“From what I’ve been told, yes,” Nix informed her. “My father and two others had been hunting, and they came across a large party of fairies, obviously doing the same thing. It became simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I suppose. One of my father’s companions survived to bring the tale back to my mother. Apparently, from what he said, the attack was unprovoked.”
Thorn gave me a sorrowful smile. “I guess we can add ‘cruelty’ to the list of my race’s flaws,” Thorn said. “Unfortunately, that list of yours is growing longer and longer by the day.” She turned back to Nix and said in a low voice, “I’m sorry for what happened to your father. I truly am.”
“Hey, you didn’t do it,” Nix consoled. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“But there’s no excuse for what occurred,” Thorn angrily replied. “It shouldn’t have happened at all. I don’t expect forgiveness, but I sincerely apologise on behalf of all my people.”
Nix stared into Thorn’s eyes intently for a few moments. “Apology accepted,” he murmured.
Chapter 20
After having eaten, we doused the fire and continued on our way. Both Thorn and Nix weren’t saying much, but when they did, their conversation stayed superficially brittle, but polite. Thorn, in particular, was obviously thinking deeply about what Nix had said and appeared to be wrestling internally with tumultuous emotions. Not long after we had set out, we encountered a band of raggedly dressed goblins. They immediately surrounded us, sneering at Thorn and myself, and fingering their weapons.
“Well, well, what have we here?” questioned the biggest of the goblins, presumably their leader. “I see two fairies, travelling with someone who should know better.”
“I’m not a ……. ” Thorn began testily, then fell silent.
“Who are you?” Nix asked. “What are you doing here? We’re just travelling through to the next town. What do you mean by stopping us?”
“We’re simple travellers, too,” the lead goblin replied, with a particularly nasty smile on his face, “trying to make an honest living and would appreciate you handing over all your possessions to that end.”
“Just try it!” Thorn snarled, whipping out her sword.
“Don’t be heroic,” she was bluntly told, “otherwise we’ll take more than your possessions. We aren’t barbarians at heart, but don’t make us mad. I despise fairies, so it won’t take much to push me over the edge. Come on, I don’t have all day! Hand it over!”
I glanced at Thorn, who glanced at Nix. He shrugged in an attitude of apparent surrender, took a step towards the nearest goblin, and unexpectedly punched him flush in the face. Thorn uttered a whoop of delight and plunged into the fray. It became instant mayhem. A confusing swirl of bodies and surprised grunts followed. I snatched a stone from the ground and took to the air. Goblins had no wings and I knew I wouldn’t be much use in a ground fight, so I contented myself with an occasional downward swoop to bang my stone on a randomly protruding enemy head. Thorn and Nix were amazing to watch. They fought back to back, protecting each other from assaults. A pile of unconscious goblins formed in front of each of them. Not that they were invulnerable. I winced as I saw them receive several blows to all parts of the body. But in the end, they triumphed. When all the baddies were stretched out and groaning on the ground, Nix and Thorn grinned at each other, flushed with camaraderie and the exultation of battle. I landed and congratulated them both, but advised a hasty departure before our assailants could come to their senses. They agreed and we set off once again, but not before Thorn had dispossessed the supine figures of any weapons. As we walked along, she threw them one by one into any crevice she could find.
Another half hour’s worth of pleasant chatting and walking saw us approach the outskirts of the goblin town. Nix led the way, waving to others that he knew. Thorn and I elicited disbelieving stares, mostly curious but some hard and hostile. However, we weren’t molested as Nix led us through the centre of the town.
“This is my home,” he eventually said, coming to a halt beside a house that looked almost identical to its neighbours. “Come on in,” he invited. “You can meet my mother. My sisters will still be at work.” We obediently followed him as he entered the dwelling.
Nix’s mother sat in an oversized armchair, knitting some sort of a garment. She seemed elderly, and her hair streaked with white, but her eyes twinkled with a disturbing intelligence. “Forscewnix,” she trumpeted, “where have you been? I see you have some friends with you. Fairies, no less, unless my old eyes deceive me. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“These are my friends, Mother,” Nix firmly declared. “They saved me and taught a few lessons about life into the bargain.” Turning to Thorn and myself, he announced, “Everyone, this is my mother, Edwinex.” He pulled me forward. “Stephen here, is a human, believe it or not.”
