“How was it?” he asked gruffly.
“Fun,” I said.
He glanced at me. “How fun?”
“We didn’t kiss in the moonlight,” I said.
He nodded and turned back to the road. “That’s my girl.”
When we got home, we grabbed a bag of chips, some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and proceeded straight to my room. I did get fifty questions on the way up from my mother, who had clearly stayed up way past her bedtime to find out how it went, and I gave her just enough that she went off to bed with a smile on her face. As soon as we closed the bedroom door, the gossip really got going.
“Did you hold hands?”
“Paul is a lot funnier than I thought.”
“Did Steve look at me again?”
“I can’t believe those babies didn’t sit next to us.”
“Liam looked so cute.”
Yeah, the last one was me. These types of comments continued for at least two or three hours. We kind of broke it up by checking our profiles and eating ice cream and pumping the two air mattresses Stache had fished out of the garage, but it was definitely mostly talking. I just kept thinking about Liam smiling at me as a raptor did backflips in his glasses. I think it might just have been the best night of my life.
When we’d finally exhausted the conversation, we all settled into our beds and turned the lights off. I just lay there looking up at the ceiling and smiling.
“Laura?” Mia said.
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad we went.”
“Me too,” I said.
Shal sighed. “Now if we could just get Carl to come next time.”
With that we started to doze off, and I rolled onto my side against the wall and closed my eyes. I was still way too excited to sleep. The other two were sleeping soundly, and I was still lying there, thinking about one of those great two-hands-in-the-popcorn moments. I pictured his little crooked grin as he quickly pulled his out again.
I was still picturing this when something hard bounced off of my window.
My eyes shot open.
I quickly turned to Shal and Mia, but they were still asleep. I rolled over again, shaking my head. Maybe it was just a bat flying into the window.
I was just closing my eyes again when there was another crack on the window.
Someone was out there. Slinking out of bed, I carefully stepped around Mia and opened the curtains. There, standing in the middle of my yard, was Eldon. He gestured for me to come outside and then slipped back into the shadows.
Frowning, I snuck out of the room, still wearing my red-and-white cotton pyjamas. I grabbed a coat downstairs, threw it on, and gently eased the front door open. Hurrying out into the cold night air, I rounded the house, heading for the woods.
“What is it?” I asked urgently, spotting Eldon and the others in the shadows.
I saw immediately that there were three others. Uncle Laine was there, looking ominous in the background, as was Allison, watching me from beneath her hood.
“Laren just spotted a group of goblins,” Eldon said quietly, pulling me into the darkness of the trees. “It looks like they are preparing an attack.”
“On me?”
“No. One of your neighbours.”
I shook my head. “Why would they do that?”
“To start the war.”
I blanched. “What are you saying?”
He put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I’m saying it’s time to do your job. We have to stop them before they harm anyone.”
He nodded at Laine, who was holding a bundled wrap of clothing. Steven stood beside him, holding another bundled wrap with a black handle sticking out the bottom.
Eldon smiled grimly.
“Come. If we’re going into battle, you had better at least look like a Monster Crusher.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Uncle Laine unfurled his bundle of clothes first, looking worried, and Eldon scooped up the items one by one. He looked at my pyjamas and scowled, obviously thinking they made for poor battle clothing. He handed me a thick brown leather vest, which I slipped over my head and fastened at either side. It smelled like dried sweat and stung my nose.
“That will at least ward off claws and arrows.”
“Claws?” I murmured.
Eldon ignored me and held up a long, hooded cloak. “Monster Crushers often prefer battle armour, but for this it would be better if you just looked like a Sword. That means a cloak, your hammer, and a knife. We stick to the shadows only.”
I nodded and pulled the cloak on. It was made of some sort of coarse brown wool, and the loose-fitting hood was long enough that it sat right down to the tip of my nose. It was fastened at the nape by a loop of brown string and a large black button. Though the cloak felt snug and warm, it was still light enough that I could move freely. It even sat comfortably on my shoulders and thighs, and I wondered if they’d had it custom-made.
Next Eldon picked up a short knife with a silver blade and solid black handle.
“Tuck this into your boot—” He saw my sneakers and scowled again. “I have to find you a tailor.”
“These are very comfortable, you know.”
Eldon shook his head and handed me a small leather sheath. “Strap it to your leg.”
I did as I was told, tying the leather strap around my ankle and making sure the knife was firmly tucked into the sheath. I didn’t want that thing poking me if I had to run away from a troll. It felt a bit awkward as I stood up, but I guess I would be glad to have it if my hammer wasn’t close by.
“Am I going to have to actually fight something?” I asked quietly.
Eldon looked at me, his dark-brown locks draped over his forehead. “I hope not.”
After putting on the large sheath and carefully placing the hammer in, I was ready to go. I was very grateful I had practised with the sheath, as the others were watching me closely. Especially Allison. I gave her a knowing
