said.
Chapter Eleven
They took an alternate tunnel back to Marrowvyn. Warren took his duties as guide a bit more seriously this time, remembering the encounter with the spiders. Garrett as well kept replaying the scene again in his head. Something about the memory of the event still nagged at him.
Marla seemed content to hammer at Garrett with an unending stream of questions. She seemed rather upset to have been thwarted in their search for the flower by the strange light of Annalien's moonshard.
Garrett told her what had happened within the chamber, leaving out only the name of the flower as Annalien had asked. Marla's questions, however, centered on the sunlit crystal shard.
She asked to see one of the berries that Annalien had given to Garrett. He removed one from his pocket and handed it to her.
Warren sniffed loudly. "Let me see one."
Garrett handed him another. "Don't eat it," he said, "They might be poisonous to non-goblins."
Warren's nostrils flared, and he pretended to pop the berry in his mouth and chew before gagging and clutching at his throat in mock death-throes.
"I'm not kidding!" Garrett laughed.
"I've never seen a fruit like this," Marla said.
"Annalien said the dragons made them for the goblins to eat."
"You found something good to eat?" an unpleasantly familiar voice called out from the darkness of the tunnel ahead.
"Norris," Warren muttered.
"Greetings, cousin," the white-furred ghoul whined as he loped forward toward them, "Did you have a nice time in the Old City?"
"Great time, No rris!" Warren said, grinning, "A nd much safer than I thought it would be. You should really go down there and look around a bit."
Norris made a slight hissing noise, and bowed his head, smiling politely at Warren's jest. "I see no flower. Did you find anything... interesting instead?"
"Oh, yeah," Warren said, holding the little red berry in his outstretched palm, "These things are delicious. You should try one!"
"Warren!" Garrett yelled, snatching the berry back.
Norris’s eyes narrowed and his smile briefly flared into a snarl, and just as quickly softened into his usual placating grin.
Marla handed her berry back to Garrett as well. "You'd better put them away for now," she whispered.
Norris looked away as Garrett pocketed the berries .
"So, did you need something, cousin Norris?" Warren asked.
"I simply came to tell you that your father’s lookin’ for you."
"What for?" Warren asked.
"Couldn't say," Norris said, "He did look a bit unhappy."
"Boneash!" Warren cursed, "What now?"
Norris’s grin broadened, and he looked as though he might say more, but Warren's expression warned him against it. He simply nodded and loped away into the darkness.
"Well," Warren said, "let's get back there quick."
Garrett and Marla followed him through the spiraling tunnels of the old elven city, ascending until they at last found themselves among the crumbling subterranean lanes of human architecture. The green light of Garrett's witchfire torch soon paled before the ruddy glow of Marrowvyn's cook fires.
"You know your way from here, Garrett," Warren said, "I've gotta go find my dad."
"Yeah," Garrett said, "we'll be talking to the goblin king."
"Good luck with that," Warren laughed, bounding away on all fours.
"You too," Garrett called after him.
He turned to Marla. "Well, I hope these berries work."
She smiled. "Thank you Garrett."
"For what?"
"For helping me."
"Oh," he said, "that was... I mean, yeah... sorry you didn't get to see the ghost."
"I got to see a real goblin though," she said, placing her hand on Garrett's shoulder, "This was much better than taking inventory at the shop."
Garrett grinned .
They walked together to the center of town. After a moment's search, they found the goblin huddled, asleep, in the shadow of a crumbling wall.
"Should we wake him?" Garrett asked.
"We have to," Marla said.
"You better do it then, he likes you better."
Marla nodded and knelt beside the sleeping
Chapter Eleven
They took an alternate tunnel back to Marrowvyn. Warren took his duties as guide a bit more seriously this time, remembering the encounter with the spiders. Garrett as well kept replaying the scene again in his head. Something about the memory of the event still nagged at him.
Marla seemed content to hammer at Garrett with an unending stream of questions. She seemed rather upset to have been thwarted in their search for the flower by the strange light of Annalien's moonshard.
Garrett told her what had happened within the chamber, leaving out only the name of the flower as Annalien had asked. Marla's questions, however, centered on the sunlit crystal shard.
She asked to see one of the berries that Annalien had given to Garrett. He removed one from his pocket and handed it to her.
Warren sniffed loudly. "Let me see one."
Garrett handed him another. "Don't eat it," he said, "They might be poisonous to non-goblins."
Warren's nostrils flared, and he pretended to pop the berry in his mouth and chew before gagging and clutching at his throat in mock death-throes.
"I'm not kidding!" Garrett laughed.
"I've never seen a fruit like this," Marla said.
"Annalien said the dragons made them for the goblins to eat."
"You found something good to eat?" an unpleasantly familiar voice called out from the darkness of the tunnel ahead.
"Norris," Warren muttered.
"Greetings, cousin," the white-furred ghoul whined as he loped forward toward them, "Did you have a nice time in the Old City?"
"Great time, No rris!" Warren said, grinning, "A nd much safer than I thought it would be. You should really go down there and look around a bit."
Norris made a slight hissing noise, and bowed his head, smiling politely at Warren's jest. "I see no flower. Did you find anything... interesting instead?"
"Oh, yeah," Warren said, holding the little red berry in his outstretched palm, "These things are delicious. You should try one!"
"Warren!" Garrett yelled, snatching the berry back.
Norris’s eyes narrowed and his smile briefly flared into a snarl, and just as quickly softened into his usual placating grin.
Marla handed her berry back to Garrett as well. "You'd better put them away for now," she whispered.
Norris looked away as Garrett pocketed the berries .
"So, did you need something, cousin Norris?" Warren asked.
"I simply came to tell you that your father’s lookin’ for you."
"What for?" Warren asked.
"Couldn't say," Norris said, "He did look a bit unhappy."
"Boneash!" Warren cursed, "What now?"
Norris’s grin broadened, and he looked as though he might say more, but Warren's expression warned him against it. He simply nodded and loped away into the darkness.
"Well," Warren said, "let's get back there quick."
Garrett and Marla followed him through the spiraling tunnels of the old elven city, ascending until they at last found themselves among the crumbling subterranean lanes of human architecture. The green light of Garrett's witchfire torch soon paled before the ruddy glow of Marrowvyn's cook fires.
"You know your way from here, Garrett," Warren said, "I've gotta go find my dad."
"Yeah," Garrett said, "we'll be talking to the goblin king."
"Good luck with that," Warren laughed, bounding away on all fours.
"You too," Garrett called after him.
He turned to Marla. "Well, I hope these berries work."
She smiled. "Thank you Garrett."
"For what?"
"For helping me."
"Oh," he said, "that was... I mean, yeah... sorry you didn't get to see the ghost."
"I got to see a real goblin though," she said, placing her hand on Garrett's shoulder, "This was much better than taking inventory at the shop."
Garrett grinned .
They walked together to the center of town. After a moment's search, they found the goblin huddled, asleep, in the shadow of a crumbling wall.
"Should we wake him?" Garrett asked.
"We have to," Marla said.
"You better do it then, he likes you better."
Marla nodded and knelt beside the sleeping
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