Astera needed to be woken by Thyia and apologised for her tardiness. She lurched upright swinging her legs around and off the bed planting both feet on the floor of her House bedroom. Half-awake and unable to resist, Thyia held one hand, Zoe the other and they forced her to stand. Alexis and Zosime combining with Thyia and Zoe to arm and armour her in time to present ready for Day Shift after a quick meal to break her fast. Helice stood to one side slightly amused.

“Does Clymene report anything abnormal happening overnight?” asked Astera, yawning.

“No Mistress, I confirmed with Alcmene and Hagne myself, we are all Seers,” smirked Helice.

Astera satisfied, not only with the answer, also with Helice’s mood. Her recovery from last night almost a miracle. Insisting for example to serve as Astera’s Seer so Clymene could remain Mistress of the House and both twins could assist the elder.

“Dione and Drosis from Evening Shift are currently with Charis and when we start our shift Otonia and Kyra will relieve them,” finished Helice.

Astera somewhat surprised by Helice’s plain unemotional tone, otherwise no complaints. Perhaps a few quiet words from Zosime and her tortuous nightmare convincing Helice any vigil over Charis by a Seer doomed to fail and therefore easy acceptance of Astera’s order; forbidding Seers to enter the Water Cavern.

On the way down Astera called in to check Dione and Drosis, Dione awake to receive her visitor.

Charis lay upon a White Room double bunk, on the bottom, Drosis spooning her, blankets and furs encasing them both in warmth. Dione lay on the top bunk surveying the Cavern.

“The Mistress doesn’t move or stir in her sleep, so we have split our guard duty, our body warmth the more important duty for now.”

“I will let Otonia and Kyra know so they can rest as much as possible also,” acknowledged Astera before leaving the Cavern and leading her Shift and Helice to the Main Cavern.

Helice the last to drag her eyes away, never entering, silent and contemplating from the entrance. Her failure to protect her Mistress weighing deeply upon her, the façade she showed her sisters covering her pain and angst. The first day manageable, although tempted at one stage to sleep in the Water Cavern and receive her due punishment from whatever cursed the serene and beguiling retreat. Seeing her Mistress so close and yet so far away and given the choice again Helice would have advised Astera to relocate Charis to the House to recover.

Astera, Thyia and Helice occupied the Guard Post in the passageway. Alexis dressed up as the evil priest while Zosime and Zoe positioned themselves in and around the Cavern Blind.

Early morning the Goblin sisters began their trek into the snow to load up scree and cart the stone to the Water Cavern. Progress thought Astera, the elder keeping her word. The Goblin sisters the only excitement for the entire shift.

The other two shifts similar; the weather became worse, colder with snow driven by a constant wind, therefore the Main Cavern remained quiet. A shortage of furs and other clothes to equip all the warrior-sisters forced sharing during a shift change out. Those undergoing training; drilled and tested to the point of blisters and muscle cramps, with Ismene voluntarily joining in as and when her other duties permitted, to especially train in crossbow, a fierce determination driving her.

After a bath and evening meal Zoe grabbed Agape and headed for the Water Cavern to relieve Otonia and Kyra. Upon their arrival they noticed the bunk relocated to the centre of the Cavern, Otonia confirming the elder asked them and the carpenter twins to move it and once satisfied she left, the twins in tow, to the amazement of Otonia and Kyra. Then shortly after the Goblin sisters arrived with load upon load of stone scree. The floor of the Water Cavern eventually covered in scree, the height of the piles varying, with spills of stone under the double bunk bed and Charis sleeping through the entire delivery. Zoe and Agape scrambling onto the bunk bed to avoid the flood of stone as Otonia and Kyra hurried to leave.

Zoe took first sleep, remaining asleep as the work in the cavern continued quietly. During Agape’s watch the elder and the twins arrived. Determined to stay out of the elder’s way, she stared with wonder and trepidation as the carpenter twins moved with ease at the elder’s direction and more than once noticed the Goblin Sisters show of interest in the elder’s magic skill with stone.

