by Emma Hamm
However, the goblins ignored the humans entirely. When they did pause for the day, they sectioned themselves as far away as possible.
Ruric didn’t want to scare the humans into running. He saw the way their eyes lingered upon the much larger forms of the goblins. Some of the humans still flinched when he walked towards them. It was a blow to his ego as much as it was to his pride. They should be afraid of him, but they should also know that he wouldn’t harm them.
They should trust Jane more than that.
Shusar wanted to remain away from the humans because he did not trust them. The older goblin was growing surly as exhaustion crept upon him. He did not wear sleepless nights well, and even Ruric was starting to grow tired of his behavior.
They were all tired. Trudging through the sands was more activity than many of these humans had experienced in their entire life. Though they were healthy enough, physical labor was not something any human in the City had seen often. The packs upon their shoulders bit into their soft flesh and their feet blistered in their shoes.
The doctors in the group did what they could for everyone. Supplies were precious to them, but they used what they dared on the people who were being pushed too far and too fast.
Jane tried to slow the pace, but it was like attempting to stop a horse from returning to its barn. The goblins were nearly running across the sands. They weren’t being chased. They had saved the boy. They had stopped a possible invasion.
And all they wanted to do was go home.
Every night, Jane felt as though she had to make a choice between her past and her future. Her brother and sister were in the same tent and they expected her to stay with them. There was so much for them to catch up on and they felt as though she owed them that.
The first few nights she stayed with them. Luther had settled into the sand with a soft sigh.
Jane looked in his direction and smiled.
“So you missed it did you?”
He scrunched his face. “No, of course not.”
“He did.” Willow flopped down next to him and started giggling. “You can tell!”
“I did not!”
“You did too! Look at you, you’re already wiggling into the sand like you never left!”
“I’m cold!”
“You keep lying like that and someone’s going to hang you up by your toes.”
“Says the Queen of lying!”
Jane grinned as her siblings started to argue as they always did. She had missed this so much. Even though they were yelling at each other as though shouting would help anything, the words still made her heart swell.
“Stop fighting you two.” She used to say the words with venom on her tongue. They had never stopped fighting and would likely argue into the night. But now, she said it with a laugh that bubbled up from the very depths of her soul.
Luther grumbled for a moment before admitting, “Alright maybe I missed it.”
“Sand’s more comfortable.” Willow said.
“No it’s not. The beds were more comfortable than this.”
“Well we’re missing the blankets.”
“Even with the blankets, beds are more comfortable.”
Willow stuck her cold toes in Luther’s back and laughed as he flinched away from her. “Isn’t it better with Jane and I here?”
“I am going to hurt you!” He burst out as he rolled over and started tickling his sister until tears rolled down her cheeks.
Jane had wisely moved away from their antics, but watched with a smile on her face. This was what she had missed most about home. Arguing with her siblings and trying to stay out of the way when elbows started flying.
“Jane! Help me!”
Rather than help her little sister who really didn’t need all that much help, Jane launched herself into the fray. Her fingers found the spaces between Luther’s ribs as she tackled him into the sand.
Their laughter could be heard across the entire camp. It’s infectious nature made all those who heard it smile. The bright emotion was much needed in a time like this.
The siblings eventually fell asleep with each other. They had not talked of the place they left or the horrors they had experienced. Instead, they curled around each other and talked of the future.
Willow wanted a small house that blended into the sands. Luther wanted a sturdy home that could keep them safe. Their words fluttered in the air like stars that glittered and moved. Dreams were made that night, and plans for what they would do once they reached the end of their journey.
They did not mention the child growing inside of Jane, though Luther did attempt to speak of it. When she pressed a finger against her mouth and shook her head, he thought better of it.
Jane knew the goblins could hear everything that happened. She did not want Ruric to find out because someone let something slip. She wanted to tell him herself.
She slept with her siblings for many nights after that. The laughter lifted her spirits and she could that reconnecting with her family made her blissfully happy. There was so much goodness in them, and she had missed so much.
Jane would not wish away the hours Willow talked about what she had learned and the adventures she had in the City. Luther’s remarks on how ill behaved she had been only made Jane laugh even harder.
There were tender moments between the siblings as they renewed the bonds that had been severed by false death and relocation. Luther discovered his love of the desert, and Willow connected with everything and everyone she could.
Jane was frequently pulling her away from a sand dune before she disappeared forever. The little girl was adventurous to a fault and managed to bring the group together with her antics.
She never missed an opportunity to climb on the goblins. She enjoyed riding on their shoulders until Jane noticed and scolded until she got down.
The goblins didn’t mind. Of all the humans, they liked Willow the most. She was female, first of all, but she was also constantly laughing and making up stories. Illyrin was her favorite giant to ride upon. He understood little of what she prattled on about. The little girl talked so fast that he couldn’t keep up with his limited knowledge of the human language.
