? Perhaps, the mother could learn a bit about it too.
Walter felt conflicted. Everything moved too fast, with circumstances changing nearly every second and new factors to consider appearing.
An annoying backup from the Order, which had been more of an opposing force? Nunez turning out to be a witch? Shen infiltrating school?
At times, he missed the period when covering for Bular's messes had been his only job.
And the recent report of Sethiz's untimely demise? No, of course, Stricklander expected that one to perish fast, however, that fool apparently had managed to find the mysterious wizard's hideout.
So, it had actually been GDT Arcane Books. Alas, it wasn't anymore - no one in their right mind would have stayed on the spot after being discovered.
Luckily, Walter still had a Fetch and his plan to implant a spy inside Nunez's household. He needed approval from either Bular or Barverra though, which would be a feat of its own league. Asking for another changeling after receiving reinforcement from the Order? The timing was simply wrong.
The man missed discussions with Nomura, but well, the recent call to his aide resulted in a one-sided verbal onslaught in some bizarre mixture of Norwegian, Japanese, English, and Trollspeak, which meant that the female had finally snapped. Well, it was expected, knowing her recent not-that-pleasant experiences.
Strickler expected that he would need to give Nomura some days off and a bottle of wine. Perhaps, it would be better to throw in some tickets to a quality ballet or opera (it was easy to make a mistake there, so he should have been careful in his choice). The worst-case scenario would involve investing in some ancient pottery - and Walter prayed he could still escape that one.
The changeling frowned - because of his aide's absence, he had to deal with goblins himself and to be fair, no one liked to deal with those pests. He'd rather spend his time on something else, like tracking the wizard or making a trap for Shen.
A chessboard was a splendid way to unwind - Strickler had brought it to the museum a long time ago to play with some of his subordinates. None of his former opponents was alive anymore - being a changeling meant walking along the edge, and you needed to be better than everyone else to survive for long.
"You'll lose your head if you continue dropping your guard that much," the familiar female voice drawled with genuine amusement. "What if I decided to check your reflexes?"
Barverra was definitely the last person he expected or wished to see tonight. Well, at least she didn't look hostile - if anything, the daughter of Gunmar had sounded slightly friendly.
As if! Stricklander wasn't that deranged to get caught in such a dangerous delusion.
Nevertheless, the damned vixen had been one hundred percent right - only some seconds ago, he had been totally defenseless, an easy trophy for anyone wishing for his death. Since when had he become that weak?
"I can only rely on my lady's benevolence," Walter shrugged, knowing too well that the wording would annoy the daughter of Gunmar. Perhaps, this time she would actually decide to check his reflexes. He was ready right now in any case.
However, her following response caught the changeling off guard.
"Aren't you too daring tonight?" Barverra chuckled. It was official - she had a nice mood for whatever reason, perhaps, the first time since Stricklander had met her.
And it was a rare chance to get approval for planting a changeling in the Nunez family.
Someone with fewer brains would have already blurted the request, but Walter knew better. The timing was wrong - one misstep could ruin everything.
"What about entertaining your lady a bit?" the female approached the chessboard lazily, picking up a black rook.
Strickler raised his eyebrows:
"With a human game?"
"Do I look like Bular to you?"
That was surprisingly unexpected interest, but, well, apparently, the daughter of Gunmar never hated fleshbag stuff, unlike a certain reckless brute. At least, Nomura had claimed that one - and she had no reason for lying about such a trivial fact.
Still, there was a drastic difference between 'not hating' and 'actual interest'. Probably, Walter could try to pry further - just not right now.
"Never imagined you knew the rules," Stricklander smirked. To be fair, he could imagine Barverra enjoying that type of board game - she was a strategist, after all.
"I don't," she snorted. "You can teach me, though."
Well, most likely, he had overestimated her resources. Of course, there was no way that the infamous Herald of Doom could have learned about chess, even with her unknown links to human society.
