If our communications were correct, and I had little reason to doubt Meig’s abilities, we had been able to buy off the goblin attacks with simple trade deals. We also reopened trade with the lizard people at the same time. The goblins didn’t think they had anything of value we would want and it hadn’t occurred to them to exchange goods as it wasn’t a custom in their culture.

  The lizard people also had a non-traditional method of exchanges. Much like I had grown up leaving offerings on their land, they agreed to leave piles of provisions at set places and we were expected to reciprocate in like manner. The main issue with this method is that we didn’t really understand each other’s equivalency. I had always thought the necklace I had received in trade was out of balance with my offering of a few squirrels, for example, but the lizard people didn’t find much need for those sorts of baubles, feeling that food was much more valuable to them. They just made jewelry mostly for fun and knew we associated some value to it.

  Everyone reckoned we would muddle through it and work it out, learning as we went along. Communication between our cultures was emphasized and plans in the human community were made to teach the sign language that the goblins and lizard people could understand more broadly.

  When we sat down for the final negotiations, Meig took a main role in deciphering signs and interpreting for everyone. I was really impressed with her progress in the short few months we’d been here. She definitely had a gift for communication and teaching, as she had begun to teach me some of what she had learned.

  Everything seemed settled and then we came to a last item goblin’s requested. Meig translated it as “blood for a year”. It sounded very alarming to everyone, myself included, and I hoped I was wrong about what that might mean. Meig was finally able to figure out that they wanted a human to stay with them in their hive tunnels and learn their ways as a sort of cultural exchange.

  The humans around the fire were scoffing at such a request, but I understood. They wanted some assurances the humans would keep their word of peace. Didn’t enemies exchange wards for the same purpose? Too much blood had been spilt for there to be real trust between our species. The indiscriminate killing of each other for too long made the truce difficult to accept.

  “I'll go,” I said, looking at Meig. She looked at me, blinking. No one else seemed to have heard me as they were still arguing amongst themselves.

  “I'll go,” I said more loudly and the humans quieted.

  “No,” Kaarlo stated, shaking his head but not looking at me.

  “Ask them if they would accept me, Meig,” I requested. Meig motioned to me and signed their ‘blood offering’ request. The goblin ‘king’ as we called him looked at me in surprise and glanced at Kaarlo who looked angry. The king nodded. I stood and walked over to the goblin king, offering him my hand and we shook wrists like we had shown them human males do with each other.

  “I'll pack,” I said with a small smile.

  “I'll come along with you,” Meig said, signing to the lizard monarch and the goblins.

  I was a bit surprised at myself. I didn’t really want to go with the goblins, but I understood the need. And I was curious. I hoped Aelfie would want to come along. I’d be lonesome without her around.

  Back in my room, I put together my small trunk quickly. The washerwomen had been through and most of my clothes were cleaned and folded neatly, ready to be packed, so it didn’t take long. As I was shutting it, Kaarlo came in.

  “You don’t have to do this,” he told me, putting his hands on my arms, looking into my eyes. He looked like he was planning to talk me out of it and I realized I liked the feel of his hands on me much more than I should.

  “I know,” I assured him, pulling out of his grasp. “Pardy will be home soon. I know you have a little one on the way,” he gasped and I shrugged. “Women can tell these things. You’ll be too busy to worry about me. Anyway, I’ll be fine. We’ll learn a lot about each other. It’s important,” I said perhaps trying to convince myself.

  Meig came dashing in with an armful of clean clothes she’d probably just pulled off the drying lines outside.

  “They want to leave soon, there’s not much time…Oh, sorry, I didn’t expect…” she stuttered at seeing Kaarlo in our room.

  “It’s fine, Meig. We were just saying good-bye, for now. I’ll make sure our horses are saddled and ready. My trunk is ready to go,” I told her. She nodded and threw her things onto the bed and pulled out her own trunk.

  “Come, I’ll walk you out,” Kaarlo said to me and I let him lead me out the door. He stopped abruptly in the empty hall way and turned to me.

  “Gavendor will never forgive me. You’ll be gone before he gets back,” he pulled my hands into his and kissed the backs of them. “You'll be in our thoughts, Aebbe. Take care.”

  “I will, thank you for everything. You’ll settle things with Jornian and the men?” I asked. He dropped my hands. “I don’t know if they will want to stay on.”

  “Yes, of course. And… will you stop back to visit us. When the year is up?” he asked.

  “Maybe, we’ll see where the road takes me,” I told him and turned from him to dash down the stairs and go out the stout front door. I jogged to the stables where I ordered Meig and my horses to be readied for travel.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  I didn’t want to spend too much time in Kaarlo’s presence. Now it came to it I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave him at all. That would do neither of us any good and I didn’t know why these ideas were forming in my head. We had been very clear with each other and I respected Pardama too much to interfere with her life and Kaarlo’s. I shook myself and went to prepare Lidley knowing it would help calm me.

  My mare nickered when she saw me which was a balm on my nerves. I cleaned out her hooves and found a curry comb to brush her out. Jornian happened to be striding by as I worked and came to talk with me.

  “Where are you off to then?” he asked me, probably thinking I was going out on a short patrol.

  “I'm going to be staying with the goblins for a while,” I said, hoping it didn’t sound completely insane.

  “Are you mad?! Surely you are jesting with me! I thought mayhap we would leave here…together. Find a new job somewhere…” he looked downright uncomfortable now. I tried to pretend I hadn’t noticed, paying extra attention as I finished brushing Lidley and found her blankets and saddle.

