Four reports overnight. Three more this morning. And Stricklander didn't even count those that were just rumors.
Ok, when he had managed losing the hold of the Order? Why everyone was seemingly preparing for the full war?
No, there always had been some thorough planning in the preparation for Gunmar's return. There were agents inside important structures all over the world to guarantee that human governments would lose time and get crushed.
But all of that was for the time after the Killahead's opening, not for some absolutely crazy local-level conflict with a hostile wizard group!
Walter rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was in a dire need of vacation - not that anyone would have given him that one in any case. The worst part was that everything was obviously a part of the scheme to overthrow him, and it was difficult to deny that the plan was surprisingly thought out.
Stricklander wondered who exactly had crafted that one. No, most likely, it wasn't a fruit of an individual effort - it seemed more of collective brainstorming. What an irony - the Janus Order, with all its 'no allies' and 'trust only yourself' rules, could still birth a temporary alliance. Walter let a bitter chuckle - he wished the enemy to unite his treacherous subordinates wasn't him.
Not that he would give up or something - his way of living had always involved clinging to the slightest possibility. If the Order turned against their leader, he would look for another ally - even if they were outright dubious. In the worst-case scenario, Stricklander wasn't against coming to the Trollhunter's team for help - but of course, the situation wasn't that desperate for now.
Walter could still see enough loopholes he could abuse. His opponents in the Order were simply bluffing - they would never start the war that could possibly endanger the entire Killahead restoration plan. No one was deranged enough to openly shift priorities from the Gunmar's liberation to something else without getting the Skullcrusher's approval. Strickler seriously doubted the dark overlord would have ever listened to their reasoning. Yes, he was smart and reasonable, however, he also never failed to remind everyone who was the true ruler here.
Some changelings might have attempted to appeal to Gunmar's children, but that would have been even more suicidal. Not everyone knew how to speak to Bular without losing their head, and Barverra… Yes, it was still more safe to go through her brother if you wanted something.
Another loophole would be the wizard organisation in question. The Avalon Group - Walter had heard about them many time, and despite their pompous name, most of the members weren't that powerful. Or old enough to witness the Killahead battle nine centuries ago - it explained their hot-blooded tendencies. Stricklander would bet that some of those hadn't ever met a troll, yet alone fought one.
The right approach would be sending someone to older members of the Avalon Group and try to negotiate. Otto Scaarbach seemed to be an excellent candidate - while Strickler had never been one hundred percent sure, in his loyalties, that one was still more reliable than some other subordinates. Not to mention that Otto was a good diplomat and sweet talker, and of course, a polymorph - a changeling with a unique talent. In time of need, he could easily infiltrate without raising suspicions.
Though…
Yes, it would be better to wait a bit until deploying the polymorph - losing such a valuable asset would be a dangerous hit to Walter's resources. Perhaps only Nomura had a higher worth in his eyes. Being wasteful with useful goons wasn't a luxury any good leader would afford - and Strickler considered himself one. Not to mention that he wasn't in the position of recruiting anyone else right now, and who knew how long it would take until he could find another rare gem he could use?
Nothing was easy. Stricklander's mind trailed back to his chess game with Barverra. He had always preferred that kind of battle of wits, where you needed to put your best to get any favorable result. Those were especially enjoyable when facing a worthy rival. Though, any opponent in the mental game was good as long as they respected the rules. Even Bular had enough honor for that, despite his… well, tendencies.
The current opponents, though… Rules apparently meant nothing to them as they barged in, trying to dictate their own. Yes, they started playing checkers instead of chess - so why should Walter have respected the rules himself? They wanted him to deal with unpredictable conflict? Fine. Stricklander could bet their strategy would be provoking several fights between wizards and changelings, hopefully with as many casualties as possible (perhaps even some unsuspecting civilians to aggravate some neutral parties). And, of course, when the situation hit the dangerous point, there would be a coup inside the Janus Order, with all the blame being shifted to Walter and the new leader taking over and signing a treaty.
Did they actually expect him to sit idly all the time?
A part of him was tempted to sic Bular on some of those fools. Stricklander knew which words could make the brute to go on the killing spree. The only problem was that the son of Gunmar wouldn't stop in that case and most likely wreck too much chaos, up to obliterating the entire Order. And stopping that imbecile was the labor akin to stopping an avalanche - meaning, simply impossible.
