Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains (24 page)

"Why don't you ask
them?"

"I have."

"Don't keep me waiting. Make
your accusation. Tell me of what crimes I have committed. Enlighten me as to
what act of depravity it is with which you wish to charge me."

Holli grimaced. She had nothing on
the steward. He had guided her to that very point, and like a fool, she walked
right along with him.

Prilgrat didn't allow the tense
silence to hold for long.

"Of course, I forgot. I'm
conspiring
with goblins. That seems to be
the one charge you have made. Very well, what crimes have the goblins
committed? Have they assaulted anyone, attacked some farm or merchant shop that
I'm not aware of? Have they stolen something, forced someone off their land? If
so, please let me know. We don't allow that kind of thing here in the valleys.
I admit it has happened, but we've been very diligent in enforcing the laws.
Goblins are not free to create chaos here. If you haven't learned that by
watching Ashlan, then you're not as good as I expected."

Holli admitted she could not
expose the steward as a criminal, but she wasn't ready to concede victory over
the meeting itself.

"You seem very sure of
yourself. You speak of accusations. Perhaps it's time you make yours. You
ordered us held. That has been proven by your own words and the very messages
you sent out. What crime have
we
committed? Is entering the valleys now a punishable offense?"

"I thought we were talking
about my crimes, not yours."

"You are the one who brought
up the topic. You were ready to defend your honor. Are you not willing to allow
me the same consideration?" The elf had succeeded in turning the tables on
the politician and she now used it to her full advantage. "Explain to me
why you issued the order to have us captured, or are you going to deny the
existence of such an order?"

Prilgrat's smile faded slightly.
He knew he could not make the denial. The edict had been sent across the
southern portions of the Great Valleys.

"I did not wish you captured
for any crime. I simply wanted you held for questioning."

"So when innocent travelers
enter the Great Valleys,
they are now subject to interrogation by the regional steward? Is that a policy
that you have made public? Do you apply it to all travelers, or just elves and
delvers?"

The steward's smile washed clear
away. He didn't care to be outmaneuvered, and he worked to regain the
advantage.

"You completely misinterpret
the situation. I am aware that you have questions. Rather than have you causing
suspicion throughout the valleys, I wanted to confront you directly and assure
you that your concerns are unnecessary."

"I doubt you are worried
about our concerns. My guess is that you do not want Enin entering the valley
and looking into your activities."

If the mention of the great wizard
was supposed to invoke fear in the steward, it did not. Prilgrat latched on to
the mention of Enin as if it explained all of his actions.

"This is exactly what I'm
talking about. I'm well aware that many have left the valleys and have headed
west through Pride Gap. I'm not an idiot. Word has spread of a powerful wizard
protecting the regions near the Colad
Mountains and Dark
Spruce Forest.
Of course I expected someone to come out here eventually. Enin himself is
welcome here."

"And if you know who we are then
you know I am Enin's guard, his eyes and ears. He can see what I see and hear
what I hear."

"And that's why I wished to
talk to you. The valleys are vast and having you prowling around each and every
town was just going to raise suspicion and tension. That is what I hope to
avoid. I couldn't simply go out and meet you in the wilderness. How would I
find you? Where would I start? No, a reasonable person uses the tools available
to him. I did not put out an order to have you arrested or to have you held for
some pointless questions. I sent out a note to the town leaders in order to
ensure I could speak with you directly and alleviate any of your concerns. That
is why they were asked to hold you. Makes sense, does it not?"

Prilgrat's smile returned, as if he
silenced a critic with some great moment of brilliance. What he did not realize
was that Holli nudged him to a point of vulnerability, he just didn't recognize
it.

"If that is the true reason
for your order, then I assume you are willing to answer my questions."

"I haven't avoided them
yet."

"I believe you have, but I
also have many other questions to ask. Are you willing to answer them or
not?"

"I am."

Holli hoped she finally gained
compliance from the steward, and she focused immediately on the most vexing
issues.

"Why did you allow goblins
into the city?"

"Why should I prohibit them
from entering?"

"Answering a question with a
question is not cooperating. Perhaps I should simply summon Enin now."

"You can if you like, but I
will try to be more accommodating. You asked why I let the goblins into the
city. For whatever reason, goblins are now part of Uton. We could either fight
them or accept them. I chose to accept them, as long as they respect our
laws."

"And respecting the law
qualified them to become farmers?"

"I don't believe I follow
you," Prilgrat feigned.

"As I said before, land
councils have turned over abandon farms to goblins. The land was not put up for
sale, it has not been offered to humans that would put them to far better use.
What sense is there in turning fertile lands over to goblins that do not know
how to use them?"

"Give them time. They haven't
had the opportunity. That's all they need."

"Opportunity?
I believe you are giving them just that. Do you not see the inherent danger in
allowing a horde of dark creatures to take sanctuary in your cities and to
overrun your farmlands?"

"You seem to be consumed with
the idea that goblins are unable to live side-by-side with humans."

"All of elflore supports that
position."

"I am not concerned with
ancient legends rooted in fable."

"And are you concerned with
events not so long past? The city of Connel
was attacked by a great goblin horde. That is no fable."

"The issues of the west are
not necessarily the same for us. Perhaps if the people of Connel approached the
matter of goblins as I have done, they would have never been invaded."

"You are actually blaming the
people of Connel for the goblin attack on their city?"

"I am simply pointing out
that there has been no grand attack in the valleys. Yes, I admit there have
been moments of tension, but we have moved past that."

Prilgrat paused to nod to the
goblin that had remained silent.

"This is Mivoy. He is the
head delegate of the goblins in Ashlan. He and I work together to keep an
understanding between goblins and humans. Perhaps I should let him tell you of
the goblin point of view."