“A human, is he now?” she said, peering inquisitively at me. “Well, I never! He looks just like a fairy! From what I remember, you humans are supposed to be a lot bigger.”
“I’m temporarily incorporated in this body,” I respectfully replied.
“Oh, I see,” she replied. “And who’s your girlfriend, then?”
I blushed at that. “She’s not my girlfriend,” I corrected, embarrassed. “She’s just travelling with me. We’re on the trail of a thief.”
“Not a girlfriend, eh?” Nix’s mother smiled, knowingly. “If you say so, my dear.” She nodded at Thorn. “And who are you?” she asked.
Thorn took a step forward. “My name is Arugohumna,” she recited, “but Stephen calls me ‘Thorn’.”
“And exactly how did you meet my son?” Edwinex asked.
“He was trapped in a pit, and we rescued him,” Thorn related. “Afterwards, we fought off a band of thieves together.”
“Those gangs are getting bolder,” Nix interjected. “There seems to be a lot more of them roaming around these days.”
“Times are hard for us all,” Edwinex excused. “It’s not easy to make a living anymore.” She gave Thorn a concentrated look. “And you went out of your way to rescue one of us?” she said in mild astonishment. “That’s unusually generous for one of your race.”
Thorn had the grace to blush. “Well, to tell the truth,” she began, “I didn’t want to, initially. Stephen persuaded me but, as we went on, I discovered that a lot of my ideas about you were …….. antiquated.”
“Ah, I understand,” Edwinex murmured, sagely. “I’ve always thought that our two races shouldn’t be fighting. It goes against all common sense.”
“But wasn’t your husband killed by ……?” Thorn blurted out, before she could stop herself.
“Yes, that was a sad day for us all,” Edwinex whispered in a grieving tone. “But a whole race can’t be condemned for one act of callousness. If that was the case, there’d never be peace.”
Thorn’s gaze fell to the floor. “You’re more forgiving than I would have been,” she freely admitted. “On behalf of my race, allow me to extend my sorrow for your loss. I wish I could somehow make it up to you.”
“You have a good heart, child,” Nix’s mother told her. “I can see why my son calls you a friend. You are welcome in this house.”
“Thank you,” Thorn whispered, bowing slightly. “You do me honor.”
“Well then,” Edwinex said, arising from the chair, “if that’s all settled, can I offer you some refreshment?”
“You’re too kind,” Thorn remarked.
Edwinex waved away Thorn’s comment. “I’d do the same for any guest,” she said. “But you happen to be someone special. You’ve managed to change my son’s mind about the worthiness of your race and that’s nothing short of a miracle.”
Chapter 21
After everyone had eaten to their satisfaction, Thorn asked me, “What’s next?”
“That’s up to Nix,” I replied. “He said something about knowing someone who knew someone else, or something.”
Nix smiled. “I
do know someone who may be able to help,” he said. “Let’s go and see him right now.” We said our thankful goodbyes to Nix’s mother and she wished us well on our mission. Nix guided us through the rows of dwellings until we came to a house on the very edge of town.
“This is it,” Nix told us.
“How is he going to help?” Thorn wanted to know.
“Condrummux is a smuggler,” Nix informed us. “Nothing bad, just little things.”
“What things?” I asked.
“You know,” Nix further explained, “little things of not much value. A few furs maybe, brooches, a bit of jewellery and nick-knacks. Nothing serious, but he knows everything that comes and goes into the town. It’s a sort of tax-free industry between here and the fairy settlement.”
“You have taxes here?” I asked.
“Of course,” Nix informed me. “Doesn’t everyone? You can’t get away from them. Only the rich seem to be able to dodge paying them.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” I mournfully sighed.
Nix led the way inside the house. Condrummux seemed to be a shifty looking individual, his eyes darting suspiciously everywhere.
