Freya waved at us from the back of Tang’s library. She signaled for us to climb down. Chastity was next. She quickly worked her way down the ladder, with the staff and pearl in her bag. She crouched and ran toward Freya.

“Again!” Falstaag’s voice carried over the front gate. Another crash shook the gates and they bowed inward. Monks threw themselves against the wall. Two monks stood on a platform above the walled gate. They turned an iron cauldron on its side. Smoking oil poured over the gate. Men and horses screamed.

"I called that" Grundy said.

Drexel slid quickly down the ladder. His feet barely touched the rungs. He sprinted past the tall red tower and dissapeared between the barracks and the back fence. Chastity ran towards Tang's main building.

“You next,” Grundy said to me. He pointed at the ladder.

"Freya come on! We can't waste time waiting for them!" Chastity shouted from the base of the stairs. Freya looked up at Grundy and me, then ran after Chastity.

They hurried up the stairs into the tall red building.

I took one last look over the wall and waved at Sheesha. She whined.

“Stay, girl,” I said. I started down the ladder.

“Spies in the rear!” A familiar voice said from below. I looked down. Gunther, the monk who wanted our blood after Freya killed his student, and a group of monks ran toward us from the front of the barracks. I looked up. Grundy wrapped his spiked chain around his arm and jumped on the ladder. The ladder creaked. Grundy took a hesitant step down. The ladder groaned. I was halfway down. I climbed down as quickly as I could. There was another groan and the rung under Grundy’s foot snapped.

His bricklike body split the rungs under him. He shot down, toward me. I held fast to the ladder and ducked my head in. Grundy’s feet smashed into my shoulders. Splinters dug into my hands as I slid down the ladder. Rungs snapped under us. We gained speed until we finally slammed into the ground. The world spun around me. My hands burned. I coughed and sat up. Grundy lay next to me.

“Are you all right?” I asked, jumping up to see Gunthers men charging us.

He groaned and sat up. He held up his right arm. The spikes of his chain were imbedded in his arm. The top spike stuck through the skin between his thumb and hand. He grimaced and yanked out the first spike.

“Now that stings,” he said. He quickly tugged each spike out, unwrapping the chain. Blood ran down his arm and dripped into the dirt. Bits of his skin and muscle hung from some of the spikes.

He looked over my shoulder. He stretched the chain over his head and quickly fell backwards so he lay on the ground with the chain held above him.

"Look out" He said.

“What…” I started to ask. Gunther’s foot shot past and struck the dirt next to Grundy’s head. Grundy crossed his arms and pulled. The chain tightened around Gunther’s leg. Grundy yanked and Gunther fell sideways onto the ground. Grundy ripped his chain free, and got to his feet. The spikes held more muscle and skin this time. He swung the chain high over his head and then brought it down hard across Gunther’s chest. He pulled backward and ripped a red line across Gunther’s body.

I looked up. the Goblinzer throbbed in my palm. I didn’t remember taking it out, but it was in action, I had killed a monk already. I stepped sideways to put my back against Grundy’s back. His chain cut the air over our heads. He brought it down where Gunther lay. Gunther rolled aside, the chain struck only dirt. Gunther kicked Grundy in the ankle. There was a crunch and Grundy fell on one knee. He snapped the chain forward and then whipped it back. The spike on the tip of the chain struck Gunther in the forehead. The monk fell on his back and twitched in the bloody dirt.

Another monk tumbled toward me. Grundy snapped his chain back at the monk. The monk easily dodged the chain and then kicked at my head. I ducked just in time to miss the monk’s foot. As I leaned down, his fist shot upward, and caught me in the belly.

“Ooof.” I wheezed and leaned back against Grundy. I swung weakly with the Goblinizer. The monk easily dodged the swipe. In a blur, his foot found my wrist. Pain shot up my arm. The Goblinizer fell from my hand. The monk jumped back and looked at me for an instant. He was incredibly fast. I tried to inhale, but the blow to my belly had knocked the wind out of me. As I heaved for breath, the monk looked me in the eye. He smiled and whirled around. The blur of his foot arced toward my head. I tried to move back, but Grundy was in the way. I closed my eyes and waited for the kick to shatter my skull.

I felt the foot graze the top of my head. I opened my eyes. The monk still twirled from his kick. He stopped and faced me. His smile was gone, replaced by a confused look. He looked down. I followed his gaze. The silver tip of an arrow stuck out from the center of his chest. The monk opened his mouth and stepped toward me. He grasped at me with both arms. Over his shoulder, I saw Drexel in the shadows of the barracks. The glint of an arrow head flashed in his bow and I heard a cry from behind me.