Maybe leaking some information to the Trollhunter's party could be a safer bet. They would never cause that much damage, especially if they go for a targeted approach. Besides, Walter could always control how much he could reveal there. Though, no. It could be too risky as well. He had no way to tell if the wizard in that group was smart enough to figure out some inconsistencies. And a leak - if Strickler wasn't careful, it could end in leading the enemy to his civilian identity, meaning that he would lose both his defence and Young Atlas's trust.
"You don't look well, Walter," Lenora Janeth looked at him with some concern. "Some coffee, perhaps?"
Strickler cursed mentally. He should have avoided the staff room today. No matter how good in keeping the facade he was, his stress was evidently slipping through the cracks. Besides…
"I think herbal tea should be better," Shen gave her the brightest smile possible, butting in unprompted.
Yes, that one was also present, barely holding her glee. She wouldn't attempt to become the next leader, but her stance in all the mess was clear as a day. Shen was obviously one of those who had orchestrated the current stand-still between the Janus Order and the Avalon Group.
"Never fancied that one, but thanks," Walter smiled back. "And don't worry, I'm ok."
Keeping the pretense of a friendly conversation while actually wishing to stab the rival from the Order. Yep, he was surely a master hypocrite - and that skill saved his hide too many times, so Stricklander would never even think about changing his ways.
Lenora nodded, seemingly slightly confused, and returned to mark some tests. Well, she was just an oblivious colleague - the one without even an ounce of understanding what exactly was going on between the two changelings.
Shen moved away to talk to Coach Lawrence. Oh yeah, she was also actively searching for the Trollhunter. Strickler couldn't deny that her multitasking was admirable - most of his subordinates focused only on the one mission.
He couldn't hear the conversation entirely, but it was clear as a day that Shen had followed the faulty assumption. Sure thing, the trollhunting job required good physical prowess, so assuming that the current champion was athletic to a certain extent was rather logical, but… Walter knew Jim was agile enough, but the boy had never been among Lawrence's favorites, more likely fitting more into the category of those who ended on the receiving end of his traditional mental onslaught.
So, Shen would end with nothing for now. It would be more dangerous if she had approached Lenora Janeth, because that one would definitely rant about students not being diligent enough when it came to the school play - and Young Atlas's name would be the first one to come to the light. Even if the connection was rather vague, Shen would investigate it just because, hitting the bullseye.
Luckily, that sneaky schemer somehow managed to overlook her target, being potentially involved in something like a school play. To be honest, it was an expected mistake - the logical conclusion was that the Trollhunter would keep additional activities at minimum and countless rehearsals and lines memorizing needed time. Strickler was genuinely surprised how his favorite student still hadn't dropped the play - Young Atlas wasn't even interested in theatre to start with, Ms. Janeth had given him an opportunity to bail out and from the moral standpoint the boy also had good enough reason to do so. Yet he stayed. Not the most logical decision on his part.
Though, much to Walter's surprise and slight chagrin, Jim Lake turned out to be less logical than his teacher expected. Otherwise, Stricklander would have gotten the amulet a long time ago.
Apparently, the kid was also the worthy opponent in the mental battle. Hadn't Walter expected him to go far before? Yes, there was yet another tough nut to crack for him. Couldn't the Trollhunter be some coward or simpleton? Though, no, that would be a total disaster, as someone else could also size the amulet. Ironically, it was such a godsend that Young Atlas was capable enough to survive and maneuver in the current situation - that guaranteed that Stricklander could leave him without supervision for some time as the boy wouldn't get in the trouble.
By the way, Jim had been absent today during the World History lesson. Not that he was the only one, though - Strickler hadn't seen both Domzalski and Nunez as well. Something was going on behind the scenes, for sure.
He could guess that the girl was still recovering after Nomura's attack. The boys, on the other hand… It could be basically everything. Or not - Jim had been absent for a day before and Toby had been there to cover for him. So, this time, it should have been something more serious. Could it be an investigation regarding Nomura?
Just great. Probably, Strickler should have warned his aide - her civilian identity wasn't a secret to the Trollhunter's side anymore, so they could focus on taking her out. Sure thing, Nomura was a deadly opponent, but even she could have some trouble dealing with multiple opponents at once.
