"Yes, yes!" The troll nodded and gently placed the dagger back in it's sheath at Clara's side.

Clara breathed deep breaths as she came down from her high. She was reeling from seeing what she had.

"What are you doing Dani? Don't give him what he wants." Cage was now right behind her, his body almost pressed up against Clara's. He had moved Angelica out of the way so he could step forward and whisper.

"Does Kai know how to rhyme?" Clara asked, nervous.

"No. He's a half wit." Cage replied.

"I'm right here Cage. . ." Kai bit out angrily.

"I couldn't care less." Cage shot back in a whisper.

"Will you two stop insulting each other! This is serious." Clara reached back and grabbed Cage's arm firmly.

"Sorry." The brothers muttered at the same time. Clara released Cage's arm from her grasp.

"Today the sun, tomorrow the moon, two lights that shine brighter than the light beneath the lagoon. . ." The troll rhymed the riddle and Clara realized he was trying to see if she could conjure up the answer.

"Any ideas?" She asked the group behind her and they all stayed quiet.

The troll smiled slyly, his mangled, brown teeth showing as he did.

Two lights that shine brighter than the light beneath the lagoon. Two lights. . .

Clara thought about the answer, she closed her eyes and she reflected on the time she was beneath the water of the lake. The monster had gripped onto her legs and forcefully pulled, leaving Clara disoriented in the darkness. Darkness.

The black marks on her legs were still there, and would occasionally flare up. Come to think of it, Clara could feel the ink beneath her skin start to hurt now, just as she was trying to keep her mind off of the pain.

"Darkness. The answer is darkness." The smile on the trolls face turned to a scowl at Clara's sudden answer.

Cage laughed, and Kai smiled. "You got it." Kai said.

"Yeah." Clara breathed.

The troll nodded his head in defeat and began to rhyme the second riddle.

"Love is great, love is hate. It is the key to open the iron gate. but, what brings forth the horses and sometimes rides away before it is too late?" The troll tilted his head.

Clara turned around and eyed everyone in the group. Angelica shrugged, and Kai glanced up at Clara, his hand on his chin as he thought about the riddle.

Cage looked into Clara's eyes and said nothing. He reached out and held her hand for a moment.

"Words. That is the answer. Sometimes we say them at just the right time." Cage gave the answer and turned his attention to the troll.

The troll groaned and hung his head in defeat once more before rhyming for the third time.

"Today most feel happiness, tomorrow some will feel sorrow. In the morrow of great victory, what crawls in the shadows and will soon make history?"

This one was tricky. Clara had an answer, but she was afraid it might have been the wrong one. There was too much at stake to lose.

Kai stepped forward and leaned down to whisper in Clara's ear.

"Vampires." Kai whispered the same thing that Clara was thinking. It had to be the answer right?

Clara exhaled and glanced up at Kai, she looked into his eyes, his orbs held so much mystery.

"Are you sure?" Clara asked quietly.

Kai nodded his head.

Clara turned to the troll after a moment. "Vampires." She said confidently.

The troll jumped up and down and smiled as he laughed. "You're wrong!"

He exclaimed.

Clara frowned. Then what is the answer? She wondered.

"It's me! Me! I will!" The troll danced.

"Well, looks like we'll have to do this the hard way." Kai began to pull his sword from his side.

"No. . . Maybe he will still let us pass." Clara said sadly and Kai put his sword back.

"I won! It's mine."  The troll glanced at Clara's dagger and she quickly clasped her hand around the handle of it.

The troll lifted his hand and Clara could feel the blade beneath her hand start to lift up. She held the dagger down, but the force was strong. The trolls power was almost too strong.

"You wagered the blade!" The troll growled.

"Yes, but there has to be something else you might want! I do not wish to part with it!" Clara realized now that what she had done was a mistake. She never should have wagered something so precious to her.

The troll persisted, and was able to pull the dagger almost all of the way out of its sheath. Clara fought against the magic and didn't let go. The two continued this for a few moments before they heard a rustling noise coming from nearby. Everyone listened quietly and stopped their movements as they heard an unfamiliar voice speak.

"You are all very far from home.  .  ." The deep voice Clara recognized to be similar to the voice of someone she had heard before. It was familiar, but foreign at the same time.

Everyone glanced up to see a man walking forwards on the bridge, and he stopped just behind the bridge troll, who had now turned to face him suddenly.

