“Why?” Blinky uttered in a hoarse whisper. “Why would Kanjigar not accept our assistance when we offered it earlier? Perhaps if I’d been more forceful in my—”
“No,” grumbled AAARRRGGHH!!!. “Kanjigar wanted it this way.”
“But . . . why?” Blinky had to ask again.
The question vexed him, and his six eyebrows were arched in confusion, until he heard a new sound over the faint trickle of sewer water. Looking past the grate and into the canal, Blinky spotted a human boy on his—oh, what were they called again? Ah, yes—bicycle. The boy removed his helmet and massaged his temples as if fighting off a headache.
A larger boy soon joined the first in the canal, though he appeared to be in far less control of his bicycle. Screaming his head off, he sped down the canal’s incline, passed his friend, rolled backward, and fell flat on his face.
“HA! How awesome are we?” Blinky heard the large one groan as he lifted himself off the concrete, raising a feeble thumbs-up. “We are awesome!”
AAARRRGGHH!!! was roused by the commotion and looked over Blinky’s shoulder at the two young humans. In silence, the Trolls watched the dark-haired boy drop his helmet carelessly to the side. He took an uncertain step toward what was left of Kanjigar, then another.
“Great Gronka Morka,” Blinky uttered in a hushed voice.
“You said it,” AAARRRGGHH!!! whispered back.
• • •
“JAMES LAKE.”
The voice in Jim’s head was growing so loud, he thought his skull would split open. He took off his helmet to relieve the pressure and stumbled forward. Somehow, moving in that direction lessened the intensity of the voice. Jim took another step, and the voice grew quieter still. Looking ahead, Jim discovered a pile of rubble at the center of the canal, just below the bridge.
“JAMES LAKE,” the voice called again.
“Hey, Tobes,” Jim called over his shoulder as he kneeled in front of the rock pile. “Did you hear that voice?”
“What voice?” Toby asked, catching up to Jim and peering down at the shattered stones.
Great, Jim thought. Now I’m imagining voices that only I can hear. Guess I can add insanity to my unpopularity and rotten grade point average.
“JAMES LAKE,” the voice called from within the rocks. It was so loud, both Jim and Toby fell backward in surprise.
The two friends exchanged a spooked look. On the one hand, Jim was happy that Toby heard it too. That meant Jim wasn’t crazy. Or that the craziness might be contagious and they’d both wind up in a hospital. At least they’d be together. . . .
But on the other hand, stones weren’t supposed to speak directly into a person’s brain.
“That,” Jim managed to say. “That—that—that pile of rocks knows my name!”
The guys inched closer to the rubble. Jim eyed it warily, but Toby shrugged.
“It’s a pile of K-spar. Minerals don’t talk,” Toby said. If there was one thing he enjoyed almost as much as Jim’s cooking, it was geology.
The voice had stopped ringing in Jim’s head, yet he still felt like he was being somehow . . . compelled. His hand reached into the pile of rocks, almost against his will.
“There’s gotta be a walkie-talkie in here or something,” Toby said, just as Jim’s fingers brushed against a smooth and cool object underneath the stones. But it sure didn’t feel like any walkie-talkie.
Jim removed his hand from the rubble. Uncurling his fingers, he discovered a large circular gadget in his palm, almost like an oversized stopwatch, but made from some shimmering metal he didn’t recognize. Holding it closer, Jim studied its intricate gears, its etchings, and the odd foreign words that had been carved into its back.
“Huh,” Jim said. “Looks like . . . an amulet.”
Still hidden in the drainpipe, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! stared at each other when they heard the boy say “amulet.”
Truth be told, Toby had been the victim of numerous practical jokes during his childhood, and this whole thing with the rocks and the voice all screamed “prank” to him. He looked up to the bridge and yelled, “Who’s doing this? Come out now!”
Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! instinctively backed away from the grate. Meanwhile, Jim held the mysterious Amulet closer to his ear.
“Hello?” he said to it. “I’m listening.”
Jim closed his eyes, expecting that voice to return and maybe say something other than his name for the umpteenth time, when . . .
RIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!