Grundy’s chain whizzed around me. Fists slammed into him, pushing him against me. His chain found a target and another monk fell in the dirt. The monk with the arrow sticking from his chest grabbed my throat with both hands. I gurgled for air. I looked past him. Another monk ran toward me. He must have been twenty feet away when he jumped.

The second monk flew through the air. I leaned toward the monk who choked me, and grabbed the arrow that stuck from his chest. I wiggled it. The monk gasped, loosening his grip. I grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. The second monk flew toward us. I shoved the monk in front of me.

The jumping monk shrieked as he rammed into his comrade. I pushed the feathered end of Drexel’s arrow as hard as I could. The shaft ran through both monks. The two stood face-to-face, pinned together by the same arrow. I gave the arrow a final push. The monks fell sideways. Their mouths moved wordlessly as they breathed each other’s last breaths.

A splintering crash came from the gate. Falstaag’s men had broken through. There were screams from monks and guards. More boiling oil splashed from above. Horses squealed as they fell, joining the bodies of their scalded riders. There were more shouts, cries for help, the moans of wounded.

“Its in my armor!” A guard screamed. He tore at his smoking armor until a monk snapped his neck with a quick twist. I turned toward the gate. A kick from my left smashed into my head. I fell to the ground. I never even saw who kicked me. My vision closed to a small circle in front of me and my ears rang, drowning out most sound. I groped the ground for my knife. The Goblinizer seemed to find me, I cut myself on its blade as it spun into my hand.

“Get ‘em boys,” Cantick said. Monks and guards fought all around us.

“I can’t see,” One of Barry’s guards said. He staggered past me with his hands on his face. A monk kicked his back and he crumpled to the ground. I crawled through the chaos. I couldn’t see Grundy or hear his chain. I felt my way across the grounds. My hands were sticky with blood. I crawled over the body of a monk. He grabbed my arm. I stabbed blindly. The Goblinzer hit something soft. I worked the blade back and forth. Blood pooled in the dirt. The fingers around my arm went slack. I crawled toward Tang’s red library. I had to find Tang before he was killed, I had to get what I’d come here for, I had to have answers. There was another body. I felt the smooth, polished leather armor of one of Barry’s guards. It was slick with blood. There were shouts everywhere. The air was filled with dust.

I found the steps to Tang’s library. Slowly I dragged myself up. I looked back. In the dust, the shapes of men on horses and monks slammed into each other. No more stones flew over the wall. A monk fell from his perch above the wall, his fingers wrapped around an arrow that stuck from his neck. A Town Guard writhed on the ground, coughing up blood. He struggled to pull off his metal breastplate. The plate was deeply dented, and pressed into his chest. The guard squirmed until he finally died. I climbed up the steps.

I made my way through the main door. I leaned against the wall to catch my breath. The Goblinizer vibrated in my hand. Each shout from outside made the knife tingle. My wrist ached from keeping the blade under control. An entire war was taking place and it wanted more blood. I got to my feet and made my way further into the library. When I reached the staircase, voices echoed down from above. I quietly climbed the stone spiral staircase that lead to Tang’s quarters.

From the third floor, I could barely hear the fighting outside. I snuck up to the doorway to Tang's library, and heard Barry Gorgon's sonorous laugh.

"Damnit the bastard survived" I said to myself. I was just about to rush in when I heard Chastity's laugh joining him. The door was barely ajar. I stuck my head inside. Freya lay at Barry’s feet. Her hands were tied behind her back. Barry had his arm around Chastity’s waist.

“That was a nasty little kick you gave her,” Barry said.

“You’ve always liked me best when I’m nasty,” Chastity said.

“Of course I do,” he said. Chastity went to give him a kiss. Barry pushed her away.

“Freya won't be so high and mighty after your taxidermist has his way with her,” she said.

“Im going to pose her, shucking oysters, in the wonderful costume she would never wear,” he said.

“What?” I thought. I ducked my head back from the room. I looked at my knife. It vibrated in my hand. It shot jolts up my arm. I didn't know what to do.

I turned the blade. It fought me, but I managed to force it into my belt. The tip of the blade dodged just enough to slice my side. A searing pain spread from the tiny cut. I winced and put the knife away. I still wore the goblin's shape-changing belt. I closed my eyes and thought about Tang. I thought about his big, black, bushy eyebrows. I thought of his broad nose and coal black skin. I opened my eyes. My hands were a little smaller, but the skin was black. I felt the giant eyebrows that stuck from my forehead like ferns. I took a deep breath and pushed the door to the library open.

“Your backup plan worked perfectly, Barry darling,” Chastity said. “I knew just where to meet you…”

“Nicely done, Barry.” I said in Tang’s voice. Barry looked up in surprise. I walked boldly into the room. I stood by the giant cauldron. I looked over the stacks of books and crates.

