Chapter 46 – A Bloody Trail
At last, the time has arrived. Fear you shall bring; death will follow. Feed my lust as I feed your need. The god's voice rang in Harm's mind.
He was trying to ignore it as he approached the outskirts of Sallew with the small group who had accompanied him. After deciding what he wished to do, he eventually came up with a plan. The thought of burning properties had been discounted; instead, they would strike fear through symbols.
When Harm had discussed this with Dafu, he had thought it was a stupid idea, but Harm had gone on to explain his reasoning.
Each member of the group carried waterskins filled with animal blood from their recent kills and also carried gloves. The gloves were crafted from leather offcuts and straw. They had been shaped to resemble the hand of a beast when worn. Pardew had excelled himself at designing and making them. Each member carried a bowl, and once the blood was placed in the bowl, they would dip the stamp and then mark several properties.
The plan was simple, and once completed, they would then retreat again back into the dead of night. The unexplained appearance of the symbols would hopefully bring about the rising panic that Harm was aiming for.
Even though he didn't like deliberately scaring families, he was going to visit several homes where he knew that more vocal members of the township lived. The goblins were just instructed to mark any they wished before retreating, but to do it quickly.
The problem was going to be getting in and out unseen. It had been three days since their discussion, and Harm had waited for this moment. The clouds were heavy, and the rain fell hard. On dry nights, torches would accompany the lanterns that were hung around the town, but in the current weather, only lanterns would be burning, meaning that the streets were darker than usual. His only concern had been the rain washing the symbols off the doors.
Harm could speak to the whole group through thought, so there was no need for words between them. A brilliant flash of light creased the night sky, its jagged edges visible, briefly lighting where they huddled by a low stone wall. Moments later, a loud clap of thunder filled the night. Harm doubted many guards would currently be outside in the downpour.
Go, Harm, thought. The four members dispersed into the town as the thunderclap silenced, leaving an ominous rumble in its wake. He pushed down the twisted guilt he felt in his gut as he too approached. Scaring families wasn't his thing, but battles were not won with fair tactics; it was those who held power who prevailed.
The streets were encased in shadows as Harm hurried to the first house. It was that of a town elder, a brash man named Gregor; his wife was a renowned gossip, and Harm had heard her many times spouting her opinions at Larky's in the past. He was crouched low as he hurried, his heart hammering. The property was larger than most, with a short path leading to the front door. The short wooden fence surrounding the garden was for show, not practical reasons.
Harm skipped over it and towards the door, glancing around as he did. There were no lights; the only light here was from the cloud-covered sky, where the pale moon briefly sneaked between them. He removed the bowl from his inventory as he approached, placing it on the ground before pouring some of the blood into it. Then, he put the glove on his hand. He paused briefly, looking at it, the stiff, unnatural feeling of the straw-filled leather and the mark it would leave. He dipped his hand in the bowl, the blood instantly being soaked up by the unfinished material, and applied it to the door, watching the excess blood drip down its rough wooden surface, like stray tears.
It looked perfect, and he collected the bowl and quickly left again, moving to his next target. He would have loved to mark Satil's property, but he knew that his home was too well protected. The long drive, high stone walls making it too dangerous to attempt, and he would likely have lackies watching over it.
Harm had marked two more properties when he spotted a stumbling figure on the street. He froze, panic rising in his chest, as one of his group flitted across the street ahead of him before melting into the shadows on the far side. The figure paused, tracking the movement, swaying unstably, before its head dropped and it began to sing or slur as it continued on its path home. Harm couldn't tell who it was from the distance he was.
That was too close. Harm thought before he relayed a message to the others.
Enough, return. Confirmations came through from them all as he cut back through towards their rendezvous point.
As the group vanished into the rain-washed night, a sense of triumph filled Harm. The town would be waking up to a shock in the morning.
They returned early in the morning, and Harm ordered that the four who had accompanied him were to get the best meat cuts from that evening's meal. The group had shown their surprise and gratefulness for the offer. It was the least Harm could do for the risk they had taken. Thankfully, the night had been in their favour, and Harm only hoped that the day would bring the result he hoped for.
Harm woke later that day after his night's activities to the banging on his hut door.
