The Goblin and the Empire

by JD Cole

  The faeries’ alarm was evident on their faces, but they quickly composed themselves for introductions. Then with greetings out of the way, Sean pointed at the group of rescue team planners toward the front of the stage. “I want you to work with the Hood and that gray-skinned fellow to rescue Kelli Ingram’s father.”

  “Understood.” Flashback managed to gawk at the faeries for only a few moments, then made her way to the group, her extremely long legs carrying her quickly in great strides across the stage. Derek stepped back as she joined them, wary of her touch. Unsure of a proper greeting, she saluted once more, this time casually. “Operative Flashback, reporting. You can just call me Flashback. If it’s o’right with you, I’ll be joining your rescue team to get Kelli’s father back.” She looked at Derek. “Hello again, Hood.”

  Derek half-nodded at her. “No handshakes or hugs, you can just stand right over there, if you please.”

  Samantha grimaced. “Yeah… sorry about that. We had a mission, y’know?”

  “Now you have a new one. So, Flashback, what do you bring to the party, other than those ridiculously huge pistols?” Derek eyed the large handguns holstered at each of her thighs, their ammunition belts trailing up to the large backpack she wore. Of course the holsters hung from her waist and fastened at her thighs: her torso was three-quarters the proportion of a normal woman, and her legs almost twice as long.

  Flashback looked from one end of the group to the other, taking in her new allies. “Right. Well, I’m a soldier, reasonable experience behind me and some pretty high-end training. I’m stronger and faster than average humans,” she looked at the Hood, “got my own blades,” she showed off her claws and talons briefly, “but beyond all that, I can teleport anywhere me or my mates have been. Which is how I was able to find him,” she lifted her chin at Marc, “after you lot took them prisoner.”

  The gathered group nodded positively. “Okay,” Derek said, “gotta admit that’s gonna come in handy. Can you teleport anywhere you haven’t been?” He deduced her perspiration enabled her teleporting power, which is partly why she’d wiped some of it on him at the warehouse. Gross, Undine groaned in his mind. He had to agree.

  “That takes some doing,” she admitted, “but I can get into that later once I hear what every step o’ this plan is.”

  “We’re working on it,” Derek promised. Returning his attention to Meshra, he said, “Okay, maybe we can split up for awhile to work out the kinks on both sides of this mission? Part of your war council sits down with Marc and the General to get everyone familiar with tactics and capabilities. And the rest of the war council can work with the rescue team, and help me figure out some options for stealth, disguises, what kind of enemies or traps we might encounter, so on.”

  Meshra nodded. “I was about to suggest the same.” He looked up at the sprite. “Serann, could you split up the council based on our expertise? I will work with General Vox and the Paladins. Get Fhert and anyone else suited to reconnaissance to work with the Hood. They may want a mage accompanying them, as well. Have Taryn work with the rescue team with that in mind.”

  “At once,” Serann nodded.

  “And when you’re done, would you be so kind as to take Master Nim to South Cross? If the zerivade is going to be part of this, we should include her in the planning as soon as possible.”

  ~

  “What happened here?” Graon asked, standing in the pristine meadow of South Cross.

  “Master elf?” Serann replied, looking around. He’d brought Graon, Kassak, Nim to the temple, and the three of them had convinced Serann to bring Lumina along, as well.

  “The Paladins destroyed the woods surrounding the temple,” Kassak explained, also looking around in confusion. “Three raiding parties of irenaks stood between us and the temple, so the Paladins burned the forest. But it’s all… grown back?”

  Lumina shared the concern, inspecting the trees at the edge of the meadow. Shaking his head, he moved back to the temple and climbed its short steps. “Time is of the essence, friends. I suggest we move on as this mystery,” he gestured at the meadow, “is not of immediate concern.”

  Everyone agreed and joined Lumina as he pressed his palm to the stone door of the temple. They waited several heartbeats, but then the stone shimmered, and a voice called from behind it.

  “Speak name, who send you?”

  Lumina did not bother with Vomelri this time around, responding to the voice in vampyric Leyskano. “No one sent us, Master vampyre. We have come hoping to find a certain sprite in your village. We seek help from Jezrimeli Addican.”

