Hearts and Homes 6


    Are we almost there yet? Khita asked cknail as she ducked under a low hanging branch.


    Yes, I already told you that! the hobgoblin hissed in response. This was the third time he had answered her annoying question.


    Then howe we havent gotten there yet? We should have if we were actually close.


    Because thats not how it works! Shut up and walk.


    It hadnt even been an hour yet and cknail already wanted to kill Khita. He really wished Gerahld hadnt exined all the reason he couldnt. Tannin would be highly suspicious if she disappeared and that would ruin all of cknails ns. Why was he never allowed to kill Khita? It was if the world was trying to keep her alive just to annoy him.


    Were here, cknail hissed as he stepped out of the bushes at the edge of the forest.


    The rocky hills that made up the local goblinsiry in front of them. Khita took a moment to look around after pushing a bush aside. The young redhead was wearing tall slim boots that went up to her knees and a leather vest over her long green shirt. It was the same outfit she had worn during the trek North but it had been washed and patched.


    This is a terrible secret base. Its just a bunch of rock piles, Khita replied as they began walking toward the hill. They had attracted the attention of quite a few goblins but they all recognized cknail and kept their distance. None of them wanted to attract his attention. Khita also didnt seem too disturbed to see the goblins either. cknail had to speed up his pace in order to prevent her from walking ahead.


    I just conquered it. It will get better soon, cknail replied defensively. What did she expect? A fortress?


    They passed through a pair of hills and the center of the clearly came into sight. Gob was standing on a t patch of rocky earth there. The hobgoblin was surrounded by a squad of goblins. Each of these goblins was holding a spear and standing straight. Gob noticed the neers but after ncing at cknail to make sure he didnt need anything he turned back to the goblins he was teaching and went back to work.


    Wow, you didnt waste any time before rounding up the local goblins. There sure are a lot of them, Khita remarked as she looked around. She didnt seem scared at all, even though she was among so many unfamiliar goblins.


    They started it.


    But you ended it, like the bloodthirsty boss you are, Khitaughed. So what are you scheming? I know you, cknail. Theres no way you werent involved in everything thats happened. Youre up to something. It looks like youre building a goblin army here, and I dont think Geralhd would approve.


    I''m not plotting anything. Thats dumb. Youre dumb. Shut up, cknail quickly replied as he tried to look innocent. Im just hanging out in the forest and doing normal hobgoblin things like umm sleeping?


    Ha, I dont believe that for a sharp sliver of a second. Youre plotting something. Youre like me. Youre a scrapper and you cant stop until youre the king of the heap.


    Nope, Imzy and want to sleep all the time. Its all I do.


    Really? So you havent lied to anyone and you arent nning anything?


    I just told you so. Impletely trustworthy.


    Then why is Elyias right over there, when hes supposed to be with the deserters? Khita replied.


    cknail turned to look in the direction she was pointing. Elyias was indeed right there. He was surrounded by another small squad of goblins with spears that appeared to be herding him towards cknail. Scamp was leading the group as they headed towards cknail. His chest was puffed up proudly as he swaggered forward, and it looked like he was in charge.


    Oh, its you. Did you get yourself kidnapped as well? Elyias called out when he noticed Khita. He sounded depressed but he looked fine. The goblins hadnt hurt him.


    No, I asked toe here. The vige was boring and full of mud-brained bumpkins, Khita answered.


    Really? Then youre the dumbest person Ive ever met. I knew you werent the straightest of arrows but thats just crazy.


    Im not the one thats being pushed around by a bunch of naked goblins, she replied scornfully.


    Scamp smiled and waved at Khita and she returned the friendly gesture. The little goblin looked quite happy to see Khita. He ran over to her side and Khita gave him a pat on the head.


    Khita! Scamp eximed cheerfully as he hugged her leg. I missed you!


    I missed you too, the young redhead replied.


    I knew you would. Do you have any food? Scamp asked as he looked up at her with a sad begging expression on his face.


    Before anyone else could distract him, cknail spoke up in amanding voice. I think Elyias should be quiet. If he talks those goblins will probably poke him painfully with their spears. Goblins do that. The hobgoblin emphasized certain words to get his meaning across.


    Huh? Elyias said as a goblin suddenly poked him in the ribs. Ow, stop that. Ow.


    The stone tipped spears didnt prate his shirt, but the goblins kept poking him every time he gasped in pain. It seemed like it was going to be an endless cycle.


    No, only if he talks, cknail hissed in frustration.


    He is saying ow, Scamp pointed out from where he was watching.


    That doesnt count.


    Scamp shrugged and then made several grunting noises. The other goblins lowered their weapons. Elyias red at them but kept his mouth shut.


    Take him away for now. Ill talk to himter, cknail told the goblins. Right now there are more important things I have to do.


    Sure thing, boss, Scamp replied. He then walked over and gave the nearest goblin a forceful push before leading the other goblins away. He seemed very proud and happy to have assumed a leadership position within the tribe, even if he was only really a trantor.


