We finished our tea and Smutisha led us towards where Darling was being held. Chlamydia decided not to accompany us. I got the distinct impression that she disapproves of his presence in the mansion. She bid us farewell and elected to pop in Jacob and Tarquin briefly before leaving to attend to some business.

  Seriously… what is with all the white marble in this place. Even the corridors are filled with the stuff. The tops of cabinets… pillars… window frames. I mean… it looks exquisite… but… bloody hell… if I wanted to buy one of those cabinets, I’d have to take out a loan or something. This is insane.

  Smutisha: “Darling’s room is just down here on the right.”

  Dwynfel: “Sorry… but I need to ask… why did you decide to name him Darling?”

  Smutisha: “What’s wrong with the name Darling?”

  Dwynfel: “Nothing is wrong with it… but you call everybody Darling. It’s confusing.”

  Smutisha: “That’s different, darling. That’s just a figure of speech.”

  How does she not get why that would be confusing?

  Dwynfel: “I know… but making it his actual name… it makes it confusing…”

  Tadwick: “What’s he like?”

  Dwynfel: “Huh?”

  Tadwick: “What is he like?”

  Dwynfel: “Well… umm… last time I had anything to do with him was when he was tied to a post at Fort Bracken. He was… well… he spat at me and tried to bite my face.”

  Tadwick: “Oh.”

  Smutisha: “Hmm… yes… I recall that he didn’t like you much, did he, darling?”

  It wasn’t specifically me. He was being vile to everybody.

  Dwynfel: “Has he calmed down at all?”

  Smutisha: “Well… we have had to empty his room because he kept destroying everything in there. So, it is a bit sparce, darling. Fortunately, even he has no desire to be surrounded by his own excrement, so he does at least use the bucket provided. He was hesitant about eating the food at first… I think he thought we would try to poison him. I did point out that if I wanted him dead, then I would have had him killed in that cave… but still… he hesitated. Now, he has gone a tad too far in the other direction. He devours anything that he is given within seconds. No table manners at all… in fact, the table is one of the first things that we had to remove.”

  Fuck’s sake. I bet she gave him a fully furnished room at first. I hope she didn’t put any of her fancy marble furniture in there. I should have told her to start with an empty room and slowly add things over time.

  I never really gave her an honest account of what things were like when I first moved in with my parents. Probably could have saved her some time if I had warned her.

  Tadwick: “He doesn’t sound very nice.”

  Dwynfel: “He isn’t.”

  Smutisha: “Don’t be so harsh, darling. Remember where he came from. Of course he isn’t going to be particularly pleasant to start with. But I do believe that with the right motivations, in time, we may be able to reform him.”

  Dwynfel: “And those motivations would be?”

  Smutisha: “Oh, darling. Same things that motivate most animals. Food, safety, and sex.”

  Dwynfel: “What?”

  Smutisha: “Here we are, darlings.”

  She knocked on the door and a large man opened it from the inside. Smutisha smiled at the man and he beckoned us inside. He smelled like a combination of honeyed ham and tobacco. After we entered, he closed the door, smoothed his moustache with his hand, and sat back down on a chair that was placed by the door.

  The room itself was odd. One third of the room was just like the rest of the house… ornate furnishings and stuff. But then two thirds of the room had been walled off. Half of the wall was iron bars with a door. The other half was what looked like a hastily erected wooden wall. It hasn’t been painted or anything… it was just planks of wood. Kind of like a garden fence.

  About two meters from the barred side of the wall there was a circular hole in the wooden wall. Maybe they planned to put a hatch or something in the wall there before they decided to just do iron bars for the rest of the wall.

  Dwynfel: “Why is half the wall iron bars and the other half solid wood?”

  Smutisha: “It was all put up in a bit of a rush, darling. I am having a separate room properly altered. This was the best that I could get assembled in a day. With these materials one doesn’t need to wait for anything to dry. It is all just nailing things in place.”

  Dwynfel: “But why half solid wood and why half iron bars?”

