aBook: 4

  Chapter 5

  Takin’ Care Of Business

  Sweet commerce sang a song all its own, played out in the mixing and mingling of efforts, crafts, ideas and resources, all around her. Shai felt it through her innate gifts and her attunement to lady Thirp, whose influence was strong among the many goblins and beastfolk bustling about.

  She thrilled to the melody of trading goods in barter, the harmony of shared labor and the soaring fancies of those who dare dream of new things and ideas. That there were no coins in this domain yet was a sore spot, she missed the jingle and sigh of iron, copper and bronze sliding across her counters.

  But guests and customers who paid in amethysts, freshwater pearls and fossilized oddities from ages past were welcome too. Shai scooped a small opal up and eyed it dubiously

  “Aye, tis fine indeed, but I’ll need another like it or something of equal worth to part with that.”

  Long, slim and gracefully curved, a slender thorn of bright polished steel lay on the counter between the two women. A very light pommel, led into a long, oval, cord and rayskin wrapped hilt with a simple disk guard, just under three feet of gently curved, keen edged danger lay there, glinting in the shop lights. A scabbard of lacquered wood, mounted with monster bone fittings waited, as well as a sash of undyed spider-silk, gleaming silver.

  “I has only the one…” The muscular, dark green forest goblin sighed, wringing her calloused hands in concern. “What about these? I has been finding these lately…” She mumbled, fumbling out a pouch filled with small glittering lumps. “Always saw them, but now I think they’re pretty too.”

  Irregularly shaped and sized golden nuggets scattered across the workbench, spilling from the open mouth of the pouch in a shining spray.

  “Ahh! Placer gold! We can make a bargain here!” The big smith cooed excitedly.

  “And ye show me where ye find these, I’ll teach ye the secrets of gathering more, love.”

  “Don’t want more, want a shiny long-knife like princess Daisybelle’s.” Lucy muttered hopefully.

  “Ah, ye dinnae see… Tis gold, a thing of value in the lands of men, and soon here too, methinks. Gold, my love. Tis gold!” Shai whispered excitedly, leaning close to the much smaller woman.

  “Gold?” Lucy said the word as if it tasted funny. “Gold… I likes that!” Together, the goblin and the human woman climbed the royal hill to look out over the valley, from outside the king’s gate.

  “Over there… where the river falls out of the hills… Lucy’s favorite hunting ground. Many tasty things!” She purred, thinking of crunchy, wriggly forest bugs, wrapped in spicebush leaves with a few sour berries… “One day to walk there, but is where I found the golds, too!” She purred again, smiling sweetly.

  Soon, the two were on their way, with Rio, Barry, Lindsey and Flash coming along, marching toward the stables, smiling eagerly.

  “So what is this, Golspanning?” Lucy asked, holding up a wide, shallow dish of polished steel. “Are we eating something from these big bowls? Is it fish!”

  “We might do some fishing too…” Rio suggested, he and his mother smiled eagerly at the thought. “I brought my gear just in case.”

  “Good lad! That’s my son!” She cooed warmly at her big, handsome lad. “Let’s mount up.”

  /

  Lucy only wanted a long-knife like Daisybelle’s… Suddenly these tall-folks had her swept up in some weirdly excited hunting party, bustling her along toward the gate. The older boy did promise fishies, though… tasty fishies!

  At the house that smelled like horsies, the red haired tall-woman said something weird, which was nothing new, but it sounded like ‘mount up’...

  “Rio, Lucy will be riding with thee, so be gentle!” The giant woman cautioned her son, which Lucy’s overstimulated mind fully understood, a little too late.

  “Tis good we kept yer old baby carrier, Barry.” Shai purred warmly at the tall girl with the pet horsie. “I did pedal many a mile with our boy strapped on me back… Poor Barry always did fret so, when he must needs ride with his papa.”

  “Mom! That’s weird, embarrassing and I’m pretty sure you made all of that up.” The tall boy complained, while his older brother laughed and mumbled something, from behind her…

  Lucy laughed along with them, mostly out of pure nervous anxiety among these giants. Her mind swirled, awash in new things, new people, thoughts of a shiny-knife and sweet, fresh fishies…

  Without warning, two huge boy-hands grabbed her up under her arms and settled her in a bag, which quickly got strapped to the big, wide boy’s back.

  She wrestled down a brief moment of pure, animal panic, at being grabbed up by the giant boy and restrained, but this was Daisybelle’s new pack… Her arms and legs were free, but she dangled there, hanging from him in a strange seat made of cloth.

