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Anrid’s stomach flipped uneasily as the chaos in the chamber began to close in on her, more and more children begging for a ride. She reached behind her back to cling to Medda and keep her from being dislodged, but the pulling at her skirts was yanking her off balance.
“Children, please!”
But the uproar only continued.
Anrid cast about the chamber for help and spotted a lanky figure in the doorway. It was Kora, his arms crossed over his chest, one ankle hooked over the other as he watched her. Her heart sighed a little.
If Jael had been there, she expected he would have tried to calm the chaos. But Kora seemed more than content to recline against the door frame and watch her being pulled to pieces.
He smirked at her a little, as if wanting to see how she planned to get out of this mess.
She narrowed her eyes, more than a little annoyed. And goaded.
Very well then. If that’s how it was going to be, she would rise to the challenge.
“Children! I have an idea. A fantastic idea!” She shouted to be heard over the clamor of voices.
The shouting quieted to excited inquiries about her idea. She flicked another look toward Kora in the doorway and leaned down to whisper conspiratorially. The goblins crowded around her, giggling and leaning in to hear her.
“Do you see Prince Kora over there?” She looked toward the door. Three dozen heads turned in that direction.
“There’s two of them?” Crag gasped as if he’d never heard such a thing in all his life. The monkey chirped inquisitively, an echo of his master.
“Yes, yes, there are two princes. This one is Prince Kora. And I bet he would give each and every one of you a ride, and I think he can carry at least two at a time, don’t you think?”
Gasps mingled with more laughter. “Now, this is how we should do it,” she continued, holding a finger to her lips to keep them quiet. “The first one there will get the first ride. Shall we race?”
“Yes!” someone shouted but dissolved into giggles when the others shushed him. They all turned toward the doorway again and lined up to prepare for their race.
Kora straightened and shifted to stand in the middle of the doorway. He’d realized she was up to something.
She struggled to keep the smile from her face and set Medda down on the floor to join the race. “One, two...three!”
Screams erupted as the goblin children tore across the room and descended on the goblin prince. He barely had time to take a step backward before they threw themselves at his legs and caught hold of his arms. The little fellow who couldn’t keep his trousers on scrambled up Kora’s side and managed to latch himself to the goblin’s back. Two more broke into a fight trying to do the same thing.
Staggering to maintain his balance as they pushed and shoved around him, Kora shifted his gaze back to Anrid, where she stood along the far wall, hands primly folded in front of her. His eyes glinted, and he freed a hand long enough to flick two fingers off his forehead, as if to congratulate her success and concede the victory to her.
She allowed herself to grin and rocked back and forth on her toes, enjoying the moment. Although, judging by that expression on his face, this game was only beginning, and the next round may very well turn the scales against her.
An hour later, the children sat in lopsided circles, their hands and faces smeared with black grease as they attempted to polish a pile of runestones Trap had brought for them.
Anrid sat cross-legged behind them and enjoyed the reprieve. Trap had promised them a snack if they did a good job, and it appeared to be the necessary incentive. Even little Medda held a runestone in one hand and a grungy cloth in the other as she scrubbed the rock with gusto.
Footsteps thudded against the hard ground moments before Kora lowered himself down to sit beside her. He sat a little closer than she thought necessary, but he didn’t touch her as he brought one bent leg toward his chest and leaned an arm lazily against it.
She peeked at him from the corner of her eye, a little too pleased to see he looked as disheveled as she did, his white hair tangled and his tunic all but pulled from the belt that had contained it.
“Remind me not to go to war with you,” he murmured as he watched the goblinborn and not her.
“Most wars can be avoided,” she said, “if people treat one another with kindness and offer their assistance when it is needed.” She stared at him until he deigned to acknowledge her.
A smirk lifted the corners of his mouth. “Point taken. I am properly chastised. I can offer no defense except being blinded by your brilliance.” The way he maintained eye contact made her uneasy.
Her cheeks warmed as she rolled her eyes away, trying to seem casual. “Please. You won’t get anywhere with me speaking like that.”
“Most girls like to be flattered, don’t they?”
I am not most girls, she wanted to say, but she feared that would only encourage him to prove her wrong. “A man’s behavior matters more than his flattery.” Keeping the focus on him and off herself seemed the safest route to go.
