Killer Pointe

by Kristi Helvig

  “Howdy, pretty ladies” he called out, then bent over and coughed violently.

  I waved hesitantly. “That’s one of the seven dwarfs,” I told Ava.

  Her eyes about bugged out of her head. “Which one? Sleepy? Grumpy?”

  “I think that one is Doug. They’re total jerks, so let’s move faster,” I whispered to her, and tugged on Majestic’s reins.

  Ava whispered over her shoulder. “Doug the dwarf? Are you kidding me?”

  Doug stood, but barely reached the rail of the the porch. “Ain’t you nice gals gonna stop and chat with me?”

  “Sorry,” I called. “We’re really busy today.”

  He snorted. “Well, if you see Snow, tell her she best be home on time tonight.”

  I didn’t respond as Majestic broke into a faster pace. Before Ava could ask, I leaned up to explain. “She’s not called Snow White for her creamy complexion. She’s an addict. The dwarfs gave her free ‘snow’ ‘til she was hooked, then they pimped her out to support them. Now she serves drinks at a bar in the village.”

  Fresh tears welled in Ava’s eyes. “I can’t believe how different this is from all the fairytales I used to read. This sucks.”

  “Yeah, I know.” The Eternal Records peeps weren’t stupid. It’s not like parents in my world would have shelled out big bucks for their kids to see a Snow White movie that involved her going down on a dwarf in exchange for drugs. This way, “Fairyland” seemed to be a magical place where bad people were easily defeated. Her Highness got some money out of it too, so she must have had a contact besides me in our world.

  The smell of pine hung heavy in the air. When the scent of burning logs mixed with the pine, I knew we’d almost reached the troll village. They were responsible for keeping the fire of Liralelle burning at all times. The job suited them well as they weren’t the most social creatures. Thick plumes of smoke drifted skyward, and we got close enough to see the flames licking the air above the giant fire pit. The large gate, fashioned from huge tree trunks, was wide open, though hand-carved Keep Out signs lined the entrance.

  “Are you sure we should be here?” Ava asked. “I mean, aren’t the trolls dangerous?”

  I looked up at the gate I’d only entered a handful of times. “Not so much dangerous as perpetually cranky.”

  I guided Majestic to the hitching post by the gate, and eased Ava down. There was an empty bucket and water pump, so I pumped some water for the horse and patted her. “We’ll be right back.” I pulled Ava through the gate. “Come on.”

  Several trolls lumbered toward the fire pit carrying a large log on their shoulders. One glanced at us and muttered something under his breath before moving on. The rest were either very focused on the logs or very focused on ignoring us. This was not going to be fun.

  The perimeter of the area contained small wooden dwellings. Female trolls batted rugs over the clotheslines, while even smaller troll children chased each other with wooden clubs. Maybe a female would be more helpful. We skirted the fire pit and approached a dwelling where a woman brushed pine needles out the front door of her house with a stiff broom.

  Though she had to see me coming, she didn’t acknowledge me until I stepped onto her porch. “What’cha want?”

  I’d killed too many evil villains to count, yet these trolls managed to intimidate me every time. “I’m Bree, and this is Ava—”

  “Don’t care what’cha call yourselves. What’cha want?” She scowled at us, holding the broom upright now, other hand on her hip.

  Ava took a step back until she was behind me. A boy troll ran by and clubbed another boy on the head. The boy fell down, holding his head in his hand. Ava moved toward the injured boy. “Are you okay?”

  The woman swatted at Ava with the broom. “Leave him alone, will ya. ‘Course he’s okay. They’re just playin’ around … their heads won’t toughen up on their own, you know.”

  Ava jumped back from the troll’s broom. The boy troll jumped up from the ground, shook his head back and forth, and started swinging his own club at the boy who had hit him. “You’re dead,” he yelled.

  The smaller one laughed and ran off into the woods. “You have to catch me first.”

  I swallowed and looked back at the woman. “I’m looking for Helga’s, ah, husband.”

  Her black, beady eyes narrowed. “He ain’t no husband of hers. Gotta be the same species for a marriage to be legal in these parts. She didn’t never belong here. She’s dead, you know? Had it coming, you ask me.”

