“The goblins helped some evil humans take over the isle and called them their Kings. A terrible war was fought over many years, and eventually the Goblin Kings were all defeated. The last was called the Gaunt Prince, and he was slain by the gnome king of that time, a powerful warrior named Goban Blackmud. A damn fine king! After the war, Goban took his hammer and struck off for the center of the world, claiming he would not return until Fire was taken away from the goblins, and, if they still lived, placed back under the care of the dragons. He has not been seen again to this very day, but do not give up on him, Blink. Some of us never have.

“Now Goban had to leave his crown to someone before he left, so he put it in the hands of his brother, an empty headed lack wit named Hob. Hob got to talking with the newly restored king of the elves and thought that it would be a right grand idea to offer an invite to any goblin who wanted it, to come back and live with the gnomes, so as to get reunited with their long lost cousins. Nevermind that the goblins were responsible for hundreds of years of oppression and bloodshed and were nothing but an unwashed rabble of bandy-legged, sister-shagging, gap-toothed, flat-headed, Fire-loving murderers!”

Deglan stopped. In his tirade he had let go of Blink’s hand while flailing his own angrily above his head. She had stopped walking and was now standing motionless several dozen paces behind. Deglan’s heart sank. It was all a waste of breath and there was nothing he could do to change that. There was no herb that could cure this poor child. And what had he hoped to accomplish? To explain that she would have to see goblins again? The same pug-nosed bastards that had slain her parents and found the act a lark? But that they were different from other goblins, because they had chosen to accept Hob’s decree and come back to gnomish ways? That they were good goblins? She had no reason to trust that, and Deglan would be lying to her if he said she should, because he did not believe it himself.

“Forget the story,” Deglan said and walked back to where Blink stood. He squatted down and placed one hand on her face and the other he cupped under her chin. Gently he raised her head until she looked him in the eye. “If you hear nothing else, sweet one, hear this. No matter what we see or who we meet…I will not let anything happen to you. I will keep you safe…or you can kick me in the shins.”