Clink

Clink

The cold steel chains dragged against the rough stone floor as Malcolm was led in. Flanked by a dozen guards, he stared at the crowd, their thousand eyes boring into his soul. Beaten and bloody, his shirt was torn up, and one of the sleeves was missing.

Malcolm's face sunk as he caught sight of Sven on the balconies. "Sven! I'm innocent!" he cried, reaching towards the Goblin from across the hall. "You have to believe me, I didn't ..." He fell to his knees in despair, resting his hands on the smooth stone floor.

The noise of the crowd drowned out his pleas. "Wretched human scum!" They screeched, hurling their daggers at the defenseless human. "Throw him to the worms!"

The Almighty Toe raised his hand for silence. His blubbery face was deformed with a wide smile, exposing crooked brown teeth. "We shall at this time heed the words of those who were so wrongfully assaulted!" Then he proclaimed with a smirk. "Svith! Please explain to these fine citizens what transpired!"

Three heavily bandaged Goblins stepped out from the door underneath the balconies. The crowd groaned at the sight of them, many of them averting their gaze in disgust. Sven recognized Svith among the wounded trio, but the poor Goblin's face was almost unrecognizable beneath the layers of cloth.

"Me and the others left council chamber once the meetin' started." began Svith, taking a few steps forward toward the throne. "We'd been gaurdin' it for a while you see, and we wanted to get some rest. We was in a tunnel when I heard a great commotion you see, so I looked behind us, then this..." He raised an accusing finger at Malcolm. "This human ATTACKED us. Luckily some other goblins were hearin', or else I think he would have been killin'!"

The crowd murmured among themselves, shocked by the supposed brutality of Malcolm.

"Well." The Almighty Toe scoffed. "I feel that this is evidence enough of Malcolm's crimes! I hereby sentence him to the worms!"

The crowd of Goblins gasped as the verdict was given. Sven cast a suspecting glance at Svith who was now smirking at the side of the throne. "With all due respect your majesty!" Sven shouted. "I'm sure you would be allowin' Malcolm to speak..."

The Almighty Toe bellowed at Sven, filling the chamber with the echoes of his words. "We need not litter the air with his tainted words! Your human will perish for his actions today!"

The air grew heavy between the two Goblins, as they prepared their next words. The stunned onlookers stayed silent, holding their breath anxiously. Those who dared question the Almighty Toe rarely escaped unscathed.

Sven hopped onto the railing of the balcony, placing himself in the full view of the room. "If Malcolm be as guilty as you be sayin', then you shouldn't have issue hearin' from him! Or is there another reason you aren't wantin' him speakin'?"

From the ground far below, Malcolm stared at the Almighty Toe, silently pleading with him for mercy.

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MY AUTHORITY!?" The Almighty Toe roared, slamming his fists down on the table. Veins bulged in his forehead, and his face was red with fury. "YOU convinced me to permit the human in here, assuring he was 'trustworthy', yet he commits a vile transgression! How can I be certain you haven't planned this from the beginning?"

The murmurings of the crowd grew, and despite his best efforts, the Almighty Toe couldn't regain control of the masses. "Maybe we should let the human speak...", suggested a few brave Goblins, carefully looking around to gauge the crowd's reaction.

This is my chance! Sven realized. "How do we know you didn't set this human up? You never did like him bein' here!"

The enraged monarch screamed at the crowd, spit flying from his mouth. "WE ARE NOT LETTING THE HUMAN SPEAK! My decision is ABSOLUTE. Do NOT disregard who is in command!"

Silence fell upon the crowd. "Very well." The Almighty Toe began, all hints of rage gone from his voice. "Now that this is settled, the human shall be fed to the worms at daybreak! An excellent spectacle, and an infrequent one too!"

He flicked his hand at the guards, who promptly grabbed Malcolm's arms and dragged him out of the room, scraping the metal shackles against the floor. As he passed under the balconies, Malcolm stared up at Sven, with pleading eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. Averting his gaze, Sven just stared at him in shock. I have to do something.