Jim and Toby both froze at the distant sound. They knew it all too well.
“Ugh! Final bell!” Toby said. “We’re so late, our kids are gonna have detention!”
Without a second thought, Jim pocketed the Amulet in his book bag, snapped on his helmet, hopped onto his bike, and said, “Come on, Tobes! We can still make it!”
“I’m right behind!” Toby replied as he and Jim hustled past the drainage tunnel and toward their high school.
Once the sounds of the boys’ tires had faded away, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! returned to the grate.
“It chose . . . a human!” said Blinky, his many eyes all wide with disbelief.
CHAPTER 3
GYM CLASS ZEROES
Jim and Toby skidded to a halt in front of the bike racks and locked their tires into place. Fortunately, a few other students were still straggling into Arcadia Oaks High School after the final bell.
“Baby wipe?” said Toby, offering Jim a moist towelette from his overstuffed backpack.
“Um, no thanks?” Jim replied.
“Suit yourself,” Toby said as he wiped the sweat from his face and under his arms. “But after a vigorous bike ride like that, I want to smell my best for the ladies.”
Toby saw Darci Scott and Mary Wang hurrying up the school’s front steps. He pointed two fingers at them, winked, and called out, “ ’Sup, future girlfriends?”
“As if, Dumbzalski,” Mary hissed.
“Hear that, Jimbo?” Toby asked with a smile. “They’re actually talking to me now. We’re making progress!”
Normally, Jim was amazed by Toby’s endless supply of self-confidence. But today all he could think about was that Amulet in his bag. Had it really called to him? But why? Why him, of all people?
Jim was about to reach for the Amulet when he froze in place. He saw an SUV pull up to the school, a BABY ON BOARD decal hanging from its rear window. The passenger door opened, and out she stepped.
Claire Nuñez.
That freedom-slash-falling feeling Jim had had earlier on his bike? It came back stronger than ever as Claire waved good-bye to her mom and sprinted past him into Arcadia Oaks High School. Jim could still smell her perfume in the air.
“Gardenias,” Jim said dreamily to nobody in particular.
“Ah, Jimbo?” Toby said. “You feeling okay, buddy? You look a little woozy.”
Jim didn’t bother to answer. He was still thinking about Claire, his mind reeling back to the first time he’d laid eyes on her. It was last year, at a City Council fund-raiser held at the hospital. As a doctor on staff, Barbara was invited to attend, and she brought Jim as her plus one. Jim dreaded going. What if someone from school—like, say, Steve Palchuk—saw Jim on a date with his mom? But those worries melted away when Barbara and Jim were introduced to the party’s host, Councilwoman Nuñez, and her daughter, Claire.
As the moms talked about how Claire was transferring from a prep school to Arcadia Oaks High School, Jim couldn’t help but stare. Claire was obviously very pretty. But there seemed to be more to her than just surface looks. Jim stared as Claire tugged at the party dress that was probably as uncomfortable on her as the rented tux was on Jim. And he kept staring when Claire, clearly bored, requested a song from the DJ, then rocked out all by herself on the dance floor to the latest Papa Skull single.
And Jim was still staring at Claire today, admiring the back of her head in their AP World History class. Suddenly he came to and looked around.
AP
World History?! How did I get here? Jim wondered, since he didn’t remember walking into the classroom, sitting down, or opening his laptop at all. Oh my God, have I just been staring at Claire this entire time? She must think I’m some sort of dweeb or—
“Close your mouth,” whispered Toby, who was seated right beside Jim in class. “You’re drooling.”
“No. No, I’m not,” said Jim, finally snapping out of it and finding Toby typing on his laptop. “What’re you doing?”
“Research,” Toby whispered.
“Hey, look up ‘talking Amulet,’ ” Jim joked quietly.
Toby rolled his eyes. “I already did that. All I got was toys. One of ‘em was a plushie!”
Jim looked over Toby’s shoulder at the laptop screen and, sure enough, the search engine had turned up lots of pictures of colorful toys, but nothing that even remotely resembled the Amulet in his book bag. The guys were so engrossed in what they were seeing that their teacher, Walter Strickler, couldn’t help but notice.
