Shadowguard

Goblins were odd creatures.

Short and gangly, with pointed ears nearly as long as their heads were tall and large pug noses, they were almost comical in appearance. On their own, they were vermin, no more dangerous than a small, uncoordinated child. She chased more than her fair share of the pesky things from Lyra's family's farm during her childhood. Back then, if someone told her she'd one day find herself bound and at their mercy, she'd have laughed. They were nothing more than thieving nuisances that ran scared at the sight of a blade.

As with everything else lately, the Nine Realms had to prove her wrong.

Ramshackle hovels built of tattered cloth stretched over twig frames spread throughout the hollow in a manner that loosely resembled a village. A rickety wooden fence wrapped around one corner of the cavern, piles of crates, barrels, and dirty, lumpy bags tossed haphazardly inside. Another area a few feet to the right held crude tools, large paint tins, and an assortment of shoddy weapons. Small fires dotted the village and, near the center, a large black cauldron, accessible by a rickety wooden platform, bubbled.

Massive stalactites hung from the ceiling like sharpened claws reaching for the skittering creatures beneath. The air reeked of mold and mildew and something decidedly dead, the pungent stench of rotting flesh thick in the air. Everna gagged. No matter how many times she stumbled upon that stench during her shadowing, it was never any easier to handle.

Her cell in Pendel's prison was generous compared to the cramped pocket the goblins tossed her into. Iron bars, stained orange with rust, blocked the exit. There was barely enough room to sit up without hitting her head on the ceiling. The stone walls dug into her back, sharp and unpleasant against her bare skin. The goblins stripped her of everything short of her undergarments and ring and bound her hands with a thick, fraying rope.

At least, that's what she assumed. When she regained consciousness, she did so in her undergarments and with a sharp pounding at the base of her skull. A myriad of scrapes littered her body, trailing upwards as if they'd dragged her along the rock.

A pair of goblins wrapped in crumbling leather scampered past, grunting and chattering in a language she didn't understand. Daggers fashioned of sharpened flint hung from their narrow waists. The one closest to her cell carried a set of rusty keys. Its gaze flicked in her direction, lingering for but a moment, before it continued on.

Vina's snobbery rose from the opposite side of the cave, muffled beneath the bustle of the village, but no less annoying. Not a few moments later, the inevitable string of curses and insults ended with a sharp yelp. Everna sighed. That woman didn't know when to keep her mouth shut.

She'd been at it since she woke.

Without the sun, she couldn't say how long she spent within the cramped confines of her cell before she came to. It might have been hours. It might have been a full day. She knew, however, that every twenty or so minutes, the same two goblins passed her cell.

They'd passed four times since she'd first opened her eyes.

Her thumb ran along the edge of the ring, still snug on her finger. Plain and unassuming, it appeared as nothing more than a cheap wedding band, albeit on the wrong finger. Magic rings were tricky as far as artifacts went. Excluding those created to suit the flashy tastes of the nobility, and those worth a fortune even without their enchantments, most people couldn't tell the difference between a plain band and a magic one at a glance.

The goblins overlooked it somehow, though she couldn't say it came as a surprise. They weren't the most intelligent creatures, and the Golden Lady's clerics were notoriously crafty. Leah may have added a secondary enchantment to the ring that allowed it to pass the notice of others.

Or perhaps the goblins were stupid.

Whatever the case, Everna could only thank the Golden Lady for their neglect.

Upon turning the ring three times on her finger, the invisibility spell would activate. She would have five minutes afterwards, though Leah had warned her of the spell’s complexities. Concealment spells were finicky, invisibility especially so. Sudden or drastic movements would disrupt the magic and the spell would falter; Everna learned that the hard way several years ago, after a failed prank against her brother.

Again, she ran her thumb along the edge. She was never one to sit idle when she had some measure of control over a situation, and the ring gave her just that. She would have to be smart about it, though. Once exhausted, it would take another half hour before the ring drew upon enough of the world's natural magic before she could reactivate it.

I have one shot at this, she thought.

She hadn't a clue what the goblins had in store for them, and she'd no intentions of waiting to find out. Individually, they weren't much of a threat; in large numbers they became more than a pesky nuisance. That's what her father once said.