As for his own actions… Walter closed his eyes, picturing each party stance right now. The Trollhunter's team? Most likely investigating the situation surrounding Claire. Nomura? Still enjoying her days off. He probably should have delayed her vacation, but it was already too late to regret. Bular? Surprisingly civil, well, as civil as if it was possible for that rowdy brute. Apparently, Barverra had kept to her side of the deal. The daughter of Gunmar herself? Seemingly following her non-aggression deal. Unless she was involved with those schemers from the Order. No, somehow it was dubious. Stricklander had no proof, but some kind of six sense told him that she would refrain from such a step.
Barverra had her own sense of honor - and well, the current scheme just felt too sloppy and half-baked for her. Walter would expect something more grandiose from her, something so vile and well-thought that he would have raked his brains for several days before finding any loophole. She was his strongest rival, after all .
All of that left only the hanging issue with a possible war. What should have Strickler done? Taking an action at once before it escalated too much? Or waiting until there was an opportunity for the perfect strike? He could still afford the latter option - and, to be honest, it could be the wiser approach. Wouldn't his opponents have expected some kind of rushed decision from him, one caused by panic and desperation? Apparently, the Janus Order kept underestimating their leader even now, after the decades of successful planning and schemes he had provided. Well, not that Stricklander would bother to correct them - he had never seen the problem in sacrificing his pride for the sake of success.
He could even play along, faking some despair - and then strike and crush them like cockroaches. And well, it would be better to make that victory iconic, so that no one would ever think about another coup. Changelings were still trolls - and trolls respected the overwhelming strength first and utmost.
"So, are we going to tell Claire?"
No, sure thing, the question was up in the air, and someone had to ask it eventually, but Toby being that person was slightly unexpected.
Though…
Knowing that both Jim and Douxie would rather touch the issue with a ten-feet pole, it made surprisingly much sense.
The three of them were heading to Claire's house, keeping silent until Toby broke it with an important question. And, oh boy, it just opened a can of worms.
It would have ended that way, eventually. Jim had suspected that from the very beginning - that his crush may have ended among those his current obligation would have influenced in some manner. No, of course, Claire had never been among the more likely candidates, unlike Toby or his mother, but…
And then, she just had gone and gotten involved in the most crazy manner possible. Magic! Who could have predicted that Jim would have fallen for a potential witch? Even if Tobes had joked about the possibility of some kind of enchantment, he had never meant it seriously.
Nevertheless, the issue remained - Claire was a part of all the supernatural stuff, even without her connection to the Trollhunter. Wow, that surely sounded like a lame attempt to find an excuse.
Jim didn't want to endanger anyone for no reason, especially not his crush. Sure thing, she had already gotten involved with the supernatural when she had plunged into the magic studies. However, learning a few spells didn't equal encountering dangers. Claire could easily remain ignorant about other supernatural stuff for a while. Hadn't Douxie promised to keep her away? So why had it happened?
Jim would have been happy to shift the blame entirely to his older friend, yet… He wasn't a jerk to be that unfair - especially witnessing how crushed Douxie looked.
Deep inside, Jim hoped Toby had been right, and he was simply overthinking. Even if all the latest events taught him to be more cautious and 'always be afraid', Claire's message could mean everything. There could be another flattened goblin in the neighborhood. Or she could have seen a troll from the distance.
The enemy had no sound reason to attack a seemingly random girl. From their point of view, Claire Nunez should have been yet another resident of Arcadia, not that different from countless others. She shouldn't have stood out, unless…
"We need to know what exactly she's learned," Douxie sighed. "Everything will depend on that."
The wizard-in-training glanced at Jim. The Trollhunter definitely blamed himself, but… Yes, all the mess had been Douxie's fault. Someone might have argued that Claire's budding magic talent would have brought her to the supernatural world sooner or later in any kind of scenario. If Merlin's apprentice had never taken the initiative, there could have been some other magic user to do so. Arcadia had a good chunk of those, after all. There could be someone from Hex Tech or some other group.
However, the problem was never that the girl had ended involved, but that she could be in danger - and that one was Douxie's mistake.
He had gotten too excited because of getting an actual apprentice of his own. There were countless teaching methods, yet he had decided to let Claire find her own style first without instilling his own preferences. Yes, that would mean that she could easily end as someone with a drastically unique magic - but Douxie believed it would give her way more space for growth. Even Merlin, as strict and stubborn as he was, had never tried to restrict his students that much.
Even if it might have ended in straying too much…
No, he shouldn't have recalled Morgana - his senior had been just a casualty of countless unlucky occurrences.