The elder mumbled to herself and murmured on more than one occasion until finally settled. Gradually the loose stone scree melded together to form the base of the four walls of the cabin skilfully avoiding the water source and the water carries. The doorway of the cabin easily identified by the lack of stone; a gap left in the otherwise continuous wall.

The elder offered Agape a drink, striking up a friendly conversation and then checked on Zoe.

“Those two require more rest, I reckon.” The elder talking to herself. The twins oblivious stacking scree.

“Over here girls, time to put to use want you have been practicing,” croaked the elder.

---

The elder deliberately hid, covered in shadow as the twins reached up to complete the higher sections of the walls, toiling away as a pair, creating footholds in the walls where required while the other passed up small melded sections. And as the elder thought, her other helpers showed a keen interest. She would need to show herself next load to tell them to stop their deliveries. The elder chortled to herself, when the twins finished, she would need to ensure Zoe and Agape awoke from their induced slumber. Her tutorage of the twins needing to remain a secret for a little while longer, especially while Seer skills were curtailed within the Cavern proper and their pesky fellow Seers couldn’t “mind drop”. Perhaps the Mistress would allow them to assist her on a more permanent basis, especially if she allowed herself to be persuaded in exchange for tasks, like this one.

---

Knowing the Goblin sisters were working to a routine to clean the armour and weapons of the sisters as well as assist the elder, Dione didn’t chase them during Day Shift, catching up on sleep instead. Evening Shift and her watch duty over Charis overnight, the cause. Latona trained and then trained some more. Meals, ablutions and sleep, her duty to supervise the Goblin sisters the last thing on her young mind.

---

Seated in the Kitchen, Astera, Thyia, Zoe, Alexis and Zosime enjoyed their evening meal together. The shift boring and routine, Thyia and Zoe soon to leave for the Water Cavern to relieve Kyra and Otonia. Astera satisfied, so far so good, everything routine with sisters assigned to tasks, even the Goblin sisters busy whenever she passed them by. Helice spent her spare time helping and chatting to Clymene.

The peace of the evening broken as Jocasta sprinted towards their table.

“Mistress, I must be quick, Wormy and his girl have been missing for a couple of days and no one has left the Cavern for days, so he should be there,” shouted Jocasta, immediately turning to leave.

“Jocasta stay, explain.”

“Mistress, training starts soon, and I will be late,” she bleated.

“Tell Agape your Mistress detained you. Now sit and tell me all you know.”

“Yes Mistress.” Thyia assisting by pushing a chair out by her foot for Jocasta. The youngster, placing one knee on the chair and holding the back to steady herself. “The urchins waited for me when I broke my fast this morning and from the trapdoor called me to them. Wormy and his girl are missing, they guess for a couple of days now. They would sneak off for half a bell, usually less and then return. They all knew they were going for some sexing, but they didn’t return and haven’t for a while now.”

“Where would they go to sex do you think?”

“Well never in the House they don’t know it well and too many could accidently notice perhaps plus the other urchins would probably see them go through the trap door and tell. They wouldn’t be able to take a chance in the passageways, but not far from the Top Cavern are the two empty caverns, so maybe one of them?” answered Jocasta.

“Good, thank you Jocasta, go back to your training, let me know if the urchins contact you again.”

“Yes Mistress,” called Jocasta, dashing away from their table.

Astera surveyed the faces parked around the table. An excitement radiated from them, their shoulders raised, heads leaning forward, expectant.

“Zoe and Zosime, gently and with care question the urchins until they all agree on a similar story. We need to confirm their concerns and if they believe the Fifth or Sixth Cavern are potential places for them to, well, frequent.”

Zoe and Zosime sprang from their chairs the moment Astera spoke the last word of her order. They grabbed a dagger each from the Training Room weapons rack.

About to start her own practice before Night Shift Hagne crowded them both and asked, “Do you need a third for whatever your task is?”

Zoe and Zosime exchanged glances and shrugged. Zosime replying, “Ask Mistress.”