Wait, wasn't it the exact right time to gamble? Barverra was in a good mood and needed something from him. Granted, the terms wouldn't be equal, but what if?
"My time's precious, and shouldn't we focus on completing the bridge instead of getting distracted?" Stricklander drawled. There was a high possibility of her blade getting dangerously close to his neck, but…
It could also work.
He tended to trust his cold reason more, but, well, an occasional lean towards instincts and intuition wasn't bad too. And right now, those whispered him to risk.
"It never ceases to amaze me how high and almighty you act at times," Barverra smirked. "Are you aware of your position? Someone else would lose their head a long time ago…"
Strickler knew it well enough. However, he wasn't someone else and apparently still had some worth. Sure thing, occasionally he wondered himself, why the Herald of Doom hadn't gotten rid of him so far if she actually couldn't stand him. It was as if he possessed some kind of immunity - and it made no sense at all.
Of course, Walter was efficient as the leader of the Janus Order - yet, he had more than enough capable rivals. Or changelings who were simply amazing in supervision without daring to overstep the boundaries. Barverra had read reports on every single member, so she could find an adequate substitute at any moment. Nevertheless, she refrained from it. Even Stricklander's rivals taking a step had nothing to do with her involvement - they acted independently for sure.
Could it be his knowledge of the Trollhunter's identity? Yeah, sure, as if! Even though Walter found that one to be a valuable trump card, he had realized it would be a useless shield against Gunmar's children.
No, there had to be something else, something the man possessed without being aware of it. He couldn't be that short-sighted to miss something so important - especially when it was blatantly evident to Barverra.
Could that damned vixen actually know something about him Walter himself wasn't aware of? If so, the daughter of Gunmar had come too close to him, circling him like a vulture. Their battle of wits had approached the dangerous territory.
"So, what do you want then?" her impatient question broke up his train of thought. Lady Luck was obviously on Stricklander's side tonight. If the Gumm-Gumm princess had asked him herself, he shouldn't have missed an opportunity.
"I need a new agent here, in Arcadia," Walter stated boldly. Her reaction was the exact one he expected - Barverra burst out laughing, clearly amused.
Her good mood was definitely a godsend.
"So, I ask you to entertain me - and you demand more goons, am I right?" she inquired, in the end, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Does that sound like an equal exchange to you?"
You could search through the countless realities - and it wouldn't count as one in any of those. Not that Stricklander was crazy enough to attempt to pass his deal as an equal exchange. He was skilled in the more intricate diplomatic strategies.
"Of course, no," he shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "However, through the centuries of history, great rulers, both humans and trolls alike, were known for their generosity. I've heard your father wasn't against showing some favor to his loyal subjects… So why can't I expect the same from Barverra the Atrocious?"
Empty flattery had never worked with her, but… It wasn't flattery to start with.
The female slowly unsheathed one of her blades.
"Are you aware that you're the only creature in the entire universe who dares to talk to me in that manner?" she asked emotionlessly as her sword cut the air.
It wasn't a simple threat - apparently, Barverra just felt an urge to destroy something. Or, most likely, certain someone.
Yet, for whatever reason, she had stopped herself. Now Strickler was even more sure about the existence of something that protected him from the unsightly demise.
"I do," he nodded with a barely noticeable smirk.
He had won this clash. Of course, it was nowhere close to winning the war with the daughter of Gunmar, but Walter never expected an easy victory in any case.
"You're definitely something," she snorted, taking away her weapon. "However, don't you have too many subordinates already?"
Yes, that was it, now he could bargain freely.
"Don't see any."
"Your pawns in Arcadia."
"Haven't you won those over?"
"Your recent backup."
"Vultures who came to take my head. Do I look that braindead not to notice?"
"Nomura."
"She's the only one."
It went back and forth, and Stricklander couldn't help noticing Barverra enjoying the exchange as well. It was that - a verbal battle, a clash of two minds. Not that different from a quality spar - obviously not deathmatch level as the stakes were rather low.
