[rework] Minglings - chapter 37: Losing focus

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Goblins herded the tired group of Kobolds back to town. Heads low and dragging their feet, they couldn't even muster the energy to complain. Only one person was cheerful: Whipper. Whistling to himself, he walked at the head of the group, chewing on a hand-sized frog leg.

Hiding in the middle of the group, Emma felt her mouth water as she looked at the meat. She was so hungry that she felt like rushing forward and snatching the slimy morsel. Letting her mind wander with the daydream of food, she was started by a sharp, stuttered breath. Annoyed at being pulled back to reality, she looked at the ragged Kobold trudging on beside her.

Like everyone in this group, he was blue-scaled, and Emma thought he was called Burt. He had already been with the group when she was added but didn't talk much, keeping to himself even more than the others.

The Kobold's eyes were swirling in their sockets, and his tongue was lolling out.

He is dreaming! Emma thought as she felt panic grow.

Somehow, the Goblins had discovered that the Kobolds could evolve into Dragons, and Peltmans had ordered any that acted funny to be immediately brought to him.

Rita walked ahead of her, and as covertly as she could, she grabbed her hand, tugging it until the older woman looked back. Emma pointed her nose towards Burt. Rita followed her gaze and her eyes widened. The same panic Emma felt appeared on the older woman's face, and she looked around. Emma followed suit, making sure to move slowly so the Goblins wouldn't be alerted. Nobody had noticed yet, but that wouldn't take much longer. Burt was starting to breathe erratically, and from his stumbling, she knew he might fall over at any moment.

Before Rita or Emma could do anything, Burt tripped and fell flat on his face.

The other Kobolds continued a few steps before noticing what had happened, and they stopped, looking at the falling Kobold. One of the Goblins at the back shouted, and Whipper swirled around, his whip raised and a hungry look in his eyes. He whooped and ran forward when he saw Burt twitching like a fish on dry land.

"Another one! We are going to have fun tonight! Drag him to the pit. Peltmans will want to see this!" He cackled like an old hag before cracking his whip above the Kobolds' heads, who began moving again immediately.

Taking a last look at Burt, Emma felt tears well up in her eyes. There was nothing she could do to help him, and fear surged up. Was this what would happen to her? Dragged away to the pit and made to scream for hours until the Goblins tired of their games? She recalled the previous instance and shivered. She had been crying in the corner, fingers in her ears. Tears began forming, and she clenched Rita's hand, holding it until they were back in town, and shoved into the smelly shack.

The Kobolds crashed onto the muddy floor, dumbly looking at each other in the dark. Without windows, there was only some red light filtering in through the cracks of their prison, but they could still see.

"They are going to kill all of us…" one of the Kobolds muttered, lowering his head and staring at the ground. Nobody corrected him, and they silently waited for what was to come. It didn't take long, perhaps half an hour.

A piercing scream echoed through the entire village, and Emma shuddered. She huddled closer to Rita, who wrapped an arm around her. Howls of pain followed, and two of the Kobolds began sobbing in a corner as the piercing voice became louder and louder. It lasted well into the night, keeping everyone awake as they listened to the tortured screams and the uproariously laughing Goblins.

When it stopped, Emma felt relieved and ashamed. Relieved that the screaming had stopped, and ashamed that she was mainly glad for herself, so she didn't have to listen to it anymore.

How can they do these things, she thought, knowing she should be furious but only feeling tired and numb.

Rita hugged her, and she felt safe for a moment in her warm arms when the older woman let her go and lay down. "It is over, dear. Let's sleep. It will be a busy day tomorrow."

A soft shuffling came as the Kobolds tried to get comfortable. They had barely stilled when a low moan vibrated through the small room. Everyone froze, and it took two whole seconds for Emma to realize it came from Rita. Heartbeat racing up, she scrambled to the woman beside her, moving her on her back. Rita's eyes were wide open, staring at something only she could see. A small film of water was starting to cover her scales.

"No, Rita!" It felt like she got a hit in the gut, and Emma flopped down.

One of the others slowly crawled to Rita and poked her side. When he got no response, he sighed. "What do we do now?"

"We call Whipper…" a soft voice came from the back, and a slender Kobold stared at the others when they gaped at him. "Don't look at me like that! If she goes mental, she might hurt us. And if she doesn't, what do we tell Whipper tomorrow? I don't want to be made an example!" As he continued, his voice rose but remained a whisper, though it was loud enough for Emma to worry someone might have heard.

No, Rita! She thought as she imagined the woman screaming.

