The technology that created an immortal cat was made to work for humans. The outcome didn't please everyone but the guardians were happy with the result. In their opinion, they had achieved immortality and that was all that mattered.
Most people knew that the guardians were immortal but few knew what that involved. Peter had seen the result and suffered agonies whenever he thought of it. The cat in the jar was bad enough. Taking it one step further was repulsive. He glanced at the wall. There were things, on the other side, that were neither dead nor properly alive.
Soon he would have to confront them. There was no way of avoiding it. Crispin had to speak to Father and he couldn't do it alone. A big storage unit had to be pushed out of the way and it was too big for one person. He bit his lip and took a deep breath as he and Crispin gave it a push. The unit moved under their combined weight and revealed a hole in the wall.
A cabinet on the other side had to be moved before they could get through. His eyesight was better than Crispin's and it was his job to check that the way was clear. A narrow gap acted as a spy hole. Peter put his eye to it and didn't like what he saw.
'A troll,' he whispered.
'Where?'
'Outside the place where they keep baby trolls.'
'You can ignore her.'
'Are you sure?'
'Yes.'
'What if it sees us?'
'No sweat.' Crispin crawled inside the hole. 'She's a nursing troll and she's programmed to guard the crib. It's the death trolls you need to worry about. They're the ones with crimson cloaks and yellow armbands. Even the furies are scared of them.'
Peter moved his head from side to side.
'I can't see any death trolls.'
'Can you see any other trolls?'
'No. Just the one looking after the babies.'
'Right. Let's go.'
Crispin put his feet against the cabinet and eased it away from the wall. They now had a clear view in all directions. Peter was right. There was only one troll on duty and she was outside the crib. They had entered the Forbidden Zone. They had penetrated the guardians' seat of power without setting off any alarms or attracting the attention of any death trolls.
He had made many visits to the Forbidden Zone to see Father. Some were sanctioned by the guardians. Most weren't. His first visit was with his mother. That was when he was small. It was her first visit too. One of mother's eggs had been impregnated with one of Father's sperm and Crispin was the outcome.