  “I'm sorry Jornian. It’s not meant to be. Our paths may cross again one day. Will you stay on here, you think?” I asked him, more to keep the conversation going and away from the direction he had sent it than any real curiosity.

  “I don’t think so. I was only here for you, Aebbe. You must know that,” he said, his arms crossed over his strong, wiry body, chewing a piece of straw in his mouth. I watched his strong jaw work and he caught me staring.

  “You'll be compensated appropriately for your time as I promised. You and all the men. You have been a very valuable asset, Jorn, but…” I said, turning away from him to put the saddle blankets and my horse’s back, tugging them into place. Jornian picked up my saddle and placed it for me. He stood close in next to me. I tried to ignore that and pulled the girth strap up under her belly and cinched it, not looking at him.

  “An asset?! I see,” he said and sighed. “I was a fool to think otherwise, I suppose. You’d never given any indication…yes, I see now it was foolishness on my part.” His face looked hard and closed off. He began moving away.

  “I'm sorry…” I said, but I wasn’t. Not really. I had worried he’d seen me this way, but convinced myself I was imagining things.

  “No, it’s fine. Perhaps our paths will cross again. Fare thee well, Aebbe,” he said in a soft voice and strode away. I turned back to my saddle to check the stirrups.

  “Breaking hearts all ‘round, I see,” said Meig from just behind me, making me jump.

  “By the Gods! You gave me a fright. And I’ve done no such thing! Go do something useful and check your mount!” I said, perhaps a bit more sternly that I’d meant, but Meig just smirked and went to her horse. She assured me our trunks had been taken to the carriage.

  We made our way out of the town on the road heading east. The lizard people were also leaving and there was a gathering of townspeople seeing everyone off. I tried not to look at Kaarlo or Jornian. They were both scowling more than necessary. The lizard people were leaving on some straw canoes. Their leader sitting with a thick canopy overhead to keep him cool, his boat poled by two strong lizard people ornately clothed.

  The goblin king and his entourage looked relieved when I rode up and it was only then they got on their mounts. They were fine steeds from Kaarlo’s stables and had been part of the trade deal. One of them pointed at Aelfie who was in my arms and Meig tried to explain about her. I was worried it would be an issue, but she assured me they were merely curious about why she was with me.

  I successfully avoided Kaarlo’s eyes until Aelfie started barking and looking back toward him and making a fuss. I turned to look. He was very handsome in the late afternoon light in his fine cloak and boots. He smiled and waved at me, so I returned his wave before turning back in my saddle and urging Lidley down the road as the group started the slow march east.

  The goblins were riding and walking spread out around us and I vaguely wondered if they thought I might bolt at first opportunity. After a few hours on the road, one of the goblins started riding alongside me. Meig helped me learn his name. It seemed he was to take charge of me when we reached their hives. Soon, he was pointing at things and naming them in their language. I did the same, but he didn’t repeat anything I said, only insisted I try to say his words back to him.

  That night, when we stopped to make camp, he stayed annoyingly close to me, even going so far as to put his bedroll right next to mine. When I asked Meig if she knew where to hit a goblin to discourage any romantic intentions, she just giggled uncontrollably and said she didn’t know. She assured me that was not his intent, but how could any of us be sure of that?

  He wondered why we would not be sleeping in tents like many of the other humans and we just explained it was a clear night and they were really not necessary since we were next to our fire. This he seemed to understand. He also tried to pet Aelfie but she wasn’t having it. She actually growled at him when he approached which seemed to intrigue the goblin even more.

  He kept calling me ‘Kara’ even though I’d said my name to him over a dozen times. When I asked Meig what it meant, she wasn’t sure, but thought the ‘Ra’ part meant blood, so maybe it was my title of sorts. His name, as far as we could tell was Domon. Whether it was a title or a given name, we could not figure out.

  “Great, so my name is Blood Year. That’s lovely,” I grumbled, but this just set Meig off in another fit of laughter. I had to fight not to give her a smack in the head. I really didn’t want to do it in front of the goblins as I had no idea what they’d make of that and I didn’t want to set an example of smacking a human since I’m pretty sure a similar smack from them would likely break my head. They were so much thicker and harder than we were. I didn’t know for sure, of course, but I thought it best not to find out.

  “Are you really okay with this exchange? It’s a whole year!” Meig muttered after we’d settled down in our bed rolls. At least I could lie with my back to Domon to chat with Meig and nearly forget his nearness.

  “Yeah, I’ll be alright,” I said, hoping it was true.

  “You have to write to me. If I don’t hear from you EVERY MONTH I’m going to come find you!” she said, sternly.

  “Where in the Old Gods of Ashlar will you be that I can write to you?! We don’t even know if the goblins will have that sort of… service!” I scoffed.

  “Well, you’re going to have to figure it out. You’re not just falling off the face of the earth with no word to anyone! I’ll talk to the king tomorrow on the road and see if we can’t figure something out. You can at least write to Kaarlo. You know where he’ll be!” she told me. I rolled my eyes at her.

  “You going to be checking in with Kaarlo about me? Really?” I asked.

  “Maybe. I know he’s reliable and he cares about you, so if something happens, he’ll know what to do!”

  “Since when are you such a worry wart? The year will go quickly. I’ll have Aelfie and Lidley for company. No worries.” I said, starting to settle and relax for the night. I really didn’t want to think too long about my situation. Best to just take things one day at a time.

  “If you say so,” Meig said yawning and we both nodded off to sleep.