A spark flared and Tamani lit what looked like a softball-sized brass orb. Flickering light shone out of hundreds of tiny holes, filling the small clearing with a gentle glow. Tamani slid his pack from his shoulders and knelt beside her. Without saying a word, he placed a finger under her chin and turned her face one way, then the other. He moved on to her arms and legs, murmuring at the scrapes and abrasions he found. Gently, he lifted her feet onto his lap and Laurel caught the familiar scents of lavender and ylang-ylang as he rubbed something warm into her tattered soles. It tingled and almost burned for a minute before cooling and soothing the stinging ache.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” Tamani asked after treating all the injuries he could see.
“My back,” Laurel said, turning onto her side and lifting her shirt.
Tamani released his breath in a small whistle. “This one’s pretty bad. I’ll need to bind it.”
“Will that hurt?” Laurel said slowly as warmth from the small orb seemed to wrap around her body.
“No, but you’ll have to be careful for a few days while it grows back together.”
Laurel nodded and settled her cheek onto her arm.
“Where did you get these, Laurel?” he asked as his soft fingers worked on the deep gash. “Faeries aren’t known for being clumsy.”
Laurel’s tongue felt thick and slow as she tried to explain. “They tried to kill us. David and me.”
“Who?” His voice was soft, but Laurel could feel the intensity behind his words.
“I don’t know. Something ugly, inhuman. Men who convinced my mom to sell the land.”
“Ugly?”
Laurel nodded. She closed her eyes as she told him about her dad and Jeremiah Barnes, her words starting to slur.
“A toxin?” Tamani pressed as her eyes grew heavier and his voice seemed farther and farther away.
“Papers are supposed to be signed tomorrow,” Laurel breathed, forcing herself to relay the most important message as her skin tingled gently as if she were lying in the noonday sun.
A few seconds later an arm slipped around her and Laurel clung to it as Tamani’s cheek settled by her hair. “Go to sleep,” Tamani whispered. “I won’t let anything else hurt you.”
“D-d-david, he’s waiting…”
“Don’t worry,” Tamani soothed, stroking her arm. “He’s sleeping too. Shar will make sure he’s safe. You both just need to rest now.”
All she could do was nod as she nestled against Tamani’s chest and let everything else slip out of her mind.
Gentle fingers trailed through Laurel’s hair as she slowly stretched and rolled onto her back. Her eyes fluttered open and met Tamani’s.
“Good morning,” he said with a soft smile as he sat beside her head.
She grinned, then her eyes looked up at the star-filled sky and the small lamp still hanging from the branches above her. “Is it?”
Tamani laughed. “Well, it’s very early in the morning I suppose, but yes.”
“Did you sleep?”
He shook his head. “Too much to do.”
“But—”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve done worse.” His smile dropped away and his jaw squared. “It’s time to go.”
“Go where?” she asked, sitting up.
“To take care of the trolls before they finish killing your father.”
“Trolls?” She shook her head. Surely she’d misheard. She’d sat up too quickly, that was all. “My father? You can help my father?”
“I don’t know,” Tamani admitted. “But it won’t matter unless we take care of the trolls first.” Tamani tilted his head very slightly to the side. “Come on out, Shar. I know you’re listening.”
Another man stepped silently out from behind a tree Laurel would have sworn was much too small for him to hide behind. He had the same confident stance as Tamani and the same green eyes. His roots were green too, but the rest of his hair was light blond and long — pulled back away from his face. Shar had the same perfection she still wasn’t accustomed to seeing in Tamani; his face was rougher though, full of sharp angles where Tamani’s was soft. He was taller than Tamani — almost as tall as David — with long, wiry limbs and solid arms and chest.
“Laurel, Shar. Shar, Laurel,” Tamani said without looking at the other faerie.
Laurel stared, wide-eyed, but Shar only nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, listening as he leaned back against the tree he had just stepped out from behind.
“I should have realized it was the trolls trying to buy this land. The creatures you described can’t be anything else. We need to take care of them before those papers can be signed.”
“Trolls? Like real trolls? Are you serious? Why would…trolls…care about buying this land? Just because you guys live here?”
Tamani glanced over his shoulder at Shar before turning back to Laurel. “No. It’s because the gateway is here.”
“Gateway?”
“Tamani, you go too far,” Shar growled.
Tamani twisted his body back around. “Why? Don’t you think she, of all fae, has a right to know?”
“That’s not your decision to make. You’re letting it get too personal.”
“It is personal,” Tamani said, bitterness heavy in his voice. “It’s always been personal.”
“We stick with the plan,” Shar insisted.
“I’ve been sticking with the plan for twelve years, Shar. But trolls mere hours away from gaining title to this land and undoing everything we’ve worked for is not part of the plan either.” He paused, glaring at his companion. “Things have changed, and she needs to know what’s at stake.”
“The Queen won’t be happy.”
“The Queen has spent most of her reign making me miserable. Perhaps it’s best if the tide changes for once.”
“I trust you, Tamani, but you know I can’t hide this.”
A long moment passed as the two men studied each other. “So be it,” Tamani said and turned back to Laurel. “I told you once that I guarded something very special. It’s not something I can pick up and move — that’s why this land is so important. It’s a gate to the realm. The only barrier over a gateway to Avalon.”
“Avalon?” Laurel breathed.
