The Goblin's Crown

Chapter Forty Nine: The Gate

The two women sat in the kitchen, staring blankly into cups of tea, while the men continued talking of the doom they felt pressing down on their necks.

"Lir's mistaken. He has to be." The sister, Deidre, muttered. "It's just one goblin. Things cannot be that dire." Her blue tinged fingers squeezed her cup. "Mab will send her men. They'll chase the thing off or kill it for good. We'll be fine." She said, trying to convince herself of her made up truth.

Neasa rocked her baby slowly, her face pinched with unspoken worry. "Don't fool yourself into dropping your guard. Lir has experience dealing with goblins. He's fought along side them several times. He knows their tricks."

I couldn't help but smile to myself. He knew the goblins' tricks, but he didn't know mine.

With one pale hand, she brushed her shawl from her head, letting her wavy, dark hair fall more into her face and brush her cheeks. "If he says we have something to fear, you and Fergus should listen to him." Neasa urged. "I know that Lir won't leave and I doubt Fergus would be able to, but I will ask Lir to let me go into The Boughs. You should ask Fergus to let you and the girls come with me. Maybe the elves will offer us sanctuary...for our children at least." She sounded hopeful, but not entirely convinced of this. I personally had no doubts that the elves would do just that if they were asked nicely.

Not that it would matter. No one was going to have time to escape before my goblins came pouring in. I just needed to open the front gate...once I found it.

The man, Lir, was a member of something called The Council. I guessed that it was a fellowship of local leaders that dealt with Mab directly, acting as the common people's voice. As a leader, and someone with such an important roll in the community, he'd probably have a map. Somewhere. My gaze drifted towards a darkened hallway that branched off of the kitchen. Time to do some snooping.

I slipped down the hall, watching my step to keep my footing soft and silent. The first room I came to was a bedroom filled with simple, but vibrantly colored furniture. The headboard and posts were painted in a deep, dark indigo. Shiny, silver stars were painted across the wood. On the headboard, a crescent moon eclipsed a blazing sun.

Trying my best to be quiet, I rummaged through a chest of clothing and junk. I looked under the bed, went through a box full of old, sappy love letters that made me want to vomit, and even checked for loose floorboards, in case there was a hidden stash like where the old geezers back home liked to hoard their gold. Nothing. I crumpled one of the love letters in my hand and chucked back into its little box. May it never see daylight again.

I put everything back and carefully closed the lid. I left the room in... mostly the same condition I'd found it in. From back towards the front of the house, I could hear the dinner getting underway. China clattered and wine poured. Now that both men and women were united over a meal, they joked and chatted merrily, giving not even a hint of the terrible uncertainty that loomed over each of them.

Fergus spoke of his daughters. Both of them were still small and had not yet fledged. He was telling a story about trying to teach his eldest to fly. I lingered a moment, listening to him recall how uncertain she was of her own abilities.

"She was certain that her wings were still too small to carry her. She had so convinced herself that she would fall, that she clung to me and wailed every time I made her practice. " The city guardsman laughed warmly, "I would fly above her, holding her by the waist, showing her how to move her wings to change direction and speed. She would watch me, despite her fear, and I could see her wings twitch to mimic mine. I knew that she was learning, so I let my hands fall away."

"I bet she didn't like that." Lir laughed. I heard him slurp up a soup.

"Oh, her screaming was deafening, but her wings went out around her, stretched out wide, catching the wind. She flew. It was unsteady and hideously clumsy, but she flew."