Panicking, she looked around. The other Kobolds didn't meet her gaze but looked at each other with worry.

No! They can't be serious!

She had to do something, but what? If they did this to Rita, what would they do to her if she began her change?

Wait, that's it!

"We can't!" she whispered in a rush, feeling her throat squeeze tight when everyone stared at her. "All of us will change! Are you going to kill us all?"

The other Kobolds stared at her in wonder, but one shook his head. "You lie! There are Kobolds in the other groups that didn't have a single dragon dream yet!"

Emma cringed when she saw the others begin to stare at her angrily.

"No, you don't understand! It's because they aren't blue like us. That blue energy in the sea! That's what makes us change. You have seen it right? The little specs in the water that float to you and tickle?"

"I have seen them," one of the Kobolds, a sturdy man who missed two fingers of his left hand, said dully. A worried look spread on his face as he moved closer to Emma. "How do you know all this?"

As she saw the surrounding anger turn to curiosity, Emma felt her fear fade a little. She was about to explain what she knew when Rita began banging the ground with her hands and heels. A haze of water surrounded her, similar to what had happened to Jake, though much smaller.

Emma jumped atop her and tried to press the flailing hands to the ground, but she wasn't strong enough. The frail old woman suddenly seemed possessed by an otherworldly strength and pushed Emma off as she continued flailing about.

"Help me. We need to keep her quiet! It won't last long, and afterward, she will disappear," Emma whispered, looking around.

She tried to remember how it went with the others, praying she was right. When none of the Kobolds made a move, tears of powerlessness began to well in her eyes. "Help me, please!" she whispered, looking straight at the Kobold, who was missing the fingers. If he wouldn't help, what could she do?

Help me! she screamed in her head, willing him to act and staring at him unblinking.

The man frowned as his eyes glazed over for a second as if he recalled something. Then his gaze wandered to Rita, and he seemed about to decline when he shivered. Taking a look at his mutilated hand, he sighed. In two steps, he was beside Rita and sat down on her chest, his knees pinning her arms.

"You and you get over here and sit on her legs," he ordered, pointing at the nearest Kobolds, then looking back at Emma. "Girl, hold her head and keep her quiet. If you have to, hold her mouth closed so she makes no sound!"

Emma nodded and rushed to do as he said while the man sighed. A tired grin surfaced on his face. "I'm Daniel, and you remind me far too much of my niece!"

The others moved, and soon three Kobolds held Rita down while Emma kept her head in her lap. The hours passed slowly, and some of the Kobolds became restless while Emma tried to will Rita to hurry.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Rita stilled, her body growing slack. Daniel looked at Emma with a raised eyebrow.

"If the same thing happens as with the others, she will begin-" a black, tar-like liquid began pouring from Rita's ears and eyes, and with a soft curse, the Kobolds who'd held her legs scrambled back.

"She is dying," one of the others hissed. But Emma shook her head, trying to steel herself. Rita would be gone soon, and she would have no one to rely on. Alone again.

"She isn't dying," she whispered. Sad and tired, she stared at Rita's slowly withering shape. "This is the last part of the change. Jake said that the energy in her body is connecting to her Dragon form, and her mind is transferring… or something like that."

She shook her head, unsure how to explain something she herself didn't completely understand.

In utter silence, the Kobolds watched as Rita melted away until only a dirty black smear remained on the mud-covered ground. When everything was gone, Emma sobbed once before wiping her face with her dirty sleeve.

Daniel patted her head before he began shoving mud and dirt across the tar. "Help me clean it. We don't want any questions."

"And what do we tell them if they ask where she went?" The Kobold, who had initially complained and had wanted to call for Whipper, asked.

He had been one of the few that didn't help and now glared at Emma.

"I.. I don't know!" Emma whispered. She felt like crying as she saw angry glares directed at her. Then Daniel sniffed and stepped between her and the others.

"The truth! That she was gone when we woke up, disappeared overnight," he said. "And that is what happened! If anyone asks, we heard and saw nothing, and she was just gone."

Shaking his head, the complaining Kobold rolled on his side, his back facing them. "Whatever. Just know that I will have nothing to do with this!"

Emma saw Daniel's eyes gleam as he looked at the Kobold before turning to her. "Let's try and get some sleep," he whispered before laying down almost on top of the spot Rita had been.

Emma nodded but moved away. Even though he had helped her, she didn't want to sleep this close to Daniel. He seemed nice, but she didn't know him.

Jake, where are you?

--

Two figures backed away near the edge of the village, disappearing into the jungle.

