Rufi stood up and licked sugar from the tip of his finger. He straightened his suit, looked over his partner’s appearance, and then made his way to the door. The grey suited Goblin turned to Nairo and Ridley and gestured for them to follow.

“After you,” he said to Nairo with a cruel smile playing around his lips. “I like walking behind you.”

Nairo turned to say something to him but Ridley caught her arm and marched her forward.

“Ignore him. He’s trying to wind you up.” he whispered to her.

“If you would kindly remove your shoes,” the HobGoblin said to them, gesturing to a small rack where they could place them.

Nairo looked at Ridley, who was already kicking off his battered loafers. Nairo did likewise and placed them on the rack while the HobGoblin thanked them and gestured for them to follow Rufi who had already removed his own shoes. They stepped past the bowing HobGoblin and into a large office that seemed to be more of a workshop. Sat cross legged behind a low table working delicately on a small model was a broad, powerfully built Goblin. His head and his neck were so thick they were indistinguishable, and his shoulders looked like two boulders on either side of it. He had glimmering green scales, similar to Rufi’s, but they had dulled somewhat with age. His hands were two massive bear sized paws, his palms looked wide enough to smother a man’s face. He delicately turned the model over, nimbly manipulating it, using his sharp claws to whittle away the stone and his thumbs to smooth out the harsh edges. He had dark eyes, a thick, blunt nose, and a wide mouth with two vicious tusks that curled inwards slightly. He wore a heavy frown and Nairo couldn’t imagine his face in any other expression. It was as if everything in life was always a slight disappointment to him but that that was to be expected. Only his dulling scales, and the slight wisps of white hair on the ends of his long ears, gave a hint of his years. He was dressed in the simple, homespun cloth traditional to Goblins. It was a long wrap, belted with thick leather and draped across one shoulder, displaying the bulging, if slightly sagging, muscles of his chest.

Sam’sun Chaw’drak, Ustra’a of all Goblins in the city looked up as they approached and Nairo felt the weight of those eyes. He had a gaze that felt like gravity itself, weighing her down with the unspoken decades of conflict he had endured and conquered. He appraised her for the briefest moment before going back to his model, gently whittling a strip of stone like it was clay. He gestured with a nod of his head for them to sit in the dropped circle at the centre of the room. They followed Rufi to the circle cut out of the floor, the grey suited Goblin had remained standing by the door with his hands folded in front of him. There were pillows scattered about and in the middle was a smouldering fire pit. As Nairo walked towards the circle she noticed the top half of the back wall of the room was completely open, looking out on the main hall. There were more hangings with Kittei writing and a bookshelf laden with heavy tomes. The whole office had the dreamy smell of lavender and something Nairo couldn’t quite place. It was a sweet perfume-like scent that was strangely refreshing. Nairo stepped down into the circle and sat cross legged next to Ridley. They sat in hesitant silence for a few minutes before she heard Sam’sun’s heavy sigh as he rose to his feet. He was not tall, especially for a Goblin, but he was built as broad and powerful as the Goblin blacksmiths she had seen in the Foundries. His every movement was deliberate and surprisingly gentle. His bare feet padded across the fur covered floor to a small stone basement. He rinsed his hands and adjusted his shawl before walking to the circle. He sighed as he stepped down, she had expected a heavy thud, but his footsteps were gentle enough for her to hear the clicking of knees. He took his place opposite them, his back to the open wall, and sat down with another sigh. He crossed his thick legs and looked first at Nairo and then at Ridley. Without a word, he reached for a steaming pot in the embers of the fire pit. With his bare hand, he shifted around the sparks to breathe life back into the fire. Without being asked, Rufi placed a tray of small curved glasses down in front of him. Sam’sun lifted the pot and deftly began pouring light brown tea into the glasses. He filled five glasses without spilling a drop and then placed the pot back into the fire. Sam’sun rose, the heavy frown still on his face. He picked the tray up without so much as a rattle of a single glass, and walked around the circle. He picked up a glass between his thumb and index finger and handed it to Ridley first.