  “Hey… human-boy-Rio! Puts me downs! I kin walks!” She grumbled in his very biteable ear. “Nub need a baby-basket!”

  “It’s safe, Lucy. I was scared at first too, but it’s safe.” The tall-girl whispered, leaning close to address her quietly. She was Daisy’s special friend and King-papa’s too… “We are going to be moving fast, like the warg riders do. Barry and I will be right behind you all the way.”

  “Okies, Lindsey-girl. You is royal-friend… trust.” Lucy muttered, feeling strangely warm, safe and vulnerable, high up on this giant boy’s back. “If I get scared, maybe I bite this boy.” She warned her mount. “Humans, always weird.”

  Things got weirder, as the tall-folk straddled some kind of stick things and Lindsey clambered on Barry’s back riding on his whatever-it-was with him… Riding indeed! They slid away silently and went so fast!

  It was just like riding a warg; but incredibly stupid and not cozy at all! They almost flew down the trails that laced the valley, cut by industrious goblins at their king’s command and maintained by his retainers.

  Shady, loamy trails led all over the place and up into the hills, leading from water sources to the places where the king made fruit trees and vines grow with his magic of ‘agriculture’ and ‘permaculture’ and other places, where herbs grew or tasty bugs gathered.

  Lucy watched her home sway by, moving fast and smoothly down those familiar trails, from a new perspective. With a soft, jarring flash of insight, she realized just how far ahead King-papa had been looking, and just how much she had to learn from him and his new friends.

  At the place where the trails became rocky and the hills rose, they stopped for a snack, while the boys made their strange stick-and-hoop things vanish away, just like King-papa made things disappear.

  “Are they… all like King-papa?” She asked Lindsey weakly, from the blanket on the ground they shared with the horsie, while the others bustled about making things and food appear from nowhere.

  “I’m afraid so, Lucy. They mean well, I think.” She answered with a small giggle. “They are very strange, though.”

  “Is okie, then.” She sighed, curling up with her head on Lindsey’s lap, taking a long, slow and indelicate sniff. “You smell nice, new-sister. Do all human girls smell like warm boy and horsie?”

  “The lucky ones do.” She whispered, while Barry brought them lunch in the shade.

  /

  Lucy had to admit, to come a whole day’s walk before lunch was too-too nice. Even wargs weren't so swift and human boys smelled so nice too! She almost laughed with relief, when they set out on foot, following her up the steep and rocky paths to her hunting grounds in the hills.

  Through the tall rocks and around a narrow cliff, her stoney, forested little haven spread out before them. The small river in her canyon clattered merrily over the stones, cutting through a wide slope of tumbled and broken stone. Fallen from the mountains above in ages long forgotten, the hillside of boulders and shattered rocks was now thinly forested with pine and cedar. On the canyon floor, vegetation flourished and broadleaf trees created a shady and inviting canopy.

  “Is special place… Mama hunted a wild gobb-man to have me, she caught him here!” She announced proudly. “If King-papa doesn’t stuff me babyful next time, I’mma hunt one too!”

  “So, you aren’t one of Ghnash’s daughters?” Lindsey asked, as they took a break.

  “Nub nub. Mama got smooshed by King-papa many times, but nub babyful. Had to hunt for babystuff in the wilds. Catch and release, wild caught, organic!” She sighed sadly and wilted a little. “Wild Gobb-men are awful and gross, but their babystuff always works. Is trade off, I suppose.”

  “You hunt goblin men…?” Lindsey asked quietly. “For… that?”

  “Yub-yub! Tummytime feels good, at first, but too-long-too-long and it hurts! Hurts lots, only getting smooshed helps. If girl comes up babyful, is all great! Nub babyful, tummytime comes roaring back in two, maybe three days. Hurts so much!” She sighed and shook her head sadly. “Is tea and herbs that help,or can delay, but once tummytime starts… Gotta get babyful.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I see…” Lindsey muttered, her mind in a whirl.

  “I has had two pups!” She announced merrily. “Both boys, but is nice memory anyway. Every-gob wants a daughter, even if is nub a princess from great King-papa’s mighty babystick.”

  “You’ve had two children?” She asked the small, green girl beside her. Lucy was young, lean, muscular and absurdly fit, her every line and angle displaying an athlete's balance and grace.

