𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 [𝐣𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐱 𝐨𝐜]

Chapter 31 | Changeling Reveal

"Since we lost our gaggletack, we need another one. Call Toby to see if he and AAARRRGGHH can get it," Liz instructed.

"Alright," Jim pulls out his phone and calls Toby, who answers, "What's up, Jimbo? Everything okay with Enrique?"

"I sort of just lost it," Jim replies, thinking of Enrique as anything but human.

"What do you mean you lost it?" As soon as Toby asked, Enrique vomited on himself and on the floor. Jim quickly backs away in shock and disgust. "No! What in the world?!"

"Oh, gosh. That's disgusting." Liz gagged slightly at the sight, carefully making her way closer to Enrique without stepping on the emesis on the floor and picking him up from the jumper. "Okay, someone's been playing around too much. Let's get you cleaned up, little padawan. Mind cleaning that up, Jim? I'll meet you upstairs."

Without waiting for a reply, Liz heads to the stairway and climbs to the second floor. She walks down the hallway to the nursery room, where she began cleaning up Enrique. Thankfully, she was familiar with taking care of him after learning from Claire while hanging out at her place.

After wiping Enrique down, Liz couldn't ignore the tingling sensation of magic coursing through her as she touched him. Without thinking and letting instinct takeover, she  glances behind her to ensure Jim wasn't there before tracing a pattern with her fingers to Enrique's chest as foreign words spill from her lips.

In an instant, silver light sparks from her fingers, encompassing Enrique's form, then the light fades to reveal a green changeling with red-yellow eyes and brown course, spiked hair on his head, and scruff. The creature snarled. "Eh?! What the – What did you do? How did you do that?"

"So it is true! You are a changeling," Liz said breathlessly, thinking back on all those times she sensed something off until her eyes widened in sudden realization – she could sense changelings! If she had been sensing changelings in disguise this whole time, there was one person she could think of who may also have been involved. "Tell me, where are the Killahead bridge and your master, Bular? Is Strickler working for him?"

"Tsk. I ain't telling you nothing, enchantress. They warned me about you – the Guardian with magic."

Before Liz could confront him any further, footsteps were heard down the hall. In a flash of crackling green light, the changeling transformed back into Enrique, though he was NotEnrique to Liz's knowledge.

Entering the nursery, Jim walks up to Liz, glancing down at Enrique, unaware that the creature's identity has already been exposed. "Toby and AAARRRGGHH are going to bring us another gaggletack. In the meantime, let's see if our little friend will share where he hid our gaggletack. Where did you hide it?"

Enrique giggles, pointing his tiny finger toward the bin by the crib before clapping his hands in glee. Liz couldn't help but glare at the baby. This little trickster is messing with us.

"You hid the horseshoe in the diaper bin, didn't you?" Jim asked. Enrique seemed to cheer as Jim slowly lifted the diaper bin cover. "Because you're just a normal baby, and that's what normal babies do."

"Really, Jim, I don't think he hid it there." Liz sweat-dropped at his action. Smelling the bin, Jim quickly closed it and plugged his nose. "Ooh, doggy! Oh, it is really packed."

"Wait–" Before she could stop him, Jim instantly opens the lid and without thinking twice, stuck his hand into the bin. Liz grimaced at his action, swallowing the down the urge to vomit. Meanwhile, Enrique rolled away from his crib without their notice. Jim searches the bin, finding nothing as his eyes move to the empty crib. He gasped, standing up and looking around the room. "Enrique? Enrique!"