After Stellarlune

Chapter Nine

"HAUNTED?" SOPHIE ASKED, her mind flashing to the ghost stories her human dad had told her around the campfire. "How is it haunted?"

"Not haunted," Empress Pernille said. "That wasn't the right word. But it is dangerous." 

"How?" Sophie wondered.

"There is something unnatural up there," Empress Pernille said. "Something that has been there longer than we can remember."

"But... what is it?" Tam asked. "Because I don't think anywhere is actually haunted."

"Probably," Tarina agreed. "But anyone who has gone up there has never come back down. Even the search parties that look for them go missing. And the mountain is always covered with a dark cloud, even though we're on an island that almost never gets clouds or rains."

"Do you have any idea why it's so dangerous?" Linh asked. "Because if we're going to search there, we have to know what we're facing."

"Hang on," Sophie said. "I'm not sure if this is worth it."

"Worth stopping the Neverseen for good?" Linh asked.

"We can find some other way," Sophie said. "This is way too dangerous."

"Foster, I'm pretty sure we can handle it," Keefe said. "We're used to dangerous."

"I guess we can look into it." Sophie finally agreed. But she had a really bad feeling that this wasn't a good idea.

"Yes, that would be wise," Empress Pernille said. 

"Do you know what's up there?" Sophie asked.

"We have an idea," Tarina said. "Do you remember how I explained the trolls seven cycles?" She asked Sophie. 

"Yes," Sophie said, remembering how weird it was how trolls aged backwards.

"Well recently an old troll showed signs of a cycle transition," Tarina said. "It was a troll who had already gone through all of the cycles, and was in the seventh cycle. So we didn't know what was going to happen, because we thought once you reached the seventh cycle, you stayed that way forever. So we were worried that he was going to die from old age."

"That's so weird," Linh said. "How could someone die from old age?"

"It's not that weird," Sophie said, remembering when her grandma died. "Lot's of humans die from old age."

"Yes," Tarina said. "And that's what we were worried about happening. But when the old troll completely switched, he didn't die. Instead he morphed into a combination of all the cycles. He also manifested elf-like powers. But there was one thing about him that was very unusual."

"What?" Sophie asked, when Tarina didn't continue.

"He was... transparent," Empress Pernille said. "We could see him, but we could also see through him. And we could stick our hand through him as well."

"So like... a ghost?" Sophie asked. That definitely sounded like something that you could use the word 'haunt' for.'''''''

"Not a ghost," Tarina said. "But I'm sure a troll in the eighth cycle inspired ghosts for humans."

"But... isn't this a new thing?" Sophie asked. "How would trolls inspire ghosts for humans so long ago if something like that just barely happened?"

"We think it's happened before," Empress Pernille said. "All the trolls in the seventh cycle switched to the eighth cycle."

"But wouldn't you know about it, since they look so different?" Tam asked.

"Actually, the troll that just switched to the eighth cycle lost his powers a couple days ago," Tarina said. "Then yesterday, he..." She sniffed, and wiped her nose. "He disappeared completely."