“Let’s talk, shall we?” I asked. I folded my arms across my chest. Barry looked at me. He smiled.

“What, now? Tang, baby, can't it wait till after this silly siege has been crushed?” he said.

I walked toward Freya. I reached down and felt her neck. Her heart was still beating.

“This monk has betrayed me. I will take her now,” I said. I twitched my eyebrows and started to untie the rope around Freya’s wrists.

“Absolutely, Tang. Barry knows how much you love monks.” Barry walked to my right side. “Chastity darling. Give Tang a hand,” he said.

“I’d love to,” she said. She walked behind me.

“kneebiter,” she said. I started to turn my head. I heard a noise and then saw a flash of white. The back of my head throbbed. I fell sideways. There was another kick to my head and the lights went out.

I felt a sharp pain in my side. I opened my eyes and Freya’s face was inches from mine. My arms were tied behind my back.

“You are either a brave munchkin or a stupid munchkin,” Barry said. He laughed. “Barry thinks both. How you thought you could trick Barry with acting like that,…” He nodded to Chastity. She kicked me again in the side. I groaned.

"What's the matter, Telle?" Chastity asked, "Can't stand to be in the same room with a stinking stilt? You're just as hypocrytical as the others. You talk about us being a family in one breath, and in the next you curse my race."

"But of all your transgressions, bad acting was the worst" Barry said with a laugh.

“The bad acting was one thing,” Chastity said. “But trying to trick Barry with his own belt. Really Telle.” She shook her head. My face burned.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked. She smirked.

"It's not for the money, Telle. Its for all the beautiful things I can buy with the money."

"Oh thats just part of the story, darling" Barry reminded.

"Well, It doesn't hurt that I've hated Freya for as long as I can remember." Chastity confided, "She was better at me as a monk, and thought she was better than everybody as a person. After I made friends with Drexel, she stole him right out from under me. Don't you hate the way those two play the aloof elves all the time. I hate being treated like a lesser being!"

"What about Jenna?" I asked, angry, "What about Grundy? You're doing this is going to leave everybody dead!"

"Grundy walked into a situation where he didn't belong"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Chastity, how long have you been against us?" I asked.

She shook her head, and knelt down next to me.

"Telle, I tried to get you to leave back in that abandoned farmhouse you stumbled into." She whispered, "Barry made his offer to me before we even met. He's giving me a lot of money. You got yourself involved in this. We always said it could end in death. Remember my big injury that brought us to Spanton? Sure, I bumped my head in the collapsing house, but I wasn't really unconscious. It was all a big show, Telle. I'm in the bounty-collection business, now."

I was seething. "You must have been in on Jehosephat's hit on us! What about Ragnar? Did you hate him too?" She was getting irritated.

"It's a lot of money, kneebiter" She said, rising.

Barry was all smiles. He had pulled the Pearl of Lengnil from Chastity's bag. He regarded it's white glow, turning it over in his hands.

"I knew the plan was good," He said, "But you wonderful people have made it more worth my while than I had dared to imagine." He kissed the Pearl, and a bolt of energy shot flickered across his face.

"Ooh" he said, pleasantly surprised. He polished the globe on his fur vest.

"Be careful with that, Barry" Chastity said.

"I'll just leave it in your bag for now, my dear" Barry carefully placed it back.

"I've used that thing, it's really quite dangerous" She said.

"I can't believe you did this!" I shouted.

"Oh she didn't expect to actually find this wonderful Bauble" Barry said, " After I sent you all after Falstaag's goblins, I told her about the legends of tomb of Lengnil. It was just on the far, far chance that you might stumble onto the tomb out there in the wasteland. Imagine my luck!" He and Chastity giggled together.

“Barry wants you to kick Iron Sex now, darling.” Barry said to Chastity. She smiled.

“I’ve been waiting for this,” she said. She walked over to Freya. She nudged her toe into Freya’s side.

“What kind of Chau does your blood have, Freya? Want a taste?” She asked. She drew back her leg for a kick.

“Traitor!” Tang’s voice came from above. Chastity stopped with her leg in the air, and looked up. Tang stood in the doorway. He slowly walked in. Chastity rested her foot on Freya’s head. Tang walked toward Barry. His eyebrows trembled. He jumped from the steps and flew through the air. Barry stepped backwards and pushed Chastity in front of him.

Tang’s foot kicked Chastity in the chest. She flew back and slammed into the stone reinforcing wall behind her. She slid to the ground.

“Now Tang, what’s this about?” Barry asked. He put out his hands and smiled.

“You join Falstaag against me?” Tang said. “You have no honor.” He jumped and kicked toward Barry’s head. Barry ducked it and ran for Tang’s stairs.

