Page 2 of The Goblin's Mine

I can hear Dad’s smile. “That’s my girl. You just let me know if you want me to call Max for you.”

“Will do. I gotta go. Bye, Dad.”

“Bye, Natalie.”

I disconnect and shake my head. My dad is awesome and he wants the best for me, but the thought of doing PR for the Tourist Board makes me want to jump in the lake. I’m simply not cut out for civic duties.

I know he’s just trying to help. I well aware of my long list of failed endeavors and hobbies. It’s not even that I’m not good at them. I just get bored easily. So far, making jewelry is the only one that’s stuck. I might even have a real career shot with it. I showed some of it to Sabine Merlot, who owns the metaphysical store in town, and she was interested in possibly carrying some of it. As soon as the supplies arrive, I’ll get right on it.

Until then, though? The monsters are just waiting for me to find them.

I change into appropriate gear and then check myself in the mirror. I have on tech pants that are water resistant, a tank top with a windbreaker over it, and sturdy boots. A glance in my mirror confirms two things: I’m dressed appropriately for the journey and I look like the rest of my family, but with my mother’s coloring. Where their hair is platinum, mine is gold. Their eyes are lapis, mine are aquamarine. My ears are more rounded at the tips than theirs, but still slightly pointed, hinting at an elf ancestor somewhere way back when.

With a sigh, I pull my hair back and tuck everything into the pack. With any luck, I’ll find what I need and start fitting in with the rest of the Bishops any day now.

NATALIE

I’m focusingon my excitement about finding monsters so that I won’t think about my fears: my fear of getting trapped in a creepy cave, my fear of encountering a bear or mountain lion, my fear of finding monsters only for them to be hostile or violent.

Am I behaving totally foolishly? Of course. It’s not like I’m stupid. I’m armed with a hunting knife and a few defense moves. I don’t know a lot about spelunking, and I’ve obviously never confronted a monster before. Should I have more preparation, or at least some backup? Of course.

But doing my research and planning things out has never been my style. I don’t have the patience for it. I throw myself into things headlong and figure it out along the way, whether that’s getting a spontaneous haircut or learning to sew or taking up soldering so I can make more complex jewelry designs. I’m impulsive by nature, and that will never change.

So here I am, standing next to one of the family’s ATVs and staring into the mouth of a cave. There are several caves around here, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they were all connected somewhere beneath the mountain. I’m starting with this one because it’s the biggest, and no matter how brave a face I’m putting on, the idea of having to army crawl through some narrow little nook and potentially get stuck has me sweating.

I’ve never considered myself claustrophobic. Small spaces don’t really bother me; I can handle closets and packed elevators. But for some reason, the idea of being stuck in a small spaceinside a cavejust gives me the full-on heebie-jeebies. So it better not come to that.

The first cavern isn’t so bad. It’s pretty spacious and open, and a small bit of light filters in. It smells dank and musty, but there aren’t any critters hanging around, so I consider that a plus. With a deep breath, I plunge into its depths, crossing my fingers that it doesn’t dead end on me. I don’t think it will. From what I understand, these caves are all intertwined and run deep into the mountains and underground. There are even tunnels that are sort of like lava tubes that run vertically through the cavern system.

I switch on my flashlight as the darkness grows, bringing with it a chill and a sense of dampness. I can hear dripping noises in the distance, which doesn’t surprise me. There are waterfalls high up in the mountains, so it’s no surprise that some trickles have made their way in here.

The cave narrows until I’m walking through a fairly slim corridor, but it’s still tall enough for me to stand up straight. The smooth rock under my feet gradually changes, becoming looser and more pebble-like. I can hear distant squeaks echoing around, which suggests that there are bats nearby—or maybe rats—but that’s fine. Bats and rodents don’t bother me. Nor do snakes and other reptiles. It’s only when we get to the insects and arachnids that I start to get twitchy.

On my next step, my boot sinks into mud and pulls up with a squishy, sucking sound. Yuck. I move more gingerly, picking my way across the suddenly sodden cave floor, when something completely unexpected happens.

I’m assuming the constant drip eroded the ground here, because it just…crumbles. One minute I’m standing there, tryingto make my way through, and the next I’m on my ass, cruising down the inside of the mountain like I’m on a water slide. An uncomfortable water slide made of rocks and mud, to be clear. When I finally come crashing to a stop several minutes later, I’m breathless, bruised, and bedraggled.

And a lot deeper under the mountain.

I sit for a moment, panting, and shove my disheveled hair out of my eyes. Jesus. Apparently I just slid down one of those not-quite-lava-tubes, which means I’m now completely lost. I have no way of getting back up to where I was.

I glance around, trying to get my bearings, and that’s when I realize I can see. Not only am I in a large cavern, but it’s illuminated. And not with daylight, either. There’s are torches mounted all along the walls here, presumably installed by the people who have quietly surrounded me.

Which might be good news, exceptgulp.

These aren’t exactly people by most standards. I guess they’re roughly human-shaped, but there’s no mistaking that they’re a different species. They’re all tall and sort of turquoise, with horns and glowing eyes and muscles for days. Big, brawny, underground creatures who are all standing on two feet and staring at me, potentially horrified by or curious about my sudden appearance.

I don’t know what they are, but one thing is clear. I did it.

I found monsters.

NATALIE

As I siton my ass, stunned, I stare back at them. A small circle of these creatures have gathered around me, but they haven’t made a sound or any move to touch me.

With a wince, I give myself a quick pat down, searching for injuries. There are plenty of scrapes and I’ll for sure have bruises, but I don’t think there’s anything critical, by some miracle. I stand slowly, never taking my eyes off the gathering crowd, while brushing pebbles and dust off my clothes. I hold my palms up, signaling that I’m friendly.

“Hello,” I say slowly. And then I remember my camera. “Shoot!” I swing my pack around to my front and rummage through it, checking the expensive equipment. Luckily, the case seems to have done its job. The lens is intact and I can’t detect any damage.

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