Tears of Liscor, page 78
part #9 of The Wandering Inn Series
The Gnoll cub didn’t like that, but Yvlon picked her up, and even squirming as hard as she could, Mrsha couldn’t get free. She whined as Lyonette and Erin left the inn. They walked down the hill, and Erin grimaced.
“Ew. There’s a path, but it’s mud.”
Indeed, to get to where the Goblins were standing, Erin would have to go up and down the hills, which meant walking through the mud and occasionally through knee-deep water. If she slipped, Erin would tumble to the bottom of the hill—which meant a reintroduction to water if the valley was deep.
“There are boots and a special type of stick they use to walk around in. Do you want me to try and get one?”
“No. I’ll walk. It’s a big mess, and I can’t delay.”
Erin sighed. She and Lyonette began to slip their way down a hill and up the first one. As they walked, Erin talked.
“So who stole the door? Any ideas?”
“No one knows. But some people came through it, from Celum. That’s why Olesm confiscated the mana stone leading there. None of the adventurers were happy. Also, this isn’t proof, but the night the door was stolen, that [Magician]—Eltistiman—he vanished.”
“What? But I liked him.”
Erin’s face fell. Lyonette pursed her lips.
“He might be innocent. Or a victim.”
“You think so?”
“No. And neither does Olesm. There’s a bounty on his head.”
“Damn.”
Erin cursed. It felt wholly insufficient to the moment. She glared at nothing, remembering the smiling, charming illusion-mage.
“Eltistiman Verdue. I’m gonna remember his…face. Not the name. If I see that guy again, he’s gonna get what for. Okay, what’s the next problem?”
Lyonette glanced back at the inn.
“The door to Celum’s out. And so is the door to Pallass. All the adventurers are stuck in Liscor, and they want out.”
“Oh, is that why they’re all at my inn?”
“Yes. They won’t say as much to Watch Captain Zevara—much less Wall Lord Ilvriss—but I think that even the Pallassian adventurers don’t want to stay and fight. They all want to leave.”
“Makes sense. But Liscor will be under attack. And my door’s outta juice. So what’s their plan?”
Lyonette glanced around again. But there was no one nearby. Just the watchers on Liscor, the adventurers following their slow progress in the mud—and the Goblins on the nearby hills. They were staring at Erin and Lyonette, although not with hostility. So many watchers. It made Erin’s shoulders itch. The [Princess] whispered to her, keeping a wary eye on the Cave Goblins.
“They still want to use your door. They’re trying to leave Liscor, Erin. They’re going north. Towards Celum.”
“Who is?”
“All of the adventurers!”
“You’re kidding. And Olesm is okay with that?”
“He doesn’t know! They’re taking a door with them with a new mana stone embedded in it. I objected—so did Typhenous and Dawil and Ceria. They wanted you to weigh in before they started this. But the other teams said they had to go now, or at least get started.”
“Oh boy. That’s not good.”
Erin’s stomach, already a bit seasick from all the churning, began to make gastric butter. Lyonette nodded.
“Remember how you got here from Celum? They’re doing the same thing—but in reverse. They’re trading it off, going back through the door so only one team has to carry it each time. They’re going to try and get to Esthelm and hire horses—or a wagon to move faster—by tonight. They think they can get out of the pass before the Goblin Lord’s army arrives.”
“Wonderful. At least it’s a tried and true method. And how far are they?”
“Jelaqua’s team was the first shift, and they left this morning. I think they’re nearing the edge of the Floodplains by foot. It’s slow progress right now, but soon—Erin, what are we going to do?”
“Tell Olesm. Or maybe not. I dunno. Liscor needs to be defended, but the adventurers don’t want to fight. I’ll think about it. Right now, I have to deal with the Cave Goblins. You want to go back?”
“I’ll stick with you.”
Lyonette squared her shoulders. Erin smiled at her. The two climbed a hill. And then they saw the Cave Goblins spread out ahead of them.
It was a strange sight. Goblins sat about on hilltops, twenty odd thousand of them scattered in different spots. Some were cooking or sitting around the fires, others fishing or just…going about the task of living. Erin saw some of them diving around the rift to the dungeon and hauling stuff up. The Cave Goblins were everywhere.