“Barry would never join that ridiculous slob,” Barry said. “You’re confused Tang.” Tang walked slowly toward Barry.

"Barry, I didn't tell you, "Chastity said, struggling to get up, "Tang, it's not what you think"

“I am not confused.” Tang said. “Your men are dying by the dozen as we speak!” Tang said. Chastity charged him. She tried to throw a punch, but Tang shifted his body, and threw her clear across the room. She smashed into a huge bookcase, which creaked and toppled down, burying her.

“My men?” Barry asked. His voice had a hint of surprise. “Barry never ordered an attack.”

“Still you lie,” Tang said. He crouched in a fighting stance.

“Tang, get ahold of yourself!” Barry pleaded.

I laughed. It made my entire body ache, but I couldn't help it. I focused on Barry’s face. I still wore the belt. My body stretched. My bones ached with the change.

“What is this, a funeral?” I said in Barry’s voice. Barry and Tang both looked at me. I laughed Barry’s laugh. The laughter filled the room. Barry blinked. I changed back into myself and Barry’s laughter became mine. “I made your guards join Falstaag,” I said. “You think you can toy with me? Forget it. Your both finished,” I said. “Now untie us before my friends get here.”

“You little gilmic,” Barry said, with a look of relief. He looked back at Tang. "See, Tang, baby, Barry didn't betray you, this bald fool set me up"

Tang stood up straight. His eyebrows arched.

“Where did you get that belt?” Tang asked.

“I found it in Barry’s room,” I said.

“That belt belonged to me,” he said. His muscles tensed. His eyebrows twitched with rage. He faced Barry again. Barry backed away from Tang.

"He's lying, he stole it from you himself" Barry said.

Tang turned towards me.

"There was a note from Jehosephat to him, Jehosephat stole it for him" I said.

Tang looked at Barry.

"He killed Jehosephat!" Barry said, "He must have gotten it from his body."

Tang blinked. My mind raced.

"I didn't have it when we were captured here, Tang, remember?" I said, "I met you in the courtyard, and I didnt have that belt!".

Barry broke into a cold sweat. Tang took a step toward him.

“Look, Barry knows when he’s in a tight spot,” he said. His voice shook.

“Barry was just making a little money on the side Tang, trying to clean up a mess for some government friends downriver,” he said.

“Don’t give me your excuses,” Tang said. He flew across the room. Barry vanished. Tang landed on the floor where Barry had been.

“We can work this out Tang.” Barry’s voice said. “You take the Twaddle Six. My associates will pay you well for their corpses.”

“To hell with your money,” Tang said. He spun and kicked at the air next to him.

“Take them, take them all,” Barry said. “Really. You’ll be rich, and you’ll get your revenge. They stole from you too, didn’t they?” He asked.

Tang walked slowly to a pile of crates. He faced Barry’s voice.

“They did,” he said.

“You can have them. Take Freya. Take Chastity. Take them all,” Barry said. Tang reached into a crate and pulled out a handful of powder. He sprang toward Barry’s voice and threw the powder in the air. The powder shimmered. The outline of Barry appeared.

“Wait a second, Tang,” Barry said. He held up one finger. “One Barry is fun but more is a treat.” Barry sang. Another Barry appeared next to him. “Two is feat, but three can’t be beat.” Another Barry appeared. The three ran around the room. “Have a book, or two, or three or a dozen.” The Barry’s all sang together. Books flew from the shelves around the library. Thick, leather-bound tomes shot through the air and slammed into Tang from all sides. He ducked and blocked as many as he could. His hands were a blur. He whirled and kicked the books from the air.

“A chair would be fair, a crate would be great,” all three Barry’s sang together. A crate flew across the room and broke into splinters over Tang’s head. A chair slid across the room and knocked his legs out from under him.

“Telle,” Freya moaned.

“You’re awake?” I asked. She nodded at her hands. They were tied behind her back. She rolled onto her side with her back to me. I rolled onto my side so that my back was against her back. Our fingers touched. Tang rolled across the floor and pushed off a wall. He kicked in a whirl. His foot passed through one of the Barry’s. The Barry vanished.

“You’ve found one, but Barry’s hardly done,” Barry said. Another book flew at Tang. Tang knocked it out of the air.

Freya’s fingers worked on the rope around my wrist. I wiggled my fingers and then the rope was loose. I turned over quickly and picked at the knot on Freya’s rope.

“Barry’s got breath that can cause sudden death.” The two Barry’s said. His voice was suddenly very loud. Then the two Barry’s bent forward and blew. A wind swept across the room. The gust picked Tang up and slammed him against the far wall. Barry kept blowing. The wind pinned Tang against the wall. Then Barry stopped. Tang slid down and hit the stone floor face first. He held his head up. Blood trickled from his mouth.

