Without needing to explain why, the four of them followed the stream in the opposite direction of its flow. Judd led the way with Aalis following, Caste behind her, unwilling to walk anymore but even more unwilling to be left in the village of farmer bandits and Verne, the archer, who had insisted on accompanying them. Not unexpectedly the walk was mostly uphill, the ‘Hump’ incline beginning in earnest. There were slight slopes for long stretches then clambers up steeper slopes, following the stream which was fed by multiple sources from the mountains. They would have found it difficult to know which stream to follow except for Aalis pointing out the dying trees. These became their markers as they trekked, the water tumbling down small waterfalls, causing the air to be constantly filled with rushing water.
“Do your people never venture this far into the forest?” Judd asked Verne as he fell into step with him, passing Caste who was, as he was prone to do, falling behind.
“No.” And though Judd waited, Verne ventured nothing else to his reply.
“You’re the only one in the village with an actual weapon.”
“Yes.”
Judd wracked his brain for something more to say. “I don’t know many farmers who are archers.”
Verne managed to avoid speaking at all for his reply, shrugging instead.
Judd was wishing he had never tried to start up friendly conversation when Aalis called his name and waved him ahead. Before her was a wall of rock, a plateau that seemed to signal the start of the mountains at the back of the forest. The stream had been diminishing as they’d followed it and was dribbling down the slimy rocks, a trickle compared to its lower flow.
“Have we followed the wrong stream?” Judd asked.
“Look,” Aalis pointed at the rocks on either side of the small waterfall, “there is evidence the water flow is much wider but it has been dammed by those logs up there.”
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Judd had to step back to see where she meant. “That’d be a great way to dump the toxin into the water, build it up then release it in one go.” Aalis nodded. “I think I can climb over there. Give me a minute.”
Aalis waited at the bottom, watching Judd clamber up the rocks, Caste and Verne joining her on the carpet of leaves below. Judd reached the lip of the plateau and dragged himself up, his eyes peeking over the edge. Immediately he pulled back, his eyes wide and his face pale. He climbed down so fast he nearly slipped.
“Well?” Caste demanded. “What is it?”
“Is the source of the toxin up there?”
“Oh yeah.” Judd shuddered. “You…you really need to see it for yourself. Can you climb that?”
“Yes.” Aalis and Verne climbed the rocks, grasping at handholds until they were able to pull themselves over the edge.
Before their eyes was a large pool of water, naturally formed from another waterfall from another, smaller plateau an arrow’s flight away. And scampering around the water’s edge, jumping on each other, pushing each other and behaving like cruel, vindictive children, were goblins.
“Goblins?” Aalis whispered. “Here?”
“Claud said Sir Jesa boasted that there were no monsters in the forest.” Verne said darkly, the most he’d ever spoken in a sentence to any of them.
“I think Sir Jesa’s lack of thoroughness was not limited to maintaining his land and the protection of his people.” Aalis muttered.
“I don’t get it,” Verne leaned forward, trying to remain hidden by brush, “how are the goblins responsible for the toxin?”
Aalis shook her head, unable to fathom a reply when she saw what the goblins were doing. Her face paled and her stomach churned. She and Verne, after a wordless glance between them, scrambled down just as Judd had done minutes earlier.
“Did you see it?” Judd asked.
Aalis and Verne nodded.
“What? See what?” Caste snapped. “What did you see?”
“Goblins,” Aalis shuddered, “two score at least.”
“Goblins? But they’re limited intelligence, low ranking monsters. How could they be responsible for slowly poisoning a fort full of people? That’s beyond their comprehension.”
Aalis looked at Judd who sighed and turned to Caste. “The goblins are…they have dammed the water flow and are…relieving themselves in the pool.”
Caste blinked, the rest of him frozen.
“Two score goblins, urinating several times a day…”
“Are you telling me,” Caste said tightly, “that I drank goblin urine?”
Their pained expressions told him what he didn’t want to know. Caste heaved the contents of his stomach onto the ground and without another word, they marched back to the village.