Feyland: The Dark Realm

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jennet’s hand tightened on his shoulder as they rounded the curve. Tam swallowed, throat suddenly dry, and peered around the corner. His heart was pounding, deep and low, like some big tribal drum. This was like going through the Exe, where at any second bad things could leap out at you. Except that the bad things here were straight out of a nightmare.

His hand squeezed the hilt of his sword and a shiver crawled down his back. He was staring into a huge cave full of grotesque, green-skinned creatures.

Some of them were dancing beside a bonfire filled with bones. Others scuffled and fought, their gnarled fingers clawing, their sharp teeth gnashing. They had long, pointed ears and wore a motley assortment of coverings. Tam saw the tatters of a velvet dress, a crudely-tanned hide with half the fur still stuck on, and the glint of haphazard bits of armor.

They all had one thing in common, though. Every one of the creatures was wearing a skullcap or hood the color of old blood. Behind him, he heard Jennet’s sharp gasp.

“Red-cap goblins,” she breathed into his ear.

Tam nodded, keeping his gaze on the creatures fighting and cavorting. The air was full of their guttural, hissing language. They looked like they wouldn’t hesitate to tear him and Jennet to bits.

The fire flickered, and the goblins sent up a sudden rough cheer. In a moment, Tam saw the source of their glee. There was another tunnel on the far side of the cave, and emerging from it were five goblins, dragging the corpse of a deer behind them. The creatures closest to it leapt on the dead animal, knives and teeth flashing.

A loud command made them back away, and from the right-hand side of the cave a figure rose. He was a little taller than the other goblins - which still made him shorter than Jennet. On his hideous head he wore a crown studded with rubies.

“Goblin King?” he mouthed to Jennet.

She nodded, her eyes wide and scared.

He looked at the far side of the cave again, to the dark tunnel the hunters had come from. That had to be the way out. But how were they going to get there?

The king was making some sort of speech, punctuated by thumps of his wickedly-barbed pike on the stone floor. Jennet pulled on Tam’s shoulder and he slowly backed up until the goblins were hidden from view. Without a word they kept retreating until the red light was no more than a smudge against the darkness. Jennet’s staff shed a faint glow, just enough to see their way.

“We need a plan,” she finally said, her voice low. “Got any ideas?”

“We can’t just fight our way through - there are dozens of them. Even if they’re afraid of my sword, or your magefire, they’ll overwhelm us with sheer numbers.”

“And the Goblin King won’t let us just traipse past, either. Unless…” She pressed her lips together.

“What?”

She shook her head. “I was thinking we could offer him a bribe - but he won’t accept anything conjured, and that’s all we have. Next time, remind me to wear lots of jewelry.”

“Do you think it will come in-game with us?” he asked. “Never mind. Ok. Fighting is out, so is bribery. So somehow we’re going to have to sneak undetected through a cavern full of hungry goblins.”

Jennet took a strand of her pale hair and wound it around her finger. “Do you remember reading something in that book I lent you, Tam? Wasn’t there a way to avoid the notice of evil faeries by wearing your clothing backwards?”

“I’m going to have to borrow that book again - and pay more attention.” He hadn’t known how essential the information in it would be. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to recall the page that listed protections against the faeries. “Let’s see. Cold iron: we know that my sword works, but probably not against a whole roomful of creatures. Holy water: like we have any of that lying around. Oh wait, yeah. Clothing worn… not backwards, but inside-out.”