  Smutisha: “Well, we need to be able to see him, darling. But at the same time… if he is being abusive, having a solid wall to stand behind is a helpful addition. Half and half seemed like the ideal way to go.”

  Fair enough. Looking through the metal bars and beyond… the other side of the room was indeed sparce. There were indentations on the floor where furniture had clearly been previously. There was a bunch of torn fabric strewn across the floor. A bedroll in one corner and a bucket in another. The windows were blocked by metal bars. I am surprised that the glass is still intact. Even with the metal bars, I would have expected him to break the window panes. That being said… if all of the furniture has now been removed, he would only really be able to use his own body… and breaking glass with your fists or feet is incredibly ill-advised.

  Darling himself was lying in his bedroll. It is an odd time of day to be sleeping… but if he has spent the last day or so trashing this room then he may have exhausted himself… who knows.

  Smutisha tapped on the metal bars.

  Smutisha: “Darling, you have visitors.”

  His head turned and looked at us through the bars. Then he was out of the roll and across the room in an instant. He thrust his arms through the bars, trying to claw at us. He was snarling… his mouth almost frothing. Tadwick jumped back in shock. I wrapped my arm around him to reassure him. Smutisha raised one eyebrow, gave Darling a look of irritation, and slapped his hand.

  Smutisha: “Really, Darling. Don’t be so cliché.”

  She stepped towards Tadwick, put her hand on his shoulder, and looked him in the eye.

  Smutisha: “Don’t worry, darling. He can’t hurt you. He has no weapons, we have cut his nails and his physical strength is lacking. I’ve seen your muscles, darling. You would be able to fight him off easily.”

  Darling: “No mock me, woman!”

  Smutisha: “I am not mocking you, Darling. I am stating a fact. As you are, you are no threat. Now stop this ridiculous attempt at intimidation.”

  He continued to grab at us through the bars and snarled. Smutisha slapped his hand again.

  Smutisha: “Stop that, Darling.”

  He retracted his arms, narrowed his eyes, and growled.

  Darling: “Why traitor here?”

  He pointed at me. His voice was horse… he has probably been shouting a lot recently… I imagine it has given him a sore throat.

  Dwynfel: “I am no traitor. I never had any affiliation with your nest.”

  Darling: “You goblin… live with humans… act human… talk human. Traitor… to goblins!”

  He spat at me through the bars. I wiped the spit off my armour with a handkerchief and looked at Tadwick. He swallowed nervously.

  Dwynfel: “I was rescued from an awful life with awful people. Because of my human parents I have had a good life that has actually meant something. If that makes me a traitor to you… then I will happily be branded as such.”

  He scoffed at my response. He gipped the bars and glared through his narrow angry eyes.

  Darling: “Good… not our nature. What you get from them? You fuck woman?”

  He looked at Smutisha and started thrusting his genitals through the bars. He started making sickening noises and touching himself. Which was made all the worse by his lack of clothing. Smutisha rolled her eyes before proceeding to slap his erection. And not a delicate playful slap either… she did it really quite firmly. He gave a surprised yelp and retracted himself.

  Smutisha: “Boys… would you step outside for a moment.”

  Dwynfel: “Oh… umm… sure.”

  Tadwick and I stepped outside of the door. As we waited in the corridor, I took the chance to check on Tadwick. He still appeared nervous. I gave him a hug.

  Dwynfel: “We don’t have to go back in there. He isn’t a nice… the nests are not nice places. You don’t need to expose yourself to people like him.”

  Tadwick: “No. I wanna go back in.”

  Dwynfel: “Okay… but… may I ask why?”

  Tadwick: “You said you lived in a nest like his. I want to know what that was like.”

  Smutisha opened the door and beckoned us back in. Darling was sat cross-legged on the floor by the bars. His eyes were still narrowed but he was no longer frothing at the mouth or growling. Fortunately… his erection had waned.

  Tadwick: “Can I ask him some things?”