  This was not going smoothly. “I know she’s dead—that’s why I’m here.” Being nice wasn’t getting me anywhere. I stood up straighter, fingering my sword. “Do you know her man or not?”

  The woman scowled but pointed a knotty finger toward the far side of the fire pit. “He’s over yonder. Do me a favor, will ya?” She stepped back into her house. “Don’t tell him it was me that sent ya.” She slammed the door in my face.

  I swiveled to face Ava. “That went well.”

  “Oh my gosh, I can’t even believe how mean she was to us … no manners whatsoever. And those boys are total barbarians. This place is crazy on a stick.”

  I laughed. “I don’t even know what that means, but I’m glad you’re talking again. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

  We crossed the clearing surrounding the fire pit, where several muscular trolls took turns tossing logs onto the fire. Ava leaned over. “I would totally die of boredom if that was my job. Though my arms would get really buff.”

  A troll stopped and stroked his long, red beard while looking Ava up and down. “Don’t see many that look like you ‘round these parts.” He reached a hand toward Ava’s curls.

  “Don’t even think about it, buddy.” She jerked her head away from his hand.

  He held up both hands. “I meant no harm, miss. Your hair is real purty is all.”

  Ava blushed. “Thank you, but where I come from, people don’t touch other people without their permission.”

  The troll nodded. “Oh.” He reached his hand out again. “Might I have permission to touch your hair?” His fingers wrapped around a lock before she could respond. “Wow, it’s so soft.”

  Ava’s blush deepened. “Thank you. Okay, then. Well, we gotta get going.” She took a step backward, and as her hair pulled from his grasp, she tripped over a tree root.

  He reached an arm around her waist and caught her before she hit the ground. “Careful there, miss.”

  Ava tucked her hair behind her ear and extracted herself from the troll’s grip. “Thanks again.” She tugged on my sleeve. “Let’s go find that troll.”

  I tried not to giggle as we headed toward the hut on the far side of the pit.

  The troll called after us. “Name’s Travis, should you need it, miss.”

  Ava waved her hand in the air but didn’t respond. “Don’t say anything,” she said sideways through her mouth. “I mean it.”

  I mock-zipped my lips but couldn’t stop chuckling. The hut was less than twenty feet away, and it already seemed different than the others. More cheerful. The area around the hut appeared neat and tidy, with flower baskets hung underneath the windows. A male troll stood next to the house, as he watered roses that climbed a white trellis up the side of the hut. He looked over.

  I nodded at the huge pink blooms. “Your roses are gorgeous.”

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. The small watering can seemed heavy in his hand. “Thank you. These were my wife’s pride and joy.”

  “Helga was your wife then?”

  His face grew harder. “Yes, she was. Helga von Herbert. I’m Horace Herbert. Don’t care ‘bout what others think marriage is. I loved her more than I loved life itself. If that isn’t real marriage, then I don’t know what is.” A tear rolled down his cheek.

  Ava nudged me to say something, but I wasn’t sure what to say. Consoling people was much harder than killing them.

  She sighed in exasperation and moved to pat his back. “I’m so
sorry, Horace,” Ava said. “I can’t imagine how horrible it must be to lose someone you love.”

  I was an expert in the subject but couldn’t seem to convey any helpful sentiments.

  Horace studied me and the sword at my side, and his eyes narrowed. “What do you want anyway?”

  Ava smiled at Horace. “Oh, she just spoke to Helga not long ago. Right?”

  Horace reached quickly toward a bush and pulled out a large club. Ava cringed and froze like a frightened deer.

  I put my hands up in the air. “No, not recently, I don’t know how long ago I spoke to her. I’m from, uh, somewhere else.”

  Why the hell was I still keeping my identity a secret? After I found Muriel, I’d avenge my family and get all the money I’d need for Juilliard. I’d be done with this place.

  He didn’t put the club down. “That don’t make sense to me. What do you mean somewhere else?”

  I ran a hand through my dark hair. “It’s complicated.”

  His grip tightened on the weapon and he raised it an inch. “You’ve got about a minute to simplify it for me.”