“Thank you Uncle,” Ridley said, bowing his head and accepting the glass with both hands.

Sam’sun grunted an acknowledgement. He then plucked another small glass and handed it to Nairo.

“Oh thank you, but I don’t…”

Ridley looked up at her wide eyed like she’d spat in the Goblin’s face. Behind her she heard the grey suited Goblin shift. Sam’sun was as impassive as ever. He simply offered her the glass again. Nairo reached up with both hands as Ridley had done.

“Thank you.”

Sam’sun nodded and then walked back around the circle and handed a glass to Rufi who bowed his head and muttered in Kittei. Sam’sun gently placed his bearlike paw on Rufi’s head and then walked back to his seat. He sat down gently and looked up at the door.

“Chuchu,” he growled, his voice breaking the silence like the rumble of a thunderstorm across the plains, and held up the fourth cup.

The grey suited Goblin quickly walked across the room, but he did not enter the circle. He skirted around the outside and knelt next to Sam’sun. For the first time, she saw Sam’sun’s face break into a fatherly smile as he handed the cup to the grey suited Goblin. The smile completely transformed him. Nairo no longer saw the intimidating ruler of the Goblin underworld, she saw the community leader, the father to all Goblins in the city.

“Thank you Uncle,” the grey suited Goblin muttered as he accepted the glass with his head bowed.

“Go and get some of those malt biscuits,” Sam’sun said to him. “You look skinnier every time I see you, nephew. Are you not feeding him?” The question was directed at Rufi, who grinned and looked at his friend.

“Chuch eats well, Uncle.”

“Hmmm… too many women and late nights,” Sam’sun grunted dismissively. “Weakens your tusks, nephew.”

Chuch, the grey suited Goblin, gave an almost childlike smirk, before rising quickly and walking to the cupboard where the biscuits were. He slit open the packaging with a claw and walked back to Sam’sun, offering them to him. Sam’sun made a reproachful noise deep in his throat and then looked at Ridley and Nairo. Chuch quickly walked around the circle and offered them the biscuits first.

“Thanks,” Ridley said, taking two biscuits and giving one to Nairo before she could make another hideous faux pax.

Chuch gave them a look of indifference and then walked back around the circle and offered the biscuits to Sam’sun. Carefully, he selected one and then gestured to Rufi. Chuch offered him a biscuit then took one for himself before resuming his position by the door. Sam’sun lifted his glass and poured it into a small saucer. He blew gently on it twice then looked at Nairo and Ridley. He gestured for them to drink.

Ridley raised his glass so quickly he almost spilt the tea down his chin. Nairo hesitated and then took a sip. It was like a punch of aroma and spices. Now she knew where the aromatic smell had come from. She tasted all manner of spices, many of which she had only the ghosts of memories of. Without thinking, she took another deep sip, not caring about the heat of it. Sam’sun watched her, once he was satisfied, he sipped at the tea himself and let out a satisfied sigh. He carefully dipped his biscuit in his tea and bit it in half without a single crumb dropping. After a few more satisfied sips, Sam’sun set his saucer down and gave them another weighty look. Those eyes penetrated Nairo. She felt like everything she was, everything she had ever been, was found in that searching gaze. His eyes were somehow doleful yet powerful at the same time. Like he had seen everything the world had to offer and it had left him melancholic but with an unshakeable understanding of who he was. Nairo tried to meet his eyes, but the second she did, she found herself feeling bashful, as if holding his gaze was somehow impudent. She suddenly felt young and silly sitting in front of Sam’sun.

“I thank you for coming here tonight,” Sam’sun began. “My nephew was polite?”

“He was,” Ridley replied quickly.

“There is much we must discuss. Our time here is short. I ask that while you sit in my circle, you speak truly and clearly. I will do the same.” Sam’sun spoke as if every word was a precious stone, lost to the world once it was uttered. His voice still held the gritty accent of the mountains but his Forrest was perfect.

“What exactly are we here to discuss, Mr Chaw’drak?” Nairo asked.

“Please, call me Uncle.”

