The first rays of dawn illuminated Solarius in a soft, golden glow. The palace buzzed with life, but for the young Queen, his day started far from the usual royal routine.

“Cyrus, wait!”

He dashed through the palace gates, the guards stationed there stumbling back as the gates flew open, a streak of gold and white disappearing into the morning air. Cyrus’s laughter rang out as he moved with fluid, effortless grace, bounding off the natural terrain that led to the small city by the harbor. Aurora and Fang did their best to keep up, their expressions showing a mix of exasperation and admiration.

“Cyrus, slow down! You said we were going to survey the city, not turn it into your personal obstacle course!” Aurora called out, her wings working furiously as she tried to match his pace.

“At least give us a chance to catch up!” Fang added, sprinting to close the distance.

Cyrus only grinned, flipping over the first row of market stalls with catlike precision before landing in the heart of the bustling marketplace.

Yet beneath his playful facade, a deeper worry tugged at him, one he wouldn’t admit even to himself. It wasn’t Erebus’s arrival that gnawed at him; it was what his people would think. The memory of the coronation still hung heavy in the air, how Erebus had pushed him, right in front of the court, and the rumors that followed them after the race. People had seen them return together, whispers of scandal rippling through the kingdom like wildfire.

He hadn’t told anyone about Erebus’s impending stay, not even his closest friends. And not just because of that one incident. It was more than that. Erebus’s kingdom was distrusted, even despised by many here. Welcoming him felt like inviting chaos, and Cyrus knew his people might question his judgment. What would his friends say? What would the court think? The thought twisted in his gut. As their new Queen, he was supposed to lead by example, to be someone they could trust. But this decision… it could unravel everything.

“Where’s the fun in that? We’ve got to keep things lively around here!” Cyrus called back over his shoulder, shaking off the unease that threatened to cling to him.

It will work itself out…

Before another thought of unease could creep into Cyrus’ mind a loud crash echoed from a nearby alley. The trio’s attention snapped toward the commotion, spotting a band of mischievous goblins dressed in garments made from materials found in the forest. Haphazard stitches held together their makeshift clothing of leaves and bark. The goblins darted through the market, knocking over carts and sending merchants scrambling as they stuffed produce and meat from the stalls. Without a second thought, Cyrus shot his friends a playful grin before taking off toward the chaos, eager for any distraction.

Aurora and Fang shared a knowing glance before joining the chase. Aurora ignited her sword with a single breath while Fang unsheathed his own weapon, but by the time they reached the scene, Cyrus was already deep in the fray. He vaulted over a cart, flipping effortlessly through the air to land in the center of the goblins. His movements were a blur of acrobatics and speed, dodging strikes and using the creatures’ own momentum against them.

“Didn't anyone tell you there's easier ways to shop?”

Cyrus teased deliver a swift kick, sending a goblin careening into a stack of barrels. He propelled himself off a wall, twisting to avoid a clumsy swing before landing gracefully atop a vendor’s stall. From there, he bounded from surface to surface with fluid precision, weaving through the crowd in a whirlwind of motion, careful not to cause too much destruction. Aurora and Fang worked in tandem with him, creating barriers of fire and using powerful strikes to corral the creatures. But it was Cyrus who moved with unmatched agility diving through the fray with a joyful exuberance that made it clear he was in his element.

Within minutes, the goblins were subdued, tied up with ropes and nets the trio had scavenged from the marketplace. As the dust settled, the merchants began to relax, their initial fear giving way to relief and even a few cheers for their Queen.

Cyrus, perched on a rooftop with one leg casually draped over the edge, waved off their praise, his smile as bright as the morning sun.

“Ah jeez guys you’re too much, besides those two did most of the work.” he said with a playful wink at Aurora and Fang.

Aurora rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at her lips. “You really need to stop enjoying this so much.”

“Meh, I’ll try.” Cyrus shrugged still smiling down while pushing off from the rooftop and somersaulting down to the ground in one smooth motion.

“Come on, we have to take these guys back to the woods where they came from.” Cyrus spoke as he picked up some of the fallen produce and placed it back in the stall keepers hands.

“What? No way we should take them to the jails so they can’t cause anymore trouble, we can’t just send them back to their home, they‘ll come right back here!” Aurora spoke like a disapproving parent.

“Look we’ll take them back and maybe we’ll get to see where they’re coming from and why they keep coming to our city. Now that I’m Queen I want to actually solve problems and not just keep sweeping it under the rug. There has to be a reason why they keep coming here, and I want to know what that reason is. It’ll take less than an hour, I swear.”