One of the Barry’s vanished. The real Barry walked toward Tang. He stood with his back to us. He put his foot on the helpless monk’s head.

“Hurry,” Freya said. I picked at the knot.

“I can’t untie it,” I said. I reached over and picked up the Goblinizer.

“Not that!” Freya said. I sliced through the rope easily.

“With my foot I crush little Tang to mush.” Barry sang. He leaned on his foot. Tang closed his eyes. The knife turned for another pass and sliced into my palm. I jerked the blade back before it dug into my wrist. I yelped. A red line appeared across my hand. Freya shot me an sympathetic look and then sprang to her feet. She took two steps toward Barry and then leapt into the air.

“Barry’s takes it slow, just so Tang will know,” Barry sang slowly. Tang groaned. Blood trickled from his nose.

Freya’s right foot smacked the back of Barry’s head. He fell forward into the wall. Freya flew past Barry. Her feet hit the wall. She ran up the wall and then flipped backward. Tang's body slid to the floor. Barry got to his feet. She faced him.

Barry opened his mouth to sing.

“Barry has a plan that…” Freya punched him in the chin. His song stopped.

“Shut up,” Freya said. Barry ducked past Freya and ran for the door. She jumped over his head and landed in front of him. He walked backward until his back was against the cauldron. His legs gave out. He slid back, falling on his behind, and held up his arms.

“Barry can do anyth..…” Freya punched him in the nose with two quick jabs. His head whipped back and bounced off the cauldron with a dull chime and into her other fist. Blood spewed from his mouth and nose.

“Wait! Barry is ready to make a deal,” He could barely speak through his ruined lips. He held his hands over his face. Blood dripped between his fingers. Freya brought her knee to Barry’s mouth. “Oooof!” Blood sprayed through his fingers and across the room in a red mist.

“Iph got a gweat idea,” Barry toppled forward, only to be caught by Freya’s fist and knocked upright. “Come to Barry’s estate. You can have anyfing you want,” he said. His front teeth slid down his chin in a stream of blood.

“We destroyed your estate,” Freya said.

“Im fure we can wouk fomething out, juft wet me tauk to…” Before Barry could finish his sentence, Freya brought her elbow into his throat, crushing his windpipe. She stepped back and Barry fell face first onto the stone floor. Freya brought her right foot down. Barry’s head collapsed with a crunch. Freya pulled her foot from the grey puddle.

Freya brought her hand to her mouth and sucked on a cut knuckle, just above her yellow pepper tattoo. She looked over at me.

“Freya,” I said, "That was brutal"

“Where's Chastity?” She asked.

"I think she's dead" I said.

"What about Tang?"

"Not healthy" I said.

"Lets find the others" She ran past me and down the stairs.

“It was really bad out there.” I said. I followed her as best I could. My head hurt from Chastity’s kicks. My hands burned from the fall down the ladder and I was covered with bruises. I climbed over the shattered crates and piles of books to the stairs. When I got to the great hall at the bottom, Freya stood in the wide doorway. She stared out at Tang’s compound. The monastery had become a killing field.

Except for a slight haze in the air, the dust had settled. The ground was covered with bodies. Remains of town Guards lay in smoking pools of oil. Flesh was cooked off skulls, eyes were shrunken in sockets. Monks lay twisted together in piles. Arrows stuck from bodies. Arms and heads lay next the swords and axes that had hacked them off. In the center of the compound a pile of monks and town guards marked what must have been the last stand. Several monks lay back to back. Their blood mixed with the entrails of the Guardsman who lay with them. Cantick lay with a dead monk’s hands still clutching his throat. His sword was sunk to the hilt into the belly of the monk.

Through the destroyed gate were the smoking remains of the siege engines. The leather armor and horses of Barry’s guard lay scattered among the ruins. Beyond them lay the corpses of Falstaag’s rear guard. Barry’s arrows stuck from their backs.

“Why would Barry’s men have shot the guards?” I asked.

“It looks like things really fell apart by the end,” Freya said. Already, birds circled overhead.

I ran to the back, where I had been fighting. The ground was muddy from so much blood. I saw the glint of Grundy’s chain among a pile of monks. A dead monk lay with Grundy’s chain wrapped around his neck. I unwrapped the chain. I rolled the monk off the mound of bodies. Grundy’s beard stuck out from the bottom.

“Poor Grundy.” I said, "Freya!"

Freya helped me pry off more dead monks. Together we lifted a corpse and tossed it aside. Grundy’s head stuck out.

“It stinks down here,” Grundy said. He reached for my arm.

"Grundy!" I said.

“Help me up, Telle!” He said. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me down into the mess. Freya pulled at my shoulders and Grundy pushed me up. Together we got to our feet. “What a brawl,” Grundy said. He wrapped his chain around his bleeding forearm.

