They were standing atop the hill where Vevic had her chair placed at its crest. A camp fire burned a few feet away and it threw their shadows, long and dark, across the hilltop. Before her, Brightfeather had just brought her news of a rumor spreading amongst her goblins.
This one is as loyal as he is smart. She balanced her chin on her hand. “Tell me, what is this rumor?”
Brightfeather did not look up. “One of the prisoners, a girl-child we rescued from the fire, has a marking on her that the other goblins have taken as a holy symbol.”
The captain of her royal guard, Hushka, grumbled that he had an immediate solution to the issue. Vevic silenced him with a wave.
“What kind of symbol does this child have?” Vevic asked.
“A birthmark on her arm in the shape of a burning shield, my mistress,” answered Brightfeather.
Silly, Vevic thought to herself, but then again, I am leading a horde of warrior people. Goblin warrior people, at that. She wondered if there was a way to turn the arrival of this child to her advantage. Symbols, portents, and prophecies had their uses. There was only one way to know. “Bring the child here so that I may inspect her.”
Brightfeather stood and bowed. “Of course, my mistress.”
Minutes later, Brightfeather returned with a skinny little blonde girl that looked around eleven or twelve. She was covered in soot and mud over cuts and bruises. However, as she stood there in her bare feet with nothing but a stained tunic, Vevic could see a defiance uncommon for a girl her age.
Lounging in her chair, Vevic swirled her wine glass, “What is your name, girl?”
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“Cordelia,” said the girl.
Vevic’s eyes drifted to the girl’s shoulders, “Cordelia, my soldiers have told me you have a birthmark of some significance.”
“What? You mean this thing?” Cordelia turned sideways as she presented her right side. Through the firelight and beneath the blood and the dirt, Vevic could see a strange pattern on the girl’s shoulder.
“Yes,” Vevic leaned forward. “Brightfeather, if you would be so kind as to bring a rag or something to wipe off the dirt …”
The little goblin took a strip of cloth from the nearest guard, spat on it, and began scrubbing away at the girl. When Brightfeather removed the rag, Vevic could clearly see the shape as though it had been burned on to the girl’s shoulder. It looked just like a shield surrounded by fire.
She supposed the first goblin who had seen it had decided just what the birthmark was, as Vevic could just as easily have guessed the shape to be that of an arrow of spearhead. But my little monsters saw a shield and so I suppose that I see a shield as well. Interesting. Vevic’s eyes traveled back to Cordelia’s where she again saw the defiance mixed with the fear and the hate. “Do you know why we brought you here, Cordelia?”
The girl squared herself as she glared, “Is it just because of my arm?”
“It is,” Vevic nodded. “My soldiers believe the mark on your arm is a shield sent to keep them safe. They believe you are a sign sent to them by their warrior god Goroush. Do you feel like a sign sent by a god of death and war?”
“I don’t know,” the girl shook her head. “Why did you burn my village?”
Vevic answered slowly, “Because this is my valley now.”
Cordelia shook her head again. “If it’s your valley then why are you burning villages?”
Vevic leaned back in her chair as she took another drink of her wine, “Because not everyone knows it is my valley yet and so my army is now making that case. That just happens to be why we’re here talking, aren’t we Cordelia?”
The girl studied her then. The arrogance of this child! Vevic thought as a bemused look crossed her face. What am I to do with this thing? She is prideful and insolent. If she knew her place, I might have her in my court as it would be nice to do with some human company. But not like this. She force me to kill her. Vevic thought some more as she swirled her wine and took another drink. Oh, I know now. Why didn’t I think of that before. “Cordelia, I think I’ve figured just how I am going to deal with this. I think that your job from here forth is to be the great namer. Your power, as gifted you by the great war-god Goroush is to name the goblin children and as you name the goblin children, you grant them your gift of Goroush’s protection that whenever one of these children perishes in battle, they are then granted immediate entrance to his glorious eternal battlefield. How does that sound?”
“I don’t understand,” Cordelia said.
“Your job is to name goblin babies for me. That should keep them and you busy, I think.” She looked at Brightfeather and nodded to Cordelia. “That will be all.”
Saying nothing, Cordelia glared back at Vevic as the guards took her by the arm and led her down the hill.