“Oh… I don’t… that’s not very prof…”

“Yes Uncle,” Ridley said, shooting Nairo another side eye. “Forgive her, she doesn’t know your ways.”

“Where there is ignorance, there cannot be offence,” Sam’sun said impassively. “Why should she know our ways? Sally Nairo, Detective Sergeant, raised in the suburbs outside the city. I would expect you to know Kittash how I know what salad forks are for.”

“How did you know…”

“Is not a question worth asking,” Sam’sun said, not unkindly, but in a manner that told her it was a foolish to assume he wouldn’t know who she was. “But you know our ways.” Sam’sun’s words struck Ridley like a physical blow. He looked up sheepishly and almost cringed.

“I do, Uncle.”

“Yet, I must invite you to my circle and ask questions of you?”

“I… it has been a complicated few days, Uncle.”

“Yes, it has.”

Sam’sun gazed at Ridley. There was no anger, only a sense of disappointment in his dark eyes.

“I have asked for honesty and I too will be honest. These are dark days. A truce older than either of you survives by a thread and tonight that thread snapped. A group of humans rode into Gorebrook street and set fire to a shop there. That blaze consumed almost a dozen more homes. You have seen my people sheltering in this hall?”

They both nodded.

“Their homes were burned down. Some have fled to this hall in fear. My Kith afraid to sleep in their own homes.” The words thundered across the circle. He had not raised his voice but the hard edge almost took Nairo’s breath away. “And in that shop, a family lived. Brother Ga’zoo, a much loved tailor in our community, lived with his elderly mother, his wife, and his three children, one of whom was months old.”

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Nairo felt her mouth go dry and the pit of her stomach freeze over.

“They were burned to death in their own home.” Sam’sun’s words rang with cold fury and his eyes blazed with righteous fury. “They were innocents.”

Nairo swallowed painfully.

“The peace between Human and Goblin burned with them. Blood will wash the cobbles of this city, this I know.”

“We will find the men that did and bring them to…”

“Justice?” Sam’sun spoke the word like it was a curiosity.

“Yes. They will face the law and will be punished.”

“That time is far gone.” Sam’sun spoke with finality, before sighing heavily. “The young ones are already on the streets baying for blood. More concerningly, true warriors, the generations who fought pitched battles on the mountain slopes, are sharpening their tusks and wearing their armour. Now, war marches on this city and neither I nor your justice can prevent that.”

“You’re talking about a species war?” Ridley said.

Sam’sun nodded his head.

“You are too young, so is my nephew, but I lived and fought in the last one. Those were truly dark days and now they have come again.”

“Surely there must be something you can do?” Nairo asked desperately.

She knew all about the last Human and Goblin riots in the city. They had been a part of her studies at the academy. Hundreds were killed, thousands more went unaccounted for. Almost four months of unending warfare in the streets. A third of the city had been set on fire or abandoned. That had been three decades ago when the Goblin population had been much smaller. Now, there were tens of thousands of Goblins in the city. A war between Humans and Goblins would be catastrophic.

“Once that drum begins it beat, no creature can stop it,” Sam’sun said. “And, the boy playing chief across the water thinks he would be happy to let it happen.”

“The Landlord?” Ridley asked.

Sam’sun’s frown deepened at the mention of the name.

“Foolish boy. He was but a little pup when the last war ended. He went off to play soldier in the Forest only to come back and betray his own elders to snatch his seat.”

Rufi growled something in Kittei and it sounded unpleasant.

“He is an impudent animal,” Sam’sun continued. “He would see war break out. After all, history has taught us that in any conflict involving Goblins, it is usually the Goblins who are blamed for it.”

“The police force won’t let that happen,” Nairo said.

“Your police force with… how many Goblins in it?” Sam’sun asked.

Nairo opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words.

“None,” she said finally.

“The police in this city are for sale,” Sam’sun said. “Usually to the highest bidder. But, when their race is under attack, policemen will always be Humans first. This I have seen and this I know.”

Nairo remembered the vitriol being spewed back in the precinct and she knew he was right. If war did really break out, the police would become just another gang out for blood.

