Goblin Conqueror—Chapter 1

Here we go, the final book!

A layer of snow coated the roofs in Gillamoor, giving the place that stereotypical winter wonderland look that was often so charming. Morning sunlight sent warm shades of orange and gold across the slumbering city. Wisps of smoke rose from every chimney and a veritable army of women with brooms and wide shovels kept the streets relatively free of snow. Some used magic to help melt the snow and keep the street clear. Red ribbons hung from many windows and sprigs of evergreen decorated the tops of door jambs. Many of the trees in the parks had been decorated as well.

“I’ve always found winter to be beautiful,” I said, standing in the doorway of the temple of Zozella. In my heavy coat and fur-lined cloak the cold didn’t bother me, but my breath misted in front of my face.

“There is a certain charm to it,” Lossia said, standing next to me. “I prefer being warm, but it certainly is pretty.”

“Where I grew up, it’s warm all the time,” I said. “No mountains, either. Just warm or hot weather pretty much year-round and flat ground everywhere. So, snow and mountains have always been kind of special to me.”

Lossia sighed and leaned against me. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her tightly.

“Living somewhere that’s always warm does sound appealing at times,” she said. “I think I would miss the different seasons, though. Although to be honest, I’m not quite used to the cold.”

“Same,” I said. “At least Trina made me some warm clothes, so it’s not too bad. And it’s not as cold as Holmar.”

We were both silent after my mention of the western city, as that was a reminder of what we had just lost on my trip to that city: Ulenor.

The ancient wizard that had been so helpful in building goblin society had bravely given his life to rescue me from the mindeater. I had been trapped in a mind control spell, mere feet away from having my face torn apart and my brain eaten, and Ulenor threw himself at the mindeater, giving his life so that I could break free from the spell and kill the horrible creature.

I had tried to heal him immediately after, but he was too weak to survive. Ulenor had died in my arms, and with his dying breath he had given up his true identity: the god Dulios, who had been punished and forced to live a lifetime as a mortal goblin for his sin of meddling with mortal lives. It turns out Selemis, the god above all others, was kind of a dick.

Now that Ulenor was dead and his spirit released from this world, he would be able to rejoin Zozella, his lover. I wasn’t yet sure how all of that would affect me. But, to be honest, I had more important things to worry about.

I turned and looked over my shoulder, back into the temple. My eyes fell on the statue of Zozella, who had been so kind to me. I hadn’t spoken to her since arriving back in Gillamoor. I knew she wasn’t angry with me, but it just reminded me too much of Ulenor.

“Come on,” I said to Lossia. “Let’s go get warm.”

Arm-in-arm, we walked through the sanctuary and back to our room. The door stood open, and trills of laughter came through the opening.

When we entered the room, we saw Anna sitting on Cirro’s shoulders and reaching up for the top of the door jamb with red ribbons in her hand. Her balance was off, and the two kept nearly falling, which sent them into fits of laughter.

“Still at it, eh?” I asked.

“Of course,” Cirro said.

“With all that’s happened, I’m not missing this celebration for anything,” Anna said as she stretched her arms out, trying to drape a wide red ribbon over the top of the door.

“It’ll be a nice bit of peace in otherwise trying times,” Thilli said from the bathtub. Water was up to her chin, with her head leaning back against the rim and her eyes closed.

I opened myself to my magical well and sent a bit of heat into the tile floor, keeping the room nice and toasty. It was cold outside, and there wasn’t a fireplace in our room so it got chilly pretty quickly. Fortunately, the tile floor could hold a lot of heat. It would be warm for a few hours.

“Good morning,” Prazzi said as she entered our room. The tray she carried held a pitcher of steaming tea as well as five cups. She smiled as she looked around. “I see you’re getting ready for Iyva Serin.”

She set the tray on a nearby table and Anna finally climbed down from Cirro’s shoulders. The two ladies went right for the tea and began pouring it in cups.

“It’s my favorite time of year,” Cirro said. “Everything is covered in snow and decorated, sitting around the fireplace.” She looked around the room. “Well, no fireplace in here, but you get the point.”

“Aren’t you working on a house, though?” Prazzi asked.

“Lossia has been handling much of that,” Cirro said.

“I’m hoping we can start moving into the house in a couple weeks,” Lossia said. “There will still be some finishing to do, but it’ll be livable.”

“I can’t wait,” I said, smiling down at her. My own house, with my four beautiful wives. It felt like the beginning of a truly wonderful life.

