Shepherd's Quest: The Broken Key #1 (26 page)

The Marketplace wasn’t enclosed by any sort of wall or fence. Rather, there were totems spaced every twenty feet or so on the goblin side. They seemed to be warning the humans that their presence was not welcomed, nor tolerated.

Riyan wondered how they were going to pass through the line of totems and enter the forest without anyone the wiser. All their lives they have heard of the ferocity of the goblins.

A contingent of Byrdlon soldiers were present down below. Also moving around the Marketplace area were shorter individuals who walked with a loping gait. “Goblins,” Bart told the other two.

Riyan’s eyes widened when he realized he was seeing goblins for the first time. They seemed to be quite a bit shorter than the average human, being around three to four feet in height. The goblins were wearing clothing similar to what you might find the average person on the streets of Wardean wearing. It surprised Riyan at first, but then he realized that he really didn’t know what to expect in regards to them.

The trail continued its winding way through the hills, all the way to the main square of the Market place. The main square was a large area which the buildings bordered on. It has been kept relatively clear as the bulk of the trading goes on in the buildings.

Bart said his goodbyes to the guard with whom he befriended when the wagons headed over to the caravansary. “Maybe we should go there as well and mingle,” suggested Chad.

“Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea,” said Bart. Several of the soldiers were giving them a curious look.

Making their way over, they were soon among the wagons of various merchants who have come to trade. It appeared that whatever trading had been going on has come to a halt now that it was getting close to sunset. The merchants and their guards were returning from the buildings with a line of porters following behind carrying goods.

Riyan found them a location at the edge of the caravansary where they could set up camp. It was near enough to a caravan so they hopefully would be considered a part of it, while at the same time not so close as to cause the people of the caravan concern.

While they set up camp and got a fire going, they looked toward the buildings in an attempt to see a goblin. One of their neighbors noticed what they were doing and told them that at night, the goblins returned to the forest. In the morning they would return at sunrise.

“Would be interesting to get a closer look at one,” commented Riyan.

Keeping his voice low so as not to be overheard, Bart replied, “In a little bit you may get your wish.”

“How are we to get out of here?” Chad asked in a hushed whisper.

“Later tonight when everyone else is asleep,” Bart explained, “we’ll slip out.”

“Won’t the soldiers stop us?” Riyan asked.

“Maybe,” he admitted. “But I doubt it. I think they’re more here to keep order within the Marketplace than to keep fools from passing through the totems.” At that Riyan glanced over towards where one of the totems stood not ten feet away.

The menacing visages carved into the wood seemed to warn of dire consequences should their warning not be heeded.

As night settled in, they prepared for a quick nap before they took off. They left their horses saddled with most of their equipment still secured behind the saddle. They got questioning glances from those around them about that but no one said anything.

They took turns at watch while the others slept. Riyan took the first one, then Chad. It was during Bart’s turn that the camp grew quiet as even the latest night owl finally went to sleep. There was at least one guard in every caravan that remained awake to keep watch. Even the caravan beside them had a guard.

When Bart felt that the time was right to make their break, he woke the others. The guard on watch in the caravan next to theirs took note of their preparations to leave. But apparently three fools who planned to pass through the ring of totems weren’t enough for him to bother with. When they headed out, he grinned as he nodded and gave them a wave. Riyan waved back.

Bart took the lead as they rode from the Marketplace and passed through the ring of totems. Riyan felt a tremor of foreboding as he passed between them, almost as if the totem’s faces were actually staring at him. The feeling of foreboding stayed with him until the Marketplace had disappeared in the trees behind them.

To the west was the closest lake, the larger of the two. From there they would have to follow the river northward until they reached the smaller lake. If the markings on the key were any indication, what they were looking for lies on the western shore of the smaller lake. All they had to do now was to pass through goblin territory without being discovered.

