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The sound of the prison door saved me. Etyx rushed in, followed by the two other goblins who had first talked to us.
The tallest one fumbled with keys and reached for my cell. “Sloz agreed to let ye talk to Dalk.”
Shane grabbed two of the wooden beams in his cell. “You’re taking her?”
“Yes,” Etyx said.
Shane’s grip tightened and the wood cracked under his hands. “You take me with you, or you bring this kid here. Either way, you can’t take her from my sight.”
“Ye’re the one in the cell, mate,” the one with the scar and the white eye said.
Shane’s eyes turned brighter and his arms shifted into furry claws. He growled and swiped at the wooden beams before him, severing them in half.
The goblins jumped back several feet, and even I plastered myself to the farthest side of my cell.
“I’ve been quietly standing here, being courteous and patient,” he said through his fangs, his voice deep, almost unnatural. “But if you try taking her away from me, I’ll wreak havoc on your entire village.”
I blinked. I wanted to yell at him for being sexist and possessive, especially of a person who was not his, but that wasn’t my body’s response. Instead, my core warmed up and something like desire whipped through me hard and fast. For a delirious second, I wished he had broken down the beams that separated our cells so I could kiss him.
I shook my head. What?
The goblins exchanged nervous looks. Etyx ran out of the prison again, while the other two reached for the weapons at their waists and pointed them at Shane.
“Stay where you are,” the tallest one said.
Shane’s eyes, teeth, and arms went back to normal. “I don’t want any trouble.”
A moment later, Etyx came back. Sloz was right behind him, and so were two more people—a small and old female pushed a crude wheelchair where a screaming kid sat.
My heart tugged at the sight.
Sloz halted right in front of my cell. “Etyx told me ye can help my son.”
I stared at him. Desperation was etched in each of his features. He loved this kid, and I wanted to help.
I nodded, even if I didn’t really know anything. Just had to try. Hug him, maybe. Comfort him. Do something.
My cell door was unlocked and weapons were raised, their tips pointed at me.
“Try anything funny, and we’ll kill ye,” Etyx said.
I walked out of the cell and approached the boy. He stared at me, but he didn’t see me. His screaming ceased for two seconds, just to start again. He rocked back and forth, his hands closed into fists in his temples.
I knelt beside his chair and took a good look at him. He seemed taller than the other goblins, probably because of his human side. His skin was a smooth green-grayish tone, his face wasn’t as wrinkly, his ears weren’t as long—but they were just as pointy. If I had to guess, I would say he was nine, maybe eight, but he was small for his age.
Just like someone I know.
My eyes bugged. Who? Who did I know?
I reached for the boy and rested my hand on his arm gently. “Hi, Dalk.” He didn’t move or flinch or acknowledge me. He was lost in his own world. “It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”
Not really sure what I was doing, I started singing. Some random lullaby I wasn’t even sure how I knew. My voice wasn’t the greatest, but I could carry a tune, especially if I didn’t try anything too crazy with it. I kept my voice low and mellow as I smoothed my hand up and down Dalk’s arm, always singing.
Slowly, the boy’s screams lowered in volume. When he lowered his hands and glanced at me, I smiled. He flinched from my touch, so I retreated my hand, but I kept singing. I stayed there, smiling at him, looking at him, not touching, not pushing, but a support, a pillar if he needed one.
The screams stopped, but his body still shook.
I didn’t say anything, but took a deep breath, held for two seconds, then let it slowly out. I did again. And again. On the fifth time, Dalk joined me. With shallow breaths first, but then he was copying me beat by beat, and even his trembling stopped.
