“Faster,” the crone cried. “Spin and turn, spin and turn.”
Tam swore he wasn’t pressing any harder, but suddenly the wheel sped up. The humming noise began again, vibrating down to his bones.
“Tam!” There was a panicky note in Jennet’s voice.
“Keep going,” he said.
Somehow he knew that if they stopped, they failed. And they couldn’t afford to lose.
The wheel was a blur of motion - everything around them was twirling. He heard the old woman’s voice, as if from far away, call, “Round and round, then reach the ground.”
The stool vanished from beneath him and his teeth clacked together as he sat down hard. It was completely dark. He felt around in front of him, but the spinning wheel was gone.
“Jennet?” Fear stabbed through him. If they were separated…
“Here.” She sounded breathless.
A moment later, bluish light bloomed as the crystal from her staff illuminated their surroundings. Rough-hewn rock enclosed them on three sides. The fourth led into the shadowy dark of a tunnel. Jennet stood beside him, both hands wrapped around her staff. He was sitting on a dirt floor, next to a heap of bones.
“Nice. Any idea where we are?” He clambered to his feet and nudged the pile of bones with his boot. They didn’t look human.
“Some kind of cave - and I don’t think much of the décor.” She made a face at the bone-pile. “Let’s get out of here.”
Side-by-side they stepped forward into the dark opening. The tunnel was big enough that Tam didn’t need to duck his head, and wide enough that their shoulders just brushed as they walked. He kept one hand firmly on his sword.
The way twisted and turned, and they came to a place where the tunnel split. There wasn’t a clear choice - both tunnels were equally wide and dusty.
“Which way?” He kept his voice low. Just because they hadn’t run into any creatures yet, didn’t mean they were alone in here.
“Hm. Maybe this will help.” Jennet extinguished her staff’s light.
The darkness pressed against Tam’s senses. He blinked a few times, to make sure his eyes were open. Then, very faintly, he saw a glow coming from the left-hand side. It was reddish and didn’t seem too friendly, but it was better than nothing. Even if it led to trouble, fighting monsters would be a change from wandering lost in some dark and dusty cave.
He felt Jennet’s hand on his shoulder and he nodded, though it was too dark for her to see. From here, they’d go without a light. No sense in advertising their presence. He stepped forward, keeping his pace slow in case they ran into any obstacles. Her hand was steady where she touched him, and she seemed happy enough to let him lead the way. Ahead, the red glow was a sullen smudge against the shadows.
The light grew imperceptibly brighter with every step, but no more welcoming. The tunnel curved, and he heard sounds - a low thumping, the strange sibilance of a language he couldn’t recognize. A foul reek filtered through his nostrils; rotten food and singed hair. Eerie shadows danced on the rock wall, and the back of his neck prickled. He inched forward and quietly drew his sword. The ruddy light reflected off it like blood. What lay ahead?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Jennet’s hand tightened on his shoulder as they rounded the curve. Tam swallowed, throat suddenly dry, and peered around the corner. His heart was pounding, deep and low, like some big tribal drum. This was like going through the Exe, where at any second bad things could leap out at you. Except that the bad things here were straight out of a nightmare.
His hand squeezed the hilt of his sword and a shiver crawled down his back. He was staring into a huge cave full of grotesque, green-skinned creatures.
Some of them were dancing beside a bonfire filled with bones. Others scuffled and fought, their gnarled fingers clawing, their sharp teeth gnashing. They had long, pointed ears and wore a motley assortment of coverings. Tam saw the tatters of a velvet dress, a crudely-tanned hide with half the fur still stuck on, and the glint of haphazard bits of armor.
They all had one thing in common, though. Every one of the creatures was wearing a skullcap or hood the color of old blood. Behind him, he heard Jennet’s sharp gasp.
“Red-cap goblins,” she breathed into his ear.
Tam nodded, keeping his gaze on the creatures fighting and cavorting. The air was full of their guttural, hissing language. They looked like they wouldn’t hesitate to tear him and Jennet to bits.
