by Jeff Inlo
Holli looked across the river at the group of goblins that were now in sight. They continued singing and walked brazenly forward toward the sentries that waited at one of the bridges.
"I do not think that will be the case."
Ryson wasn't so sure he agreed with the assessment, but he played along. He crouched low and hunched his shoulders. He bent his knees and pulled his chin into the top of his chest. He kept his arms close to his body to keep their length concealed. If someone spotted his outline in the distance, the delver would appear much like one of the goblins that carelessly ambled forward ahead of him.
That thought offered little solace. He moved carefully among the shadows and did his best to stay silent and out of sight. If he was seen by one of the guards-and thought to be a goblin-he didn't think it would turn out well for him.
As an additional precaution, he kept his eyes on the goblins that had wandered out of the forest before him and were staggering up to the town limits just ahead. He also watched the guards on the roof tops.
The goblins showed no concern. They stumbled forward with the town their clear objective. They moved through the light of several lanterns without care. They did nothing to hide their approach. They also showed no sign of aggression. Their crossbows dangled over their backs and their short swords remained sheathed at their hips. If it was their intention to attack the town, it was the absolute worst display Ryson had ever witnessed.
As for the guards, they clearly spotted the incoming goblins. They would have had to have been blind to miss them. To Ryson's amazement, they took no defensive position or action. No arrows were fired and no alarms were issued. The guards simply remained at their posts and watched the goblins with a dismissive nature.
Ryson turned to Holli to express his disbelief when he noticed she was watching the goblins on the road. He watched as well and his amazement grew.
The goblins crossed the bridge without a care to the number of human sentries posted at the far side. Again, it was clear that Huntston was their ultimate destination. Thankfully, they stopped singing, but they did not cease their snorting and twisted giggles. They sauntered past the guards as if they did not exist and entered the town like nothing more than loggers returning home.
Even more surprising, the sentries made no attempt to keep the goblins from entering Huntston. They did not even stop them for questioning, as they had done to numerous human travelers that attempted to enter the town in daylight. The sentries simply stepped aside, though with obvious disgust to the creatures that filed past.
"Do you believe that?" Ryson whispered to Holli.
Her answer was short and punctuated with a tone of anger.
"No."
"What in Godson's name is going on in these towns?"
"We will find out soon enough. Let us reach the empty alleys and then we can adopt a plan for further investigation."
Ryson agreed and the two figures slipped silently through the night. They crossed the clearing without incident. If anyone had seen them, which was doubtful even in the open space, it didn't seem to matter. No alarm had been signaled and no patrols had been sent out into the streets to investigate intruders.
In a narrow alley between two closed merchant shops, Holli and Ryson reviewed the immediate area with a mind toward remaining out of sight.
"Not many people on the streets at night," Holli observed, "but enough for us to avoid attention."
Ryson agreed. Scattered groups of humans marched somewhat hurriedly down the avenues. Most turned into inns and taverns, while others just moved through the gloom until they turned some corner and continued forward out of sight.
Holli made no immediate move to step out of the alley. She watched those that passed intently and tried to ascertain the overall sense of those that lived within Huntston. She noted that most kept their heads down and their eyes forward. They did not seek attention, nor did they care to closely examine their surroundings. They moved onward with focused determination.
The elf then looked up and down the streets trying to locate any of the goblins that entered the town. She could not find a single one, and the magical flow continued to disrupt her senses. She believed she caught remote vibrations, but it was like smelling smoke from a very distant chimney. She turned to the delver with a request for his unique abilities.
"Without venturing out into the streets, can you detect any signs of the goblins nearby?"
Ryson concentrated on everything he could see, hear, and smell. He revealed what he sensed as he focused on catching any lingering indications of the dark creatures' presence.
"They're definitely in town, but we already know that. I can catch faint scents of their trails, but they're not nearby. I can tell you this; they've been in this town for a while, at least it smells that way. It's kind of like the scent is beaten into the ground. The thing is, it's not real strong. I don't think they hang around in this area, or even in the streets. I can't see them anywhere, and I can't even hear them. Still, it's like…" He paused for long moments trying to find the words to explain what he sensed. "It's not like they're hiding, but they're not out in the open. Maybe they're all holed up in some tavern."
"A large group… all in one tavern?" Holli offered. "I would think you would hear them. Even if they were across town."
Thinking about how drunken goblins would act if dozens had gathered in a single establishment, Ryson realized the night was much too quiet for such a possibility.
"Yeah, I probably would, but I don't. I really don't know where they might be, but they're not out in the open, and they're not close by."
Holli frowned. She did not like any of the information they were discovering.
"We have to be careful," she finally said. "This feels beyond strange. Obviously, something is very wrong here. Goblins enter the town, and then disappear. The humans allow them to enter, and do nothing to guard themselves against the incursion."
"So what do we do now?"
"Let us walk these streets and alleys with a careful eye. We will walk as the other residents. We will seem as if we have a certain destination and move with little delay. We will mask our attention to details as we travel, but we will both watch for indications of what is really going on here."