  He's getting less nervous. His breathing is more regular now. That little breather outside has done him some good.

  Dwynfel: “You don’t need to do that, Tadwick. I can answer anything you want to know.”

  Tadwick: “You won’t tell me everything. You worry you’ll upset me, so you keep things from me. I wanna hear it from him.”

  Shit… I never realised he was that perceptive. Have I really been that transparent all these years? I mean… I’ve made a point of being honest with him… but I do omit things if I think they’ll be too much for him.

  Shit… should I not have held back? Should I have just been blunt and given him the full truth? Would that have avoided that big blow-up last night? Would that have helped him get through his issues sooner? Or would it have been too much for him? Has what happened last night helped him process things enough for him to take this kind of step? Should I put a stop to this before he finds out something that tips him over the edge? Or would that just damage his trust in me? Urgh… I don’t know what to do here?

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  Shit… we’ve come too far now… just… let it play out… if it goes too far, then I can put a stop to it.

  Dwynfel: “Fine… but if this gets too much for you… you tell me immediately and we leave.”

  Tadwick: “Okay.”

  Smutisha stepped towards the bars and addressed Darling.

  Smutisha: “This young man wishes to ask you some questions, Darling. Answer them honestly without any of that ridiculous lunging and growling nonsense. Understood?”

  Darling’s top lip quivered in anger… but he conceded.

  Darling: “Understood.”

  Okay… now I want to know what on earth she said to him. Tadwick walked over to the bars. He sat on the floor and crossed his legs so that he was mirroring Darling. He presented his hand through the bars.

  Tadwick: “My name is Tadwick Vesidia. Nice to meet you.”

  Darling just glared at him… his hands did not move. Instead, he looked at Smutisha.

  Darling: “Boy present hand… like you at cave.”

  Smutisha: “No he doesn’t, Darling. He has no intention of doing that. He presents his hand for a different purpose. Humans shake each other’s hands as a form of greeting. Now take the boy’s hand in yours and shake it.”

  With an irritated expression he looked back at Tadwick and presented his own hand. Tadwick gripped it and shook it. He smiled politely and Darling looked back at him with a look of disbelief. He retracted his hand.

  Darling: “Why not afraid? Grim scare children. Should be afraid.”

  Tadwick: “My dad’s a Grim.”

  Darling: “Impossible. Father Grim, you Grim.”

  Tadwick: “He took me in when I was four.”

  Darling: “Goblins not take in strays.”

  Tadwick: “My dad did. He raised me… and my brothers.”

  Darling pointed his finger at me.

  Darling: “That him?”

  Tadwick: “Yeah.”

  Darling: “He scared… you not… why?”

  Tadwick: “He’s a good person. He saved me. He looks out for me. He always does his best for me. But he says goblins are evil… he says that I should be afraid of them.”

  Darling: “He right. Goblins not good.”

  Tadwick: “Then explain my dad? If goblins aren’t good, then why is my dad the best thing that ever happened to me?”

  Darling: “He infected.”

  Tadwick: “With what?”

  Darling: “Humanity. Not true goblin. Too long with humans.”

  He cast his eyes over me… then Smutisha… his disgust was clear.

  Tadwick: “But I’ve met many other goblins who aren’t like you.”

  Darling: “Grim?”

  Tadwick: “No. Bracken.”

  Darling spat on the floor next to him in sheer disgust at the mention of the Bracken.

  Darling: “Bracken sickening.”

  Tadwick looked at Smutisha… expecting a reaction. But she didn’t give one.

  Tadwick: “Have you met Lady Smythe’s husband?”

  Darling: “No.”

  Tadwick: “He’s Bracken.”

  He spat on the floor again before giving Smutisha a look of absolute disgust… way worse than before… I almost thought he was going to throw up.

  Tadwick: “He’s really nice. Why don’t you like the Bracken?”

  Darling: “Bracken weak. Low numbers. Always run. Pathetic. Even Rakk better.”

  Tadwick: “Why do you say small numbers?”

