Finders Keepers (24 page)

His back stiffened and he remained motionless for several seconds.
 
Then he pivoted and she met him halfway.
 
His lips found hers and she was lost.

14

           
They were still locked in each other’s embrace when the door creaked open.
 
Ellie’s first instinct was to cling tighter.
 
Whatever was going to happen to them, she wanted to be in the circle of Gibbs’ arms as long as possible.
 
She immediately reconsidered when she glanced over her shoulder and saw at the front of three crimson robed goblins stood an open-mouthed Sky.
 
Gibbs casually relaxed his hold on her and let his arms return to his sides.
 
He crossed his arms over his chest and stepped slightly in front of Ellie.
 
His gaze moved to glare at the three robed figures.
 
“Is this it then?
 
I thought there might be a lot more pomp.
 
An audience, maybe?”
 
The words and the attitude were in the semblance of the old Gibbs, but Ellie could clearly see the mask now.
 

           
Two of the goblins were hooded.
 
The third was recognizably Lola’s father,
Jalx
.
 
“Don’t worry, Gabriel
Blackturn
, you’ll have your audience.
 
As soon as Sky heard Ellie was here, he insisted on seeing her, so we invited him to escort her down to the ballroom.”
 
The corners of his mouth twisted up in a cruel smile.
 
Ellie’s throat tightened.

           
“Now, dear boy, you can see I was telling you the truth about your brother.
 
He was never protecting you.
 
The story about someone wanting to kill you was just a fabrication so that he could control you.
 
He’s a classic cult leader.
 
He will never be satisfied until he has dominated everyone around him.
 
Look at little Eliza.
 
She’s just become his final conquest.”
  
  

           
Ellie opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
 
She looked from Sky to Gibbs.
 
Gibbs didn’t return her gaze.
 
He was staring at Sky who was looking at both of them simultaneously.
 
There was only one thing written on Sky's face--betrayal.

***

           
The ballroom was exactly as Ellie would have imagined a ballroom straight out of Jane Austen novel
.
 
It was open in the middle with upholstered chairs lining the walls.
 
There was a gigantic crystal chandelier that hung from the center of the ceiling and at least one hundred candles were set inside causing the walls to flicker with bits of rainbow light.
 
The walls were covered in once beautiful, but now faded blue wallpaper.
 
The crown molding and chair railings and intricately carved architectural details were enough to make anyone stand in awe, and Ellie was able one quick gasp of appreciation before she was thrust into the middle of all of it where she found hundreds of glittering eyes staring at her dangerously.
 
The chairs were already filled with goblins of all shapes, sizes, and colors.
 
Gibbs was to have his audience after all.

           
A push from behind put Ellie in front of one of the only empty chairs.
 
Sky sat in the one next to her, but leaned so far to his left as to create the illusion that there were multiple chairs between them.
 
Lola didn’t seem to mind.
 
Sitting on his other side, she ran her fingers through his hair, a calculated smile on her face.
 
Ellie clenched her teeth.
 
If he’d been Pinstripe she would have told him exactly what she thought of his behavior.
 
But who am I to judge?
 
Her eyes strained to catch a glimpse of Gibbs.
 
He was somewhere in the middle surrounded by dark suits.
 
The guards moved revealing him and the three red robes.
 
Her heart beat faster.
 
She scooted to the edge of her seat, her knees bouncing up and down under damp palms.
 
The cacophony of voices, mostly speaking in the harsh goblin language, lowered to a hum when Lola’s father raised his hand and waved it for silence.

           
“Goblin brothers and sisters, it has been many years since we have come together.
 
Twelve years if I am not mistaken.
 
It is the exact mistake we made here twelve years ago that has brought us together again.
 
We allowed Dansk
Blackturn
to take his family and followers aboveground, which led to their meaningless deaths, and now has brought Dansk’s son against us for misguided revenge.
 
His treachery has already been established.
 
It is his fate and the fate of the human girl…”
 
Lola’s father pointed a long, bony finger at her.
 
Ellie knew exactly what it felt like to suddenly go pale.
 
It felt like ice water dumped over her head.
 
“…which is to be established and executed before the people of Goblin City.”

           
The crowd erupted all at once.
 
Interspersed with the goblin language, Ellie heard a few cries of “Kill them!” and “Death!”
 
Ellie turned to Sky.
 
“You can’t let them do this to him.
 
He’s your brother.
 
He’s been protecting you your entire life!”
 
Lola yanked on Sky’s arm and he looked away from her.

           
The two other robed and hooded figures stepped in line with Lola’s father.
 
One of the suits forced Gibbs to the ground on his knees.
 
“I take all responsibility.
 
The girl had nothing to do with this.
 
She is my brother’s friend and only became involved because I attempted to use her to control him.”

           
“
Ahh
…noble speech Gabriel, and we do believe you.
 
The problem is she knows too much about us and therefore cannot go.
 
However, do not worry the last seconds of your life fretting over her fate.
 
New blood is good for our race.”
 
He spoke louder.
 