  “So, you survived your visit with Krin Ahgl?” the voice replied. “Very well, you and your party may enter. I will take you to the zerivade.”

  Lumina looked at the elves and nodded. “She’s here. The gatekeeper is inviting us in.”

  Graon slapped Nim on the back. “Good eyes, my friend. We are fortunate you found her.” Nim shrugged.

  The five of them stepped through the shimmering stone, one by one, into the massive cavern where the Klossun tribe made their home.

  They were met by the same vampyre who’d taken them to Krin’s ethergate during their quest. “Parik, was it?” Lumina asked.

  The vampyre’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “Krin Ahgl told us your name,” the Paladin continued. “He said your talk of sacrifices was a prank.”

  Parik recovered his shock, then shrugged and grinned. “Sometimes it is a prank. But the great Dragon does not approve of petitioners who waste his time. In their case, sacrifice is not a prank. He will make you pay considerably if you come seeking things like riches or power.”

  Lumina paused to consider that, then switched to Vomelri and looked at Nim. “He says he remembers us, and he’s taking us to Jezrimeli.”

  Nim nodded. “How long has she been here?” he asked.

  Parik looked up in thought for a few moments. “Hmm. I not gatekeeper yet, so, I say she come… three cycles ago?” He shrugged again.

  The five followed Parik down a shallow slope from the gate, following a winding gravel path. Kassak looked up towards a fork they’d passed, which led to the waygate they’d used to enter the dragon Krin Ahgl’s realm. They’d gone straight up to that waygate last time. Then he looked in the other direction at the mouth of the great cave. The edge of the village stopped well short of the cavern entrance; Kassak judged there was enough room to fit his own village, Renna, right next to the Klossun’s. Then, staring at the menacing forest outside the cave, a thought struck him.

  “How far is Gedaschen from here?”

  Parik frowned. “Plenty more close than I like.” He pointed to his left as they walked. “Day’s march that way. Little less far, maybe.”

  The elves all traded looks, then looked at Lumina. “A very interesting location, indeed,” the Paladin observed.

  “And the Goblin King has no idea you’re here?” Serann asked incredulously.

  Parik shrugged once more. “We no use cave entrance. Do our hunting at South Cross. Keep big quiet, we no alert goblins. Use sanctuary to guard cavern. Must be here to protect Krin Ahgl’s waygate,” he pointed off to where Kassak was looking earlier.

  “Is sanctuary really that powerful?” Kassak asked.

  Serann raised an eyebrow. “An entire clan of vampyre wizards and sorcerers dedicated to casting sanctuary… it masks the cavern from the outside, and probably hides them from the Goblin King’s detection wards, as well. And even if they are discovered, sanctuary supported by all these mages could indeed hold that entrance against attack. Indefinitely, I would guess.” He looked at Parik.

  The vampyre grinned. “Nobody enters Klossun village except we say yes,” he agreed.

  They reached the village and continued on, noting the bustle and activity one would expect of a thriving village. Children played alongside the path, while vamper and vampen –male and female vampyres— carted food and goods to and from market or performed maintenance on the various yurts and hut
s. Visitors were infrequent but not uncommon here, welcome at the inn and shopping market. The Klossun tribe facilitated travel for petitioners seeking audience with Krin Ahgl. But more than a few villagers paused to study these particular visitors; never before had anyone seen faeries traveling with a Paladin.

  They came to a stream which fed from a small waterfall at the back of the cave. The stream ended in a large pond near the center of the village, where several children swam and played. At one end of the pond, two robed vampen were throwing sparks of magic against the water. One seemed to be coaching the other.

  “Wizard in training,” Parik told everyone. “Learn control by making warm water to bathe.”

  Lumina noted the numerous pipes and pumps installed at various points upstream from the village, likely to collect the water they used for drinking and crafting. The group crossed a bridge over the stream, and were now within sight of the yurt Nim had spied on their first trip here. It was much larger than the others in the village, made of the same collapsible wooden paneling, and the Addican family crest was visible hanging from one side. As they drew near, Parik stopped and gestured them to continue. “Zerivade’s yurt. I go back to gate now. Will send you back when ready.” With that, the gatekeeper left them.

