Talendia: The Forgotten Folk

Deep, Deep in the Earth

After a while the twisty tunnels of the meadow goblins blurred in front of Frida's eyes. She was carried on the back of one of the goblins and could not see much in the darkness but she sensed that there were dozens of tunnels twisting under the ground known only by these ugly despicable creatures. Finally she could see the lights of fire in front of them. The tunnel they were marching led into a wide underground cave. The goblin troop stopped and Frida was dropped to the ground. Her whole body was in pain but she got up and tried to look fearless however her heart was beating madly in her chest. She looked around in the cave. It was bigger than she first thought and circular. She saw the deep marks of goblins' carvings all around on the wall which were rough and lightened only by a line of torches that was standing in front of it. There was a strange structure of the roots and the bark of a giant dead tree in the centre of the cave. She also noticed that there were several other tunnels opening from this cave. The whole place reminded her of the toads' village and the memory made her shivering. She was alone here without the Rufus sisters, Flin and Alpert and she did not want to think of how badly this situation might end. She put a brave face on as her capturers pushed her towards the dead tree. As she got closer to the strange structure she realised that there was a dark hole among the roots. Frida's capturers stopped a few steps away from it.

'We are back from our hunt Slog!' said the one which carried Frida on his back earlier. He seemed to be the leader of the troop. His words was followed by a second of silence before the monotone rhythm of a drum was heard. As the sound became lauder and lauder the hole among the roots and bark illuminated in a green light. Frida looked amazed as the whole dead tree came to alive in this mysterious light. But it was not the light of life instead the light of something sinister and dangerous. The sound of the drum became so loud that Frida wanted cover her ears with her hands, but she thought it would be the sign of fear and she did not want her enemy to see her frightened. The invisible person who played the drum stopped as suddenly as he started and they stood in the silent cave with the green dead tree in the middle. Frida saw shadows emerging in the tree and moving to the entrance of the hole. Three goblins walked out of the dead tree, one burly meadow goblin and two small ones wearing feather covered cloaks.

'Sweaguls,' whispered Frida and her face was as pale as the hands of the two small creatures.

The sweaguls stayed close to the tree. Frida could not see their faces from the hood of their cloaks but she was sure that they were watching her. The burly goblin walked to them and observed her.

'It seems my little black friends were right, there are more otherlings in Overland.' His voice was deep and harsh and his face cruel.

'You are mistaken,' said Frida.

'Am I?' The goblin asked, he seemed to be amused. 'What are you then if not an otherling?'

'I'm a tallman child,' replied Frida carefully avoiding another obvious lie about her being a tomling.

Slog came so close to her that Frida could smell his bed breath. He held Frida's chin in his hand and took a very close look at her. He sniffed her as well, then he gave her one of his confident, cruel smiles.

'I don't think so.' Then he turned to the leader of the troop. 'Take her to the other one. I will decide later what I'm going to do with them.'

'Aren't we taking them to Rivergarth?' Asked the other.

Slog turned and took a glance at the sweaguls waiting at the tree.

'I might change our plans. There might be somebody else who would pay a better price for the otherlings than the Witches of Rivergarth.' He joined the sweaguls and they returned into the tree.