“Oh, this is good,” Anna said, sipping on the tea.

“A bit more spiced than the usual brew,” Prazzi said with a smile. “I figured something like this was better for the holiday season.”

“Should we go decorate our house?” I asked.

Lossia thought for a moment. “Honest, I’d rather just finish it. Thorny and Marcus will be doing the windows today. I’m sure they would appreciate some help.”

I nodded. “I’ll be there. At least we can focus on something positive for a change, right?”

“You guys go on ahead,” Thilli said. “I’m not leaving this bathtub today.” She channeled a bit of heat into the water, until steam rose from its surface. Anna laughed at her.

“Glad to be home?” Cirro asked me.

“Yeah,” I said. “Holmar definitely isn’t for me. Neither is York, for that matter. I’m glad to be back in Gillamoor. And I’m excited for all this to be done so we can truly start our lives.”

“Oh, I guess,” Thilli grumbled, sitting up in the bathtub. She looked at the water as if she never wanted to leave, but finally stood. Anna walked up and handed her a fresh towel.

“I suppose I should get ready as well,” I said, downing half of my tea in a single gulp. It was a spiced blend that reminded me of chai. “This is great, Prazzi,” I said.

“You’re welcome,” she said with a smile. “Do you need anything else before I go?”

I looked back at my wardrobe and thought for a moment. “Yeah. I’ll need something from Trina, so could you have her come see me?”

“Uh oh,” Cirro said with a mischievous look in her eyes. “We all know what that means.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

Cirro’s eyebrows wiggled. “Let me know if you need any help with her.”

“How much time are you going to have for that sort of thing?” Thilli asked. She used magic to draw the water from her hair.

“Honestly? Not a lot. Today and tomorrow maybe, while we’re celebrating, but mostly I need to focus on fighting Vogrim.”

She nodded. “Well, just do what you can.”

My mention of Vogrim led to a moment of silence in the room. After months of fighting and preparing, it was time for me to kill the thousand-year-old sorcerer that had been such a menace to my people. Whether I was ready or not, I had to do it soon, as he was building an army to bring death to Gillamoor and beyond.

“I’ll handle the soldiers today,” Thilli said as she walked over to her wardrobe. I watched her round bubble butt move with every step and couldn’t help the smile that spread on my face. She grabbed a pair of breeches, then turned back to me and began pulling them on.

“I’ll try to make it out there tomorrow,” I said.

“You should,” she replied. “It’s been a bit since they’ve trained with you. They need to see your face and be reminded of your capabilities. They hide it well, but a lot of them are terrified over the upcoming fight.”

“You’re right,” I said. “I’ll make sure I’m there tomorrow morning with you.”

“Have you decided how you’re going to do it yet?” Thilli asked. “Fight Vogrim, that is.”

I frowned as a hundred possibilities came to me. Vogrim was preparing an army and they would be marching straight for Gillamoor, we just didn’t know precisely when. Plus, I wasn’t certain that Vogrim himself would be with that army.

“I’m going to take a handful of people and go straight to his home and kill him there,” I said. “What’s it called, by the way?”

“What’s what called?” Thilli asked.

“The mountain where Vogrim has built his stronghold.”

“Oh,” Thilli said. “I’m sure it had a proper name at some point in time, but we call it Mount Doom.”

“How unoriginal,” I muttered. “I can’t be certain that Vogrim himself will be with this army, and I’d rather not wait for them to arrive here. So, I’m going to take some men to Mount Doom and kill him there.”

Lossia laid her hand on my arm. “Please be careful, Andrew. We’ve come too far to lose you.”

I wrapped both arms around her and kissed her on top of her purple head. “You won’t lose me, Lossia. I’ll be pestering you for the next hundred years.” She giggled and hugged me back.

“How are you going to fight him?” Thilli asked.

My eyes went to the corner of our room, where Eldrick’s sword and shield leaned against a wall.

“I have the tools to do it,” I said. “I suppose I just need to practice with them. Do you want to help me test out the sword and shield?”

“Well, of course I do,” Thilli said as she pulled on her black vest over her dark gray shirt. “You just say when and I’ll be there.”

“It’s really happening,” Cirro said. “After five years of this, the end is finally near. I almost don’t believe it. People used to fear that this would never end until the goblin people were dead. But now, we have hope.”

“And sooner than you think,” I said with a wink. “But let’s put off thinking about it for a day or two. No harm in that. I’d like to enjoy my first Iyva Serin.”