Everlast

Chapter 13; Making friends with the enemy.

Now, while the companions HAD survived the pathway through the bone forest, they were not out of the woods yet, so to speak. 

In fact, they had not gotten far from the edge of the bone forest when Ajay thought he heard a thump. And when one heard a suspicious thump in the middle of a creepy forest, one usually says something about it. 

Which is exactly what Ajay did. 

"I think I heard a thump."

"Not unusual in a forest." Grimble replied gruffly.

"But this was a suspicious thump."

"I don't bloody care what kind of thump it was. I have no desire to go back."

Ajay looked helplessly at Jareth, who nodded, drew his sword and said boldly, "We shan't be long. We'll simply have a look."

"Bah!" Grimble snorted, "Fine, but be it on your own heads!"

Heading back through the mist, they came to the very edge of the bone forest and spotted a figure laying on the ground, motionless. Raising a hand to halt Ajay, Jareth gestured to be quiet, then slowly approached the figure, body tense, until they had a good view of it.

Ajay peered at the new creature; its skin was the colour of freshly fallen snow, and black veins wove their way across the creatures' body in oddly beautiful designs. Its ears were large and sharply pointed, moreso than Emmer's, and he had facial features to match. A steep nose. A sharp jaw. Delicate lips. He was both terrible and beautiful at the same time, and that was when Ajay realized he was a goblin. 

That was also when Jareth sucked in a breath, his face going horribly pale. "No..." he whispered, "It cannot be."

"What? Do you know him?"

The Nightling nodded, pointing the tip of his sword at the fallen goblin's throat. "We cannot let him live." he said, pressing the tip of the blade into the creature's skin hard enough to draw a drop of blood black as the pits of Hades. Ajay shuddered, "No, wait! We can't just...you know." But Jareth gave him a harsh look, and for the first time that Ajay had seen, his friend had an expression filled with wrath and vengeance. It was terrifying, to say the least.

"You know not what he has done to me." Jareth's voice was thick with emotion, "To my family, to my...nevermind."

But just as Ajay was about to ask more questions, the goblin stirred, its eyes flickering open to reveal solid blackness like pits in his skull. It first looked to Ajay, then its gaze locked with Jareth's. All went silent and not even the wailing of the mist warriors could penetrate a tension so thick that not even a broadblade could pierce it. It was quite uncomfotable.

"You." Jareth hissed, keeping his sword poised where it touched the creature's throat.

The goblin's lips curled into a sultry smile. "Why, yes. Me. I must say, Your Highness, I rather expected our reunion to go a little something like this. Only I was on the opposite end of the blade."

"Shut up!" Jareth snarled, and Ajay caught a glimpse of something like a smoldering fire in his eyes; a fire filled with fear, pain, grief, and a rage so powerful that it scared him. The fear was the only thing keeping this goblin alive for the moment. "Don't say another word."

Still smiling, the goblin said nothing and steadily looked up at the prince, waiting. There was no fear in his eyes, and no plea for mercy came from his lips. He was simply silent.

There was a moment's pause.

"What do we do now?" Ajay asked.

Jareth gave him an annoyed look, "I'm thinking!"

"Well, I wish you'd hurry up with your thinking, its getting cold out here!"

After a bit, they decided that Ajay would run to get the others and bring back a bit of rope. For now, they would keep the goblin alive until they decided what to do with him. Thus, once Ajay had gotten the others, it started a large debate about what to do. And while Grimble muttered about how they should have left earlier and they were idiots to investigate 'suspicious thumps', Emmer argued that they should just do away with the goblin now--especially once Jareth said that he was SURE that this was the goblin that had been following him. Thistle just went on about how pretty he was and could she possibly touch his ears? 

Ajay was sort of in the background during all this, feeling very much like a sixth wheel. From what he'd gathered so far, this goblin had hurt Jareth in some way and had then proceeded to stalk him across quite a bit of distance-- which was remarkable but nontheless creepy. Still, Ajay didn't like the any of the ideas his companions were suggesting that they do with the goblin.

"Throw him to the bone forest." Emmer insisted.

"Tie him up and leave him here." Grimble suggested.

"Let me run him through now!" Jareth hissed.

"LET ME TOUCH HIS EARS!" Thistle yelped..

Blimey, they'd never decide at this rate so Ajay piped up quietly with, "Why not take him with us?"

Dead silence.

"Finally!" the goblin said, "A man with some sense."

"And why," Jareth growled, "Should we do that?"

Drat. Ajay hadn't thought about it that far. Thanfully, the goblin piped up with, "Well, you may need a powerful spell caster and I have mastered many of the elements."

"I'm the powerful spell caster!" Grimble huffed.

"Ah, quite so, forgive me old one. Well, perhaps I can aid you in some way-- pray tell, where are you going?" When no one answered him, the goblin turned to Thistle and say coyly, "If you tell me, you can touch my ears."

"We're going to the goblin kingdom!" Thistle chirped brightly to the incredulous shouts of the companions.

"I see. No doubt to return the human to his natural world, yes?" the goblin then smiled, looking as though he knew a secret that no one else did, "Well, I know for a fact that the goblin king would not do such a thing if you simply ask nicely. If you offer his son in ransom, however..."

The companions paused for a moment, for while it was a ridiculous plan, it DID make sense, unfortunately. And besides, Emmer HAD said that she was not sure how they would get the goblin king to send Ajay home, thus now they had a chance.

Ajay exchanged a glance with his companions, knowing full well that the goblin had won this argument.

Finally, Grimble sighed, "Very well then. Tie him up."

"No!" Jareth cried, "You do not undestand! He is a thief and a liar. Even now he wields a spell on you with words woven from a silver tongue!"

The Spell Master sighed grimly, "Jareth, it may be our only chance to help Ajay."

Ajay watched, body tensed as the Nightling prince looked from the goblin to Ajay, then back to the goblin, conflicting emotions flashing across his face. Then suddenly, with a savage snarl, the prince threw his sword to the side and rose to his feet, stomping away down the path that lead out of the forest.

Once he was gone, Emmer tied the goblin up and put a bit of rope a round its neck, making a sort of lead and handing the end to Ajay.

"Your hope, your responsibility." she said before walking away after Jareth.

Ajay blinked, staring at the end of the rope in his hand then looking to the goblin prince, who was no longer smiling.

Swallowing miserably, Ajay began to trail after his friends, shaking his head in disbelief. A magical world, monsters, magic, creepy forests, and now goblin-sitting. Just what HAD he gotten himself into?

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