Collecting Favors Read online

  Removing the last stone revealed a figure that was slightly larger than a child, and slightly stockier than a human. Unlike what most people thought goblins looked like, they looked basically human, but with slightly larger features and green skin. Plus the six-inch, pointed ears.

  Her mumbling had stopped when Finn pulled off the first couple of rocks, and he was worried that the debris had been holding back an artery from bleeding out, and he had just inadvertently killed her.

  Penny hopped down beside the goblin’s head and, using a corner of the unconscious Fae’s hoodie, wiped at the blood on her face.

  “Grii?” Penny intoned, looking up at Finn with concern.

  He frowned, but pulled a small vial from its place in the holster. “This is the last one I have on me. I should have just kitted out all the way. Remind me to never again leave home without everything.”

  Penny shot a small blast of fire and nodded while reaching out a small hand for the vial.

  “Remember, she’s got to drink the whole thing.” He handed the healing potion to Penny, who gave him a ‘do I look stupid’ glare.

  Pulling the stopper with two talons, Penny lifted the back of the small creature’s neck to make it easier for her to swallow and put the vial to her lips. Finn reached past Penny to hold the goblin’s neck and free up Penny’s other hand, so she could pry the goblin’s lips open slightly, and slowly pour the red liquid in.

  After a second, the goblin swallowed, and Finn breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, the entire contents of the vial had gone down her throat. Now they just needed to wait for it to kick in.

  Finn sat on a fallen rock and pulled out the box of candy. He offered one to Penny, who waved him off. He frowned and put the box back in his pocket. Rarely did his friend turn down food of any kind.

  He watched as the normally roguish dragon softly brushed the goblin girl’s white hair back from her face, and he took a second to take in the goblin himself.

  The last goblin he had met had worn their traditional leather pants and shirt that had become synonymous with goblin culture, but this one was wearing sneakers, jeans, a tee-shirt, and a green hoodie. She looked like a normal girl, if not a little stocky and green-skinned. Finn bet that if she put the hood up to hide her ears and skin color, she could walk on the street without too much trouble.

  His ruminations were interrupted when the goblin girl sucked in a deep breath, and her eyes popped open. She sat up, her arms flailing as she scooted back from the pile of rubble and directly into Finn’s legs.

  She slowly looked up and made eye contact with him, her large, blue eyes instantly filling with tears. “Please, mister. Don’t hurt me.”

  Finn smiled his friendliest smile and held his hands up in surrender. “No worries, little lady. I wouldn’t hurt someone I just fed a healing potion to. That would be wasteful.” He winked and offered her a hand up.

  Blinking in slight confusion, she took his hand and stood. Standing, she was just about as tall as Finn sitting on the low rock, so they were looking each other in the eye.

  “You’re a dwarf…” she observed.

  “I am.”

  Penny fluttered up onto his shoulder and smiled.

  “This is Penny, and my name is Finn.” He offered a handshake. “And who might you be?”

  “My name is Remmy, my lord.” She bowed at the waist.

  “There’s no need for that.” Finn guided her back to standing with a gentle hand. “Have you even met a dwarf before?”

  “No. My tribe says there are none left on Earth.” She used the sleeve of her hoodie to wipe the bright red blood from her face. The skin underneath was unblemished, after the healing potion’s effects.

  “Then why would you bow?”

  “It’s taught that the dwarves were our masters back home. It is instilled in us to show deference.”

  “Well, I’m not much for formality, to tell you the truth. How about we just talk like equals?” Finn pulled out his box of Charleston Chews and offered her a few.

  She took the offered candy and looked at it like she didn’t know what to do with it.

  “You eat it.” Finn tossed a few into his mouth to show her. Penny reached out a taloned hand, and he gave her one as well. “It’s candy.”

  “I know what it is, but I’m confused as to why they are so small,” she said, finally biting into one, quickly followed by the others.

  “I don’t really know why they make them so small, but they’re really good this way.”

  They chewed in silence for a few seconds before Finn continued.

