Key To A Goblin's Heart

Jake's POV

"So, this place isn't too bad, right?" I nudged Mike in the ribs, promoting him to let out a stifled groan as he turned to face the other side. 

"Oh! Come on Mike, you seriously can't be sleeping!" I complained, "I am so excited that I can barely bat an eyelid."

Michael shoved his pillow at me and I dodged it. I lifted mine and attacked him, thinking that he intends to do a pillow-fight. 

"Sleep Jake!" He groaned once again, "I don't have energy for your ramblings right now. I am dead tired."

"You are no sport!" I exclaimed, "All you want to do is eat and sleep. No wonder you are getting so fat!"

"Hey! I am not fat." Mike protested, throwing the pillow aside and waking up, "I am going to sleep on the floor. It's impossible to close my eyes with you beside me. Moreover, I had to do all sorts of complicated magic today and trust me, it drains you. I need some rest if I am going to function tomorrow."

"Okay." I muttered, trying to sleep myself. 

But sleep eluded me. My mind was overrun with a thousand thoughts, criss crossing each other and running in a thousand different directions. I was glad that Maland came with us, because without him we were almost sure to be lost. But, at the same time I am wary of his suspicious behaviour. He treats everything like some sort of potential threat, poking and prying until he is sure that it won't do him any harm. 

While, this kind of protective instincts work in a battlefield, it's hardly of any use in real life. He makes people uncomfortable around him, labelling himself as a boring disciplinarian, while he is so much more than that. If only he let people see those fun sides of him!

I was still determined to find a cure for Maland's hand. But how I shall do that, I had no idea. I had expected to have a brainstorming idea by now, but my mind is empty as a dry lake. I tried finding some answers in the library earlier, but I had absolutely no idea what to look for. Also, the grumpy librarian didn't help at all, always staring at me with those cold eyes and poking me with her stick to keep silence. 

If only internet worked here, I could easily Google a few stuff and compile them together to start a comprehensive research. Truth be spoken, I never really did any research before, so I had no idea how to conduct one. My thesis papers were usually last moment compilations made by copying from all my friends and Mike often helped me with the other nuances. 

Could he help me now? I mean, he did have some medical training from all those hours of volunteering in medical camps, and he is a certified nerd. Who better ask for all these than him? As soon as the idea struck me, I was cheerful once more. 

"Hey, Michael! Are you awake?" I threw a pillow at his head. 

"Yes, obviously now I am." He said drily. 

"Hey, I was wondering….is there any cure for a paralysed hand?"

"What for?" Mike asked in alarm, "you didn't injure yourself or anything right?"

"No no.." I said quickly, "I was just curious."

"In the middle of the night?" Mike shot me a sharp look, "Hmm...the cure depends on the cause of paralysis. Mostly paralysis due to stroke or any other brain pathology is irreversible, but if there is some other organic cause...it depends. The Doctors can be a better judge of it, I think."

Mike's answer went above my head, but all I could make out is the word irreversible. That did nothing to uplift my spirits. Also, I am pretty sure Maland's hand was not paralysed by any organic cause, rather a magical one. Could some magical doctor help?

Suddenly, the door to our room opened violently, and Maland stepped in. He had a ghastly look on his face, and his usual frown had further deepened. I am usually accustomed to seeing Maland's cool composition so this agitated man in front of me was really frightening. 

"Get up! Hurry! Pack your stuff, we leave now." He commanded urgently. 

"Are you two conspiring together to let me have no sleep today?" Mike growled. 

"There's no time for sleep!" Maland's voice was full of panic, "we are in mortal danger here, we need to leave as early as possible. Go far away from here in fact."

"But why?" Mike frowned, but got up nevertheless. 

"You are acting paranoid. What has happened?" I asked in concern. 

Maland seemed to brace himself before constructing a proper reply. 

"It is all my fault." He said, "I should have known better. I was entrusted with the safety of both of you, and I have failed. How could I have been so dumb as not to recognise the signs earlier?"

