Gillian Summers - The goblin's curse

“At the risk of sounding callous, Lord Zekeliel, where there is smoke, there is fire.” Niriel gestured toward Cricket. “The presence of this small specimen is a sign that there are more, and we have seen the damage that goblins can do. We must act swiftly.”

“There are no other goblins,” Keelie cried. She couldn’t believe the elves were accusing Cricket. “He’s a baby! How could he have started a fire?”

“How do you know this?” Niriel barked.

“Because I brought him here. He was with me.”

Dad groaned.

“So, you don’t deny bringing this creature?” Niriel’s eyes were bright with a mix of hatred and madness. “You are only confirming what we already knew.”

“He followed me from the Northwoods. He’s harmless.”

Etilafael cleared her throat. “Mayhaps the child has misguided intentions, but I don’t think she would purposefully ally herself with the goblins.”

“Our brave warriors fought against these creatures, who followed a being most foul-Peascod, a goblin in the service of the hunter god, Herne,” Niriel snapped in reply. “Keelie was seen with Herne, and it has been reported to me that the god coveted her and named her consort before the Grey Mantle Council. Of course she will defend the goblin spawn. And”-Niriel leaned forward-“she knows the location of the goblin stronghold.”

Stunned, Keelie glared at Sean, who shook his head. What had he been saying to his father? Were they speaking of the goblin stronghold in the Northwoods?

“I don’t know anything about a goblin stronghold,” Keelie said, hoping they could see the truth in her eyes. She knew that the dark fae lived Under-the-Hill, but she wasn’t about to reveal the existence of this realm to Niriel, or to the other elves.

“My daughter has said all she will say tonight. She knows nothing of a goblin stronghold. Can we adjourn this meeting and reconvene another time? I lost my shop in a fire tonight.” Dad’s eyes flashed. “I have much to do.”

“Yes, we all know of your loss. The humans accuse the one named Vangar, but the Council and the elves do not think he is behind the fire. Humans do not have the magical means to find the real arsonist.”

Did the elves truly know something about who was behind the fire? Keelie yawned. Fatigue was settling into her body but she forced herself to listen to every word.

“And this cannot wait until morning?” Dad’s voice was weary.

Niriel bowed his head. “I understand your fatigue and the sadness of your loss. We all sympathize. But we need to address the loss of the Compendium, too.”

Dad sighed and his shoulders slumped with exhaustion. “Get on with it then, Niriel.”

“Lord Elianard, if you will.” Niriel gestured, and the Lore Master rose from his chair and placed a torn square of thick paper in the middle of the table. The candlelight acted as a spotlight, making the shred of paper glow.

Keelie forced herself not to react. She recognized the parchment from the Compendium. She lifted her face to find Niriel staring directly at her.

“I see you recognize it.”

Keelie refused to answer, biting down on her lip as she turned to her father for guidance.

“Where did you get it?” Dad asked. “Did the Compendium not burn in the fire?”

“We found it with this creature!” Niriel flourished his hand over Cricket. “He was eating it.”

Keelie winced.

The little goblin threw the remains of his soft drink bottle at Niriel. The elven lord stepped back and raised his hand as if he was going to strike the goblin, despite the bars that enclosed the creature. At the last moment he clenched his hand, probably remembering that he had an audience, and pointed his index finger accusingly at Keelie. “Do you know where the goblins have hidden our Compendium?”

Chaos erupted in the room as all the elves started to argue at once. Cricket panicked, throwing himself against the bars of his cage with frenzied squeaks, and Keelie dashed forward and flung open the cage. The goblin skittered across the table like a spider, then wove his way between feet, up the wall, and out the door, adding to the confusion in the room.

Her joy at his escape was cut off abruptly as she saw Niriel’s triumphant expression. She had just given him more evidence, and in front of all the elves. Could he be using a charm, or some other form of magic? Keelie angled her head fifteen degrees and Earth magic zinged through her body. She focused on Niriel and silently recited the words Finch had taught her: Allow me to see truly.

She caught a tiny flash, then nothing, as Niriel turned from her.

“Keelie, it is time to go,” Dad said.

He escorted Keelie out of the communal building, lecturing her on proper protocol and common sense. As he turned toward the bridge, Keelie stopped.

“I thought we were going to Davy’s RV?”

“I’m taking you back to Janice’s shop. Stay there until the meeting is done.”

“But Dad-”

“You stay there. Speak to no one. Do not try to find the goblin.”

She only nodded, numb at the events of the night.

Janice met her with a cup of tea and a hug, then handed her pajama pants and a sweatshirt. “No need to wake up early. It’s almost morning now, and you’re done in.”

Keelie put on the borrowed pajamas and crawled into bed next to Raven. How could the elves think she would give the Compendium to the goblins? She’d been planning to post it online, so that there wasn’t only one copy.

The worst thing was, she didn’t know what to do about Dad’s anger. He had defended her, and then she had released the goblin, pretty much proving herself guilty. She hoped he didn’t do anything foolish back at the elven village. Her face burned at the position she’d put him in.

And why hadn’t Sean defended her? Was it because his father was back? She’d never expected to see Niriel again. Or maybe in a hundred years or so. The only being worse than Niriel was Peascod, and at least he hadn’t shown his masked face here.

When the first rays of morning light filtered through Janice’s homemade curtains, Keelie felt as if she’d barely slept-although Raven was no longer next to her, so she must have been asleep for a little while. She yanked the covers over her head. All night long she’d wondered how she could find out what had happened to the Compendium, and who had started the fire at Heartwood. She’d thought about trying to contact Herne; however, with the elves upset about the goblins, it didn’t seem like that would be a good idea.

Neither Cricket nor Knot had returned home. No, this was not home. This was Janice’s shop. This was Raven’s home. Keelie’s had burned and all was lost.

She sighed and rubbed her chest. Was this heartbreak? She hoped Knot and Cricket were safe.

Janice knocked softly on the door and poked her head in. “Are you up? You have a visitor.”

Keelie lowered the quilt from her face. “Who is it?”

“It’s Sean. Why don’t you come out when you’re dressed?”

Keelie sighed. “I don’t want to see him.”

Janice frowned. “He’s very insistent. He says it’s an emergency.”

Keelie thought of Dad heading back to the elven village and fear pulsed through her, along with images of him hurt and alone. She flipped the covers off, grabbed her running shoes with yesterday’s socks jammed into them, and ran downstairs wearing an old pair of Raven’s pajama pants and Janice’s Earth Is Our Mother sweatshirt.

Her bare feet were cold on the hardwood floors (oak from Northern California). Sean stood there alone, surrounded by displays of bottled tinctures and baskets of loose herbs. He turned to look at her, handsome in his jousting clothes, with his blond hair pulled back by a leather tie.