"Fine," the daughter of Gunmar smirked, finally giving in. "You can have another changeling here. However, there're some conditions."
"Sure," Walter smiled back. He had never expected the deal only on his terms. As long as he could get a spy inside the Nunez family, the changeling was willing to deal with any complications.
"The first one - you won't get a new ally as long as your backup is here," she started slowly.
It made some sense. There were too many independent parties here already, and Barverra obviously wasn't happy even if the newcomers had pledged their loyalty to her. She evidently preferred to have everything under control, and any unpredicted factor was a big 'no'.
Sure thing, the backup party had somehow managed to lose half of their members. Rezz fell victim to Barverra's rage. Sethiz most likely had an unfortunate encounter with the Trollhunter's wizard ally.
It left only Shen and Montgo - and if the latter one would definitely meet his doom because of his recklessness soon enough (Strickler still wondered how that dumb brute had managed to outlive Sethiz - it had to be some kind of ultimate luck), the female schemer would never go down that easy. Walter knew that he should have invented some intricate strategy to get rid of that one.
However, everything was still reasonable enough. Walter would expect something more troublesome.
"The second one," Barverra continued, "you only get an ally if one of your goons here falls."
That one was also within the acceptable level. Perhaps, Walter could stage some unfortunate encounter with an enemy for one of his less loyal subordinates. The easiest one could be using Bular - that hot-blooded brute had already obliterated more than enough members of the Janus Order. And…
"Oh, by the way," the daughter of Gunmar smirked all of a sudden, "if Bular or I kill one of those, it won't count. The same is true if you or Nomura slay someone in an internal dispute."
Well, everything had gone too smoothly so far. Of course, the Herald of Doom would have thought about the possibility of Stricklander sacrificing someone on purpose.
Though, at least, he could still sic some pawn on the Trollhunter or someone of his allies. Probably that would require a more careful approach, but it was already something. Everything could be way worse.
"Anything else?" Walter inquired carefully. She could always drop some kind of bombshell out of nowhere the second he relaxed. Like demanding the Trollhunter's name. Or information about the mysterious wizard. Those were vital pieces of information the man would prefer to keep to himself.
"Yes. For now. Perhaps, I'll add something later," Barverra shrugged. "So, will you teach me to play chess?"
There was no way the Head of the Janus Order wouldn't find that wording unpleasant - she evidently had left herself some space for adjusting her rules in the case the situation changed. The second round might have seemed Walter's victory, but it actually belonged to the daughter of Gunmar.
Nevertheless, he had no other choice but to accept it. It was his only chance to use the Fetch for his own profit. Especially when Barverra only asked him to teach her the rules of a human board game.
"Well, how can I refuse such a nice request?" Stricklander smirked. Something kept bugging the back of his mind, and it didn't take that much time to figure it out after witnessing that the fearsome female wasn't such a stranger to chess.
She knew the name of that board game. Any troll not interested in fleshbags would use some odd description instead.
She definitely was aware of how each piece was called and had at least a minimum knowledge of how those moved, as Walter only needed to explain rules once.
Nomura had been right about the daughter of Gunmar not hating the human stuff. If anything, it was more like the Herald of Doom was actually interested in it.
And somehow, the image of Barverra moving chess pieces with utmost care not to crack anything was surprisingly amusing and delightful. So even her could be cute.
Cute?
Stricklander froze inside, realizing the direction his thoughts went in. If the daughter of Gunmar ever learned about those, no kind of immunity would safe the changeling from the most gruesome death possible.
"So, what kind of subordinate do you plan to bring here?" she broke the silence after moving her rook.
Of course, Barverra would have demanded details about his request. If anything, Walter was more surprised that she hadn't started questioning at once.
"Just an errand boy," he waved it off with a fake smile. As if he would ever disclose the information about Claire Nunez. "I have a small task, and unfortunately, no one here fits the role… Oh, it's check for your king."