The man was average height, his medium length hair and mustache were a light brown, and the color of his eyes matched the shade of his hair. His aura was light, inviting... And a bit playful.

"I've had enough surprise encounters for today." Cage groaned, his sword at the ready.

The man raised a curious brow, and closed his eyes.

"Ow!"Cage yelped as the hand that held his sword was forced to reach out and drop his sword against his will. The mysterious man who stood was controlling Cage's action.

"Trolls aren't the only ones who can have telekinesis powers." The man chuckled as he stopped his control on Cage's arm. His sword had now fallen over the ledge of the bridge, out of everyone's reach.

"Who are you?" Cage growled and pulled out the knife he kept in his left boot.

The man didn't yet answer Cage's question. He set his gaze on Clara, and then glanced down to what the bridge troll and her had been fighting over.

Clara was distracted momentarily, and it gave the man a split second to lift the dagger up from Clara's reach and bring it towards himself. The man examined the blade in the air.

The bridge troll watched as the man dropped the blade from the air and held it in his hands. The troll stomped forwards angrily.

The man didn't glance up as he stopped the troll from moving any further. Clara was just about to charge over to the man and take the dagger from him, but she decided against it once she realized the powers be had were other worldly.

"My name is Lord Divant Targum, son of Divin III." The man continued to study the blade and he glanced up after a moment, his focus set on the redhead ahead of the group.

"Is that supposed to impress us?" Cage rolled his eyes.

"I'm assuming this is yours my lady?" The man asked Clara.

"Yes, the dagger is mine." Clara nodded.

"And you should give it back. It isn't yours." Cage's eyes narrowed.

"I forgot how annoying werewolves can be. Looks like I will just have to shut him up myself." Divant raised his hand and made a motion in the air. Cage fell silent.

"What did you do to him?!" Clara asked loudly, her voice full of fear and her expression cold.

"Don't worry, I didn't hurt him. Him and the rest of your friends are under a new spell I've been practicing. It stops them from moving and speaking." Clara glanced behind her at everyone. Everyone, including the troll was frozen in place where they stood, completely speechless.

"What do you want?" Clara asked angrily.

"I only want to talk. I promise I will let them go afterwards." Divant held the dagger out in Clara's direction. Clara didn't make a move to take back what was hers.

"I don't know you, and I do not trust you." Clara hesitated.

"I'd like to change that. . . I mean, after all, why would you pass up a chance to get to know the greatest wizard in all of history? I literally just made your friends be quiet and stand still against their will. That's quite a a talent." Divant smiled and laughed playfully.

"I thought you said you just learned the spell?" Clara crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah . . You caught me! In all honesty, I don't think I'm the greatest wizard in the history of wizards, but don't underestimate me." Divant earned a smile from Clara, he was just too sarcastic and eccentric. She found herself getting lost in the moment, rather than the oddness of the situation.

"So, now that I've confessed that I'm not who I said I was at first, does that mean that you will take a walk with me now? I'm certainly not going to pass up a chance to get to know the girl who's going to save the world sometime soon."

Clara's expression was one of pure confusion. "Where did you get the idea that I am going to save the world?" She asked.

"Umm. . . I already know that you are. For one, you have the key. And not to mention, you seem like the main character in this story. Like, you even pushed blondie behind you when that ugly troll came out of nowhere, you're similar to every selfless, naïve female main I've ever read about. And I read a lot." Divant stepped forwards and extended a hand out to Clara.

Clara glanced down at his hand and walked passed him after a moment, silently telling him she wasn't for the friendly gesture.

"How did you know about the troll? Have you been following us?" Clara walked slowly, her arms wrapped around herself protectively.

Divant twirled the dagger in his hands, the bottom of his long ebony colored cloak blowing in the wind as he walked.

"Only for a few miles." He answered Clara's question.

"What do you want?" Clara moved further away from the man walking beside her.

"Nothing. I would like to offer council, and sanctuary to you and your friends." Divant said.

"But you-" Clara started, but suddenly fell silent as Divant pushed aside a large tree branch, revealing what lay beyond the wooden bridge.

On the other side of the bridge and the large crater in the ground beneath it, just beyond a few yards of forest, Clara could see with her own eyes a small village. The village and small makeshift homes were colorful and rather vibrant. Many of the people Clara could see from where she stood were clearly indulging in festivities.

"What is this place?" Clara asked.

"We go by many names, but as a group of people who always travel around and pride ourselves in researching the supernatural, we like to go by the Vagare." Divant smiled proudly.