“Holy smokes. I knew there were more than I thought, but this many?”
Erin blinked at the Goblins. Lyonette shook her head in wonder.
“There are so many. How are they feeding themselves? There’s no way the food you were giving them was enough!”
“I think they had food from the dungeon. And—oh wow. Yeah, they have food. Just not good food. Look at that.”
Erin pointed. She’d spotted the Cave Goblins bringing up something from the underwater rift to the dungeon. Lyonette saw what they were lugging across the muddy floodplains to a waiting fire. She put a hand over her mouth.
“Is that—”
“Uh huh. That’s a dead, giant caterpillar. A dead caterpillar with hair. They’re sautéing it.”
Lyonette turned green. Erin felt her stomach lurch.
“Well, I guess monsters from the dungeon are like…half of their food supply. I did wonder what all that salt and oil was being used for. And they’ve got fish here, cooking equipment…”
Pleasantly, the only smells the two girls were inhaling were coming from a nearby cook fire where some Goblins were frying up muddy fish they’d scooped from the valley-lakes. Erin stared at them to get the image of Goblins sawing chunks off the caterpillar out of her head.
“I’m going in. You stay put, Lyonette. Or go back. That caterpillar’s gonna smell soon.”
“What does Zevara want you to do?”
Lyonette called after Erin as the [Innkeeper] began to walk down the hill. Erin didn’t respond.
What did Zevara want her to do? What did Ilvriss and Olesm want? Well, they wanted her to wave her hands and make the Goblins go away. They were about to fight a war. A war. And Erin was going to be caught up in it.
It didn’t feel quite real. Erin had trouble taking it seriously. War was coming to Liscor? Actual armies and a siege? She couldn’t imagine it. She’d never seen an army—well, the Goblin Lord maybe—but the idea of a bunch of Humans, her people, coming to attack Liscor? It was too much to imagine.
Erin thought of Magnolia and her incredible mansion. She remembered the landscape flashing by as she rode with Reynold. Hundreds of miles of land she’d never set foot on. An entire world and politics and people she knew nothing about. Liscor was her home. She’d only gone to Pallass, and even then, she’d barely explored the city. All she knew was this one place.
In some ways, Erin knew so little of this world for all the time she’d been in it. She wished Ryoka were here to give her some perspective. She wished she knew more of what to do. But as she walked down the hill and the Cave Goblins’ heads turned, she knew there was no one who could give her advice. She saw a ripple go through the Cave Goblins and then a tall figure appeared at the top of a hill. Erin stared up and smiled.
“Numbtongue.”
He walked down the hill towards her, his eyes wide. She smiled up at him as Cave Goblins poured over the sides of the hills. They watched as Erin and Numbtongue met. The Hobgoblin [Bard] and Human girl stared at each other. Then Erin smiled.
“Hi.”
“Hello.”
Numbtongue was oddly shy. Erin smiled. She reached out and hugged him. A susurration ran through the Cave Goblins. Numbtongue froze and then patted Erin on the shoulder. Erin stared at his hands. The shackles had been broken—snapped by a bunch of impacts by the looks of it. She dug in her pocket.
“I’ve got a key for those cuffs. Let’s go find somewhere dry to sit, okay?”
The two found a dry spot to sit. Next to a fire, actually. The Cave Goblins had found some kind of fuel supply—made it, rather. Erin saw dried grass pellets being tossed into fires along with the precious and scarce wood. She asked Numbtongue about it.
“They dragged it from the pass.”
He pointed north. Erin blinked.
“That’s far! And they carried all that wood here?”
He shrugged.
“Lots of wood is easy to carry. If you have lots of hands.”
“That’s true.”
They sat together in silence for a bit. A small Goblin with a huge chef’s hat came by and offered Erin some roast fish. To be polite, Erin nibbled it and found it was actually really good.
“Thanks, Pebblesnatch. You’ve outdone yourself!”
The Cave Goblin beamed with pride. She adjusted her hat and walked off self-importantly. Numbtongue watched Erin spit out a fish bone. At last, he came out with it.
“Are they alive? Is Bird alive?”