As they passed back by Astera’s table Hagne called out, “Alright Mistress if I keep an eye of them?”

“I could have sent Alexis if I thought there would be trouble, although if the search extends you can at least be present through the night. Keep an eye on them with my blessing.”

Hagne’s face beamed broadly, partner slapping Zoe and Zosime on their backs as they hurried to and quickly descended through the Trap Door.

---

The urchins crowded around them, answering their questions together until Zoe took charge and sorted them so Zosime could ask and have them answer in an orderly fashion.

“Alexis inform the Mistress the urchins confirm the Caverns as the only possible places. So, unless the Mistress objects we will search both and report back,” sent Zosime.

“Agreed, search and report.”

“We continue sisters,” Zosime confirmed, almost yelping with joy.

Zoe held Zosime by the arm before she sprinted off. “Do you think we could order the Goblin sisters to bring our armour and weapons to the Water Cavern in case we need them? They carted the stone there, so they know which one.”

“Seers aren’t permitted in that Cavern,” whispered Zosime. A cold ripple of fear trickled down her spine.

“I will fetch anything, and the Goblin sisters can help equip us.”

Zosime nodded. “Sister can you send the Goblin sisters to the Water Cavern with the armour and weapons of Zoe, Hagne and me?”

“Do they know? I mean, how would they?”

“You underestimate them my dear Korinna, they could find your loin cloth in a pile of loin cloths!”

“If you say! They aren’t in their stone beds, so must be in the Inner Cavern, I will ask Dirce or Drosis to send them.”

“Thank-you, is the Evil Priest allowed to wander?”

“Niobe will warn me if necessary, but it has been so boring … and whatever you are up to I wish I could join.”

“The Mistress has tasked us, thanks again.”

“So … jealous right now.”

“To be certain I have informed the Mistress we have asked for our weapons and armour,” advised Hagne.

A shared smile and they broke out into a jog, quickly descending single file until the entrance to the Sixth Cavern appeared, a gap in the passageway wall on their left-hand side.

The Cavern, one of the largest, nevertheless didn’t take a great deal of time to search, the walls straight up, possibly chipped and dug square. The floor, smooth although closer to the walls the chipped stone more common, so possibly expanded and squared off in a haphazard way. Certainly, no place where an urchin or even two could hide.

“Brighten up there is still the Fifth Cavern,” said Zoe. She tried to track, stone possibly only second to water as the best way to conceal your tracks, which didn’t help and many sisters in the last two days travelled via the passageway therefore no distinct tracks to follow and she couldn’t be certain they turned into this cavern.

The Fifth Cavern smaller and more natural in shape, no chipped floor or walls and generally more rounded. The trio disappointed and at a loss.

“If not in either of these Caverns then where?” asked Hagne.

“Any further down and they would have been discovered, wouldn’t they?” offered Zosime.

“Mm Water Cavern, yes. Elder’s Cavern maybe as she stays to her cabin and there is no training there. Inner Cavern, maybe although the Shifts pass through and the Goblin sisters send time there. Certainly not the Main Cavern, guarded day and night,” Zoe summed up.

They decided to meet the Goblin sisters at the Water Cavern, thank them and then return to Astera.

---

“Quiet you lot,” hissed Kyra, from the doorway of the Stone Cabin.

Zoe, Zosime and Hagne froze as if caught for being naughty.

“Oh, Zoe are you here to relieve early?” Kyra approaching the three, hopeful, although wondering why Thyia didn’t accompany them.

“No sister, we are expecting the Goblin sisters with our armour and weapons as Mistress sent us to find two missing urchins, Wormy and his girl,” replied Zoe, now standing in the Water Cavern near Kyra.

“No Goblins, no urchins and no change in the Mistress either. Otonia spoons her now for warmth, although we may not need to for much longer as the blankets and the furs hold what warmth the Mistress’ body generates very well.”

“Zoe,” called Zosime. Both Zosime and Hagne decided the Goblin sisters only snuck up upon them due to being distracted by Kyra and Zoe chatting, otherwise no way!