The night was eerily quiet. Nocturnal creatures could be heard throughout the forest as the three companions slowly made their way through the dark forest. Shadows surrounded them as the light from the moon above barely managed to filter its way through the forest’s canopy. They dared not travel very fast else they would risk giving away their presence to any goblins that may be in the area.

Bart tried to keep them on a fairly westerly heading, but the forest wasn’t like the city. His bump of direction that was infallible within the city, didn’t feel quite as reliable out here in the forest now that the sun had gone down.

They rode in single file along what Riyan soon realized was a game trail. Bart was in the lead while Chad brought up the rear. Every once in a while one of their horses would snort or make some other noise and Riyan’s heart would almost freeze in panic as his mind imagined goblins rushing out of the forest to attack. But no such attack developed.

It was about a half hour since they left the Marketplace when the smell of wood smoke began to be noticed. Shortly after that, the sound of guttural speech came from down the game trail ahead of them.

Bart signaled for them to stop and had the others come in close. “You two stay here,” he said. “I’m going to go ahead on foot and see what’s going on.”

“Be careful,” warned Chad.

“Don’t worry,” he assured them. “Just stay here and be quiet.” Dismounting, he handed his horse’s reins to Riyan then disappeared down the trail towards the voices.

Riyan glanced nervously to Chad. “Goblins,” he whispered. Chad nodded in reply.

As he left the other two behind, Bart was feeling a bit nervous. The tales of goblins he had heard all his life painted them as a blood thirsty savage race that would sooner eat you than look at you. Any number of the sagas dealing with these creatures always had despicable acts of mayhem and carnage attributed to them. So now that he was approaching what could very well be a war party, he felt decidedly nervous.

Moving forward, he stepped as carefully as he could so as not to make any sound that would give away his presence. The sound of the goblin’s voices grew louder as he edged closer. Finally, a light appeared through the trees ahead, just a little to the right of the game trail.

He continued working his way closer until he could see a small encampment of goblins set off the game trail a ways. When he was close enough to make them out, he was shocked to discover that they weren’t wearing any clothes. A few of them sported jewelry of one kind or another, but as far as clothes went, nothing. Bart just shook his head.

The goblins were sitting around a roaring fire near the center of the encampment.

There were a couple buildings nearby, the architecture was slightly different than what he was used to. They were long and squat with a chimney rising high at either end. Having grown up on the streets of Wardean, he could tell that they were very well crafted.

Turning his attention back to the goblins themselves, he didn’t think they were too concerned about the possibility of humans being in the area. They looked rather relaxed as they spoke to one another in their guttural language.

He crouched there among the trees and watched them for several minutes before coming to the conclusion that they were no immediate threat to him and the others. He started to back away. Once he felt he was far enough away not to be heard, he turned and quickened his pace back to Riyan and Chad.

“There’s a group of them ahead,” he told them upon his return. “Maybe fifteen or twenty.” He then briefly described the buildings he saw and the fact that they were naked.

“Naked?” asked Riyan in disbelief.

Bart nodded. “As the day they were born,” he affirmed.

Chad shook his head. “You would think they would get cold at night,” he said.

“Perhaps,” shrugged Bart. “But I think we need to give them a wide berth. Once on the far side of their encampment we should start looking for some place to hole up before dawn.”

“Yeah,” agreed Riyan. “We don’t want to be moving around during the day.” Bart nodded then took the lead as he led them from the game trail and entered the forest. He took it slow and steady, always working to maintain their distance from the goblin encampment.

Some time after they circumvented the encampment and left the voices behind, they came across a small stream flowing in the general direction Bart figured the lake to be.

Realizing this would lead them to where they wanted to go, he altered their course to follow the stream.

Despite keeping a constant lookout for a place to hole up, all they encountered as they made their way through the forest were trees. No suitable place of concealment presented itself. Bart finally came to the conclusion that when the sky began to lighten, they would most likely be forced to find a dense copse of trees where they could hide throughout the day.

