Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

"Are you serious? Didn't you hear what he just said? They don't want to live with people. They want to force the humans out. They're just doing it without fighting, and you're letting it happen."

"I'm doing nothing of the sort. I admit people have left, but they are people that cannot accept the new order. Better for them to leave than to remain here and create conflict."

"You are delusional," Holli responded.

"That is how you respond to someone who disagrees with you? You call them crazy? Far from appropriate, if you ask me."

"And is it appropriate to hand over control of the city to inferns?"

"Control of the city rests with the town council… and me, of course."

"So you maintain control over the half-demons?"

"You don't see them burning down the city. They also maintain order. They keep the goblins in check. Mivoy may not like the inferns, but he agrees their presence keeps conflicts to a minimum. The goblins are putting aside their wickedness in hope of reaching a better future."

Holli wouldn't accept that. Goblins were not creatures that could simply discard their brutality and hatred like an old worn out coat. They were monsters bred in a land of nightmare for the purpose of destruction. The goblin standing before her might have been able to place his cruelty in check, but it was temporary at best. She heard Mivoy's disgust toward humans when the goblin honestly revealed what it thought about the people of Ashlan. Holli decided to feed the goblin's malice.

"So Mivoy and his goblins will cower and submit to humans because they are afraid of inferns. I knew goblins were nothing but pawns, but I would have never guessed a goblin horde would bend to the will of humans for the sake of peace."

Mivoy's smile disappeared, just as Prilgrat's had dissolved. The goblin growled, but the steward tried to intervene.

"There is no horde. There…"

"No horde?" Holli interrupted. "Has anyone counted the number of goblins within the city? They could take over if they were not sniveling at the feet of every human that walked by."

"We do not snivel!" Mivoy hissed.

"No? I have seen it myself. Goblins fall over themselves to avoid conflict with the humans. You know it is true. Tell me, Mivoy, do you like having to bow to human demands? Because that is exactly what you are doing."

"The humans make no demands. They are beneath us."

"And what does Mivoy think of elves?"

The mere mention of elves revived an even greater instinctive animosity. The goblin trembled slightly with obvious anger and when Mivoy responded, it did so with a snarl that spat out the truth of its hatred.

"I despise them. I despise you. The elves have always interfered with our plans."

"Like I am interfering now?"

"Exactly, and I grow tired of it."

Holli stared dead into the goblin, spoke in the tone of a mocking dare.

"And what are you going to do about it?"

Even with such little provocation, Mivoy reached his breaking point and he reached for his sword as well.

Holli moved with a swiftness that revealed she expected the move, enticed it, and reveled in her success. She raced around the corner of the desk and caught Mivoy's wrist before the goblin had the blade of his sword more than half removed from its scabbard. With one quick twist, she forced the goblin to release its hold just as it screeched in pain.

Prilgrat, though remaining seated, put a halt to any further aggression by either side. His jovial attitude subsided and he revealed the forceful nature of his personality.

"Stop this at once!" He turned his gaze upon the elf and spelled out her miscalculation. "You are breaking the law. Assaulting a goblin is just as serious as assaulting a human in Ashlan. We play no favorites here. Do you really wish to spend time in Ashlan's prison?"

Holli did not release her hold, and made it clear she would accept no guilt of any crime, let alone Prilgrat's perceived authority over her.

"I am defending myself. You saw him."

"You antagonized him… on purpose. I suggest you release him. My patience has a limit. I could call for my guards and have you arrested and tried, both of you." Prilgrat then turned a challenging stare toward Ryson. "I haven't forgotten that the delver failed to register on entering Ashlan and ignored a lawful order from an infern. He put many people at risk by racing through the town."

"Inferns tried to incinerate him with demon fire," Holli replied. "What would you have had him do? Stand there and burn?"

"I would have had him follow the law."

"And does the law not provide for an elf and a delver to defend themselves?"

"You still don't understand. No one is going to believe that you were defending anything. I am a regional steward and you are a strange elf. Do you really think people are going to believe you over me?"

That was probably quite true, but Holli had one more card to play.

"And if I summon Enin to sort all of this out? Who do you think he is going to believe?"

"Go right ahead. What will he do? He will take your side, and that will be his undoing. Have him remove me from office and throw me in jail if you like. Then you can all return to Connel after explaining how you are interfering in matters that are not your business. Will that serve the wizard's purposes in the future? Is he willing to become overlord for all of Uton?"

No, that was something Enin was never willing to become. Holli released her hold on the goblin. Prilgrat had played his own cards and proved to be a more worthy opponent than Holli expected.

"That's a good girl," Prilgrat acknowledged. "Now, I'm willing to forget all of this… this time. I will not be so accommodating in the future. Still, to show that there are no hard feelings, you are both welcome to remain Ashlan. Mr. Acumen doesn't even have to register. I'll make sure the inferns are informed. They won't bother him again. I will also rescind my order to have either of you held in any town throughout the valleys."

As if to indulge Holli with a parting gift, the steward offered his willingness to answer additional inquiries.

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Just one," Holli revealed. "Why do you restrict the use of magic in Ashlan."

For the first time, Prilgrat seemed unsure of what to say, but his indecision lasted only for a moment.

"Magic is dangerous. People realize that. If it's not used wisely, it should not be used at all."

Holli noted the steward's discomfort, but decided against pursuing the matter any further. He was too heady a politician to be caught unaware twice. She believed it was time for her and Ryson to leave.

"I see. Thank you."

Holli turned toward the door and motioned Ryson to follow her. They moved quickly out of the house and onto the streets. No longer worried about the inferns, they stood out in the open as the elf considered their next move.

"That was interesting," Ryson offered.

"I have another word for it," Holli replied. "Infuriating."

"Well, we did get some answers."

"And many more questions." Holli looked to the grand house they exited and considered Prilgrat's power. As regional steward, he held great influence, but he held that position without the goblins or the inferns at his side. As far as she could tell, the dark creatures did not expand his authority in any way, and that perplexed her. "Tell me this, why would a regional steward really go to all this trouble to allow goblins into his valleys? What does he stand to gain?"

"He said he was trying to avoid conflict. Maybe that's all it is."

"He lets people abandon their homes and farms to become refugees to accommodate goblins? No, that can not be all there is to it."

Considering the full extent of the encounter, Holli focused on one clear point of vulnerability. Prilgrat was only truly unsure of himself at one moment, and that was at the mention of the magic. There was something there, but she couldn't quite figure out the connection. She frowned as she thought back to the first time the magic appeared as an anomaly, and she realized she would have to correct one of her own misjudgments.