The female frowned, trying to get her piece out of the dangerous position.
"That must be some very special task," she muttered. "Let me guess, you want someone to substitute Rezz in the clinics."
Stricklander barely concealed his surprise. That came out of nowhere. The daughter of Gunmar evidently tried to read his plan, but her deduction…
Why had it come in that direction?
Of course, Walter knew why exactly the newcomers had put Rezz in the clinics. They wanted to find out the Trollhunter's identity and monitoring teens with suspicious traumas had been a smart decision. The noble mantle came in a pack with the life-threatening situations, and Young Atlas could always end with some broken bones or concussion.
Wait, what if Rezz hadn't been just a random victim to her rage? He had thought before that Barverra had figured it out as well, but apparently, she had put some other meaning to 'a changeling inside the clinics'.
Was that place of some importance to her? Could Rezz have possibly discovered something that could lead to her downfall?
Stricklander still refused to believe his luck - after so many failed attempts to locate her lair, he finally got a solid lead. But right now, he shouldn't have shown it - no, it would be better to feign ignorance and investigate later.
"What an outrageous thought," he smiled. "I simply want to substitute a baby using the Fetch…"
Walter could see the barely noticeable signs of her relaxing - he would have missed those for sure if he hadn't paid attention. So it wasn't just his imagination. Barverra had some connection to the clinics. Now he nearly regretted that Rezz had died so fast - that foolish youngster might have stirred the actual hornet nest with his infiltration but had brought no valuable data.
"And what is the point of that?" she frowned once again. "You cannot use a baby for the day jobs, and having someone to help you at night only will be a waste."
She was suspicious already - and Strickler never expected less from her. The daughter of Gunmar was the most capable rival when it came to the battle wits. If she had missed something that obvious, it would sour the taste of his victory.
How should he have responded to that? A lie would never work… A partial truth? Why not, it had always been the best approach.
"You've gotten me," he shrugged with a fake annoyance. "I need a spy in a certain household…"
"The name." Barverra demanded sternly.
"Nunez."
There was no way for any troll to recognize that name. It had to sound like gibberish to them. However…
Yes, the daughter of Gunmar was different. She might have tried to hide it, yet her guards went up the second she had heard it.
It was the same as the case with the clinics. There was some kind of connection between the Nunez family and the Herald of Doom.
"Why that one?" she asked, her anger barely concealed.
"Why not? Isn't that typical family the Order usually picks for our goals? Councilwoman Nunez is pretty influential…"
Oops, he had made a dangerous mistake. Only some seconds ago, Strickler used the wording 'certain household', yet now claimed it was 'typical choice'.
"I mean, I need access to some papers," he added hastily. "That woman would never suspect her own son being a thief… You know, mothers tend to turn blind when it comes to the possibility of their children committing an unsightly deed… Oh, and by the way, it's checkmate…"
Barverra stared at the board, trying to find out any possibility to save her king, but there was none.
"Fine," she spat. "You can have your spy… As for the game, I demand a rematch!"
"Why not?" Walter smirked - he had already won a lot tonight. Both getting the approval and fishing out some leads were a tremendous success, and, well, maybe, just maybe, he could try to gamble for a bit longer.
Alas, their second chess match went on in total silence. The devious female lost that one as well.
The third one had the same result, as well as the fourth.
She refused to give up that easily, but…
"You know, it's pointless," the changeling uttered after she demanded another rematch. "You won't win…"
"I just need experience," she gave him a stink eye.
It was so amusing - apparently, even the fearsome Herald of Doom could be childishly stubborn and competitive at times.
"Not with a strategy like yours," Walter smirked. She had been so generous so far - and maybe he could pay back with a tiny piece of advice.
"And what's wrong with my strategy?"