Shadowmancy was intricate, chaotic, and wild. Some wizards, including Merlin, had proclaimed it evil and corrupted, but was it actually like that? Morgana had practiced it for years, until it had claimed her soul and mind, so perhaps…
Douxie shook his head - his thoughts derailed too much. It was about Claire, not the ancient fallen witch. And the shadow arts had nothing to do with the girl in question.
No, more importantly, he had to consider his student's protection - that was something a long overdue. He should have hidden her house behind another barrier, but…
"Can you create another barrier?"
Jim's question was so uncannily close to Douxie's thoughts that he nearly jumped. No, of course, the Trollhunter couldn't read his mind. It was simply a logical conclusion - and, perhaps, a hidden accusation.
"I'm limited with resources."
It wasn't something that easy to admit, but despite all his knowledge and experience, Douxie couldn't erect as many magical barriers as he wished. Perhaps, if he had a staff, he could have done more, but…
"Right now, I can maintain only three big ones."
And even that was just a partial truth - he had managed to keep those intact only because Zoe helped him, otherwise the strength would be greatly diminished.
Douxie knew that Jim's next question would be about lifting one of those and protecting Claire instead - he had considered the option himself, after all.
The point was that those three protected Jim's house, his school, and the clinics.
"Then dispel the one around my house," Jim's voice sounded firm - instead of asking, he had figured everything himself.
"But…"
"I have the amulet - and honestly, I can't depend on your magic all the time. You've given me some space to breathe, but I guess I've already known that it's temporary," the Trollhunter smiled, obviously trying to reassure the wizard-in-training.
"No, I mean that there's one barrier surrounding Toby's house and yours."
In the past, it had been actually a reasonable decision. Now? It only brought more complications.
Jim cared about Claire - however, Toby was still his first and best friend. Douxie believed he had no moral right to force the young Trollhunter to choose between the two.
"Dispel it."
That wasn't Jim this time - Toby watched Merlin's apprentice with the same determination. Perhaps he was the bravest out of three of them. Douxie still had his magic, Jim was armed with the amulet, but Toby… Toby only had his spirit in this fight against the evil guys.
That alone was admirable.
"Tobes, are you sure?" Jim couldn't believe his own ears.
"We'll think out something," his best friend shrugged. "Besides, the enemy side doesn't know who we are - but they can possibly know about Claire. She needs that protection more."
Apparently, now even the most optimistic member of their party considered the worst. However, they still remained the united front, ready to face everything together and cover for each other.
Wasn't it their biggest strength?
Any hope for the situation surrounding Claire's experience with 'monsters' turned into the dust the second their little party had a good look at her house.
"Fuzzbuckets," Douxie muttered under his breath.
No matter how much Jim was curious what exactly were those mysterious 'fuzzbuckets' his older friend tend to use instead of swearing, right now, he would rather find out what kind of force could mangle a window frame for it to end in its current state. No, he knew trolls could do it, but seriously, what was going on?
"Oh my gosh," Toby whispered, his face losing its color at once. "Claire sent the message, so she should be fine, yes?"
That was the grim reality of their night job. It was risky, dangerous, and one of them could end hurt or dead.
"We'd know if the worst happened," Douxie responded with a frown. Alas, it still left a possibility of multiple horrible scenarios.
Claire wasn't the one to open the door. A man - presumably, her father - greeted the boys instead, and his expression was anything but friendly or at least welcoming.
"May I ask who are you and what do you want?" he inquired. It was rather bizarre that a seemingly polite question could sound so hostile.
"We're Claire's friends," Jim blurted, twitching uncomfortably under Mr. Nunez's gaze.
"Friends?"
The stare intensified - it was as if the man tried to read their minds. He glanced over at Toby, scrutinized Jim for a while, and then turned his full attention to Douxie.
"Yes, from school," Toby added, feeling more confident that Claire's father had basically ignored his existence.
"I see," the man muttered. "Even him?" he nodded at obviously older member of their party.
Douxie barely managed not to swear aloud. Of course, he stood out the most, be it his physical age or his overall first impression. One of his co-workers at Benoit's once had described the latter as 'bad boy vibes'. And it seemed that Claire's dad was already against having him anywhere in his dear daughter's vicinity.
Wasn't that wish somehow justified, though? Hadn't Douxie been partially the reason for whatever had happened to the girl?