But he liked the warm weight of her on his shoulders and the sound of her voice, so he allowed her the perch.
They reached the landmark Jane was looking for after one week of travel. They were all worn around the edges and looking worse for wear. The water they had brought was pitifully low, and they had all expressed worry.
Jane did not recognize the land around them. Or rather, the never ending miles of sand that surrounded them always seemed to be the same as hours before.
Ruric paused as the group wandered and the humans parted around him like a wave. Solitary he stood, his head turned so he could watch everyone walk. Jane knew he was waiting for her.
She didn’t have to say anything to let him know when she reached him. Ruric always knew when she was near him by the sound of her heart.
“We stop here for the night.”
“We have to find water.” She said quietly as she paused next to him to watch the humans slowly walk up another dune.
“We are near the water.”
Jane glanced up at him quickly. “The metal giant we stopped at last time?”
He nodded solemnly.
They both knew what they would find there. The desert would not have been kind to the bodies of the raiders they had left near their water source. Jane wasn’t certain that the water itself wouldn’t be tainted. They were desperate enough to try it.
“I don’t want the humans seeing that.”
“Neither do I.” His expression clouded for a moment as his brows drew down in concern. “They do not trust us.”
“I expect trust will come slowly to both sides. But I would prefer it if Shusar and Illyrin got the water.” A shiver made her shoulders quake. “I don’t think I can stand anymore death.”
“They will.” Ruric’s voice had yet to return to normal.
It still sounded as though every word caused him pain.
“How close are we?”
“Not far.”
“How can you tell?”
He tapped his nose firmly and Jane realized her fears were warranted. What was left of the bodies could already be smelled by the goblins.
“We stay here tonight then.”
She raised her voice and let out a whooping yell. The trail of humans struggling up a dune paused and stared back at her.
“Let’s rest!”
No one was happy with the decision. The humans were exhausted and scared of death without water. The goblins wanted to continue moving because they were so close to their home that their bodies were itching to reach the cool caverns.
Ruric and Jane divided to handle their own people. She convinced hers to enjoy a night of rest and assured them the goblins knew where water was. He issued orders in a hushed tone that sent Illyrin and Shusar disappearing into the night.
They made camp quickly as the group was becoming good at setting up their tents.
Jane had her hand on the flap to her family’s tent when she heard Ruric’s voice.
The tone implied nothing. She did not know what was going through his head, but she was certain she could guess. Jane had been avoiding him since her family had returned. She used them like a shield between the two of them to protect her from the uncertain future.
Everyone around her paused as well, their wide eyes flicking back and forth between the goblin and human.
She straightened slowly and turned.
“Yes?”
He did not give her an order as he would have long ago. He did not even seem to ask for anything. Instead, Ruric simply shifted to the side and held a hand out towards her.
He was letting this be her decision. To choose a goblin over the safety and warmth of her family tent.
A bubble of laughter nearly escaped her mouth. The situation was far too close to what it would have been like should she have married someone in the mining camp. Her family tent would have been traded for his, and likely a human man would have looked at her with the same expression in his eyes.
The difference now was the large size of her husband, the alien aspects of his body and mine, and that her people considered him to be a monster.
But they weren’t her only people, where they? The small life that grew inside her was of both people and could very well be the future of both.
Her feet shifted without her mind thinking about the consequences. Jane gravitated towards him like the twin moons above her.
There were a few murmurs from the other humans as they watched her glide towards him. Barefoot and caked in sand, she was less the beautiful bride and more the conquest finally being consumed by the captor.
They worried for her. Surely the goblin had some nefarious actions in mind.
Jaws dropped as Ruric reached out for her and gently slid a hand down her arm and spine as she passed into the tent. They had seen the two interact, but many refused to believe the tenderness with which he touched her. This time, they were unable to avoid the stark truth that the goblin was infinitely gentle when it came to his bride.
He ducked in after her, and the humans watched with rapt attention even as his wide back disappeared from view.
“What’s going on with that I wonder?” Frank murmured to Luther as they both stared at the tent that did not move.
“Considering he’s her husband, I don’t want to know.” Was the grumbled reply.
“Husband? I forgot he mentioned that. Seemed odd to have a human married to a… Well.”
“Goblin.”
“Right.”
They both stared at the tent for a little while longer before seeming to remember themselves. Both men’s cheeks flared red as their imaginations raced to fill in the blanks.
A fire was built in the center of the ring of tents, the first they had managed while traveling. The humans gathered around it and tried to remain as quiet as possible. They all secretly hoped to hear what exchange happened in the tent and at the same time, dreaded that they might hear it as well.
Jane settled herself down next to Ruric’s pack, propping her spine against it and staring at the large goblin that always seemed to fill a space a little too much.
