we're
told."
"But you wanted to question us," Holli reminded the captain.
"Why?"
"I told you. I wanted to know
why you were in Huntston. Prilgrat may not care about that, but I do."
That made perfect sense to the
elf. The captain had an obligation to his town that might have been disregarded
by a regional steward.
"Why do you think we're
here?"
"I have no idea, but I think
you're dangerous." The captain nodded to Ryson. "His sword..."
He didn't complete the sentence,
but Holli wouldn't allow him to escape the issue.
"What do you know of my
friend's sword?"
"The dispatch stated it was
enchanted and dangerous and that we should not handle it unless it was
covered."
"Have you sent any messages
back to Prilgrat involving our appearance here?"
"Not yet. I wanted to make
sure I had the right ones."
Holli believed the man was telling
the truth, and yet, the situation lacked clarity. A regional steward knew about
her and Ryson's presence in the Great
Valleys—even ordered them to be
held—and she had no idea why. More questions arose; who was Wes Prilgrat, why
did he order her and Ryson captured, and
what did any of this have to do with the growing chaos throughout the valleys?
"Where are the goblins?"
Holli asked, quickly addressing concerns of another matter.
The sudden turn in questioning
caught the captain off guard. For a moment, it almost appeared as if he
swallowed a large, nasty insect.
"Wh... What are you talking
about?"
"Goblins come in to town.
Your men let them enter. You know about it. Where do they go?"
"Why do you care?"
"You seem to forget who is
asking the questions and who is answering them. One last time. Where are the
goblins?"
The captain gritted his teeth,
didn't wish to discuss the matter, but feared the elf too much to withhold
information.
"There's an old warehouse,
western side of town, not far from the bridge that empties directly on to the
town's main avenue. It's the first large building after the guard shack. They
go in there."
"What do they do in
there?"
"I don't know... you think I
go in there?"
Holli ignored the question and
quickly asked another one of her own.
"Why do you even let them in
town?"
"Prilgrat's orders."
Prilgrat again. The regional
steward was becoming a central figure to the mystery. Holli accepted that the
guard captain would follow certain orders from a politician with power, but no
self-respecting soldier would follow reckless orders without some explanation.
"Why does Prilgrat want
goblins to enter towns or to own farms?"
"I don't know and I don't
want to know."
"Then why do you listen to him?"
The captain did not wish to
answer. He looked away from the elf's glowing emerald eyes. He looked down from
the green orb of magic. His body went rigid, but he sunk into himself as if he
could withdraw from the encounter by slightly crouching, hunching his
shoulders, and trying to turn away.
"Answer me," Holli
growled, not allowing the captain to slink away. Her eyes penetrated the man
before him as if the green energy was flowing out of them and into the
captain's face.
"Prilgrat!" the captain
gasped. "He said the goblins would enter the town one way or the other. If
we didn't let them in, they'd overrun us."
It didn't make sense, not to
Holli. She understood goblins far better than the captain realized and she made
the point clear.
"And you would not even put
up a fight? You have a defensible position! You are situated between two
rivers. Your only weak spot is the forest to the south, but you have a
sufficient clearing to build several bulwarks. You could erect walls and
towers, even dig a moat to connect the two rivers and allow the flowing waters
to form yet another barrier."
As Holli watched the captain, she
saw something more than fear or incompetence in his reaction to her outburst.
He kept looking to the guard next to him, worrying much more about his presence
than Holli's rebuke.
"You thought of this,"
Holli confirmed while reading the man's
told."
"But you wanted to question us," Holli reminded the captain.
"Why?"
"I told you. I wanted to know
why you were in Huntston. Prilgrat may not care about that, but I do."
That made perfect sense to the
elf. The captain had an obligation to his town that might have been disregarded
by a regional steward.
"Why do you think we're
here?"
"I have no idea, but I think
you're dangerous." The captain nodded to Ryson. "His sword..."
He didn't complete the sentence,
but Holli wouldn't allow him to escape the issue.
"What do you know of my
friend's sword?"
"The dispatch stated it was
enchanted and dangerous and that we should not handle it unless it was
covered."
"Have you sent any messages
back to Prilgrat involving our appearance here?"
"Not yet. I wanted to make
sure I had the right ones."
Holli believed the man was telling
the truth, and yet, the situation lacked clarity. A regional steward knew about
her and Ryson's presence in the Great
Valleys—even ordered them to be
held—and she had no idea why. More questions arose; who was Wes Prilgrat, why
did he order her and Ryson captured, and
what did any of this have to do with the growing chaos throughout the valleys?
"Where are the goblins?"
Holli asked, quickly addressing concerns of another matter.
The sudden turn in questioning
caught the captain off guard. For a moment, it almost appeared as if he
swallowed a large, nasty insect.
"Wh... What are you talking
about?"
"Goblins come in to town.
Your men let them enter. You know about it. Where do they go?"
"Why do you care?"
"You seem to forget who is
asking the questions and who is answering them. One last time. Where are the
goblins?"
The captain gritted his teeth,
didn't wish to discuss the matter, but feared the elf too much to withhold
information.
"There's an old warehouse,
western side of town, not far from the bridge that empties directly on to the
town's main avenue. It's the first large building after the guard shack. They
go in there."
"What do they do in
there?"
"I don't know... you think I
go in there?"
Holli ignored the question and
quickly asked another one of her own.
"Why do you even let them in
town?"
"Prilgrat's orders."
Prilgrat again. The regional
steward was becoming a central figure to the mystery. Holli accepted that the
guard captain would follow certain orders from a politician with power, but no
self-respecting soldier would follow reckless orders without some explanation.
"Why does Prilgrat want
goblins to enter towns or to own farms?"
"I don't know and I don't
want to know."
"Then why do you listen to him?"
The captain did not wish to
answer. He looked away from the elf's glowing emerald eyes. He looked down from
the green orb of magic. His body went rigid, but he sunk into himself as if he
could withdraw from the encounter by slightly crouching, hunching his
shoulders, and trying to turn away.
"Answer me," Holli
growled, not allowing the captain to slink away. Her eyes penetrated the man
before him as if the green energy was flowing out of them and into the
captain's face.
"Prilgrat!" the captain
gasped. "He said the goblins would enter the town one way or the other. If
we didn't let them in, they'd overrun us."
It didn't make sense, not to
Holli. She understood goblins far better than the captain realized and she made
the point clear.
"And you would not even put
up a fight? You have a defensible position! You are situated between two
rivers. Your only weak spot is the forest to the south, but you have a
sufficient clearing to build several bulwarks. You could erect walls and
towers, even dig a moat to connect the two rivers and allow the flowing waters
to form yet another barrier."
As Holli watched the captain, she
saw something more than fear or incompetence in his reaction to her outburst.
He kept looking to the guard next to him, worrying much more about his presence
than Holli's rebuke.
"You thought of this,"
Holli confirmed while reading the man's
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