by Candace Sams
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ImaJinn Books
www.imajinnbooks.com
Copyright ©2005 by Candace Sams
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NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.
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Chapter One
There were only forty-six of his kind left. Tearach Bruce paced the floor of his cottage and ran a shaking hand through his hair. For eight years, he'd racked his brain for a way out of this catastrophic dilemma. As leader of the Goblin faction, it fell to him to find a way to save his people. But how? It had been suggested that mating outside their own race might be the answer. Not only had it proved futile, but it had resulted in tragedy. Within the last month, another Goblin woman had died while attempting to give birth. And three more Goblin children had been stillborn. For eight years, the same sad tale had repeated itself over and over. Some of the babies had lived the length of a day, but those instances had been rare.
He couldn't order his people to quit mating or take precautions to keep from bearing children. They believed one child might survive. And if that one babe lived, so might others. But the deaths were taking their toll on their morale. He might very well be the last leader of a race which was thousands of years old.
He slammed his fist into a table. It threatened to collapse from the force of the blow. “There has to be a way,” he angrily muttered. “I won't let this be the end."
He walked to the door, pulled it open and strode toward the center of the nearby forest. The Druid Sorceress might have news regarding the latest physical tests run on him and his people. And if there wasn't anything in those tests, he'd have their physicians run more. As long as he breathed, he'd never give up. At least, not yet.
As he approached the castle where the Sorceress of the Ancients resided along with her staff, Tearach heard a noise behind him and stopped. Another of his kind was near. He waited several minutes for the person to step forward and make their presence known. When they didn't do so, he lost patience and quickly turned toward whoever was hiding.
"Come out,” he tersely ordered, “and be quick about it.” He watched as a lovely, slender woman moved out of the bushes, toward him. She did so in such a way that she was almost invisible.
"Tearach, I-I wanted to see you again,” she half-sobbed.
He held out his arms and welcomed the Goblin woman into his friendly embrace. “Mabb, what is it? Why are you so upset?"
Mabb gazed up into his face, hoping the adoration she felt for her leader would show. “The Sorceress has ordered me away from the Order. I don't know where I'll be sent, but she told me her command had something to do with you.” She shook her head in misery. “Why would she do such a thing?"
Stupefied, Tearach couldn't answer. He simply held her close and tried to come up with a response to this newest outrage.
"You k-know how I feel about you. Did you ask the Sorceress to s-send me away? Why w-would you do such a thing?” she asked.
"Mabb, I can assure, I've done no such thing. I don't know what this is about, but I was on my way to see the Sorceress. I'll get an explanation."
"The guards are to escort me away tonight.” She wiped the tears from her face. “I don't understand."
He pushed her long black hair off her lovely green face and shook his head. “It must be some mistake. Shayla's never sent anyone away from the Order without good reason, but you've done nothing wrong."
"Except love you,” she murmured, and laid her cheek against his broad chest.
Tearach gently pushed her away. “Mabb, I've told you dozens of time, I can't return your feelings. All my energy and time must be devoted to seeking a solution to our problems. I don't have it in me to think about matters of the heart. Not now. Our people are dying and that outweighs anything else in my mind."
"I know. But must our love die with our race?"
He sighed and shook his head in frustration. “I've never uttered any words of love. If I've led you to believe my feelings were more than the concern of a friend and leader, I beg your forgiveness with all that's in me.” He'd told her these same words many times, but she refused to listen.
She sniffed and moved a few inches away. “If this damned curse wasn't on us, I know you'd be in my arms. I know you could love me."
"I-I don't know how to respond. I don't know what I would or wouldn't feel because it's been so long since the horror of Exmoor. Please believe me when I tell you that some days my heart seems empty. I don't think I even know how to love anymore."
"Don't say that. You're just confused and feeling the weight of this tragedy. That's the mark of a great leader. I know you can love, and I know I could fill the emptiness in your heart. I think the Sorceress does, too. She must feel I'm a distraction and that's why she's sending me away."
He ran his hands over her hair. “I'll get to the bottom of that right now. As for your feelings, please don't put hope in me. I've done nothing to deserve it. For now, do as the Sorceress says."
"I can't stand being away from you for even a few hours. I'll go mad, Tearach."
Upset that her feelings were so deep and he'd never reciprocate them, all he could do was gently kiss her forehead and offer what words of comfort he could. “Go now. I'll confront Shayla. I can't believe she'd give a command to remove you from the Order and not so much as offer me an explanation."
Mabb hugged him as hard as she could. Then, she turned to go, but she stopped and glanced back over her shoulder. “I'll never love anyone but you."
As she walked away, Tearach felt the last strands of his patience being torn asunder. Shayla had no right to send one of his people away from the group. The only comfort they found nowadays was in each other's presence, and it was far safer to keep Mabb and the other Goblins within the confines of the Order. Added to the pain of this latest edict, Mabb still harbored a deep desire for him and her to be together and it worried him. He couldn't see to his own happiness when all his people suffered.