“You’re telling me.” Drexel stepped from the shadows. He was immaculate. “I almost ran out of arrows,” he said.

“You saved my life,” I said.

“Yes well…” He smiled. He plucked an arrow from the back of a monk and wiped it off on the monk’s robe. “Somebody had to,” he said. He stuck the arrow into his quiver.

“Over here.” Freya motioned to us from the smoking pile of timber that had been the barracks. She pulled planks off the pile until a floppy ear stuck out.

“Jenna!” I shouted and ran to help. We cleared away the debris. Jenna was in better shape than she looked. Her clothes were tattered and singed.

“I was sending acid out of the window,” she said. She dusted herself off. “A huge stone flew into the building,” she said. She coughed. “It probably saved my life. I was surrounded.” The bodies of a dozen monks were strewn around her in the wreckage.

“There won’t be any more babies on the menu up here,” Grundy said.

“Where’s Falstaag?” Jenna asked.

“He rode away once his guards starting fighting with Barry’s men,” Drexel said.

“I guess he doesn’t have much left,” she said.

“I sure hope Tang's still alive,” I said. “I have a few things I want to ask him.” I walked toward the library. The others followed. I led them up the stairs.

“What happened here?” Jenna said. She looked at the piles of books and splintered wood. Some of the books moved. Grundy ran over. He pulled the books away.

“It’s Chastity,” he said.

“Don’t help her,” Freya said.

“What?” Jenna asked.

“She was with Barry the whole time,” Freya said. “She is a traitor.” She walked toward Chastity.

Grundy continued pulling away books.

“What are you talking about?” Grundy asked.

“I found her with Barry. They had Freya tied up,” I said. Chastity sat up. She held her chest where Tang had kicked her.

"I was possessed" she said.

"Thats a load of crap!" I yelled, "Don't let her get up"

"Grundy, please believe me" She pouted.

"Chastity, I am ashamed to have travelled with you for so long." Freya scolded, "I always knew you were superficial, but this is shocking."

"I hate you!" Chastity cried, "You've been guilting me like this for years! What did I do to deserve it? Always doing what you tell me to. Never asking questions. Listening to everyone praise your cooking, your fighting, your leadership! All the while you got us into trouble. Everywhere you go buildings burn and people die. And not just peasants, or smoogers, or treehuggers, or kneebiters. Real people. Human beings!” She threw a book at Freya. Freya easily knocked it out of the air.

“And Reese?” Freya asked."Was Reese truly working with Barry?"

“Reese didn’t know anything,” Chastity said. “That halfbreed actually wore that belt because I convinced him it looked nice.” She laughed.

"Im real dissapointed in you, Chastity" Grundy said.

"Oh shut up, dwarf!" Chastity snapped. "Don't you start up on me now".

“Just out of curiosity, how much money did Barry offer you?” Drexel asked. She whispered to him.

“That’s a lot of money,” Drexel said. He whistled.

“Don’t even think about it,” Freya said.

“Still.” Drexel smoothed back his hair. “It is a flattering amount to have on your head.” He smiled.

“I was finally going to be able to live life like I wanted,” Chastity said. She started to cry.

“Barry would have sold you out as soon as you were of no more use to him, you stupid fool,” Tang said. He sat with his back against the wall. Dried blood covered his face. I walked over to him. I put my foot on his chest.

“It's your turn to spill your guts," I told him, "Tell me what you did to Pusstown,”

“You have destroyed everything I worked for. Why should I answer your questions now?” He asked. His eyebrows drooped over his eyes.

“Because I’m not finished.” I took out the Goblinizer. It hummed in my fist. I put the point between Tang’s eyes.

“Temper, Telle.” Freya guided my hand back to my side.

“I answer to no one,” Tang said. He shook his head and looked at the floor. I remembered my dying mother. I remembered the years in that smooger house. I remembered every single night I spent in the pits of Blagton.

“By Kraken you will answer me!” I brought the knife down. It pulsed in my hand, eager for blood. The point stopped just above Tang’s forehead. Freya’s hand held my wrist.

Tang’s face changed. He looked up at me.

“What did you say?” He asked.

“Nothing. It’s a stupid name for a stupid god that guards a stupid wizard. Forget it,” I said.

“Kraken. Where did you hear of Kraken?” He asked.

“It’s just smooger lies that my mom taught me when I was young,” I said.

Tang held his breath. He looked me over carefuly. He was amazed.

"After all these years" He said.

"How do you know about Kraken?" I asked.

“What did you say your name was?” He asked. He squinted at me.

“My name is Telle Smellme,” I said.

