The Goblin's Heir

Chapter Thirty Five: Masterpiece

I stepped out of the shadows out to the edge of the branch. There, I perched myself and pulled the hood of my midnight cloak over my greying hair while my other hand ringed its fingers around the handle of Wingclipper. I breathed deep, filling my lungs with the strong scent of goblin in the air. Earth and smoke. My eyes twitching over the scene playing out below us. Large, lion mawed goblins devouring smaller ones, only for others to gnaw at their limbs. Poor, mindless beasts. Hearts beating in their chests. Lungs filling with air. Minds set free. All of them phantoms still. Imperfect failed creations made by subpar kings. 

How many times had Knut questioned his right to rule? How often had he second-guessed his worth? I squeezed my eye shut and looked through his again. "See", I told him through the vast distance between the realms of the living and the dead. "See how grand you are! No other king could hold a candle to you! Their creations pale in comparison to your masterpieces! You were magnificent! You were spectacular! You were everything you thought of me and more! Knut! Wherever you are! Look now! See it! See the might of your mind at work!"

"We've already run into Kettle and some of the other she-goblins. Do you know if any are here, fortified in the tower?" I asked Snorri, still watching the goblins below squirm in their newfound freedom. 

"Not a she-goblin, no."

His answer made a pain radiate through my jaw, I clenched my teeth so hard. 

"That sounds ominous." Frit sighed. "What do you mean by that?"

"When I first arrived, I thought the best strategic move would be to take the tower. I didn't get far before I was pushed out of the city by that." He gestured to the mass of goblins below. They choked the main entrance, making passage through it impossible. "We became overwhelmed by their numbers and I had no choice but to retreat, but before I did, I saw him standing at the very top of the tower."

"Him?" Frit said, his brow furrowing.

"Llinos."

I physically winced at the gasp I heard rip out of Cat's lungs. "You lie." She snaped through bared teeth. Ask had grabbed her by the arm to hold her back from lunging at Snorri. She pulled against her restraint ready to rip Snorri's throat out for even insinuating such a horrible thing. "Llinos wouldn't do that. He is loyal to the empire."

"He was, My Girl." Ask soothed. "But we do not know where his loyalties lie now. You cannot know his desires. I doubt even he fully understands them." 

"I know Llinos." She looked around at her cousins. "We all do. Surely, you all agree. He trained all of us since we were young. He's looked after us, cared for us."

"Because Father was telling him to." Odd grumbled. "You're misinterpreting his willingness to follow orders with loyalty. We all have."

"You're wrong." She shook her raven curls. Llinos had been a grandfatherly figure for her, just as Ask had become her gran. She'd admired him and though it was harder to tell than with Ask, he did seem to hold some special affection for her. He'd gifted her his prized sword to use in the coronation after all.

"Am I!" Odd snarled at her. "Look around! Do you see any of them dropping to their knees before us! They no longer care who we are if you've yet to figure to that out! We no longer have the seed! We are not their masters! We're nothing to them! Nothing but meat!"

"Stop your bickering. This doesn't change anything," I said backing away from the edge of the limb and turning back to them. I kept my hand on my weapon beneath my cloak. "We have to take the tower. If Llinos tries to keep us from that goal, we will kill him." I met Cat's frightened, sad eyes. "We have no other choice."