  I backed away a step to show I wasn’t a threat. “I’m Bree. I’m from a different place—a parallel universe basically. The Queen hires me to take out undesirables. But time runs differently in my world so I don’t know how long ago I spoke with Helga. It was at her shop in the village.”

  Horace relaxed his grip on the club. “Bree.” He nodded. “Helga told me about you coming in her shop. It was three nights ago.” His eyes moved side to side. “We shouldn’t talk out here. Please come in and take tea with me.”

  Ava shot me a questioning look with her eyes, and I shrugged and followed Horace into the hut. Ava followed. A circular, braided rug lay in the center of the small main room. A kettle hung over the hearth where wood burned in the fireplace. The heat permeated the room, making the atmosphere cozy and warm. Horace gestured for us to sit at a square wooden table set with four chairs. Several photographs hung on the walls. One portrayed Helga laughing at something beyond the frame of the picture. The laugh lit her up, making her face appear years younger, her white hair the only telltale sign of advanced age. Horace followed my eyes to the wall.

  “She looks happy,” I said.

  He smiled, a real smile this time. “She was happy. A breath of fresh air in a village filled with grumpy old trolls like us. Sure, a few of the gals here thought she didn’t belong—that she had no right taking away a perfectly eligible troll from them.”

  Ava rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I think we met one of those across the way.” She jerked her thumb toward the window facing the troll we’d spoken with earlier.

  He chuckled. “Yes, that old bird, Hildegard. She couldn’t catch herself a male troll with a steel trap and chains. Most here aren’t as bad as that. Helga had a lot of friends here … she had a way of making you smile.” The scent of lilac and vanilla filled the room—it was the most intoxicating tea I’d ever smelled.

  Horace poured tea into the cups and water splashed over the sides. “Sorry, Helga usually did this part. I’m a little clumsy.”

  Ava dried the table with a cloth napkin. “No worries. It’s fine, thank you, Horace.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her. “You’ve adjusted quickly. You’d think you went to parallel universes every day after school.”

  Ava lifted the teacup to her lip and blew on it. “Just going with the flow. Anyway, I’m still not convinced I’m not hallucinating and experiencing a total breakdown. I’m just going to enjoy this tea for now, thank you.”

  Horace’s eyebrows knitted together in apparent confusion.

  “She’s here by accident,” I explained, but the look on his face told me I hadn’t explained anything. “Anyway, about Helga. We didn’t talk long, but I asked her about Muriel. She hadn’t seen her but had heard rumors.”

  Horace’s face darkened and he pounded the table, causing tea to spill everywhere. “Helga saw that witch woman sure enough, it was the night after you’d visited. Helga came home talkin’ a blue streak ‘bout how you were going to save us, talkin’ about them missing children. I told her she might do best takin’ a few days off work—keep her away from the chaos ‘til things settled down a bit.” He pulled at his dark beard. “She never made it back to work. Muriel came that night.”

  I closed my eyes, trying to keep the flashbacks away, trying not to think of the brother I’d lost. “Did she …” I forced the words out, “kill Helga here?”

  Horace punched a fist into his other hand. “No. No one could do that to my Helga with me there. The old woman knocked on the door late that night. I didn’t know who she was until later. I was back in the bedroom and when I came out, she was whispering in Helga’s ear. I didn’t like the looks of her and asked who she was.” Horace swallowed and his jaw clenched. “I’ll never forget when she looked directly at me … those eyes. Pale and watery, they were.”

  The image of Muriel’s eyes came back clear as day, eyes that bored into me as she stood over my little brother’s body. My voice came out barely above a whisper. “And?”

  “She just turned and disappeared back into the night. Helga looked shaken to the core. I asked her who that woman was, and she told me it was Muriel.” He shook his head. “Imagine. We’d all heard about the atrocities committed by her, and I find out that the most evil witch in Liralelle had just been on our doorstep. I ran outside, but she was nowhere to be found. It was like she turned into the dark itself.”

  Ava put her tea down, eyes darting around the room, as though worried Muriel might pop out at any moment. She took another large slurp of tea and slumped back in her seat. “This is the best tea ever.”