    Lets get back to what we were talking about before. You were exining your n, Khita said when Elyias group had disappeared behind one of the nearby hills.


    No, I wasnt, cknail replied. He wasnt going to fall for that. He was too smart.


    So you admit to having one?


    No, I dont! I have never admitted anything. You have the wrong person.


    Khita rolled her eyes. She didnt seem convinced. She was obviously too stupid to understand him properly.


    Youre right. Youre not sharp enough toe up with a good n. I bet your n is really stupid.


    Thats not true. My n is the best ever!


    Oh, what is it?


    Im going to Wait, this is another trick, cknail replied uncertainly.


    You may as well tell me. I already know about Elyias and you just confessed to having a scheme in motion.


    Elyias proves nothing. He got separated from the others and lost in the woods when they left. Some goblins found him and brought him here. Im hiding him because the others are angry and Im such a great loving leader, cknail growled in exnation. He had known the two humans would probably meet if Khita followed him, so he hade up with an excuse earlier.


    I dont believe that for a moment. Youd bleed him dry if he betrayed you. There isnt a shred of mercy in your body, cknail. You may have the others fooled but not me.


    She had a point about hisck of mercy. It was also clear that Khita was not going to believe his lies, no matter how convincing and well thought out they were. That was alright, though. He had a backup n for dealing with her and it was more fun anyway.


    cknail took a sudden step towards Khita. The unexpected movement caught her off guard and she flinched. The hobgoblin grabbed the front of Khitas vest and pulled her forward. His strong grip kept her off bnce as he red at her. Their faces were only a few inches apart.


    What? she eximed. She sounded mad but also nervous. cknail didnt reply right away. Instead, he growled for several long seconds. His lips rose to reveal his long jagged teeth. Fear shone in Khitas eyes but instead of trying to pull away she went perfectly still. Her reaction satisfied cknail. It was time to scare this girl into line. He was the great cknail and she would do was she was told.


    Listen, little human. I am the leader here, the chieftain, cknail hissed as he stared into her eyes. His face was twisted up into the most menacing visage he could muster. If you tell anyone anything about my ns I will hunt you down. I will pry your eyes from your skull and slurp them down while I cut off your delicate fingers and chubby little toes. Obey me or suffer.


    Khita didnt move. Her face was so pale it seemed almost frozen, but as cknail watched it came back to life. The fear faded and Khita smiled excitedly. This wasnt the reaction he had been hoping for.


    Anything you want, cknail. You can trust me. Itll be just like before the battle, except now youre the big boss.


    The urge to groan and throw his hands up in frustration welled up in cknail, but he resisted it. He just gripped Khitas shirt tighter and shook her a bit. No, Im not trusting you with anything! Im just scaring you into silence. Be scared!


    Meh, its all the same. Youre just like my brother. All his yelling and threats were just to toughen me up so I would get stronger. Thats how I knew he cared.


    Her response bbergasted the hobgoblin so much he wanted to w at his own eyes. cknail was beginning to suspect Khitas rtionship with her brother had been more than a little abnormal. The hobgoblin tried to think up some way he could get his point across without leaving any incriminating marks on her, but nothing urred to him. He let out a frustrated hiss as he let Khita go. The young redhead caught herself and then casually brushed the front of her shirt off.


    So, are you going to tell me your n now? I want to help.


    Fine, as long as it will shut you up, cknail hissed in reply. He had given up. There was no way he was going to tell the redhead all the details of his scheme but she could probably be trusted with some of it. Her particr type of crazy stupid meant she was unlikely to betray him.


    Youre building a goblin army arent you? Youre going unleash a horde of green killers and conquer the North!


    What? No, thats stupid. Goblins make terrible fighters. Theyre too small and cowardly.


    Gob is training a bunch of goblins to fight right over there. I can see them.


    cknail snorted and waved dismissively. Thats just discipline training so they will work harder and smarter.


    Then what is your n? Khita asked. She sounded disappointed that there would be no screaming goblin horde invading the North.


    I will kill Werrick. Herad and him fought over territory. My mistress lost but I will fulfill her wish and take everything from Werrick. cknail exined proudly. Although he hid it, the hobgoblin felt a twinge of embarrassment saying all that aloud.


    Ha, I knew it! There was no way you were going to run away from the Wolf. Youre not a spineless wimp like the others. So whats the n if you arent using goblins?


    I do want a few goblins and hobgoblins, but not an army. I want a group that can move faster and sneakier than humans. Then I will strike at Werrick from the shadows and prey upon his minions, cknail answered as he grinned savagely. He was really looking forward to it.


    You wont beat him that way. He can afford to lose a lot of men. Hes the top dog around these parts so all the weaklings flock to his side.


    Im not stupid; I know. Thats just the first part of the n. Once Im famous I will use other humans against him.


    How will you do that?