“
Xaneth
has solicitously agreed to keep her.
 
Sentence complete.”
 
The crowd roared approval.
 
One of the crimson figures lowered his hood and Ellie made eye contact with the corroded corpse of
Neddie
the crackpot.

           
Gibbs’ face twisted black and thunderous, and he flung himself at the robed figure.
 
Three of
Jalx’s
suited guards tackled him.
 
The crack of his head smashing into the marble floor resounded even above the noise of the crowd.
 
Ellie was only held back from leaping onto the stage by the girl who suddenly blocked her path.
 
Without acknowledging Ellie, Sarah leaned over her to whisper to Sky.
 

           
“…need to see you outside.
 
Now.
 
It’s urgent.”

           
Lola’s father’s voice again.
 
“Death for the traitor.
 
Hanging at sunup.”

           
Sky rose, distracted, his heavy lidded eyes watching his brother.
 

           
The kings are shape-shifters.
 
Xaneth
kills and collects the animals that Sarah said could be goblins.
 
And Sarah admitted to going to
Xaneth’s
house “a gazillion times.”
 
It was all starting to make sense.
 
Why hadn't she made the connection before?
 
Xaneth
is the murderer
.
 
He was certainly looked old enough to have killed three generations of goblin kings.
 
Sarah knows
Xaneth
.
 
She knows about the collection, and Sky.
 
No one else knew as much as Sarah.
 
Of course, she’s the mole.
 
And the accomplice.
 

           
Ellie burst from her seat and head butted Sarah, sending Sarah stumbling backwards.
 
As Sarah regained her balance she whipped out a crooked dagger in hand, aimed directly for Sky’s heart and leaped.
 
Ellie launched herself over the side of her chair and landed in Sky’s lap.
 
She threw her arms around Sky’s neck and pulled him down out of the chair.
 
She landed smack on her back with Sky directly on top of her.
 
Her tailbone screamed in agony.
 
“Pinstripe,” she hissed.
 
“Trust that I would never hurt you.
 
It’s
Xaneth
and Sarah.
 
Go!”
 
Sky rolled off of her and narrowly missed Sarah’s knife again.
 
He hesitated only a moment to look at Ellie and then he sprinted through the crowd which was now coming out of their seats like an angry mob rushing the field.
 
She caught only a glimpse of Gibbs launching himself at the closest guard before she dove for Sarah’s leg.
 
She held on, giving Sky the few seconds he needed to get away.

           
The smell assaulted her senses a split second before the long fingernails dug into her shoulder.
 
It didn’t give her enough time to do anything except swallow hard.
 
“Mine,”
Xaneth
said with his hot, foul egg-breath in her ear.
 
It was him.
 
He had almost taken her at the thrift store after she had escaped from Gibbs and his gang.
 
He dug through her garbage to find the wedding dress again.
 
He’d written her the message in the mac and cheese.
 
He’d been stalking her long before she’d met him underground.
 

           
Instant nausea filled her stomach, and she weakly turned her head away from the old goblin, which loosened her hold on Sarah, who took full advantage of Ellie’s predicament and kicked her in the shoulder.
 
Ellie dropped her hold on Sarah and Sarah darted away.
 
Xaneth’s
hands were all over her now and she kicked and scratched and bit and screeched until finally not one arm or leg would move.
 
Xaneth’s
beady eyes glowed hungrily over her.
 
He, however, wasn’t holding her down any longer.
 
Three of the suits were using their weight to pin her to the ground.
 
Lola’s father, the other council member, as well as a large portion of the crowd were clustered around staring and talking.
 
She scanned the faces for a familiar pair of green eyes, but there were too many to sort through.
 
I hope you’re safe.
 
Both of you.
 
She channeled what her dad called her banshee scream and hollered from the very recesses of her gut.
 
She only hoped he would hear, or could find Sky before it was too late.
 
“I will not go with him!
 
He’s a murderer.
 
Murderer!
 
He stalks children for his collection.
 
He is the goblin king killer.”

           
A flick of
Jalx’s
wrist and one of the suits moved to muffle her screams.
 
She bared her teeth at him but was instantly shut up after he backhanded her with one of his thick, green hands.
 
The third robed figure who before now Ellie had witnessed no sign of life from, spoke from under his hood.
 
His voice was the sound of car tires on gravel.
 
“She has caused the escape of a most dangerous criminal.”
 
Everyone looked around.
 
Indeed, Gibbs had vanished.
 
“She will accept his sentence as her own and be hanged at sunup.”
 
He motioned for the guards to grab Ellie and follow him.
 
With a swish and a turn his crimson robes flowed out behind him like a wedding train.
 
Immediately, the guards hauled Ellie to her feet and when she bucked like a spooked horse, nailing one of the goblins in shin with a stiff kick, they picked her up under her armpits and dragged her like a dead deer carcass.
 
As they towed her toward her final destination, she thought of being stuffed and sitting
glass
-eyed for eternity behind
Xaneth’s
bolted doors and decided she’d definitely made the right decision.