Pulling one of the goblins to their feet, making all ten of them stand up as the rope that linked them tugged at their wrists, Cyrus looked to his friends with a smile that both Fang and Aurora always saw before they were dragged along for some new adventure.

Fang sighed looking at Aurora who still looked as if her child had told her they cut their own hair, shaking his head but unable to suppress a smile Fang sheathed his sword. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“Maybe, but you wouldn’t have me any other way!” Cyrus shot back, already guiding the goblins towards the city edge. Fang hurriedly followed along next to Cyrus as Aurora lead the rear of the group ensuring that the goblins kept pace. City dwellers looked on with disgust towards the invaders as they tried to put their storefronts back together. Although goblins are known natives to most lands, instead of being seen as examples of resilience through changing eras and societies they are seen as pests. Cities and civilizations are often built around their settlements without knowing and this often leads to conflict, conflict that it usually unresolved.

Cyrus always wanted to do something about the goblin problem as it had been prevalent even when he was a child. Back then he would fight them for fun, looking forward to the exhilarating heroics and praise that always came from catching them. That was until Cyrus learned about their societies from his great grandmother’s journal.

Thud.

A book was closed and dropped onto a table with a loud aggravated sigh.

“Something wrong?”

an elderly white-haired woman with a gaunt face and tired eyes that looked as if they were closed wearing an all-blue dress trimmed with intricate white lace in tribal swirls turned around shakily, making small humming noises as she did. In her hand was a metal basket with more books that almost looked too heavy for her, or it could have weighed just as much as her. She was placing the basket on the table with painstaking movements, as if the table was made of fragile glass, taking care not to drop the basket on it. A little Cyrus sat there, gold wild curly locks of hair tipped with white, and a white birthmark across his eyes poked out from behind the basket of books, his face in a pout and his expressive emerald eyes filled with frustration.

“I’m sick of reading these Mrs. Bugglesbee, I don’t want to read anymore history books.” Cyrus whined as he stood in his chair making sure to get his balance before picking up the book he was reading and dropping it in the basket, dust kicked up from the old books causing him to cough waving his hand in front of his face to get rid of the dust in the air. The old woman started to laugh lightly before stacking a few more books into the basket before ruffling his hair and causing it to look messier than it already was with her boney fingers making him scrunch his face a little as she did.

“Well someone has to read them hm, hm, hm. Besides how else will you learn about why your roll as Queen is so important.” With that last statement little Cyrus pushed her hand off his head and jumped down from his chair landing with hands out to his sides and standing like he did something impressive.

“I’m not going to become queen! I would have to be a girl to become queen like mama, and I’m not a girl!” The old woman gave a small smile while continuing to put books into the basket, not bothered by the slight attitude of the young child.

“Oh? Then what are you?” she said questioningly blowing dust off of one of the books clearing the table of papers and writing utensils. Cyrus tugged at his dress-like light yellow tunic, decorated with the same tribal markings that adorned his mother’s royal attire. He looked down at his bandaged feet and hands, unsure of how to answer. A puzzled expression crossed his face, but then a smile broke through. In one leap, he jumped onto the table, almost toppling backward before righting himself with a proud grin.

“I’m an adventurer! And girls can’t be adventurers; they have to stay and run the palace like Mama! The kings in these books went on all kinds of adventures!” he said, raising his chin confidently, as though he'd won the debate.

The old woman’s laugh was soft and tired. “Well, little adventurer,” she began, “things are different here in Solarius. Our kingdom has always been ruled by queens, not kings. It’s tradition. But since your mother could only have one child, and that child was you, a boy, because she loved you so much the kingdom made do. They decided that even though you’re not a girl, you will still become Queen, just like your mother.”

Cyrus frowned, tilting his head. “But...why?” he asked, the concept still too big for his young mind to grasp.

The old woman smiled, handing him a small, dusty red leather book from the bottom of the basket. “Because its what the gods wanted, even if the ruler doesn’t fit the usual mold. You will still be Queen, and that title is about more than just being a girl, it’s about the strength and wisdom that you’ll bring to Solarius like our goddess Solis. Besides, who said girls can’t be adventurers?”

Cyrus took the book, his previous frustration melting into curiosity. The front cover read "Martismia", the letters cracked and worn. His frown deepened as he looked at it, clearly expecting another boring history book. But before he could complain, Mrs. Bugglesbee flipped it open to a page filled with intricate drawings of plants and landscapes, the artistry vivid and alive.

“This belonged to your great-grandmother, who ruled before your mother. She went on all kinds of adventures when she was young,” the old woman explained, her voice soft with fondness.

