Troll Or Derby, A Fairy Wicked Tale by Red Tash

allegedly my sister’s Protector or Guardian or something, I couldn’t go back home without her, and now I knew that there were all kinds of grisly men roaming the countryside sprouting tusks. I also knew there was no point in bullshitting this guy about any of that.
    “I don’t know jack shit, dude. You better start talking.”
    He laughed and crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. “Where should I begin?”
    “Start with your freaky-ass teeth, and we’ll move on from there.”
    He laughed again. “The teeth are the most obvious difference, and, honestly, the fact you can see them tells a lot about you, Deb. Most humans can’t see them at all unless they’ve got The Sight.”
    “Obvious difference between …”
    “Between us and them,” he said. “I’m a troll, Deb. McJagger’s a troll. Dave’s a troll. That biker who brought you to the Fog was a troll—”
    “And the Coach? Coach is a troll?” I was horrified. What did this mean?
    “Oh, yeah, Coach, most definitely. Good guy, the Coach.”
    “You know him?” I asked.
    “We’re old friends, Deb. He’s the one who sent me after you. And Moe’s not entirely bad, either.”
    “He was going to sell me out to that old black thing—that McJagger guy.”
    “Moe? Naw. Don’t believe that. He was friends with my dad back in the day. Didn’t he tell you my name?”
    “Yeah. But you’re losing me with all this info. What was that name thing about? What happened at the Fog? And where are we now? Why does it smell so bad?”
    “One thing at a time, girl! One thing at a time!” He laughed. “Funny,” he said. “You don’t even know about the spells, and yet you know just how to break one.” He laughed again, and scratched his beard. He pulled some of his dreads back away from his face, and tied them into a ponytail, with a leather band from his wrist.
    He continued. “The thing is, Deb, there are lots of prophecies. Some come true, and some don’t. It’s like the weather.”
    I nodded.
    “And in the world of trolls and fairies and worse, there are a lot of people who’ll move heaven and earth to control that sort of thing. They use whatever they can, you know? Spells, manipulation, lies—just like humans.” He took a deep breath, and leaned forward in his chair, looking me in the eye. “Best I can tell, someone put a really powerful spell over me to keep me from contacting you. When you called my name out like you did, you broke it. So good going, really.”
    “I was just following my gut,” I said.
    “You’ve got a good gut, I’d say.” He laughed again.
    “So, how does this whole Protector thing work?” I asked. “You have to look out for me now? And do I have The Sight, or whatever you called it? Do you know where Gennifer is? What did McJagger want me for?” The questions just came tumbling out. Suddenly I was shaking.
    Harlow knelt before me on the floor. “Easy, easy, Deb.” He patted my head and I felt exhaustion sweep over me.
    “You took my teeth,” I said, as I felt myself melting back into the sleeping bag. “That was so weird.”
    “Yeah,” he said softly. He patted his chest, where the pouch hung. “Had to. It was the only way.”
    “I want to know everything,” I said. “I want to stay up and talk.”
    “You need to rest, and you need to eat,” he said. “How many days has it been since you had a decent meal? I’ll go find us some food—you relax. Take a nap.”
    I gave in. A Star Wars pillow caught my head as I let go and collapsed into the bedding. So fluffy and soft. It smelled like hay and sunlight. Like Harlow.
    “You’ll tell me the rest, right?” I asked.
    Harlow didn’t answer. I turned my head to ask him again, but he was already gone.

Chapter 13.5
    Your Way, Right Away
    Harlow

    Not for the first time, I was grateful I’d chosen the Laurents County landfill as my home. The mansa was easily hidden with a simple glamour amidst the piles of garbage and refuse. Everything I needed was