  “Yub-yub!” She swatted her flat belly and sighed. “Had tummytime charms cast three times now; but I wants a pup to suckle, once more. I let the charms end this season. I give King-papa another stab at filling me up, before I catch a wild one.”

  “Where are your sons now?” Lindsey asked, her curiosity about the tiny woman growing stronger by the moment.

  “Sons? Nub gruk. Boys must go wander the wilds before their babysticks rise.” She sighed sadly and shook her head. “We teach them what we can before they go wild, but never will know their fates. All boys go mad and must leave home. Only King-papa keeps smarts, when it rises.”

  “How… fortunate.” She remarked drily. “So all goblin men are wild, save king Ghnash?”

  “Yub yub. Live like animals, only seek other gobbs out when they smell a ripe tummy on the wind. Nub really wicked, just dumb and horny.” She shrugged again.

  “Is a rough ride, if the boy catches the girl, so mostly we hunt in packs and share! Hunt-sisters have a special bond for life! My pack will gather next tummy season and stalk these hills…”

  “You catch them and…” Lindsey coughed slightly and continued, blushing brightly. “And release them after… harvesting?”

  “Oh, yub! We tattoo them after, so we gruk if we grab the same gobb twice…” She smiled and nodded happily. Some are almost tame, have many tattoos and linger near girl-towns. Those is fun, cause they gruk the game. Some can even talk a little! Mostly just to ask for more booty or food, then more booty.” She smiled wickedly and laughed. “They never ask to be let go, nub till there’s nub more unstuffed bellies around.”

  “That’s… interesting!” Lindsey murmured over her notebook. “The male goblins you capture repeatedly, in your experience, do they behave differently than the normal run of goblin men?”

  “Oh yub-yub once drugged, tied up and stiff, they never try to bite or escape like truly wild gobbs! King-papa calls them semi-domesticated!” Lucy enthused merrily. “Nub big and thick like King’s staff, but is a good-good ride!”

  “I’ll make a note of your opinion, Lucy.” She mumbled eagerly. “The duchess will be very pleased by this information!”

  “Who’s Duchess? She likes big, stiff gobb-cocks too?” Lucy asked eagerly, as she peered over Lindsey’s shoulder at her notes. “Are you coloring? I like coloring too! King-papa’s friends bring pictures and coloring sticks for us when they visit, sometimes!”

  When they resumed the march, Lucy took the lead again, showing the way to her secret shiny rock finding spot. A wide slope rose from the far end of the little canyon, spilling across in a grassy, lumpy expanse, studded with boulders. Where the stream entered from above, shattered quartz rolled downstream, tumbling down the long, steep series of falls in a misting, clattering spray.

  “Shiny rocks came from this noisy river!” Lucy announced merrily. “Come Lindsey! Let’s go fishing!” The lanky, grey eyed girl found herself dragged off to a bend where the water slowed and deepened bringing Barry along by simple gravitational pull.

  Shai and Rio watched the kids wander away with their new green friend and smiled, before producing shovels, classifiers and a sluice box from their shadows. Mother and son silently turned on the wide, deep gravel bed at the foot of the mountain and got to work.

  /

  Amy and Perry forged kitchen and skinning knives as quickly as they could, once their whole stock sold out, just as Rio was busily making kitchen-ware in his workshop across the way, with Gandree. Cookpots and frying pans landed in goblin town like bombs. Knives they had, steel was a huge upgrade, not a sea change.

  Steel cooking tools turned goblin cuisine on its head overnight, as the delicious things they traded from the humans became possible in their own homes.

  Fried eggs that didn’t taste like rocks or have stone chips in them were just the beginning! Omelettes, scrambled, over easy, sunny side up… and the meats, oh the seared sizzled meat with pan sauce made from drippings…

  Every-gob wanted a steel knife, but every-gob needed a frying pan. The hard working smiths and tinkers barely finished one project, before launching into the next, feverishly struggling to meet the demand.

  Goblins ran to the town by the lake as well, trading with those worthy smiths for the first time, now that they could use the products of the forges of Human-town.

  /

  Far downstream of the industrial activities at the gravel bar, Lindsey and Barry lounged against Flash in the sunshine, dangling lines in the water, while Lucy looked on with deep interest. “We have seen humans fishing, but it is not something we could do. We hunt with spear and club, stalking the shallows, or lay fish traps.” She purred, lounging naked in the sun and rolling over once in a while. Her eyes remained on the action and her two friends despite her antics.

