Chapter V: Preston* West (Cont. II)

*Preston is a rank in the Azurat army

The object was nothing more than a skull, jaw eaten away. It was beautifully polished, indicating that whatever had killed the man had taken the time to be neat about it.

“Lucky me……yes…..can I have? Is mine….is his first….but mine….not the man’s though….no no….lucky me I got it……it was what he want……contains…….with the brains,” the goblin muttered.

West looked up at the goblin. “Who came here? What did he want?”

The goblin stopped its babbling and looked up at the figure.

West knelt down, “Listen to me, you little rat. I don’t like your kind very much because they’re greedy little bastards. But I can tell by the tattered remains of clothes in the closet and the fact that your clothes match theirs and seem not to be ruined, that you lived here with whoever else. So now, you’re a witness….and while there are mandates against cruelty to criminals and convicts, there aren’t any against cruelty to witnesses. And I think even you in your psychotic little state understand what I’m implying.”

The goblin squeaked for a moment. “Came? Wanted? He wanted what’s in here,” the goblin tapped the skull with a nod.

West looked down at the skull, “This man knew something that the person wanted to know? What was it?”

The goblin swallowed and tried to think hard, “It was…it was…..it was…….he choked the poor man….choked him….couldn’t go down right….couldn’t go down right…….”

West slapped the goblin. “What the hell are you talking about?”

The goblin tried to collect his thoughts as he stared down at the skull. “He,” the goblin swallowed, “had it inside his head, the man…he choked him, waited for the sand to start eating him. But woman, she knew, too. She knew what was in the man’s head and wouldn’t let it be his…..she fought and died, too. He left….sand ate away at them, I plucked skull away, cuz I knew….he didn’t know I was here, but I knew what was in his head.” The goblin nodded and smiled crazily.

“What was in his head,” West prodded.

“A location,” the goblin whispered, “Don’t know where to, but big important location, he knew where something BIG was…he did, he did. He knew everything about the place…the key, the place, the things inside…he knew.

West turned as the young guard returned once more. “Sir, Fyndhart says that you are to go see the librarian right away, sir.”

West nodded and rose, pocketing the skull. “Tell me, who lived in this house, son?

The guard pulled out a tattered piece of paper frantically and read, “Oom and Oor Bithnium.” The guard’s eyes crossed as he focused all his attention on the paper.

West nodded, “I was hoping that these weren’t Orcs, but sometimes we don’t get our way, now do we, son?” West looked back at the goblin who now stared fixedly at West’s pocket. “Who could take on two full grown orcs and not even get wounded out of the whole battle?” The guard’s eyes looked up in confusion. “He didn’t get wounded, son, cuz there’s no blood leading away from here. You understand?” The guard smiled weakly. “Nevermind,” West groaned, “I’m going now…and I’m taking him with me.” West grabbed the goblin by the arm and marched past the guard whose lips tried to form a sentence.

“S….s…stop…..th…that’s ill….illegal.” The guard smiled at the statement and looked about the abandoned hut. His eyes suddenly narrowed in thought and he turned and peered outside the hut. West was already gone.