"Douxie's a senior helping with the school play," the defense came out of nowhere, in the form of Toby's improvisation.
"Yes, he helps with props," Jim joined in. "We all were worried because Claire is the star of our play…"
"Oh, I see," Mr. Nunez's expression relaxed at once and he even smiled at the boys. "Claire doesn't feel well, but I think she'll be happy to talk to her friends from the school play…"
Jim and Douxie exchanged glances. So, Claire wasn't in the perfect health. The wizard-in-training imagined that Jim suspected an injury, but his own guess would be something else altogether.
There was a hard evidence that she might have suffered from magical energy depletion. The window frame looked as if some force was applied from the inside. That could be raw energy combustion - even total novices could do it under much stress. It was dangerous though, with possible lasting repercussions or even death.
"Just don't tire her too much," the father warned before knocking at the door.
"Come in!" Claire's voice sounded cheerful enough, so the boys sighed with relief.
"Claire, your friends are here," Mr. Nunez entered first.
"Mary and Darci?"
"Well, no. Your male friends."
The miracle hadn't lasted for long as the father returned to his paranoid mood at once. Obviously, he didn't fancy friends coming without asking or being invited.
"My male… Oh," Claire giggled nervously as the boys entered the room. "Hi, Jim! Hi, Douxie. And… Colby?"
"Toby actually," he corrected, watching for Mr. Nunez's reaction. "But nevermind me - I'm just a random stranger coming for some support…"
Toby gulped - somehow, he could imagine the man kicking him out right now, after seeing the actual confirmation that his daughter didn't even know the boy well enough.
Ironically, Mr. Nunez ignored him altogether as he focused all his suspicious glares at the other two - and for some reason, Jim was now the main target instead of Douxie.
"I didn't expect you coming today," Claire smiled, but her eyes told the other story.
"Well, we were worried," Jim scratched his head.
It was bad - they couldn't talk properly with Mr. Nunez around, but it wasn't like anyone could just have asked him to get out.
"Papi, can you make some snacks?" Claire got a hint and provided a solution.
"I'll help!" Toby volunteered, secretly signaling to his best friend that he'd distract the man.
"I demand an explanation," the girl whispered furiously the second the door closed. Oh yeah, she surely had been thinking out this conversation for a while.
Any careless phrase could ruin everything and…
"Was there a troll attack?"
Jim just went and asked directly before Douxie managed to find some better response.
It was a mistake, no total disaster. Claire might have refrained from any open accusations but, her eyes told a lot.
"Oh, I don't know - the monster wasn't interested in discussing her species with me and I have no books to know how to tell those apart. Could be a troll. Or a fairy. Or whatever…" she sounded indifferent enough, yet…
She was clearly reliving all those scary and traumatic moments right now.
"May I ask why Jim knows about those… creatures, and I don't?"
That was it, the question she hoped to ask. Maybe, just maybe - those two would give her the perfectly sound explanation, and she would be able to forgive them for keeping secrets.
Maybe…
Yeah, who she tried to fool? No matter what any of them say, Claire would still feel hurt and betrayed. Was it irrational? Perhaps, but since when emotions followed rules?
And the response she got only made everything worse.
"Actually, I learned about trolls' existence even before meeting Douxie…" Jim shifted on his feet guiltily, but his regret meant nothing.
"So, both of you decided on omitting an important detail, I see," the girl stated flatly, looking at the blanket instead of facing any of her visitors.
No, some part of her expected it would have ended like this - alas, expecting a blow rarely lessened an impact.
"What else have you forgotten to mention?" her fingers curled into fists unwittingly. If either of them tried to claim that it was the only secret, Claire was ready to cut all the ties with both of them. She might have ignored the signs before, but there had been too many inconsistences. She had been willing to trust blindly before, yet it was nearly impossible to continue with that.
And…
It would be stupid to deny that she had gotten way more than she could chew as both Jim and Douxie told her about centuries old conflict between humanity and the trollkind, which they both just happened to be involved in.
And Jim wasn't a fellow apprentice as she had assumed before, he was more of… A magical knight? Could that Trollhunter title count as one? He even summoned his magical armor as a proof - and Claire had recognized it instantly.
"It's the armor from try-outs… So you weren't preparing for those…"
"Sorry, I just needed a cover story back then," Jim admitted, averting his eyes. "Probably, getting into the play was a bad idea to start with…"
"I see."