The goblin's gray face revealed an
expression of apprehension as the creature looked to the steward with momentary
confusion.

"Don't worry," the
steward offered in a calming tone. "Tell them both exactly how you see
things. Be totally honest with them. I mean it."

Mivoy's eyes narrowed in greater
disbelief, until he shrugged, and with a demeanor of defiance, admitted his
feelings toward the people of Ashlan.

"We have no love for the
humans, but we have learned much. If you shoot arrows at humans, they'll shoot
back. If you steal from them, they won't let you keep it. If you try to conquer
them, they will resist. If, however, you join them in a crowd, they won't
notice until you outnumber them, and then they will just leave."

"And there you have it,"
Prilgrat noted with a surprising laugh. "Now, I wouldn't quite put it the
same way, but it does explain much. They've learned not to attack us or to
steal from us. They are learning to live with us."

It was Ryson who could not refrain
from pointing out what he actually heard.

"Are you serious? Didn't you
hear what he just said? They don't want to live with people. They want to force
the humans out. They're just doing it without fighting, and you're letting it
happen."

"I'm doing nothing of the
sort. I admit people have left, but they are people that cannot accept the new
order. Better for them to leave than to remain here and create conflict."

"You are delusional,"
Holli responded.

"That is how you respond to
someone who disagrees with you? You call them crazy? Far from appropriate, if
you ask me."

"And is it appropriate to
hand over control of the city to inferns?"

"Control of the city rests
with the town council... and me, of course."

"So you maintain control over
the half-demons?"

"You don't see them burning
down the city. They also maintain order. They keep the goblins in check. Mivoy
may not like the inferns, but he agrees their presence keeps conflicts to a
minimum. The goblins are putting aside their wickedness in hope of reaching a
better future."

Holli wouldn't accept that.
Goblins were not creatures that could simply discard their brutality and hatred
like an old worn out coat. They were monsters bred in a land of nightmare for
the purpose of destruction. The goblin standing before her might have been able
to place his cruelty in check, but it was temporary at best. She heard Mivoy's
disgust toward humans when the goblin honestly revealed what it thought about
the people of Ashlan. Holli decided to feed the goblin's malice.

"So Mivoy and his goblins
will cower and submit to humans because they are afraid of inferns. I knew
goblins were nothing but pawns, but I would have never guessed a goblin horde
would bend to the will of humans for the sake of peace."

Mivoy's smile disappeared, just as
Prilgrat's had dissolved. The goblin growled, but the steward tried to
intervene.

"There is no horde.
There..."

"No horde?" Holli
interrupted. "Has anyone counted the number of goblins within the city?
They could take over if they were not sniveling at the feet of every human that
walked by."

"We do not snivel!"
Mivoy hissed.

"No? I have seen it myself.
Goblins fall over themselves to avoid conflict with the humans. You know it is
true. Tell me, Mivoy, do you like having to bow to human demands? Because that
is exactly what you are doing."

"The humans make no demands.
They are beneath us."

"And what does Mivoy think of
elves?"

The mere mention of elves revived
an even greater instinctive animosity. The goblin trembled slightly with
obvious anger and when Mivoy responded, it did so with a snarl that spat out
the truth of its hatred.

"I despise them. I despise
you
. The elves have always interfered
with our plans."

"Like I am interfering
now?"

"Exactly, and I grow tired of
it."

Holli stared dead into the goblin,
spoke in the tone of a mocking dare.

"And what are you going to do
about it?"

Even with such little provocation,
Mivoy reached his breaking point and he reached for his sword as well.

Holli moved with a swiftness that
revealed she expected the move, enticed it, and reveled in her success. She
raced around the corner of the desk and caught Mivoy's wrist before the goblin
had the blade of his sword more than half removed from its scabbard. With one
quick twist, she forced the goblin to release its hold just as it screeched in
pain.

Prilgrat, though remaining seated,
put a halt to any further aggression by either side. His jovial attitude
subsided and he revealed the forceful nature of his personality.

"Stop this at once!" He
turned his gaze upon the elf and spelled out her miscalculation. "You are
breaking the law. Assaulting a goblin is just as serious as assaulting a human
in Ashlan. We play no favorites here. Do you really wish to spend time in
Ashlan's prison?"

Holli did not release her hold,
and made it clear she would accept no guilt of any crime, let alone Prilgrat's
perceived authority over her.

"I am defending myself. You
saw him."

"You antagonized him... on
purpose. I suggest you release him. My patience has a limit. I could call for
my guards and have you arrested and tried, both of you." Prilgrat then
turned a challenging stare toward Ryson. "I haven't forgotten that the
delver failed to register on entering Ashlan and ignored a lawful order from an
infern. He put many people at risk by racing through the town."

"Inferns tried to incinerate
him with demon fire," Holli replied. "What would you have had him do?
Stand there and burn?"

"I would have had him follow
the law."

"And does the law not provide
for an elf and a delver to defend themselves?"

"You still don't understand.
No one is going to believe that you were defending anything. I am a regional
steward and you are a strange elf. Do you really think people are going to
believe you over me?"

That was probably quite true, but
Holli had one more card to play.

"And if I summon Enin to sort
all of this out? Who do you think
he
is going to believe?"

"Go right ahead. What will he
do? He will take your side, and that will be his undoing. Have him remove me
from office and throw me in jail if you like. Then you can all return to Connel
after explaining how you are interfering in matters that are not your business.
Will that serve the wizard's purposes in the future? Is he willing to become overlord
for all of Uton?"

No, that was something Enin was
never willing to become. Holli released her hold on the goblin. Prilgrat had
played his own cards and proved to be a more worthy opponent than Holli
expected.