The emblem printed on the Colts’ helmets was a horseshoe.

And what had Blinky once said about horseshoes?

Iron works best, but in a pinch, anything of horseshoe design will suffice.

Acting upon instinct that would make any trollhunter proud, Tub pressed the helmet against the forehead of Steve Jorgensen-Warner. To say that he reacted would be the kind of understatement worthy of a punch to the face. Steve howled as if the mere touch of the emblem had torn him in half, which, a second later, it did. His blond hair self-scalped as a reptilian ridge asserted itself through his skull, and then his face, the lure that had hooked many a lovelorn high school girl, ripped down the center, splitting his forehead to reveal a bone-studded faceplate that spat out both eyeballs in favor of silver orbs that glimmered with coal-hot fury. Steve’s cheeks slopped away like two uncooked hamburger patties and his jaws exploded in a shower of teeth to make way for a massive gray mandible. The football uniform parted like a robe and thin ribbons of human meat began melting to the turf in favor of the hard, gray musculature of a changeling troll.

Claire and I broke our embrace.

Steve, his true form revealed decades before he could mature to a position of global power, screamed at the moon. Tub got out of the way, his work there done, and he motioned for Dad to quit with the heroics for one night and give the professionals room to work. Dad nodded, turned to Jack, and gave his little brother a go-ahead nod.

To my right, Jack unsheathed his sword with a satisfying zing.

To my left, Blinky chuckled, ready to win one more for ARRRGH!!!

Claire gave me a final air kiss and dropped me a devilish wink before using her blade to slice the night into dozens of beautiful shards that dazzled her fellow trollhunters as much as it infuriated the thing that used to be Steve. It was with a weary sigh and more than a few protesting muscles that I took my place beside her, beside all of them. This had been one hell of a long night. But I knew by then the truths of my trade as well as any trollhunter who’d answered the call. Long nights were just part of the deal.

About the Author

GUILLERMO DEL TORO is known for his critically acclaimed feature films, such as Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, and Pacific Rim, as well as his best-selling Strain Trilogy.

DANIEL KRAUS is the award-winning author of Scowler and Rotters and is the director of six feature films. He lives with his wife in Chicago.