Ryson agreed and followed Holli out of the alley. He let her set the direction and pace and he did everything in his power to appear detached from his surroundings, but nothing could have been further from the truth.
He soaked in everything around him with all of his senses. In mere moments, he was flooded with tension. Holli was right, something was very wrong in Huntston and the delver could sense it with every fiber of his being.
The people that moved past him did so with both fatigue and suspicion, not focused directly upon him or his elf companion, but at every dark corner. They did not appear to shrink from some perceived physical presence lurking in the shadows, but rather an undefined terror that could drift out of any concealed gloom, as if madness would take hold of them if they allowed their guard to fall. It was like they expected disaster at every turn and their constant alarm exhausted them.
Beyond the anxiety that seemed to smother each human inhabitant of the town, Ryson continued to sense the faint traces of dark creatures. It was almost as if every road led to a pack of goblins waiting behind some lonely corner, yet they never encountered a single creature.
Both Holli and Ryson peered into many inns and taverns, but they never entered any of the establishments. Holli slowed the pace sufficiently to allow for brief glances through windows, but then pressed forward as if stopping would be a mistake.
Their glimpses into each tavern and pub yielded little more information than they gained on the streets. The patrons appeared tense, almost frustrated, as if they hoped a glass of wine or mug of ale would alleviate their concerns, but found only failure in the attempt. There was little talk and absolutely no cheer. Depression had set into Huntston.
"Pretty bleak," Ryson whispered.
"Indeed."
"No wonder they're leaving the valleys. I wouldn't stay here, either."
"But some are choosing to stay."
"Maybe they can't leave."
Holli considered the assertion.
"Do you think that is why dark creatures watch the passes out of the valley?"
"Maybe."
"But then why are so many allowed to leave at Pride Gap? Humans have been crossing the plains in droves and many have entered Connel. Why were they allowed to leave and others not?"
It was an inconsistency Ryson could not explain and he just shrugged.
"Have you sensed anything more in the magic?" the delver asked.
"The anomaly in the energy remains. It bends into the town, but it is quickly released. I cannot pinpoint an exact location or focal point of the disturbance. It is as if the magic is being drawn into the entire town as opposed to one specific area, and then it is disbursed back into the air."
"This all just keeps getting stranger and stranger," Ryson admitted. "I still can't pinpoint the goblins, either. I know they're around. I just couldn't begin to tell you where."
They turned a corner and Ryson immediately sensed a wave of danger flush through his senses.
"Something's wrong," he whispered, but in a harsh tone.
"I hear it as well," Holli acknowledged.
Ryson looked down at markings on the road and then down several alleys. He then looked up to the rooftops of several stores and warehouses.
"We're being surrounded."
"So much for remaining inconspicuous," the elf acknowledged. She quickly gauged her surroundings. Although she lacked the keen senses of a delver, she was still a trained elf guard and she knew how to assess danger. As she reviewed the events that brought them there, their current circumstances, and the options before her, even more questions developed in her mind. What she was lacking was answers, and it began to irritate her.
Ryson had placed his attention on the more immediate problem. He knew several guards were taking positions all around them. He focused on finding an escape route.
"I think we should…"
Holli cut him off before he could complete his suggestion. She knew he was planning to make a dash forward or a sudden retreat, but she had another alternative in mind.
"No, we will let them take us," she said with more than a simple hint of determination.
"Are you sure?"
"We need information."
"But do we want to be captured?"
"Yes, I think we do."
Chapter 6
"Are you sure you don't want to get out of here?" Ryson whispered, as he and Holli stood still upon the streets of Huntston.
"I am sure. We need information. They can provide it to us… if we approach this properly."
"I don't know about this. They're pretty sloppy for town guards. I see a lot of ways that we can escape without really trying."
"I am taking that into account. I do not believe we are in any real danger. If they considered us a true threat, they would have shown more care in their preparations."
"Maybe they're just incompetent."
Holli couldn't accept that possibility. Yes, she had seen deficiencies in the town defenses, but she had also witnessed bizarre behavior that could not be explained by simple incompetence. The town guard secured bridges entering the town, but allowed goblins to enter Huntston freely. Despite that fact, the town remained under human control and had not been overrun. That had to stand for something.
She might not have understood it, but goblins simply did not subdue their loathsome behavior for the sake of good manners. The soldiers must have found some way to keep the goblins in line, even if she couldn't imagine why they would let the despicable creatures enter Huntston in the first place. Incompetent soldiers would have lost control long ago.
"Escape is not part of the plan," the elf guard finally replied.
It might not have been part of the plan, but the delver felt uneasy simply waiting to be captured. Watching the shifting shadows on the rooftops and listening to the quick step of boots in the distance, Ryson followed the movements of the town guard. The soldiers might not have been quiet, or even efficient in their actions, but their motive remained clear. As the guards around them began to close in, the delver focused on questions of his own.
