Don Bassingthwaite - The Grieving Tree

Geth clenched his fists-and his jaw. He said nothing. Singe gave him a look of disgust, then added, “Robrand went to Karrlakton in person to report the Frostbrand’s failure to protect Narath. The old man was a true commander. He carried the blame. He told the lords of Deneith that the massacre of Narath was his responsibility. The lords accepted that-and took everything away from him. Most of Deneith won’t even say his name now. They don’t want to recognize that he even existed.” He took a slow, deep breath. “I want answers, Geth. I want to know what happened.”

The hollow in Geth’s guts had grown, swelling into a pit and engulfing him entirely. He was numb. Narath surrounded him. Wounds he had thought long healed felt like they had been ripped open again. His tongue seemed swollen in his mouth. There were no words in his throat.

He shook his head, mute.

Singe’s mouth twisted. He turned and stalked back into Bava’s studio. A moment later, Geth heard his feet on the stairs.

The shifter crouched down, resting his cheek on the bars of the railing and staring out between them.

Dandra woke to the whispering of children.

It was tempting to go back to sleep. She probably could have done it even over the murmur of the children’s activity. Tetkashtai, though, was fully alert. Her yellow-green glow shimmered in Dandra’s mind, prodding her. Dandra! Dandra, wake up! Listen to them!

There was an edge of panic to the presence’s mental voice, but then there almost always was. Still, Dandra opened her eyes. The room in which she, Natrac, and Orshok had found space to stretch out was suffused with a pale gray light. Through an open window she could see a gentle, enveloping morning mist.

Natrac was still asleep. Orshok’s blankets were empty, though there was no sign of the druid. Bava’s children, all of them it seemed, were clustered together at one end of the room, a couple peering cautiously out of the window. Dandra could just catch their words. She blinked the haze of sleep form her eyes and tried to focus on what they were saying.

“… should wake Nena.”

“She doesn’t want to be woken unless it’s important!”

“I don’t like this!”

“Quiet!” One of the figures at the window was Diad. He raised his head over the sill, then ducked back and turned around. His eyes were wide and his heavy jaw was thrust forward. “They’re still there.”

A flash of unease set Dandra’s heart beating faster. She sat up. “Who’s still there?”

The children turned like a flock of birds, moving in unison to face her as she rose from her blankets. One of the smallest whimpered and ducked behind another. Ose and Mine, the twins, came forward, though. “Goblins,” said Mine in a low, serious voice.

Ose added, “They’re watching the house.”

Dandra glanced at Diad and the young man nodded. Dandra picked up her spear and crept forward to join him at the window. “Show me,” she said.

Diad looked outside again, then gestured-below the level of the sill-to the right. “There’s a cistern,” he said. “There are two of them hiding behind it. I think I recgonize them. They’re from a gang called the Biters.”

Cautiously, Dandra lifted her head until she could just see outside. Through the mist, she could see the shape of the cistern and the broad, round head of a goblin on the other side of it.

One of the goblin’s ears had been bitten off halfway along its its length. Dandra slid back down.

“There are more,” said Diad. “They’re hiding-I don’t think they know we’ve seen them. Most are watching the front door, but there are some at the back door as well.”

“How many?”

“We’ve counted twelve. There could be more.”

“It’s every goblin in Zarash’ak!” Ose said.

“No, it’s not,” her sister corrected her. “They wouldn’t all fit on our street!”

Dandra gestured for them to be quiet. “Diad,” she said. “Wake your mother.” She looked at the other children. “The rest of you stay away from the windows.”

She woke Natrac, then went looking for the others. Roused by a hunter’s instincts, Ashi was already awake and alert. Singe stirred reluctantly at Dandra’s touch-his eyes were shadowed by dark circles as if he hadn’t slept well-but he sat up sharply at news that the house being watched. “Vennet’s crew?” he asked as he kicked off tangled blankets.

Dandra shook her head. “The goblin gang from the webs. They must have tracked us down.” She helped him to his feet and led him and Ashi back to the room with the children. “Diad’s waking Bava. I’m still looking for Geth and Orshok.”

“I’m here.” Orshok appeared in the door of the room, still in the act of pulling his shirt over his head. Bava pushed past him to sweep down on her children with her arms spread protectively. The artist wore a loose gown that flapped and billowed around her. Both she and Orshok had an unmistakable flush on their cheeks. Natrac’s eyebrows rose. Orshok’s gray-green face darkened in a blush.

Bava fussed over her children, gathering them together and admonishing them to stay quiet. Only when she seemed satisfied that nothing had happened to them did she turn back to Dandra and the others. “What’s going on?”

Dandra repeated what she had told Singe, but Bava frowned. “That can’t be right.”

“Why not?” asked Natrac. Bava looked at him sideways.

“You’ve lived here as long as I have, Natrac. Have you ever heard of a goblin gang coming out of the webs looking for revenge?”

The half-orc’s forehead pinched together and and he thrust out his tusks. “You’re right. It’s happened sometimes when they’re fighting with a rival gang, but-”

“I’ve heard another reason they come up,” interrupted Diad. Everyone turned to look at him. He flushed and his mouth closed sharply, but Singe gestured for him to continue. The young man took a deep breath, then said, “They say the Biters are for hire. Pay the right price and they’ll do anything.”

“For hire?” Dandra’s gut felt like it was filled with stones. “Light of il-Yannah. Dah’mir and Vennet.”

Ashi frowned. “You think Vennet hired goblins? Why not send his sailors? Or hire half-orcs?”

“Don’t underestimate goblins, Ashi,” Singe said. “They may be small, but they’re nasty and there’s usually a lot of them.” Singe clenched his fist. “Twelve moons, even if Vennet did hire them though, how did they find us?”

Natrac paled. “Urthen knew we were coming to Bava’s for dinner last night. Boldrei’s hearth, do you think they might have-?”

“It’s possible,” said Singe grimly. “We could just be making assumptions, though. We need to find out what’s going on.”

“We need to find Geth,” Dandra said. “Il-Yannah, where is he?”

A look of anger flashed across Singe’s face. “Is his sword still here?” he asked.

“Yes,” Ashi told him. “It’s with his blankets.”

“Then he’s probably upstairs,” Singe growled. He turned and stormed for the stairs that led to the studio.

Dandra stared for a moment, then darted after him. “Singe, what is it?”

“Geth and I had a little discussion during the night.” The wizard’s voice was tight.

Dandra let out a hiss of frustration. “I thought that whatever you two had against each other had passed!”

“It hasn’t.”

They reached the stairs with the others not far behind. Singe started climbing. Dandra grabbed his arm and turned him around before the others could catch up to them. “What happened at Narath?” she demanded.

“Ask Geth sometime. See if he’ll tell you.” He pulled his arm away and kept climbing, flinging open the door at the top of the stairs.