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AS THE BALL DRAKE WAS hosting drew closer, guilt about the diamond he’d given me weighed heavily on my mind. He’d given the large uncut gem to me after I’d saved his team of bounty hunters from being annihilated. I’d only resisted the fear demon’s spells because of the bond we shared.
Even worse, I suspected I was the reason why he’d never been able to bond with his wife properly. Fate had been saving him for me. We might eventually end up together if our mission to stop the apocalypse was successful. Telling him all of this would be a very bad idea. Giving him a priceless gift while telling him some of it seemed like a better idea.
With this plan in mind, I opened my safe and took a few items out of it before heading to the catacombs. The ball was only a week away now. I wanted to have the gift ready to give it to the dragon before the big event.
The cemetery was deserted as I made my way through the headstones to the mausoleum that held a hidden entrance. I had to use a flashlight in the unlit passageways until I reached the areas that had electricity. Supernatural creatures of all kinds were bartering in the markets. I’d become infamous by now and most of them gave me the side-eye.
The man I’d come to see was with a customer, so I hung back to wait. Ungul looked like an ordinary elderly human, with white hair and a paunch. He always wore woolen vests over flannel shirts and brown or tan trousers. His eyes flicked to me a few times as his customer haggled with him. They finally settled on a price and he took the item his client handed over. When the shifter slunk away with his new weapon, I surreptitiously pointed towards the stairs that led to the residential area on the levels above us.
Ungul’s response was to cast a spell over his stall to prevent anyone from stealing his wares. He sauntered towards the stone steps and I followed him at a distance. I knew where his house was, since I’d been there a couple of times. All of the buildings in the catacombs were carved out of stone. His home was small, cozy and was filled with modern furniture.
The door opened when I knocked and I stepped inside. Goblins were far smaller than humans without their glamor to hide their real appearances. His ceiling was so low that I felt like ducking every time I came in here.
“What a pleasant surprise to see you again, Ms. Sterling,” Ungul said as I closed the door.
“Thanks for agreeing to speak to me in private,” I replied politely.
He locked the door with a wave of his hand and invited me to sit on the couch. “I haven’t seen the rogue fairy since she disappeared, if that’s why you’re here,” he said when we were both seated.
I shook my head and plonked my kill-bag on the seat beside me. “I’m not here for work. I’m after a custom job.”
“You need more weapons?” he assumed.
“Not this time,” I said. “Do you know anyone who can work with uncut gems and jewelry?”
My question was unexpected and he blinked a couple of times. “I used to dabble in crafting fine jewelry centuries ago before I switched to making weapons,” he replied.
Somehow, that didn’t surprise me at all. “I have a diamond that I’d like to be cut and inserted into a ring,” I told him.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, while eyeing me shrewdly. “May I see the items?” I took my wallet out of my bag and fished out the diamond and the oval shaped ring.
Ungul took them from me and his eyes flashed to mine. “These are both treasured by a dragon,” he said in near alarm.
“They were gifted to me,” I said before he could freak out and think I’d been stupid enough to steal them. “Do you think you could cut the diamond into an oval shape and attach it to the ring?”
“That won’t be a problem,” he said as he examined them again. “It would only take me a couple of days to craft them, but I’ll need to close my stall while I’m working. It’ll be expensive, so you’ll need to be prepared for the cost.”
“I have something that might interest you in trade to pay for it,” I said and his gaze sharpened again.
“What is it?” he asked in anticipation as I reached into my kill-bag again.
“I was given an item during a special mission that once belonged to a goblin,” I said as I took the magical goggles out of my handbag. They were wrapped in a torn old t-shirt.
“I sensed a spell as soon as you entered my house,” Ungul murmured, eyes riveted to the item in my hand. “I knew it was goblin made. May I see it?”
Opening the t-shirt, I showed him the purple tinted goggles with ancient leather straps. He sucked in a breath and clenched his hand around the diamond and the ring. “Is it valuable?” I asked, knowing by his reaction that it was.
“Oh, yes,” he breathed. “My, my. These goggles are far older than I am,” he said, reaching out to take it from me. He studied it intently and I felt him delve into it with magic. His eyes were shocked when he looked at me. “It was crafted by one of my ancestors! Where did you get it from?”
Fate had stepped in again thousands of years ago to pull our strings. “It came from the third realm of the underworld,” I replied. “I’m not sure if it was made there, though.”
“It wasn’t,” he said absently as he studied it again. “My grandfather made this. He vanished on an expedition to the third realm long ago when he went in search of rumored treasure. We never knew what happened to him.”
“I heard he was killed by a gargoyle,” I said sympathetically. “Harpies found the goggles and kept them safe all this time.”
Tears welled up in his eyes. He had to blink them away when he looked at me. My heart went out to him to see his ancient pain. “This is a gift more valuable than I can put into words, Ms. Sterling,” the goblin said. “I’ll craft the ring for you and I’ll owe you a favor as well. Call on me anytime for any reason and I’ll do your bidding.”
As far as favors went, it was a doozy and we both knew it. “I accept your bargain, Ungul,” I said formally. Having a favor of this magnitude up my sleeve wasn’t to be squandered on something frivolous. I’d have to think long and hard about how to use it if I ever needed his help in the future.
“Give me your number and I’ll call you when the ring is ready,” he said. “I won’t be able to begin working on it for a couple of days, though. I’ll need to source some equipment first.”
“That’s fine,” I replied and rattled off my phone number. “I was hoping you’d be able to have it done in a week or less.”
“It will be ready six days from now at the latest,” he vowed as he stored my number on his cell phone.
“I’ll wait for your call,” I said as I rose to my feet. Ungul unlocked the door with a wave of his fist that clutched the diamond and ring. He held the goggles to his chest as he struggled to contain his emotions. I heard him sob as I let myself out. His grandfather had been dead for a very long time, but his pain hadn’t faded.
Someone stepped in front of me when I entered the tunnels to head for the exit. My reflexes kicked in and a knife was in my hand before he could blink.
“It’s just me, Saige,” Kye said in amusement.
“Sorry,” I said with a grimace and dropped the knife back into my kill-bag. “Force of habit,” I joked.
“Are you here on a mission?” the vamp asked as he escorted me down the passageway.
“Nope. I came to see a goblin about a gem.”
“That sounds like the premise to an awesome movie,” he said with a smirk.
“How have things been in the catacombs lately?” I asked.
“They’re quiet, at the moment,” he said with a shrug. “But it won’t last,” he added glumly. “Someone will turn rogue again and we’ll have to put them out of their misery.”
I wished I could reassure him that the madness would end soon, but it would be a lie. Not even Lord Gilden knew the exact reason why so many supernatural beings were losing their minds. I just hoped it wasn’t going to happen to anyone I cared about. The thought of having to kill a friend or an acquaintance was too horrific to contemplate.