“These are my friends, Thorn and Stephen,” Nix said, introducing us. “They’re here to track down someone recently transporting Crystals. Have you heard anything?”
“They’re fairies!” the smuggler exclaimed in disgust. “Why should I help them?”
Nix quickly stepped forward and forcefully grasped his fellow goblin’s throat. “Because, if you don’t, Condrummux, “ he announced in a low, threatening voice, “I’ll make you wish you had never been born.”
“All right,” the smuggler grumbled, seemingly unfazed by Nix’s threats. “If you feel that strongly about it …….. Let me go, first of all, and I’ll tell you what I know.” Nix released him and Condrummux fastidiously pulled the creases out of his clothes.
“There was no need for that,” he complained, looking at Nix in annoyance. “These clothes cost me a fortune and they wrinkle so easily. Now, exactly what is it you want to find out about?”
“Not so long ago,” Nix began, “someone stole a bunch of Crystals from the fairy settlement. We want to know if they ended up here, and, if they did, where they are now.”
“Hmmm, Crystals …… Crystals?” Condrummux murmured, scratching his chin. “Not ordinary crystals, I take it?”
“No,” Thorn broke in. “Original ones.”
“Well, that’s different,” Condrummux exclaimed. “You don’t see those every day. They’d be almost priceless!”
“So,” I said, thoughtfully, “what you’re saying is that they couldn’t actually be sold.”
Condrummux looked at me in astonishment. “Sold?” he asked, his eyes widening. “Nobody could afford to buy original Crystals! No one has that much money!”
“Interesting,” I murmured. “Therefore, they weren’t taken for simple monetary gain, then. There had to be another reason.”
“War?” Thorn suggested.
“Maybe,” I mused, doubtfully.
“Something strange did come through recently, however,” Condrummux said, slowly.
“What?” Nix asked.
“It was an unmarked strongbox,” Condrummux explained. “I remember it because goods don’t normally arrive that way. The box was definitely fairy-made and it had locks all over it.”
“Where was it supposed to go?” Nix eagerly asked.
Condrummux scratched his chin again. “That’s the weird part,” he continued. “It had no markings on it, but the very next day a couple of the Mayor’s guards came by and collected it. I wasn’t about to argue with them.”
“The Mayor’s guards?” Nix exclaimed, astonished. “What’s going on here?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Thorn grimly declared.
“The Mayor can’t be involved,” Nix insisted. “After all, ……. he’s the Mayor!”
Nix’s innocence and naivety touched me. Obviously, he wasn’t used to corruption in high places, whereas I, being a human, was all too familiar with it. But still, I couldn’t condemn the Mayor out of hand. Perhaps the guards themselves were the naughty ones.
“I presume we’re going to see the Mayor next?” Nix enquired, still crestfallen.
“That would be a logical step,” I told him. “We’ll have to see if he knows anything about it.”
“I still can’t believe it,” Nix said, shaking his head. “The Mayor! It’s just not possible!”
I put a sympathetic arm around his shoulders. “Don’t judge too quickly,” I cautioned. “He may be totally innocent. We don’t know anything as yet.”
He gave me a wan smile. “You’re right, of course,” he said. “We have no proof of wrongdoing so far. Maybe I’ve been hanging around you suspicious humans too long.”
“That’s probably the case,” Thorn chimed in, grinning. “Stephen is definitely a bad influence on us all.”
“I think it’s more likely to be the reverse,” I told them both. “You two miscreants are turning my life inside out.” Nix laughed and nudged Thorn who punched him lightly on the arm in a friendly fashion. They smiled at each other and I knew then that, unlikely as it had first seemed, and after the initial rocky start, their friendship was well on the way to being firmly established.
Chapter 22
We trooped over to the Mayor’s office and demanded an audience. Surprisingly, it was immediately granted and we were ushered into his presence. He was the first fat goblin I’d seen. In fact, he must have been worth at least two goblins. He looked up testily from his paperwork and snapped, “What do you want? I’m busy. Make it short! And what are you two fairies doing here?”
