by Michael Dahl
Dr. Hoo placed his left hand on Zak’s chest. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The friends watched in awe as a silver light slowly began to glow beneath the doctor’s palm.
The light seemed to come from deep within Zak’s body. Its tendrils wrapped around the doctor’s hand, swirling in his palm like a dancing light.
The doctor stood and raised his arm. The light rocketed from his hand and shot into the sky.
“Farewell, Arcturus,” said the doctor.
Pablo took the hands of Thora and Louise. All of them watched as a single star blinked into existence above Zion Falls, joining its ancient companions in the heavens.
Snow dusted County Road One where a rusty school bus squealed to a stop. Two girls climbed off together. It was not their regular stop. Bundled up tightly in coats, scarves and gloves, they made their way up a rough dirt driveway. The tree branches overhead were bare. The wind was bitterly cold.
At the end of the long driveway stood a huge stone house. At the top of a stone tower, dark windows, like empty eyes, stared across the winter fields.
“Dr. Hoo,” called out Louise as she and Thora stepped inside.
They called again. There was no answer.
Step by step, they climbed to the doctor’s library at the top of the tower. The room was still charred from the battle with the fire trolls. Books and shelves lay scattered across the blackened floor.
Thora was quiet. After the last month, after the terrible battles, after losing her brother and her friend in one nightmarish night, she couldn’t bear it if the doctor was gone, too. “Where did he go?” asked Louise.
Something crackled behind them. The girls turned and stared at a book lying on the floor. “The Book of Stars!” shouted Louise.
The large volume lay open. Its pages shuffled back and forth, as if moved by invisible hands. The two girls edged closer, carefully watching its moving pages.
“Why is it doing that?” asked Louise.
Thora stared at the colorful pages. Stars and constellations whirled past. Names and shapes she had never seen before. “I think,” she said with a smile, “that the book is looking for more heroes.”
DR. HOO’S GUIDE TO THE GATHOOL LANGUAGE
The gathool language doesn’t have many words, and the pronunciation is usually straightforward. However, many gathool words have several meanings, so translating the language is quite a challenge. Here are some of the words I’ve managed to decipher.
AGNA GATHOOL — the descendents of true dragons, the agna gathool, or fire trolls, resemble dinosaurs. They have red-hot tongues, and are capable of spraying fire from their jaws.
BAZHARGAK (buh-SHAR-gok)—palace of night. A bazhargak, or dark tower, is a gathool method of transportation.
DRAKHOOL (druh-KOOL)—trolls of the earth. The gathool see the drakhool as their softhearted, inferior siblings.
CROATOAN (croh-uh-TOH-uhn)—moving bridge. Croatoans are used to move large numbers of trolls between locations. A bazhargak is a type of croatoan used by warriors.
GATHOOL (guh-THOOL)—true trolls. The gathool use the word to describe all of troll-kind, but reserve another word for drakhool, their peaceful brethren.
HOOLOO (hoo-LOO)—one with two souls. A PERSON who is born from one troll parent and one human parent. Also called a half-blood.
HROOM (har-OOM)—there is no standard definition for this word. It sounds like a drum, and serves as a rally cry for troll leaders.
OOLOOM (oo-LOOM)—harvester of souls. Ooloom is an honorary title given to the leader of the troll army. Only Thooloom, also known as The Great One, commands more power and respect.
PRAK TARA (PROK TAR-uh)—the bearers of light. The phrase refers to the children of the stars, or the star-touched ones, who are fated to oppose the trolls in a grand battle for control of Earth.
THOOLOOM (thoo-LOOM)—the Great One. They say he has surfaced only once before — thousands of years ago — causing a cataclysmic effect that wiped out nearly all life on the surface. If unopposed, his presence means just one thing: the skies will be filled with darkness, snuffing out the light from the stars above for centuries to come.
THYUL HU (THEE-uhl HOO)—ones who cannot be trusted. The phrase can refer to snakes, servants, or treacherous individuals.
UZHK (OOSHK)—tranquil one. Uzhk is a drakhool, and a friend of mine. He is one of the few trolls who seems to like humans.
NOTES ON BAZHARGHAKS
The gathool use their bazharghaks, or dark towers, for three reasons. First, they are fast, direct, and provide shelter from the sun’s harmful rays.
Secondly, the drilling motion of the towers loosens the ground, making the earth unstable, giving the nimble trolls an advantage on uneven terrain.
Thirdly, the towers allow the gathool to create a direct path to the surface so that reinforcements can travel through the tunnel if backup is needed.
In order to have any chance at surviving a troll invasion, the bazharghaks must be stopped from reaching the surface.
THE GATHOOL HIERARCHY
Above all else, trolls respect power. To become an Ooloom, or leader of the gathool army, a troll must prove he is stronger than all the rest. That is no easy task, considering that every troll is expected to do battle from the point they’re able to lift a spear until the day they die.
The crowning of an Ooloom is a fearsome event. All challengers for leadership of the troll army present themselves as candidates. They choose their weapons, and the group melee begins. At the end of the chaotic battle, the last gathool standing has the Lava Crown placed atop his head, identifying him as the Ooloom. The title lasts until death, whether from old age, or at the hands of a troll looking to take his place. Only Thooloom — or the Great One — has more power over the gathool than an Ooloom. However, no one has seen the Thooloom and lived to tell the tale.
NOTES ON THE PRAK TARA
The powers given to the prak tara, or the children of the stars, come from constellations. I can confirm that this is true, as I have seen the stars choose human warriors first-hand.
The scope of the prak tara’s powers is limited only by their imaginations. The celestial powers bring out the strongest parts of each individual. Additionally, the closer the prak tara are to each other, the stronger they become. Seeing Zak, Louise, Thora, and Pablo combine their might was the most awe-inspiring thing I’ve ever seen.
I do not know how the stars decide which four humans to choose. But from my experiences with this generation’s prak tara, there is no question that the constellations pick wisely. It has been my life’s honor to help Thora, Pablo, Louise, and Zak unite together with their powers. If it weren’t for them, I would be dead … and so would you.
Benjamin K. Hoo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a boy, MICHAEL DAHL persuaded his friends to celebrate the Norse gods associated with the days of the week. (Thursday was Thor’s Day, his favorite!) Dahl has written the popular Library of Doom series, the Dragonblood books, and the Finnegan Zwake series. As a Norwegian lad from the Midwest, he believes in trolls.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
BEN KOVAR was born in London. He trained in film and animation and spent several years as an animator and art director before moving into writing and illustrating fiction. He lives in an attic, likes moisture, and has a fear of sunlight and small children.
TROLL HUNTERS is published by Stone Arch Books
A Capstone Imprint
1710 Roe Crest Dr.
North Mankato, Minnesota 56003
www.capstonepub.com
Copyright © 2012 by Stone Arch Books. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Summary: Far above the small town of Zion Falls, the stars fall from the sky. Deep below the sleepy city, an ancient evil awakens. Caught
in the middle are four teens with hidden powers beyond their wildest dreams.
Designed by Hilary Wacholz
Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available at the Library of Congress website.
ISBN: 978-1-4342-4590-8
ISBN 978-1-4342-5988-2 (e-book)
This book is also available in four library-bound editions:
Skyfall
978-1-4342-3307-3
Dark Tower Rising
978-1-4342-3308-0
The Lava Crown
978-1-4342-3309-7
Fallen Star
978-1-4342-3310-3