“You were glowing just now,” Firewater said, pinching his nose tightly. “Thought something was happening to you.”
Silkie pulled out a cloth and shoved it at him, plugging his bleeding nose with it. “Sorry for getting blood on your clothes.”
“Oh?” Claire tilted her head. “Don’t worry about it.”
Jasmine was already awake and trying not to laugh beside Silkie. “Told you it was normal. She was communing with our Goddess.”
“And I told you Firewater doesn’t think before he acts,” Silkie said, replacing the cloth her husband was holding. Firewater rolled his eyes in response.
Firewater’s body glowed a faint yellow as Ana groggily held her wand. Firewater glared at his wife, “Would you look at that, healing magic without all the sass.”
“More fun to annoy you, dear,” Silkie said while dabbing away the blood.
“Thank you, Ana,” Firewater said, now talking normally. He tested his now straightened nose. “Forgive me for bothering you. You must be exhausted.”
“I-it’s okay.” Ana mumbled.
“My wife could heal me, yet she chooses to be difficult.” Firewater continued. He was met with a playful punch to his shoulder.
“I barely have enough strength to stand, you jackass.” She replied. She mocked his formal tone while continuing. “Heal yourself if you’re so mighty.”
Claire expected the two to be more sentimental, given the experiences they had been put through. The goblin woman couldn’t be pried from Firewater, even at the detriment to her health last night, yet they were bickering. Though she had to admit, they both looked happy.
Jasmine sat beside her and leaned on her shoulder. They watched the two devolve into petty insults. Something that woke the entire camp with how loud they were getting. The boys cuddled up to Ursa, still fearful of the goblins.
The goblins, however, instead of stopping their leader, started laughing. Claire felt uneasy listening to them laugh, a primal fear within her at the sound they produced. It slowly passed as the two’s fight climaxed.
“Fuck, not even a thank you?” Firewater cried out. “No, ‘thank you for saving me?’ Nor an acknowledgment to our saviors? Just jabs and ridicule?!”
“Thank you? I was in there for months!” Silkie replied. She was inches from Firewater’s face. “I nearly went insane!”
The two were standing in the middle of camp, practically yelling now. Claire was over the whole thing and she stepped forward to put a stop to it. But the admiral goblin grabbed her arm. The creature shook his head with a defeated look.
This was normal.
That didn’t stop Ursa, however. She had shuffled the children away from the argument, seeing how frightened they were. She returned with glowing red eyes and fury.
“Would you two shut the fuck up?!” She snarled. Ursa was barely holding on to her consciousness, her berserker instincts threatening to take over. “You’re scaring the fucking boys!”
Firewater and Silkie returned Ursa’s glare, the two stopping for a moment. Almost at once, the two responded to Ursa.
“How dare you yell at my wife!”
“Don’t you talk to my husband like that!”
Their anger turned to Ursa as Firewater approached the Ravian. Despite his injuries, the goblin man would defend Silkie’s honor. Silkie, in turn, began to glow with magic. Ursa approached the man, cracking her knuckles.
“Stop!” Claire yelled. The command in her voice caused even the goblins to turn to her. Ursa immediately froze along with Firewater. Silkie, still glowing with magic, glared at Claire.
“Enough.” Claire’s words rang sharp. Silkie’s magic dissipated while Firewater lowered his head. “You should be planning for your people’s future, not arguing. What happens now? Do you hide here? Wait to be slaughtered?”
“We have a stronghold now, we cou-” Firewater tried to say.
“And immediately be found?” Claire cut him off. Annoyance was evident in her voice now. “You’d have the entire royal army after you.”
“Are we supposed to go back to scavenging?” Silkie asked. She stood beside Firewater, her arm wrapped around his. Her voice was softer now. “Return to the wilds like animals?”
“I don’t know,” Claire said, calming down. “We would have discussed that had you two not fought all morning.”
“Until then, there are caves we can use.” Firewater said, rubbing his chin.
Silkie tilted her head, “So like, Jasmine explained a few things, but is homosexuality really normalized?”
Claire turned to her, bewildered. It took her a moment to even remember the meaning of the word as Jasmine replied. “Ever since men’s birthrates began to dwindle.”
The goblin woman rubbed her chin, deep in thought. “Interesting. It was taboo for… goblins. So is it normal for human society? Like, are all your parents two women?”
“Yes,” Jasmine said, amused. “And before you ask, no, men are still needed to reproduce. We just have to pay for it now.”
Firewater furrowed his brow. “But why do the boys look so… girly?”
“Do you not know of the Tyrant?” Claire asked. The two froze for a moment, recognition crossed their faces. She continued, “He went against the gods and as punishment, men were punished. They stopped looking like Firewater and became the weaker gender.”
Both goblins were lost in thought, and silence fell over the group. Claire exchanged glances with her party members. They all seemed to agree. They knew something.
Firewatter exhaled slowly, glancing at his wife. “For another time, my dear.”
Silkie nodded. “I’m not even going to try to lie. We were far too obvious.”
“And you can’t tell us, I assume.” Elsie chimed in.
The two nodded in unison.
“Figures,” Elsie muttered.
“All we can give you is our recognition,” Silkie said. She glanced hesitantly at Firewater before continuing. “There are reasons and restrictions for why we can’t tell you anything. Your Goddess will know why.”
The two looked to Claire. “Old magic. From before the Tyrant’s betrayal. It shrouded them from Her vision.”
“That’d explain Firewater’s appearance,” Jasmine muttered.
“And the Gods on your marks?” Lily asked. “They’d have to be from before then.”
“We-were they killed by him, too?” Ana asked aloud.
Claire felt her Goddess’s nudge, a sign they were on to something. She felt goosebumps run down her neck as she pondered the possibilities. One question remained.
“If their gods were from his time, why are they here now?”