  “So, clothing, my dear…” Lindsey began carefully.

  “Yub-yub, we wear clothes around human strangers, cause they can be weird, sometimes. Nub like new friends, you is good-good!” Lucy enthused. “King-papa says humans get cold easy and some even get burnt by the sun! Is really true? Is why humans wear clothes, even among kin, lovers and friends?”

  Her wide, innocent eyes begged for an answer, the curious little darling. Barry was of course, no help at all. He sat there, blushing and pretending that his fishing tackle was absorbing his full attention.

  “Yes, that’s a part of it… we also have some cultural taboos about nudity…” She began, which elicited only a shrug from the gobb-girl’s shapely green shoulders.

  “Oh! Fishie! We gonna eat it raw?” She bounced and gigged eagerly, when Barry’s pole bent and he began to wrestle something ashore.

  “Let’s catch it first, Luce…” Barry grunted, as Lindsey joined the struggling lad on the pole. “It’s big and strong.”

  “Oh, goodie! Is maybe monster fish? I has new spear and long-knife to test!” Lucy cooed warmly, her hands drifting to the sash and baldric that were her only garments. Her curved sword dangled at her hip, while a short, bronze tipped and hefty spear hung on her back. Aside from that, only the briefest loincloth and a strand or two of colorful clay beads covered her…

  Linsey and Barry, in light traveling gear of cloth and hardened leather and lightly armed with just long knives and Barry’s short, brutish war-shovel, were little better equipped for a battle than their diminutive guide. Lucy seemed confident, even if she did stay well back from the water’s edge.

  “Monster salmon! Is catadumbass… catgabucal… It swims in sea and then comes back here to make new fishies! King-papa has bounty on these! Monster salmon eat all other salmon, no new fishies after that! No tasty bears either! Pee-stone specieses!” She shouted eagerly. “Fisheries management!”

  “Yeah, fisheries management…” Barry agreed, with his hands full of very angry fishing pole. “It’s in the shallows Lin, get your spear, it’s behind me on the grass.”

  “You brought it?” She muttered, disbelieving, even as she retrieved the long slender weapon from the grass, where it lay in Barry’s shadow. “Silly boy!”

  “I bring a full kit everywhere, Lin… Everywhere.” He grunted, with a mighty heave and a step back from the shore. “Get ready, it’s big!”

  Ten feet of silver scaled, horned and tusked nightmare fish surged for the shore, ramming into a fallen log her canny lad stood behind. In the reedy shallows, it thrashed and hurled itself at the man holding the fishing pole, mindlessly aggressive and enraged by the hook in its mouth.

  Barry skipped to the left, drawing the furious beast after him with a few sharp tugs at his line. “Go for the gill slits, girls, I’ll hold it!” He shouted, while cranking his reel and pulling hard for the shore.

  The monster fish resisted with mindless fury, opening its heavily armored suit of scales for a brief moment.

  Lindsey thrust from her hips, swinging her whole body into a graceful lunge; her long, slim lance struck true, as the muddy water turned red. The monster fish rolled, dragging the weapon from the young lancer’s hands and spilling her into the shallows on her knees, spitting filth and fish blood.

  “Fisheries Management!” Lucy cried, as she took a running leap at the not very slowly dying fish hurling itself at the young humans with the last of its waning but still considerable energies.

  The burly goblin lass’ new short-spear flashed down, right behind the head where the scales were thinnest, cutting the connection between the beast’s thinkin’ stuff and its body, just like her mama taught her! The wide blade didn’t shatter like her stone axes always did when she hunted these… Yay for metal stuff!

  The monster fish kept biting and trying, but its body lay there, unmoving until the light left its eyes.

  Muddy, bloody, wet and exhausted, the three bipeds insisted that Flash help them drag the awful thing out of the river, which he was pretty sure was not in his job description.

  “I’m gonna need your word on that, Lindsey… You shorted me by two sugar cubes yesterday!” Flash grumbled sourly.

  “Greedy-gut, I can’t believe you counted!” She fired back, arguing good naturedly to amuse Lucy, while Barry cut and stowed the terrifying fish. No one could watch, since he had to slip it into his shadow as he worked on the huge’ unwieldy creature’s corpse.

  That he was stripped bare and covered with fish blood, loose scales and fish fat was both upsetting and oddly compelling. Lindsey tried to avoid looking, but he was right there…

  Lucy had no qualms at all, enjoying the show with good cheer and open admiration.

