Trolls hate losing. They never make a move unless they’re sure they can win.

Maybe they’ve gotten a really big group of them together. Maybe…maybe…”

He sighed. “I don’t even know. But they have some kind of secret they think will give them an advantage. And unless we find out what it is, we may not stand a chance.” Tamani paused. “We didn’t think they even knew where this gate was.”

“Why not? Haven’t they been trying to get in since the gates were made?”

“Let’s just say that very few trolls made it out of Avalon alive. We’ve suspected for many, many years that the survivors knew approximately where it was—and may have passed that information down—but until now, they’ve been unable to pinpoint its exact location.”

“What happens if they find it?”

“If they find it, we kill them. That’s why we’re here. But that’s not the worst that could happen. If they manage to buy the land, they can send an army of humans on some imaginary construction project to knock everything down faster than we can kill them off without attracting more human attention. The gates are very strong, but they’re not invincible. A couple of bulldozers and some explosives might be able to bring them down. But at the very least, it would expose the gate to anyone who might want to find it.”

“You said they made my dad sick?” she whispered.

Tamani looked at her for a long time, his eyes glittering with anger. “I believe they did. I also believe that because of this toxin—”

Shar cleared his throat and addressed Laurel. “Tamani loves to talk, but I’m sure you would agree the time is short.”

Tamani pursed his lips and glanced up at the sky. “I have taken too long,” he said. “We need to go. We want to catch them as the sky is turning pink.”

“Why?”

“Trolls are creatures of the night; they prefer to sleep when the sun is up. They’ll be tired and weak if we catch them at the end of their day.”

Laurel nodded. She stretched one more time and hesitantly got to her feet, testing her weight gingerly. To her surprise, her feet felt almost normal. She wasn’t tired or sluggish and her whole body was revitalized. “How did you do that?” Laurel asked.

Tamani smiled and pointed at the lamp. “You did say you wanted to see magic.”

Laurel stared at the small brass orb. “What did it do?”

“It acts like artificial sunlight. Allows your body to regenerate as if you were out in full sun. Can’t use it too often or your cells will figure out the difference, but it’s handy for emergencies. Still,” he said, digging into his pack once more, “you’ll probably want these.” He held out a pair of soft moccasins that matched the ones he was wearing.

As Laurel tied the laces, Shar stepped forward and placed his hand on Tamani’s shoulder. “Good luck to you. I’ve already called for more reinforcements; they should be here within the hour.”

“Hopefully you won’t need them,” Tamani replied.

“If it really is trolls and they know as much as you suspect, I imagine this glade is about to become home to many, many more sentries.”

“And that’s saying something, considering the last few weeks,” Tamani said sarcastically.

“Are you sure you don’t need someone to come with you?”

“Better if we keep it small.” Tamani grinned. “Besides, there’s only four of them, and one of them is a lower troll. You’re just jealous I’m not letting you go.”

“Perhaps a little. But really, Tam, one of them’s an upper. Don’t underestimate him. I don’t want to come looking for your broken pulp.”

“You won’t have to, I promise.”

Shar was silent for a moment, then he lifted his chin and nodded. “The eye of Hecate be upon you.”

“And you,” Tamani said softly, turning away.

As they walked quickly back down the path, Laurel was amazed at how good she felt. After the struggle to get David and herself out of the river, she had been more worn out than she could ever remember feeling before. Now she felt positively sprightly, and the gentle pressure of Tamani’s hand in hers made her want to skip.

But she looked over at Tamani’s grim face and decided to resist that particular impulse.

In a few minutes, they came into sight of the car. “Are you ready?” asked Laurel.

“To eliminate a bunch of trolls? Yes. To meet David? Definitely not.”

21

TO HIS CREDIT, DAVID HANDLED THE MEETING FAIRLY well, especially considering he was shaken awake by a strange man who did little but glare at him while Laurel stammered out introductions. He accepted the idea of the men being trolls better than Laurel had, and Laurel wondered if he was fully awake—or perhaps in shock. Nonetheless, he was ready to play chauffeur.

Tamani got into the backseat and left the door open, his eyes inviting Laurel to sit beside him. She glanced at David—his clothes rumpled and dirty from their escapade in the river and a bruise starting to form on his cheek where she’d slapped him—and smiled in apology as she softly closed the back door and slipped into the passenger seat. Tamani didn’t accept loss so easily though, and as David made his way up onto the highway, Tamani leaned forward and snaked his arm around the headrest so his hand could rest on Laurel’s shoulder.

If David saw in the dim light, he didn’t comment.