Chapter 6: The Treasure Cave (Part 1)

  Stryg woke up in the early hours of dawn to the sound of rustling leaves. He cracked open his lilac eyes, his pupils wide ovals in the early dawn. Ostroz was curled up by the campfire, he seemed worse for wear. Srixa lay on the other side of camp, a satisfied smile on her sleeping face.

  Stryg spotted a figure emerging from among the trees. It was the huntress, Bril. She looked tired, maybe even angry, Stryg wasn’t sure. She quietly made her way over to Second Mother and huddled next to her.

  “What happened?” Second Mother whispered.

  “I didn’t let him, I didn’t let him,” Bril whispered. “...He said he is going to kill me.”

  “Not while I’m here,” Second Mother whispered furiously. “Stay close to me the rest of the trip. I won’t let him harm you, even if it costs me my life.”

  Bril nodded and hugged her. Second Mother rubbed her back with a comforting touch. Stryg had never seen Bril so scared or Second Mother so kind. It was strange.

  Crovor arrived at camp a few minutes later, bloody claw marks over his cheek. He glared at Bril but said nothing when he noticed Second Mother staring at him with wide, dangerous eyes.

  The shaman shuffled his way to the other side of camp and went to sleep.

  Stryg closed his eyes before anyone took notice of him.

  Stryg was the runt of his generation. If he got on the shaman’s bad side, Stryg would end up dead before nightfall. Second Mother would protect Bril, a skillful huntress, but who knew if she would protect a runt like him from the shaman’s anger?

  An hour later, Stryg quietly got up. He walked a few dozen paces away from camp and began his morning training. While his muscles still ached, he forced his body through the familiar kata. He welcomed the pain as it roused him from his sleepiness and kept his mind from wandering to unsavory thoughts.

  A few hours later the group was fully awake and ready to move out. Despite having clearly been treated roughly by Srixa last night, Ostroz kept trying to talk with her. She turned down all his advances and even threatened to pummel him for good measure. Despite that, Srixa made sure to walk in front of all the men, her lovely hips swaying for all to see, much to Ostroz’s delight.

  Stryg didn’t bother trying to talk to her. Srixa was looking for an exciting, powerful mate, which no one in the group had proven capable of. She definitely wouldn’t be interested in a goblin who couldn’t even beat a simple gatherer like Gathi.

  As for Bril, Crovor had been forced to keep his distance thanks to Second Mother’s visible disapproval and cold demeanor. It really seemed the Mother would attack the shaman if he made a move towards Bril, even if it cost Second Mother her life.

~~~

  The next few days passed by without any dangerous encounters. Crovor claimed it was thanks to his meditation and the moon’s blessing.

  One evening during a break, Crovor returned from his meditation.

  He cleared his throat and addressed the group, “We won’t be sleeping tonight. The cave is nearby, and it's best if we enter at night.”

  Stryg felt a sudden rush of fear and excitement. He was excited that they were finally near their destination. They had yet to face any real difficulty and he hadn’t been able to redeem or prove himself in any way.

  Stryg had to prove his skill, bravery, and even ruthlessness in front of the others, otherwise he would be cursed to live in shame for the rest of his life; which would be quite short if First Mother had anything to say about it.

  Stryg felt anxious as the group broke camp. The trees grew closer to each other while they walked. The red leaves of the ashen trees covered what little moonlight reached the ground.

  Goblins could see fairly well in the dark, but they could not see in pitch darkness. Crovor was forced to make a small orb of fire with his magic. Had the shaman always known they would travel at night? If so, why hadn’t they brought any torches?

  “You’re lagging behind,” Srixa chastised him.

  Stryg realized he had been walking slower than the rest. He hurried to catch up.

  “Why are you talking to him? You should be focused on me,” Ostroz wrapped his arm around her shoulder

  “Dream on,” Srixa kicked his shin.

  “Ow, dammit!” Ostroz whimpered as he hopped on one leg.

  Crovor raised his hand, “Quiet, we’re here.”