  Horace scratched his head. “I locked the door and told Helga to get me if anyone knocked on the door again. She told me she didn’t know what Muriel wanted. I woke up the next morning and Helga was gone. There was a note on this here table.” He pointed to the specific spot on the table where the note must have been. “She wrote that she knew I wouldn’t have given permission, but that when Muriel had come to the house, she’d asked Helga to meet her in the woods. Helga must have snuck out to meet her.”

  He looked out the window toward the denser part of the forest beyond the fire pit. “A few trolls found her body early in the morning while gathering logs for the fire.” Horace’s gaze turned back to me. “I still don’t understand. Why would Helga have gone with her? She was smarter than that. She hadn’t even taken any of her protection spells with her.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. What else could I say? Truth be told, she should have been smarter than that. I’d only been a child at the time, but I knew enough to run screaming from Muriel when she’d beckoned me with her bony finger. I finally took a small sip of the tea, and the vanilla warmth slid down my throat, erasing my fear. I stared down at the cup and then at Ava’s super relaxed demeanor. “Is this tea charmed?”

  Horace looked puzzled, then laughed. “Must be. Helga told me I was too much of a worrier. She was always putting spells on things to get me to relax. Sorry ‘bout that.”

  Ava drained the last of her cup. “You could make so much money off this stuff in our world. It’s like liquid Xanax.” She sat up straighter. “I mean, not that I’d know.”

  I frowned and pushed my chair back. Once things were back to normal, Ava and I were going to have a serious chat.

  “Thanks for talking to us, Horace.” I stood and looked out toward the woods where Helga’s body had been found. “I don’t suppose anyone heard anything that night?”

  Horace slowly shook his head. “Nothing. And I’ve asked everyone. You’ll find Muriel, won’t you? You’ll kill her so she can’t hurt someone else the way she hurt my Helga?”

  The witch had caused more pain to me and others than anyone I’d known. “Yes, I’ll find her, Horace.”

  I reached out to pat his arm, but Ava embraced him in a huge hug. “You poor, poor man. Don’t you worry, Bree will kill that witch. I’m her helper, you know. Like a s
idekick.”

  We walked toward the woods behind the fire pit, ignoring the stares of various trolls. “My sidekick? Are you kidding?”

  “I’m here, aren’t I? I can’t just sit and twiddle my thumbs while you’re off fighting evil. Besides, this is so much more exciting than school, you know?”

  I stared at her. “No more tea for you. Seriously, I’m worried about you.”

  Ava laughed. “Don’t be. If I’m not having a breakdown, this is the creepiest, coolest thing I’ve been part of. Let me guess. We’re going to look for clues in the woods, right?”

  “Right.” I sighed. “But then we have to get back to Majestic and the palace. We need to figure out a way to get home. We’ve been gone longer than usual. I’m usually in-and-out, so to speak, so we’ll have to finish up later.”

  The woods were quiet, not even a slight breeze rustling the trees. The workers at the fire pit couldn’t be heard from deep in the forest. The further we traveled inward, the greater the silence. Even the birds ceased chattering after awhile.

  “What exactly are we looking for?” Ava whispered.

  “Anything unusual. Anything out of place.” A knotted pine, taller than all the others, caught my eye. It towered over the forest, almost like a beacon. A tangled knot of roots poked through the ground around it and I stepped carefully over them. A slim ray of sunlight penetrated the foliage near the base of the tree. Something small sparkled. Ava inspected some nearby rocks, like she was part of a crime detective show. I crept over to the sparkling object and leaned over for a better look. It glittered like a miniature sun. I reached down and scooped it up. It was the most beautiful thing I’d seen.

  It was also familiar. I slid it into my pocket.

  “All I’m finding is dirt and more dirt,” Ava whined across the space. “Did you find anything?”

  I didn’t want to speak yet, because I wanted to be sure. “Maybe, but we should get back.”

  She kicked the smallest rock under her. “Some helper I’m turning out to be. I can come back with you, right?”

  No, the hell you can’t. “We’ll see.”