His eye had healed as well as it could. A jagged scar stretched from the top corner of his forehead down to meet his lip. He had no sight in the eye which was significantly flattened since his ordeal. Ruric had requested to keep the dead eye rather than have one of the doctor’s here remove it and sew it shut.
He said he should at least have a small bit of vanity left.
The humans were more afraid of him than they would have been without the scar. He looked fearsome with his constant scowl and war-torn face.
To Jane, he had never been more beautiful.
The marks upon his body had been for her. And though she still ached to know he had suffered for her, Jane also was incredibly proud to call him hers. His strength was something that she would never take for granted.
She waited for him to speak. If he had called her into his tent, surely he had something that he wished to say. But Ruric said nothing as he readied himself for sleep. The cloak on his shoulders was removed and carefully folded. The shoes strapped onto his feet were carefully stored next to the tent opening.
Silence remained until Jane realized that he was simply enjoying having her near him.
And she was doing the same.
Finally the tension in her spine relaxed and she slumped against the pack behind her. There was to be no argument, no guilt, no fighting. She had assumed the worst for nothing.
As in tune to her body as he was, Ruric noticed when she finally eased. He hadn’t wanted to scare her but he had missed her as they traveled. Her laughter had rung in ears for many nights now and Ruric wanted that laughter to be because of his words.
Jealous was an ugly emotion. He hated that he was jealous of her family when she hadn’t seen them for so long. She had every right to want to spend time with them. There was so much time that had been stolen from the three of them.
But every night she went to them. Every night he waited for her to return to him and was disappointed when she did not.
Only when he couldn’t stand it any longer did he ask her to return to him. Thankfully, she had. Ruric still wasn’t certain if she understood why he had asked her to his tent, but he was pleased she had.
Now he had her all to himself for the first time in longer than he could remember.
With a rumbling groan, he laid down on the sand and gently placed his head in her lap. His most desired wish came true when her fingers started combing through the tangles of his long black hair.
“We might have to shave these.” Her fingers bumped over the braids at his temples that created the look of a mohawk. They were so knotted that the individual strands of hair were nearly impossible to see.
He shrugged. “Should have shaved them a long time ago.”
“Why didn’t you?”
His eyes drifted closed as her fingers massaged his scalp. “Hoped someday that someone would do this.”
Jane rolled her eyes but continued to work through the tangles of his hair. If there was ever a time she should tell him about the child it was now. But the thought of it made butterflies scatter in her stomach and beat against her ribs.
“Ruric…”
His eye slowly opened, though the sightless one remained closed. “Let me first.”
He raised onto an elbow and her hands slide out of his hair. Perhaps she had been wrong. There was a troubled expression upon his face that made her nervous.
“I want you to come back home with me. The humans will remain here, that is fine. But there will be many talks on whether or not we will allow them into our lives.”
“Ruric, you know I can’t abandon them.”
“I don’t ask you to abandon them, but to remain with me.” He met her gaze then. One pitch black eye staring into hers
and the other milky white and fogged.
“I will not leave them to their own devices. They haven’t even lived in the desert before! They’ll die up here before your people make their choice.”
He struggled to sit up. Jane watched as the muscles in his arm shook for a moment before he was finally able to turn and face her. The goblins had been pushing themselves too hard lately and Ruric was showing signs of it.
She was about to tell him to relax when he started speaking again.
“Jane, I will not let them take you away from me. No matter what the traditions are, if we manage a child or not, you belong with me.”
“I don’t think my people care about that.” She said confused.
“Not your people.” He leaned forward to grab her hands. “Mine.”
“What are you talking about Ruric?”
“Why do you think I let you wear the chain? Do you think I wanted to see you as a slave?” He leaned forward to brush his clawed hand against her cheek. “If you were a slave then you were mine. They couldn’t take you away from me if we did not create a new life between us.”
“What?” She did not pull away from him though her head was already swirling. She hadn’t thought about why he had left the chain on her, at least not in a way that put him in a different light. Jane had simply assumed he, like all the other goblins, thought that the punishment was correct. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Would you have believed me?”
“Yes!” She shook her head and her brows furrowed. “You can’t expect me to read your mind or to not be angry when you treat me like that. If you had just told me… Ruric so much would be different now.”
“We would still be here.” His thumb smoothed away the wrinkles on her forehead. “But perhaps you and I would be different.”
“Why would they give me to someone else if we didn’t manage to have a child?”
“The fault would lie with me. The hope was if you were given to another, they would manage to create life.”
“That’s barbaric.”
“That desperation.” He shook his head. “We believed we had no other choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“I understand that now.” Ruric’s hands were gentle on her. He couldn’t seem to stop touching the soft warmth of her hands, her arms, her cheeks. “You have taught me much about the similarities of our species.”