With renewed anger, he stalked toward the castle. Sorceress or not, Shayla had some serious explaining to do.
* * * *
"Come in, Tearach, I've been expecting you,” Shayla Gallagher motioned him inside the expansive library.
Tearach glanced at the shelves of books lining all four walls, the oak floors, and the Gothic chandeliers. The room held no appeal for a woodland creature such as himself. In his current mood, nothing held any appeal. He stiffly walked to the center of the library and stopped. “Why is Mabb being sent away? What wrong has she done? And if it isn't too much trouble, is there any word on the latest blood tests?” he angrily asked.
Shayla noted the expression of rage on Tearach's face. Every muscle on his massive frame appeared tightly coiled, and he'd clenched his hands as he spoke. “As to why Mabb is leaving, you'll find out in a few minutes. I have my reasons for having her elsewhere and won't have them questioned. And, yes, the blood tests have come back. By the way, hello to you, too,” she sarcastically added.
He took a steadying breath and willed himself to be patient. It would do no good to anger the powerful Sorceress. “I'm sorry if I seem a bit impatient, but my people are running out of time."
"If you think my interest has been elsewhere, you're mistaken. I've been worrying over the problem as much as you. So have the leaders of the other factions. With their counsel, I've come to a decision."
Tearach watched the Sorceress walk to the fireplace. She held out her elegant hands and the logs burst
into flames. He was used to seeing the Druids command powers over elements such as fire. But perhaps his imagination was working overtime, or his anxiety was causing him to see other things. For a moment, he thought he'd beheld reluctance in her silver gaze. He watched her smooth her long, gray hair with one hand and then turn to face him again.
"Perhaps you'd better sit down,” Shayla instructed. She and the other faction leaders had all agreed on a course of action that Tearach wasn't going to like.
"I'll stand, if you don't mind.” The look on the Sorceress’ face caused something in his chest to tighten ominously.
"Very well.” She walked toward him. “When our physicians compiled all the physical data, they found nothing genetically wrong with any of your people. You're all as healthy as can be. But there's another element which can't be so easily quantified."
"Go on,” he encouraged.
"A great many people have been working very hard. Every medical test known has been secretly conducted so outsiders don't find out about our existence. Working under such conditions takes time. The results of all these tests have led our physicians, the faction's leaders and me to one conclusion."
"Yes?"
"We believe that new blood is in order."
He shook his head. “What do you mean?"
"Simply put ... a combination of stress and the complete hopelessness of your situation may be killing the children."
"Stress caused by the murders in Exmoor?” he angrily questioned.
She nodded. “Yes. It's believed that the events from eight years ago are the cause of today's problems."
Tearach raised his hand in a frustrated gesture. “And how do you propose to introduce this ‘new blood?’ You know we've tried breeding with other races and nothing works. And what does Mabb have to do with all of this?"
Shayla heard his impatience and decided to hold her own impatience in check. “I'll explain my actions with Mabb after I've fully explained our course of action. So, back to the point. Outsiders caused this problem, and I believe their influence is necessary to solve it."
Tearach stared at her for a long moment, and his heart began to pound. The conversation had taken a decidedly repulsive turn. “What, exactly, are you suggesting?"
She expelled a loud, frustrated breath. “Very well, man. I'll cut to the point. One of your people will have to attempt to mate with an outsider. We believe that if that mating is successful, it will end this terrible hatred your people have over those in the outside world. And once that hatred and fear is gone, the Goblins can begin to put their lives back in order—start to live for the future and not dwell on the past."
"You can't be serious!” He ran his hands through his hair and stalked to an open set of French doors. The woods outside those doors were green and calming. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to bolt from the room.
"I'm quite serious. Your people are so afraid of the outside world that they're unable to exist with it. And, if they won't exist with it, they'll perish. Do you understand?"
"This is too abhorrent to even consider. There's got to be another way. There has to be."
"No, I'm afraid not.” She paused. “The decision has been made. As leader, I know you'd never ask one of your people to do something you were unwilling to do yourself."
The full impact of her words struck him. He slowly turned away from the doors and stared at her. Bile rose in his throat. “You want me to ... to mate with...” He shook his head.
"It is my command."
He began to pace, suddenly realizing why Mabb was being sent away. Her romantic feelings for him might hinder the Sorceress’ plans. As Shayla's so-called solution began to sink in, he couldn't utter a single word.
Anger invaded every cell in his body. Eight years before, a Goblin water supply had been poisoned by outsiders. Hundreds of his kind, including his own family, had died. Nothing had been right with his people since. Now the Sorceress expected him to lie with one of those murderous savages and get her with child. Dispatching Mabb, the one woman away who might complicate matters, was Shayla's first step toward that goal. The entire scenario was too nauseating to even contemplate.
