“Okay Ruk bring the fog.” Ruk nods then she holds out her arms palms up and starts to whisper her spell. Fog pours from her palms and sets heavy through the streets of the town. If it wasn’t for our naturally strong eyes that allow us to see through any fog we would be as blind as the humans and their cameras. After Ruk finishes her spell I take the lead moving toward the target. I hold up a hand to bring the three behind me to a stop. I look at Nib, “The target is across the street, get to the top of the building, you’re on lookout duty.” Nib replies, “Yes, Chief.” He climbs up the side of the brick wall and over the ledge. I motion for the other two to follow. We head across the street to the building with the sign overhead that says “Hometown Jewelers”.
“Krag, get the door.” He steps from behind me and moves to the front door laying his hand over the lock and starts to whisper a spell. “Ruk, get ready to disable the security when Krag is done.” She stands behind him ready to cast her disabling spelling. I make contact with Nib to check in. "Nib? Are you in place?" I say into a small radio. A crackle comes back, "Yes, Chief, I am in place." "Roger," I reply. I keep my head on a swivel looking for any threats. I hear the lock click open then hear Ruk start whispering her spell. I can feel the power leave the building and Ruk quietly says, “All set, Chief.” I call back to Nib to let him know we are heading in.
Krag goes to work disabling every lock in the building as Ruk follows right behind him grabbing the jewels and bagging them. She tosses me bags at the front door as she fills them. We grab everything in the store, even the safe in the back. Just as they are heading my way I hear a car in the silence of the night. I am thankful we are all done here because I can feel it in my bones that it’s time to go. I head out ahead of the others to listen for more but nothing. Krag relocks the door behind him, and Ruk re-enables the security. "Alright Nib, we are out of here meet us at the spot." I call over the radio. I see the shadow of Nib through the fog as he climbs down the building and runs off.
We meet Nib two blocks over. As we approach, I see him put the last line of chalk down for the portal. "Ready, Nib?" "Of course, Chief, I am always ready." Nib says a few words under his breath. The chalk lines start to glow with a green pulsing light, and a swirling glowing hole opens. "Good work, Nib." I pat him on the shoulder. I motion to the other two, and they jump in. Nib nods, and I go in after. Portal travel is always disorienting, probably because you are being ripped apart and put back together on the other end. I am not a portal specialist like Nib, and he tells me that is not what is happening, but I’ll be damned if that isn’t what it feels like.
I drop out of the portal and land on my feet. I look around and see Krag and Ruk standing there waiting. I step over and stand with them, watching the portal. A second later, Nib falls out of the portal with his arm above his head, pulling the portal shut as it disappears, and lands skillfully on the ground. Ruk looks at me and says, "Ready to go see the Old Lady, Chief?" My stomach drops at the mention of the old hag. I look at Ruk and say, "Don’t let her hear you say that, but yeah, let’s go." Our portal dropped us in an old abandoned house down the street from where the old hag lives. We head out the back of the house and start jumping fences, avoiding being seen.
I hate this job. I hate being a thief. I hate being a criminal. If I could just get that scarf away from that old hag and retreat back to the swamp with my people, we wouldn’t have to do this anymore. It’s easier said than done though as I’m pretty sure the old hag sleeps with the scarf on, and heaven only knows if she showers with it. The Scarf of Dominion has been in the possession of a human since my father lost control of it some 300 years ago. He lost it to some old hermit who tricked him and took his head. Why my father was doing business with that hermit no one will ever know, but he started summoning us to do his bidding and we have been under some human’s control ever since.
The latest one is this old hag named Prunella. She has us running around stealing things for her to sell and build her wealth. We have done a couple dozen jobs for her so far. I have to say she is smart; she will have us rob a place and wait three months before having us do another. At least for those months we get to be left in peace at home in our swamp. It could be worse, I guess; we could be controlled by that disgusting pig man who had us act as home servants. Thinking about it just makes my blood boil. If the scarf didn’t have magic that stopped us from killing the wearer, I know one of my people would have, or I would in a heartbeat.
We come up to the last fence we need to hop, and I take the lead. I jump the wooden fence with ease and look around, no one is there. I tap on the fence and the others spring over. They fall behind me like we are marching in single file. We start walking to the back door; I hold up a fist a few paces away and they kneel with heads bowed as I step up to the door and knock. I hear footsteps coming, so I back away and kneel as well. A moment later the door opens, and in the door frame stands the old hag, Prunella. If I didn’t know better, I would think she was just a regular old grandma in her night clothes about to go to bed. She has her white hair in curlers, and she has a pleasant smile on her face that just screams welcome.