“Yes, and yes. They’re both fine. Bird’s in the Hive. Klbkch won’t say how he’s doing, but he made it. And the Redfangs are in prison. I was with them just now, and they’re fine.”
Numbtongue breathed out slowly. He relaxed, and some of the tension in him that had been there all day slowly eased. Erin looked at him.
“You did a lot while I was in jail, huh?”
“Yes. I did not know what to do. So I did—”
Numbtongue waved a claw at the Cave Goblins. Erin looked at them. Some were carrying weapons. Others were even sparring, practicing fighting in the mud. Some were cooks and some—
“Are they making guitars?”
She pointed. Numbtongue glanced at a group of Goblins energetically carving at a piece of wood and fumbling with pieces of string.
“Maybe. Will Liscor let my…will they let the Hobgoblins go?”
“Yes. I think so. But it’s tricky. You scared them, Numbtongue. You know what’s happening, right?”
The Hobgoblin shrugged again.
“The Goblin Lord is coming. Humans are forcing him to attack Liscor. A big war is coming. Dangerous. For Drakes, for Gnolls…for Humans too.”
“That’s about it. How do you know about what’s going on?”
Erin was impressed. Numbtongue didn’t look that surprised by what was happening. He tapped one ear.
“People talk in the inn all the time. No one pays attention to listening Goblins. Even big Hobs.”
“Huh. Okay. So…what is your tribe going to do?”
“If they let the others go—”
“They will.”
“—then we will go south. No point staying here. It would be a pointless-death. Against Humans. Against the Goblin Lord.”
Erin glanced sideways at Numbtongue.
“You wouldn’t join up with him?”
He bared his teeth.
“No. He is our tribe’s enemy.”
“But you don’t know where your tribe is.”
Numbtongue hesitated. He bowed his head.
“No. Don’t even know if Chieftain is alive. I think she is. But I don’t know.”
Erin was tempted to ask who his Chieftain was. She’d never gotten a chance to talk. In fact, this was the most Numbtongue had ever said to her without being coaxed. She thought about what he’d said.
“Okay. So you’re going south.”
“Yes. We’ll take Cave Goblins south. Go west, towards High Passes. That is home. Maybe our tribe went back. Maybe—we know how to live there.”
“That’s a long way away.”
“Yes.”
Numbtongue looked towards Liscor and then past it. He looked at Erin.
“Liscor will let my brothers go?”
Erin smiled.
“If they don’t, you’ll stay here. And that would be bad for them. They think you might join the Goblin Lord. So yeah, they’ll let Headscratcher and the others go.”
“Good.”
Numbtongue nodded a few times. Then he hesitated. He looked at Erin.
“The Human army is coming. The Goblin Lord is coming. They’ll kill a city and start a war. Will you stay? Will you run? We can protect you.”
The question caught Erin off-guard. She hesitated.
“I—I’m not going. Not yet. But I don’t want to leave you guys. I was thinking—I’ll send a magic doorway with you. How about that? That way, you can stay at my inn.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course. I heard how you protected my inn. And got the door back. Thank you for that.”
Erin smiled at Numbtongue. The Hobgoblin looked abashed. He waved a claw.
“We saw the door. Saw Humans—[Rogues]. Ambushed them. It wasn’t a fair fight.”
“Well, that’s the best kind of fight. And I was in jail the entire time. It’s not actually that bad in there. But I got out early because you showed up.”
“Sorry?”
Erin laughed. Numbtongue smiled, and for a second, the two sat together. Erin had so many things she wanted to say or ask or do. But she thought of the adventurers marching north and knew she couldn’t. Regretfully, she stood up.
“They’ll let the other guys go now. Zevara says she’ll do it as a sign of goodwill—but if you’re not gone by night, she’ll start bombarding you with spells. So…I guess that’s sorta nice. For her.”
“For her. We’ll leave as soon as I see the others.”
Numbtongue agreed. He stood up with Erin and looked towards Liscor. She saw movement on the battlements and waved her hands. That meant ‘yes’, or so she’d agreed with Zevara. Numbtongue stood beside her. He hesitated.
“Is it a good idea? Going away? We—I feel like it’s running away.”
