Free The Temporal Stone (The Morgan Sisters) by Suzy Turner

humans. Maybe we should hang around and wait to see if....'
    Suddenly, a gap in the cloaked figures opened up and revealed a number of frozen humans being carried in front of them.
    'Uh oh,' Declan said. 'They're vamps, and they're taking full advantage of the humans not being able to escape. We've got to do something...'
    'You mean vamps as in vampires?'
    'Afraid so, Sammy.'
    'But they... they... can kill,' she gulped.
    Declan nodded, 'They're capable of some serious bodily harm. You know what you've read about them in books?'
    Sammy nodded.
    'And seen in movies?'
    She nodded again.
    'Some of it is fiction, but a lot of it is true.'
    Sammy's face paled in seconds.
    'But don't worry, we can handle them.'
    'We can?' she whispered.
    'Just be careful, alright?'
    Sammy nodded before Elliot spoke, 'Wait a minute, why aren't the trolls bothering them?' he asked.
    'Maybe there aren't any here?' suggested Emma. 'Erm, can you tell us if any of your kind are here?' she turned to ask their captive.
    He looked up from his squashed position in the cage.
    'I can't... I can't see see...'

'Declan?' asked Emma.
    'Yes, I think so too,' he replied.
    'Huh? Oh come on you guys, not fair to communicate like that. Emma, what were you thinking just then?'
    Emma raised her eyebrows and looked backwards.
    'Oh no, you're not going to let him out? But he might freeze us all and then what?'
    'It's a risk we've got to take if we're going to help stop those poor humans from becoming lunch,' Declan added.
    'I know you're right, I really do, but...'
    'Free me me? Free me me?' said the troll. 'You'll free me in order to help those people people?' he asked.
    'We have to,' said Emma. 'Will you promise not to hurt us?'
    The troll smiled widely.
    'I never had any any intention to harm you you. I want want to help you you. I want to help you you. Really, I do. I do do,' he clapped.
    Emma turned to Declan who nodded from the front seat of the car as he handed her a key from the glove box.
    Taking a deep breath, Emma leant backwards just as Lana grabbed her. 'Be careful, Sis,' she whispered before releasing her.
    Emma climbed onto her knees and leant over the back seat, fumbling with the key in the padlock until it clicked free. The door popped open and the troll gingerly unravelled himself from it. As he lifted himself into the small space next to the cage, he let out a giggle and leant forward towards Emma.
    She gulped and tensed her body as he leant over to grab her.
    'Oh no,' cried Lana with her eyes closed.
    But when she opened them again, she was amazed to see her sister hugging the creature back, giggling with him.
    'Oh,' Lana yelped. 'You didn't harm her. But you could have frozen us all, why didn't you?'
    The troll released his grip on Emma and shrugged, 'Why would I I? Why would would I I?' he asked.
    'But all the humans - and back in Bath, Liam and Nisha - oh, I'm so confused.'
    'The trolls aren't all all bad bad,' he quipped. 'Some are under under the spell spell. A nasty spell spell. I managed to escape it it, but then you ran me over over and, and trapped me in that cage cage.'
    'Why didn't you say something before?' she asked.
    The troll shrugged his shoulders, 'Why? Why not? Who knows knows?'
    'We can talk about this later,' Declan said, peering through the window and watching more and more humans being carried into the castle.
    'Can you see any trolls in the vicinity?' he asked.
    The pixie troll scoured the area and shook his head, 'No, no trolls here, no trolls here here.'
    'How are we going to help, Declan?' asked Elliott.
    'I have a plan,' he replied, looking through his mirror directly at the creature in the back. The troll gulped loudly.
     
    oOo
    'So we're safe to get out of the car?' Lana asked for the third time.
    'Yes, yes, safe yes yes. I can keep you safe safe,' he answered.
    'How can you keep us safe?' Elliott quipped as they very quietly climbed out of the Range Rover and hid behind it while they waited for Declan to explain his