TOA Book 1: Rose Gold's Adventure

Let's Get This Party Started

We were all at Claire's house thinking about how to get Angor Rot's ring. I'd normally stay home during this time, but I already had my lesson with Blinky, so I had nothing better to do.

Plus, I needed something to take my mind off the pixie dream.

The dream with my parents stopped coming after that, but the whole experience was just engraved in my mind.

I was projecting the ideas we thought of on the carpet. Just a little trick I picked up.

"Ok, we wait until he's asleep." Jim said.

"I use my Shadow Staff to get us in." Claire said.

"And I ever so gently remove the ring from his finger."

"Hold up there, Mr. Storyteller." Toby said, "Do changelings even sleep?"

"Good point, Tobes. New plan. Rose Gold, do you know any spells that could help?"

"I have an elixir you could use." I said, "It was supposed to be a dream enhancer, but we all know how that turned out. I don't even know what it does."

"Good. We can spike his coffee with that."

"I use the Shadow Staff." Claire said.
"And I bring my Warhammer in case that doesn't knock him out." Toby said.

"And I ever so gently..."

"Wait." Claire said, "What if he's not alone? His office was guarded last time."

"Ok, fine. We spike the coffee."

"Shadow Staff."

"I use my Warhammer to take out his goons." Toby said.

"Then, I ever so gently remove the ring." Jim said.

"But what if it doesn't come off?"

"Why would it not come off?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's glued on, or he added a few pounds."

"Why would it be glued on, you dingus?" Claire said.

"You said to be ready for every for every precaution."

Toby and Claire tried to help Jim pull the ring off Strickler in my little projection, "He's waking up!" Claire said.

"Oh, how is he waking up?" Jim asked, "This isn't even really happening!"

"Cut off his hand!"

"What?"

"Use your sword! Hurry! Do it!"

"No, I'm not gonna cut--"

"Do it! Do it! Before it's too late!"

Jim let out his sword just as Strickler was about to wake up.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Toby warned, "If you chop his hand off, you chop your mom's hand off too, remember?"

"Oh, I forgot. Angor Rot's binding spell. We're not ready. There's too much risk."

With a swipe of my hand, I let my projection vanish.

"Angor Rot said if you don't get the ring, he's coming back for you." Claire said.

"This is our only chance, Jim." I said, "There are ways we can do this without restoring to..." I turned to Claire, "violence."

"Hey, we'll figure this out, Jimbo." Toby said, "It's not like we don't have a secret Trollmarket right under our feet filled with crazy magic."

"Oh, wait. But we do." I said making everyone chuckle.