Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains (30 page)

"If I tell, will you release
me?"

"I will release you if you do
not tell me." Holli then nodded to the ground far below.

The goblin remained determined to
bargain.

"No! Will you free me?"

"No, I will just make sure
you reach the ground safely. I will promise nothing beyond that."

The goblin sneered, but then it
smiled, a sick and twisted smile. It even broke into a laugh.

"We are after it all! All the
towns, all the farms, all the stores. We will get it all, we just have to
wait."

None of the goblin's admission was
a surprise, except for the last.

"Why wait? Why not just take
it? Why not attack?"

"Easier," the goblin
snickered.

"Why is it easier?"

"Don't have to die to get
it."

Holli couldn't argue. It
was
easier, and the goblin part of the
puzzle began to fit into place. They were offered the farms and the towns of
the valleys, and they were intent on taking it all. There were, however,
certain rules they had to follow. Some of the creatures were required to steal
precious minerals from dwarf mines, but beyond that, they simply needed to stay
out of trouble. They had to control their devious nature and avoid stealing,
fighting, and killing. In return, they were allowed to enter cities and given
farmland. The influx of goblins into the region probably started as a slow
trickle, but eventually it formed a flood throughout the valleys. As some of
the humans chose to flee, more of the monsters filled into the void.

Normally, such a situation could
not hold for long. The goblins themselves would have run amok—growing
instability would have turned to pure chaos—but the conniving little monsters
were persuaded to curtail, even bury their devious desires. Instead of battling
with the humans and suffering casualties, they permeated the valleys like a
never ending drizzle of light mist that eventually saturated the entire area.

A more sinister plot remained
hidden in the weeds of the goblin infiltration. Certainly, funds in the form of
precious metals and diamonds stolen from a dwarf mine were being utilized to
assist the plot. A captain of the guard could be purchased with such wealth, as
could a town council, but what of the regional steward? Holli decided to invoke
his name and observe the response.

"What do you know of
Prilgrat?"

"Some stupid human. Doesn't
live here."

"Are you sending silver,
diamonds or anything else to him?"

"Don't know names."

"But you've heard of
Prilgrat."

"Heard of many, but don't
know names of humans that get money, only places where it goes."

"But Prilgrat is important.
What is his part in all this?"

"Don't know, don't care.
Stupid human."

Holli didn't think the creature
was lying. It insulted the steward with casual disregard. If Prilgrat held
direct sway over the goblin's superiors, it would have shown greater respect.
She knew, however, that someone had to be directing the goblin activity.

"You have made a bargain with
someone. Who?"

"Don't know. They don't tell
me."

Holli also had to accept that as
the truth. A goblin forced to mine was probably very low in the pecking order,
but even a peon would know the ultimate goal. The lowliest foot soldier knows
the final planned objective. They might not know how the war would be won, but
they are aware of what enemy had to be defeated. Holli quickly focused on what
she saw as the inevitable.

"Eventually you are all going
to rise up, are you not? You have no intention of living with the humans. You
are going to kill them all."

The goblin smiled again, a wider
more wicked smile. It made no attempt to argue. The truth was clear.

Holli looked back toward Huntston.
The horde might have remained in the warehouse, but that fortune would not
last, not for the people within the town. One day the goblins would rush from
the mine and break through every door and window of that warehouse in the
distance. They would charge across every street, break down the door to every
home and every shop. They would pour into every corner of the town.

They would fight, and the savagery
that they had buried would bubble to the surface in rapturous glee. The
soldiers would not have a shred of hope. The guard captain's head would end up
on the end of a spike and placed upon the roof of the town jail. The soldiers
that guarded the bridge would probably be drowned in the rivers and left to be
eaten by the fish.

The killing would not end with the
town guard. Goblins wouldn't differentiate between soldiers and civilians. Men,
women and children... all would be slaughtered. Huntston would become a
nightmare... and it wouldn't be alone.

"I know all I need from
you," Holli informed the goblin, punctuated with disgust.

"You won't let me fall
now," the goblin stated confidently, knowing that the elf would hold true
to her word. It could probably jump on purpose and it knew the elf would
endeavor to save it. What it could not be sure of was its ultimate fortune.
"Will you release me?"

Holli made her decision on that
matter painfully clear.

"No. I never made that
bargain. You are going with us to Sterling."

The goblin hissed and spit, but
then grew quiet as if it accepted its fate. Perhaps it was not sure what waited
for it in the dwarf caves.

Holli carried the still bound
goblin roughly down the tree and left it leaning against the trunk. She nodded
for Ryson to follow her out of earshot of the creature, but before leaving it
behind, she spelled out obvious details.

"You could try to hop away,
but you will not get far. Even if you were untied, you could not outrun either
of us. Best not to anger me further."

She then walked away from the
monster, deeper into the forest, and advised Ryson of her plans.

"As I said, we are going to Sterling.
We have no idea of how far that dwarf mine travels out to the west. It probably
connects with some underground dwarf passage that leads directly to Sterling.
They need to be warned of this activity. They will not be pleased to hear that
goblins have infiltrated their mines, even if the shaft has been abandoned. I
also hope they can assist us in other matters."

"Such as?" Ryson asked.

"The goblins are taking
treasure from dwarf mines. That is wealth that can be traced, not easily, but
it is possible, especially with the assistance of dwarves."

"And where do you hope it
leads us?"

"To an answer for the larger
question. I now understand the goblin threat, but that is a small part in a
much more diabolical scheme. Goblins are not cunning enough for this kind of
plot. This has been planned for some time and executed with efficiency and
skill. It smells more of a serp than a throng of even the most intelligent
goblins."

