The Two Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia Book One: Just the Beginning

Chapter 16: Mudslinging

 It was the middle of the night. Everyone was fast asleep and quietly nestled in their beds. I was fast asleep, dreaming dreams as I usually would. Until one took a turn.

All was silent and black as I walked through a limitless cavern it seemed. Until I arrived in a room full of crystals. A throne room.

"Gunmar" A voice hissed in my skull.

I saw my reflection through the crystals throughout the room.

"Gunmar the Black"

"Gunmar the Viscous"

"Gunmar the Skullcrusher"

The whispers grew louder and I sealed my eyes shut, holding my head.

"Stop!" I wailed, and the whispers went silent once again. But I wasn't back in my bed. I was still in the crystalline room. But I felt different somehow. I looked at my reflection and doubled back in horror.

I was no longer on the ground. I was hovering in the air, a good few feet. My eyes were the vibrant yellow as they were during my waking hours. But in my expression, my teeth were bared and bore some resemblance to fangs. My hands curled upward, magic fluttering through my fingertips that were pointed with claw-like nails. My ears were no longer rounded at the tips, they pointed upward... like a troll. Two horns had sprouted from my forehead, making me rear back in pure fear.

"Hello, Raelynn..."

I gasped. That was my mother's voice... but why was she suddenly in my dreams? Especially a dream about Gunmar.

Suddenly her face replaced mine in the reflection, sneering. A dark smile plastered on her face. I was scared awake by the sudden appearance.

"Ah!" I yelled out and backed away from nothing. I nearly fell off my bed from the sudden movement.

Luckily, Jim ran in at the right moment and managed to cushion my fall.

"Ow..." He grunted as we lay on the wood floor of the guest room. It was a miracle Alexa had been able to sleep through all of that.

I stood up and went to help him back to his feet, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry... are you okay?"

"I'm fine... are you?" He asked as he rubbed his head tenderly, "I heard you scream when I woke up."

I bit my bottom lip, "Just a nightmare. It's fine I'm sure."

He gave me a skeptical look, "What about? I had one too, I wonder if it was the same one... you know. That'd be the least weird thing to happen so far."

I laughed a bit, "Maybe." I paused for a minute before I decided to tell him.

"It started off like a normal dream. At least, I thought it was," I began, "I was in a dark stone hallway... then I arrived in a room full of crystals. Voices whispered in my head, 'Gunmar...Gunmar the Black, Gunmar the Viscous, Gunmar the Skullcrusher.' But they stopped... when I told them to stop." I glanced down at my hands and closed my eyes.

"It was strange. My surroundings were the same and I could have sworn I woke myself up. But everything was the same as before... except for me. I was different." I told him, wringing my hands together as though I was going to sprout claws again like in my nightmare, "My eyes glowed, which I guess was normal... but I wasn't on the ground. I was in the air... flying almost. Magic all around me, not like the magic from the amulets. This magic was... different. It was in my hands... I was controlling it."

I stopped again, unsure if I should tell him that the magic wasn't the only strange thing. But eventually, I decided to. This was Jim, he was more than trustworthy.