“We’d like to ask you, Sir,” Nix began hesitantly, “about a certain parcel that two of your guards picked up from Condrummux not so long ago. We believe it may contain Crystals stolen from the fairy settlement.”
The Mayor jumped in his chair and his pudgy eyes narrowed. “What parcel?” he asked, in what he laughingly assumed to be an ingenuous voice but which, to me, sang with falsehood. Not only sang, mind you, but belted out a full operatic score complete with orchestral backing. His whole body language screamed of guilt.
“Two of your guards took it,” Nix continued, apparently oblivious to the Mayor’s overwhelming culpability. Heavens above, couldn’t Nix see what was going on? He really must be an innocent in the ways of corruption. Obviously, he had been raised on the concept that leaders were there for the good of the people. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. The poor guy would be absolutely devastated if he came to my world.
“You’ve been to Condrummux?” the Mayor asked, intently. “What did he tell you?”
“Nothing much,” Nix said. “He just told us about the parcel, but can’t you see what it means? If it did contain the Crystals, then your own guard is involved. We have to find the parcel and deliver it to the fairy Elders.” I groaned to myself. Nix had just given the whole game away.
The Mayor rubbed his chubby hands together and smiled. “There’s no need for that,” he explained, in an oily voice. “The fairy Mayor and I have a certain, shall we say, understanding.” He smiled again – a particularly nasty smile. “But in the meantime, I’d like you to stay as my guests.” He waved at the guards. “Take them!” he ordered.
“What are you doing?” Nix stammered, confused, as the guards closed in.
“Just looking after my investment,” the Mayor confided, chuckling to himself. We were roughly thrown into a dungeon with Nix still protesting. The cell door slammed shut in our faces and the three of us were left alone.
“What’s going on?” Nix demanded.
I sat him down and tried to explain. “I know this is hard for you to accept, Nix, but the Mayor is neck-deep in this theft. The Crystals were stolen at the settlement, mainly, I believe, on the behest of the fairy Mayor, and shipped here for storage. I’m not quite sure why yet, but the two Mayors are as guilty as sin.” Nix’s face, as
well as Thorn’s, became pale with shock.
“The Mayor?” Thorn stuttered.
“The Mayor?” Nix echoed.
“Yes, to both questions,” I confirmed, pacing up and down the cell.
“But why?” they demanded in chorus.
“I wish I knew,” I admitted, staring at the cell door. “There has to be a reason. Are the Mayors elected in a vote?”
“Not really,” Thorn informed me. “The position is generally for life, barring unforeseen circumstances.”
“So that rules that out,” I murmured to myself. “The only thing left is power.” I wheeled around to face Thorn. “Suppose there was a civil emergency?” I asked. “What would happen then?”
Thorn shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I guess, in a case like that, the Mayor would assume complete control.”
“What about the Elders?” I demanded. “I would have thought that they’d take over.”
“No,” she contradicted. “The Mayor runs the settlement. The Elders are there for spiritual and moral guidance only. In emergencies, the Mayor has total sway over everything.”
“Interesting,” I remarked, turning to Nix. “What happens here?” I asked.
“The Mayor runs everything,” he advised me. “We don’t have a Council of Elders.”
“This is all very fascinating,” Thorn observed, “but how does it help us? We have to get out of here first.”
“Yes, I know,” I stated. “But I don’t see how. The bars are solid and, unless we can find a secret trapdoor somewhere, I’m afraid we’re here for the duration.”
Chapter 23
For the next hour or so, we were very dispirited group. Let’s face it, there isn’t a lot to do in a dungeon, and a spirit of hopelessness set in. Also, I began to wonder what would happen to my body back home in bed. Surely my eight hours of absence were nearly up? If I didn’t get back to Phil soon, all sorts of trouble might occur. However, the monotony was broken by the arrival of a guard, accompanied by Nix’s mother, who was bearing a welcome present, in the form of a large cake. Nix rushed to the bars as his mother approached and she firmly grasped one of his hands.
Crystal Thief (1) (The Underground Kingdom) Page 8