The fire flickered, and the goblins sent up a sudden rough cheer. In a moment, Tam saw the source of their glee. There was another tunnel on the far side of the cave, and emerging from it were five goblins, dragging the corpse of a deer behind them. The creatures closest to it leapt on the dead animal, knives and teeth flashing.
A loud command made them back away, and from the right-hand side of the cave a figure rose. He was a little taller than the other goblins - which still made him shorter than Jennet. On his hideous head he wore a crown studded with rubies.
“Goblin King?” he mouthed to Jennet.
She nodded, her eyes wide and scared.
He looked at the far side of the cave again, to the dark tunnel the hunters had come from. That had to be the way out. But how were they going to get there?
The king was making some sort of speech, punctuated by thumps of his wickedly-barbed pike on the stone floor. Jennet pulled on Tam’s shoulder and he slowly backed up until the goblins were hidden from view. Without a word they kept retreating until the red light was no more than a smudge against the darkness. Jennet’s staff shed a faint glow, just enough to see their way.
“We need a plan,” she finally said, her voice low. “Got any ideas?”
“We can’t just fight our way through - there are dozens of them. Even if they’re afraid of my sword, or your magefire, they’ll overwhelm us with sheer numbers.”
“And the Goblin King won’t let us just traipse past, either. Unless…” She pressed her lips together.
“What?”
She shook her head. “I was thinking we could offer him a bribe - but he won’t accept anything conjured, and that’s all we have. Next time, remind me to wear lots of jewelry.”
“Do you think it will come in-game with us?” he asked. “Never mind. Ok. Fighting is out, so is bribery. So somehow we’re going to have to sneak undetected through a cavern full of hungry goblins.”
Jennet took a strand of her pale hair and wound it around her finger. “Do you remember reading something in that book I lent you, Tam? Wasn’t there a way to avoid the notice of evil faeries by wearing your clothing backwards?”
“I’m going to have to borrow that book again - and pay more attention.” He hadn’t known how essential the information in it would be. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to recall the page that listed protections against the faeries. “Let’s see. Cold iron: we know that my sword works, but probably not against a whole roomful of creatures. Holy water: like we have any of that lying around. Oh wait, yeah. Clothing worn… not backwards, but inside-out.”
“Do you think it will work?” She sounded nervous.
“We have to try.” He pulled off one armored gauntlet. “I can’t imagine trying to put my armor on inside-out. Do you think if I vanish this stuff, it will come back when I need it?”
“I don’t know why not. All right, turn your back.” She leaned her staff against the wall and gave him a look, eyebrows raised.
“Hey. No worries.” He vanished his gloves, then turned to face the rough-hewn rock.
There was a silky swishing sound. Despite himself, he wondered what Jennet would look like in her underwear. Did these characters even have underwear? He’d find out in a minute, when he switched his own clothing.
“Done,” she said.
Tam turned, fingers busy with the buckle of his sword-belt. “Are you sure you changed it? Your robe looks the same.”
“Of course I changed.” She smoothed one hand over the front of the silvery garment. “All the seams a
re showing - can’t you tell?”
Not really. He shrugged off his breastplate, relieved to find he was wearing some kind of homespun shirt beneath. Next were his boots and the armor covering his legs. Brown pants - good. He didn’t want to be flashing Jennet. Without waiting for him to ask, she turned away.
Quickly, he stripped off the simple clothing. There was underwear after all. He flipped the pants and shirt inside-out and put them back on. Then the sword. He was careful to twist the belt around, too, re-buckling it from the inside.
“Ok,” he said. “Let’s go find out how legit that old book is.”
Jennet turned back around and nodded at him, her eyes big and scared-looking.
Way too soon they were back at the end of the tunnel. The Goblin King was still standing, and the deer had been dragged in front of him. It looked like the creatures were getting ready to have a feast. Tam glanced at Jennet, who looked even paler. He hoped the goblins would cook the deer and not just dismember and devour it on the spot. If she threw up it would break their cover for sure.
He jerked his head to the left, where the cavern was quieter. Most of the goblins were looking at the other side, where the king was. If he and Jennet stayed close to the wall, they should be safe.
