YAZ

  Meandering away from the glade, Yaz explored the local forest, looking for a quiet place to lie down and nap. Being undead, he didn’t really need sleep and often went without it, but for some reason, it still refreshed him when he chose to indulge. Perhaps it was some kind of emotional holdover from when he’d been properly alive.

  He found a bed of old pine needles in a crevice created by a pair of very large roots and nestled in amongst them. He had no eyelids to close, but the thought of doing so dimmed his vision as if he had. As he rested, his thoughts drifted.

  This Arwin fellow was interesting. A man from Drearia! That was rare, indeed, these days. Arwin seemed young at heart, playful, and generally cheery. But Yaz could see bouts of darkness cross his features every now and then. Yaz empathized with the wounds of heartbreak and depression, and he admired Arwin’s battle to overcome them.

  He felt a little worried about allowing the young man to join him on this dangerous adventure. However, surely Arwin would be safer in Yaz’s company than wandering alone. Without arrogance, Yaz knew that he was a very formidable adventurer. With a complete lack of understanding and wariness of Heartstone’s creatures and environment, leaving Arwin to his own devices in the wild would be akin to allowing a toddler to wander a battlefield. Sooner or later, blood would be spilled.

  So far, Arwin seemed like a solid individual, trustworthy and capable. At least, that was the impression he’d gotten. There are instances when we meet people where we seem to click together right away, like the right puzzle pieces finding each other, and fast friendship evolves. This felt like one of those times.

  He heard a gentle rustle from the forest floor and opened his magical eyes a crack but saw nothing and closed them again.

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  He needed to think of a plan for confronting the Dark Enchantress. Sneak in? Highly unlikely it would be possible. Surely, she had magical wards up and guards of some kind. Her predecessor had been welcoming enough, though not to the degree that she’d allowed him to search her property. The Dark Enchantress, however, had a very villainous reputation. Surely, she’d respond harshly if he and Arwin were foolish enough to simply knock on the front door. So what were they supposed to do?

  Something large and heavy landed on Yaz’s body. Air would have flown from his lungs if he’d still had those organs.

  His vision flew open.

  A grinning, dark-green hobgoblin lay atop him, trapping Yaz on the ground. Hobgoblins are larger and much stronger versions of common goblins. They are human-sized as opposed to a child-sized goblin. Calmer and more intelligent than the smaller goblins they often command, these vile creatures revel in causing pain. This particular hobgoblin wore armour of ragged, mixed leathers, probably looted from his previous victims. He carried no weapon, putting his weight on both hands to keep Yaz’s arms pinned to the pine needles. The hobgoblin grunted in triumph.

  Several smaller green goblins appeared, scrambling over the tree roots and swarming down atop Yaz. These creatures were mostly less than a meter tall, scraggly and scrawny, with sharp teeth and long, pointed ears. Their skin was beset by warts and scars, and they wore only fur or leather loincloths or went naked. They were armed with spears, clubs, and stone or wood knives.

  Yaz tried to fight but could do nothing while pinned. He growled and opened his mouth to call out in warning, knowing the nymphs might be alerted even if Arwin was too far away to hear. They were forest caretakers, after all.

  A goblin managed to get behind Yaz’s head and strung a rough rope between his open jaws to gag him. A burlap sack came down over his skull. Then he was bound to the tree roots around him with more rope and covered with what felt like needles and branches and forest detritus.

  He started to wonder what their plan for him was. It’s not like they could do much to hurt him. He was a skeleton. Then he heard the goblins quietly moving off in the direction of the nymph glade, eagerly chuckling.

  Panic shot through him. He fought to break free of his bindings. He had to hurry.