by Jeff Inlo
Chapter 5
Two goblins perched themselves high upon a hilltop due west of Burbon. They watched two figures exit the south gate of the human outpost, two which were quickly joined by a third. One they recognized immediately; the delver. The newcomers were unknown to them. The diminutive monsters waited near breathless, standing motionless in the high grass. They knew of the great senses of the cursed delver. And though he remained a great distance away from their position, they feared the scout might spot them if they made the slightest disturbance. Their interest grew as the delver and his companions crossed the Fuge River. As the range between the two groups increased, one of the goblins found the courage to speak, though in a whisper so as not to alert those they watched.
"They cross the river."
"I see," the second muttered in a low guttural voice.
"They move to the trees."
The second did not respond. It merely watched carefully, its eyes widening. The thick, puffy skin that surrounded its face appeared to bulge. When it saw Lief and Holli leap to the trees, it spat, and finally spoke with even greater harshness.
"He is with elves! We must report this."
The two goblins turned and descended the hill, trounced through the tall grass with vehemence. The two small creatures cursed as they despised the thick hill brush for its very existence. They moved northwest, away from the river, away from Burbon.
One moaned an unintelligible sound as they moved upon the base of an indistinguishable hill. They stepped up to a hidden path that led to a cave entrance. They moved forward, past a goblin guard, and began descending a long tunnel.
Again, the eyes of the goblins widened. The thick rubbery skin that swelled at their cheeks and around their eyes sagged. The thin wispy gray hair that topped their heads shuddered in the breeze of the tunnel, typifying their own feelings of dread as they entered this godless place.
Lunacy. For two goblins to enter this den willingly, it bordered on something beyond insanity. This was a shag's lair, the tunnel carved out by the massive, powerful paws of a monster that consumed goblins as appetizers. However, this shag, a giant shag, was now supposedly on their side, an ally under the same commander, and the master now used this sanctuary as its own home.
Each goblin tried to ignore the claw marks on the sides of the tunnel, but their apprehensive glances were impossible to deny. Their steps, labored at first, faltered as they closed upon a hollowed area large enough to fit a small goblin platoon. The smell of death was overpowering as the shag came into view. The monster glared at the goblins, but made no move.
The goblins froze.
The leader of both reclined upon the skin of a river rogue, a testament to the shag's strength and hunting prowess. A shag that was large enough to prey upon river rogues was indeed a powerful and dangerous creature, a threat to all except the serp that could control it.
The serp stirred from his rest. He had named himself Sazar, after an ancient leader, a chieftain from the legends. Sazar ignored the shag. The goblins could never discern if this was confidence in his own ability to control the monster, or brazen stupidity. He focused upon the goblins. He took long moments to analyze the impish monsters. He looked beyond their fear of the shag, beyond their panic of standing in its lair. He saw their confusion. They had left their post. They would not do so unless they had something important to report. He looked deep into their chaotic, twisted minds. He could almost see what they had seen. One word became very clear to him.
"Elves." The word sprung from the serp in a soft, soothing tone.
The goblins would not dare to question their master, but they stood in awe at the revelation. Both began to speak almost simultaneously about the incident.
"Yes, elves. They left with the delver, the one that attacked us," one clamored.
The other continued. "They crossed the river together. They entered the forest."
Sazar held up a hand ordering silence. The goblins obeyed without dissent and Sazar began to ask quick, pointed questions without interruption.
"Did they appear to explore the lands as they traveled?"
"No." Both goblins responded instantly.
"Did the elves take to the trees?"
"Yes, that is how we knew they were elves."
"Was anyone else with them, did any humans follow?"
"Not that we saw. No one came through the gates."
The serp again searched the minds of the goblins, reached in to find any shred of doubt in their answers. There was none.
"So they were not on a scouting mission, and they were obviously ready to travel deep into the forest. Unless they planned to meet more elves in the trees, they planned to go alone. No human could keep up with elves or a delver in Dark Spruce. Hmmmm…two elves and the only delver in Burbon making a trip into Dark Spruce. Interesting."
The serp looked into the small fire that provided the only light in this cave. His snake-like eyes followed the smoke that drifted up through the air vent above it. The smoke would never be seen from the outside, for the serp used thick handfuls of shag hair to act as filters throughout the vent, a vent which twisted and turned and opened upon the backside of the hill. His thoughts danced with the flames. He spoke openly of them. The bitter cold of his dark soul was hidden by the warm soothing tone of his voice.
"So the delver has left, left with two elves. Why would he leave? He is the only delver in Burbon, and he knows we are here. It must be important for him, otherwise he would wait. And why would he leave with elves? Elves and humans remain apart. These are the first elves to come to Burbon since the release of the magic. What would the elves want with humans? Ah, but I forget myself. They did not leave with humans, they left with a delver. The very same delver that was at Sanctum. That is fact. There were elves at Sanctum. There must be a connection, an important connection if this delver would leave while a threat exists."
"Will we attack tonight?" one of the goblins blurted out. It did not understand the serp's questions, it only knew the importance of Ryson's departure. "If the delver is gone, it is an opportunity."
Sazar turned his curiosity on the goblin. He almost laughed. "What kind of opportunity?" he pressed with mischievous delight.
The goblin immediately wished it had remained silent. Goblins found it difficult to talk to serps, they stood like hypnotized birds before a king cobra. It stuttered as it tried to explain. "The delver will not be able to scout, there will be no warning."
"He has already uncovered us. Don't you think he has informed the human guard? Don't you think the guard will be that much more careful while he is gone?"
The goblin uneasily looked at the ground.
Again, the serp laughed. "Do you really think we could just walk through the gates because the delver has left? The delver has already done his job, of that I'm sure. The humans have been warned. To attack now would be nothing less than stupidity."
The goblin's shoulder's drooped as it shied from the serp's words.
Sazar remained good-humored, though sharp-tongued. His tone heightened with giddiness as it swept an ever-widening hold upon the goblin's will. "See what happens when you think for yourself? You would walk into an open pit in broad daylight if it wasn't for my guidance. The time to attack is not when the delver is away, but when the delver first returns. That may be an opportune time. The humans will drop their own guard, thinking the delver's return would add to their safety. That is a time of vulnerability. However, that is certainly not our main concern at this time. We must first understand what is actually happening."
Sazar turned away from the goblins and again looked into the fire. "If those are elves from Sanctum, why would they come back for the delver? Ingar was defeated, the sphere destroyed. According to what I know, representatives from each of the five races entered Sanctum, so it may not end with the delver and the elves. Dwarves were at Sanctum, algors were there, even a cliff behemoth. Why would they want or need to meet again? Maybe an all
iance, but then why would they not bring a human with them?"
The serp shook his head. His long tail drifted gently across the river rogues skin. Again, he asked the most perplexing question aloud. "What could be so important to make the only delver of Burbon leave so quickly after uncovering us? That is what I need to know. That is very important information."
He first eyed the shag with the thought of having it follow the threesome. He quickly reconsidered. Even a shag would not keep pace with a delver and two elves through the forest, and they already had a head start. He turned his attention to the goblins.
"Return to your posts for now. Watch the forest as well as the walls of Burbon. I wish to be alerted if and when the delver returns. I will send you relief before the sun sets."
The goblins gladly turned and near galloped free from the tunnel, leaving the serp alone with the shag. Sazar folded his hands against his scaly chest. His sharp claws tapped a rhythmic beat against his own thick hide.
The shag fell into a daze, mesmerized by the gentle clicking which echoed through its lair.