  Darling: “Goblin strength in numbers. Alone weak, together strong.”

  Tadwick: “Your numbers didn’t save your nest. The Bracken that I know are doing great. They live in peace. They’re doing much better than you.”

  Fucking hell, Tadwick. You’re going to set him off again. Darling looked at Smutisha… his lip quivering with anger again.

  Darling: “Child mock me.”

  Smutisha: “He states fact, Darling.”

  Tadwick: “I’m not mocking you. I just don’t understand. You say they are weak. But your nest are the ones who are dead.”

  Darling dug what remained of his fingernails into his palms. His voice began to raise slightly.

  Darling: “They not true goblins! Goblins take what goblins want!”

  Tadwick: “But why? If you have something that somebody else wants and they have something that you want… why not swap? Then everybody’s happy.”

  Darling: “Not goblin way!”

  Tadwick: “Then explain the goblin way. Tell me about your nest.”

  Darling: “Nest for numbers. More goblins help nest grow. More goblins mean more power. More goblins mean take more.”

  Tadwick: “But why? When does it end?”

  Darling: “No end. Keep growing until unstoppable.”

  Tadwick’s voice suddenly raised. An element of regret in his voice.

  Tadwick: “But you weren’t unstoppable.”

  Darling: “Not have numbers yet.”

  Darling leaned back… as if he suddenly realised something.

  Darling: “You been in nest before.”

  Tadwick nodded… tears started to form in his eyes. Smutisha stepped forward.

  Smutisha: “You okay, darling?”

  Tadwick nodded. He didn’t look at Smutisha… he kept his eyes focussed on Darling. Smutisha stepped back.

  Darling: “Why you alive?”

  Tadwick: “Huh?”

  Darling: “You boy. Grim kill boy… eat boy. Why not you?”

  Tadwick opened his shirt and showed the mark of the incubus demon on his chest. Darling’s eyes widened.

  Darling: “How not dead?”

  Tadwick: “My dad, he saved me.”

  Darling: “From that?”

  Tadwick: “Yeah.”

  Darling turned to look at me.

  Darling: “How?”

  Dwynfel: “Magic sword.”

  He squinted at me and shook his head in disbelief.

  Tadwick: “I was little when I was in the nest… my memories are fuzzy. But I keep seeing things… and… it scares me.”

  Darling: “Should be scared.”

  Tadwick: “That’s what my dad says.”

  Darling: “Dad right.”

  Well at least we agree on something.

  Tadwick: “Why though? What happens in those nests?”

  Darling: “Happen to who? Male? Female? Child? Grim?”

  Tadwick: “All of them.”

  Darling: “In normal nest… men… boys… they die… corpses eaten. Women… need women…”

  Tadwick: “Why do you need women?”

  Darling: “Grim female rare. Need women for numbers?”

  Tadwick: “Why do you need women for numbers?”

  Darling glared at me again.

  Darling: “You teach boy nothing.”

  Dwynfel: “He’s only nine.”

  Darling: “Old enough.”

  Dwynfel: “No it isn’t. Humans age slower than us. Children his age don’t need to know that stuff. And they sure as hell don’t need to watch the sick depravity that goes on in those nests.”

  Tadwick: “I don’t understand.”

  Darling turned back to Tadwick.

  Darling: “Women make babies. Babies mean numbers. Grim need women.”

  Tadwick: “But won’t human women make human babies?”

  Darling: “Not when fucked by Grim.”

  Tadwick: “I don’t get it.”

  Smutisha stepped forward and sat on the ground next to Tadwick.

  Smutisha: “Darling, for a woman to make a baby… she needs a man to put his seed in her.”

  Tadwick: “How does he do that?”

  Darling grabbed his penis firmly.

  Darling: “With this!”

  Smutisha turned to Darling. Raised one finger at him and glared at him. He let go of his penis and his shoulders seemed to sink in submission. I need to step in here… I need to explain this in a way that he’ll understand. Kiyui said he’s seen stuff on the farm…

  Dwynfel: “Tadwick… you know on the farm… when the stallion climbs on the back of the mare.”