The young boy’s eyes widened and lit up with wonderment, he started to flip through the pages and saw more drawings, some of them with landscapes and others animals. In one page a dried, pressed flower fell out and on to the table, Cyrus scooped up the peculiar flower quickly. It was a beautiful black flower with long petals that made the flower look like a star, towards the center it went from black to vibrant purple. He placed it back inside the book before reading the only words on that page where the flower came from.

“I will keep this until we meet again.”

Cyrus looked up at the old woman with eyes that sparkled. “Who was she supposed to meet? Did they meet?” The old woman closed the book with the his hands in hers and whispered, very quietly. “You’re just going to have to find out, I’ll let you take this one out with you if you help me put these books away.” She smiled as she picked him up and put him down on the ground from the table before handing him the metal basket.

“Well that’ll be easy, then can I go Mrs. Bugglesbee?” the boy took the heavy basket into his arms before setting it down. The old woman nodded and without a second thought a gust of wind whipped around the old dusty room, and within a few seconds the basket was empty and the boy was already at the large wooden door with a big grin on his face and the book under his arm. “Bye Mrs.Bugglesbee thanks for the book!” He said all I one breath with a wave before disappearing behind the big door. The old woman yelled after him in a tired and strained but stern voice, “Make sure you bring that book back in one piece Cyrus!”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“How long are we going to be walking through this until we just let them go.” Aurora spoke through clenched teeth as a branch swatted back at her making her wince. They had been walking through the forest for more than an hour now and Cyrus could feel that they were getting closer to the goblins’ village, he just needed them to talk to him. The stubborn goblins refused to utter a word since they left the city, so far Cyrus had been flying blind often taking their silence and shifty glances as a sign he was on the right track when he asked.

“I know we’re going the right way otherwise they would have done something by now.” Cyrus spoke up, even though he felt sure something was off. This wasn’t the part of the forest he was used to anymore, this part of the forest was thick with foliage, and unlike the welcoming glow of the forest he had frequented, this forest was dense and dark and oddly quiet.

The silence had gotten so loud that the three didn’t even realize that they too had brought their voices almost to a whisper. The trees were twisted and gnarled, their branches curling overhead like claws. The thick foliage blotted out the sun, casting everything in deep shadow. No birds called, no wind rustled the leaves. Even the air felt heavy, pressing down on them, making every breath feel labored. It was like the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting. Every step felt like a violation, the ground beneath them too soft, like something decaying just beneath the surface

“We should just let them go Cyrus, maybe your good deed of letting them go instead of imprisoning them will leave a good impression on their tribe and they’ll attack less.” Fang said this warily as the environment was starting to weigh down on him. Fang seemed the most nervous out of everyone and could stop feeling like something was watching them.

“Besides, have you noticed that nothing is making a sound in this forest besides us? I-I mean look at the goblins...they haven’t said a single thing since we stepped foot into this forest.” Fang spoke quieter as he uttered the last part of his sentence, clutching the geometric sun medallion that hung around his neck.

“Maybe it's a language barrier thing? I’m sure they’ll tell us something soon.” Cyrus paid no mind to Fang’s observations and only focused on the main goal.

I will make peace with this tribe, I’ll be the difference. But why are they refusing to speak?

Cyrus continued to walk as Fang dragged behind just a little, warily looking around the dark forest. “Forest shouldn’t be this quiet…it’s like everything here is dead.” Fang whispered almost to himself, his voice trembling before being pushed passed.

“I’m not doing this anymore...”Aurora stormed to the front, her patience worn thin. In one swift motion, she yanked the goblin by her hair, lifting her off the ground with ease. The goblin squealed before biting her lip, her feet kicking uselessly as Aurora’s grip tightened, her free hand already reaching for her dagger as the goblins tethered to the one being held were dragged forwards from the force. “Tell us where you live or we will kill you all right here and you’ll never see home again.” Aurora sneered as her free hand grabbed the handle of a dagger on her side.

“AURORA!”

Both Fang and Cyrus shouted reaching towards the goblin woman who was seemingly trying to stifle a cry from the pain. Aurora swinging the goblin away from the two as if she were a rag doll looked at the two like they had lost whatever sense they had left. The trail of tied goblins were dragged once again making one of the younglings cry out but quickly having their mouth covered by another goblin behind them, all of the goblins looking wide eyed at the little one and then back at the trio. The commotion seemingly echoing through the forest before falling back into eire silence.