"Even if I could stomach such a thing, how do you propose to get an outsider here?” he spat. “Placing one of those butchers among us would endanger every magical creature still in existence. It also violates the very law you, as Sorceress of the Ancients, enforce."
"If you recall, we've had outsiders among us before. You killed one of your own people so that an outsider might be safe. Further, you've conveniently forgotten that outsiders were also poisoned when that toxic waste was dumped into your sacred pools at Exmoor and seeped into the ground water. Nearby villagers drank it. Most of those villagers affected by the poison were children. I've had their situation monitored and it isn't getting any better. Can you so easily forget all but your own sorrow?"
Tearach hung his head at the memory of the newspaper article he'd read and the accompanying photos of those children's faces. And he couldn't dispel the awful memory of having to shoot an arrow into his friend to keep an outsider safe. But that situation changed when the outsider in question had turned into a magical creature that could easily live among them. She had as much to lose from discovery as the rest of the Order. Still, none of those terrible memories could diminish his pain for his people. Outsiders were solely to blame for all these problems.
Shayla saw Tearach's expression change, from anger to extreme pain. Not about to give him time to contemplate further, she quickly continued. “The faction leaders have agreed that bringing an outsider here may be the only way to save your race, so I'm making an exception to the law."
"And what if this backfires and the child from such a union still dies? Then what happens?"
"You'd better pray to Herne this does work, Tearach. There's no medical reason for your children to die.” She pointed to his chest. “The problem lies in here, and if one more baby perishes, I'll hold you responsible for not helping your people relinquish their hatred long ago. It's poisoning you as horribly as that water ever did. The fear from this situation has pushed Mabb to the point she would never allow an outsider near you, and she isn't even living in reality most days. She speaks of having a child with you when I know you've tried to tactfully dismiss her feelings on numerous occasions. She has told others that she's planning your handfasting and has expressed a hatred for outsiders that's quite dangerous.” Shayla sadly shook her head. “The entire outside world is not responsible for the deaths of your friends and family. It was three men."
"They'll never hurt anyone else,” he declared.
"No, you killed them, and your revenge should have stopped there. But you and your people insist on keeping the incident an open, festering wound,” she admonished.
"Should we turn the other cheek?” he sarcastically responded.
"I'd have thought you'd realize how very precious life is, and that each day should be celebrated. For you, every sunrise brings the Goblin race one step closer to extinction. That's the way you see it, so that's the way things are. And your babies die because the adults have no hope. This mating must take place. It's a new chance."
He glared at her, clenched his hands into tight fists and said lowly, “You of all people know how vulnerable my race is when we mate. You're aware of what happens to us, and yet you'd still expose that secret to an outsider who could use that knowledge to advantage? Is such a highly personal moment to be exploited on your whim, and on a hope that this insane idea will actually work? How much indignity must I and my people suffer?” He dragged his hands through his hair, wanting to scream in fury.
Shayla watched him closely, but she let him vent. His anger was almost tangible, and she knew her command to send Mabb away was for the best. The girl had a romantic desire for her leader that bordered on obsession. It would be difficult enough to control Tearach, never mind a lovesick Goblin woman.
Finally, Tearach dropped his head, closed his eyes and spoke slow
ly. There was no use trying to keep the disbelief and outrage from his voice. “You've commanded me to do this and I will obey. But I'll never forgive you, Sorceress. Never! I can only hope we don't live to regret this decision."
* * * *
"Uncle Tearach, one of the Fairies brought these from Shayla."
Tearach watched as his niece placed a stack of files on the table, and then he continued to sharpen the blade of his boot knife.
"Aren't you even going to look at them?” she asked.
"No, Cairna, I'm not."
She was silent for a moment, and then she ran a slender finger across the top file. “I'll bet these are the women you're supposed to choose from."
By now, everyone in the Order was aware of Shayla's edict. They'd expressed every emotion from absolute revulsion and pity to congenial acceptance and encouragement. For some odd reason, his niece fell into the latter group, and that infuriated him. He loved the eighteen-year-old with all his heart, but her own parents had died in Exmoor eight years ago.
"Will you hand me that other knife?” He waited for her to retrieve it from the farthest end of the table and deliberately ignored the files next to him.
"At least she's giving you a choice.” Cairna smiled at him and handed him the blade.
Tearach remained silent, refusing to be drawn into a discussion about the hateful subject. Cairna moved up and down the length of the table, staring at the files as she did so.
"Sit down, girl. You'll wear a hole in the floor,” he ordered, annoyed. But the command lacked bite. He always kept his tone soft when speaking to her. She complied by pulling a chair to where the cursed files were stacked and sitting directly in front of them. He sighed wearily and shook his head.
Cairna's father, his older brother, had practiced the same annoying habits. If there was a subject about which they disagreed, Traed would provoke him by staring straight at him. That usually resulted in a fight. He almost smiled at the memory of some of their silly, boyhood arguments. How he wished his older brother was alive again.
