“I can’t be sure,” she muttered. “I think he’s fae, but I want to check with someone first. What I know is he had a home for a very long time. It was dark and quiet, and he was content. And then all the rains and flooding came. His little shelter that had lasted for eighty—a hundred—years had washed away and he’d been forced to wander in a world that was too bright and too noisy.
“He searched for a new home, but—this part feels muddled. There was a barking dog, the sounds of kids playing, loud music, an echoing thump, thump, thump. He couldn’t find the calm contentment of his original home again.”
The microwave dinged and Declan brought Arwyn a big bowl of Chinese leftovers, which actually smelled pretty good.
Before he sat, she said, “Can I have an orange soda, too?”
Arthur glanced at the clock on the wall. It was a little after eight in the morning. He blew out a breath. “Anything else?”
Arwyn chewed and swallowed. “Oh, sure. The longer he wandered and searched, the angrier he got. When he found the Rocky Point Bridge, where he is now, it was all wrong. Too big. Too noisy. But he’d hit the ocean. He was at the end of the land, so he had to stop. The anger festers, though, so he goes out often to eat the noisy ones.”
Declan brought her a glass of orange soda on ice and then sat back down
This sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. “When you say he was looking for a home, do you mean it the way we’re probably picturing it? Was he looking for a little cottage in the woods, or are bridges his natural home?”
Nick looked at me and nodded. “I was picturing abandoned houses. I mean, this thing is big enough to stop a speeding car.”
Arwyn took a bite and turned back to me. “I think you and I are thinking the same thing.”
Arthur looked between the two of us. “And what is that?” Since Arwyn was eating, he glared at me.
“Bridge,” I said. “Troll. Three Billy Goats Gruff.”
Arwyn nodded. “I think so too.”
“Wait,” Nick interrupted, looking between Arwyn and me. “It’s a goat troll? What is that?”
Grinning, I shook my head. “Three Billy Goats Gruff is an old Norwegian fairy tale. You know, the three goats need to cross the bridge in order to get to a beautiful meadow to eat. The littlest goat crosses first, and the troll comes out to eat him. The goat tells him that he’s too small. He wouldn’t be worth the effort. The troll should wait for his big brother to come—some translations say it is a child, father, and grandfather, but most depict the goats as brothers. Anyway, the second goat is bigger, but again says he’s not worth eating, that the troll should wait for the oldest brother, who will make a fine meal. And again, the troll lets him go.”
Nick threw his hands up. “Why not eat all three?”
“Trolls aren’t smart,” Arwyn explained.
SEVEN
Late to the Party
Arthur rubbed his hands over his face and then checked his watch. “We’ve got to get back on duty,” he said, gesturing to his cousin. “Everybody think how we’re going to deal with this.” To Arwyn, he added, “Ask your relatives. We need to know how to get rid of a big, dumb invisible troll that eats people.” He shook his head. “Not a sentence I ever thought I’d be saying.”
Arthur left, but Nick paused at the door. “Can I give you a ride back to your place?” he asked me.
I’d been planning to fly home, but I was exhausted, so I nodded.
He looked relieved. “Everyone try to nap before we meet tonight.”
When I met him at the door, he slipped his sunglasses on me, which was nice. My eyes, more orange than brown, were far too sensitive for sunlight. We stepped out onto the deck and he looked down at my bare feet before giving me his back and crouching down.
“I’ll give you a piggyback ride to the car. There are rocks and dirt along the side of the gallery.” He glanced over his shoulder when I didn’t move. “Seriously. You’ll cut your feet if you walk barefoot to the car.”
I remained still, unsure of what he wanted. I’d read about piggyback rides in books, but they were written in a way that assumed the reader had the background knowledge to understand. I’d looked it up and read the definition. I knew he was offering to carry me, but I didn’t understand the logistics. Where did my arms and legs go exactly?
He looked over his shoulder again and studied me a moment. “Put your arms around my neck and hold on. When I stand, put your legs around my waist. I’ll put hands under your thighs to help hold you up. Okay?”
I mentally walked myself through exactly what I needed to do and finally nodded. Leaning down, I wrapped my arms around his neck and felt immediately out of my depth. He stood and grabbed for my legs, but they were still hanging straight down his back. I was screwing up.
He reached back and grabbed one of my legs, pulling it forward, so I lifted my other leg, mirroring on the other side. His free hand caught me. “There we go. Everything okay?”
I nodded, my face against the back of his head. He smelled nice. Halfway to his car, I whispered, “Sorry. I’ve never done this before.”