  “Lindsey chooses well… He’s nicely formed and smells good too!” The goblin warrior hooted and jeered at Barry, while pretending to speak to her girlfriend on the shore.

  “Does he fetch you juicy bugs and shiny rocks? I heard human boys do that!”

  “Lucy, be nice.” Rio muttered, as he stepped into their clearing. “Lindsey is being very patient with you, but she does not wish to play this game with you.” He turned to the red face, grey eyed girl sitting on the mossy bank and smiled.

  “Goblins don’t understand human courtship and taboos, Lindsey. They literally can’t grasp our culture, until they have a fully formed society of their own.”

  “Oh, wide boy is smart-smart!” Lucy purred happily. “King-papa says we need learn all kinda stuff, so we can learn new things!” She shrugged and grinned with her sharp, white teeth on display. “Can we eats fishie now?”

  “Yes we can, we put up a bit of a camp over by the gravel bed. Mom’s waiting there.” Rio grunted, while helping Barry with the fish’s massive head. Even with the tusks removed it was a big job, fitting it in. Rio put his shoulder to it and scooted the thing into his brother’s shadow by inches, without looking at where he was going. Barry directed him with hand signals and took an odd pose that allowed his shadow to stretch wide enough for the awful thing to… Lindsey, please! Look away, this is really tough, and I’m naked!”

  With an almost inaudible squeak, Lindsey buried her face in Flash’s mane.

  Rio’s casual mention of a ‘camp’ raised Lindsey’s hopes, since she was tired, wet and covered in silty mud Lucy was, of course, just fine. She had scraped the worst of the crud and mud off with some rank wild grasses and had a quick rinse in a clear, fast flowing bit of the river, emerging nicely clean.

  Lindsey leaned on her lance as they walked back up the trail, struggling in her heavy, soggy clothes, while Barry and Rio stayed behind and tried to get some of the filth off at the scene of the crime.

  “Not even any boys. Get nakie and wipe off. Lucy will help.” The goblin suggested eagerly. “Long, leggy Lindsey will get nasty rash.”

  Uncomfortable and carrying a change of fresh, dry clothes from Barry’s storage gift in Flash’s panniers, she succumbed and slipped into the brush with her friend for a wash up, goblin style.

  “Mash up this grass and these stalks, see juicy and foamy… Might stain you kinda green though, pale girl.” Lucy purred, as she scrubbed Lindsey’s back. “Will wash off. Till then, you honorary goblin sister.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine, Lucy… Thank you.” The tall girl whispered softly as she dressed, after a rinse with ice cold water from the river. “That was terribly itchy!”

  “Was fun! You has ticklish pupfeeders!” The grabby gobbo jeered, as the boys came slowly into view, a quarter mile down the hill. “Oh, just in time! Hi boys! Catch up-up!”

  /

  ‘Camp’ was up to the usual Ward family standards… A cozy roundhouse stood nearby, beside a pool of hot, steaming water, the slate roof and stone walls were mossy and coated with flowering vines, where windows did not peer out through the well groomed verdure.

  A spiral of smoke rose from the chimney and mistress Shai stood on the modest porch, smiling with welcome.

  “Tis rich indeed, this patch of gravel. We encamp here this night, perhaps another, too!”

  “Your mother… Does she have gold fever?” Lindsey asked softly.

  “Oh, you have no idea. Rio too.” Barry whispered. “We’ll make an absolute fortune, but they’ll work us like slaves.”

  “A fortune? I have this hungry horse to feed now… and a boy with a bottomless appetite too, I suppose.” She muttered, while stroking her chin thoughtfully. “I can keep up for a day or two.”

  /

  “All right, but if you need to tap out, don’t hesitate. It’s going to be busy.” Amy told Daisybelle, when she offered to help on the sales floor. “Just follow Rio’s advice and be confident. We have the best stuff available and your sisters will get fair deals. Promise!”

  “Yub-yub! I’ll skin them good!” The little green nightmare chittered excitedly. “Daisybelle good at gambling!”

  “Gambling? No dear. We’re trading…” Amy murmured, a worried frown crossing her face.

  “Yub, same same. Bluff, lie, cheat and marked cards! Is business!” Daisy asserted confidently.

  “Daze… We’re not running a crooked casino, we’re crafting and trading goods, right?” Gandree reminded her gently.

  “Sure! Where do you keep the loaded dice?” She asked merrily, while stealing a kiss from her boy.

  /