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.
Frida's capturer grabbed her arm and pulled her towards one of the tunnels. Frida tried to free herself but the goblin held her arm tight. They did not walk too long though. Frida noticed that this tunnel was different from the others. There were small cells carved in the walls on both sides of it sealed by thick wooden doors. Most of them might had been empty but she heard moans and groans from some of them. The goblins took her to one of these cells and opened its door.
'You'll stay here with your kind until we decide to whom we will sell you,' the goblin said with a cruel smile and pushed Frida into the cell. She fell onto the ground. The door closed behind her ad she heard the key turning in the locket. Her knees hurt as she got up in the dark, wet hole she was put into. She moved into one corner and sat down resting her head on her aching knees. First time since she was captured by the dangerous toads in the Dark Forest she started crying.
'Are you... all right?' She heard the uncertain hoarse words from the depth of the cell.
She was so surprised that she stopped crying.
'Who is there?' she asked.
She heard somebody moving in the darkness. Frida moved closer to the wall leaning against it to be less vulnerable. A minute later tiny red light of fire flared in the murk illuminating the cell. Frida saw a tall, skinny man with long scruffy ginger beard and hair holding a tiny lantern in his hand. His clothes were very dirty. It seemed he had spent a long time in the meadow goblins' underground cell.
'Are you ok?' the stranger repeated his question.
'Yes, I'm fine. Are you an otherling as well?' she asked him.
The man nodded.
'I suppose so. This is how they call us here.'
'How long have you been here?' Frida asked.
The man hesitated.
'Hard to tell. You lose the sense of time after a while sitting in the darkness. But it must be a couple of months now I think. How did you get here?' he asked and came closer to the girl.
'They attacked my friends and me on a field and captured me,' Frida answered then asked. 'Do you know what they want to do with us?'
The man shook his head.
'No. I heard some of them talking about taking me to Rivergarth. It seems there are some witches there who are eager to buy otherlings.'
'The Witches of Rivergarth' whispered Frida. Her face was pale.
'Do you know them?'
She nodded.
'Yes and I really hope that we won't end up there. They would kill us. Did they say anything else?'
The man shook his head. Frida got up.
'We must get out of here,' she said determined.
'Impossible,' the man replied. 'I tried and not only I did.' He pointed towards the tunnel. 'We can get out of here as we got here: with the goblins.'
***
Frida was not sure if it was day or night when the goblins finally came for them. She was woken up by a kick in her back by one of them.
'Get up!' the goblin commanded.
Frida got up with the help of her companion. She was coughing from the heavy damp air.
'Come on, quicker!' commanded the goblin while two others pulled Frida and the man out of their cell and tied their hands. They were taken back to the cave with the dead tree in the centre. There was no drum or sinister green lights this time. But the two sweaguls and Slog were there waiting for the prisoners. The two sweaguls in their feathery cloaks bothered Frida more than the leader of the meadow goblins.
'Here you are!' Slog greeted them with his cruel smile. 'You might be pleased to hear that we came to an agreement about your fate.'
'You cannot decide on my fate!' said Frida furiously.
'Can't I?' Slog laughed showing his pointy grey teeth to the girl. 'Who can then?'
'Nobody! None of you!' cried Frida.
'Stay calm,' whispered the man.
'Silence otherling child!' Slog shouted. 'We'll take you to Rivergarth. The witches will be pleased with you.'
'No!' cried Frida terrified.
'Oh yes, we will,' replied Slog then he turned to the other prisoner. 'And you, you will come with me to Wickmoor to the lord of the Iron Fortress.'
Frida's companion remained silent but his thin face was just as pale as Frida's.
A troop of goblins surrounded them and pushed them towards one of the tunnels with Slog's leadership. When the group split into two the man said:
'I don't know your name yet.'
'Frida. My name is Frida Doyle,' she replied.
'I wish you good luck Frida. I hope you can escape somehow,' he said.
'Thank you...' Frida realised that she did not know the man's name either.
'Sean. Sean Lucas,' he said with a faint smile.
Frida's jaw dropped open.
'It cannot be true,' she whispered. 'Are you...' but she could not continue because the group led by Slog turned right into another tunnel taking Sean Lucas with them. Her voice was swollen by the walls of the tunnel. She looked after them still in disbelief until they disappeared in the darkness.