    I will tell youter if you behave, cknail replied. Hopefully, that would motivate her to keep her mouth shut.


    Fine, then at least tell me what you doing here in this camp right now so that I can help out. Oh, I should get a tour!


    cknail shrugged in response. That actually didnt seem like a terrible idea. He might even be able to find some make-work for her to do that would keep her out of trouble while he told Elyias what he was allowed to say. He didnt want Khita learning everything. cknail led the way and they walked around the camp. He showed her the highlights and most important parts.


    And this is another cave. Its not the biggest one but its very dry.


    Is there anything here but rocks and caves?


    Goblins, lots of goblins, cknail answered.


    Khita groaned. Well, Ive seen enough damned caves. What is Gob up to?


    I have him training goblins how to hunt using traps,


    Then why are most the goblins he is talking with holding spears?


    Those are to use against other goblins. The stupid runts need to keep the stupider runts in line or they will steal from the traps. Dealing with goblins was as frustrating as dealing with humans but in apletely different way.


    As they walked over to Gob, cknail exined that he was building a core of loyal goblins that would keep the others in line. That was almost as important as training trappers, since goblins werent very diligent workers unless they were being threatened with physical punishment or they were the ones that got to deal out the physical punishment. He also told Khita about the foragers he had sent out to gather materials. Gob was nning on building a longhouse like the one he had built at his oldir. Poles made from young trees would be tied together using rope. Thankfully, several of the goblins that hade with Gob knew how to make rope from nt fibers and they were teaching others. The ropes were also an important part of making traps and tools.


    The pair stopped a few feet away from the circle of goblins around Gob. They watched the goblins working at their tasks. None of them seemed to be doing exactly the same thing. Some were clearing making tools of various kinds while others were simply watching as Gob hissed at theirpanions. cknail let out a nostalgic sigh as he watched. He himself was a master of rope-making. He had spent a long time learning such skills under Saeter, and he was nning on putting that knowledge to good use now. Everything he had been taught would help him get his vengeance.


    What are those goblins over there doing? Khita asked as she pointed to cknails left.


    The hobgoblin turned to see what she was talking about. Someone had built a fire pit at the base of one of the nearby hills. Two goblins sat next to a ring of stones that contained a small fire. Arge t-sided rock jutted out of the hill behind them. It formed a small cliff like wall, and there was a pile of branches piled next to it. cknail instantly recognized one of the goblins. It was Imp.


    What are you doing? cknail asked as he walked over.


    Imp looked up and gave cknail a nk look before answering. Im helping burn things.


    This piece of information didnt rify anything. Imp had always made cknail ufortable. He was a weird little goblin and cknail really didnt understand what went though his head. He was always watching silently from somewhere or doing inexplicable things.


    Why are you burning things? cknail asked.


    Practice, the other goblin beside Imp replied as he turned to smile at cknail.


    This new goblins eyes glowed with feverish excitement as they reflected light from the fire. He was an average sized goblin that cknail had never seen before. His body was slightly on the skinny side and his skin had a pale grey cast to it. He had messy reddish brown hair that covered the top of his head and orange irises. If anything this new goblin looked even weirder than Imp. cknail hoped he wasnt a mage. That wouldnt likely end well.


    I like your hair! Its a great color, Khita remarked cheerfully as she studied the goblin. She then reached down to pat him on the head and mess up his hair. The goblin didnt appear to know how to react to this. He flinched and threw Imp and cknail confused looks. cknail just shrugged in response.He didn''t know how to deal with Khita either.


    I bet he doesnt have a name! Can I name him? Khita asked cknail. She didnt wait for an answer. I think it should be Ferrar!


    cknail opened his mouth and started to ask her why she had chosen that name, but he stopped when he realized he didnt really care. Khita answered anyway. It means fire or something in Old Imperial, so it matches the color of your hair!


    Why are you two really making fire? cknail asked the goblins. He still found them suspicious even though Khita had distracted him.


    They are probably cooking or something, Khita said.


    Its not time to eat yet.


    We will need itter. Fire is important. Imp answered matter-of-factly. cknail didnt disagree, but he wasnt sure they were thinking of the same things.


    An idea suddenly popped into cknails head. While it wasnt time to eat quite yet, it would be soon. Arge part of his n was to feed the goblins a lot so that they would stick around even when he made them work, but he didnt have a pot to make stew. Sending Khita to get one would get her out of the way for a while so he could talk to Elyias and get some work done.


    I need you to go get a big pot from the vige so I can cook. Geralhd owes me, and I will send some goblins to help you, cknail told her.


    Fine, this tour has been boring anyway, but I want to take Ferrar with me, Khita replied. cknail turned to look at the goblin in question. He was poking the fire with a stick and giggling as sparks shot up into the air. In his other hand he was holding a steel fire striker that Imp had probably given him.


    Alright, but dont burn the vige down, cknail replied warily. I need those humans.