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Disclaimer: These characters, places, and titles belong to Hilari Bell, author of Goblin Wood. She developed them, not me.
The Knight:
Tobin awoke with a start, something from the physical world shaking him out of his dreams. Hand flinching to his sword-less belt, he gripped the shirt of a goblin who stood beside him. Erebus squeaked, surprised at the lords quick defensive actions. "Lord Tobin," he began quickly, "the Watchers have spotted stray black bears roaming the mountainsides, they seem rabid and have taken a liking to our perimeters," he whispered hoarsely. Tobin rolled over in his cot, sitting up, slipping on leather boots, and opening his eyes to peer at his comrade in the dark tent. "Can the Charmers subdue them and send them away?" he asked routinely. He thought he saw Erebus shake his head, but the shroud like dark, even with the moon out, still fogged his vision.
"No, they tried. Rather, Belnan tried, he's now in the herber's tent with a fit of vomiting," the old goblin explained. Tobin's face became wrought with confusion. "Is the entire camp up?" he asked, concerned, while standing up. Erebus, now miles shorter than Tobin, awaited his trade for information. Having no real time to share useless knowledge with the Bookie, he cut off a few buttons from his shirt, handing them down. "Yes, most everyone is up," he offered, anxiety in his voice. Tobin managed to find his coat of fur in the dark, slipping it on over his shirt. As Erebus guided him outside into the goblin camp, his skin prickled as if a cold hand had stroked the back of his neck. Looking around alertly, he saw goblins taking down their tents, bags already packed. He whispered a curse for his ears only.
"Is there a reason no one came to me sooner?" he demanded, but his goblin friend was gone, and he spoke to the wind alone.
Quickly weaving through the camp, which compromised of nearly 30 tents and 90 goblins, Tobin searched for his recently acquainted friend Mourry. The goblin Tracker had aided him countless times in travel, for a trade of coarse. His eagerness to help Tobin in deciding where their travels would be best, and shielding them from foreign dangers warmed Tobin's heart.
"Tobin!" called a short goblin, only a foot tall. His skin was a darker tone of Tobin's own. Mourry neared him, expression weary as he spoke. "I'm sorry, there was no time to get you first and then warn the camp. Has master Erebus told you of what's happened?" His voice was shaky, ridden with fear. It was unusual for Tobin to observe such an emotion from his friend. Kneeling down he nodded, "Yes. I sense there is something more than just rabid bears posing a threat. Have the Watchers and Charmers retreated from the outposts?" The goblin ushered for him to follow, his short legs moving rapidly to keep up a fast pace.
"Yes. From what we could understand from Belnan, the bears mind was clouded. 'Dark and damp' he had said. What do you think this means?" Tobin continued to follow the goblin as he led him to the herber's tent. The moon lit their path, casting long eerie shadows from the framework of half demolished tents. Tobin felt another sense of cold at the back of his neck. "I'm not sure, I've never encountered such a thing, not even in the Old Realm," he began. Wiping the back of his neck to remove the sickening dampness, he thought. Only magic users could cloud the mind of an animal so. Goblin's magic would not have that effect...but sorcerer's would. His stomach dropped in a spurt of realization. If sorcerers were here, were barbarians? It was known that many barbarian sorcerers still existed in the old realm, at least undercover.
"Mourry," Tobin managed to say under the nausea from his tense nerves. "There is dark magic afoot. Goblin magic may be strong, but it is too different to know for sure if it can protect us." He cut off three buttons from his shirt before slipping his small folding knife back into his pocket. "Tell the Stoners to create a small, hardly noticeable blockade between the bears and us. Then gather the goblins when they've packed and begin heading off to the north. Out next destination lies three days ahead, you said so, correct?" Mourry nodded, taking the buttons and waiting further commands. "Also inform them I will reimburse their actions later if they wish. I'm going to get closer to investigate before we leave." With that, Tobin stepped aside back to his tent. As time stretched while he packed some of his things, he felt an increasingly sick presence encroaching on the camp. After ripping his tent down in haste, and tying his items into a rough ball inside the rolled tent, he rushed to the camp perimeters.
