𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 [𝐣𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐱 𝐨𝐜]

Chapter 25 | The Vanishing Bridge

After casting a defensive spell around Heartstone Trollmarket with Douxie all evening, Liz waited until dark before teleporting Vendel, AAARRRGGHH, and Blinky inside the Museum of Arcadia Oaks, which thankfully was empty. Liz quickly went to work on removing security footage of their arrival and disabling the cameras before sending a quick text to Toby, reminding him and Jim to meet up at the museum. History of missed texts was a lesson for Liz not wholly to rely on Jim in responding to his messages, so her best chance of reaching him was through Toby since they were always together. If not, she sends a text through group chat as a backup.

Walking through the museum's east wing, Liz opens a window for the boys to enter since the front entrance is gated shut and heads back to the main corridor where the trolls waited. Vendel wanders around, analyzing hanging artworks and artifacts in glass cases across the hall. A renaissance dress captures Liz's interest, drawing her towards it. As she examines it, she senses Vendel's presence beside her, who also takes an interest in the display. But it seems their opinions differ when Vendel pokes at the dressed mannequin with his staff and comments, "Ridiculous garment."

Blinky scoffs behind Liz, prompting her to speak up. "I find the design exquisite though I pity the women back then who had to wear insufferable corsets beneath layers of fabric. Then again, beauty is pain."

Hearing footsteps nearby, they all turned to see Jim and Toby running up to them.

"You're late," Blinky said simply, staring them down.

"Sorry. Draal was training Jim." Toby explains, then grunts when Jim quickly elbowed him, hoping that his troll trainers wouldn't find out, but it was too late.

"Draal?"

"Training?"

"Hah! About time." Liz said, prompting everyone to turn to her in surprise. She threw her hands in the air. "What? The more help, the merrier."

"Yeah, he sorta made a home in my basement to look out for the place." Jim briefly explains.

"Of course. When a troll is defeated in combat, it's completely natural for them to take refuge in the victor's domicile," Blinky explained. Jim smiled, hopeful. "So, you understand?"

"I understand such an arrangement could only end in disaster. Utter disaster!" Blinky exclaimed. As the conversation dies down, the two trolls impatiently turn to find Vendel standing beside them. "Are we simply waiting here to be discovered? Or were you planning on showing me this thing you believe to be the Killahead Bridge?"

Blinky pats Jim's shoulder, laughing nervously. "The Trollhunter was just about to show us the way."

As Jim leads the group to the Killahead Bridge, he explains the events that led to their discovery, finishing off as he pushes open two wooden doors, entering the closed exhibit. "And as we were chasing away the goblin pack, we ran past this closed exhibit, and there it was." Passing the corridor, Jim opens the curtain to find the same large blanket covering a hidden object that took on the same shape as the Killahead Bridge. "The Killahead Bridge."

The trolls share a gasp as Blinky looks at Vendel, clearly showing the elder troll not to doubt so quickly as Liz crosses her arms over her chest, not wanting to step any closer to the bridge and reveal her magic to Jim and Toby just yet. Both boys grabbed the edges of the large cloth and tried to pull it from the large structure beneath it, but after a bit of struggle, AAARRRGGHH gently moved the two to the side before pulling it off with ease. Jim and Toby's faces dropped as they realized what hid beneath the tarp. Instead of Killahead Bridge, a Viking ship stood in its place.

"W-What?" Liz's arms fell to her side as she stared in shock. Where's the bridge? How were they able to remove it so quickly?

"That is not a bridge," Vendel mumbled, upset that he wasted his time coming into the human world and finding nothing worthy to set his eyes upon.

"But it was right here!" Jim gestured at the spot before turning to his best friend. " You saw it, Tobes. You took a picture of it."

"It was, eh... It was out of focus, and I did forget to turn on the flash. We were running so fast. We were being chased, you know? Maybe we only thought we saw it." Toby explains nervously. Jim watched with a worried face since Toby hadn't backed him up.

Vendel turned and looked at Blinky, who backed up, and Vendel advanced, his large glowing staff coloring the sides of his face, which showed all the angry curves in his stoned face. "Blinkous Galadrigal, I've not left the Heartstone in a century. I only did so tonight because of the grave peril the Killahead Bridge represents. For you to invoke that danger without just cause–"

Blinky crosses his arms. "If Master Jim says it's so–"

Vendel interrupts. "You will be only too quick to believe him. You've never met a conspiracy theory you didn't like."

"I hate conspiracies. That is why I am dedicated to rooting them out."Blinky stated, thrusting his arms out in frustration.

"Like you rooted out the plot to rid Trollmarket of all its cat meat?"

"That was a misunderstanding." Blinky defended, his fists on his hips while Jim and AAARRRGGHH shared a look. Liz sighed, drawing Jim's attention, and gave a quick nod, causing him to look back with his eyebrow raised.

"Precaution is the soul of virtue," Blinky argued, hoping to turn the favor towards him, but Vendel was not convinced. "Everyone in Trollmarket thinks you're paranoid."

"If it's everyone, it must be a conspiracy!" Blinky yelled back, already proving Vendel's point. Vendel sighed and rubbed his hand on his face. "It would seem your pupil is desperate to play the hero, while you are desperate to see danger where none exists. AAARRRGGHH, take me home."

AAARRRGGHH's eyes widened as Liz, Jim and Toby watched with sad remorse. He groans, stepping away, and Toby laughs nervously and heads off as well. Liz, Jim, and Blinky were left, the moonlight enhancing the depressional vibe in the room.

"It was right here," Jim mumbled in defeat, gazing sadly at the large ship. Blinky stepped up to him first before Liz reached them.

"Perhaps Vendel's right. Perhaps I have flooded your imagination with flights of fancy. I blame myself." Blinky mumbled, gazing at the ship disappointingly. Jim looked at Blinky in disbelief. "Not you, Blinky. You have to believe me. I know what I saw."

"He's right, Blink." Liz stands beside Jim, backing him up. "If the proof isn't here, it has to be somewhere."

Blinky sighed, facing Jim and Liz, placing one hand on each of their shoulders, and giving a reassuring smile. "You worry about your studies and training. I'll worry about this."

Reader Question: What do you like to do during summer break?

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- Miss_Nightingale