The Goblin King by Shona Husk

dropped her hand and reached for his sword and then his gun. The noise wasn’t bells. It was the clash of metal on metal ricocheting off the rock walls. He turned from her and went towards the fight. She started to follow him down the tunnel, but he waved her back.
    She hesitated, unsure if she should obey or ignore him. Was he an enemy or just a desperate man, hoping she was his last chance at breaking the curse? Either way, if anything happened to him, she was in serious trouble. Right now he was her best shot at getting home. And at least he didn’t seem like he was going to hurt her. The Hoard goblins, on the other hand, would. She went after him. As she drew nearer she heard each scrape of metal, the grunts of the men fighting, and the high-pitched, inhumane hiss of something else. The sound slithered through her body and coiled around her heart.
    As if she were in a bad horror movie, she went on, knowing it would be wiser to run back to the bedroom and hide under the bed. The tunnel began to glow with a brilliant yellow sheen and she glimpsed the king disappearing into a cavern. Eliza cautiously peeked around the corner.
    Gold.
    A cavern big enough to fit a hotel in was piled with gold from pale to red to yellow. The room shone like a sun had crashed in the center of a mountain to give light to the creatures that hid in the shadows. Eliza squinted. The floor appeared to be tiled with coins. One wall was covered in carved amber panels. They were the only break in the endless gleam of gold. The king was bathed in the glow, and for a moment he stopped, as if transfixed by the sight of so much wealth in one location.
    Eliza stepped into the cavern. A gray-skinned man wielded a sword, guarding the treasure from Long Hair. The gray man’s ears lengthened as she watched, curling over at the top. His nose hooked, and his eyes yellowed like he was absorbing the gold into his very soul. In his beard were strands of gold.
    Empty Eyes.
    A gasp escaped from her. Eliza clapped her hand over her mouth, too late. The king turned. Before his eyes cleared she saw the lust for gold that blinded him to everything else.
    “It’s mine. I claim it.” The goblin’s voice broke as he spoke. The man had been swallowed by goblin greed.
    The king flinched, but he kept his eyes on her.
    The ring of swords jarred every breath.
    “Enough, brother. Step back.” The king turned just enough to see if Long Hair, his brother, obeyed.
    His brother still circled the goblin that used to be Empty Eyes. His skin was duller and his eyes brighter. “It’s our gold.”
    “Step back!” the king roared. “He is Hoard. It is too late,” he added so quietly that Eliza only just heard the words. The king’s eyes glistened, but not with the need for gold. He lifted the gun.
    Long Hair looked from the king to the gold. He grimaced as if unsure what to do. They couldn’t fight for the gold without becoming goblin, yet they couldn’t walk away from it either.
    Her stomach became a dead weight. “You’re going to kill him.”
    The king spoke, his lips barely moving, “We took a vow. A warrior would rather die than live like that.” The king turned from her. He aimed even though his brother still blocked the shot.
    Eliza pulled her earring out, a simple gold and diamond creation. A gift from Steve. “I have gold.” She held out the tiny jewel, knowing it could never compete with the golden Taj Mahal in the room. “Would you like to see?”
    The king’s long-haired brother blinked and stepped towards her. His skin brightened as his eyes lost their yellow glow. The crack of gunfire resonated around the room. Eliza ducked, her hands covering her ears. A cold, metallic smell clogged her mouth and sucked the moisture from her tongue.
    She looked up to see the king catch the goblin before he fell to the ground. He cradled the goblin that had once been a man in his arms. Their heads were tucked together, but the king shook with each breath. His fingers