Gillian Summers - The goblin's curse

“This has never happened before, yet it is something I’ve seen many times this morning.” Sally frowned. “Something so powerful lurks among the goblins that it is transforming the images on my tarot deck.”

“Why? What? Who could do this?” Keelie asked. She tapped the image of the magical goblin.

Knot hissed.

Dad leaned down and picked up one of the cards. “Something about this goblin looks familiar.”

“Is he sending us a message about the faire? Will he attack?” Keelie leaned forward.

“That’s just it. I don’t know if the cards are being manipulated by the goblins, or if they’re reacting to a goblin’s magic.” Sally threw her hands up.

Sir Davey had been silent the entire time, but finally spoke. “This is strange indeed. I’m not one to put much stock in the fate cards, but this frightens me.” He picked up the five of cups and the two of swords, each containing the same image of the powerful goblin wizard and a dying Peascod.

Keelie placed her hands flat on the table. “We need to show this to Finch and Vangar.”

“I think we need to contact the fairy court and Herne as well,” Dad said. “This is bigger than goblins, elves, and dragons. My gut instinct tells me this is a play for power. Leftover business from the Northwoods.”

Sally’s jaw dropped open, and then she quickly closed it as if regaining her senses. “Are we talking about Herne, the Nature god?”

Keelie nodded.

“Holy cow!” Sally gulped down Sir Davey’s coffee and Knot meowed in protest. “I need this more than you do,” she muttered to the cat. “Tell me more.”

Keelie quickly told Sally about the events in the Northwoods-the widening rift in the Earth and the crack in Gaia’s dome.

Sally listened, wide-eyed and excited. “I knew it! On the day you sealed the rift, I did a tarot reading, and the cards showed that world changes were on the way. Things would never be the same.”

If there was a goblin wizard leading the wild goblins, then he must be the one in charge. Or was Peascod in charge? Keelie remembered Peascod mentioning that he had a new master after he broke with Herne, but she’d figured he’d meant Avenir, the dragon lord who died in the rift’s fires. But was this his new master? She picked a card up and studied it.

“I say we’re going to need all the help we can muster,” Sir Davey said. “If Herne and the High Court will join with us, then I’m all for it. If the cards show truly, we’re going to need their aid.”

Dad nodded.

“Sir Davey, about that talisman for Dad. What do you recommend?” Keelie asked.

“Dwarfstone.” Davey held up a dark stone, then tossed it to Dad, who snatched it out of the air and examined it curiously.

“Of course, I’ll have to show you how to use it.” Sir Davey winked at Keelie. “Not so hard, if your daughter learned how.”

“Hey!” Keelie protested, but she felt better with Dad protected from Niriel’s magic.

Later, Keelie leaned against the wall of Finch’s office as Dad and Sir Davey brought the red-faced faire director up to speed. Keelie waited for the draconic transformation that was sure to come as soon as Finch discovered how dire their situation was.

Sally displayed her cards on Finch’s desk. Once more they showed all the same image-the one of the goblin wizard, his eyes red and rimmed in darkness.

Smoke drifted from Finch’s ears, and an outdoor grill scent filled the room as she perused the entire tarot deck. “And this is the deck from Quicksilver?”

Sally nodded. “They seem to be aligned with some external magic right now.

“Interesting.” Finch lifted one card up and studied it. “Did you notice something different about this goblin?” She turned the card around so everyone could see it.

Keelie leaned closer. “No. He has green skin, like they all do.”

“But he has ears like an elf.” Finch directed everyone’s attention to the goblin’s head.

“What?” The word escaped Keelie’s mouth, and then she snapped her mouth closed as she remembered. “It couldn’t be him.”

“Who?” Finch asked.

“In the Redwoods, there was an elf-or half-elf, since his other half was goblin-who had a lot of magic. His name was Tavyn. He overpowered and possessed Bloodroot, a redwood tree.”

“Half elf, half goblin,” Finch said. “An interesting combination. Almost as unique as yours, Keelie.”

The statement hit Keelie like a lightning bolt. She did not appreciate this comparison to Tavyn. Her cheeks flushed with heat. Dad patted her on the shoulder, as if to reassure her everything would be okay.

But she did have things in common with Tavyn. And if he was the one behind the goblins and Peascod, she might be the only one who could stop him.

“Do you think that if we find Peascod, we’ll find this goblin wizard?” Sir Davey asked, his eyes locked on Finch.

“I don’t know. Damn goblins!” The faire director shook her head. She reached into a cup full of pencils and snapped one of them in two, as if she imagined she was snapping a goblin neck.

“Last sighting of Peascod was when Knot tried to save Cricket.” Keelie’s breath hitched at the memory of finding the goblin’s little body, but she forced herself to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

Finch leaned forward on her elbows. “Vangar is out scouting for goblin activity and possible entrance points into Under-the-Hill, looking for a way to prevent a secret attack. We don’t know if they’re watching us. We just can’t find them. We must let Vangar know about this powerful goblin with the pointed ears, and that he may be their leader.” Finch stared at the tarot deck. “If the fate cards are affected by this goblin wizard’s magic, it means we’re dealing with a powerful foe.”

“King Gneiss and his army were supposed to be here by now.” Sir Davey’s voice was weighed down with worry. “I’ll need to contact them again and tell them to hurry.”

Finch nodded. “Good idea.”

“Anyway, can we persuade the elves not to leave?” Finch asked Dad.

He shook his head. “Believe me, I tried. Niriel’s influence has spread far and wide among my kind.”

“Elves!” Finch reached for another pencil and snapped it in two. “I’ve sent a message to Ermentrude. She’ll fly to the High Court, and she hopes to find Herne.”

Sir Davey ran a hand down his face. “If the elves aren’t going to help us, and we have to wait for Herne and possibly members of the High Court, what are we going to do in the meantime? I’m sure the goblins are waiting for a weak moment to attack. What if they’re just waiting for the elves to leave?”

Keelie listened, remembering how in Under-the-Hill she had seen the tendrils of elven magic on Dad. But what if it hadn’t been Niriel who’d cast the spell on Dad? A disturbing thought was forming in her mind, and she cringed inwardly. Tavyn could be hiding among the elves. He had a cold side to him, and he was bitter toward the elves, blaming them for not accepting him or his mixed blood. Keelie tried to remember each of her encounters with Tavyn. In the Redwoods, he had first appeared to be a pureblood and charming elf; he hid his dark side beneath an illusion of elven-ness, much like Peascod had disguised himself as Hob.

“We’re going to ramp up our patrols,” Finch announced. “We’ll ask some of the humans to join us, telling them we’ve had problems with vandals. Maybe that’ll keep the questions at bay.”

Sally clenched her hands. “Rumors are circulating around the faire about the jousters leaving. The shop owners say the faire is cursed with bad luck. So they’ll believe anything at this point.”

With the elves gone from the faire, Keelie felt sure there would be panic among the humans. They’d be distracted and fearful, and Tavyn would take advantage of it as part of his strategic plan.