There was a definite change in Barverra's tone - usually, when she was angry or annoyed, there were also hostile undertones. Right now? Only annoyance - still far from the way she would have talked to a friend, yet clearly a giant leap from her regular attitude.
At the moment, the daughter of Gunmar evidently didn't consider Stricklander her enemy.
No, it was definitely such a bizarre night.
"I've thought you tend to analyze your mistakes…"
"I do."
Impatient but a far cry from hostile once again.
"Then why do you use the exact failing strategy each time?"
Walter couldn't help wondering if he had actually gotten some insight regarding her mindset. But no, it would be so ridiculous. Barverra from the tales he had heard so far, was a heartless killer, deadset on offensive tactics.
However, the one who played chess with him obviously focused on defense - so much that it led to her downfall each time.
"You prioritize the defense of your king too much," he continued with a shrug. "To the point that if you notice my piece moving past a certain imaginary line, you'll abandon your goal of cornering me and focus on eliminating that one…"
The most bizarre thing was that it wasn't an exaggeration - the daughter of Gunmar was surprisingly good in the board game she supposedly knew nothing about. Stricklander had found himself in a pickle too many times for his liking, however, instead of continuing and obliterating him, Barverra had noticed her own king being in danger (at times, dubious one) and forsaking her previous strategy altogether.
"I thought the point of the game was to keep your king protected," she snorted.
Did she actually refuse to acknowledge her own shortcoming?
"While taking out your opponent's one," Walter continued it for her in the same manner he would have explained it to some of his students. "Much like in real war actually… But who I am to explain it to the Gumm-Gumm army strategist?"
Oh no.
All that non-hostile environment somehow made the man forget who he was talking to. That wasn't one of his students. Or underlings. Or Nomura. Or even Bular. Even poking a sleeping bear with a stick would have been a less brainless decision.
The sudden silence was too suffocating. Strickler wondered if he could react in time if the daughter of Gunmar decided to get rid of him now. Any possible scenario wasn't in his favor - she was simply faster and more experienced in actual fighting.
Yet…
Barverra just smirked.
"You know, you never cease to amaze me… Aren't you tired of this?" her question held genuine interest instead of anger.
"This?" Walter feigned ignorance because he had no idea what kind of response the Herald of Doom wanted to hear.
"You know, scheming, playing mind games, trying to outsmart me…" Barverra shrugged. "Are you aware that all of it is pointless? Perhaps, I chose the wrong strategy in chess, yet you do the same in real life. In the end, one day, I'll get bored with you, and…"
It happened too fast. One second she was musing aloud - and the next one, her blade was pressed to Walter's neck.
"...my sword won't stop," she finished coldly.
Yes, it was the end to jokes and the semblance of friendly communication they had had so far. The daughter of Gunmar still wanted Stricklander dead - and there was no guarantee that she could make her threat reality a minute later.
There was no chance to win in real battle - and he had never been among top fighters in the Janus Order. His strength lay elsewhere…
Wait, would it be better to use his strong points now?
Analysis. Scheming. Deception. Bluff. His skills in each of those spheres were excellent, so…
"You won't kill me," Walter looked right in her eye and stated boldly.
"Tell me, why not," Barverra snorted. "Go on, entertain me!"
It was now or never. His thoughts flashed with lightning speed as he focused on everything he had learned so far.
She was ruthless but often seemed unmotivated.
She didn't trust Stricklander and apparently hated him with passion for whatever reason.
She was against him finding her lair.
Her strategy in chess was defensive… Wait. What if it was the same in real life, at least at the moment? Then her 'king' would be… Gunmar? The plan? No, no, it wasn't right, there had to be something Barverra put above everything and…
Her son. That was the line no one should have crossed.
"Would you risk upsetting your son?"
He put as much smug confidence into that one. Granted, he had never managed to locate the damned abomination, but the daughter of Gunmar didn't know that.
And… The bluff worked - he could see her grip on the blade loosening.