“Smellme?” He said. His eyebrows perked up. His hard mouth cracked into a smile. “Smellme,” he said. Then he laughed. He laughed so hard that he shook. His laughter bounced off the walls. His eyes filled with tears.

"You know its rude to laugh when nobody else knows the joke" Chastity said, as Drexel and Grundy tied her hands behind her back.

He shook his head. He looked up and stared me in the eyes. “Little Telle, you've grown so much. Your name is Telle Mellsme,” he said.

“Mellsme,” I said. I rubbed my forehead. I thought about the dying words of the smooger I killed when I escaped Blagton.

“That’s what my smooger father called me the day I killed him,” I said.

“No wonder I underestimated you,” he said. A sad smile spread across his face. “Help me up,” he said. I lifted him so that he sat on a crate. He stared at me. “You are Telle Mellsme, son of Theo,” he said.

“Theo the Great and Small?” Jenna asked. Tang nodded. Jenna's eyes lit up.

“Theo the what?” I asked, "How do you know who my father is?"

"I am from Pusstown, Telle. I knew him well." He said.

"You sold us out!" I lunged for him, Freya held me back.

“Long ago, before your time, before Twaddle's Bupinder empire was as vast as it is, this land was rife with war. The civilized races were spilling into each other's territories. Goblins, men, and gnomes fought over pestilent parcels of land. Pusstown was far to the east of here, on the old territorial border between goblins and gnomes. I joined the nearby monestary when I was a child and learned the ways of a monk. When I was old enough, I joined the army of gnomes. Your father was my captain."

"And you killed him!" I screamed, struggling to get at him.

"Child, you know nothing of which you speak" He barked. "Your father and I fought together for many years. We became the top generals. The goblins had numbers on their side, and attacked with ferocity, but we slaughtered them innumerous times. We found that the goblins were too undisciplined to truly wage war."

“I knew my father was a smooger killer!” I said. He winced. He pushed himself further upright.

"He killed them by the dozens,” he said, "He grew to hate it. It made him sick." He coughed,

"It did?" I said.

“Eventually, the goblin attacks became even weaker. Their numbers were not overwhelming as before. They attacked in straggling bands instead of great hordes. We thought that we had put a dent in their population. We found out differently."

"It was Lengnil?" Jenna asked.

"Yes" Tang said, "A sorcerous human was wiping them out like ants in a flood. We started to hear tales of this madman. He wasn't defending his people, he was on a mission of death. He had eradicated all the goblins. He hunted them to extinction. We knew that he wouldn't simply stop after the goblins were gone. Many alliances were made against him. The empires of elves, gnomes, and many others joined together to stop him."

“Gnomes would never protect goblins,” I said.

“There was a time, Telle, long ago, when that’s exactly how it was. But it was too late. The goblin empire had been eradicated. Or so we thought.” he said.

“If only,” I said.

“The alliance confronted him, but Lengnil still tore through the land. nothing could stop him,” he said.

“With the dragon’s pearl, and the staff,” Jenna said. Her ears fanned out from her head.

“We lost so many Gnomes. Eventually the pearls power dissipated and he was quickly overrun by our Alliance."

"Thats not at all how his book put it" Jenna said.

"That is how it was. After the war, your father felt shame, and not just for the countless Gnomes lost in the war. The heart of the goblin empire had become as barren as a desert. No man, woman or child remained. He believed he had a personal responsibility for the extinction of the goblins, since we had killed so many in our wars before. When our army returned to Pusstown, he stayed in these fields to search for possible survivors."

"And he found some" Freya said.

"Yes, when he returned home the next year, he told of how he helped a few scattered goblins band together to create a small village. He wasn't sure they would survive, but he felt he had done all he could. Now it was I who felt shame, for not staying. Later, we found that other bands of goblins, on the outskirts of the war, had also survived."

"Joy" I said.

"Many decades passed," Tang continued, "Goblins multiply very quickly. Eventually, the small bands gained population and strength, and began threatening us again in fringe attacks."

"Naturally" I said.

"It was a bad time. The goblins were becoming nuisances, but the Bupinder empire had grown, and was threatening our lands. It was around then that Theo heard again of the little town he helped build." He rubbed his face.

“Theo heard that there were two strange Gnomish women looking for him. We met with them, and learned that they were goblins, descendants of those that Theo helped, so long ago. They said they came from 'Town'. Their names were Kaelin, and Kaelin" He smiled.

“I need water,” he said. Jenna brought him a skin of water. Tang took a long drink. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"They stayed with us, they were in danger. To protect them, we kept them in our homes,” he said.

“What danger?” Jenna asked.

“There were rumors of their true nature. Not every gnome trusted them. They would have never accepted two goblins in their midst, especially now that there was danger of war beginning again.” Tang said. He looked around.

