When I woke up, my hands were tied behind my back. I was in a forest, surrounded by a circle of mushrooms. The last thing I remembered had been arguing with Kumakros. He had come back from the temple raid alone, holding a burning metal torch, and he told me that Grandma had been killed by one of the traps at the temple. I had been pretty upset by the news. I knew she was an old lady, but she had been in good shape, especially lately. I figured that she had at least a few more good years in her. Then Kumakros had changed. He started in to this whole speech about my amazing powers and all my potential and my grand destiny and stuff. Same stuff he had been saying most of the week whenever he thought Grandma was too far away to hear. Then he started telling me about the Fae Realm of the Seelie Court, and told me it would be the perfect place to learn a bunch of awesome spells and get my career off the ground. That was when I started to get suspicious. He didn't seem bothered at all by Grandma dying. As far as he was concerned, dying was just what mortals did. I had started pushing him for details, like how exactly she had died and where her body was now, and he had completely clammed up. Then, out of nowhere, he started singing. His singing voice sounded almost nothing like his speaking voice. It was like he could auto-tune his own throat. I don't remember the song, but when I listened to it...

I woke up here. He must have hypnotized me or something. I had a vague memory of following behind him through the woods, like one of those dreams you can't really remember when you wake up. He had kidnapped me. It was pretty embarrassing to admit, but Grandma had been right about him. I wondered if she was really dead at all. I wondered where Elizabeth had gone.

It took a few tries to stand up with my hands behind my back, but I managed it. I wasn't sure where Dezzermon was from here, but the main thing was getting away before Kumakros came back to check on me. I walked forward...and stopped.

I tried again, and stopped again. I tried going another way, and stopped again. The circle of mushrooms around me were some kind of prison. The weird thing was, there wasn't any kind of force field around me, just an invisible line I couldn't cross. I tried kicking over one the mushrooms, and I couldn't do that either. My foot just stopped before it could get close to it. It wasn't blocked by anything, it just couldn't go there.

I guess the plus side of all this is that I'm in close contact to a magical effect once again, which the interface had told me was the way to develop my Thaumaturgy. Right now, I had a measly +3 in Occult, and that's after using one of my talents on it. Dammit, I'm supposed to be a wizard. I should be able to think my way out of this.

The first thing was to get my hands free. I needed to make magical gestures to cast any spells, so tying my hands really shut me down hard. Granted, the only spell I had so far was a 0-level pain curse, but I hadn't seen any magical libraries around so far, so I might just have to strike out on my own and figure out a spell myself.

I started by digging a shallow pit in the center of the circle with the heel of my shoe. Under a thin layer of moss, the ground was fairly wet and slimy. I rubbed the ropes that tied my hands together in the mud, until they were wet and slippery. After a long period of writhing and pulling and jerking back and forth, I managed to get the binding off. Alright, I had a piece of rope, some mud, and my hands. I could make this work.

I made a ball of the mud, and tried throwing it to knock over one of the mushrooms. I knew that if I could destroy just one mushroom, it would make a gap in the spell that I could escape through. No good. I raised my arm to throw it, and it just stopped. After several attempts, the closest I had come was dropping the mud-ball on my shoe. Maybe throwing was too direct as well. What could I do that would be even less direct?

I sat down and began molding the little mud ball into a rough human figure. Golems were usually immune to most spells, especially mental compulsions, which seemed to be how this fairy ring worked. The golems in the temple had been given life by priests, which meant I couldn't really copy their recipe, even if I had it. Still, a +3 to Occult has got to be good for something. I would have to improvise. The main thing I needed was a power source, something to replace the divine power that the priests used.

I pulled up my shirt and removed one of the strips of grandma's sweater that she had used as a bandage. The cuts I had gotten from the bloodsucker's talons were almost healed, but with a little scratching I was able to get a trickle of blood out of it. Blood was power. Blood was life. I knew these things to be true without having to be told, just like I knew how to speak Light Fey. I pressed the blood into the little mud golem's chest, and tried to focus all my thought and will on the outcome I wanted. I needed to give the thing I had created a name as well. Names had power too, and I needed all I could get. I started to chant under my breath.

“Your name is Shroomknocker. You knock over mushrooms. You can move. You can walk. You can see. Your name is Shroomknocker. You knock over mushrooms.”

I repeated the chant over and over. I tried not to let any doubts penetrate my mind, even though I had no clue if this was actually going to work. After a while, I began to feel extremely tired, as though my energy were being drained away just from the chanting. I considered this a positive sign.

