Daylight is Mine to Protect

Worry

"Amber? Are you ok?" A voice speaks to me outside the void of nothingness that I float in.

"Mhmm," I moan, trying to regain consciousness. My eyelids flutter open to see the face of the Trollhunter staring at me worriedly. Too quickly, the events of my fight with Angor Rot come crashing into my head.

"What happened?" he asks. I can't tell him... fully.

"I.." I search for a reasonable excuse for my battered shape. "There were cats, so may cats." I fake shiver. "I hate cats. They pushed me and shoved me and scratched me." Dawning comes over Jim's face. He'll think it was the pixies and Angor Rot who did this to me. "And then.." I frown. "I don't remember." I must've fallen asleep, but why would I do that with Angor so close by? I turn to Jim, quickly scanning for injuries. "Were you saved from the cats?"

"Yeah.. they chose to chase after someone else." He looks at the open doors of the gym. He knows I exist..

I clear my throat. He turns to me. "Is everyone ok?" He nods, clearly focused on the mysterious warrior who had saved him.

"Yeah, you're not hurt?" I shake my head no. He nods. "Good." Then, he turns around and leaves. I smile and the motion pulls at my neck muscles. I wince with renewed pain, and a finger goes up to trail along the hardened skin. If I was but a year younger, I would've feared for my life, but now I calmly try to remember the ingredients for the remedy. Twig of Worm's Root, ounce of silver, sour milk, a live mouse, pepper, gnome skeleton, tears of those who have not received their first kiss of love and a fragment of Heartstone. I frown, considering the last one carefully. Unless I could sneak into Troll Market with Jim and/or his friends, there is a small chance I would be able to find Heartstone just lying around. I sigh and add another thing that I needed to figure out to my ever growing mental check list.

As I go through my brain, an ever growing nagging fills my gut as though I had forgotten something. Frowning, I think on what that something could be. Detention! I curse myself. I had gotten detention for who knows how long. And these detentions were on Saturday too! Of course.. Agitated I pull my fingers through my hair, dislodging tiny strands so that they fall on the floor.

Today was Friday, which meant I would have to get up early tomorrow. Another sleepless night? Check. I rub my temples, slowly getting up to prevent my aching muscles from hurting too much. I hate the weird unnatural energizer known as caffeine, but from the looks of it, I would need some in the next few days.

It seems school is officially out for the day, so I pack up the rest of my things and leave, noticing the students around me have dazed looks on their faces as though they've just woken up from a dream. I grimace and avoid direct eye contact with them.

I manage to make it to my house without any further trouble and quickly drop off my bag. Then, after donning my suit, I quickly go invisible and head to the canal under the bridge to await the Trollhunter.

Minutes later, he and his friends come holding the key to open the door and draw a blue line in an arch-like outline. I sneak closer, not wanting to miss my opportunity to enter. They open the door with a smash, and I leap after their retreating forms as the door closes behind us. Trying to control my beating heart, I crouch by the doorway, waiting until the Trollhunter has made it down the stairs. Wow, these stairs... I gasp in amazement as I realize they are made of Heartstone, a glowing orange rock with an aura that could fuel any Troll.

I can easily grab what I came for, but now that I'm inside, I'm curious about Troll Market, as this place is called. I use my staff to break off a piece of Heartstone and stuff it into my satchel. Then, I lightly make my way down the slippery steps.

At the bottom of the steps, a sight beyond my wildest dreams greats me. Trolls of all shapes and sizes roam streets that an elephant could walk across. Shops line the corners and pile up on some of the crystals way above my head. And the ceiling... It's made of Heartstone, at least most of it is, and stretches past the tallest skyscraper. And then... I walk a little closer to see it properly, there's the center Heartstone, the biggest thing in the place besides the place itself. Pulsing a bright orange light, it is the centerpiece of all activity, of all movement. It is... amazing.

I grin, cherishing the simple beauty of the stone and wondering how the trolls could live their lives without always staring at Earth's masterpiece.

Finally tearing my gaze away from the Heartstone, I scan for the Trollhunter. I finally find him entering a cage of sorts near the Heartstone. Groaning, I measure the distance with my eyes, not sure how I was going to make it without bumping into someone.

Then, my eyes slowly go upwards and I see the perfect path leading right to where I want to go. Please tell me there's another way... There is no other way.

I sigh and rub my hands together, mentally preparing myself. I leap into the air before anymore doubts sneak into my mind and start going across Troll Market monkey bar style. My arms burn with the excercise, but I simply grit my teeth and continue onwards, hoping against hope that I could make it before I fall...

I look down, suddenly noticing how high up in the air I am. If I fall now... I try not to think about it as I deliberately focus all my attention on hanging on. The lengths I go to make sure the Trollhunter is safe...

Just a few more swings more, and I'm not sure if I'll make it. My arms are almost dead with exhaustion, the only thing keeping them going being the adrenaline highwiring my system. Focus Amber... Focus! I let go of the rocks with my right hand and quickly grasp the next rock. Good.. now the other arm. I grunt as my left hand relaxes and almost slips off the next rock I am supposed to be holding.

Dangling off one arm, I struggle desperately to bring my left arm back up, but its as though my muscles won't respond to what I'm saying like they do when I've just woken up and don't really want to get out of bed. To be fair, I do need more sleep. The fingers of my right hand begin to slip off of the slippery Heartstone rock. Eyes widening, I try even harder to get the leverage of my left hand to support my other, but my arms are simply too tired after traveling across Troll Market.

Inch by inch, my hand is sliding off the rock in jerky halts. Soon, I find myself holding on by only the fingertips.. and then I'm falling... Down onto the roof of someone's house.

"Hey! Stop banging up there you pesky gnomes!" shrieks a high pitched troll voice. I collapse on the roof in relief. I'm not broken! My breath comes out in short gasps of amazement as I study my red, scarred hands, wincing at the collection of new scars on my palms.

I tilt my head as voices grow louder from the entrance of the cave. "Are you sure that's what he's after?" asks Jim, emerging from the mouth of the cave.

"Yes," says Blinky gravely. "Angor Rot is going after the Staff of Avalon."