  “Can you tell me who attacked you?”

  Remmy’s face fell, but she took a breath and set her jaw. “It was the damned Kashgar. I was minding my own business, heading home to my tribe, when a dozen or more of the bastards attacked me for no reason. I heard one of them tell the others that they needed to be quiet, just before the roof collapsed on me. Something about looking for the Naga, and not wanting to alert her.”

  “The Naga?” Finn furrowed his brow. “There’s a Naga down here?”

  “Oh yeah. She’s pretty powerful, but if they catch her unaware, they could probably take her. I wouldn’t want to try it, but those bastards are crazy anyway, so this seems just up their alley. They’re probably trying to get their hands on some of the glow worms she looks after.” Remmy tried to comb out her hair with her fingers, but there was enough blood crusted in it that she wasn’t making much progress.

  “Let me guess.” Finn sighed. “The Naga’s name is Christine?”

  Remmy gave up on her hair with a huff, and just pulled her hood up. “Oh, you’ve heard of her?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been looking for her, but the map I have seems to be wrong.” Finn pulled out the folded paper and handed it to Remmy. “I would be much obliged if you could tell me where she’s located. I have business with her, and it sounds like she could use a little help.”

  Remmy studied the map for a second before shaking her head. “This thing looks like it was drawn by an idiot. There are tunnels on here that don’t exist, and some that will lead you right back to the one you came out of. I don’t even know how you got this far, to be honest.” She crumpled up the paper and tossed it over her shoulder. It plopped into the moving stream of water and floated off into the darkness. “I can lead you there. It’s the least I can do.”

  Finn glanced over to Penny, a frown on his face. She chuffed and blew a stream of smoke from one nostril. They were in agreement; this was how a goblin attached itself to someone. Make themselves indispensable, and hang on for dear life.

  Finn sighed. “That would be great, Remmy. But,” he held up a finger for emphasis, “that’s all we need. There is no reason for you to feel indebted to us. We just did what anyone would in this situation.”

  Remmy gave him a sharp-toothed smile. “We both know that most people, even a dwarf, would have left an injured goblin for dead. They wouldn’t waste a healing potion on the likes of me, those things are insanely expensive. I owe you.”

  “Fine, but show us the way to Christine’s, and we’ll call it even.” He held out a hand for her to shake. “Deal?”

  Remmy put one hand in her hoodie’s front pocket and shook with the other. “Deal.”

  Five minutes later, they were crouched beside the opening to a natural cavern, where part of the large sewer tunnel they were in had collapsed ages ago. The sound of muffled cries filtered out, along with the sound of scraping and men talking.

  Penny stuck her small head around the corner and glanced around the open space. Finn sat, patiently waiting for her report, knowing she wouldn’t miss anything.

  “What are we doing?” Remmy whispered into Finn’s ear. Her breath tickled, and he jerked his head away, smacking it on the stone wall.

  “Ow,” he whispered, rubbing the spot with the palm of his hand. “We are doing nothing. Penny is getting a lay of the land, and I’m preparing for what I hope is a quick battle. Your part of the deal is done. I don’t want
you getting that brand new body broken again out of some sense of obligation you shouldn’t have.”

  “I’m a goblin,” she whispered, a little attitude seeping into her voice. “You know we have the ability to turn invisible at will, right?”

  It was true that goblins were born with the natural ability to turn invisible, which made them naturally mischievous. Finn tried to imagine raising a child that could turn invisible, and he shuddered.

  “Remmy, I know all about your people and their abilities. So, unfortunately for you, I also know that, while you can turn invisible at will, you can only do so for a few seconds at a time. So, unless you know how to fight like a demon, you’re going to be a liability in there.”

  She narrowed her eyes and reached under her hoodie at the small of her back. Finn heard the quiet ringing of steel as she pulled a blade from a hidden sheath that must run up the middle of her back. Remmy held a short sword out for him to inspect.