"What is it?" Harm called grumpily from being awoken. He had been dreaming about Dahlia's birthday, and he felt moisture on his cheek. He wiped his face as he walked ot the door.
Mante stood in the doorway as Harm pulled it open.
"Mante, what's wrong?" Harm asked, the goblin had never been to his hut before.
"I'm not sure yet, but I needed to let you know as I couldn't locate Dafu or Luubu. One of the hunting parties has returned, and they have reported movement in the valley. They spotted it from the western edge, you know, by the bluff?"
Harm knew where he meant; it was an almost vertical cliff face that stood proudly on the valley side. Nothing could climb the rock face; it was so unstable. The forest area leading to it was one of the primary hunting grounds, as it was rich with hoglings and deer. "What did they see?"
"There was a group of men moving along the valley's edge. They appeared to be looking for something."
Harm frowned. "What would they be looking for?"
"The only conclusion I have is a path up to the ridge; there is nothing else there."
"Fuck. If they are trying to come up onto the ridge, they may end up discovering our routes."
"That's my concern," Mante nodded.
"You say you couldn't find Dafu or Luubu?"
"No," Mante shrugged.
"I bet I know where they are," Harm said as he grabbed his jacket before leaving the hut. A fine rain still fell outside. He sloshed across the flooded ground from last night's downpour. One thing the clan area lacked was decent paths, and he would have to rectify that.
On reaching their hut, he unceremoniously threw the door open and walked inside.
"Not during the day..." he petered off before stepping back outside. "And put it away," he bellowed.
Several moments passed as a rather flushed Dafu appeared in the hut doorway, pulling his jacket on.
"Sorry, Harm. She grabbed me," Dafu stammered.
Luubu appeared behind Dafu and then brushed past Harm. "Females have needs, you know; maybe if you got with Carli, you would understand," Luubu huffed.
Harm turned to watch her walk away, his mouth wide, unsure how to respond. He turned back to Dafu. "There are reports of men near the bluff. Mante believes they are looking for a path up."
"Why now?" Dafu frowned.
"Maybe last night, I don't know."
"Shit. I'll get the scouts out and keep watch."
"The weather was horrendous last night. Get the scouts to check; we didn't leave any obvious signs of our passage."
"Will do," Dafu said as he jogged off.
"And tell them to hurry," Harm called after him.
Harm spotted Luubu standing by the fire pit, where they had water barrels, as she filled a mug. He walked over, trying to work out what he would say.
Luubu turned as he approached, his feet squelching in the mud. She sneered.
"Luubu, can you please not drag Dafu from his duties in the daytime?" Harm asked as gently as he could.
Luubu's sneer turned into a snarl. "Why should I wait when I want what I want? I'm not going to be healthy forever."
Harm stood dumbfounded. "What do you want?"
"A sprogling, what do you think I want?" Luubu hissed.
Harm lifted his hands placatingly. "I didn't know that you two of you were that serious."
That comment made Luubu frown. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you aren't married."
"And what has that got to do with sproglings?"
"Erm..." Harm knew he had started a conversation that he had no idea how to get out of. He stood there flummoxed as he tried to gather his thoughts. At no point had he ever discussed the relationship rituals of goblins, and he had absolutely no idea how they worked.
"Sorry," Harm stammered. His cheeks felt hot. "I assumed that you had similar beliefs to mine."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, we," Harm emphasised the ‘we’ by pointing at himself, "rarely have children out of marriage."
"Luubu," Dafu called.
Luubu turned.
"We need some fighters to accompany the scouts in case of problems. Who do you want to send?"
Luubu was, after all, the strangest fighter the goblins had apart from Harm, and on hearing that, her attitude changed immediately as she walked over, giving Dafu a list of names.
Harm took the moment to back away and headed back to his hut. His mind was a mess; he felt like an absolute fool being so presumptuous and would have to speak to Dafu when he was away from Luubu to learn more. He commanded the clan, devised strategies against Satil, yet understood so little about the beings that he led.
Harm had been staring at the valley map that still took up a large area of his hut's floor since returning. The detail was impressive, and the scouts would provide him with regular updates on it. Areas were marked where the best hunting and foraging were, and so on. It was no longer just a map of the valley, but a strategic planning tool for all activities.