Why had it hurt so much? She knew he had never been that invested in Romeo and Juliet - and apparently; it was just complicating his life too much when he had already had his hands full with studies, helping his mom and trollhunting.
Claire seriously had to stop with prying or else she could end with too many inconvenient truths. Yet, there was another thing she wished to know.
"What about the time you claimed to know telekinesis?"
"That one is just a really annoying feature of the amulet," that one wasn't something Jim wished to confess, yet he still decided on being honest.
And Claire could probably have forgiven him if that incident had been the only lie, because it was just something so small and trivial. Unfortunately, all those petty little lies somehow stockpiled into an entire mountain.
What's worse, Douxie was apparently as guilty, deliberately hiding everything about magical creatures.
"Because I'm not reliable enough," she guessed aloud for her teacher.
"I don't think so…" Douxie tried to argue back, but Claire interrupted him at once:
"Then you probably thought I would be reckless and foolish enough to get into a fight I cannot win out of sheer curiosity. But you know what? I was more likely to check something suspicious if it was totally unknown territory. I could think of those green imps - goblins? - as harmless ones, and got ripped apart. Or I could follow some troll, not knowing that they were hostile… Should I continue?"
She never planned to let her anger and frustration out, but now she simply couldn't stop. She still remembered the feeling of being strangled, the despair and the fear of the unknown.
"If I knew, I could have focused on learning some defensive magic. My family could be in danger that night - it was a miracle the troll lady decided to attack me first, and I blasted her out somehow!" Claire's fingers brushed on her neck unwittingly as the feeling of suffocation returned. "What would I do if my parents or Enrique were the victim?"
No one replied to her. Did they both decide to let her yell at them? Though, probably trying to find an excuse would make everything worse.
"Your friend, does he know? The one who's come with you. Toby," Claire asked, quietly this time. Her previous questions might have been rhetorical ones, but she wished to hear an answer to this one - even if she already knew.
"Yes," Jim nodded.
"Even if he has no magic or mystical armor?"
She had to stop. She shouldn't question that one. In the end, her connection to both Jim and Douxie was nowhere close to the bond Toby and his best friend had. Most likely, she couldn't even compare her own friendship with Darci and Mary to that.
So, of course, Jim Lake trusted Toby Domzalski unconditionally. And Claire… She was probably just a random outsider with no place in the supernatural adventure the boys had been a part of. She simply happened to be a classmate to the local destined protector. She simply had stumbled upon an arcane shop. Perhaps she wasn't even that talented when it came to magic…
Jim had said something, but Claire didn't hear his words - and well, would those change anything?
"No one here considers you a burden," Douxie's firm voice pierced through the void of self-pity, bringing the girl back to her senses. "I was wrong that…"
"Go away," she interrupted him mid-phrase. "Both of you. Just give me some time - right now, I have no idea what to think or to do next. There's simply too much stuff to consider - and if we continue talking, we can ruin all the chances to get out of this mess on civil terms…"
Yes, that should have been the best approach. Claire had learned to deal with her troubles alone a long time ago - and somehow it had been extended to calming herself. She would have had less trouble to find inner peace after sitting alone and sorting her feelings out than if surrounded by a bunch of people trying to help her.
Douxie got the hint faster, probably thanks to his age. Jim was more reluctant to leave, but in the end, he also respected her wish.
Claire stared at the closed door. Hopefully, her father wouldn't have misunderstood everything - she hadn't bothered with controlling her yells' volume. The girl didn't want him to throw her friends out, even if the recent conversation wasn't that pleasant.
She tried to listen to noises outside the room. Toby's cheerful voice was the only thing she got - apparently, that guy had actually put his best into being a distraction, so that Javier hadn't suspected a thing.
He was also a valuable team member for the Trollhunter's party. Claire wondered if she would be able to join them eventually. Though, did she actually wanted it? It wasn't her fight to start with - it was Douxie's, Jim's and even Toby's to the certain extent. But what kind of motivation should she have had to be a part of that?
Claire groaned. Apparently, the answer wouldn't come easily, besides…
Oh yeah, with all that outburst, the important issue had slipped her mind entirely. Why had she forgotten to ask about the enigmatic Shadow Realm? This time, Claire couldn't even blame anyone for concealing the truth when she hadn't even mentioned it herself!