  Lumina suppressed a chuckle as he looked over the crest, then glanced at Serann, who frowned with disapproval.

  “What is it?” asked Kassak.

  “Disgusting,” Serann replied.

  Lumina allowed himself a tight smile. “It is a Zerina symbol. The sprites’ written language. It translates roughly to—”

  “I don’t think we need to say it aloud, Master Paladin.”

  “As you wish,” Lumina said.

  “We’ll follow your lead, old friend,” Graon told Nim.

  The old elf nodded and strolled up to the door, knocking. They only waited a few moments before the door opened and a beautiful sprye stood before them. She was dressed plainly in black cloth leggings and a loose gray shirt. Unlike the sprites at Windham who wore their hair long, her hair was cut shoulder-length and she wore no makeup, but she was no less striking for any of that. Her bright orange eyes gazed at them, taking each of them in turn, except for Serann.

  “Nim, son of Nauvin!” she smiled, kneeling before him and pulling him into a bearhug.

  “Urk!” Nim protested. “C’mon, Jezzy, you know I don’t hug!” Kassak and Graon couldn’t help but burst out in laughter at the sight of their grumpy companion in the sprite’s embrace.

  “Not until you’re drunk, then you can’t keep your hands off me!” she laughed.

  Nim mumbled some profanity while everyone else guffawed, trying to figure out if the sprye was serious.

  “I’m glad you brought the stiff,” Jezrimeli pointed at Serann without looking at him, “we need somebody to tend the latrines at the back of the cavern. They’re due for a rotation—”

  “Could we please dispense with—” Serann began, but the zerivade spoke over him.

  “And what is this? You travel with a Paladin? I sense an adventure worthy of songs, my friend. You must come in and regale me,” she stood and gestured everyone into her single-room dwelling. “Not you, quiff,” she spat at Serann. “Off to the latrines with you.”

  “It would be best if I wait outside,” Serann said. “I fear my presence agitates—”

  Jezrimeli slammed the door in his face. “Jezrimeli Addican,” she smiled and offered her slender forearm to Lumina, who grasped it in greeting.

  “Lumina Ja’Gracin, Zerivade. It is an honor.”

  “Likewise, Paladin. I’ve never met a human before.”

  “This is Graon, and Kassak,” Nim gestured at his companions. “Fellow rangers with me in Renna.”

  “Excellent. Please, friends, sit,” she waved at her large bed while opening her cold-keep larder across the room, “and tell me what brings you here? How did you know where to find me?”

  “That’s a long story, Jezzy, and unfortunately we’re short on time,” Nim answered.

  “So, no beer?” she asked, turning with a pitcher in her hand.

  “Don’t be stupid,” Nim said, waving her to bring over the drink. “Like I was saying, it’s a long story, so I’ll summarize. And I know the royals disgust you, but please just be quiet until I’m done. It’s important.” Nim then launched into a gruff recap of the amazing quest they’d taken to rescue the jimani queen from the human world, followed by the Goblin King’s kidnapping of her father. Jezrimeli listened attentively, twice refilling their cups with more alcohol as the tale went on.

  “The sprites are puttin’ together a rescue team,” he continued, then paused to look around conspiratorially. “We’re breakin’ into Gedaschen and rescuing the queen’s father.”

  Jezrimeli just managed to turn away from her guests before spitting beer on the floor. “Lerpmik!” she cursed, wiping her face clean with her sleeve. “Breakin’ into Gedaschen you say, like it’s less inconvenient than diarrhea! Not even I could approach the castle without getting dead fifty different ways!”

  “The Paladins are helping,” Nim nodded at Lumina, “and a couple battletenns of humans from outside the Ythsimerin. I’m tellin’ you, Jezzy, you haven’t seen war until you’ve seen the humans unleashed. The Paladins killed over sixty irenaks in a few heartbeats, just because they stood between us and South Cross.

  “When we were in their world, we watched a handful of humans literally destroy an entire forest in the blink of an eye to kill their enemies hiding in the trees. They use weapons that fire bits of metal faster than even you and I could dodge, and they carry rocks that explode like tessur arrows. I know, it sounds crazy to hear we’re goin’ into the Goblin King’s castle, but once you see the things we’ve seen, it sounds a whole lot less insane. Believe me.”

