Queen Grizelda pointed a small square box at Micky's face and pushed a button on the side. A red laser beam hit Micky on the chin. His head snapped back against the pole.
"OWW!" Micky yelled, "That hurt!"
"Good, it was supposed to!" Grizelda laughed, "Ready to join our side?"
"No way!" Micky growled, tugging at his bonds. But Davius had done a good job of tying Micky up so he couldn't budge. Grizelda pushed the button again. This time the laser beam hit Micky's throat.
"AHHH! Stop that!" Micky pleaded, wincing in pain.
"Or else what?" Grizelda mocked.
"Or I'll be sorry!" Micky exclaimed.
"Where did you get that device from anyway?" Davius asked Grizelda.
"The Great One gave it to me. He's such a clever man."
"Yes he is," Davius agreed, "And I'll always be grateful to him for removing Santa's spell so that I can take my rightful place once again as King-and you as my Queen." Davius kissed Grizelda's hand.
"Please, Davy," Micky begged, "You're no more a troll than I'm a nuclear scientist."
"Are all top-siders stubborn and stupid as this one, Davius?" Grizelda asked.
"I'm afraid so, my dear. They seem to latch on to one idea and stick to it." Davius replied.
"Well, maybe another jolt will get through his thick head." Grizelda said and aimed the box at Micky. But this time, Micky was ready. Using the pole he was tied to as leverage, Micky brought one of his legs, which weren't tied, straight up hitting Grizelda's hand and knocking the box out of her grip. The box flew several feet than smashed into a thousand pieces as it hit the ground. Grizelda grasped her hand in pain.
"OW!" She yelled. Instantly Davius was at her side holding her injured hand while other trolls raced over and grabbed Micky's legs. They chained Micky's legs together, and then chained them to a ring on the floor. Davius rubbed and kissed Grizelda's injured hand then turned to Micky.
"Filthy top-sider!" Davius raged, his eyes dark. "How dare you hit my Queen, my bride to be!!"
"I...I didn't mean to hit her," Micky stammered, "Just knock the box away!"
"SHUT UP!!" Davius roared. He bent down and back-handed Micky across the face. Micky's head snapped to the side.
Tears rolled down Micky's cheeks, not because of the pain, but because it was Davy that had hit him. Micky realized that Davy was truly, deeply under Glick's control since Davy would never hit him.
Glick now entered the room.
"King Davius, its time for you to give your speech...is there a problem, your majesties?" He asked smoothly, noticing Davius' rage.
"The top-sider knocked your box out of my hand and the box is broken, Oh Great One." Grizelda replied.
"Oh that's OK, my Queen. I prefer the old fashioned methods of torture anyway. Don't you agree, King Davius?" Glick asked, sneaking a sidelong glance at Micky.
Davius matched Glick's evil smile. "Yes, you're quite right, Oh Great One." He turned to the trolls gathered in the room. "Beat some manners into the top-sider, then put him back in his cell. I have a speech to make that will change the destiny of our kind."
"Yes, my king." Several of the trolls answered, evil smiles on their faces too.
Then without another word, without even a glance at Micky, Davius gently took Grizelda's arm and led her away. Glick followed them, chuckling evilly. His hold on Davy was greater than he had hoped. Davy was even ordering the torture of one of his best friends!
Behind Glick, several trolls, holding short wooden clubs, walked over to Micky. Terrified, Micky tried to get away, but the chains and ropes had him helpless.
Davius, Grizelda and Glick didn't even bother to look back as Micky's screams echoed down the tunnels.
~~~~~~
Armed with the maps of where the Trolls' underground entrances were, Mike and Peter raced back to their room. Once there, Mike began to rip through Micky's belongings.
"What are you looking for Mike?" Peter asked.
"The last time we fought creatures like this is when the evil wizard Glick used the Frodis to hypnotize people. At the time, Micky had a book which we used to fight off a two-headed Org."
Peter nodded. He had been under Frodis' hypnosis for most of that adventure, but he remembered what the others had told him.
"So you're looking for that book?" Peter asked.
"Right, Pete. AH HA! Here it is!" Mike said triumphantly, holding up a small paper-backed book, "This will-I hope, help us defeat any creatures we encounter down below!"
"I hope so Mike. I'm afraid for Micky and Davy." Peter said quietly.
Mike put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "I am too, shotgun, I am too. Now lets get ready."
~~~~~~
Davius stood on the balcony overlooking the great hall, the largest room in the troll underworld. There were hundreds, if not thousands of trolls down below him waiting expectantly for the king to speak. He and Grizelda stepped to the railing and were greeted by a roar of welcome. The great King Davius has finally returned! Glick stayed back from the railing, silently watching his puppets. Davius raised his hands for silence. It finally came, and Davius spoke.
"Greetings, my fellow Trolls! Today is indeed a great day for our kind! I have been freed from Santa's evil spell and have finally returned to you!"
Great cheering erupted from that. Davius raised his hands for silence.
"Now is the time for us to get revenge on Santa for oppressing us all these years! Now we will use his love of coal and our tunnels to our advantage! Right now, the engineers are starting to dig tunnels right underneath Santa's castle and workshop, and when the time is right, we will bring down Santa to our level: Quite literally! HAHAHA! Think about it, fellow trolls, no more Santa, no more..." Davius made a face, "Christmas...no more happy top-siders! This is only the first step in controlling the world! Now go and dig those tunnels, we must be ready before it is Christmas again!"
The gathered trolls cheered mightily, then charged off to the mines. Glick laughed his head off. Everything was going fine! Nothing was going to stop him from destroying Christmas!