"Not a boast," Okyiq sneered. "Goblins dead because I want them dead, not because I boasted to a stupid human."
Believing he had goaded Okyiq into a deal he could not break, Sy made his final offer.
"Well, Okyiq, you won't kill any goblins if I don't let you go. Like I said before, I want you to answer my questions. You satisfy me with the truth, and I'll make sure you get to the hills safely. What happens after that is up to you."
Okyiq sneered, but then nodded.
Ryson couldn't believe it. As much as he wanted to hear the answers, to learn about the details of the raid, he saw that Sy was turning Okyiq into a tool of death, an assassin to kill hapless creatures.
"You said you wouldn't let him go," the delver asserted.
"I said I wouldn't let him go to take control of those goblins for another raid. He's not going to do that."
"You're going to believe him?"
"He means it."
Okyiq confirmed it.
"Always mean it when I say someone going to die."
The delver was about to object again, but Sy cut him off, and directed pointed questions at the brawny monster.
"Did you send the rogues?"
"Didn't even know about rogues."
"Rather convenient they were in town right when you attacked."
"Lucky."
"I'm not sure I believe in that much luck."
"You believe river rogue would listen to goblin?"
"No, but someone or something else could be controlling you both," Sy offered.
"Then why are you wasting time with Okyiq?"
It was a valid question, but only to a degree. Sy didn't think he was wasting any time at all. The goblin before him was stronger and craftier than any goblin he had ever met. He left the topic of the rogues and focused on the purpose of the goblins.
"Why did you attack?"
"Wanted human food and supplies."
"So you came here to steal?"
"Not steal… take what is mine. Forest is mine. Human town is part of forest, so human town belongs to me. I take what I want."
Sy found the main thrust of Okyiq's argument rather curious. It wasn't so much that the creature claimed Burbon, but that it would stake a claim to the forest. That was a very large assertion. Even a goblin as ferocious as the one before him would have a hard time claiming rights to Dark Spruce. Sy decided to press that issue.
"Why do you think this is your forest?"
"I'm the biggest and strongest."
"I think a shag might argue that claim."
"Shag's too stupid."
"What about the elves?"
"Elves gone."
A very simple statement, but one that brought surprise to both the captain and the delver.
"What do you mean 'gone'?" Sy demanded.
"Simple word," Okyiq noted with scorn. "Elves gone."
"Gone where?"
"Don't know, don't care. Disappeared. Didn't come back. Elves gone, forest mine."
"That's not good enough. I told you I would let you go only if I was satisfied with your answers."
Surprisingly, Okyiq kept calm, did not argue the semantics of the bargain. Instead, the goblin responded with near brutal indifference toward the captain's dissatisfaction.
"You said you wanted truth. You have truth. Don't know where elves went. Just know they're gone."
Ryson entered the interrogation out of driving curiosity. He wanted no part of the deal between Sy and Okyiq, but he could not ignore the goblin's contention. He posed the question in a different manner.
"Do you mean they moved out of the forest? Did they head south or west?"
"Not move… disappeared."
"You're not making sense," Sy asserted.
"Making sense. Human-and delver-just too stupid to understand. Elves disappeared. Gone! What so hard about that?"
"Because elves don't just disappear," Ryson argued.
"This time they did."
As for Sy, he was done with the goblin. He believed the monster actually told the truth. There was no reason to trust the creature, but it never wavered in its conviction. The captain actually gained more information than he expected. Contact with the elves had ceased. Why? Because, as Okyiq stated, they were gone. River rogues set their attention upon Burbon. Why? Because the elves were gone.
Regarding the goblin raid, Okyiq admitted it himself. The large goblin was able to gather a small army of goblins together in the eastern portion of Dark Spruce Forest. It was hardly a horde, but enough to cause problems. Okyiq believed the forest was his, because in his own words, the elves were gone.
Sy nodded at the goblin and revealed his intentions.
"Alright, Okyiq, you're free to go." The captain decided to give one added incentive to the goblin. "You go out and kill all those goblins that abandoned you… if you can, but to be perfectly honest, I think you'll be lucky to find half of them. I just don't think you're that good."
"Will kill them all," Okyiq snarled.
"Good luck."
The captain turned to the tower guards. Without much else to gain in questioning Okyiq, he very much wanted to set the goblin loose. Anything that reduced the number of goblins in the forest was a benefit to Burbon.
"Cover him, see that he makes it to the hills."
"You're really going to let him go?" Ryson asked in disbelief.
Sy frowned but declared a very simple truth.
"You offered to let him go if he answered your questions. I didn't do anything different."
"But I didn't know he was going to kill every goblin that followed him."
Sy didn't answer immediately. He simply watched as Okyiq rambled to the open gate and then disappeared beyond the wall. The captain turned his attention to the surrounding grounds and saw a few of his soldiers injured from the goblin crossbow attack. Luckily, there were no fatalities, the goblins were never very accurate, but they were extremely poor shots in the rain.
The captain moved his gaze to the front of the Spruce View Tavern. He stepped slowly toward the broken door and gazed upon the two dead bodies laying on the floor. It seemed as if luck had a limit. Sy's annoyance with the delver began to turn to anger, and when he spoke, he did so in obvious hostility.
"Before, I said we had to talk. Well, we're not going to wait until tomorrow. We're going to talk now, but not here. Come with me."
Chapter 5
Sy didn't say a word as he led Ryson through the streets lined with deep puddles. Even as the downpour continued, the captain pressed forward through the storm as if it did not exist. He dismissed the heavy raindrops that pelted his stern face and ignored the stiff wind that pushed against his resolute body. A few flashes of lightning to the south preceded several rumbles of thunder, but they only reminded him of the goblin assault and the failures of his defenses. He stomped defiantly over muddy grounds toward the center of town like an irate bear stirred from its slumber. He might not have growled, but he offered up a series of disjointed grumbles and heavy, frustrated grunts.
Upon reaching the headquarters of the town guard, he entered the post that contained his office. He threw open the solid oak door with a heavy shove and didn't bother to hold it open for Ryson.
Once inside, he wiped the rain from his face, but then completely disregarded the water dripping off his clothes that formed a puddle on the floor. He also overlooked the mud sliding off his boots as he turned toward Sergeant Klusac and a number of messengers waiting within the building. He almost shouted, almost let his fury out in a burst of angry orders, but he caught himself. The soldiers within the post followed their orders. He wasn't going to take out his anger on them. He restrained his emotions as he gave his instructions.
"Sergeant, the cavalry is out in the hills to the west. They should be returning soon with prisoners. See to their disposition. Call for a cleanup at the southern gate. There were a couple of civilian casualties. Make sure the guards in the towers and on the wall continue to watch for those two rogues on the outside. Keep a watch on all the drainage gates as well, but you can remove all the alerts within the town. The people can return to their business."