The Goblin's Heir

Chapter Three: Rivals

The brides' villa loomed high ahead of me. It was less a house and more their personal castle. It stood across a courtyard from the main palace, carved out of the earth just the same. "You're sure they're here?" I asked Cerise. 

She nodded mutely, looking up at the villa. Her arms were wrapped around herself as if she were trying to give herself some comfort. Her eyes looked the same as mine, red-rimmed and raw. "They invited me to lunch." 

I raised an eyebrow. "I had no idea you were on such friendly terms with my children."

"Of course I am. I'm fun." A weak smile curved her lips. "Though I doubt they'll be inviting me anymore once they find out I told." 

"You shouldn't have had to keep any secrets from me. They should've been honest." I took a deep breath, feeling it catch slightly. A chilling fear had settled in my chest as my mind went wild with the possibilities of how they'd react to my request. Even if they were having bad thoughts and nightmares, I held on to the hope that if I were to conceive again, they would go away until the fifth had grown up. There was, after all, a significant age difference between Knut and his brother Kai. They'd gotten through it somehow. Whether they'd be happy to wait, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely. 

The villa's front door was a massive thing made entirely of silver that had been polished to a near mirror-like effect. Etched into it were the spindly, entangled shapes of The Hollow's forest. At the center, holding a demon-faced knocker within its gaping wound was The Hollow itself. I picked up the demon's toothy lower jaw and slammed it against the silver slab sending a ringing sound echoing through the city streets. 

The door opened to a flurry of whirling skirts, horns, claws and sharp teeth. Numerous female goblins, each more disgusting and horrifying than the last, filled the entryway and swung from the chandeliers, all of them whispering excitedly, "The Princes are here!" 

Kettle, ribbons bizarrely tied around each spike down her back, greeted us. "Empress, what a surprise. It's not often you visit us." 

"I don't think I ever have," I admitted. I'd never really cared to, truth be told. The she-goblins were strange and only ever talked to me about my sons, asking questions as if they were trying to gain as much information about their likes and dislikes as they could. I avoided the majority of them. The only exception was Ari. She wouldn't let me ignore her. "We're joining my sons for lunch." I painted on a very fake smile.

"What fun." She stepped aside, opening the door wider and beckoning me inside. "Right this way, they were just finishing up a game of cards when I left them." 

We followed the train of Kettle's deep red gown through the house's enormous rooms. Despite its size, the house was absolutely packed with she-goblins and my sons' names were on all of their lips.

"It's my turn to bring up the food!" One dressed in blush pink, with leathery dark skin and no nose or lips to speak of, snarled at another in blue.

The one in blue dug her claws into the pink one's ugly flesh. She towered over her, her spine bending grotesquely, distorting the feminine lines of her pretty dress. "You attended them last time!" She hissed, stomping her cloven hooves. She grabbed the other one by her greasy hair, giving it a yank. The two wrestled, spitting and howling as they dragged their claws through each other's skin and frocks. I noticed all the brides were wearing more opulent dresses than usual and the villa reeked of a strange perfume that was so strong it made my eyes water a little. 

"Everyone's all dressed up." Cerise commented as if she'd read my mind. "What's the occasion?"

"The princes are here. That's reason enough. And Odd's with them this time! It's so rare for him not to be hunting!" The look in Kettle's red eyes turned dreamy. "What I wouldn't give to join him on a hunt! I bet he's so handsome in his hunting leathers!" She snapped open a fan and beat it furiously in front of her face. "Naturally, we've put in a bit more effort in our appearance. They'll be picking brides soon. We need to dress to impress."