Page 47 of Echoes of the Banshee

The room begins to shake as forty goblins attempt to control their anger.

“They learned the secret from the goddess to breaking their bonds. Men who had nothing to lose revolted and went mine to mine, helping the goblins there escape. Once witches knew that we knew, they freed all goblins, and in our benevolence, we allowed them to live.”

“That was a mistake,” a goblin in the back of the room says.

Definitely.

We just wanted freedom, we should’ve gotten revenge. They enslaved us for two thousand years. We killed ten witches.

For that, they cursed us.

All female goblins died within a year.

None have been born since.

The bell rings and I walk to crafting. Normally my favorite class. Zair sits next to me and starts talking animatedly. I can barely manage a response as he tells me all about his girl, Thea.

“And then she let him walk right into the trap, she was up and around his neck, choking him out.”

“Cool,” I say with no enthusiasm.

“It’s like she forgets she has magic sometimes. I always default to using it in a fight and she seems to think of it only as an afterthought.”

“Of course you do,” I mutter under my breath. He raises an eyebrow.

“Everything okay?” he asks.

“Thought you didn’t date witches,” I accuse.

“We aren’t dating. I don’t like her like that.”

Well, at least there’s that.

When Vance calls us to attention I focus wholeheartedly on my forge. Attempting to beat the anger out of me.

I push it too hard. Soccer practice afterwards is brutal, and I can barely even lift my arms to block the ball.

Any other player would be fine, but as goalie, I really need my arms.

I haven’t even finished showering when Zair vanishes with his girl again. Dylan tries to calm me down but I want nothing to do with it. I go to my room and order a pizza, eating the entire thing and falling asleep.

The next morning is better.

My nightblind English class always makes me feel better. Not because I learn anything, but there’s a girl in one of the classrooms upstairs.

Every day I get there early to watch her walk in, then wait for her to leave.

One of these days I’m going to get up the nerve to talk to her.

School’s only been in session a month. I’ve got time.

For now I’m content to watch, it’s like the world calms when I’m in her presence.

She comes down the stairs after class and I take a deep breath. She smiles at something as she passes me. I decide to follow her to lunch, see if I can get in line behind her and start a conversation. She watches the sky as she walks, like she knows how precious it is.

She turns. Shoot. Not heading to the cafeteria. The library.

Still works.