Without missing a beat, Mr. Strickler continued talking about the Peloponnesian War, walked up the boys’ aisle, and said, “Jim, would you agree?”
Busted, Jim looked up at his teacher and blurted out a confused, “Sir?”
Mr. Strickler said something else, but Jim couldn’t understand it. All he could think about was the other kids in class all snickering at him. Jim replied to his teacher, but he didn’t know what he was saying. It was like he was on some sort of spastic autopilot. His cheeks flushed red and he started feeling warm all around his collar.
Oh no, Jim fretted. Claire must think I’m such a loser! I bet she’s laughing along with everyone else and—
Another bell rang, signaling the end of class. As the other students got up and collected their belongings, Jim averted his eyes and grabbed his bag. Maybe he could sneak out unnoticed.
“Jim, may I have a word?” Mr. Strickler asked after the other kids had left.
Jim flinched and dropped his bag, spilling most of its contents—books, pencils, headphones, but not the Amulet, fortunately. How would he explain that to his teacher on top of spacing out in his class?
Mr. Strickler helped Jim pick up his things and said, “Jim, you’re distracted.”
“Sorry,” Jim said as he stood up. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
Strickler nodded in understanding and said, “I know it’s just you and your mother, and you want to help her—”
“She’s just really tired, Mr. Strickler,” Jim interrupted. “She’s been working double shifts at the clinic.”
“I believe I’m long overdue for a conversation with her,” Mr. Strickler said, clicking his pen and jotting his number on a sticky note. “Have her call me, please. And feel free to drop by my office if you ever need to talk.”
Jim took Mr. Strickler’s number and muttered, “Yeah, I’ll do that.”
Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Jim turned to leave.
“Oh, and Jim,” Mr. Strickler said with a wink, “if you fancy Miss Nuñez, I submit that talking to will be much more effective than staring at.”
Jim smiled awkwardly and slinked out of the classroom, leaving Mr. Strickler alone with his thoughts.
For some reason, Mr. Strickler had always felt there was something special about Jim Lake. He certainly wasn’t the best student in class, but Walter Strickler had been living and teaching in Arcadia Oaks for a very long time. And he knew potential when he saw it.
• • •
Mr. Strickler’s advice stayed with Jim throughout the next period: PE. At first Jim had thought he was going to get the scolding of a lifetime, but ol’ Walter actually went pretty easy on him. And Jim couldn’t argue with Mr. Strickler’s logic. Obviously, he was a smart guy, and he generally seemed to look out for Jim. And, hey, Strickler was reasonably in shape, well dressed, and, y’know, handsome for his age. This was a man who definitely put some thought into his appearance. He probably did okay in the dating department. So maybe he was right about Jim just going up and talking to Claire.
Why not? Jim thought. Today’s already been full of miracles. Found an Amulet. Didn’t get a tardy notice. Toby actually climbed the rope.
It was true. Sort of. Toby still dangled about two feet above the ground on the rope suspended from the gymnasium rafters—a new personal best. The only downside was that Toby still had about eight more feet to climb. And he was hanging upside down.
Jim spotted Claire on the bleachers across the basketball court, hanging out with Mary and Darci. Straightening his gym uniform, he marched over to the girls like a man on a mission. Along the way, Jim figured that maybe he should’ve taken Toby up on that baby wipe, but, well, it was too late for that now. Jim was sure he saw Claire look up and glance at him before returning her attention to whatever funny video they were watching on Mary’s phone.
He reached the bleachers, took a deep breath, and said, of all things, “Buenas noches.”
YOU IDIOT! screamed the old, questioning voice in Jim’s head, but it was too late. All three girls were staring at him.
“You . . . speak Spanish?” asked Claire.
Definitely not! Jim thought. Maybe if I paid more attention to Señor Uhl in Spanish class than to that dyed-blue streak in your dark, lustrous hair!
But all that really came out of Jim’s mouth was “Uh . . . uh . . .”
“C’mon, Claire,” said Darci as she and Mary stood to break the awkwardness.
Claire got up to follow them, but she paused and asked, “Do you like Shakespeare?”