Erin frowned. She looked at Numbtongue.
“But this isn’t your battle. It’s a silly Human thing. And a Drake thing, I guess. The Goblin Lord’s a Goblin, yeah, but he’s not your problem.”
For a long time, the Hobgoblin hesitated. He looked at Erin. He opened and closed his mouth and then whispered hoarsely.
“Yes, but you’re—”
He didn’t get to finish. Erin jumped up excitedly.
“Hey. There they come! Look, look!”
Numbtongue’s head snapped around. He saw four shapes appear on the battlements. The Cave Goblins leapt to their feet. The figures were tiny, but familiar. Numbtongue watched as a rope ladder was lowered, and the people on the wall exchanged brief words with the Hobgoblins. Then, slowly, they began to descend.
“There they are! I told you! Headscratcher and Badarrow and—whoa! Where’s everyone going?”
The Cave Goblins charged across the muddy plains as one. On the walls, the Drakes readied themselves, but the Goblins weren’t headed towards them. They swarmed towards the four figures that walked towards them. The Redfang Warriors were surrounded in an instant. Numbtongue and Erin stood together. Erin was smiling. Numbtongue couldn’t contain his grin either. She turned to him.
“Well, that’s that. You guys should start going south. But stop by my inn—I need to get a door and a mana stone. Or—can you bring the one from your cave? I’ll get in contact with you tonight, but I have this thing with adventurers…”
He looked at her. There were so many things Numbtongue wanted to say. And do. Not least of which was hug her again, but he was too embarrassed. But if he could talk to her—he hesitated.
“You’re going?”
She smiled at him. A kind smile, a happy one. The kind that lit you up from your toes to the top of your head.
“Sorry, Numbtongue. But it’s okay! I’ve got a magic door. We’ll see each other tonight. Just get somewhere safe. You and the Cave Goblins shouldn’t get mixed up in all this mess.”
“What about you?”
She was already marching down the hill, back towards her inn. Numbtongue could see his friends, his companions, running towards him. He saw Erin turn. Heard her call out.
“I’m not leaving. Not yet.”
And then she was gone. Erin took two steps, slipped, and cursed as she slipped and fell down the side of a hill. Numbtongue listened to her swearing a blue streak and then turned. His four brothers came towards him, surrounded by a tribe. Only, they weren’t Chieftains. Not proper ones. And they had no purpose or place. Except here. Numbtongue narrowed his eyes. He stared back at Erin. At her inn. And at Liscor.
Well then. It was time to speak with Headscratcher, Shorthilt, Badarrow, and Rabbiteater. And really figure out what they were going to do next.
——
The Redfang tribe was rounding the last bend in the pass leading to Liscor. They could already smell the moisture ahead of them, the mud and evaporating water in the air. Their Carn Wolves panted, and Garen wondered if they’d have to swim across the Floodplains. Probably not. Rags had said it would drain around now. Was that why the Humans were driving Reiss’ army this way? What was their plan?
Not that he cared. Not that it mattered. It was just that if Reiss was going to die, Garen would like to know. He was going to fail, obviously. His master was deranged and a monster. Reiss would never realize his stupid dream. He might have with Garen’s help. With his help, Garen could have defeated any enemy. But he’d betrayed Garen.
Just like the others. Just like—
They came up across one another as the Redfang Tribe raced past a cave set into the side of a mountain. Strangely, it looked like there were Goblins around here, and the Redfangs had paused to investigate. They were heading inside the cave, noting the archery targets and deforestation of the area—sure signs of a growing tribe—when one of the sentries whistled.
Travellers on the road. Three!
Garen relaxed. Three travellers—no matter who they were—weren’t a match for his warriors. Still, he decided to check them out himself, in case it was three [Mages] or something dangerous. He rode his Carn Wolf down the road and saw a strange sight.
Three people were headed up the road, talking to each other, laughing. They weren’t your run-of-the-mill wanderers either. One was huge, a man, but a giant as well, easily eight feet tall, possibly nine. He wore patchwork clothing, smaller strips sewn together to fit his frame. He walked with a staff in hand, and under his arm, he carried a wooden door of all things. Inset in the door’s frame was a glowing white stone.
