The stench of the rotting bodies was so strong it was almost a physical blow.  Connor had given them a paste that smelled vaguely of mint and something Callindra couldn’t quite identify to smear under their nostrils and that was the only thing that kept her from being violently ill.  They had all crept from their hiding places and leaped into the wagons as they rumbled along the road. The pace of the wagons and the possibility of being spotted had meant that they all had to move at once, and as a result they were spread over three different wagons.  

They rolled over a bridge made of thick wooden planks that spanned the fetid water backed up behind the dam and she carefully looked around, only moving her eyes just in case someone was watching.  They stopped and Callindra heard some ominous creaking and grinding noises from the frame of the wagon. Was it about to give way from the stress of the weight it carried?

Without warning it tipped sideways, dumping the entire contents unceremoniously into a pit.  She screamed in surprise, something she immediately regretted as the various fluids of the dead splattered into her face.  Although being on top was advantageous in case she’d needed to leap out, she now found herself to be in danger of being buried.

With reflexes born of fighting for her life for years, she flung Shadowsliver point first into the wooden side of the pit.  His tips didn’t dig in deep, but it was enough that she was able to swing closer to the wall and out of the way of the tumbling rush of bodies before the wood gave way.  A quick tug on his chain brought him back to her.

Callindra put her back to the wall, standing on the unsteady footing of the piles of corpses and watched as Reed used nearly superhuman agility to all but run up the torrent of corpses, using the body of a horse to push himself off in a leap that carried him out of the worst of it.  Kain was lucky and had been on the far side, so all he needed to do was choose his moment and jump. Holt managed to roll out of the way of most of the carnage. Connor had simply flickered out of his hiding place, and appeared next to Callindra, seeming calm and unaffected by riding in a wagon of the dead.

Vilhylm wasn’t so lucky.  When the wagon he was riding in tipped, he got caught in a tangle of limbs and vanished beneath tons of bodies.  Callindra bit back another cry of alarm and started pulling at the pile in a futile attempt to uncover him. Voices drew her attention; she couldn’t tell what they were saying yet, but they were getting closer.  They only had a few moments before whoever was approaching would see them.

“We have to stay against the wall.”  Connor said, putting his hand on her shoulder.  “Those goblins will see us otherwise.”

Now that she listened more carefully, Callindra could hear the harsh guttural sounds of the goblin language from above.  She knew a few words in goblin, most of them curse words, but managed to follow the general gist. They were here to keep the bodies flowing into wherever they were going.  She held a hand up to the others, signaling silence. After a few minutes and a few desultory pokes with some hooked sticks the goblins wandered off. The moment their footsteps faded from hearing, they all rushed to where they thought Vilhylm was buried.  

After a few tense minutes of frantic digging, Connor located one of Vil’s boots and after a few more they managed to remove enough of the corpses to get him free.  He was dazed from a rising knot where something had smashed his head on the way down, but after they got him up and moving he recovered fairly quickly.  

“That was not pleasant.”  He said, shaking his cloak in a vain attempt to remove some of the viscera that coated his clothes loose.  “What did I miss?”

“It looks like there are patrols of goblins that are doing something for whoever is in charge here.”  Callindra said, “Probably trying to make sure that these bodies are going where they’re supposed to I’d guess.  I didn’t hear enough of what they were saying to know more than that they’re not taking it too seriously and don’t like it very much.”

“Goblins don’t like doing anything for anyone but themselves very much.”  Vilhylm said, “But they won’t do it for someone who is weaker or less clever than they are.  While they’re weak as a individuals, they do have the ability to work together to do a lot of damage, so if there are any real number of them here whoever’s in charge must have some amount of power.”

“Do you think their leader is living or Taken?”  Callindra asked, looking at her companions. “I can’t imagine any living working for Taken, but then again we saw something similar when we found Holt and Kain.”

“It doesn’t matter.”  Reed said, “If they’re working to keep this river fouled then they’re the enemy.”

“It does matter.”  She said with more heat in her voice than she had intended. “If we’re going to survive, we need every living thing to work together to defeat the Taken.  There is no room for infighting Reed, if some living being is working to create this mess we need to find out why and explain why we need to put a stop to it.”

“If they’re doing THIS then I don’t think I want to meet them with anything but a knife point.”  Reed said, but his voice was subdued.

Callindra shivered and looked at the others.  “I’m not sure I want to either, but we need to try.  For all we know they’re just trying to keep these things from infecting more of the world.”

“A valid point Callindra.”  Kain said, “As misguided an attempt as it would be this could be an attempt to do good.”