“And besides,” Sam’sun continued. “History will remember that it was the Goblins who broke the peace. We butchered those poor boys in that alleyway. Did we not?”

Nairo looked at Ridley who pursed his lips and then gave a small nod.

“We know you didn’t,” Ridley said.

“You do.” It wasn’t a question.

“We believe… we know it was a Diamond…”

“Ridley!” Nairso said sharply.

The mention of the Diamond had no effect on Sam’sun. Nairo began to wonder just how much of their investigation he actually knew. Ridley looked at Nairo.

“We can’t discuss…” Nairo began.

“Please niece, I asked for truth,” Sam’sun said. “We do not have time for secrets. Not now.”

Ridley looked at Nairo again and she gave him a small nod.

“We have evidence that it was an Active Diamond that killed those boys,” Ridley continued.

“An Elvish Diamond.”

“Yes.”

“That you believe Ben’in stole.”

“We… don’t think he stole it, but we believe he was in possession of it.”

“And then he was killed?”

“Yes. By the Diamond.”

“Hmmm,” Sam’sun growled deeply in his throat and sat back for minute. He muttered quietly and then wiped his hands across his tusks. “Ben’in was always troubled, but no Goblin should die in such a way. The cowardice of Elves exists in their magicks.”

Rufi growled in Kittei and Sam’sun nodded in agreement before continuing.

“Why was Ben’in killed?”

“We don’t know,” Nairo replied. “We have theories but no evidence.”

“But you are certain he was killed with the Diamond?”

“Yes, Uncle.” Ridley said.

“And those boys in the alley?”

“Same thing,” Ridley said. “Same blast patterns, same smell of pennies, same… messiness.”

“And Tolliver’s bridge?”

Ridley nodded.

Sam’sun made that rumbling growl in his throat again.

“So lemme straighten this knot out,” Rufi said, sitting forward. “This Diamond gets lifted out of the bank and somehow lands in Benny’s lap. Then Ben winds up dead, what, a few hours later? And by the way, I don’t appreciate you beating the shit out of one ours…”

Sam’sun gave a reproachful growl.

“Apologies, Uncle.”

“This is that, what is his name, that was arrested?” Sam’sun asked.

“Just some short tusk from the neighbourhood.”

“Who beat him?”

“The detective duo,” Rufi said, pointing his index and middle finger at them.

“You two beat a Goblin?”

“He attacked us first,” Nairo said.

“You were bare handed?”

“Well, I had a pair of knuckle dusters… but he had a knife!” Ridley added quickly.

Sam’sun nodded with an impressed expression on his face.

“They threw him down a flight of stairs apparently,” Rufi said and Chuch sniggered from the door.

“Very good,” Sam’sun said. “Continue, nephew.”

“Right,” Rufi said. “So, Benny gets his head near blown off, then a couple days later a bunch of Human hoods get blown to pieces in some back alley in the arse end of nowhere important. Then another couple of days after that and it goes bang again and knocks down a shi… rubbish little bridge no one cares about.”

“Right,” Ridley said.

“Why?”

“Why what?” Nairo asked.

“Why? Why nick something like that and then still be running around blowing holes in the city days later? If it were me, and I’m speaking entirely hypothetically here Sarge, but if I nicked something that hot I’d already have a buyer lined up. The damn thing would have been gone that night.”

“If it was a premeditated crime,” Nairo said. “Which we don’t believe it was.”

“And there’s no saying that Benny didn’t try to sell it and was double crossed.” Ridley added.

Chuch snorted derisively from behind them. Sam’sun looked at him.

“Nephew?”

Chuch responded in Kittei until Sam’sun cut him off.

“In a language our guests can also understand, nephew.”

“Benny was a mutt, Uncle. He would never have known anyone high up enough to fence it to. And besides, no one would take it since they know… you know… we don’t have any business with Elvish magicks.” Chuch eyed Nairo with open suspicion as he carefully chose his words.

“And Benny never contacted you to tell you the Diamond had come into his possession?” Nairo asked.