The maps they could access on their displays had no details unless you had actually been to an area, and still, so much of the ridge on his own was greyed out. It was yet another area he needed to work on.
Now, though the map in his hut appeared wrong, the detail skewed as his mind raced. Every time he thought they were making progress, something unexpected came up.
"Harm," Dafu called from the door.
"Hey! Sorry about before," Harm said, still feeling embarrassed by Luubu's conversation.
Dafu just frowned. "For what?"
It was obvious to Harm that Luubu hadn't mentioned the conversation they had had with Dafu yet. "It doesn't matter now. What do you need?"
"The scouts have identified a slight problem."
Harm hadn't been back in his hut long. "What problem?"
Dafu nervously scratched his ear stump that had been cut off. "Erm, there's a trail leading to the clan."
"What do you mean by leading to the clan?" Harm said, standing, his temper immediately flaring.
"It appears that one of the waterskins that had the blood in it was leaking; there is a clear path from the clan to the valley."
"Fuck. Shit. Whose was it?" Harm fumed.
"Well... yours."
"What?" Harm said, eyes opening like saucers.
"I've checked with the others, and theirs were still stored in their inventories."
"Oh, fuck." Harm suddenly felt a wave of nausea. He had attached the waterskin to his belt when he had been in town and hadn't placed it in his inventory on his return. His eyes slowly shifted to the corner of the hut where he had dropped it on returning, and there, as clear as day, was a dark stain on the hut floor. He had been pretty sure it wasn't leaking.
How the fuck can I have been so careless? He thought there had to be no other explanation.
"He placed his head in his hands. Shit, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, mistakes happen," Dafu said with a smile. "The scouts are clearing it as they go. Even if they find it and start up into the hills, the trail will eventually run dry for them."
"That's not the fucking point, and you know it isn't. It was fucking stupid of me," Harm pounded his fist into his palm, before moving to his bed and sitting heavily on the edge, again his head in his hands. He looked at his trousers before frowning. There was no sign of blood on them, and it should have stained them if it had been leaking where it had been fixed to his belt.
Guests and death! What fun there will be! The god's voice whispered in his mind.
"Was this you?" Harm said aloud, furious at the sudden intrusion into his mind.
"Sorry?" Dafu frowned.
"Fuck, not you," Harm said, shaking his head. He had never mentioned the god of death to anyone.
Did you do this? Harm thought.
What if I did? Would you care? Are you not the one with the gifts of a demon? That you need to share. The god's voice was almost melodic.
"I'm sure it wasn't leaking," Harm said, rubbing his brow and looking at the hut corner where it most definitely had been.
"It's fine. We've located it and are dealing with it," Dafu said, attempting to placate him.
"It's not fucking fine," Harm said, throwing himself back on his bed.
"Harm..."
"Don't," Harm cut Dafu off, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.
Harm stayed still and waited until his friend left the hut again, sighing as he did. He heard muffled voices outside before he turned over.
Did you sabotage the trip? Harm spat in his thoughts at the god.
Not sabotage, a drop here, a splash there. That was all. It's been so long since you fed me, the snivelling voice replied.
So, you try to endanger the whole clan to force my hand instead?
Force, no, not force. I just wish to speed things up a little. Your clan is well-equipped and has been training diligently. Much better than the feral beasts you first met. You should be proud of what you have achieved, but it's now time for action.
Time for action? By potentially bringing a mercenary group to our door?
I was getting bored, the god said, sighing. I've given you so much, and yet you dither. I only ask one thing of you.
Given me so much? You gave me a glass bauble; that's all.
Really? What about your language, your vision, your strength, your stamina?
Harm creased his brow. What do you mean by that?
Again, the god sighed. Do you ever consider what you have here? What you have achieved in such a short time. Do you think it's natural?
Are you telling me this wouldn't have happened without you?
The god laughed in a mocking tone, dry and unrepentant. Perhaps, perhaps not. We will never know.
"Fuck," Harm screamed, the word tearing from his throat as he stood again. If it was time for action, it would be under his terms and no others, not even a manipulating god.