  He took it and held it by the flat of the blade with both hands. The craftsmanship was excellent, but there was no tingle of magic in the metal. Despite its mundane construction, it was a perfectly balanced and maintained weapon.

  “I’m the protector and hunter for my clan.” Remmy smiled at his approving nod of her weapon. “Why do you think you didn’t run across any dire rats?”

  Finn chuckled. “It seems I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?”

  “I owe you.”

  “We shook on you not going in there. Are you going to break that deal?” He raised a questioning eyebrow.

  She smiled a mischievous smile that only a goblin could. “Actually, we made a deal that I would show you the way here.”

  “Yes, and then we were even.”

  “Well, I had my fingers crossed in my pocket, so all deals are null and void anyway.”

  “Cheeky…” Finn growled, but Penny returning and climbing up his arm cut the argument short.

  The dragon began the long process of telling him what she had seen and what the plan should be. It involved many quiet toots, squeaks, and chirps, but in the end, Finn had a good idea of what was going on.

  “What’s the plan, my lord?” Remmy whispered, excited energy making her nearly vibrate.

  Finn sighed. It was better for her to be prepared than to go in blind. She was going in, no question, even if he forbade her. Goblins were selective in their loyalty to their “lords”. He relented and told her the plan.

  “You guys are not messing around.” Remmy’s green skin had lightened a few shades during the explanation.

  “You can still back out,” Finn offered.

  She gripped her sword tighter. “Not on your life.”

  Finn nodded and turned to the opening, where Penny had gone back to watch and wait for the opportune time. “Fosgailte,” he whispered to the axe handle in his hand.

  He felt the familiar vibration of Fragar coming to life. After a fraction of a second, the axe “unfolded”. A metal rod shot out of the top of the handle, flattening at the tip. Then, in a mind-bending show of magic, the blade folded out from the flat section, then folded out again and again.

  Faster and faster the blade formed, till a single bladed axe with a long, sharp hook that curved back toward the handle gleamed in his hand. The smooth, silver blade began to pock and pit in random patterns that soon resolved themselves to be runes, covering every exposed section of metal. They burst to life with a blue glow that lit Finn’s wicked smile.

  The entire process happened in the blink of an eye, yet every bit of it was able to be seen with clarity.

  “Oh my god. You have a magic axe?” Remmy’s eyes were the size of saucers.

  “Only the best dwarven-made weapons for me. We good to go, Penny?” Finn’s eyes were a little wild with his need join the battle.

  Penny turned to him and gave a sharp nod.

  Then all hell broke loose.

  Penny was the first to move. She flapped her wings once, but her magic propelled her faster than any wing could. She shot through the opening, a streak of blue that crackled with power.

  Finn was right behind her, and stepped out to get his first look at the battlefield. It was just as Penny had described. Twelve Kashgar were in a cavern that towered twenty feet up and was covered from just above ground level to the very top in glowing green worms that lit the entire area in soft green light.

  Six of the Kashgar were harvesting bagfuls of the worms, and had their backs to the entrance. Three more were holding a twenty-foot-long Naga captive with several concentric circles of small magical bubbles linked together in a chain. They struggled slightly to keep the half woman half snake under control, but seemed to be strong enough that she was unable to break their hold. Another three Kashgar stood beside their fellows, using magic to poke and prod the Naga… for nothing more than entertainment, as far as Finn could tell.

  Meanwhile, Christine was begging them not to take so many glow worms, or the colony would die out.

  The three tormenters would be the first to die, Finn decided.

  He let out a roar of a battle cry that shook the chamber, and made all twelve of the enemy jump with fright. Even Christine’s eyes widened in fear at his primal rage.

  Finn charged the closest Kashgar, his axe raised in one hand, and his other a tight fist. The entire group was focused on him barreling toward them, and completely missed the blue streak that was Penny.

  A flash of flame and a scream from one of the Kashgar holding the Naga captive let Finn know that she had done her job well. With a momentary glance, he could see that she had gone for his eyes. Her talons left red furrows across his face, breaking his concentration. Several of the bubble chains that had bound Christine’s hands and lower arms popped out of existence, giving her a bit of leverage.