“Why would he contact us?” Rufi’s eyes narrowed.

“On my honour nephew, we must speak plainly,” Sam’sun growled at him. “Ben’in did not contact any of the appropriate Kith.”

“Do you know who he might contact? We know he was partying with a group of thugs the night he died,” Nairo said.

Sam’sun looked at Rufi, who looked at Chuch, so did Nairo and Ridley.

“Where?” Chuch asked Nairo shortly.

“RatHoles,” Ridley answered.

Chuch thought for a moment.

“Probably just some local grunts. I don’t know ‘em personally but I could find out.”

Sam’sun nodded.

“Is there anything else you discovered before you were removed from the case?” Sam’sun asked.

“How did you…” The question died on her lips. She was starting to think nothing they had told Uncle Sam was news to him.

“We were chasing down one lead but we got nowhere,” Ridley said.

“The bank manager,” Sam’sun said and Ridley nodded.

Sam’sun looked to his nephew and then back at them.

“We know where the HobGoblin is.”

“You do!” Ridley almost leapt up in excitement. “He’s alive?”

“Yes. And he is still in the city.”

“He is?” Nairo said incredulously. “But they’ve looked everywhere for him!”

Sam’sun snorted derisively.

“Elves have never been practical creatures. They believe force and gold solves every problem. The fool De Woolf gambled away the last of his pennies. Once the manhunt began he knew he couldn’t escape the city without being caught.” Sam’sun looked at Rufi.

“He’s holed up in a burner’s den way out near the Wastelands out West,” Rufi said. “We’ve been keeping tabs on him, just in case.”

“We have to talk to him,” Ridley said quickly. “He’s the missing piece to this!”

“You believe he gave the Diamond to Ben’in?” Sam’sun asked.

“Yes!” Ridley said.

“We’re not certain,” Nairo corrected. “It is… the best lead we have right now.”

“De Woolf was in deep to Benny wasn’t he?” Ridley asked Rufi.

Rufi looked at Uncle Sam who gave him a small nod.

“So deep he couldn’t even see the sunlight,” Rufi said. “Benny always had a talent for keeping a pig stuck and bleeding till they turned white. Wouldn’t surprise me if that is the way it went down.”

“Hmmmm.” Sam’sun growled deep in his throat with a pensive look on his face. “My nephew will take you to De Woolf and you will question him. If he did steal the Diamond, then perhaps he knows who has it now and why they are killing in my city.”

“We don’t know if they are,” Nairo said.

Sam’sun gave her a quizzical look.

“We believe the Diamond is Unchained.” For the first time since they had met, something finally took Sam’sun by surprise.

“They would never be so foolish,” he muttered.

“We believe the Diamond is Active, Unchained, and highly unstable. It could be that killing Benny was deliberate, but we believe the four humans and the bridge… were accidents.”

“Hmmmmm…” Sam’sun growled again as he thought. “You know what will happen if that Diamond cracks?”

“Boom,” Ridley said softly and Sam’sun nodded.

“What? This thing will explode?” Rufi asked.

“And take out half the city, potentially.” Nairo said.

“Fucking Elves,” Rufi growled and this time his Uncle did not reprimand him for his language.

“Then time is even shorter than I first believed,” Sam’sun said. “The knives are being sharpened and the torches lit. And behind all of this, a missing Diamond that could wipe out tens of thousands.” Sam’sun sighed and wiped a thick hand across his face, looking more tired than ever. “What it is to live in a time that History will remember.”

They sat in pensive silence for a few moments, staring into the smouldering ashes of the pit.

“Nephew, take them to De Woolf. Make sure he talks.”

Rufi nodded and stood up. He walked over to Uncle Sam, who brushed a thick hand over his nephew’s head and then rose himself.

“I thank you for your time.”

“Thank you, Uncle.” Ridley and Nairo chorused.

They rose and followed Rufi to the door.

“Find this Diamond before the city is torn apart,” Uncle Sam’s sonorous voice intoned behind them. “Blood or fire will wash through our streets if you do not.”