After close to a minute of steady paced shuffling, Tobin knew he wouldn't be capable of walking further without being seen. A pack of rabid bears chasing him into the middle of the night through a sparse sapling forest wasn't exactly preferable. So, crouching and waiting for the bears to show, he calmed his nerves, slowed his breath, covered himself heavily in mud, and made no sound. For a few minutes he contemplated shifting a few yards to the north to see if the bears had retreated, but cracking twigs and grunting black masses soon made their way into his vision. He froze, they were only 10 yards or so off, just enough for them to catch his scent from upwind. If they smelled him, they didn't seem to show it, for they mulled around growling with jaws snapping as they had been seen doing before. Soon, he could smell them. They smelled rotten, like fruit or meat long past it's expiration time. As they crept closer and closer, Tobin saw their flesh was carious and decomposing. Though he also observed their eyes were black as night without stars or a moon, they seemed blind, moving as if something from afar controlled them. From their back, tufts of fur slid down, and at once they landed, they emitted black smoke, which Tobin saw was from the ground burning. The earth below their footsteps was decimated and burnt.
Just about to jump from his skin when one of the horde inched within a few yards of him, Tobin stilled as they all stood on their hind legs sniffing the air in unison. The pause was enough to stop his heart, but when they dropped down once more and galloped to the southwest where his camp had been, he could breath again. Once he saw the source of the bears corruption, he would backtrack to make certain no goblins were left behind, though he was sure that none were.
On cue, a tall cloaked figure glided over the brush and twig covered ground. Just like the bears, there was one at first, then an entire swarm. Only a single face revealed itself under the moonlight, confirming Tobin's suspicions that they were, in fact, humans; though he barely considered barbarians humans. It was a woman, her nose crooked, but her cheeks smooth and clean. Her eyes were white, indicating she was using the sorcerers spell of second sight, one which clouded her own, and allowed her to sue the bears as guides. Under normal circumstances, Tobin though it was impossible for such dark magic users to taint beasts such as bears and the like, for normally they were only able to inhabit humans, or demons. Otherworld must allow varying laws of magic to apply. Crouching away silently, he doubled back to the camp before retreating for good.
"--I could find them following the trail they left. It was just enough for me to track by sight, not the bears," Tobin explained. Encircling a round table were different expedition and army goblin members. On the opposite side sat Makenna, her arms folded, and her eyes now wrought with worry. Tobin could see her lips were hard pressed in her contemplation, his inner worry paralleling her outward expression. She shifted in her seat, still thinking. Noticing how now she seemed more apt to consider all the factors of the situation before speaking, Tobin smiled slightly; it was a far cry from her nervous chatter back in the Old Realm. Not that is was useless babble, but she had matured beyond her uncertainty as leader in his absence.
"First I will say this," she began, her voice steady and calm, though her clenched white knuckles deceived her disguise. "If I know my goblins well, then they will not want to sit here, just building up defenses while the threat of attack looms. We know hardly anything of our enemy besides that they are dangerous." Goblins commanders nodded agreeing. "So, I propose that we put together and army to be sent out to assess our enemy further. It would be my duty to join of coarse, and if Lord Tobin doesn't protest, I suggest he comes as well. The knowledge him and the expedition have gained will be useful, ensuring our safety and swiftness in travel." Before she could continue, Miggy stood on his tall chair, arms wide and expression rebellious. "No, I can go in your place, Gen'ral. It is not wise for our leader to leave the newly constructed city-" Makenna cut him off. "I say this respectfully Miggy. Maybe I do speak unwisely, but I think as a leader I should know the land around us. I would put you in charge of the cities affairs, and am certain every citizen will cooperate with your decision in my absence." she added, her expression now matching his in protest. Sitting down, Miggy grumbled, saying a discontent under his breath while frowning deeply.
"Before we take any action, Commander Binmal, inform the expedition members that they may choose to stay or go," she said, handing him a pine cone from her pocket. The Flincher nodded, taking it gratefully and hopping off his chair in haste. "Master Erebus, please, the knowledge you have gathered is imperative for us to chart. During our travels will you scribe it? I offer you information on the city's affairs in return." Erebus nodded, eye twinkling at the prospect of an exchange. "Gladly, of coarse."
Tobin sat up, so blown away by her decisive action that he nearly forgot to finish his briefing. "Makenna, I have one bit more to share," he leaned forward onto the table, goblins eyes turning to him one again. "On my way back to the camp, I noticed a peculiar puddle of what seemed to be water. It hadn't rained for many days, so it must have been either unnatural, or an overflow from and underground spring. Regardless," His brows furrowed in confusion. "-it was shining. It could have been the moonlight, but when I neared it, it shown brighter," he finished. His heart clenched, he wasn't telling the complete truth; he neglected to mention how he thought he saw the pale face of a man in white peering back at him. It was a face that had haunted his dreams since.
Makenna nodded, thinking again. Finally standing, a sign that the gathering had come to a conclusion, she bid the goblins and Tobin farewell before retreating to her battlements to continue planning. They had more perils to come.