  The Naga was quick on the pickup and flexed her magical muscles. A lance of white light shot from one of her hands and completely severed another of her captors’ arms at the elbow. Her victim screamed, and another length of the bubbles popped.

  That was all Finn saw before he was in the thick of it.

  The first enemy he came upon had his eyes firmly fixed on the axe coming down at him. Finn had to give him credit for getting a bubble up in time to deflect the swing, but Finn wasn’t attacking with his axe. His fist swung up in an uppercut backed by dwarvish muscle. There was a cracking sound that reverberated through the room, and the Kashgar’s head snapped back, sending an arc of blood into the air.

  Finn didn’t wait to see what happened to the first target, knowing he was out—if not dead—from the hit, and moved onto the next. He swung Fragar in a sideways sweep, this time, giving the axe just a bit of his own magic. The axe flashed red, and sliced right through the defensive bubble and waist of the next guy. Two steps and another shot of magic later, the third Kashgar lost his head.

  Screaming with rage, Christine broke free of her last captor by blasting the Kashgar through the chest with another beam. Her first captor was stumbling around, blind, but sending out random bubbles that exploded on contact with whatever they happened to touch. She reached through his defenses and snatched him by the arm, throwing him into a cluster of his own explosive bubbles. There was a flash of light and several popping sounds, then he went from screaming enemy to nothing more than pink mist.

  About this time, the six Kashgar who still had sacks in their hands got with the program. Just as the first dropped his bounty and began to summon his magic, he was sliced across the back. A second later, Remmy appeared, her invisibility running out. Taking Finn’s instructions to heart, she darted for cover before the other five could catch her.

  One of the remaining five aimed his palm at Remmy’s retreating back, and began to gather magic. He let loose with a string of fast-moving, small bubbles, but was shortly interrupted by a thrown axe embedding itself in his chest.

  He looked down at it, an expression of bemusement on his face as if trying to figure out how an axe had appeared there seemingly of its own vol
ition. That was until the roaring form of Finn landed on his chest, a foot to either side of the axe handle. He gripped the leather-wrapped haft and jumped off the downed Kashgar with hardly a glance.

  Finn took two exploding bubbles to his side, making him grunt, but not hurting nearly as bad as the caster would have liked. Instead, the wound seemed to only enrage him as he charged the next target.

  The last three Kashgar looked at one another with wild, frightened eyes and, as one, began to run for the exit, bags still in hand. Finn stopped himself form throwing his axe into a retreating figure, but just barely.

  Instead, he roared after them. “You tell your people that this place is under my protection! Return, and the boatman will have your coin!”

  Finn took deep, ragged breaths, bringing his battle rage down to something a little less murderous before trying to assess the damage. Penny landed on his shoulder, her taloned hand resting on his cheek. She cooed and pushed some of her magic into him. Her particular brand of magic was like a salve on his burning heart. It was their agreement: he protected her, the last faerie dragon, and she kept him from ever losing control. They had a system, and it worked.

  Finn sucked in a cleansing breath, and let it out slowly, along with all the rage. “Thanks, Penny.” He reached up and patted her crest.

  In return, she headbutted him affectionately.

  “I believe your friend is in need of assistance,” a smooth and sultry female voice said, breaking them out of their post-battle ritual.

  Finn rushed to the Naga’s side. Now that he got a good look at her, he was surprised at how normal she looked from the waist up, especially in her flannel shirt. The twenty feet of snake that made up the rest of her was a little disconcerting, but not the oddest thing he had ever seen.

  Kneeling down, he saw the crumpled form of Remmy, her back a mess of bloody impacts. She groaned, and her big blue eyes flickered open.

  “Dammit, Remmy. I told you to only take attacks of opportunity. I just healed you up, and now look at you.” Finn cradled the small figure in his arms, careful not to touch the wounds. He quickly searched his harness for another healing potion, but there was nothing. “Fuck! Why did I leave home with only one potion?”