Zoe turned to assess the three Goblin sisters, each with an armful of weapons and armour, kneeling, eyes cast down. Zoe spotted Zosime about to extend her arm and open her mouth; to wave them away and tell them to return when she shook her head from side to side. Zosime returning a questioning look. Zoe allowed the Goblin sisters to remain in position for several heartbeats trying to confirm one way or the other. Hagne lent forward to look around Zosime her face equally enquiring.

The three Goblin sisters were nervous, little twitches here and there, now and again. Their bodies originally, slightly apart, now leaning inwards to join the middle Goblin sister. Perhaps she is their de facto leader mused Zoe. Another interesting fact, their bodies filled out, the skin and bone, almost skeleton appearance gone and while their muscular athletic arms didn’t match Zosime’s; Zoe reasonably certain, at a distance they rivalled her own. Zoe decided to mark them down on her ‘to do’ list, examine them more closely, being well fed and able to sleep every night in peace agreed with them!

Zoe called from the Water Cavern. “Have you three sisters explored past the Water Cavern?”

They choose to ignore her question. “Do you like your new home?” No response, except offering Zosime and Hagne their armour, Zoe being too far away.

Zosime casually spoke, while accepting a piece of armour. “Perhaps it is wrong to feed a creature who doesn’t talk?”

Picking up Zosime’s game quickly, Hagne chimed in. “They can return to their tribe, if not useful to us.”

Zoe scrutinised the middle Goblin sister, the two on either side now lent their heads towards her.

“We speak, we hear, some. Say slow,” she said, her bowed head lower.

Zoe decided to test their understanding. “Stand.”

As one, leaning on each other they stood, heads still bowed.

“Drop weapons.” A clatter of daggers and their other weapons rang off the stone floor.

“Assist us into our armour.”

Moments passed and their high skill level clearly demonstrated. Hagne at one-point slapping Zosime on her shoulder chuckling. The three Goblin sisters stood back when finished, eyes down.

“Pass our weapons to us.”

They sheathed daggers, adjusted Zoe’s quiver and strung her bow before handing it to her. Zosime and Hagne’s weapons were likewise prepared and equipped. Now empty handed and presumably finished the three Goblin sisters continued to huddle, their body contact with each other obvious, protective and possibly a coping mechanism. Zoe returned to her original question, perhaps they would dread being asked again.

“Have you three sisters explored past the Water Cavern?”

Several heartbeats of silence and the middle Goblin sister replied, “Yes. Mistress … Zoe.”

Zoe pleased with the Goblin sister’s attempt of her name.

“Eyes up, who is that?” Zoe asked, pointing to Hagne.

“Mistress … Hagne.”

“Who is that?” Zoe asked, pointing to Kyra over her shoulder.

“Mistress … Kyra.”

“Who is sleeping on the bed and has done so for many days?”

“Great Chieftain Mistress Charis.” Her words rolled easily from her mouth, spoken with great admiration. Her right hand grasping the left hand of one Goblin sister. Her left hand grasping the right hand of the other Goblin sister.

“You would want to help Great Chieftain Mistress Charis, wouldn’t you?” probed Zoe.

“Y e s.” The reply spoken as a query, ‘we would but don’t know how’. Zoe realising, they thought she asked them to help Charis directly. She explored their understanding of the Daughters further, Zosime and Hagne content to listen, while Kyra lent against the Stone Cottage wall in silence.

“We are on a mission for Chieftain Mistress Astera, you would want to help us to help her, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, Mistress Zoe.” They looked and smiled at each other, nodding their heads enthusiastically, visibly relaxing.

“Tell us about the next Cavern and the Cavern after it.”

The question wiped the smiles from their faces and stilled their bodies.

“The Fifth Cavern, ordinary, natural Mistress Zoe.” Zoe encouraged her to continue, quietly surprised she knew the Caverns names, so what else did they know? “The Sixth Cavern is built, has secrets Miss Zoe.”