  His brow furrowed and he turned to me with a quizzical look.

  Tadwick: “When his willy gets all big and they do that bouncy piggyback thing?”

  Dwynfel: “Yes… the bouncy piggyback.”

  Tadwick: “I don’t know why he puts his willy in there… is it to help him balance?”

  Fuck’s sake… so much for him already knowing this stuff from living on a farm.

  Dwynfel: “Well, he puts it in there because he is putting his seed in her… like what Lady Smythe just said.”

  Tadwick: “Willies have seeds in them?”

  Dwynfel: “Well… not all the time.”

  Tadwick: “Like… sunflower seeds?”

  Dwynfel: “No… not like sunflower seeds. It is more of a gooey white substance.”

  Tadwick: “Nothing white has ever come out of mine.”

  Dwynfel: “Of course it hasn’t. You’re too young. It is something that adults do… not children.”

  Tadwick: “Oh… is this why Charlie keeps saying that I’ll find out when I’m older.”

  Dwynfel: “I suspect so, yes.”

  Tadwick looked back at Darling.

  Tadwick: “And you do the bouncy piggyback thing with all the women.”

  Darling: “Yes.”

  Tadwick: “And that is how you make babies?”

  Darling: “Yes.”

  Tadwick: “And the women are okay with this?”

  Darling: “No.”

  Tadwick: “Then why do you…

  Darling: “Goblins not ask… goblins take.”

  Tadwick: “But… that’s mean.”

  Dwynfel: “I told you… the Grim are not nice creatures.”

  Darling: “It our way.”

  Dwynfel: “It is disgusting and you should be ashamed.”

  Going to have to have a chat with Tadwick about consent later. Fucking hell… I feel like I should end this conversation now.

  Dwynfel: “I think we should end things there.”

  Tadwick: “No.”

  Dwynfel: “Why? You’ve heard how vile they are… we should leave.”

  Tadwick: “He hasn’t told me what it is like for the Grim. How do they grow up? What did he spend his days doing?”

  If I drag him away now then these questions will just eat away at him… shit.

  Dwynfel: “Fine… but these are the last questions… then we go… okay?”

  Tadwick: “Okay.”

  Tadwick looked back at Darling. Still… without a hint of disgust, anger, or fear. After finding out all of that… why is he not scared?

  Tadwick: “What do your kids do?”

  Darling: “First born… most time on tit. When eat solids… earn place. Follow older goblin… learn goblin ways. Watch goblins kill… watch goblins eat… watch goblins steal… watch goblins fuck. Learn by watching… then learn by doing.”

  Dwynfel: “Goblins are exposed to horrible things as young as possible. It makes them think those things are normal… that it is fine. They grow up thinking that forcing yourself on women… that murder and torture are fun… and things to be admired. It is a learned perversion and it sickens me to my core.”

  Darling: “Questions done?”

  Tadwick: “Just one more… how old are you?”

  Darling: “Thirteen.”

  Tadwick: “He’s only just older than Charlie, Dad.”

  Dwynfel: “Goblins age faster than humans, Tadwick. In human years he’s about nineteen.”

  Darling: “Done?”

  Tadwick nodded and started to stand up. Darling pointed his finger aggressively at Smutisha.

  Darling: “You owe me, bitch!”

  Smutisha: “I shall escort my guests to their next destination first. And you won’t be getting anything until you learn to ask nicely, Darling. You can have a perfectly nice life here… you simply need to learn to be nice in return. So, you can either cling to this misguided ‘goblins take’ philosophy. Or you can learn to ask and to give. People are much more likely to help you if they like you.”

  Darling scoffed at her and crossed his arms. Smutisha stood up off the floor and gestured for Tadwick and I to go to the door. As she went to leave, she turned to address Darling once more.

  Smutisha: “Darling, I suggest you rethink your attitude before I return.”