We were in the forge a week after our encounter with Angor Rot in the Florida swamp. Claire was attempting to practice with her new Shadowstaff, with little to no luck.
She was spinning it, and swinging it around, expecting it to do something but nothing happened, "Why won't the Shadowstaff make a portal!" She whined, growing irritated.
Draal approached her, "Slow down, young one. You must learn to empower the staff itself. Focus. Imbue it with your will."
Toby was across the forge punching at Arrrgh's hands like they were punching bags, "I don't get it." He was saying.
"Claire just joined the team and she gets to handle the super sweet, megamatic portal stuff? I've been by Jim and Raelynn's side since day one and what do I get?" He grumbled, jealousy was obviously getting to him.
"Got me, Wingman." Arrrgh smiled.
"Aww, buddy." Toby smiled at him.
Claire was still swinging the staff around like a Madwoman and Toby was looking at her with a look of pure disgust on his face.
Draal instructed her, "The Shadowstaff is a weapon of great-" She nearly smacked him in the face with the staff.
"Power." He finished with a glare at her as she continued to flail around.
Toby had begun to swing around a broom, trying to mimic Claire, but instead, he hit Arrrgh in the nose.
Claire grunted as she kept trying to twist the staff and create the magic portal, "Why won't this thing work?" She swung it around once more in anger and a small portal opened near her.
"She did it!" Arrrgh said as he pointed toward the little portal.
Toby glared at it, "No way! How did she do that?"
"I made a portal!" Claire looked so excited as she pointed to the portal as it disappeared, "Did you see that? I made a portal!"
"Yeah," Toby retorted, "If we ever need to teleport an olive or a baby mouse."
Claire glared at him, "What did you just say?"
"I said you have an awesome staff, and you totally deserve it!" Toby told her with a forced smile, "Even though you lost the Killstone."
"Excuse me, Mr 'God King' you were the one in charge of getting the stone, and might I remind you, you fucking blew it!" She cursed at him, fed up with his attitude.
Toby snapped, grabbing the broom and stomping his way over to her.
"Should we stop them?" Arrrgh looked questioningly at Draal.
Draal shook his head with a grin, "Nah, It's the forge, let them spar."
They started to fight with the broom and the staff. Striking out with them and clashing.
"If Jim and Raelynn were here-" Claire tried to use us as backup, but Toby cut her off.
"But they're not here, do you know where they are? They're getting chewed out right now by ghosts because of your stupid ass butterfingers." Toby snapped at her.
_
Jim and I were standing in the void with the blue and purple balls surrounding us.
"We'll get it back," I promised the lights.
"You said your friends would make you stronger!"
"It's one setback." Jim protested.
"Setback?"
YOU ARE READING
The Two Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia Book One: Just the Beginning
FantasyJim and his best friends have been dragged headfirst into a world that is not their own. He and Raelynn have been chosen as this other world's protectors. But Raelynn and her sister have secrets, secrets that will have to be revealed if the team is...