Tamani nodded. “There are four gateways in the entire world that lead to it. Hundreds of years ago, the gateways were open. They were still secret and guarded by those who knew of them, but the fact is that too many knew. Since the beginning of time, trolls have been trying to take over Avalon. It’s such a perfect piece of earth that nature is not the only abundant resource there. Gold and diamonds are as common as sticks and stones. They mean nothing to us except as decorations.” Tamani grinned. “We like things that sparkle, you know.”
Laurel laughed as she thought of the glass prisms she had strung across her bedroom window years ago. “I thought that was just a personal preference.”
“Never met the faerie who didn’t,” Tamani said with a smile. “But the trolls have always tried to bribe their way into the human world with money. Some trolls spend their entire lives treasure hunting, and Avalon is too great a treasure to pass up. For centuries, it was a place of death and destruction as the trolls tried to overrun and destroy us and the faeries desperately tried to protect their home. But during the reign of King Arthur, everything changed.”
“King Arthur? The King Arthur? You’re kidding me!”
“Not a bit, though like everything else, the stories never quite got it right. I tell you this, if you want to keep a secret, turn it into a human story. They’ll mess it up so badly in a hundred years, no one would ever be able to separate the truth from the myth.”
“I’d take offense except, so far, I’ve found that to be completely true.”
Tamani shrugged.
“What did King Arthur do?”
“Mostly it’s what his magician Merlin did. Arthur, Merlin, and Oberon—”
“Oberon? Shakespeare’s Oberon?”
“Shake
speare was hardly the first to memorialize him, but yes, that King Oberon. Together with Arthur and Merlin, Oberon created a sword that held so much magic that whoever wielded it was sure to come out victorious in battle.”
“Excalibur,” Laurel said breathlessly.
“Exactly. Oberon, Arthur, and Merlin led the greatest army Avalon has ever seen into battle against the trolls to banish them forever. Faeries, Arthur and his knights, Merlin and his three mistresses, and Oberon himself. The trolls never had a chance. The faeries purged Avalon of the trolls, and Oberon created the gates to guard against their return. But even for a Winter faerie, it was more magic than any living plant could bear. The greatest faerie king in history gave his life to make the gate I guard.”
“It’s all so incredible,” Laurel said.
“It’s your history,” Tamani said. “Your heritage.”
Shar grunted behind him, but Tamani ignored him. “That’s why it’s so important that this land not fall into the hands of the trolls. The gateways can never be destroyed — but the gates that guard them can. And if the gates are destroyed, Avalon will be open to anyone. Our home will become a place of war and destruction again. We have records of the terrible revenge the trolls took on Camelot, and we can only imagine the similar fate that awaits Avalon if they find their way in.”
“Why now? My mom’s been trying to sell this land for ages. They could have bought it years ago.”
Tamani shook his head. “We don’t know. Honestly, I’m almost afraid to find out. 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.”
TWENTY-ONE
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.
Laurel looked at the clock. Almost four. She sighed. “My mom’s gonna freak. What about yours?” she asked David.
“Hopefully not. I told her I might stay overnight with you and she said it would be okay if I missed a day of school. But I’ll call her as soon as it’s late enough and tell her I’m with you.”
“If she had any idea…” Laurel let her words trail away.
“What’s the plan?” David asked, changing the subject.
Tamani answered. “You take me to this house, I take care of the trolls, you bring me back. Pretty simple.”
“Tell me more about these trolls,” David said. “They were the scariest things I’ve ever seen.”
“I hope it stays that way.”
David shivered. “Me too. When they took us to the river, this…this troll lifted me like I weighed nothing. I’m not that small of a guy.”
“Meh, taller than me, I’ll give you that.” Tamani turned toward Laurel and his condescending tone disappeared as quickly as it had come. “Trolls are — well, they’re almost a glitch in evolution. They’re animals, like you, David — primates, even. But they’re not quite human. Stronger than h
umans, as you discovered — able to heal faster, too. It’s like evolution tried to make a superhuman of sorts, but it got a little messed up.”
“Just because they’re ugly?” David asked.
“Being ugly is just a side effect. The problem is that they don’t match.”
“What do you mean, match?” Laurel asked.
“They lack symmetry. Symmetry’s what’s different about faeries too. Humans, they’re mostly symmetrical — as near as animals can be with their chaotic cells. Two eyes, two arms, two legs. All the same length and proportions — more or less. Impressive, really, considering.”
“Considering what?” David asked hotly.
“Considering your cells are so irregular. You can’t deny it; not if you’re as smart as Laurel keeps telling me.” The remark was made with simmering undertones, but it apparently placated David. “Laurel and me”—he stroked her neck as he said it—“we’re exactly symmetrical. If you could bend us in half, every part would match precisely. That’s why Laurel looks so much like one of your fashion models. Symmetry.”
“And the trolls aren’t?” Laurel asked, desperate to turn the subject away from her.
Tamani shook his head. “Not even close. You remember you told me Barnes’s eye drooped and his nose was off-center? There’s your physical asymmetry. Although it’s very subtle in him. It’s not normally that way. I’ve seen troll babies so badly misshapen that even their ugly mothers wouldn’t keep them. Legs growing out of their heads, necks set sideways into shoulders. It’s a terrible sight. Long, long ago the faeries would try to take them in. But when evolution has given up on you, death is unavoidable. And it’s more than just the physical. The stupider you are — the worse evolution screwed you up — the less symmetrical you are.”
“Why don’t the trolls die out?” David asked.
“Unfortunately, they have their successes as well as failures; trolls like Barnes who can blend into the human world. Some can even exercise a degree of control over humans. We have no idea how many, but they could be everywhere.”
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