I sat my little creation near the edge of the circle, as close as I could come. It didn't move. Figuring it needed a little encouragement, I gave it a little bop on the pack of the head and said, with the force and conviction I could muster:

“Live”

The little mud-man moved. I pumped my fist with excitement, I hadn't seriously expected this to work, but it had. The mud looked like it was boiling for moment, then it started writhing. Soon, it stuck its little foot out and tried to take a step toward the mushroom. Its foot immediately collapsed under it, and Shroomknocker fell forward on his crudely-made little face. He wasn't finished yet though. With agonizing slowness that made the cumbersome golems I had been chased by yesterday look like bullet trains, it dragged itself on its belly toward the mushroom, determined to achieve its sole purpose in existence. It smeared itself across the mossy ground, until it finally reached its hated enemy. It rallied the last of its strength and struck the mushroom with its tiny mud fist. The mushroom didn't even shake a little. Shroomknocker collapsed into ordinary mud.

I sat down and buried my face in my hands. It was encouraging to know that I could make golems, but in every other way, I was frustrated as hell. I guessed that my plan might have worked if I had a bit more skill, and more blood wouldn't hurt. Given time and resources, I could make my own troop of hench-golems to follow me around, beat up my enemies, and carry the piles of loot I would inevitably accumulate.

If I could survive that long.

“Ah, getting in a little practice. Wonderful! Maybe you can learn a few new tricks to show off when I take you to meet Our Lady.”

Kumakros was back, still holding that torch of his. It was still burning away, which meant it had to be magical. He wasn't alone this time, though. I had been so deep in my power-fantasy I hadn't noticed them walk up. Standing next to the little shit was a seven-foot monster with bulging arms, a wedge-shaped nose, a long, thin beard tied into a braid, and skin that looked like gray leather.

“Allow me to introduce my colleague, Blugnegal. He's a troll.”

“No shit.” I had never had a clear, consistent idea of what a troll should look like, but if this guy wasn't a troll, the word had no meaning.

Kumakros had not lost his sunny disposition. He ignored my comment and continued as though I hadn't spoken.

“I have contracted his services for the time being. Blugnegal, keep an eye on this little mischief-maker while I find his sister.”

“What do you want her for? She doesn't have any magic. She's just a little girl.” My own words surprised me. I knew that brothers were supposed to care about their little sisters, but I had never really applied that idea to myself.

Kumakros waved dismissively. “Oh, such a kidder, our Kyle. Your sister suddenly knew how to speak perfect Light Fey the second I spoke around her. Did you really think I wouldn't find anything strange about that? Now, that half-wit grandmother of yours was pretty strange too, but I can't very well bring an old woman before Our Lady. Here you go your majesty! Hope you can get some work out her before she keels over and dies! No, what she wants is a servant who can last at least eighty more years. You and your sister are going to finance my return to grace! Well, be back soon. Have fun you two!”

Kumakros strolled into the woods, and soon disappeared. At least now I knew which way the city was. Blugnegal sat down with a heavy thud near the circle of mushrooms. He glanced around intermittently, but seemed otherwise uninterested in his surroundings. I considered trying to make another golem, but without better materials I had no clue how to make a better one. I was hungry and frustrated. With nothing useful to do and no other way to vent my unhappiness, I returned once again to one of my all-time favorite hobbies: annoying people.

“So...a troll, huh? How's that working out?” I heard an almost inaudible growl in the back of Blugnegal's throat as he ignored me. I let a moment or two of silence pass before continuing.

“Do you do this kind of thing a lot? Y'know, kidnapping, grunt work, taking orders from sadistic little hobgoblins? Rewarding career, I guess?” No growl this time, but I could tell he was less content than he had been.

“You ever think of doing something more with your life? Maybe get your degree, do some traveling?” He continued to ignore me, but I could tell I was getting on his nerves. I let another minute pass, just long enough to make him hope I might have given up.

“Nah, I guess not. You're more the dumb muscle type, aren't you? Not much of a thinker. Maybe you should just be happy to have a job.” And bingo, another low growling sound. If I could really piss him off, it might create the opening I needed to escape.

“You ever thought about working in agriculture? With your looks, you'd make a terrific scarecrow.”