Provided this clothing thing actually worked.
Fingers wrapped firmly around the hilt of his sword, Tam stepped into the ruddy light. He took a slow step forward, then another, barely daring to breathe. Five feet in. Then ten. The nearby goblins didn’t seem to know he was there. He looked back to where Jennet stood in the shadows of the tunnel, and beckoned to her.
He could see her fingers clench around her staff, and for a second he wasn’t sure she’d be able to take that first step. Then her shoulders straightened and she came forward, as slowly as he had. Once he was sure he wasn’t leaving her behind, Tam started moving again. Maybe the goblins couldn’t see them, but he wasn’t betting on the ugly creatures not hearing or smelling them.
His nerves sparked, urging him to hurry, to run, but he kept his pace deliberate, forced his breathing to stay low and quiet. This was going to be a slow, dangerous journey.
Halfway around the cavern, he paused to let Jennet catch up. So far it had been simple enough to stay along the rock walls, but just ahead two goblins crouched against the stone. They were throwing white twigs on the ground, then scooping them up again in some kind of complicated gambling game. Tam looked closer and a chill snuck up his neck. Not twigs, but bleached finger-bones, knobby on one end.
The festivities on the other side of the cave were growing louder. He tried not to see what they were doing with the deer carcass. As soon as Jennet got close, he began edging out into the cave, giving the bone-throwing goblins a wide berth. Jennet followed him. When she was directly in front of the goblins, one of them stuck his long pointed nose in the air, nostrils flaring.
The goblin leaped to his feet and said something in the garbled language to his companion. It sounded urgent, and both Tam and Jennet froze. Had the creature scented them? The first goblin was waving his arms around. Then he pointed directly to where Jennet stood. The other goblin shook its head, and the first goblin leaped forward. Its arm brushed across Jennet’s skirt, and both she and the creature let out a cry - though the goblin’s was far more vicious.
Tam grabbed her hand and yanked her forward. Just in time. The goblin’s knife hissed through the air where she had been standing. Tam and Jennet dashed through the cave, the two goblins following. They were making noise now, but they still seemed to be invisible. Distraction. He had to create some kind of distraction.
There - a battered copper pot lay against the wall. Tam caught it up with his free hand and flung it into the center of the feasting goblins. A lucky throw - it flew right past the Goblin King’s head and struck the creature behind him.
The reaction was like kicking a hornet’s nest. Chaos erupted in the cave. Goblins drew their weapons, and warlike shrieks filled the room. The two goblins tracking them began leaping up and down, waving their arms and pointing.
Jennet picked up a wooden shield and hurled it behind them. Screaming goblins converged on it, gouging it to splinters with their knives and claws.
“No more time for that,” Tam said under his breath. “Run for it!”
Dodging and leaping, the two of them pelted for the tunnel. Almost there. Just a few more steps -
Clawed fingers sank into his arm, jerking him to a stop. He spun, to find he was face-to-hideous-face with the Goblin King.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Go!” Tam yelled at Jennet.
He tried to wrench himself away, but he couldn’t break the king’s grip. Left-handed, he scrabbled for his sword.
The Goblin King drew Tam closer, his yellow fangs terribly sharp, his eyes gleaming with malice. The hilt of the sword slipped out from under Tam’s fingers and he felt the edge of panic. Come on, sword! Finally, when it seemed the goblin was about to take a bite out of him, he got a solid grip and pulled the blade free.
“Ark!” the king screeched. He threw both clawed hands up to shield his grotesque face, and Tam scrambled backward into the tunnel.
From her place just inside the tunnel, Jennet shot a bolt of magefire at the Goblin King. He cried out again and staggered toward them, barking out commands. One long, crooked finger pointed toward the tunnel, and goblins surged forward.
“Let’s go!” Tam shouted.
Jennet gave him a panicked look, then picked her skirts up with one hand and dashed down the tunnel. He was right behind her. The noise of goblins scurrying after them grew louder. At any moment, he expected to feel sharp claws digging into his back.
