Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

"This just keeps getting stranger," he muttered. "There are goblins again, but this time they're not hiding. They're just about everywhere. In the streets, walking in and out of buildings. And no one's running from them. They're like… part of the population. This is bizarre."

"How many?"

"I don't know. Too many to count. Hundreds. Probably thousands."

The elf guard did not doubt Ryson's observation and she did not ask for the spyscope to check for herself. She contemplated the meaning of the new information and put it in context with everything they had learned.

"The humans are otherwise acting in a normal fashion?" she finally asked.

"I guess. They seem to be minding their own business. I don't see any of them mixing with the goblins. They're all staying apart. No scuffles, but it's not like they're trying to distance themselves from each other, either. Don't see how they could. They're all over… both goblins and humans."

Holli frowned again, a deeper scowl that revealed her growing misgivings at each finding. She looked up into the sky to gauge the position of the sun. It was just after midday.

"Not only walking about the city, but doing so in broad daylight." She shook her head, but then refocused on their needs. "What about guards?"

"There are soldiers, but they're just mulling about. They don't seem to have any purpose. They're certainly not doing anything about the goblins."

"Any other dark creatures?"

"None that I can see from here, but like you said, it's midday. There may be others that don't come out until night."

"Any checkpoints that need to be passed to enter the city?"

"No. No restrictions. People-and goblins-are walking in and out of the city from every point I can see. No one's being stopped or questioned."

"That will make things easier for us." She took another look at the sun before continuing. "These longer days of sunlight will prove to be both a blessing and a curse. I will be better suited for movement in darkness, but the daylight will benefit your endeavors."

Ryson placed the spyscope back in his pouch and looked to Holli. "So what's the plan?"

"You go in now, alone and without your sword. Use your senses. Discover everything you can. Try to discover why the goblins are allowed to enter the city and what they do here. See if you can find the offices of the land councils that are distributing farmlands to goblins and see what information you can obtain. Most importantly, find Prilgrat. He should have a home and an office. As a regional steward, he is most likely powerful and wealthy. Search near the center of town and look to more prosperous homes."

"What about you?"

"It will be harder for me to remain inconspicuous. I will be holding your sword and I will not relinquish my bow. Though they will be looking for two travelers as opposed to one, I will still stand out. I cannot hide my ears without a cap and wearing one in the heat of the day will surely earn attention if not raise suspicion."

"You're going to stay out of the city?"

"Only until night. I will use the darkness and I will utilize the rooftops. I also have many spells to help conceal me in the shadows. They will not see me." Holli paused as she bowed her head and began searching the ground. "Once we separate, we must come up with a way to find each other again."

"Do we setup a meeting place and time?"

"Yes, but we will do more as well."

Holli picked up two stones, each smooth and roughly the same size. She could hold them both easily in one palm and did so. She pressed her free hand over the top of the stones and whispered strange words. A flash of green light burst between her palms. She then held out the stones for Ryson to take.

"Take both of these."

"What did you do to them?"

"They are beacon stones. Enin usually only creates one, but his perception over magic is much stronger than mine. He could sense what is happening to you with a single stone. For me, I do something a bit different. I create two stones. When they remain together, I sense them as a single entity."

"So if I put them in my pouch, you'll think there's only one?"

"Exactly, but if they are separated by any measurable distance, I will sense both. If you are ever in need of me, whether you have important information or are in need of assistance, take one of the stones and cast it away from you. Hold on to the other. At that point, I will sense two beacons instead of one. I will track them until I find you."

"Impressive."

"The spell only lasts for six days. After that, the beacon will fade. We must meet again before that time." Holli cast a quick glance back at the city in the distance. "Do you see the tall building at the southwestern outskirts? The one that lines up beneath the sun?"

"Got it."

"We will meet on the rooftop of that building just before midnight four days from now. That should be sufficient time."

"Looking at you!" the goblin hissed.

"Not!" another goblin reacted almost violently.

"Staring right at you!"

"Looking over my head!"

The goblin that made the initial accusation spat and snarled. Strange words came bubbling out of its mouth-nothing intelligible to the ordinary human ear-but to another dark creature, they formed a stream of angry curses.

A third creature entered the debate, quickly made its own observation clear, and sided with the cursing goblin.

"One looking at you. The other looking at the wall. You pay half."

"Not paying any."

"You pay half."

Ryson had just entered the tavern when the commotion started. Immediately recognizing goblin scent within the room and hearing the familiar guttural tones of their voices, he knew the dark creatures were the source of the uproar. He kept his distance, but found the growing clamor too loud to ignore. He stepped slightly closer toward the animated conversation and gained a clear view of a round table set back in the corner. He was thankful no one was watching him. Despite witnessing hundreds of goblins throughout Ashlan, the scene before him simply defied reason, and he couldn't hide his expression of astonishment.

Upon wooden chairs with blocks on the seats to give them a boost in height, seven goblins sat around the table with small stacks of coins in front of each filthy creature. Three of the goblins gnawed on a strange substance that the delver could not identify. It looked very much like seaweed-leafy and colored in various shades of green-but it was very stiff and apparently extremely chewy. Mugs of ale wobbled perilously at the table's edge. One even fell over and clanged about on the floor. Thankfully, it was empty, but the monsters showed little care one way or the other. They all were engulfed in the growing dispute.

The rest of the tavern patrons-all human-ignored the argument, as if they had heard it all before, many times. Instead of glaring at the goblins with disdain for the disturbance, they kept their attention elsewhere, mostly on their drinks or their plates.

In direct opposition to the growing quarrel of the goblins, the humans sat subdued and disinterested, devoid of passion. Those that engaged in conversation did so in hushed tones. They whispered and nodded, but not much more. There was no enthusiastic banter, no telling of grand stories, no cheerful drinking songs, no levity of any kind. The only true source of liveliness came from the back corner where the goblins continued their outlandish debate.

As Ryson's glance swept over the center of their table, he saw two large, round eyes resting in the center. They appeared like the eyes of a shag-Ryson had enough encounters with those hairy beasts to recognize their distinct pupils-and they appeared real, as if they had been carefully plucked out, but not so carefully cleaned. He almost turned away, not wanting to focus further on the spectacle, but the argument continued. His delver curiosity burned, and despite his misgivings, he kept his attention on the table and its grisly contents.