Wings

“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 humans, 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.”

“How can you tell them apart from humans?”