clenched them into fists and dug her fingernails into the heels of her hands.
“What was that thing?” Lolli asked.
Val shook her head. “How the fuck would I know?”
“We should be quick.” Lolli walked over to the desk and dumped several jars into her bag.
“What are you doing?” Val asked. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Okay, okay,” Lolli said, rummaging through some bottles. “I’m coming.”
Herbs were bound into bundles in one of the jam jars. Another was full of dead wasps, but a third was filled with what looked like knots of red licorice shoelaces. Some had labels on their lids: chokecherry, hyssop, wormwood, poppy. At the center of the plywood was a marble cutting board with spiky green balls waiting to be chopped by the tin half-moon of a knife that rested beside them.
On the wall were a series of pinned objects—a candy wrapper, a gray wad of chewing gum, the burned-out stub of a cigarette. Hanging in front of each was a magnifying glass, enlarging not only the items but also the handwritten notes surrounding each. “Breath,” read one. “Love,” read another.
Lolli gasped sharply. Val spun around without thinking, lifting the sword automatically. Someone loomed in the doorway, tall and lean as a basketball player, bending to duck under the doorframe. As he straightened up, lank hair, black as ink, framed the grayish-green skin of his face. Two undershot incisors jutted from his jaw, their tips sinking into the soft flesh of his upper lip. His eyes went wide with something that might have been fear or even fury, but she found herself transfixed by the way the black irises were dusted around the edges with gold, like the eyes of a frog.
“Well.” The troll’s voice was a deep growl. “What have we here? A pair of filthy street girls.” He took two steps toward Val and she stumbled backward, tripping over her own feet, her mind filled only with panic.
With one booted foot, the troll nudged the boneless thing. “I see you’ve gotten past my guardian. How unlikely.” He wore a buttoned black coat that covered him from neck to calf, with black trousers underneath that seemed to emphasize the shock of green at the frayed cuffs and nape where cloth met flesh. His skin was the same horrible color that you might find underneath a band of copper you’d worn for too long. “And you’ve helped yourself to something else of mine as well.”
Fear closed up Val’s throat and held her in place. She watched the milky blood run down the sword and felt her hands start to shake again.
“There is only one human who knows this place. So what did Luis tell you?” The troll took another step toward them, his voice soft and furious. “Did he dare you to go inside? Did he say there was a monster ?”
Val looked at Lolli, but she was stunned and silent.
The troll ran the point of his tongue over an incisor. “But what did Luis intend, that’s the real question. To give you a good scare? To give me a good scare? A good meal ? It is entirely possible Luis might think I would want to eat you.” He paused, as if waiting for one of them to deny it. “Do you think I want to eat you?”
Val raised the blade of the sword.
“ Really ? You don’t say?” But then his voice deepened to a bellow. “Of course, perhaps you are merely a pair of unlucky thieves. ”
Val’s instincts took over. She ran toward the exit, toward the troll. As he reached for her, she ducked, passing under his arm and hitting the strips of plastic. She was halfway down the stairs when she heard Lolli scream.
Standing there, trains rattling on the bridge overhead, still holding the glass sword, she hesitated. She was the reason Lolli was inside this place. It was Val’s own dumb idea to try to prove to herself that faeries were real. She should have gone back when she saw the tree. She shouldn’t have come here at all. Taking a deep breath, she ran back up the stairs.
Lolli was sprawled out on the ground, tears
“What was that thing?” Lolli asked.
Val shook her head. “How the fuck would I know?”
“We should be quick.” Lolli walked over to the desk and dumped several jars into her bag.
“What are you doing?” Val asked. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Okay, okay,” Lolli said, rummaging through some bottles. “I’m coming.”
Herbs were bound into bundles in one of the jam jars. Another was full of dead wasps, but a third was filled with what looked like knots of red licorice shoelaces. Some had labels on their lids: chokecherry, hyssop, wormwood, poppy. At the center of the plywood was a marble cutting board with spiky green balls waiting to be chopped by the tin half-moon of a knife that rested beside them.
On the wall were a series of pinned objects—a candy wrapper, a gray wad of chewing gum, the burned-out stub of a cigarette. Hanging in front of each was a magnifying glass, enlarging not only the items but also the handwritten notes surrounding each. “Breath,” read one. “Love,” read another.
Lolli gasped sharply. Val spun around without thinking, lifting the sword automatically. Someone loomed in the doorway, tall and lean as a basketball player, bending to duck under the doorframe. As he straightened up, lank hair, black as ink, framed the grayish-green skin of his face. Two undershot incisors jutted from his jaw, their tips sinking into the soft flesh of his upper lip. His eyes went wide with something that might have been fear or even fury, but she found herself transfixed by the way the black irises were dusted around the edges with gold, like the eyes of a frog.
“Well.” The troll’s voice was a deep growl. “What have we here? A pair of filthy street girls.” He took two steps toward Val and she stumbled backward, tripping over her own feet, her mind filled only with panic.
With one booted foot, the troll nudged the boneless thing. “I see you’ve gotten past my guardian. How unlikely.” He wore a buttoned black coat that covered him from neck to calf, with black trousers underneath that seemed to emphasize the shock of green at the frayed cuffs and nape where cloth met flesh. His skin was the same horrible color that you might find underneath a band of copper you’d worn for too long. “And you’ve helped yourself to something else of mine as well.”
Fear closed up Val’s throat and held her in place. She watched the milky blood run down the sword and felt her hands start to shake again.
“There is only one human who knows this place. So what did Luis tell you?” The troll took another step toward them, his voice soft and furious. “Did he dare you to go inside? Did he say there was a monster ?”
Val looked at Lolli, but she was stunned and silent.
The troll ran the point of his tongue over an incisor. “But what did Luis intend, that’s the real question. To give you a good scare? To give me a good scare? A good meal ? It is entirely possible Luis might think I would want to eat you.” He paused, as if waiting for one of them to deny it. “Do you think I want to eat you?”
Val raised the blade of the sword.
“ Really ? You don’t say?” But then his voice deepened to a bellow. “Of course, perhaps you are merely a pair of unlucky thieves. ”
Val’s instincts took over. She ran toward the exit, toward the troll. As he reached for her, she ducked, passing under his arm and hitting the strips of plastic. She was halfway down the stairs when she heard Lolli scream.
Standing there, trains rattling on the bridge overhead, still holding the glass sword, she hesitated. She was the reason Lolli was inside this place. It was Val’s own dumb idea to try to prove to herself that faeries were real. She should have gone back when she saw the tree. She shouldn’t have come here at all. Taking a deep breath, she ran back up the stairs.
Lolli was sprawled out on the ground, tears
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