The guards passed her cell for the fifth time. The one with the keys glanced at her, its bright yellow eyes piercing through the dim. Upon seeing her inside her cell, it turned back to its companion and grunted. The other goblin warbled in response.

She began counting.

One minute.

Five minutes.

Ten.

At seventeen, Everna shifted her thumb over the ring. At nineteen minutes, she turned it. Once, then twice, and finally a third time.

Silent magic burst forth from the ring. It prickled along her skin, a pleasant glow that washed over her like the warmth of the summer sun. Her body was still visible, her wrists red and raw around the edges of the rope, but she knew the ring worked. She wouldn’t feel the warmth of the magic enveloping her otherwise.

Thirty seconds later, the guards returned. As with every other pass, the guard closest to her turned to look in her cell. It stopped short, its eyes bulging. Its companion stumbled into it, complaints flying from its lips. The one with the keys pointed a gnarled finger at the cell.

Come on, open it, you scraggly freaks.

It took a full minute of squabbling before the jingle of keys reached her ears. Everna shifted, slowly, to one side of the cell as the guard wedged a key into the lock and, with a strangled clunk, it disengaged. A horrendous groan echoed through the cavern, the rust-muddled hinges screaming in protest as the two guards pulled the door open. Once it opened far enough for her to slip through, she stepped out of the cell.

She held her breath as the two guards barreled past, missing her by a hair's breadth. Inside the cell, they skidded to a halt, their heads whipping about in frantic search. One reached for the air, waving its gnarled hand about.

Then they started fighting.

The one on her right whacked the other over the head with its fist, after which the other promptly shoved it into the wall, wagging an accusatory finger in its face. Within seconds, the altercation escalated into a pushing match, then a slap fight worthy of a three-copper drama at the amateur theater. She eyed the door then, and a smile touched her lips. Gods, she loved stupid creatures.

Careful not to disrupt the invisibility spell, she pressed her hands against the door, the rusty outer layer crumbling beneath her fingertips. Distracted by their argument, the goblins were none the wiser until the door shut and the lock clicked into place. They paused, looking at each other and the door.

Then they started fighting again.

She left them to their senseless scuffle and made for the storage area. She had another three to four minutes remaining before the spell ran out. Durning that time, she needed to locate Lisette and Vina, or create a distraction substantial enough that, once the ring deactivated, the goblins wouldn't pay her any mind. It was easier said than done. The cavern was massive, and by the time she reached the far side, where the crates offered some means of cover, Leah's ring turned cold on her finger.

Passing the last row of hovels as quickly as she could, she slipped behind the largest stack of crates. She cracked the lid of one. Several bottles of expensive rum sat inside, delicately wedged between padded pieces of cloth. Bolts of colored fabric filled the one beside it. She found more of the same, trade goods and other such wares in the rest of the accessible containers. A smaller crate, balanced atop two larger ones, contained a set of gleaming kitchen knives. The last barrel, its lid already cracked, provided something far more useful. Lamp oil.

The hovels would make excellent kindling.

A plan forming in the back of her mind, she moved to take care of the last problem she faced: her bindings.

She lifted the smallest knife from the set. Using her knees to hold it in place, she eased the ropes over the sharpened edge, careful to avoid stabbing her wrists. After a few swipes, the bindings loosened enough for her to wiggle free. She flexed her fingers, feeling the blood slowly return to her aching hands.

"I see you got out without too much trouble."

Everna barely swallowed her startled shriek as Lisette appeared beside her. She still had her leathers on, a dagger strapped to her left hip and a shortsword at the other.

"How did you—"

"I can pick a lock," she said, and pointed to an odd looking pin wedged into her blonde curls. "I suppose you're responsible for the two guards punching each other in the other cell?"

"They put themselves in there. I just closed the door."

The corner of Lisette's lips quirked. It was the first hint of a smile she'd seen from her. "Clever. I like it."

Everna threw her a sideways glance, then snorted. "I have another trick up my sleeve. I was just thinking this place could use a bit more warmth."

Lisette peered into the barrel, and her smile widened. "It is cold in here, isn't it?" She nodded towards the far side of the cave. "Vina's unconscious in her cell. I already moved our stuff outside. I was just looking for something to distract them. If you can get the fire going, I can take advantage of the chaos and get her out."