The troll mumbled into his hand and laughed again. He pulled some cards out of his coat pocket. He smeared them all around on the ground and then put them back into a pile.

“Little Fawn! Your future awaits.”

“Rowan,” I whispered. That troll was crazy. I yanked Rowan’s T-shirt as hard as I could, but he smacked my hand away.

“Stop it, Maisy. If you’re such a wimp, then go home out of it.”

“I’m not a wimp.” That was a lie.

The troll held the deck out to me. “You have to tap it three times. With your pointer finger.”

I shook my head.

“Don’t you want me to see, Little Fawn? What’s going to happen to you?”

“Come on, Maisy. Don’t be like that. It’s just a game. And Carl’s trying to be nice.”

“Carl’s trying to be nice.”

I didn’t like how he kept saying Rowan’s words. Why didn’t he have his own?

I took a tiny step closer so Rowan wouldn’t think I was scared. I tapped the deck. The troll smiled, and then he flipped some of the cards over on the ground.

“You are quiet,” he said. “Urh. You are not brave, but one day you will be brave. Very brave.” I took another step closer and got down to see the cards. They were old. Some of the corners were torn off. “But—” He tapped the third card. “But. But. Urh. Two paths here. Two paths. One will seem warm and familiar. One will be thick and dark. You need to go in, or, or, or, urh, come out.”

Rowan poked me with his elbow and said to the troll, “I told you she was a turtle.”

Then he laughed and scritched his beard. I could hear his fingernails. “Love,” he said. “Only love is on the other side.”

“Maisy’s got a boyfriend,” Rowan sang. “Probably Darrell.”

“Stop it,” I said. I went a little closer. The troll smelled like Chicken that time he rolled in rotted squirrel. Then he took something shiny from another pocket and unfolded it. It looked like one of those grocery store pie plates made of soft metal. He tore a piece off, and reached his hand out and touched my hair. My middle was shaking, but I stayed still. I would be brave. He picked up some of my hair. I closed my eyes waiting for him to yank it. But he said, “There.” When I opened my eyes I felt around in my hair. I lifted some of it and saw a piece of silver was pinched there.

“Protection.” He tapped my nose and laughed until he coughed. “The Workers are always listening, Little Fawn. But you’ll be safe now. Don’t lose it though. Otherwise, I, I, I, urh, don’t know. Terrible stuff. Terrible, terrible stuff is coming.”