"You are sure you saw her?" Jake asked, a dangerous tone to his voice as he glanced back at the now heavily obscured village.

As he turned, he slammed his head against a branch, and he barely managed to contain an angry curse. He was having a harder time moving through the dense foliage since his recent growth spurt.

Melissa nodded, a gleam in her eyes as she stared up at him. "Yes, Emma was with the slaves that dragged trees back to Gobtown. There can be no mistake."

A deep, thrumming growl came from Jake, and Melissa put a hand on his flank. "Don't worry, Jake. She looked fine! We will get her back, one way or another. But please don't do anything foolish. Without you, we can't defend the island against the Insectoids!"

Jake knew she was right and tried to suppress his desire to hide in the forest and just swoop down the next morning to grab her when she was outside. The loss of Mason was still hurting him, even after all these weeks, and with Emma within reach, he found it hard to wait. But he couldn't leave during the day, and Emma wasn't outside during the night. Snaking his long neck around, his guys returned to the direction of Gobtown.

Hold on Emma... I'll come and get you. After that, we will make those monsters pay!

--

Three days after Rita had left her, Emma was trudging back with the other Kobolds. Gobtown was closing in and, with it, the promise of lying down and resting. It was almost dark, and the looming clouds above promised another torrent of rain. Whipper walked in front of them, taking a look across his shoulder every few minutes. He had raged for a day when he found out about Rita, whipping them on the way to and from the swampy area. But, strangely, he'd not even mentioned it again the day after. None of the Kobolds complained, though.

Emma wiped her hands on her brown and green stained jeans, wishing she could swim or wash. The swamp was the worst of the jobs they could get, the one everyone prayed wouldn't be theirs to do, and they had done it three days straight. If not for the scary three-eyed crocodiles, she might have tried fleeing in the knee-high bog. But between those monsters, the strange tingling all over her legs when she stood in the muck, and the bow-wielding Goblins, she didn't dare.

The worst part was that they would have to keep doing it from now on. The Goblins had found that the blue-scaled Kobolds proved experts at traversing the swampy area and locating the ugly orange flowers they wanted.

Smelling like dried farts, they were the size of Emma's fist when closed, and even the crocodiles seemed to despise their scent. Emma had found that the easiest way to find them was to go where none of the crocodiles were.

She raised her head, looking at the remaining seven Kobolds in her group. Two more had died after Rita, one in the bog, snatched by a monstrous centipede and drawn under so fast it only managed a drowned-out shout. The second was shot by the Goblins when a small cloud appeared above his head like magic. Glowing water drops had rained from it, healing a sharp whip mark on the stunned Kobold's face. The healing hadn't proven enough to help him when three arrows struck his back and chest.

Two meters from Gobtown's gate, a haze covered Emma's vision, and she felt her mind drawn away.

No, not now! Nooo- her mental scream was cut short as the dream took hold.

--

The small dragon-blooded looked around the shadowy cavern. A thick carpet of green moss covered the ceiling, and beautiful large blue flowers hung down like venus fly traps. A small lake covered most of the cavern floor, and a small patch of soft sand was the only dry place.

Satisfaction and curiosity shot through her simple mind as she felt the other's presence. Would she finally be allowed out of this beautiful prison? Although incapable of coherent thought, she knew it would mean she would disappear or change.

The other seemed agitated and afraid. Curious about what was wrong, she used a mental finger to poke the presence.

"Send me back! Back!" a high-pitched scream tore through their shared mind, and in shock, she shoved the other away.

--

Emma felt her face slam into the ground, and she blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the residual image of the dream. At the same time, she pushed herself up, fearing what she might see. She gazed right into the narrowed eyes of Whipper.

The Goblin had turned around, probably when he heard something, and was now examining her with distrust plain on his face. Feeling her heart skip a beat, Emma scrambled up.

"Sorry, I tripped!" she blurted, trying to look trustworthy.

Whipper frowned and stalked forward, slapping the rolled-up whip in his hand. The other Kobolds began backing up, leaving Emma alone and in the open. A meter from her, Whipper stopped and looked her up and down while licking his lips.

Emma shivered, taking a step back. What did he want?

"You wouldn't lie to me... now would you? I wouldn't like that!" Whipper growled as he took another step closer.

Emma glanced around, starting to panic. Memories from before the change surged forward. A girl from a shelter she had lived in once told the others horror stories about what had happened to her at one of the foster homes. She'd never forgotten them and still had nightmares from time to time. Heart pounding, she took a step back. Whipper's green eyes narrowed, and he stalked closer.