They followed the stream for another hour before it emptied into the lake. The twinkling of the stars above reflected off the surface of the water, giving it a dazzling appearance. Across the lake on the opposite shore, they saw the unmistakable sight of a goblin settlement. Not a large one to be sure, but a settlement nonetheless.

Before they arrived and saw the goblin settlement, they had thought to go around the southern shore and then follow it north. For the area indicated on the back of the key was on the western side. But if they did they would risk encountering that settlement and the goblins inhabiting it. At least a dozen lights could be seen coming from the buildings over there.

“Perhaps we should head north from here,” suggested Chad.

While standing at the water’s edge, they gave the route around the eastern shore of the lake a careful look. Unlike the western shore, it was dark and looked deserted.

“Around to the east it is,” announced Bart.

As they progressed around the lake, Riyan kept glancing to the lights on the distant shore. Almost as if he expected pursuit at any minute. But nothing developed and the longer they followed the shore, the fainter the lights became until they could no longer be seen. The sight of the settlement had seemed strange to him. After all, weren’t goblins little better than beasts? Wild and dangerous who’s only thought was that of killing any human they came in contact with? A shudder ran through him at the thought that so many could even now be in close proximity to them.

A thought flashed through his mind and made him shudder. If they were caught, it would be the end of them. The goblins would use their claws and teeth to rip their flesh, and they would use their skulls to drink their blood in dark rituals.

He tried to banish such unpleasant thoughts by concentrating on Freya. And how her father was going to welcome him home with open arms once they found the parts of the key and opened the King’s Horde. Oh what a glorious day that would be.

“We better find somewhere to hole up soon,” Bart suddenly announced.

Snapped out of his reverie, Riyan realized the sky to the east was beginning to lighten behind the peaks of the mountains. He definitely didn’t want to risk being out here in the open once it became light. The bloodthirsty goblins would definitely find them and attack and… Enough! You’ve got to stop thinking about such things! he admonished himself.

Turning his attention to the forest, he tried to locate someplace where they could hole up until night returned.

The stars began to fade with the coming of dawn, and still they hadn’t located a very good spot to hide in. When it grew too light and they no longer dared to ride so exposed along the shoreline, Bart led them into the forest.

Still no spot presented itself that was very suitable for hiding throughout the day.

Finally they decided on an area fifty feet or so from the shore where the trees were slightly thicker than the rest of the forest. It wasn’t great, if a goblin should pass by even as close as the shoreline, they would be seen.

“Keep the saddles on,” advised Riyan. “We may need a quick getaway.”

“If we’re discovered,” said Bart, “it’s unlikely we could ride fast enough to get away.”

“Let me have my illusions,” Riyan said as he turned to him. “Please.” Bart could see the worry in his eyes and nodded. “As you will. I’ll take the first watch while you two get some sleep.”

They both agreed to that and after a quick meal of cold rations that were beginning to grow stale, they laid down and tried to go to sleep. Despite the fatigue that he was feeling, it took Riyan some time before sleep came. When it did, it brought nightmares of being chased through the forest by demonic, fire breathing goblins with red eyes the color of hellish flames. He was glad when Chad finally awakened him for his turn at watch.

Throughout the day’s watch, the only anxious moment any of them had was during the middle watch. Chad was pacing around the forest doing his best to keep awake when the sound of many goblins moving through the trees came to him. Fearful that they might be heading in their direction, he snuck closer only to find that the group of goblins was gathering branches and dead wood. For what purpose Chad was unable to find out. He was simply happy the goblins weren’t approaching any further to their camp. After ten minutes of foraging for wood, they departed back to the east.

Before the sun hit the horizon at the end of the day, they were awake. They talked in hushed voices about what they should do once night set in. They decided to continue following the shoreline northward until they came across the river that flowed from the second lake further to the north. Once they found the mouth of the river, they would have to discover a way of fording to the other side. For the area they wished to find lay on the western side.