“Show us those secrets. Erm what is your name?”

The Goblin sister on her right, reached over with her right hand to join her left hand turning to face her jumping excitedly. The Goblin sister on her left, broke their hand hold and used both of her hands to grab her shoulder and jump excitedly.

“My name, Sweetears … Mistress Zoe.” With her now free left hand she caressed her left ear by way of demonstration. Zoe didn’t recognise any difference between her ears and her Goblin sisters’ ears, smiling, nevertheless.

“Glad to meet you Sweetears.”

Slapping with her left hand, Sweetears said, “Prettynose, Mistress Zoe.” Zoe nodded as Prettynose stroked her nose, again not recognising any difference.

Slapping with her right hand after freeing it, Sweetears said, “Bluefingers, Mistress Zoe.” This is where Zoe became totally confused as no finger on Bluefingers’ hands were blue!

“Bluefingers not Bluefingers all the time Mistress Zoe, when she hits them though.” Zoe did the argh look in response. Bluefingers could be a klutz occasionally she supposed.

Hagne’s fingers lightly touched Zosime’s. “Their names are important to them, more to the point our asking for their names is significant.”

“Charis gifts our names when we swear our oath, so perhaps if we call them by name, they hope they would be asked to join the Daughters of the Duchess,” sent Zosime.

“Goblins? Surely not, I mean they aren’t, well us.”

“Have you inspected them? Korinna for sure and perhaps Alexis would lose an arm wrestle against any of them.”

Hagne devoted several moments to analyse the Goblin sisters to confirm or deny Zosime’s statement.

“Oh, dear God Judge! How is that possible?” sent Hagne, with a hint of rage.

“We have fed them too well, I suspect.”

Hagne used her fingers to grip her dagger, impotent to act immediately, determined to catch the Goblins if they proved disloyal.

---

“Sweetears show us the Sixth Cavern,” invited Zoe.

Prettynose and Bluefingers clapped their hands in delight. Sweetears held her ground, in denial, her head shaking from side to side. Her two sisters then turned to look at her, reaching for an arm each to drag her along, until they noticed her lips and chin trembling and drew their body to hers trying to comfort her.

Something wasn’t right. Prettynose and Bluefingers gibbered softly and encouragingly at Sweetears trying to coax her into taking a step forward without success.

“What did you see in the Sixth Cavern Sweetears, that your sisters didn’t?” Zoe in front of her now, reaching for her chin, forcing her to face her inquisitor.

The chat from Prettynose and Bluefingers finishing abruptly when Zoe asked her question and seemingly awaiting an answer like everyone else. Sweetears swayed her head in response.

--- Two days or so ago

“Do we explore more tonight?” asked Prettynose.

“They’re tiring of their routine so tonight should be another good night,” suggested Bluefingers.

The old one waved at them to stop delivering the stone chips mid-way through one of the humans shifts so they started their other duty late. They still completed the armour cleaning and weapon sharpening in quick time, as their efficiency improved each day, also the armour and arms weren’t in battle so didn’t require much maintenance not that they told their humans.

The three Goblin sisters slept until the Night Shift arrived to take up their duty and waited as expected for the Evening Shift, which included the bossy horse human, in the Inner Cavern to receive their armour and weapons for cleaning. Right where they were supposed to be. Once the Evening Shift left for the House, they allowed them a decent head start by quickly cleaning and sharpening. Then the three Goblin sisters snuck up the pathway to the next cavern.

They avoided the stone cabin of the old one and crept around, hugging the wall so they were as far away as possible. She wandered out of her cabin last time and caught them. They told her they were asked to tell her she needed to see their Chieftain in the Water Cavern. Bluefingers overheard one of the humans tell another about their Chieftain. With the old one gone they each grabbed a funny human weapon to practice fighting and then returned to the Inner Cavern.

This time they were past the old one’s cavern and back into the passageway again. It took some time and they almost agreed to turn back again, until Sweetears growled at them to continue. Smiling at each other, realising this point became the furthest up they ever explored in secret.