"We haven't heard anything
about serps."

"No we have not, but we know
Prilgrat is linked to all of this, and I believe he is far craftier than most
serps."

"Why would a regional steward
want to see goblins take over the valleys?" Ryson asked. "It would
knock him out of power. They wouldn't leave him in charge and he would know
that."

"That remains the question at
hand, but we are getting closer to an answer, and reaching Sterling
will bring us closer still."

Sy Fenden waited for Sergeant
Klusac at Burbon's western gate. He couldn't help but smile as he reviewed the
empty space along the wall. No more tents, no more campfires, no more tired and
hungry refugees offering themselves up as targets for goblins, shags, and river
rogues. There was only the empty fields that reached out to the hills, the
river, and Dark Spruce
Forest in the distance.

Almost all the refugees had
accepted the invitation to rebuild Pinesway. Only a meager few wished to
remain, but with so many moving out to repopulate the abandoned town under the
watchful eyes of the dwarves of Dunop, there was plenty of room within Burbon
to handle such small numbers. Most were put up in rooms at inns. Others were welcomed
to stay with residents willing to share their homes. Sy guessed these reluctant
stragglers might become permanent citizens, as long as they understood the need
for control in such a dangerous part of Uton, or perhaps they would return to
the east once the problem in the Great
Valleys was solved.

Sy turned about and looked down
the cleared streets of his town. Order had been restored and it pleased him to
see Burbon returned to a manageable state. The tangled masses were gone, and he
could feel the relief of nearly every individual who walked by.

Tensions had been high, he
couldn't deny it, but he gave a great deal of credit to Burbon's citizens. They
showed monumental patience during a trying time. They adjusted to the crowd,
dealt with the mayhem. Most importantly, they accepted his word that they would
eventually find structure in their lives again. They had faith in him, and he
had not let them down.

Despite the calm and quiet,
Burbon's captain also remained cautious. Just because the refugees moved on
from the wall didn't mean
he
could
relax. While Enin was as good as his word—as Sy always knew he would be—and
sent administrators from Connel to manage the Pinesway solution, Sy wished to
remain informed of the progress. Pinesway was too close to ignore, and if the
plan disintegrated into a disaster, the refugees would simply return to
Burbon's wall.

He sent an initial patrol along
with the refugees to Pinesway, both to assist the dwarves in guarding against
raids and to monitor the progress of the migration. He didn't like to be caught
off guard, especially if a small amount of preparation and planning could avoid
a surprise. He sent out a second detachment not long after he anticipated the
refugees reached Pinesway. He wanted to relieve the first patrol and recall
them for an update. A tower guard had just reported sighting the returning
guard.

Sergeant Klusac rode in with
twelve other soldiers, all on horseback. When Klusac saw the captain of the
guard, he dismounted and moved to Sy to make his report. He didn't salute, as
the captain didn't require such formalities, but he did wait to be addressed by
his superior officer.

"What's the status in
Pinesway?" Sy asked quickly.

Sergeant Klusac didn't quite
smile, but the tone of his voice revealed his own satisfaction.

"It went much smoother than
anticipated. No raids during the journey and everyone was accounted for upon
reaching Pinesway. The dwarves have already started several construction
projects and informed the administrators of which buildings to avoid until they
can reinforce some questionable walls. The town center has been established for
the administrators as an information post, and they are setting up secure
supply stations for food and water. Supply routes with Connel have already been
established."

"Initial difficulties?"

"Two. The first is lack of
organization among the refugees. They don't really know where to go. Some have
just moved into abandoned houses without checking with administrators. Others
are just setting up tents in the center of town. Should be smoothed out in a
few days."

"The second?"

"Sporadic conflict with some
brigands that don't wish to accept the new law in town. Dwarves have done a
decent job in clearing out some of the troublemakers, but they haven't had a
lot of time to secure the entire area. There's quite a few bandits still hiding
in abandoned buildings. I don't expect too many problems. Dwarves are quite
capable in making them understand that any argument isn't going to be heard.
These outlaws aren't going to like it, but I tell you, the dwarves like order
almost as much as we do."

"Anything else?"

"I took the liberty of
establishing a command post for our soldiers. I know you're not just going to
wash your hands of this. You sending relief so quickly after we reached
Pinesway was proof of that. It's to the west of the town center, closer to the
forest. That's where most of the activity is going to happen, especially when
the refugees get settled and start logging."

"Excellent. What's your
overall assessment... and don't try to paint a rosy picture for me."

"Not my style," the
sergeant admitted, "but the truth is this might work out better than we
planned. Right now there's room for them all with plenty to spare. The dwarves
can build like you wouldn't believe. None of the refugees are complaining about
the conditions. Connel already has food shipments ready, so they're being fed
and there's an ample supply. Water also isn't a problem with several wells in
working condition and the Fuge River
right at the town border."

"So basic needs are
met."

"Easily. And they're all
better off than they were here. It's better for us, too. No one at the walls
and the streets are clear again. I like that."

"So do I," Sy admitted.
"What are the challenges?'

"There's always the worry of
safety. Like I said, bandits in the town aren't going to make things easier,
and dark creatures in the forest are always a potential problem. The dwarves
are handling security, but they seem more interested in doing construction than
intervening in scuffles between humans. They won't let things get out of hand,
but they seem to enjoy seeing a fight or two. I doubt goblins or even a river
rogue would attack with so many dwarves around, but we have to accept that the
threat is there."

"Maybe our guards can help
with that."

"That's why I set up the
command post."

"What else?"

Sergeant Klusac's attitude
remained positive, even as he considered the challenges faced by those that
decided to make Pinesway a temporary, if not permanent, home.