The Goblin's Crown

Chapter Thirty Five: The Hunters in The Boughs

"You can't be serious," I muttered under my breath as Knut and I strode briskly towards the stables. "We are not about to abandon our kingdom."

"We cannot stay." He repeated for the umpteenth time since getting dressed that morning. He wore an unassuming, plain ensemble made of light, ivy green fabric that complemented the creamier shades of my own moss colored gown. We looked like were about to take a stroll in the park rather than heading off to war. "She will continue to send monsters to our doorstep," He paused a moment, sighing raggedly. "It's not safe for you to be here anymore and doing so wouldn't be of any benefit to us. The monsters will never stop coming. Not until the Underground is empty, you are dead, and I'm captured." He placed a hand on the curve of my back, guiding me into a faster walk. "She is forcing us to act. We must set our plan into motion if we are to stand any chance of defeating her. If we stay, our defeat is inevitable." His expression was deadly serious. He truly believed what he said. Was our victory that unlikely? "We will leave a small number of goblins here to fight the monsters and let Mab think she's winning, while we head north."

I clawed at my thin skirt, balling it up in my hands. "I still don't like it." The idea of leaving the Underground with so few to protect it, knowing what just one monster was capable of, made me physically sick. We passed through a corridor that had been damaged by the serpent's attack. A huge hole was punctured in the side, allowing us to see out to the goblin city. The city was in shambles. Nothing but rubble. Not a single building was left untouched, and a dreadful silence hung over it. Usually, the Underground air was thick with garbled goblin voices as they went about their tasks. Now there was nothing, but the rumbling roar of another monster off in the distance.

I swallowed hard as we passed the view. I reached out to the wall, letting my fingers graze the cold stone. In such a short time, this place that had seemed so alien to me once had become my home and now I feared that if I left, I'd never be able to return. I felt Knut stop and glanced up to see him looking at me with solemn eyes. "We will come back, Matilda. I promise." He kissed the top of my head then flashed me one of his big smiles. "And when we do, we will return victorious, parading Mab's head on a pike through the streets."

"I can hardly wait." The corners of my lips curled involuntarily.

The carriage was ready for us as soon as we arrived. The goblin horses pawed the ground, eager to begin the journey north. The driver, a goblin with slightly violet-colored skin, tapped his whip against a knobby knee up on the driver's seat. Llinos leaned against the golden carriage, his golden sword at his waist as always.

"What are you up to?" I asked. "You rarely ever leave The Hollow."

"I volunteered to play the part of the royal bodyguard. A man shaped goblin is less likely to get poked full of arrows than one that's shaped like a giant rodent from hell." Llinos shrugged. "And I do enjoy making the elves uncomfortable."

Ask stood off to the side, holding Cat in front of her with both hands on the little girl's shoulders as if trying to hold her back. She'd dressed the girl in a fine purple gown that went well with her coloring. Her dark hair tumbled around her face in soft ringlets. Despite her nice clothing, the fear in her brown eyes, eyes so much like my father's...and my own, remained. She fidgeted in Ask's hold, eyeing me through her fan-like eyelashes. Such a pretty girl she was, I had to admit. She was pretty now and one day she'd be beautiful. As beautiful as her father once was.

Knut left my side and went straight to her. Cat cringed a little, turning to cling to Ask's skirt and hide her face in the folds of fabric. "The monsters are scary, aren't they?" Knut said softly. "But you've got nothing to fear, Kitty Cat." He knelt on one knee and poked her side, forcing a giggle out of the frightened child. Cat peeked at him with one eye, the rest of her face still hidden. Knut smiled warmly at her as he plucked a blooming yellow rose from nowhere behind her ear. Cat's face lit up at the show of magic as did Knut's at the sight of her joy. Knut held the flower out to her and, successfully distracted from the monsters just outside, she took it in her small hands and stuck her nose into its golden petals, breathing in the scent as if it were the most delicious thing she'd ever smelled. Personally, I preferred the perfume of freshly baked bread to flowers.