They found the Water Cavern and the now completed stone cabin, which still didn’t have a door, so they put their backs to the passageway wall and edged their way past it. They continued up the passageway and found the next two caverns empty and wondered what they could do with them. The first round and boring. The second larger and seemed to have some mysteries.

The right hand side of the passageway gapped, becoming the entrance into the cavern and then the passageway wall continued again, a stone wall closing the gap would conceal the cavern behind and if you moved quickly along the passageway you wouldn’t see back into the cavern at all. Exchanging knowing looks between them they identified the incline of the cavern floor; it sloped down from the passageway and towards the middle from both sides. It reminded them of the rut that ran through the Main Cavern. A huge number of feet, of many things, walking many times the same path until they wore a channel or depression in the stone. Silly humans didn’t even notice.

The three followed the rut to the back wall. Searching the stone face before them another knowing look exchanged. The wall appeared solid, they felt the stone and knew a door existed, although the maker placed the handle or trigger elsewhere. The slight air difference and very subtle change of density in the stone, the tell. They just needed to find the door trigger to release it.

“Stop searching now,” whispered Bluefingers. Sweetears and Prettynose stared her down.

“We are good at seeking and finding, why should we stop?” demanded Sweetears.

“Because we don’t know what is behind there. What if it something that will eat us?” suggested Bluefingers.

“Yes, we pretty good here, plenty food, not much work, no beatings and no rutting,” added Prettynose.

“I did enjoy the sad looks from the humans when we cart stone, I added some shakes for more pity!” snickered Bluefingers.

“What if you right and something big nasty there, no one will know until too late and then our cosy home is gone,” said Sweetears.

“How do we tell them, but not tell them?” asked Bluefingers.

Sweetears fingered her ear, Prettynose stroked her nose between a thumb and finger and Bluefingers played her fingers over her chin; the three needing a big think on that one. They heard whispering in the passageway gradually becoming louder, closing in. The three Goblins decided to hide in the cavern, after all humans would walk past this one. They didn’t hide at the end of the rut, but against a side of the cavern furthest away from the passageway and the door they couldn’t find the trigger for.

A small light entered the Cavern held by a small human male. An equally small human female accompanied him, each of the Goblins unconsciously and mentally comparing their height to her. The humans snuck to the back of the cavern, his free hand roaming all over her body. Once his and her clothes hung loose, they began rutting. The goblin-sisters took this moment to quietly leave the cavern.

Sweetears took one last look to ensure they escaped unnoticed. She gasped and hurried to catch up to her sisters, a fearful chill running up her spine.

---

“Prettynose and Bluefingers what did you see in the Sixth Cavern?” asked Zoe, trying a different angle.

“Noise in passageway, so hid in Cavern, then skinny boy followed by skinny girl entered, with a small candle,” offered Bluefingers.

Zoe noticed Sweetears, her face now buried in her hands.

“He fusses with her clothes and his and then the two skinny humans got to rutting, so we snuck out and went back to our place,” finished Prettynose.

“Sweetears what else did you see?” pressed Zoe, placing her hand under Sweetears’ chin and forcing her to look eye to eye. Staring down this Goblin sister one on one the most effective interrogation method Zoe decided.

“What did you see that your goblin-sisters didn’t?” asked Hagne, venom in her tone trying to reconcile why the Daughters of the Duchess would feed the likes of them, especially if they said they would help and when asked, they didn’t!

Sweetears jumped. “They went through the wall.” She flicked her chin free and buried her face into her hands again, unable to face her punishment. She knew a whipping, or a beating would be her due for not telling straight away. Didn’t the humans realise how scaredy she felt? Not meaning to be, she liked living with the humans but the skinny humans, one moment there and the next moment gone! What bad monster could do that?

Her confession made them all pause, even her Goblin sisters, who reacted quicker than the Warrior Sisters and started chatting to her vigorously which only stopped when Zoe stepped in and whistled.

“Explain!”