The tunnel branched, and Jennet went left. She didn’t slow down, but he heard her panting for breath. Another branching, and she went right this time. They continued headlong, their way barely lit by the faint blue glow of her staff. The sounds of pursuit faded, but the back of Tam’s neck still prickled. Those goblins didn’t seem like the kind to give up easily.
“I have to rest,” Jennet gasped, slowing down.
“Ok. I think it’s safe for now.” He faced back the way they had come, sword at the ready. The only sound was Jennet’s breathing. After a moment, she stopped panting so hard. Tam’s own breathing evened out, but he didn’t let down his guard.
The tunnel was full of thick shadows. Then, suddenly, eyes shone in the darkness. A blur of sharp claws and red-capped creatures erupted toward them. Jennet gasped and began to run again, but Tam stayed behind. He swiped at the goblins, and the front ranks leaped back, yelping when his steel touched their flesh.
It was rapidly getting too dark to see. He whipped his sword at the goblins one more time, then whirled and sprinted after the faint blue glow of Jennet’s staff.
It didn’t take him long to catch up, which meant that the goblins would be closing fast, too.
“Quickly, come this way,” a high, familiar voice piped.
“Puck!” Jennet said. “Where are you?”
A little brown hand beckoned from the shadows. Squinting, Tam could just make out a jaunty figure standing in a small opening in the tunnel wall. If the sprite hadn’t spoken, they would have run right past.
“Are you sure that’s Puck?” He was tempted to poke his sword at it.
“Hush your mortal mouths, and come,” Puck said. “Or stay, and the redcaps will gnaw your bones.”
“Tough choice,” Jennet said, and slipped through the opening.
Tam hesitated. He didn’t trust the little creature - or the company he kept. But it was either Puck or the goblins.
“Tam?” Jennet whispered.
He couldn’t abandon her. He let out a breath and squeezed himself through the gap. It was a tight fit. Good thing he wasn’t wearing his armor.
“Conceal your light,” Puck said. “Softly now, softly.” He waved his hands at the opening they had just come through.
Tam blinked. In the moment before Jennet’s staff had vanished, taki
ng its light with it, he thought he saw the tunnel walls close. Truth or trick?
Whether it was an illusion or not, the sounds of the goblins passing by were all too clear. Their guttural voices and the scritch of claws on stone made Tam’s blood surge. His fingers clenched hard over his sword hilt and he held his breath. Finally, the last sounds of marauding goblins faded away. He let the air slip out between his teeth.
“You may summon your light again,” Puck said.
A warmer glow pushed back the darkness this time. Tam looked over at Jennet. She was holding a glass lantern lit by a round ball of light.
She nodded at him. “You could summon one, too.”
“Makes it too hard to fight.” Still, he held the image in his mind. A moment later, a second lantern dangled from his fingers.
Despite the wave of tiredness that washed over him, there was something comforting about their twin lights. This part of the goblin tunnels seemed less menacing. Or maybe it was just having Puck with them, humming a tune as he led them forward.
“Um, Puck,” Tam said, “Where are we going?”
“Here and there.”
Jennet lifted her lantern. “As long as it’s away from the goblins, I don’t really mind where you take us.”
“Don’t say that.” Tam gave her a warning look. “Aren’t we trying to get closer to the court? I don’t want to end up in the middle of a marsh again.”
According to that book she had lent him, you had to be careful what you said around the fey-folk. There had been a whole chapter about bargains gone awry and the faeries’ tricky ways.
“The knight can take you closer in,” Puck said, “but if you need to go out, follow the stairway.”
“Hold up.” Tam stopped walking. “The knight? As in, the Black Knight? That’s a no.”
“But…” Jennet paused, looking from Tam to Puck.
The sprite laughed, the sound like high bells. “Do you fear to face him in single combat again, bold Tamlin?”
“I’d be a fool not to. And I don’t need any more souvenir cuts to take home, thanks.”
“He has already tested your mettle, bold champion. But you will need an escort if you desire to meet his Lady.”
An odd exhilaration swept over Tam. “You mean the Dark Queen?”