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"Well Grandvier, I am glad to see y’all are back from your task." The old hag turns around and waves for us to follow. Krag is the last in and shuts the door behind him. We continue in the single file line until we reach the dining room, where the old hag takes a seat at the head of the table. We pull seats out, but we don’t dare sit. Ruk and I take the bags of jewels and set them on the table saying, "As Grandma Prunella deserves." The old hag nods at us and we dump the bags of jewels on the table. She takes everything in then says, “Good, it looks like y’all got everything. Did y’all get the safe?” I hold my tongue before answering, “Yes, my… Queen.” It pains me to no end to say that. This old hag lives in a one-story, three-bedroom house in nowhere Texas, and she expects us to act like she is a queen. I swear that one day I’ll get the scarf from her and then slap her so many times that she doesn’t know up from down.
She nods, then Ruk and I take a step back and kneel with the others. I can hear her stand up from her seat, but I dare not look up because I know the pain she can bring to us with the scarf. Although I can’t see her, I know in my mind's eye she is picking up different jewels and examining them. After several moments she speaks, “There’s the door home. Go, I will summon y’all when I want you again.” In unison we say, “Yes, my Queen.” We stand without meeting her eyes, turn, and see the portal to our wonderful swamp. Careful not to run, because we know the punishment for that, we head through the glowing arch. I was the last to step through, but out of the corner of my eye, I see the old hag’s face is no longer the face of some sweet grandma, but the face of a greedy monster salivating over her treasure.
I step out of the portal and into the sweet stench of the swamp. I am greeted by my people, happy for our return. Two young goblins run toward me and embrace me in a hug, my beautiful princesses. Right behind them I see my true Queen and the love of my life, smiling happily to see I have returned. She reaches over our girls to embrace me, and we kiss. “My wonderful King, as you promised, you have once again returned to us.” I smile, “Of course I have, the great Grandvier always keeps his word.” We start walking toward our hut. I love the swamp and wish I was never taken from home at someone else's will. My family and my tribe mean the world to me, and I would do anything to protect them, even if it means obeying the dumb old hag’s commands.
The next morning, there is a meeting of the tribe council which is held in the swamp center. My wife and I arrive early, as we are the heads of the tribe. I take my seat as the chief, and she takes the seat to my right as a council member. As soon as we sit the other council members arrive and take their seats. I stand to start the meeting with the recounting of our latest task from the old hag. Everyone listens intently but no one has any questions. After my recounting we discuss the mundane business of the tribe, such as bullfrog migration and mushroom yields. After all seems to be said, I say, “Does anyone have any new business?” I look at each council member in turn, receiving head shakes, until I reach Skizzle. He is the Keeper of the Tomb, which is a castle-like library where we have stored books of knowledge that we have collected since the fairykind invented books. Humans either were given or stole the idea of books from them, but that was long before my time. Skizzle stands up as my eyes fall on him.
“Chief, I have found some information that may help free us from the slavery of humans.” Skizzle’s face is stone-hard and clearly very serious. The other council members groan because this is not the first time Skizzle has brought many things like this before the council, and it always ends up being a dead end that one of the older goblins has heard of before and was tried by a goblin who met their death at the hand of the wearer of the scarf. Skizzle is a young goblin, being only 115, but he became the youngest Keeper of the Tomb, taking and passing the trials at 83, so no one doubts his intelligence. But the young are idealistic and have not seen much of the world. Lucky for him, I like idealists. I hold up a hand to quiet the others. “Okay Skizzle, let’s hear what you have to say.” Before he can speak, one of the speaking pool watchers appears in a puff of gray smoke. “Chief, she is calling for you.” Shit, you have to be kidding me, in the decade or so she has never called on us so soon. We all stand up and start rushing to the speaking pool.
The speaking pool is how the wearer of the scarf contacts us without summoning us to the human world. It looks like a tree stump that has had a bowl carved into it and filled with swamp water. It takes us a few minutes to reach the speaking pool. Everyone else stops several feet away, but I step up to it, and the water rises up above the pool and takes on the exact form of the old hag’s head. I drop to my knee and bow my head, no one else does because the pool only allows the wearer to see the person closest to the pool. She says, “Chief Grandvier, you and your kin will be returning here tomorrow morning. It’s the earliest this blasted scarf will allow.” Without looking up, I say, “What will our task be, my queen?” Without warning I feel pain shoot through my head, causing me to fall to my side. “Don’t you question me, you ugly green little monster. I am your queen and you will return as I say.” I weakly respond, “As you wish, my queen.” “Damn right.” I hear the hag say as I feel another jolt of pain through my head, and I black out.