Page 31 of Shelf-Made Man
Tobias wondered whether the trolls were entirely to blame for those conflicts. Alfie would probably assume so. Tobias also wondered vaguely about the circumstances of his abandonment. Were his biological parents dead? Did they survive but find themselves unable to care for a baby in the midst of battle? Were they separated from him by accident? He didn’t feel any emotional connection to them, just a deep gratitude that he’d ended up somewhere safe and loving.
“Aunt Virginia, can I ask you another question? How come you gave Alfie to me?” He winced a little at his phrasing, but he couldn’t think of a better way to say it. Alfie seemed interested in the issue, cocking his head slightly as they waited for her to respond.
She gave a small shrug. “If you’re asking whether I knew you could restore him, I did not. I didn’t think it was a possibility after Olve had failed, especially since you are not a wizard. But I am very old, and I wanted to ensure that the doll—that Alfie—was well cared for. And I knew, Tobias, that you could be trusted with this. I do apologize for the responsibility I saddled you with. I hadn’t expected the onus to be so heavy.”
“I don’t mind. It feels good to be useful.”
Alfie stood and bowed to Aunt Virginia. “I thankyou for your stewardship, my lady. I am greatly in your debt.”
“I did nothing but stow you away in closets for decades. Tobias is the one you should be thanking.”
After a brief hesitation, Alfie bowed to Tobias as well, and Tobias responded with what he hoped was a regal nod. He didn’t really want acknowledgment, especially from Alfie. But he wasn’t about to act rudely in front of the Countess of Contovello.
Anyway, there were bigger fish to fry. As Alfie retook his seat, Tobias turned to her. “You’ve filled in a lot of the blanks for us. But this bad guy named Snjokarl has been sending troll thugs after Alfie. Do you know how we can protect him?”
She frowned thoughtfully. “You might be able to transfer him home, Toby. More elegantly than my Olve did, I believe. My understanding is that this would be within your capabilities. You would have to accompany him, but then you could return here immediately if you chose to do so.”
Alfie nodded. “Yes. This is what you must do. Then they will leave you alone.”
“But they won’t leaveyoualone, will they? If I drop you off, they’ll….” He let the rest remain unspoken.
Alfie opened his mouth to respond, but Aunt Virginia stopped him with a raised hand. “Alfred, have you anyone at home you may turn to for assistance or protection?”
“No,” he said grimly. “I have nobody.”
And there it was. He had managed to make Tobiasfall in love with him and then had broken Tobias’s heart, all in the space of a few days. But that hadn’t really been Alfie’s fault. Now he was all alone in not one world but two.
A chunk of knowledge struck Tobias so hard and so suddenly that he initially thought they were experiencing an earthquake and the building was falling down. The ground, however, was steady—it was Tobias himself who was shaken.
He stood up slowly and crossed his arms. “I know what to do.”
Chapter
Fourteen
“Absolutely not.”
That was Alfie speaking, although Aunt Virginia had said pretty much the same thing. Tobias had outlined his plan and the two of them had instantly vetoed it.
Except he was a grown man, dammit—grown troll, whatever—and capable of making his own decisions. Neither of them could stop him. And neither had any alternative suggestions. Unless you counted Alfie’s demand that Tobias dump him in Snjokarl’s lap and then skedaddle back to his bungalow, his laptop, and his nuked Trader Joe’s meals.
“I’m going,” Tobias said stubbornly. “I won’t drag you with me against your will, Alfie, but if I need to, I’ll go alone.”
“You’ll be killed—or worse! I told you what Snjokarl is like, and he has a host of trolls to help him.They guard him always. You can’t beat him by yourself, and I would be of little help.”
Tobias knew all that. He was also aware, at some level, that his insistence was foolish. But he also knew that if he didn’t at least try, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. He shrugged. “Today is a good day to die.”
Aunt Virginia huffed, and Alfie said, “That’s a terrible thing to say. You’re young. You have so much life to live.”
“I was quoting someone else. I don’t really want to die. But I get the sentiment. And Aunt Virginia, you’re the one who told me to stop locking myself away.”
“I meant you should date, not go on suicide missions.”
“It’s not a—” Tobias rubbed his forehead instead of trying to finish the sentence.
“I don’t understand your intentions,” said Alfie. “You could be free of me and all the dangers I expose you to. Instead, you choose to singlehandedly confront a sadistic elf who has a large retinue of brutal guards and who will not be dissuaded from persecuting me.”
Tobias twitched one shoulder. “That’s a reasonable summary.”