A loud yelling and screaming came from the logging site near the jungle edge, and Emma jumped in surprise. Whipper's threatening gaze held her in place, but she saw the desire for violence was now mixed with confusion. He seemed to be struggling with what to do first.

"Whipper!" One of the Goblins shouted, agitated.

With an angry snarl, Whipper turned away and moved towards the other Goblins.

Emma dashed away and hid behind Daniel, who was staring at her worriedly. She didn't look at him. Though she knew it was stupid, she was angry that he hadn't made a single move to help her. Instead, she looked at what had saved her.

Something was happening at the logging camp opposite the open area in front of Gobtown. The Goblins that usually watched over the loggers were yelling and pointing at the edge of the jungle. Some shot arrows.

Emma saw something running away in a blur. It was getting darker, and the shape was moving fast, but Emma thought she saw a flash of dark purple scales.

Melissa? Were they finally coming for her? Hope rushed through her, and she looked around the distant jungle, hoping to see an army of Kobold's charge forward, led by a blue dragon. She felt her heart clench when she saw nothing but the green and purple vegetation quietly moving in the wind.

As the Kobolds waited, the logging camp slowly calmed down again, and Whipper stalked back to the front of the group.

"Let's go! You, slaves, are going back in your basket so we can..." Whipper trailed off as if he realized to whom he was talking. Without another word, he turned towards the town and began marching off. The goblins behind began prodding the Kobolds with spears, trying to get them to move faster.

When they finally reached the open area in front of their shack, it was dark, and the rain started again. Heavy drops fell on the poor group, but where the Goblins were cursing, some of the Kobolds sighed in relief.

As Emma slogged through the mud, she felt the energy from the rain replenish her. It was only a little, but when the Goblins shoved them inside, Emma didn't collapse to the ground like she did the day before.

The group of Kobolds sat down, staring at each other, more energetic than usual when they returned.

"So, who do you think was that?" one of the Kobolds asked, looking around.

"How should we know?" another answered, but within seconds the Kobolds were discussing all kinds of possibilities.

Emma sat in one of the corners, next to the door, her mind swirling with ideas. She had communicated with her dragon-self! The realization was only now slowly sinking in, but it managed to wipe away the heartache from before. Could she do that again? What if she could talk with the other and decide on the time of the change? She wanted to lie down and sleep right then, hoping she would get another lucid dragon dream.

"Emma, are you ok?" Daniel looked at her, a slight frown on his face. "Did you really trip before?" The loud discussion of the other Kobolds continued unabated around them.

"Yes, I tripped and fell. Why?" Emma said. She tried to keep her face even and looked at him in feigned curiosity. Something about the man was starting to bother her, a feeling she couldn't put into words. It started when he tried to lie next to her when they slept.

"Just worried, that's all. Be careful. Whipper might kill you to be sure you aren't changing," Daniel said as he smiled before lying down and closing his eyes.

Emma remained seated, and as soon as she heard Daniel snore, she scooted a little bit away.

Half an hour later, the temporary energy that the rain had provided wore off, and the shack quieted. Emma had her back against the wall, feeling drowsy already. Taking a last look at Daniel, she closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

--

Sitting up from where she had lay curled up, the small dragon-blooded looked around in surprise. What was that? Trying to sense what had drawn her attention, a slight tickle came from her mind.

The other was back! Was it time? Equal parts of fear and longing caused her to focus cautiously on the other. If she wanted, she could pull her in now. Sticking a mental paw out, she gently poked the foreign entity.

"Don't be afraid, and don't push me away again!" A soft voice, almost a whisper, caused her to draw back a bit. She wasn't afraid and didn't push it away.

The other spoke like the elders! The young dragon wasn't capable of that but instead sent a feeling, a query, back. Curiosity and one-ness.

"You understand me? If only I could tell Jake..." A slight wave of sadness and despair spread through their minds. Then it was forcefully suppressed by the other. "Listen, I am in danger. If you pull me to you now, they will kill me."

Kill the other? Indignant, the young dragon-blooded blew hot steam from her nostrils. How dare anyone harm a Dragon to be? A wave of inherited memories told her this was an insult to not just her but all of their kind.

"Don't be angry. If we work together, we can become one without trouble!" A wave of information and ideas followed the words, and slowly the dragon calmed down.

She lay down, listening to the plan the other laid out, and slowly a wicked grin spread across her lips. Her Draconic tendency to love sly tricks approved of the other's proposition. She basked in the wave of happiness and joy from the other when she agreed wholeheartedly.