Blugnegal let out a deep growl and got to his feet. He slowly walked toward me. I was disappointed to see that he very gingerly stepped over the mushrooms. I had kinda thought that my magical prison would provide some safety, but apparently it only works on mortals. I walked backward as he glowered down at me, until my feet stopped at the boundary. Very slowly, he reached toward me with a hand you could serve a Thanksgiving dinner on. He grabbed a tuft of my hair between thumb and forefinger, and slowly lifted until I was standing on my tippy-toes. I didn't dare speak, but when he finally ripped the hair from my head with a sudden jerk, I screamed and fell to my knees.

I heard a rumbling voice from above me. “Still feel like chatting, little comedian?”

“No, no! I'll just...sit quietly for a while.”

“Good to hear it.” he lumbered back to his previous position and sat down again.

An hour passed, as least I think it did. They say time flies when you're having fun, and unfortunately it works the other way too. Pissing off the troll hadn't gone as I'd hoped, so I thought I'd try a different approach.

“Is there anything to eat? I'm really hungry.”

“Look on the bright side. You could be hungry and bald.”

He answered me this time. That meant I was making progress.

“Aren't you hungry? Don't you get a lunch break at some point?”

“Neither of us will starve any time soon.”

“So you are hungry then?”

“Yes, I am hungry. I wonder if Kumakros would be angry if I bit off all of your fingers? No, you need those for doing magic. Maybe your toes.”

“Why do you even care what Kumakros thinks? Is he your boss or something?”

“Kumakros and I have a pact. Nineteen years ago, I asked him to be my servant for a week. I needed to impress a troll I was seeing at the time. He agreed to do it if I agreed to serve him for one day of his choosing.”

“Wait, he did a week and you only have to work for a day? That doesn't seem fair.”

A rough choking sound erupted from Blugnegal. I realized that this was his version of a laugh.

“What? What did I say?”

“I find the human idea of fairness very peculiar. How long does a farmer have to work to afford to hire a doctor of physic for an hour? It is no different for the Fae. I am great and mighty, Kumakros is small and weak. Of course my time is worth more than his.”

“Kumakros isn't that weak. I've seen how fast he can climb, and he can make whirlwinds whenever he wants.”

“Nothing remarkable in that. Almost any spriggan can do the same.”

“What about when he hypnotized me with that magic song? You can't tell me that's not impressive.”

“Borrowed power. Probably had to be a sylph's servant for a week just to do that once. Besides, it only works on mortals, and weak-willed ones at that.”

I was going to remember that weak-willed crack later, but I had gotten this idiot to drop his guard, and to my surprise he seemed to have some valuable info. If I kept things casual, I might learn a lot.

“Can you do that? Like, borrow other people's power?”

“Any Fae can. I have pacts with dozens of other Fae.”

“Could you borrow my power? I'm a wizard, you know”

“Oh really?” he replied, clearly not impressed. “Tell me, oh great sorcerer, what labor could I perform to earn the power to create pitiful mud-men?” he started in on another round of choking laughter.

“I'm gonna be really powerful someday. Not too early to get on my good side.”

“Who would make a pact with a human? Humans can break their word and nothing happens to them.”

“Trolls can't break their word?”

“Of course not. Fae live or die by the deals we make. A Fae who breaks his word is as good as dead.”

That sounded like something worth remembering.

“So if I starve to death, you'll die too?”

“You are nowhere close to starvation. Once we are back in Hy Brasil, there will be plenty to eat.”

“Brazil? Isn't that in South America?”

“You must be thinking of somewhere else. Hy Brasil is a great realm of the Seelie Fae. You will like it there.”

“I doubt it. I'll be a slave there.”

“You will like it anyway. You won't have a choice. Seelie Fae are very good at making things ...pleasant.”

“I thought you were Seelie Fae.”

“Wild Fae. I usually work with Seelie, but we Trolls like our independence, such as it is.”

“So you'd work for me if I could pay?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I have my pride. Working for Kumakros is demeaning enough. Working for a mortal is beneath me. Perhaps you could find a less powerful troll to serve you, if you are ever in a position to hire one.”

“What do you use for money?”

“Most Fae don't bother with money. If we need it, we can just take it. Anything that doesn't belong to a Fae is ours to take. Status is what makes our world go round. Debts, allegiances, obligations, titles, that kind of thing. ”

“But what if you wanted a bunch of humans to do something for you?”

He shrugged. “Tell them you will burn their houses and eat their children if they don't. That usually works. Even if it doesn't, it's a good time.”

“You eat children?”

“Of course. Why not?”

“It's...it's wrong!” I knew I wasn't about to convince him of this, but I had really started to imagine that Blugnegal might not be such a bad guy. I guess the fact that he kidnaps and enslaves people should have tipped me off.