"I can already imagine the hurt look of his blue eyes…"
It was the legit gamble - if the wretched welp just had happened to inherit his father's eye color, Strickler would die on the spot. Or worse, Barverra might have decided to make his death as slow, painful, and gruesome as possible.
The time seemed to stretch to infinity, and…
Some metal clanked, hitting the floor. The fearsome, undefeatable Herald of Doom had actually dropped her blade.
Fear. No, genuine terror - Stricklander had never expected to see it in her eyes. The first attack was a success, and he had to continue before she got a grip on reality and managed to find inconsistencies.
Even the scariest troll could be the mother first.
"You… Would never… Dare…" she uttered, still fighting her emotions.
"Oh, I could. The poor child is so lost and confused…"
He had to pick up something, something else that might have sounded like her son. No physical descriptions - those were too easy to screw. Mental state, though…
"He's such a good child, genuinely worried for his dear mom working so much."
Another perfect hit - her expression told Walter everything.
"And he obviously wishes to have a father, so imagine how easy for your boy to get attached to someone smart and charismatic, who's willing to listen to his worries…"
He had won. The daughter of Gunmar wouldn't be able to threaten him for some time.
Wait, no. If she ever found out about it being bluff… Strickler didn't even want to think about consequences.
He had to guarantee his immunity - right now, while Barverra was still lost and overwhelmed by her anxieties.
"However, I'm benevolent enough," Walter smiled. "Let's make a deal. I leave your son alone - and you leave me alone."
She growled:
"And why should I trust dishonorable bastard's word?"
"Well, let's say, I'm a dishonorable, cowardly, selfish bastard," he drawled. "But I'm not that dumb to get rid of my only guarantee for survival… I'm more concerned about you breaking your promise…"
"Oh, don't worry about that one. Gunmar's kin stays true to their word. Neither Bular nor I'll touch you."
She had regained her composure - there was no more fear in Barverra's eyes, just cold rage. Walter noticed she hadn't mentioned other changelings, but well, he had already gotten enough…
When you wandered around for decades, the notion of 'home' inevitably grew vague and different from its common definition. Yet…
Douxie couldn't help feeling sad, knowing that he wouldn't be able to return to GDT Arcane Books for a while. That place had become more than a workplace - probably, it was still too far-fetched to call the backroom there his 'home', however, it had definitely been his safe spot, his shelter, where he had been free to escape from the exhausting job of monster-hunting and just play his guitar. Archie would always sit by his side, sometimes silently, sometimes giving some snide remarks - not that the young man had ever minded those. Zoe would have joined him as long as she hadn't been busy with her own work and…
The wizard-in-training stared at his mug - there was some kind of tea, and he should have drunk it a long time ago, before it had turned cold. Now it probably tasted disgusting.
"Hey," Zoe broke the silence. "You ok there?"
"As if it's the first time someone kicked us out," Douxie chuckled bitterly. Yeah, an attempt to brighten the mood had fallen flat.
Besides, no one had kicked him out this time - the situation was way more complex to describe with that phrase. The owner of GDT Arcane Books was still on the young man's side - however, he couldn't let him stay at the bookstore anymore. Not after the location had been compromised because of the clash with that Janus Order member.
Just great - somehow, Douxie had managed to complicate the lives of people who had never been that involved in the conflict to start with.
The Arcane Books' s owner would have so much damage control to do. Sure thing, he was an ancient wizard and definitely skilled in diplomacy, so the man could at least avoid a full-blown clash with the Janus Order. However, Merlin's apprentice seriously doubted that changelings would leave the owner fully unsupervised.
The same went for the co-workers. Douxie wondered if the shapeshifting trolls might have tried some blackmail tactics with those. Granted, none of those had any profound knowledge about the young man, yet… The enemy could easily think that everyone was simply protecting their former colleague.
It was a whole another level of mess.