“Please…the face that steals can hear us…the mouth that speaks will keep us.” The goblin currently in Aurora trembled uncontrollably as it spoke in such a small voice that it could barely be heard. Her face was pure terror and in her eyes was dread. Cyrus frowned, the goblin's words echoed in his mind, stirring something deep within his memory. He had heard something like this before, rumors, sailor tales whispered in dim taverns. But it couldn’t be... not here. The group fell silent as some of the goblins huddled together, their whispers turning to soft sobs. They clung to each other like frightened children, their eyes wide with terror. Fang could feel it too, that creeping sense that something was terribly wrong but his friends weren’t listening.

“What?” Aurora growled at the poor creature in her grasp “Are you threatening us?”

“No no no please cut us free, cut us free.” all of the goblins started to whisper while sobbing, Aurora dropped the goblin girl who then scrambled to huddle with the rest of her people who despite their hands being tied held each other. Cyrus grabbed the dagger from Aurora, pushed past her and started to cut the goblins free.

“Alright! We’re letting them go, this is no way to make a proper impression on someone.” Cyrus spoke regretfully as he saw the fear in the goblins’ eyes feeling his heart twist. He knew Aurora was often the one to make the hard decisions but this was too much and unnecessary in his eyes.

“Remind me to never bring you along on something like this again.” Cyrus grumbled to himself as he cut the last goblin free.

“What? I didn’t even want to be here in the first place, we should have left them in a jail cell but no, you had to try and play peacemaker.” Aurora argued back. Fang tried to grab Aurora before promptly being shoved to the floor. Aurora made her way over to Cyrus, standing over him with a scowl. Cyrus cut the last goblin free while looking up at Aurora, clearly growing more and more agitated.

“I’m not trying to play peacemaker, I’m trying to find the root of the problem.”

“Why do you need to find the root of the problem when the solution has been made.”

“Because throwing them into jail isn’t a solution, it's a bandage!”

“A bandage that works!”

“For how long?!”

“G-guys please lower your voices somethings w-” Fang tried to insert himself but his words again went unheard.

“What does that matter!?” Aurora flung her hand to the side emphasizing her words and making 0Cyrus flinch furrowing her brow at her behavior.

“I’m just trying to do the right thing!”

“We aren’t kids anymore Cyrus!

“I know that!”

“So you can’t just run off and do senseless missions like this!”

“This isn’t senseless! I-” Cyrus fought to find words, his mind getting distracted as he saw the goblins hurry off.

Damn it! Why can’t she see that this is bigger than just rules? I can’t just throw them in a cell and hope for the best. I’m trying to lead... I’m trying to be…

“You’re being immature as usual and letting your heart lead you.” Aurora spoke harshly, her frustration at the current situation evident. Fang watched nervously from the side, his hand instinctively reaching for his tail, unsure of how to defuse the growing storm between his two friends. Something wasn’t right, the goblins made no sound as they left.

“Why are you fighting me on this? I'm trying to do the right thing!” Cyrus stood up frustrated, throwing the dagger into the dirt fists now clenched at his sides. His chest heaved as his anger continued to grow just beneath the surface.

“You keep saying the right thing, the rules are the right thing and the rules are that we put them in the cells!” Aurora moved to now stand in Cyrus’ face before being shoved backwards, only stumbling slightly.

“I AM QUEEN NOW AND I MAKE THE RULES!”

The words hung in the air like a blade waiting to drop. Aurora froze, her breath hitching as if the weight of what he’d said was too much to process. Her anger faltered, eyes widening in disbelief. Fang, half-risen from the ground, looked between them, his movements slow and uncertain, as if even he didn’t want to break the sudden stillness.

The space between them seemed to stretch, time itself holding its breath. Cyrus stood firm, his chest heaving, his expression hardened in a way neither of them had seen before. There was no room for argument, no space for protest. A look in his eyes the two had never seen before. Dominance, something that Cyrus himself never felt that he needed to assert onto his friends, but here he was.

“Ssssh…be quiet…”

Cyrus spun around at what sounded like the goblin girl who had run off with her group. Hopeful of a second chance to help them Cyrus tried to see where the voice was coming from.

“You don't have to hide from us, we promise not to hurt you. I apologize for my friend’s behavior!”

“Cyrus!” Fang spoke in a whispered yell. “Please…we should go…” Cyrus ignored him, still fueled by frustration.

“We just want to help you! Please come-” His words caught in his throat as he gagged, Cyrus was suddenly hit with an unbearable stench, it smelled like rotting meat, decay. He covered his nose as he tried to breath from his mouth instead. Fang and Aurora did the same as the smell crept through the forest like a wave. It became thick, and then the voice came again.

“Ssssssh…be…quiet…”

The voice was louder this time. It sounded like the goblin girl was getting closer but staying out of sight. Cyrus, being stubborn, continued to call back as he continued to fight the smell that grew stronger.