"Oh please, come to the point!" Mike urged. 

"Our hosts intend to kill us." Maland said, taking a deep breath, "They are not harmless dwarves, but something else altogether. They are the Hobgoblins!"

"Hob-what?" Mike asked confused. 

"Hobgoblins." Maland tried to explain, "The name is actually a misnomer since they have nothing to do with real Goblins. Real Goblins, like us are very close to humans in appearance but our physiology and magical powers set us apart from a normal human. Hobgoblins, on the other hand, resemble the dwarves. They have little magical powers, and are mostly known for their cruelty and viciousness."

"Our host hardly seems cruel or harmful." I frowned. 

"They only look harmless." Maland prompted, "but trust me when I say, these are one of the most dangerous magical creatures alive. They have enormous physical strength and a wicked will. Hobgoblins are savages, they feed on flesh and blood, and ornament their homes with the remnants of the body that they had consumed. I found a finger bone in their fireplace, which led me to the truth."

"So, they have invited us into their house so they can eat us?!" Mike said, horrified. 

Maland shook his head gloomily. 

"We have to leave while they are asleep. We have to enter the territory of Mafhaelore, and only then we will be safe from the clutches of these savages. Mafhaelore has a protective charm, which repels Hobgoblins and they can't enter it."

We quickly packed our bags, and put our clothes on. It was still really dark outside, but if Maland's suspicions are true, we are in more danger inside this house than we will be outside in the dark. Maland put his hand on his sword sheath, and once again, I was glad he was with us now. 

I had also packed my sword in Sofosys' magical bag, and I quickly took it out. Then, we started making our way slowly out of the house. 

Mike was the only one who was unarmed among us, and we moved on either sides of him. We had just entered the kitchen, when our host suddenly came in front of us. 

"Now. Now." He said with a smile, "Do you guys want anything? You can just ask."

"No thanks." Maland said coldly, "We must go now. Thank you for your hospitality."

"But, why so soon?" The creature smiled slyly, "My Wife would regret your departure very much. She has decided to feed you turkey tomorrow, and now you are talking of leaving! Pray gentlemen, stay another night!"

"Enough with your pretenses!" I snarled, "We know what you are. You are Hobgoblins, and you want to kill us!"

The expression on the Hobgoblin's face changed immediately. The friendly smirk disappeared, replaced by a sinister grin. I felt a shiver, as his features assumed a treacherous look. 

"So, you have found out." He said menacingly, "but I am afraid, I cannot let you people go. You see, one can't simply escape a Hobgoblin's den. That would be really bad for our reputation!"

A lot of things happened at once, before I could process what the Hobgoblin said. Maland raised his sword, and the Hobgoblin dodged, he gave a sharp whistle which sounded like an ominous bell and within seconds, the room was filled with more of his kind, as if they had sprouted from the surface of the Earth. 

The gang of Hobgoblins filled every corner of the room, snarkily laughing and exposing their sharp canines. The one that was earlier our host, suddenly turned a ghoulish green colour, and sharp claws arose from his hands. They all looked terrifying, even though they were short. And my God, there were too many of them. I hadn't anticipated this number, and it seemed that we were grossly overpowered. 

I glanced at Maland, who looked ready to fight with a stoic expression on his face. I guess, we had no other option left. 

"Shield Mike!" Maland commanded sharply, before throwing himself in front of the gang of Hobgoblins. 

One of them came forward to meet Maland's challenge, and clawed at him. Maland swiftly dodged the attack and with a sharp stroke, beheaded the creature. 

The others seemed to take hardly any notice of the fact that one of them had died. They approached us with renewed vigour and Maland started beheading the ones that came. For all their ferocity, the Hobgoblins weren't really a fighting lot. 

"You think you can defeat us like this!" Our host said with flashing teeth, "it'll take more to kill a Hobgoblin!"

And, he was right. 

To my horror, the ones Maland had beheaded suddenly rose, their decapitated heads rolled in their direction and went up to fix itself on their severed neck. The Hobgoblins were whole again.