Your Future Hasn't Been Written Yet
by K. Stonham
first released 26th August 2021
Jim walked back into the library to find Archie and Douxie exactly where he'd left them, neither seeming to have moved a muscle except to turn pages. "Wow, bookish Douxie," he commented, shedding his bag and taking a seat. "That's a new one. Looks kind of good on you, though."
Douxie looked up at him, smiled. "Archie's the real bookworm." His left hand, Jim noticed, was on Archie's back, stroking the dragon's fur. It seemed the wizard wasn't quite over his separation anxiety yet.
"Can't say I'm surprised," said Jim. He looked around, at the stacks of leather-bound books that towered over his head. They still set him on edge, worrying that he'd brush up against a tower wrong and it would topple, setting off a chain reaction like a domino run. "So these are the kind of books you grew up reading, huh?"
"You grew up in the age of public libraries," Archie told Jim. "Back in the twelfth century, this would have been a king's ransom."
"Several kings," Douxie agreed. He smiled fondly at his familiar. "Archie's the one who taught me how to read."
"You hated every step of it," Archie reminisced.
"You taught me in winter, when we were half-starving," Douxie said. "Of course I was going to hate it! I hated everything that year."
"You thanked me later."
Douxie nodded. "I did and still do. Even with my magic, I don't think Merlin would've kept me on long as an apprentice if I wasn't already able to read."
"Can you imagine," Archie said, eyes wide, "if he'd had to teach you?"
"That sounds like a recipe for disaster," agreed Jim.
"Merlin is many things," said Archie, "but being known for his patience is not among them."
Douxie looked down. "He was patient with me. When it counted."
"All right. Enough of that." Jim commanded, hefting his bag. "I have a gaggletack, so we can confirm Enrique versus NotEnrique. We also have to see about getting a shadow artifact for Claire. And I think you still needed to let Blinky and Aaarrrgghh through your wards?"
Douxie blinked. "It had slipped my mind," he confessed. "But you're right, I do. I also need to ward your house, and possibly Claire's."
"One thing at a time, Douxie," advised Archie.
"Right." A wave of Douxie's hand snapped his and Archie's books shut, and sent them to perch on top of one of the precarious stacks. Jim eyed it nervously. The stack swayed, but ultimately settled and remained standing. "Master Galadrigal," Douxie called into the depths of the library as he stood.
"Yes?" Blinky called back.
"Jim's reminded me of two of the tasks we need to get done today," said Douxie, following the sound of Blinky's voice. Archie followed Douxie, and Jim followed Archie, until they came to a small clearing where Blinky sat, yet more books open on the table in front of him. "I need to grant you and Aaarrrgghh passage of the wards I have set on Toby's house."
"Very well," said Blinky, leaning back in his chair. "Proceed."
Jim watched as Douxie touched Blinky's head, right between the six eyes that crossed as they tried to follow the wizard's fingers, and did the same spell he'd done to Draal, with the same results.
Blinky shivered. "My, that tingled," he commented. "Aaarrrgghh is, of course, in the Forge, at your convenience. You mentioned another task?"
"We need a shadow artifact," Jim said. "We were hoping you might have one we could borrow."
"My student, Jim's girlfriend, was a shadowmancer," Douxie explained. "But we've come back to before her power was awakened, so we need something to help her spark her gift to life again."
"Hmm." Blinky crossed two of his arms and tapped at his chin with a third hand. "I'm afraid I don't have any such object in my possession. You might try inquiring at RotGut's, or perhaps Vendel might know of such a thing."
Jim grimaced. "I'm out of socks. RotGut's would have to wait for another day."
"Vendel it is, then," Douxie said.
"Ugh. He hates me."
"He does not hate you, Jim, he simply does not understand you," offered Blinky. "And therefore he mistrusts you."
"And unfortunately, asking for an object from the darker end of the magic spectrum's not likely to make him less suspicious," Douxie agreed.
"You might try simply telling him the truth," suggested Archie.
Jim's first instinct was to snort a laugh. "He'll never believe me."
"He kind of has to," Douxie pointed out. "You've got solid proof."
"I guess." Jim still didn't like it. It felt like the more people knew he was from the future, the more chance there was they'd tell the people he didn't want to know.
If Toby had been that upset over Douxie being older than he looked, how was he going to react to Jim's secret?
Jim breathed out, determined. "I won't like it," he said, "but you're right. I'll tell Vendel."
"Vendel?" Jim called, knocking at the door of Vendel's workshop.
The pale troll's head appeared down a hall, leaning to look around the far doorframe. "Well, if it isn't the young human." Jim's species was still said with a derogatory tone. "What have you come for?"
"I... need to ask for something," Jim said, walking in despite the lack of a clear invitation. "But first I need to tell you the truth."
"Won't that be a novelty," the Elder grumbled. He waited until Jim was in the same room as him, then said, "Well, let's have it."
"I'm from the future," Jim said.
Vendel snorted.
"No, seriously, I am." Jim reached into his bag and pulled out his amulet, held it out so that Vendel could see.
Vendel reached out a curious finger, touched the amulet. Then his face hardened. "A cheap copy of the Trollhunter's amulet," he said. "Did that wizard friend of yours make it for you?"