“Oh gods I can’t take this smell, Cyrus please let's just go home, we can try again next time.” Fang tried to reason with his big brother who looked back at him before giving a defeated sigh.

“...Alright…let's go home.”

“Sssssh…beee…quiet…” The voice sounded extremely close this time, but also far, like an echo in a cave. Cyrus looked into the dense forest one more time, not really wanting to give up, and then he saw it, the goblin girl's face peeking out from behind a tree. His heart raced with hope as he spotted the goblin girl’s face.

This is my chance to finally talk to them!

His chance to make things right. Cyrus went to take a step before Fang's trembling grip on his arm pulled him back to reality. His eyes were trained on the location of the goblin, his ears pinned against his head, a look Cyrus hadn’t seen on his friend's furry face since they were kids telling ghost stories.

“Fang what…”

“Somethings wrong Cyrus…that’s not her…”

“What are you talking about? Maybe it's a different goblin but what does that matter?”

“No…look at her face…somethings not right…her mouth…it's just open but it's not moving…a-and her eyes…why does she look like that.”

Cyrus looked at the goblins face again, he was right, something was wrong with her face. It looked stuck, or…frozen.

“Cyrus, I know I usually call Fang a coward but I think we should listen and leave, this could be an ambush…”

“And who’s fault would that be?!” Cyrus snapped back at Aurora who threw up her hands before grabbing her dagger out of the ground.

“Be…quiet.” She spoke again her voice now having an odd rattle at the end of the sentence, like last words spoken, and this time they all saw it, her mouth didn’t move it just hung open, her eyes unblinking and in a constant state of fear and shock, it was closer, still peeking behind a tree.

This thing…I think I know what the goblins were terrified of…and it wasn’t us.

“Aurora…light your sword it hates bright light.” Cyrus spoke low, putting his hand out to guard his friends.

“What?” Aurora questioned him but started to unsheath her sword as told.

“Light. your. sword.”

Aurora set the metal ablaze. The goblins' head staying just outside of the tree started to rise as if it was gaining height. Her eyes started to leak black liquid as a long frail fingered black hand slowly curled around the tree like roots, the tips looking like needles. Its hand, long enough to cover the girth of the tree, moved as it dragged what they would assume was its body up into the tree. They watched as the head of the goblin girl kept its eyes trained on them even when the body moved upwards, it seemed to twist its neck to keep eye contact.

“Run.” Cyrus spoke without taking his eyes off the creature. Fang and Aurora hesitated, they didn’t want to leave Cyrus alone to fight whatever this thing was, and if Cyrus was telling them to flee instead of fight it had to be dangerous.

“Why are you still standing here?”

Fang and Aurora took a few steps back wanting to stay but realized that Cyrus was probably best suited for this and sticking around could just be a distraction. The two took off running, they hoped it was in the direction of the forest entrance. Cyrus took his eyes off the thing for only a moment and somehow it had already escaped his view. He spun around multiple times trying to find out where it went. The smell was still present and it was nauseating but he needed to know where the creature went, if he could smell it this strong it was still close. Cyrus knew he could out run this monstrosity but he didn’t know if his friends could and he wasn’t willing to gamble. He knew what this was, the sailors at the harbor would tell stories of adventurers lost to it, and after what the goblin said about the creature it had to be…

The face that steals can hear us, the mouth that speaks will keep us…they were talking about the Silence Weaver. I don’t have to fight it… I just have to distract it from chasing them. I can at least do that…

Plip

Something wet hit Cyrus’ shoulder. It was something black and it smelled terrible like whatever was in the air but more concentrated. He looked up and staring back at him was the goblin girl’s distorted face that he soon came to realize in this moment was not attached to her own body. His blood turning cold as he realized the goblin girl’s face was being used as a mask attached to a grotesque tower of rotting flesh, stitched together with sinew and bones, an amalgamation of rotting limbs and skin like a twisted patchwork sewn together with the left overs of past victims. The creature was towering over Cyrus with an unnerving height, its legs long and spider-like as rotting flesh hung off it like ripped clothing.

Cyrus stood there in paralyzed horror, he had heard the stories but never thought it would look like this. As he stared into the face of what was once the goblin girl he watched as something under its skin writhed and twisted the goblin girls face before distorting and changing into a long pale featureless face with black sockets for eyes that leaked the same black liquid that had dripped onto his shoulder.

Before he could even let out whatever sound wanted to escape his throat “it” spoke first as if taunting Cyrus with the death rattle of the voice of its last victim.

“Ssh…be quiet.”