"How'd they know we were here anyway? We haven't done anything to give ourselves away."
"That is what I wish to find out."
"You think they're going to tell us?"
"Not directly, but no one else has the answer. We have gained very little information on our own. We need to talk to someone in authority, and it may be best to allow them to dictate the circumstances of the meeting so they do not feel threatened by our presence."
"What if I feel threatened by them?"
"If they meant us harm, they would have simply fired upon us. They are hoping to capture us, that is obvious."
It was indeed clear to the delver that the guards were moving in a fashion to take prisoners-and to take them alive-but that didn't alleviate his fears. He didn't wish to become a prisoner. It was not something any delver aspired to become. He considered what would happen further down the line once they were in the hands of the guards, and that thought did even less to comfort him.
"What if they ask us questions and we don't have the right answers? That might be enough to change their opinion of us. And what if they decide to kill us after they capture us?"
"We have our skills and talents," Holli replied without bluster. She was an elf guard… and a magic caster learning from one of the most powerful wizards in the full history of elflore. Ryson was a purebred delver who could move with the speed of a gale force wind. She did not fear the human guards.
The delver, however, wanted to use their abilities before they were captured, not after, but it seemed Holli remained intent on allowing the town guard to dictate the encounter. She held her ground, and so Ryson complied. He stood still and silent, allowing the soldiers to initiate the first contact.
In the alleys, around corners, and up on the rooftops, the guards became hesitant, as if they expected something different from the two strangers in their midst. A few whispered to each other, but most remained quiet. Long pauses filled the night air until shuffling noises scratched out upon street surfaces exposed further commotion-only to be followed by more stillness.
Whereas the soldiers previously moved with a mind to surround and corral Ryson and Holli, their new direction revealed uncertainty. The reluctance to advance suggested more than just care on the part of the soldiers, it began to take on the unmistakable air of indecision. Even as guards waiting in the outer perimeter held their ground, soldiers in nearby alleys repositioned themselves, but the maneuvers lacked strategic advantage. If anything, the action served to create more confusion. Several guards decided to circle around in an attempt to outflank Ryson and Holli, but there was clearly no need.
The elf and delver left their weapons sheathed or shouldered, kept their hands empty and at their sides. They made no move to escape. They stood still upon open ground like harmless statues waiting for birds to perch upon their shoulders. Short of waving a white flag or holding up their hands in surrender, Holli and Ryson could not have appeared any less threatening.
Finally, a half dozen heavily armed soldiers stepped out of an alley and moved toward the delver and elf to meet them head on. They carried broadswords and axes, but they stopped well out of weapon range despite the fact that their blades were at the ready and Holli and Ryson remained as passive as possible. The guards that had circled in from behind were woefully out of position as well, and Holli almost shook her head at the apparent carelessness of those that confronted her.
She thought of the human guards she trained at Burbon and Connel, and she wondered how Burbon's captain of the guard would view the tactics of the soldiers in Huntston. Without question, she already knew the answer. Sy Fenden would have been disgusted had he witnessed the d
isplay of negligence by soldiers that were entrusted to guard the town.
The scene confused the elf even further. Nothing made sense. Goblins entered the town openly, but kept out of sight. Soldiers acted woefully inadequate in their duties, yet quiet and control remained intact throughout the town. Adding it all together, the results should have been quite the opposite. Dark creatures and erratic guards should have equaled terror and chaos, but it didn't. For some reason, order ruled.
Even as the soldiers surrounded her, she discarded their importance. Perhaps order did not come from the guard, and with that thought, Holli began to consider other explanations. Goblins could be subdued by brute force, but only when they feared that force. These soldiers projected little authority. Some other power must have kept the goblins in check.
Magic.
The abnormality in the flow of the energy was one of the reasons she chose to explore Huntston, and she still had not found an explanation for the bending of the magic. The presence of a powerful mage would explain many things. Such a sorcerer could temporarily shield his existence-even from the perceptions of the elf-and would find little difficulty in maintaining control over a few dozen goblins.
She considered the flow of the magic once more, even as the guards stumbled into position around her. It flooded into Huntston from all angles. The surge inward was unmistakable, but so was its escape. Nothing absorbed the magic, nothing held it within the boundaries of the town. It was much like the rivers that bordered Huntston on both sides. The magic rushed in, swept across the streets, and then dashed away.
The flow was so overpowering, it was difficult to focus on a single vibration, but as a whole, the magic remained pure to her. She could not find any diabolical purpose for the onslaught of energy.
She thought again of the goblins. The rush of magic did not diminish the possibility of a sorcerer guiding the movements of the insipid creatures. It might, in fact, offer cover for the mage. It was only a theory, but it would explain certain mysteries that continued to elude her.
If a sorcerer was at the heart of the goblins strange behavior, then Holli would have to reassess her opinion of the town guard. Perhaps Ryson was correct, the soldiers that surrounded them might have just been extraordinarily incompetent, which meant they were also possibly very dangerous.