Between sobs Sweetears finally decided to face her fear. “We need to be in Cavern.”

Zoe gently wrapped her arm around Sweetears shoulders and kindly asked, “Sweetears show us the Sixth Cavern please.”

Sweetears nodded, resigned to return wondering if Mistress Zoe played a trick on her, be a friend and then punish.

---

“The skinny humans sexing against back wall,” said Sweetears from the threshold of the Sixth Cavern Entrance, pointing with her raised finger.

Bluefingers and Prettynose calmly pushed passed Sweetears since they knew the danger lay near or on the back wall.

The two Goblin sisters waved the Warrior Sisters into the Cavern and tried to show them how the room sloped towards the middle becoming frustrated as the dumb humans couldn’t tell the difference. They stood back and tried to wave their hands across the Cavern, dipping where the rut cut through the middle of the room. Sweetears entered the Cavern then and gibbered at her sisters, who nodded their heads in agreement, one shuffling back on the right, the other on the left. Then water skins poised, the three Goblin sisters poured at the same time.

The slope gradual so the demonstration required patience, eventually Sweetears’ splash of water gathered and followed a channel the length of the Cavern ending at the back wall. Bluefingers and Prettynose’s splashes of water gathered together on either side of the Cavern to flow towards the middle of the Cavern and follow the channel Sweetears wet earlier.

Zoe gasped in appreciation checking with Zosime and Hagne standing on either side of her to gauge if they were similarly impressed. Zoe yes, Hagne for some reason, not so much.

Sweetears refused to approach the wall, instead waving her hand at the damp channel and telling Zoe to follow. Once against the wall Sweetears waved her hand to move a little to one side and then showed Zoe the palm of her hand to stop her moving any further. Bluefingers and Prettynose demonstrated the rutting dance the two skinny humans performed, while next to Sweetears, neither of them venturing further into the Cavern.

Zosime obliged and “danced” with Zoe copying the movements and poses of the two Goblin sisters. Nothing happened.

“Perhaps you should bend your knees, Wormy and his girl would have been shorter, so their bottoms for a start would have been lower,” suggested Hagne. As she said the words, a new analysis popped into her head, Wormy and his girl would have been Goblin sister height!

Still nothing and then Sweetears raised her arms and moved her bottom by way of demonstration! Since Zoe played the girl, she hit the back of her hands on the cavern wall at random places as well as hitting her bottom against the same cavern wall. Hagne, despite her dark mood, tried and failed to prevent herself from laughing at the bump and grind demonstration by Zoe and Zosime.

When Zosime and Zoe disappeared, she stopped as did the demonstration by the three Goblin sisters. Their jaws dropping, the three Goblin sisters bolting to the passageway, turning and peering around the edge of the entrance.

Hagne, in disbelief stepped slowly towards the wall, guided by the drying channel of water. She placed her ear against the stone. After several moments green hands gently re-positioned her head, Hagne too shocked to resist. Her ear then subject to a miniscule draft and able to discern familiar voices. Marking the place with her dagger she placed her lips against the location.

“Where did you go sisters?” enquired Hagne, exercising patience and control, her voice starting quiet and then repeating louder and louder until she heard a response. She didn’t want to yell, taking great effort to deny her panicked instinct as her shouting could possibly place her sisters in danger by calling any hostiles upon them.

“We are safe enough for now, it is dark, even the Borrow Gem cannot see anything. Zoe says she can see slightly with her Borrow Gem. We can’t see the urchins. Fetch the elder, make sure she knows how important it is. We need her to work the stone and make an entrance for you or possibly an exit for us,” whispered Zoe.

“Yes sister.”

“We will wait where we are as we don’t want to end up like the urchins I would think,” added Zosime, her whispers originating a door width away from Hagne’s ear position.

---

“Can you start a fire if we need to?” asked Zosime, blind within the dark her Borrow Stone not assisting.

“Yes, there are some dead bodies and skeletons here, I think I could use. Also, the passageway we are in curves, which is why we can’t see much.”