Hermo pointed at Seth emphatically. “You need Troll Tavern. Information there.”
“Troll Tavern?”
“Best secrets in Titan Valley,” Hermo said, spreading his arms grandly. “Best knowledge in world!”
“Maybe we’ll take a look,” Seth said.
Hermo doubled over laughing. “They eat you so fast. Only for trolls.”
“Then we’ll find another way,” Seth said. “Goodbye, Hermo.”
“It was nice meeting you,” Calvin said. “Thanks for sharing the ride with us.”
Hermo stood tall and dropped his hands in exasperation. “Fine! Me go with you! Me take you to Troll Tavern.”
“Wait,” Seth said. “Really?”
“Time to see Titan Valley,” Hermo said. “Time for new hideout.”
“Many trolls make a pilgrimage to Titan Valley at least once in their lifetimes,” Calvin said.
“You want to come with us?” Seth asked.
“Not come with,” Hermo said, making a disgusted face. “Lead. And play more games.”
They sloshed forward through the inside of the leviathan until the open mouth came into view, with teeth the size of traffic cones. Hermo ran ahead and sniffed the air, then shook his head. “Tell fishy closer to Troll Tavern.”
“Can you take us closer to Troll Tavern?” Seth asked.
As you desire, the leviathan replied. The great mouth closed, and Seth felt the sea creature scoot away from the shore and then begin to glide forward again. The lamplight on the boats was too far away to provide more than the faintest glow.
“I thought hermit trolls stayed in their hideouts,” Seth said.
“Yes,” Hermo said. “Unless don’t want to. Unless need new hideout. Unless see Troll Tavern.”
“How did you get in this leviathan to begin with?” Seth asked.
“No, no, no,” Hermo replied. “Trade secret. You no learn.”
Before long, the leviathan stopped again, and the mouth opened. This is the closest I can deliver you without being seen.
“Thanks,” Seth said.
I will remain in these waters, the leviathan said. Should you need to leave the sanctuary, call to me.
“You still work for me?” Seth asked.
You brought me forth, the leviathan replied. You are my master.
Seth wished the leviathan could travel on land. He could use some power behind him in a sanctuary full of dragons, giants, and trolls. But at least he had a way to escape. “I’ll let you know if we need to bolt.”
“You crazy,” Hermo said. “Talk to fishy. Fishy crazier. Listen to you.”
Seth stepped out of the leviathan’s mouth onto pink sand, firm with dampness. A giant loomed before him, tall enough to rival a skyscraper, each sandal-clad foot larger than a bus. Seth resisted the reflex to retreat back into the leviathan. For a terrifying moment, Seth wondered why the leviathan had dropped them at such a dangerous location, until he noticed the unnatural stillness of the giant—and the fact that it was made of stone. The oversized figure was an enormous statue.
“I hope that statue was built beyond the size of actual giants,” Seth said.
“Western Sentinel,” Hermo said.
Calvin whistled. “I’ve heard of it. Hard to imagine something that enormous without seeing it.”
Hermo waved a dismissive hand. “Waste of rocks.”
“It’s impressive,” Seth said. He turned to Hermo. “Do you know the way to the tavern?”
Hermo picked up some sand and rubbed it between his fingers, letting it sprinkle down. He sniffed the air. “Easy. You follow.”
Looking up and down the beach, Seth detected no people or creatures, and no sign of civilization. “Lead the way.”
Hermo advanced in a crouch, moving in a zigzag, as if dodging invisible obstacles. In spite of his aversion to going straight, his progress was deceptively quick, forcing Seth to trot in order to keep up.
Seth looked back as the leviathan jackknifed away from the beach, the ocean sloshing around its vast bulk. He watched as the titanic creature turned and vanished beneath the water.
“Do you feel a little stranded?” Seth asked Calvin.
“Nah, we’re exactly where we want to be,” Calvin said.
“I’ll face dragons and giants if it gets my memory back,” Seth said.
“Don’t forget the trolls,” Calvin reminded him.
“You have one job!” Hermo called, frustrated. “Follow. No watch waves.”
“Sorry,” Seth said, surprised at how far ahead Hermo had gotten. The hermit troll waited, arms folded, while Seth hurriedly closed the distance.
“If you get lost, you get eaten,” Hermo said. “Me still go to tavern, have drink.”
“I’ll stay with you,” Seth said.
“You easy to spot on sand,” Hermo said. “Look like snack.”
“Then let’s get over to those trees,” Seth suggested.
“Me first,” Hermo said. “You after.” He started forward again, moving like a running back weaving through traffic.
Shielding his eyes from the sun, Seth craned to look up at the stone giant one more time. He was so close to the statue that Seth saw the bottom of the jaw more than the face.
“I hope that thing is an exaggeration,” Seth muttered, picking up his pace to stay with the nimble troll.
A steady breeze ruffled the surface of Crescent Lagoon as clouds mounted on the horizon. A large stone head, one of the moai, supervised as Knox stabbed imaginary enemies with a stick while reeling and jumping on the sand.
“Did you get them?” Tess asked her older brother. She knelt in the sand near the water, building a sandcastle with the help of half a dozen fairies.
“I need to have moves figured out,” Knox explained, blocking an imagined attack and then delivering the counterblow. “I can’t expect to beat the next demon the same way I took out Remulon.”
“Do you think you’ll have to fight more demons?” Tess asked.
“As long as we’re stuck on these magical preserves, who knows?”
“Did you really face Remulon all alone?”
“I had to,” Knox said. “The others were captured.”
“I still don’t understand how you avoided getting captured.”
“I told you—I dodged more attacks than the others and found shelter in the razor coral.”
Tess huffed. “How did you sneak in there when everybody else got caught?”
“That’s why I practice my moves,” Knox said, faking right, then spinning to the left. “That’s why I’m a hero.”
“It would have been so scary,” Tess said. “Didn’t you want to run away?”
“How could I?” Knox said. “I might not have