“You would say that, I suppose.”

“Well, how would you like it if someone ate you?”

“I know you think that that's a point, but it isn't. Humans eat cows and chickens and pigs all the time. You don't want the same thing to happen to you, but you don't see animals as being your equals, so you don't care. It's the same with us. I do what I like and eat what I like. I don't ask for permission or approval. Certainly not from you.”

“You would really eat me, even after talking to me all this time?”

“You mean this little chit-chat we're having while I wait for your grandma to come try to rescue you? I'm bored. That's all there is to it.”

“My grandma is dead. At least, that's what Kumakros said.”

“He told me the same, but he was wrong. She's over in the bushes, watching us. Got a little girl and a lion with her. I don't know what they're saying to each other. Speaking some weird language I've never heard before.”

“How do you know?”

Blugnehal tapped one of his huge ears. “One reason why Kumakros wanted me to guard you. Don't really know why he would bother, considering these idiots probably don't even know the charm for leaving a fairy ring.” He yawned. “What fools you mortals are.”

For someone who believed that they were about to be attacked, Blugnegal showed no signs of concern. He was still laying lazily on the grass as though he were just enjoying the weather. It made me think he was probably lying to give me false hope. I looked around the forest and saw nothing to back up Blugnegal's claims.

I heard the crack of breaking branches as something large broke through the bushes and charged straight at Blugnegal. The thing was so big I couldn't believe it had gotten so close without me seeing it. Blugnegal jumped to his feet and raised his fists like a boxer as the huge cat extended its claws and ripped into him. I stared in awe as the two huge creatures rained blows on each other. I could hear the crunch of bone each time Blugnegal's fist struck the huge cat. I saw dark green ribbons of blood spray out as its claws tore through his leathery skin.

“Kyle! This way, quickly!”

I turned and saw Grandma, running toward me out of the woods with her hammer in her hands.

“I can't! The mushrooms are magic!” I held up my hands like a mime to demonstrate. I don't see how she could have been expected to guess something that insane. When she reached the circle, she discovered that she couldn't reach through it either. I don't think I'd ever seen her so angry. Something about being totally unable to do such a simple with no idea why not is infuriating. She even tried throwing her hammer at the mushrooms, but her arm just wouldn't let her.

“How do I get you out of this? C'mon Kyle, you're smart. Think of something!” I could hear the desperation in her voice. She seemed so much more worried about me than I was. I didn't know whether to be flattered or terrified. I tried to think of some loophole in the rules of this circle, but I didn't even really know what they were. And the sound of the battle behind me was distracting.

Blugnegal was not going down, and the cat was losing ground quickly. Its movements were slow and clumsy. I could tell it was in a lot of pain. Blugnegal didn't seem hurt at all. The long slash-marks that the cat's claws had left behind were disappearing even I watched. Once the cat was out of commission, Blugnegal would go after Grandma next. I had to do something if I wanted her to live.

“Grandma, listen to me. You need to get out of here! You can't get me out of here, and that troll will kill you! You have to leave, now! I'll find a way to escape! Please, don't die for nothing!”

I was crying. I tried to wipe my eyes, but it didn't seem to help. Grandma was crying too. She was clawing at the non-existent barrier between us like a cat trying to get through a screen door.

I heard a loud crack behind me, and turned to see Blugnegal turning toward Grandma. The big cougar-looking thing was lying on its side a few feet away. Grandma hurled her hammer straight into Blugnegal's head. It struck with a loud crunch, and Blugnegal seemed to pause for a moment. Then he shook his head, and the indentation that the hammer had left filled in as his skull regenerated itself.

“Run! Now!” I screamed. I did the only thing I still could do now. I made my hands form the three magical seals I knew: Pain, Mind, Project. I chanted the secret name of each seal under my breath, and poured all the anger, fear, and willpower I could muster into the spell.

Blugnegal groaned in pain and clutched his head. I couldn't believe how well he could handle the pain. It must felt like his skull was full of red-hot termites. The spell was eating up everything that I had left, but I had to hold on until Grandma could get to safety. I saw Grandma run over to the big cat, hug it around its stomach, and lift it onto her scrawny shoulder. It should have been impossible, of course. The cat was easily five hundred pounds, it should have crushed her. I saw her run away with that massive thing in her arms. I kept poring everything I could scrape together into my curse, until I was in more pain than Blugnegal. Then, I fell to the ground.