The Goblin Bride (Beneath Sands Book 1) by Emma Hamm (good short books TXT) 📕

An answering trill relaxed her.

Slowly the goblins were starting to become separate beings to her. In the beginning, all she had seen were the oddly pale faces and the strange shapes they held. Individuals blurred together into one mass of beast that she could not define. Now she was starting to realize that there were differences among them the same as with humans.

The healer was a much older goblin though his spine was still straight. He remembered a time when there were more females, had birthed one himself according to Ruric. It was why when they had first entered his cave, he had reached out to reverently touch her cheek.

Females were so sacred to them that they cared not what species they were. They did not eat female fish, nor did they kill them if they had the choice. Even the larger bug like creatures that some of the goblins feasted on were not eaten if there were eggs in their bellies.

Jane could not understand these choices. Food was food whether it was female or male. As far as she could tell there was no shortage of any of these animals. That included humans.

The healer before her trilled once more, his head cocked to the side. He arched his neck too far and the action became unnerving.

“Ruric is sick.” How to explain this without words? She reached out to grab the healer’s hand, placed it against her forehead and said Ruric’s name once more.

If Ruric had been there, he would have remembered to save the moment in his memory. It was the first time she had willingly touched another goblin and the first time she had asked for help.

Luck was with her tonight. The goblin seemed to understand her. His brows furrowed as he nodded. Quickly he disappeared from sight once more, leaving her standing on the precipice of the cliff. It was strange how she did not worry about falling anymore.

She didn’t know what she would do if Ruric died. Jane did not think of her future with the goblins but instead she focused on the absence of him. He was her captor yes, but this was twice in a short amount of time that she was thinking she might lose him.

It did not settle well with her. Ruric should have made her uncomfortable to be around. He should have made her stomach ill to even look at. They all should. But in such a short amount of time she had come to appreciate and respect these people.

The knowledge strengthened her resolve. Perhaps she was not as alone as she thought. Or at least incapable of taking care of herself. She had managed to arrive here, to speak with this goblin without knowing their language. She could do more.

Now it wasn’t just about her. For the first time since arriving here, Jane was taking care of someone else. It felt good. It felt right. This was the way she was meant to be.

Goblins be damned if they tried to stop her from continuing this now. She had helped today, surely that would prove to them that she could continue without hurting herself? Jane was not a goblin female. She was stronger. She could break outside of the box they had placed around their own kind.

The healer did not look at her as he swept out of the mouth of the cave. He had a small pack he was carrying with him. It was made out of some kind of fur lined pouch that she had never seen before. A few other items were tossed over his shoulders, ropes and harnesses that she could not imagine their use.

The healer moved quickly and she had trouble keeping up with him. Goblins were so sure footed in the comfort of their caves. In comparison she was clumsy. Jane worried about slipping and falling. Her feet would sometimes catch on a stone that would roll her ankle. The motion was enough to send her toppling over the edge if she was not careful.

At least there was time for her to breathe. She knew the way back now. She could watch his back if she needed to, but her light was her true guide. Across the ladder bridge they went, and he entered the cave without pausing.

Ruric seemed no better, if anything he seemed to be too still.

Her heart caught in her throat for a moment. Was he dead? Had she taken too long in finding the healer?

She waited anxiously as the healer looked him over. The man seemed to hover in place, his hands moving nearly too fast for her to watch. He was good at what he did, she would admit that. Human healers took much longer than this to treat humans who were ill. They still had not figured out any cure for sand sickness. These goblins seemed to know each other well enough to heal any injury.

Slowly the healer nodded, his eyes opening for the first time in a while. She noticed they did that often as a race. Closing their eyes when they concentrated seemed to be their way of focusing. She supposed if you lived in a world of darkness, it made sense.

He trilled at her, warbling and gesturing in a way she did not understand.

“I’m sorry, I don’t-” She shook her head at him, her hands raising helplessly. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. Is he alright?”

The healer pointed towards Ruric, making a pillow out of his hands to tell her that he was sleeping. Then his hand hovered over Ruric’s resting body, patting once, twice, as though to tell her it was alright.

She shook her head at him. No one could be that hot and still be healthy. Surely the healer would understand that. This couldn’t be normal for a creature to be this warm.

But when she tried to convince him to stay, he simply continued to walk out of the cave. She could not tug on him hard enough.

Once again it was