  Jezrimeli studied the Paladin thoughtfully as Nim spoke. “I do believe you,” she answered, but her eyes remained on Lumina. Finishing her mug, she asked, “And what do your people gain from this?”

  “I’ll be honest, in the long term, the new queen is likely going to be a bridge between us and the faeries, and we are open to establishing friendly relations. But more immediately, no one in Tirapan is anxious to watch the new queen and her father be tortured to death. What the King has in store for them is evil.”

  Jezrimeli twisted her lips in an expression of non-concern, then turned to Nim. “Okay, weaponsmaster, I’ll come along. You’ve intrigued me. But you know those stuck-up ruelles at Windham won’t like having me in their castle.”

  “We shouldn’t be there long, so could you just be civil with them until we can leave for Gedaschen?”

  “I suppose. As long as they stay out of my way.”

  “Speaking of,” Lumina said, “Might we speak with any of the Klossun leaders to discuss staging our rescue from here?”

  “That’ll be a definite no,” Jezrimeli shook her head. “No way they’d allow that. Their one purpose in life is protecting this cavern, they’re not going to risk exposing their location by letting you launch raids from here.”

  Lumina sighed. “Shame. But you’re right. We’ve no right to ask such a risk from them.”

  “But,” Kassak paused to suppress a belch. “But they let petitioners travel from here to Krin Ahgl’s realm. Lots of people have discovered where this place is by now.”

  “My friend,” Jezrimeli smiled wolfishly, “do you think anyone would risk angering a Dragon by betraying his worshipers? Besides,” her smile began to drip with venom, “There are other ways to get into that castle than the front gates, if you don’t mind killing a few shadowlanders.”

  The questers all leaned forward, their expressions clear: tell us more.

  « CHAPTER 21 »

  Common Bond

  “Greetings! Derek, is it?”

  Derek turned to regard the Paladins. One wore a futuristic-looking robe of fine material; the other was clearly a soldier, his armor something like a cross between leather, metal, and carbon fiber. “Hood, p
lease,” he answered the robed man.

  The Paladin nodded. “Hood it is, then. My name is Bartley, this is Fourth-Mark Julian, he’s volunteering for the rescue team with Lumina. I was hoping I could speak to you for just a moment?”

  Derek looked at his fellow planners, busy with discussions about how many faeries and goblins were likely in Gedaschen, and the best place to begin searching for Tom Ingram. He turned back to Bartley. “All right. I think I have a bit of time. How can I help you?”

  Bartley smiled. “Even with this language spell, I can tell your Gine is excellent. Lumina tells me you’ve just started speaking it in the past few weeks?”

  “I’m a quick learner,” the Hood agreed.

  “Indeed. That’s what I wanted to speak to you about. Once this adventure has concluded –successfully, we all hope— I would like to invite you to our city, Tirapan. Lumina has observed several of your… skills… and, well, the thing is, it sounds to us like you have capabilities matching certain people in our legends.”

  “Is that so?” Derek’s posture told Bartley he’d gotten his attention.

  “It would be better if we could discuss this when we have more time and less distraction. But if you are a Khorev,” Bartley blinked. “Sorry, that’s the name of the people in our legends, the Khorev. But no one has ever seen one, and the few records we have that the legends are based on are tens of thousands of years old.

  “You see, our legends say it was a Khorev who helped Sen’giza escape the Chek’than. So you can imagine we are very interested in seeing if you can prove the legends are accurate. We’d like you to review those records and legends and see if anything in them seems familiar to you.”

  Derek looked over to where his group seemed to be reaching some kind of consensus, but suddenly an ethergate opened on the other side of the stage. Serann Ozramin led the rangers and Lumina through, followed by a sprye dressed far more ruggedly and with shorter hair than any Derek had yet seen. He looked at Bartley again. “I agree, we’ll have to continue this when things have settled down. But I am very interested in learning more about these ‘Khorev’. It was good to meet you,” he said, returning to the rescue team with Julian in tow. Bartley nodded and walked back to the assault team.