nothing to do but wait — and think.
The elf regained consciousness later that afternoon. The kender was beside himself with joy and talked without stop for two hours afterward, pestering the elf with questions that he lacked the strength to answer. This gave the elf a chance to eye his surroundings and take in the goblin and minotaur; upon seeing the latter, the elf's eyes widened and he seemed too afraid to move. The goblin kept to the background and took care of minor chores that the kender usually handled, saying nothing. The minotaur merely grunted when it saw the elf, then went outside and sat down to dine on a freshly killed boar taken from a pit trap, noisily tearing into its dinner with its bare teeth.
When the kender ran off to fetch some water from the nearby stream, the goblin ambled over and sat down on the ground next to the elf, who tried to edge away. The goblin pretended not to notice.
'You feel good?' asked the goblin in the trade tongue. He knew only a few Silvanesti words, and he had never had the chance to learn the goblin tongue — not that an elf would have appreciated it. 'No human beat face for fun now, eh?'
The elf looked as though he couldn't think of anything to say. His eyes were blood-red spheres nestled in great black bruises that covered nearly his entire face.
'No need worry, eh,' said the goblin with a squint-eyed grin. 'The humans you meet, they get sick. Bad sick. We can do nothing. Maybe bury them later. More humans maybe out in woods, looking around, but you safe here.' The goblin reached over and gently poked at the elf with a stiff finger. 'Eh, you Silvanesti?'
The elf stared in tight-lipped silence at the goblin.
'Yes? No? Not matter,' said the goblin, looking down to check his fingernails for dirt. 'You think, eh, goblin not like elves. Maybe he do for me hard.' The goblin looked into the elf's eyes with a knowing smile. 'Maybe goblin want you to live. Maybe we all help each other. You wear robes, eh?'
The elf licked his lips, seeming to overcome some obstacle inside him. 'Yes,' he whispered. He was obviously afraid, but the goblin could tell the elf wanted to come out with it. Pride, no doubt. And perhaps an arrogant honesty. 'I wear the wh — ' The elf coughed painfully and swallowed, then continued in a weaker voice. 'I am of the White Robes.'
'Hmmm.' The goblin made a face, looked down at his fingernails. It figured. 'Good magic not help much, eh? You maybe looking for something when humans catch you?'
The elf started to reply, then stopped. His wide-eyed gaze locked onto the goblin.
Gotcha, thought the goblin. 'Humans that beat you say they take magic sword from elf, maybe not long ago. Maybe humans go to Istar with sword, give Kingpriest. What you think Kingpriest do with sword? Maybe cut off little elf, goblin heads?'
The elf's face twisted. He made an effort to get up, without success. 'No,' whispered the elf, rolling back in despair. 'Did they take it? Are you sure they have it?'
'Eh,' said the goblin, feigning indifference. 'They say they have sword with gems. Pretty sword. Humans gone now.'
The elf's eyes closed. 'My cousin,' he whispered. He took several deep breaths, then continued. 'They must have caught my cousin. I was looking for his trail when my horse broke a leg. Then the humans found me. They asked why I was following them, but I wasn't. I just wanted my cousin and the sword.' He roused himself again, looking at the goblin. 'Did they say anything about my cousin?'
The goblin shrugged and shook his head. He knew what must have happened. He knew the elf knew, too.
The elf groaned and again tried to get up, but he was very weak and fell back limply. Sweat beaded up on his forehead. His breathing became labored, but soon evened out as he fell unconscious and slept.
For several minutes, the goblin sat by the elf in silence. Instinct confirmed that the sword had to be magical. An elf, especially one who was a wizard, would not waste time worrying about a simple weapon. What could the sword do, though? Magical weapons were capable of doing anything, the goblin had heard. Some were said to hurl lightning, others to bum like torches, still others to cut through stone. The goblin had never before dreamed he would have the chance to get a magical sword of his own. He was certainly thinking about it now.
'How is he?' asked the kender as he came in with the full water bucket. 'Is he still alive? Did he say anything?'
The goblin snorted and got up, dusting off his hands. 'Still alive. Not say much, need sleep. Maybe all right soon.' He looked down at the sleeping figure. 'Not bad elf. Maybe we get along, eh? First time for everything.'
'Running no good,' the goblin observed the following morning. Leaving the cave, he found the elf standing upright by the entrance. A cold wind moaned through the branches. The sky was overcast, as usual.
The elf turned and almost fell over, but he grabbed for support from the rock face behind him. The elf wore stolen clothing that the kender had provided. The outfit was old, mismatched, and ill fitting, but better than nothing.
'I wasn't going to run,' said the elf softly. He looked with a trace of anxiety in the direction of the minotaur, who was slowly wandering among the bare tree trunks some distance away. The beast had wrapped its chain around its waist and tied it there, like a belt, allowing its hands and arms some range of movement. The chain links clinked together lightly as it walked.
The goblin nodded in approval. 'Good you stay. No horse, no luck.' He waved a hand at the forest. 'Nice new home, eh? You like? Stay long time with us, maybe?'
The elf looked away, his hands clenching and unclenching. His breathing was short and shallow.
You're exhausted and in pain, but you want to escape, thought the goblin. You want to escape and get that sword back. It's so obvious, it's laughable.
'I — ' began the elf. He wrung his hands, seemingly unaware of what he was doing. He was watching the minotaur, who was casually breaking off tree limbs as thick as a grown man's arm, then dropping them or hurling them away. The kender would use them for firewood later.
'Tell me story, why you here now,' said the goblin, sitting down on a rock. He was relaxed even though he didn't have his machete or spear. He knew he wouldn't need them.
The elf was silent. He looked down at his clenched hands.
'No story, eh?' said the goblin in mock disappointment. 'Maybe tell good story about magic sword. Make no matter now. Sword gone. Humans got it. Tell about sword. Good to hear story, start day.'
The elf unclenched his hands. 'It was just a sword,' he said without looking up.
The goblin grinned mirthlessly. 'Just sword, eh?' he said. 'Dirty sword, no good? You sure you wear white robes?'
Stung, the elf flushed, but still did not look up. 'It was a gift for a friend,' he said. 'It… had a lot of personal value for me, too.'
'Hmmm,' said the goblin, after a minute had passed in silence. 'Not much story, eh. We find you, shoot humans, save life, fix you up, and you have no story. Eh! Wizards all alike.' He made a gesture with his hands, resigned to the ingratitude of the universe. 'We save white book, even. You throw many spells all you want. Play good wizard all day. Still sword gone. Still no story. Eh I'
The elf blinked and looked directly at the goblin. 'My spellbook?' he asked in astonishment. 'You have my spellbook? Where is it?'
'In cave,' said the goblin easily. 'All safe for you. Eh, some goblins not stupid. Work together, maybe live. Fight each other, all die. Winter coming, you know. Rains start soon. Maybe you use spells, we live to spring. You stay, grow strong. We safe from humans here. You leave, eh, we not care. But humans, maybe they not so nice next time.'
It would be tricky, the goblin knew. If the elf had the magic to obtain the sword, he would certainly have done so by now. But he didn't have the sword, he hadn't stopped the rangers from beating him up, and he hadn't managed to escape even now. He might not have the magic to do much of anything. But maybe he did and just needed time to prepare. It would be tricky, baiting him like this, easing him into the circle, making him give up his secrets.
'You not trust me' the goblin said at last. 'Maybe good thing. Elves, goblins like water and fire. Humans, they kill us both, but we not care. That fine with you, maybe?' The goblin gave a short laugh. 'Look! You see me, you see kender, you see minotaur. We work together. You alive also. Think! Wizards good at thinking. Real enemy is
