Mudrut Village

Ealga knew that smell, "I'm so hungry."

"Don't eat anything!" Nimby kept her voice down, but there was no mistaking the urgency of her tone.

Ealga only groaned in dismay.

"I know. It's been so difficult though, and I don't have my apples anymore."

Truthfully, all time had droned on for so long that it was impossible to know how long it had been. Whether it was magic or not didn't make any difference. Ealga's stomach growled and gurgled demanding sustenance.

Nimby hovered nearby in Ealga's peripheral vision. Her faery light was dimmed almost to the same level as the lantern. Nimby had suggested dimming the light just after Ealga had stopped running to safeguard against being seen. There was a chance that the illumination would have made it easier for the wolf monster to follow her. No different than seeing a star against the inky darkness of the night sky. While the precaution was sound it failed to erase fears of being tracked. Wolves, Ealga knew, had a great sense of smell that would likely be the first thing to give her trail away. She couldn't see as well now either. Which didn't bolster her confidence.

"Remember, you mustn't eat anything they give you, Hat Seeker. Not one crumb. No."

"Ugh, I know. You've already told me more than six times now."

"It'll trap you here on this side if you do. No matter how yummy it is, don't eat it."

Ealga leveled a frustrated glare in Nimby's direction. In spite of all Nimby's help thus far, she hoped that her gaze would set the troublesome creature on fire.

"All right! I think you understand now" Nimby made a satisfied harumph sound then sneezed.

She still wasn't on fire yet to Ealga's boiling annoyance.

Ealga's whole body ached. Having fled from the beast she'd felt all but spent with no drive or energy to do anything other than walk. When the soft golden glow of torchlight appeared ahead there was a sense of relief that accompanied that aroma she'd smelled earlier. It was something tasty. There were noises now as well. A bare hint of many voices all speaking to each other. The language wasn't anything familiar.

Ealga guessed it must be the language of goblins.

Nimby had taken them through the woods on a narrow trail that at times didn't look like a trail at all. It did get wider and more distinguished when it forked in other directions. Thankfully, Nimby knew exactly where she was going. Without her Ealga couldn't imagine having ever gotten this far. Mostly, she'd already be eaten.

Good thing Nimby didn't burst into flame then. She could still be a pain though.

The light intensified as she moved toward it. The ground hardened into a proper road with ornate stonework. Shortly thereafter the woods fell away revealing the village beyond.

Mud brick huts were huddled close together on either side. A few had more than one story. The thatched roofs appeared old but well-tended to. Though straw for a roof was very odd. It seemed hard to keep rain out with just straw. Maybe there was some trick to it.

Worse, it was susceptible to fire. Which there was a lot of. Long torches were sconced on the roadway to add more light. Chimneys billowed smoke into the air from fires in fireplaces. It wasn't difficult to imagine sitting in a chair in front of those warm fires. Ealga yearned to be done moving or worried about death following her. She almost sat down right then and there.

Upon further examination, Ealga noted that the houses and buildings were a great deal smaller than what she was used to. As if they were all built for a village of children. Her father would have to bend almost all the way over to even get inside one of the homes.

In the street, a smaller figure took notice of her approach. A pipe was perched in the corner of the goblin's mouth. The pointy disheveled hat, ratty clothes, and worn soft boots all made it look unreal. It's eyes were larger than anyone's she'd seen before. They were glassy with interest and watched her with a fixed intent. Ealga noted that it had pointed ears. Long ones. They pushed out from under the brim of the strange hat it wore.

"Halt there." It croaked in a gravelly voice.

Ealga stopped and stood a bit more upright. It wasn't that she was trying to be intimidating. It was more like the tone of the command made it feel like she'd stolen something and had been caught red-handed with her bounty. She'd stiffened by reflex.

"A girl. And a pixie. What ya doin' here? Come to trade have ya?"

Ealga shook her head not sure how to really answer. Nimby wasn't much better help. She had bolted away behind Ealga's hood as if to use her as a shield.

"Well, girl?" It drew in a breath making the burning leaf in the pipe glow red hot then let the smoke flair out of its nostrils. Ealga was flummoxed still and didn't answer.

"Are you stupid?" The goblin asked with a grin.