“You have GOT to be shittin me.”  Reed said, looking at them in shock.  “They’re goblins! Only thing they’re really good for is the great curse words.  Besides, everyone knows that where there’s one of ‘em there’s a hundred or more. One’s no big deal, but fifty gobs with bows will take down just about anyone.”

“If they’re not Taken then they need to be on our side if we’re going to win.”  Callindra said grimly. “If you haven’t noticed the Taken seem to be winning.”

Durrak stared through the eyeglass, squinting his left eye shut against the glare of the rising sun.  The harbor was busy with crews intent on cleaning up the few remaining Taken who still shuffled about, mostly filling them with arrows or dispatching them with polearms.  The battle had been short and brutal, the Taken who had congregated around the docks were overwhelmed by the far superior numbers of warriors who had boiled up from the sewers.

“What do they be doing?”  He muttered, fumbling a cigar from his belt pouch.  

“That’s probably not advisable.”  Lorin said, frowning at the light yellow smoke that drifted lazily around the Dwarf’s head.

“They no will be seeing it.”  Durrak said with a shrug. “Surely they do be knowing the docks do be a lost cause.  The creature do hold sway over the deeps beyond.”

“They have some plan.”  Lorin mused, “Perhaps they’ve found a way to bypass the creature.”

“But what do be the purpose?”  Durrak asked, “They no do wish to leave and claim no to desire to be attracting attention, so why this?”

They watched the scene for a quarter candlemark before the answer was revealed.  A ship sailed toward the harbor under full sail. A white flag with a black hourglass containing red sand was its banner.  The Leviathan that waited to guard the deep water just outside the harbor writhed, making the surface ripple.

“They do be dead men.”  Durrak rumbled, “I no do be wishing that fate even on enemies.”

Before the beast could rise to shred the ship to splinters, it flickered.  There wasn’t any other word for it; the ship simply stopped being where it had been and appeared just outside the mouth of the harbor.  It was still under full sail and was piloted swiftly and expertly up to one of the long quays that extended out for deep water vessels. As before, instead of slowing gradually, it flickered and was abruptly docked with anchor and gangplank down.

“Thraingaar’s balls, what do that be?”  Durrak’s voice was a bit shaken. He was used to seeing displays of power, but this was beyond what he would have thought possible for any but the great adepts who had studied in this very city.  They used it so casually; not for a great last attempt to defend a city, but to dock a ship.  

“Disciples of Tido.”  Lorin said, his voice tight with tension.  “Dangerous heretics who twist reality about themselves regardless of the havoc it wreaks on others.”

“They do be what?”

“Tido is the goddess of time.”  Lorin said, still staring at the banner through his eyeglass.  “She does things. Terrible things. Her disciples get a measure of her power and they never use it for the benefit of others.”

“If they do be coming at the request of Ellen Eth we do be having problems.”  Durrak muttered, “Well, more problems.” He amended as the Elf raised an eyebrow at him.

“What possible reason would she have for bringing them here?”  Lorin mused, “Ellen Eth usually likes to be the most knowledgeable and powerful person in the room.  They obviously have power beyond what she can wield.”

“They do be bringing advantage that no do be available to her enemies.”  Durrak said, “It could be she no does know just how powerful their magic do be.”

Lorin rolled his eyes, “I’ve known you for over a month and I still get turned around by your way of speaking.  If they came at her request, I doubt she underestimated them. She is not the type of woman who makes mistakes of this magnitude.  If she brought them here, and it seems likely from the welcome they’re receiving, she has a plan for how to use them and for how to control them.”

“You do be right about one thing.  Ellen Eth no do be the type to make mistakes.”  Durrak puffed on his cigar and frowned at the harbor in thought.  “I do be having a bad feeling she do be using their power to fulfill her promise.”

“A bad feeling?  I thought you wanted to kill that dragon.”  Lorin said, “If she gives you the chance at Cerioth why would it be a bad feeling?”

“Because it do mean she do be taking steps to be making sure I do be successful.  Which do be meaning she do have plans for me after.” Durrak tucked the still burning stub of his cigar back into the pouch and as afterthought thrust a handful of dead leaves that had gathered in the corner of the balcony in as well.

“What’s your plan then?”  Lorin asked, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

“I do be intending to be making it clear that I no do be easy prey.”  Durrak said as a savage grin split his face. “If she do be bringing Cerioth here, I do be ready to be showing her exactly how dangerous it do be to be within reach of my Femurslicer.”