“Um . . . what?” Jim said back.
Claire pulled a flyer from her notebook and handed it to Jim. It featured the famous balcony image from Romeo and Juliet.
“The school play,” said Claire. “We’re having trouble getting boys to audition.”
She smiled at Jim, tucked her dyed-blue lock of hair behind her ear, and turned to rejoin her friends.
Jim couldn’t help himself. He just had to say, “Hasta huevo.”
With her back turned to Jim, Claire enjoyed a private smile. She’d been wanting to talk to him ever since they’d met briefly at one of her mom’s countless boring fund-raisers. Seeing Jim get his mom some punch and even dance with her . . . Well, Claire didn’t really meet guys who were that sweet at her old prep school. Other than that, and the fact that his Spanish definitely needed some work, Claire didn’t know too much about Jim Lake.
But she wanted to.
CHAPTER 4
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
AAARRRGGHH!!! dropped another toppling stack of scrolls onto the library’s slab of a table, sending clouds of dust and loose pages everywhere.
“Thank you, Aarghaumont,” said Blinky as he simultaneously scanned two different books with his four hands and six eyes, turning the pages frantically. “Now, if you could please find Axle’s Forbidden Almanac—”
“Almond snack?” AAARRRGGHH!!! said in confusion.
“Almanac,” corrected Blinky, still reading at a fast clip. “It’s an annual record of important dates, statistics, and tables.”
Misunderstanding, AAARRRGGHH!!! lifted up one side of the incredibly heavy reading table in search of this almanac, causing all of Blinky’s books and scrolls to slide off and fall to the ground.
“Oops,” grumbled AAARRRGGHH!!!.
Blinky sighed, rubbed his many strained eyes, and said, “No matter, AAARRRGGHH!!!. I’ve double-checked all forty-seven volumes of A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore and have confirmed that every previous Trollhunter was, in fact, a Troll. It appears this—this—”
Blinky searched for a word until AAARRRGGHH!!! helpfully guessed, “Jimmy?”
“Yes, this Jimmy truly is the first human to ever inherit the mantle of Trollhunter,” finished Blinky. “And he could not be in more danger.”
“Bular,” said AAARRRGGHH!!!.
“Correct. With the son of Gunmar still on the loose and in search of the Amulet for reasons unknown, the human sta
nds to meet as violent and gruesome a fate as our dear, departed Kanjigar,” said Blinky, more dread creeping into his voice with each word. “We must find this boy and train him before it’s too—”
“Did you say something about Kanjigar?” asked a voice behind Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!!.
They turned and found Draal at the library’s entrance, a look of concern apparent on his normally serious face.
“What news have you about my father?” Draal continued. “He was due back from his hunt hours ago.”
AAARRRGGHH!!! and Blinky traded a sad and uncomfortable look. In their grief and haste to return to Trollmarket and figure out what to do with this human chosen by the Amulet, they had completely neglected to tell Draal about Kanjigar.
Blinky stood, cleared his throat, and said, “Draal, I—we—must regrettably inform you that our Trollhunter, Kanjigar the Courageous . . . was felled in battle.”
Draal’s wide mouth opened slightly. His eyes searched Blinky’s, then AAARRRGGHH!!!’s, and saw the truth in them. With a long, shuddering breath, Draal lowered his head, and his rocky shoulders sagged.
“Died . . . a hero,” AAARRRGGHH!!! added softly.
“Yes, his sacrifice was a valiant one,” said Blinky. “Thanks to your noble father, the Amulet is still safe, though inaccessible at the moment—”
Upon hearing the word “Amulet,” Draal’s eyes widened. He blinked away his tears and stood upright again, as if filled with new purpose.
“Then I must return to my training,” Draal said, his voice building. “As the son of the greatest Trollhunter who ever lived, the Amulet will surely select me as his successor. Draal the Deadly will don his father’s armor and visit revenge upon his killer!”
With that, Draal turned and left for the Hero’s Forge before Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! could stop him. The two friends exchanged another troubled look.
“Great Gronka Morka?” AAARRRGGHH!!! guessed Blinky was going to say.
The Adventure Begins Page 2