"N-No. I'm not. I'm uh…" Ealga shook her head again, "I'm just hoping to pass through is all. I won't be a bother. Would that be alright?"

"Ah. Passin' through. That's nice."

Ealga waited for an answer to her question but like Nimby, the strange goblin just sat cross-legged on the street blocking her path. What was it about not getting a proper answer from anyone she spoke with?

"Yes. Passing through. Do you mind m—"

"You can do that. I don't mind. Name's Grix. This is Mudrut. We could offer some food, perhaps. You hungry there girl?"

She was. Her stomach answered for her in a long gurgle.

"Thought so." Grix pulled the pipe away from his mouth long enough to pick at one of his jagged teeth with a talon-like nail.

Nimby came around her head and pushed into her hood whispering directly into Ealga's ear. "We can't do that. Just start walking. He'll move. Go on, Hat Seeker."

Ealga took a step forward. Grix looked up from where he sat as his smile grew a little wider. Another step and then another. Grix followed her but didn't try to stop her. When she passed him, he merely got up from where he was and followed.

Ealga tried to ignore how uncomfortable she felt. There were a number of others on the street that had come out from their homes to see whom it was passing by. They all were glassy-eyed and gray-skinned with long pointy ears. Their clothes were in disheveled patchy hodge podge materials. The aroma of cooked food was really strong then. It smelled familiar mostly and alien all at once. It carried an exquisite allure in any case.

Ealga pressed on. Nimby whispered nearly silent encouragement into her ear as she kept on. The village was really just a straight road with houses on either side. The forest crowded everything beyond in a shadow that loomed overhead and to the sides.

Given it was only one direction it was easy to navigate. All she wanted to do was get through and be gone. At the corners of her vision dozens of eyes were watched her now. She could feel their intensity as pressure on her skin.

"That's an awfully nice cloak ya have there, " Grix observed. His tone carried an edge to it though he tried to sound casual.

"Thank you."

"Perhaps you'd like some coin for it. Or perhaps a trade."

"I do appreciate you asking, but I am not selling my cloak. It's special to me."

"Is it?" Grix let the last word dangle a little. He sounded almost hungry in a way.

Ealga was starting to become very uneasy.

Ahead more of them emerged and looked on as she walked. Then she noticed the accompanying footfalls behind her as well. The village was following her. She kept her focus straight ahead. At the same time she discretely felt for the dagger in her dress. Grix who now loped beside her didn't seem to notice that she'd taken a weapon into her hand.

"How special is the cloak to ya? What'll it cost?"

"I am afraid I can't give it you Grix." Ealga felt that pressure of being watched redouble.

"It's magic, isn't it girl?" Grix held a twinge of madness in his voice. Something that Ealga felt was like hunger but sounded more dangerous.

"It's not, it's just a cloak." Ealga deflected.

"Liar." Grix replied venomously.

The hiss that came from all the other goblins nearby startled her. They started speak in that same guttural language of theirs and began to close in. Grix grabbed the hem of the cloak as though to rip it from her shoulders.

Withtout thinking, Ealga spun as she pulled the knife free from its sheath. A brilliant tingling sensation went through her body as she did so. While she was afraid, she was also suddenly furious. This cloak was her mother's gift to her. And no one would steal it from her. No one. She found herself a little shocked that she'd become so adversarial so quickly.

Grix hopped back with a wicked little yelp. He eyed the knife warily as he lowered himself ever so slightly.

The blade of the dagger had an unnatural shiver in the metal. Ealga didn't know the first thing about how to use a knife for violence. However, there was a sense that the edge of it would cut through stone if she wanted it to right now. She took a breath, feeling something flow in her body. It moved like water from her chest to her limbs. This was her power, she realized. It was flowing into the dagger from somewhere inside her. She was using magic again.

"Stay back!" She commanded.

Grix shied back but his face was twisted into a monstrous expression. The other goblins all shuttered back as well with their mouths opened to show jagged teeth. They all snarled as they started to surround her where she stood.

Nimby gave out a small cry and clutched against her neck. Ealga was at a loss. How was she supposed to get free to leave the village if they all swarmed her at once?

When a roar of something huge and terrifying erupted from somewhere close she knew then she had more problems than just the goblins to worry about now.