"Yes," said Jim honestly. "But, then, he helped Merlin make the original as well."
Vendel might as well have been made of figurative as well as literal stone, so Jim sighed and shrugged his bag off, letting it drop to the floor. "For the good of all, Daylight is mine to command." His eyes closed as the Akiridion bodysuit formed around him, followed by the comforting weight of the magic armor itself. At his will, Excalibur manifested in his hand.
It felt right.
Jim opened his eyes again to see Vendel staring. "It's not a copy," Jim said quietly. "The original was destroyed in the future, and we could only salvage a couple of pieces. This was remade, yes by Douxie, and also by an Akiridion friend of ours. It is a Trollhunter amulet, and Trollhunter armor."
"That is not the sword of Daylight," said Vendel, still staring.
"No," said Jim. "It's Excalibur."
"And how did you come by Excalibur?"
Jim smiled. "I pulled it out of a stone."
Vendel slumped. "I need to sit down." And he did. Once he was seated, he looked back up at Jim. "Tell me the whole story."
So Jim did.
Real magic was a lot less dramatic than Toby had been expecting.
Douxie's spell apparently involved some weird words, touching Aaarrrgghh on the forehead, and a flash of blue light.
"My thanks," Aaarrrgghh told the wizard.
"No problem," Douxie said. He glanced up at the Forge, and his face was full of wonder for an instant. "Well, I shall be off, then, and let you get on with your training."
"I doubt Vendel wants us learning any more secrets," his cat-dragon added.
As they turned to go, Toby's conscience kicked in. "Uh, hey, Douxie, wait a second!"
The wizard turned, waiting as Toby scrambled across the space between them.
"I, um. I kind of wanted to apologize for, you know, earlier."
Douxie smiled. "Apology accepted."
"Jim yelled at me, and he's right. And I just know Blinky's going to make me do horrible exercises or something to make his point," Toby muttered.
"Not the best reason for an apology," the dragon said.
Douxie waved him off. "I do appreciate the apology, Toby. But more than that, I'd ask you to think about why I didn't tell you."
Toby looked at his feet. "The Salem Witch Trials," he mumbled.
"Mm, yes, though we weren't even in the new world at that time. But more to the point, nine hundred years of people reacting like you did, or even worse."
"The traditional punishment for sorcery has been death," the dragon, Archie, said, hovering in mid-air.
"True, though these days they'd probably just lock us up in Area 49-B," mused Douxie.
"If they could catch us. Or keep us," Archie said.
"Um." Toby looked up. "I... do you want to make a stage magic club?" he blurted out. It was the only peace offering idea he had. "Jim said he'd be our test audience."
Surprise flashed across Douxie's face, followed by something very soft. "I'd love to," he said. "Thank you for asking me."
"I am... somewhat astounded," Vendel said, "but I cannot argue that you have compelling evidence that you're telling the truth."
Jim brushed off irritation. Why on Earth would he be lying? "Thank you."
"That being said, I cannot simply give you free rein to do anything you may wish in Trollmarket. You must still act as a guest until everyone has become more accustomed to you."
"Understood."
Vendel hesitated, then asked, "You said I was felled by an enemy. May I ask who? It is not that I do not trust Blinkous to do a competent job of leading our people, but I feel that he and I would both rather stay in our accustomed roles."
Jim had to smile at that thought, but then his smile fell. "Do not trust Queen Usurna of the Krubera. Ever."
"Usurna!" Vendel was aghast. "She has long led her people well-"
"She sold you all out to Gunmar a long time ago," Jim shot back. "She let him take some of their younglings. Aaarrrgghh wasn't stolen. He was given."
Vendel sucked in a breath. "I suppose you would know," he said after a minute. "Still, I cannot accuse Usurna without solid proof - which, unfortunately, the word of a human child does not constitute."
"Just... be wary of her," Jim asked. "That's all I'm asking."
"And that you shall receive." Vendel gazed at Jim, in his armor. "I suppose having two Trollhunters about will increase our security. Even if, for now, you must remain a secret."
Jim acknowledged that with a nod and finally let his armor vanish. He pocketed the amulet and picked up his messenger bag.
"You said you wished to ask for something," Vendel reminded him.
"I do. Do you have any artifacts of shadow magic that you'd be willing to loan me?"
The Elder's milky gaze sharpened. "And why would you need such a thing?"
Jim sighed internally and launched into an explanation of Claire, and their theory on how to restart her powers, and it led to one of those not-arguments that he had so often seemed to end up in with Vendel.
But in the end, Vendel rummaged through his things and ended up giving Jim a small triangular purple gemstone, mounted on what for a troll was a very tiny ring. Maybe it would fit Claire's thumb?
"Take good care of that, Trollhunter," Vendel said pointedly. "Do not allow it to fall into unfriendly hands."
"You have my promise, Vendel," Jim said, tucking the ring into an inner pocket of his bag.
"Now go. I must think on what you've told me."
Jim left the Elder sitting on a stool, holding his staff in one hand, staring at the wall as he clearly turned over the evening's revelations in his mind.
Jim hoped they would be enough to save Vendel.