2

 

A goblin.

The spindly creature was dead, but the ropes kept it from falling over. Its skin was a blotchy reddish-yellow hue, but the paleness of death was beginning to take over. A bulky muscled man was standing nearby, holding a small chest with which he collected coins from the crowd. After people paid, he let them touch the goblin.

I didn’t understand their fascination with touching it, especially since it could still spread disease even though it was dead. I stepped closer to further inspect the goblin, and the big man shouted at me.

“It’s a copper piece to touch it!”

“I don’t plan on touching it,” I replied, clasping my hands behind my back.

“Looking is free, I suppose,” he muttered lowly.

The goblin’s eyelids were closed. It was short, maybe four feet in height. I could see bruising around its neck, which led me to believe that the big man had actually strangled it. It wore tattered clothing, made up mostly of animal hides that were sewn together haphazardly. I couldn’t tell how old it was, as I wasn’t very educated about goblins, but I guessed it was an adult. Its fingernails were grungy with dirt, and they were sharp and pointed.

Maren joined me, standing to my left and peering closely at its face. From my periphery, I saw the big man was watching us. Before I could say something, Maren reached out and lifted one of its eyelids.

“That’s a copper piece,” the man said, marching over to us. He held out his wooden chest and shook it, the coins inside clinking together.

“I’m not paying you,” Maren replied, shooting him an odd look.

“You touched it,” he said. “It’s my goblin, and I’m charging people to touch it.”

Maren stared at me incredulously. I shrugged, then looked at the man.

“My apologies,” I said politely. “We should have introduced ourselves. We’re dragon riders from the Citadel. I’d like to ask you a few questions about the goblin.”

The man’s demeanor changed, and he grinned broadly. “My name is Aston,” he said. “I’m the blacksmith here in Keth.”

“I’m Eldwin.” I hooked a thumb to my left. “This is Maren.”

“We rarely see riders out here anymore,” Aston said. “It’s an honor to meet you. I suppose you want to know where I found this little guy?”

“Yes,” Maren answered. “Were there others with him?”

Aston closed the lid on his chest and turned to the crowd. “That’s all for today,” he said loudly. “Come back tomorrow if you didn’t get to touch it yet.”

A few people groaned in disappointment, but the crowd dispersed without issue. Once the stragglers were gone, Aston tucked the chest under his massive arm and turned his attention to Maren.

“He was the only one, though there were footprints that told me there were more of them out there somewhere.”

“A lot more?” Maren lifted the goblin’s eyelid again. Its iris was a solid black circle.

Aston scratched his chin in thought. “Maybe three or four.”

“How did you happen upon him?” I asked.

“I was taking some tools to the workers in one of the mines in the hills, and when I was coming back, I saw him. He was alone, and he was armed with a rusty sword. Imagine the little guy’s surprise when I grabbed him from behind and choked him.”

“So, you did strangle him.” Maren whistled appreciatively.

“I did, but I hated every second of it. He stunk something foul, worse now that he’s dead, and his skin was oily. He almost slipped free, so I had to break his neck.”

“Good,” Maren said. “These things are evil to the core. If you hadn’t killed him, he would have killed you, maybe the miners. Did he seem lost, or was he looking for something?”

“Neither, I don’t think,” Aston replied. “He was just standing atop the hill, looking at the town. I figured he might be a scout, so a few others and myself went searching the hills. We didn’t find anything except some tracks, the ones I mentioned. We followed them, but they didn’t lead anywhere.”

“Maybe a view from up high will reveal more,” Maren suggested, looking at me.

“That’s a good idea. I’m sure Sion and Demris will be able to spot the other goblins if they’re nearby.”

Aston lowered his voice despite the fact no one was around. “Do you think there’s trouble?”

“Possibly,” Maren said. “Enough reports made it to the Citadel to warrant us being sent here, so I’d say you should probably be ready to evacuate.”

I frowned at her response. The last thing we needed to do was cause a panic.

“Just to be safe,” Maren added after seeing my expression.

“Yes, just to be safe. Of course.” Aston didn’t look as relieved as he sounded.

“Don’t worry unless we tell you to,” I said. “If the goblins are up to something nefarious, they won’t be a problem for our dragons.”

That seemed to ease Aston’s worries. “Have you found somewhere to stay for the night? I know its early in the afternoon, but darkness creeps up early in these parts. You’d probably be better off searching in the morning.”

“Not yet,” I replied.

“Follow me. I’ll show you the best place in Keth. But first, would you mind grabbing the end of the post? I’ve been carrying this thing by myself, but I wouldn’t mind a little help.”

I assumed he hadn’t noticed my mangled arm. Most people assumed I couldn’t do normal tasks, but that was a common misconception. I struggled, of course, but I never used my deformity as an excuse. I nodded.

“Can you hold this?” Aston asked Maren, pulling the chest from under his arm.

She accepted it and Aston grabbed onto the top of the post and heaved upward, his face reddening from the exertion. The end of the post cleared the hole in the ground, and I reached down and lifted it, careful not to touch the goblin. It was surprisingly heavy, which I didn’t expect. I fought to get the post up onto my shoulder, but once it was in place, the weight didn’t seem as bad.

Aston led us through the town to a small dwelling, where we dropped the goblin off. There was a shack behind the home, and we set the post inside. Aston latched the door, and then he showed us to the local inn. I paid for our room, then we returned to the hill where we’d left Sion and Demris. The dragons were basking in the sun, their wings outstretched.

I’m hungry, Sion complained. Are we allowed to eat the cows here?

No, I replied. I’m sure there are deer or other animals in the hills, though.

“I think we should at least look around this area,” Maren said, motioning to the hills around us. “It’s not dark yet, so we can cover some ground now. What do you think?”

“Sure.”

We flew over the landscape a few times, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. I spotted some miners heading back to the town and watched them weave their way along the peaks and dips of the foothills. Once they reached the town, we landed back on the hill overlooking Keth and turned in for the night.

Aston hadn’t lied when he said it got dark early. The sun quickly disappeared over the horizon. We ate a small meal in the common room of the inn and retired to our room. The bed was comfortable, if a bit small, and we slept until morning light filtered through the window. We washed up using the community basin and had breakfast, then headed up the hill to find Sion and Demris were missing.

Where are you? I asked, pushing the words through the bond. Sion sent me a partial image of a dead mountain lion.

“They’re eating,” I told Maren.

“I figured as much. Do you think we’ll find anything today?”

I shrugged. “I hope that we don’t, but when has our luck ever been good?”

We both laughed. In boredom, I picked up some rocks and tossed them down the hill. They tumbled along, clattering against large boulders at the bottom. I heard Sion and Demris approaching and looked to the sky. They were coming from the west, beyond the mines we’d seen the day before.

They landed and we mounted up, then we were off, flying over the hills. We went further out, going north toward the mountains this time. I saw a trail that wound its way through the area, but it eventually faded into the rest of the landscape. It became obvious that the townsfolk didn’t normally travel this far into the hills.

I smelled fire in the air and glanced around. Ahead, a plume of gray smoke rose lazily into the sky. I looked at Maren and she met my gaze, nodding to let me know she’d seen it, too. Sion and Demris flew side by side, and they angled toward the smoke in unison. As we got closer, the source of the smoke became clear. A camp with dozens of tents stretched out in a small valley, and I immediately recognized the forms milling around, roughly a few hundred of them.

Goblins.