𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 [𝐣𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐱 𝐨𝐜]

Chapter 3 | Tracking the Amulet

Liz Walker

The sun was setting, casting the sky in orange, pink, and purple hues over Arcadia Oaks when Liz and Douxie arrived home from work. After greeting Douxie's shapeshifting familiar, Archie, Liz headed to her bedroom.

Setting down her things, she found a folded piece of paper with Barbara's contact information and home address. While scanning it, Liz remembered Jim still had the Amulet of Daylight. Looking outside her bedroom window at the darkening sky, she knew she had to act fast. Grabbing her keys and sliding the paper into her denim inner jacket pocket, Liz left the apartment.

When she arrived in the suburbs down the street from the Lake Residence, the sky was dark. Liz parked her motorbike to the side, turning off the engine. Removing her helmet, she shook her wavy hair and glanced around the area. She felt a weird deja vu, as though she had been through this same street once before. At the end of the road to the right, a white two-story house stood across from its neighbor, a green two-story house with brown-framed windows.

Feeling like she was being pulled by a string, Liz got off her bike and approached the green-painted house. A classic rock-faced foundation carries thick, squared white columns supporting the front porch's roof, with two front windows peering from the second floor above. This place...it feels...familiar and...comforting. But why is that?

Liz shakes off the deja vu feeling, reminding herself to think about the task before returning to face the Lake Residence. She heads toward the back of the house with a wooden fence separating the backyard from the forest beyond. Jumping over the fence like it was nothing, Liz looked and scoured her surroundings for a way to enter the house. Peering inside through the back kitchen window, Liz sees Jim on the couch talking on the phone, analyzing the Amulet.

Then, a crash echoed through the house, causing Jim to turn as Liz ducks and hides from being seen. After waiting in silence for a moment, she peeks through the window again and sees the Amulet resting on the coffee table, but with no sign of Jim. Where did he go?

Just then, Liz hears a scream followed by more screams and loud voices. Looking inside to her right, the basement door is wide open, where the noises are coming from. Liz goes to the back door with no time to waste and incites a spell to open the door: "Causa crepitoose."

With a click, the door unlocked, and Liz entered the Lake Residence. Heading straight for the basement, she began to walk down the stairs cautiously. However, she paused her steps when she immediately recognized the loud voices. Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!

Furrowing her brows, Liz peers down to see Blinky speaking to Jim, who stands in front of AAARRRGGHH as if trapped. "And it is now your charge to protect them. For you, Master Jim, are the Trollhunter. This honor is yours to accept. So, what say you?"

Jim moans and faints on the ground. Both trolls look down at the unconscious boy in surprise. AAARRRGGHH asks, "Is that a yes?"

Liz goes down the steps and responds, gaining the trolls' attention. "I don't believe so."

The trolls look behind them and shout in surprise to see their Guardian there. "Lady Liza!"

Crossing her arms against her chest, Liz looks at them with scolding eyes. "What are you both doing here? You are not supposed to be in human territory."

"We are here for Master Jim. He has been chosen as our new Trollhunter." Blinky gestured to the prone body on the floor. Liz shakes her head in disbelief. "That's absurd, Blink. There has never been a human Trollhunter."

"Until now, Lady Liza. The Amulet has spoken and chosen its next champion. You must have heard it down in the canal."

Liz frowned at this, recalling Kanjigar's voice speaking the boy's name but not seeing Blinky. "You were there?"