“The women prayed to their god day and night. Kraken they called him. They begged him for guidance. Their faith was so strong.”

Tang reached out to me. “The belt,” he said. He looked more sad than angry. I handed it to him. He ran his fingers over the designs.

Jenna was whispering something to Freya.

“They were so beautiful,” he said. His eyes started to water. “All their goodness, their love shone through their disguise. I fell in love with one of those women. We spent every moment together, until armies of the Bupinders grew close. Theo and I were advisors by now, our military service was in the past. Theo was a dignitary now, a very active diplomat, and I helped him when I could. He worked hard to arrange a meeting with a Bupinder ambassador. We were to discuss matters of peace. When your father and I left Pusstown, the day of the meeting, I carried a portrait of my wife that your mother had drawn. We did not know that we had been betrayed."

Everything he said shocked me.

"A bastard named Gnorman worked closely with your father on diplomatic affairs. He was our betrayer. He was supposed to have been meeting with the goblin camps to negotiate for borders. I assume he was paid by the Bupinders to do it, but he must have rallied them together against us somehow. I expect he told them we planned to attack.”

“Gnorman?” I asked. He nodded.

“They attacked us, killed our wives and destroyed our town. The goblins eradicated Pusstown, and the Bupinder Armies soon moved in and took the whole area. No one from Pusstown survived,” Tang said. His voice cracked. He put the belt down and looked up at me.

"I survived Pusstown" I told him, "The goblins took me and raised me in their pits"

“The goblins must have let you live because of your mixed blood,” Tang said.

I felt the ground lurch under my feet. My stomach turned. I stumbled backwards. I looked down at my hands. They were the same hands they had always been. I looked up at Tang. Rage boiled in my guts, replacing the confusion.

"Theo also fell in love with a Kaelin" He said.

“Smooger!” Chastity laughed. “You’re a Smooger! Telle is a Smooger. That's hysterical!" She laughed and laughed. I reached for my blade. It leapt into my hand. It’s point nearly slashed my other arm.

“Do not use that vile weapon in my house.” Tang raised his voice.

“Why do you think that blade finds your flesh so easily?” He asked. I looked at him.

“It was forged in hatred Telle. It was made by one who hated all that your father stood for, all that we worked for, what finally cost your father his life!” He said. “It was a weapon of Lengnil's men.” I looked down at the Goblinizer. It hummed in my hand. My smooger hand. I tried to put the knife away. It jumped toward my side. It was hungry for me. I dropped the knife. It clanged against the floor. I turned to face Tang.

“How did you survive?” I asked.

“Your father and I waited for the Bupinder ambassador. He never came. In the far distance we saw the flames as Pusstown burned. We tried to get back, but by the time we reached the town, all was lost. Your father and I were separated. I fought the goblins with incredible rage, but by then we were hopelessly outnumbered. As I fought, I found the body of my wife, and lost all hope. I took her belt and hid to survive. I did not have the power to save Pusstown. The next day I saw the destruction. All was lost.” His voice grew hard.

“I learned the importance of power. Nothing else matters,” he said.

“What about my father?” I asked.

“Your father was dead. Everyone was dead. I searched for Gnorman to revenge my wife. I never found him, but I knew that it was a futile wish. I had nothing left. I had only my wife’s belt and her portrait to remember her. You stole the portrait from me,” he said. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the parchment. I unfolded the sketch of a young gnomish woman.

“My mother drew this?” I asked. He reached for the paper. I let him have it. Tang looked at the drawing.

“The sisters talked often of her birthplace, the goblin village she called Town. Theo had longed to go back someday and see the peaceful goblin city he helped create. I have been searching for it ever since,” he said, "And gaining the power to defend it"

“You’re not looking for the Pearl?” Jenna asked, "Your map..."

“I have no interest in Lengnil's instruments of death. I only seek my wife’s people so I may live among them and honor her memory,” he said.

“And this, Tang,” Grundy said. He put his hand against the cauldron. “What about the babies you were cooking up?” Grundy asked.

“I do what is necessary to gain power.” Tang said. “I took the few who survived and created a place for them. A place your father would have been proud of,” he said.

“This?” I asked. I looked around. “This place is a nightmare,” I said.

Sheesha barked in the distance. A huge thud came from outside the wall. The ground shook as if something enormous had crashed from the sky. Tang sat still with a look of absolute horror. Freya and I looked at each other. We froze. Everyone slowly turned to face the window in front of the cauldron. A giant, bloodshot eye filled the window. It pulled back. The head of the black dragon faced us. Her mouth opened to reveal fields of sharp, rotting teeth, and a sagging gullet the size of a grand hallway.

The dragon spoke in a thunderous, slow drawl. She sounded regal, like a queen or an idiot.

“What in the world?” She said.