by Jeff Inlo
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Running out of the old town library that now served as the town hall and the office of the Mayor, Helen Flisher reached the outside air just as Captain Tevor began leaping up the stone steps.
“I was just coming for you,” he said with an out-of-breath huff. “More trouble.”
“I hear. What’s going on that we can be sure of?”
“More goblin raids, this time to the east.”
“The east?! They’ve bypassed the city?” Mayor Flisher questioned in surprise.
“Unless they came from somewhere else other than Dark Spruce, it looks like it.”
“I didn’t think goblins liked the open lands.”
“I didn’t either, but we really don’t know too much about them.”
The mayor frowned. “Never mind, we’ll deal with that later. It sounds bad out there, what kind of goblin numbers are we looking at.”
“Too dark to get a good look,” Tevor admitted, “but it’s clear they’re hitting just about every farm that’s within walking distance on our eastern side. In order to do that, they would need at least two hundred maybe more.”
“Casualties?”
“No reports of any as of yet. Every farm family that has made it to the city has said that the goblins didn’t harm them or their family members and they didn’t see any dead on the road into the city.”
“They’re letting them escape?”
“Seems that way. I have the full cavalry waiting at the eastern border of the city for a full charge to repel. Even if there’s four hundred out there, we can send them into retreat and clear the area.”
The mayor considered what she was told and listened to the clamor in the distance. She wanted to give the order, but a great doubt weighed upon her mind. She hesitated and revealed her concerns. “Something about this isn’t right. They hit us to the south and now they hit us to the east with greater numbers. We didn’t respond to their first attack. If they just want food, why not use their numbers to sack everything they could from the southern farms? Why move up to the east? If they are from Dark Spruce, they put the city between them and their escape. If not, why did they break up their forces to hit the south first?”
“Two possibilities that I can think of, the first is that the two attacks are not related. Maybe these are two different goblin packs that have nothing to do with each other, but because of the storm, they both got the same idea. They just attacked from different points.”
“Do you believe that?”
“Not for an instant,” Tevor admitted, “but it is possible.”
“The second possibility?”
“The second is that they know the eastern farms are larger. When we didn’t respond to their first attack, they got brave and went for the bigger prize.”
Mayor Flisher shook her head. “If they know that the eastern farms are larger they should also know that it’s the dormant season and we moved most of the food from those farms into the city.”
“We also kept a good deal out in the farms in case the dwarves attacked again so we wouldn’t lose all our supplies.”
“True, so you think they just want our reserves?” the mayor asked.
“They’re goblins, they don’t farm themselves. Why not?”
“I don’t know. Something still doesn’t feel right about this.”
At that very moment, the first few snow flakes began to drift out of the night sky.
“It’s starting to snow,” the mayor said.
“Aye, what’s your order on the cavalry?”
“Hold them,” Mayor Flisher said quickly, but then she altered her position slightly. “Actually, no. Have them ride out and assist the escaping farmers, but they are not to engage the goblins—just a rescue mission, nothing else. It’s going to be light soon enough and it’s already starting to snow. We have enough food in the city that we can afford to lose those reserves, but I don’t think we will. They don’t have enough time to take everything. Pretty soon it’s going to be light out here and the snow is going to pile up and slow them down. If the goblins are still out there when it gets lighter, we’ll see them and know what we’re really up against. If they’re loading up with supplies and trying to run back to the forest, we can send out your forces then. What do you think?”
“I admit I don’t like running from a fight…”
“Well, we’re not really running. We’re just waiting for the right time.”
Tevor smiled lightly. “Aye, I can wait and I’d like to see just what we’re up against as well.”