"The war's in the active phase already, I guess," Zoe sighed, collapsing to the sofa. "Sooner than I wished, but well, at least later than I expected…"
The wizard-in-training looked at her with some confusion. So, the recent clash wasn't that surprising to her?
The witch shrugged as if reading his silent question:
"Oh, come on, they're not that dumb there! The Order or Barverra - someone would think about fishing out the mysterious wizard helping the Trollhunter in any case… We became a target a long time ago."
She was right. The magic team's existence should have been a thorn to the enemies' side. Most likely, no one from the Gumm-Gumm faction had taken Jim seriously so far. However, they would have certainly been wary of even the slightest involvement from any magic user. The Killahead lesson had been a bitter one, after all.
But if it had been so, then…
Yeah, the current predicament was entirely Douxie's fault. Hadn't he gotten too smug and confident thinking that his team had covered all the bases when it came to defense? In that treacherous overconfidence, the young man had forgotten about his own protection, and it had bitten him back.
"Don't blame yourself," Zoe sighed. "I feel they would comb through every magic-related organization to find us."
"Will it make the Hex Tech target as well?" Douxie frowned. As much as he felt guilty, wouldn't it be better to think about the next step?
"Nah, way out of their league," the girl chuckled. "Not in the power department, but because of connections… As much as I hate that kind of approach, the Hex Tech is simply untouchable because we have basically helped every single faction possible…"
It was true - the hedge witches had somehow secured the ultimate safe position for themselves, being the true neutral faction in all the mess.
So apparently, Merlin's apprentice would only need to think about his own position.
"Do you know any cheap place for rent?" he asked. "Not that fancy and without prejudice against cats?"
Zoe nudged him gently:
"You can stay here, you know… Not the best place, but if you help with chores, it may become better. I've heard you're skilled with a mop…"
"You'll be surprised," Douxie couldn't help chuckling. Sure thing, he had lost something, but his bonds remained - in the end, was it actually a huge loss?
His gaze fell on a clock.
"A morning already? Fuzzbuckets!"
Merlin's apprentice jumped off the couch. With all that commotion surrounding the changeling's unpredictable visit, he had nearly forgotten about another important matter.
Today was the day of Jim's rematch with Draal - and their team still had no solution to that one.
"Are you planning to barge in the Trollmarket?" Zoe stood up as well, her expression unreadable. "To stop that fight?"
"I don't want Jim to become a pancake," Douxie retorted, wondering if he would manage to catch up to Jim and Toby. Without a horngazel, his entrance chances dropped tremendously. Well, he could try some advanced ruining spell, but would it work?
The witch frowned and blocked his way:
"Casperan, have you considered putting some faith in the kid?"
"Exactly, Jim is a kid - and his opponent is a troll," the young man argued back, trying to get through her.
"Since when you're an overprotective hen?" Zoe refused to give up. "You fought together with Jim in the museum - and I feel he had shown his competence there! Don't start looking down on your allies - because it's definitely not your style!"
Her outburst caught the wizard-in-training by surprise. No, of course, Douxie didn't think ill of Jim or anyone else yet…
The witch was correct. He hadn't even tried to believe in his younger friend instead of attempting to find some way for him to cheat. Wasn't that insulting to the Trollhunter himself? The teen needed support, not some crutches to make his life easier.
"I'm still worried," the wizard-in-training confessed quietly.
"I know," Zoe nodded. "I even tried divination about the results!"
"No way," Douxie laughed. Divination was one of those things most real magic users found rather useless. For the hedge witch to try something like that… Yeah, she had to be worried sick despite doing her best keeping the brave facade.
"Just so that you know, it was favorable for the kid," she admitted, obviously embarrassed. "And honestly, I feel he'll win. Call it witch's intuition…"
A/N:
Barbara thinks she's found an answer - and unfortunately, it's so wrong. And Strickler somehow pulled an ultimate bluff - which is also not a bluff, but he has no idea.
Next time - some of the previous Trollhunters discuss the oddities of their successor.