Chapter 1: Geoffrey Visits Zyphos

Once long ago, in the lost land of Lyonesse, there was born a Goblin. He arrived in the world on the stroke of midnight, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the year minus seven. His given name was Wzhb, but his mother called him Geoffrey in honour of a great Emperor of the shadow world.

Geoffrey’s father Madron was half human and had no magical powers, but Geoffrey’s mother was born a Princess and had the power of shape-changing. She could become an evil demon in an instant if she was threatened, but the changes wearied her and she would have to rest for many weeks.

Now humans, or humanlings as the old elves called them, could only see beings from the shadow world in their nightmares. They were puny and weak and lived very short lives. Geoffrey was contemptuous of them. Apart from a few wizards they had no magic powers, but Geoffrey could turn earth into bread and water into ale. He could talk to the animals too �" just like all the shadow people.

One day Geoffrey’s father fought Gigantious and was killed. At this Geoffrey’s mother Maeve cried for forty days and all her powers left her. She went into a holy place to spend the rest of her life in prayer to the old Gods, and Geoffrey was left alone. 

Geoffrey didn’t feel any sorry for his father’s death or the loss of his mother as Goblins have cold hearts, but he had always wanted two things. One to have the power of shape-changing, and two to be able to fight with sword or axe like the humanlings. So taking a pot of gold he went to a place called Dozmary and found the house of Merlin, the keeper of the sword. Merlin was away at Cadbury, but others were there including the sword-maker Commius the Gaul. 

Now Merlin was keeping a special sword for a man yet to be born. This sword had magical powers and had been forged in fire from the underworld long before the Romans came to Britain. Geoffrey asked Commius to make him a sword like Merlin’s but he shook his head.

“I will make you a sword Geoffrey” he said, “but no man alive can make you a magic sword. Give me a gold piece now and another at the time of the next full moon when it will be ready for you”. 

Geoffrey took a gold piece from his pot and gave it to the sword-maker.

“Can you teach me to fight with a sword Commius?” he asked.

Commius smiled at him.

“You know that Goblins are invisible to men. I can only see you because you are in this house of Merlin, once you leave here no man can see you and no man can teach you. Perhaps you could watch others being trained at the war camps, but I cannot help you.”

Geoffrey thanked him and vowed to himself that he would go to the training grounds and learn to fight. He smiled to himself at the thought of his sword parrying cutting and slashing without a visible arm to hold it! The humans would be terrified at the sight and would run for their lives!

Now in a place called Damelioc there lived a great Wizard called Zyphos. Zyphos had evil powers and had been outlawed by the powerful council of Yxcelon because he had cast a spell on a human King called Orac. The King had been maddened by the spell and had killed his daughter’s husband Calbec in his sleep. This had caused a terrible war which had lasted many years and thousands of people had been killed.

Geoffrey knew all this but he did not care. He knew that Zyphos could give him the power of shape-changing, but he also knew that Zyphos would want something in return. There was no fear in his cold heart so he walked swiftly to the Castle at Damelioc.

Humans were working in the fields and he decided to play some tricks. Taking one man’s oatcake from his hand just as he was about to place it into his mouth he pushed it into another man’s mouth and laughed out loud to see their amazement. Then he picked up a sickle and cut some ears of wheat while the men watched in terror and talked of magic as they backed away. It was wonderful being invisible he thought, now is he could only shape-change and become a bird or an animal for a short time!

Still laughing he climbed the hill to the castle and banged on the great iron door. Everything was quiet. Even the birds stopped singing at the sound of Geoffrey’s hammering. Ignoring the sign on the door ‘Enter at your peril’ he pushed it violently open and stepped inside. As soon as he did so the door swung to again and hundreds of webs dropped from the ceiling and covered him from head to toe. He struggled to escape but the webs were stronger than steel and the more he struggled the more he became tangled. Soon he sank to his knees in exhaustion, wiping vainly at his eyes which were nearly blinded by dust. Then he saw that a door at the far end of the room had opened and two Ogres carrying a golden chair came in, with the tiny Zyphos sitting there and glaring at him with his single green eye. 

Geoffrey struggled to speak. 

“I wish for the power of shape-changing Zyphos” he said, “I wish for the power of shape-changing Zyphos” he said, “I will pay you in gold”.

Zyphos’ face purpled in temper.

“How dare you enter my castle?” he screamed, “and what would I do with your miserable piece of gold when I have a mountain of it? I curse you Geoffrey. Those that you despise you will become. You will be fearful like a human and kill like a human and steal like a human and you will die like a human. Unless - - - -“

He waved his hand and the webs fell from Geoffrey’s body.

“- - - - Unless you bring me Merlin’s ring of destiny which is never off his finger. What will you be Geoffrey? A Goblin or a man?

He waved his hand again and suddenly Geoffrey was in a field with no-one in sight. There was a great blue-steel sword on the ground beside him with an inscription on the blade and he looked at it in puzzlement. Was it the sword that Commius had made? But how had it got there? He picked it up and wondered why it felt so heavy, and why he felt so suddenly weary. He felt so tired that he urgently needed to sleep, so he staggered to a barn just outside of the village and collapsed as he lay down on some straw. Maybe he felt ill because he was hungry he thought, or maybe the evil Zyphos had put a sickness-spell on him?

He was soon asleep, but dreamed a dream where a rider on a black horse chased him through a forest. The horseman came nearer and nearer in the nightmare �" and then he woke with a start, heart thumping. There was some cheering outside and through a broken board he could see a man on a great warhorse. It was Pagos the Briton. 

Geoffrey strained to hear as Pagos lifted himself in his stirrup and held his sword aloft.

“I come in search of fighting men to rid our land of the Romans” he shouted. “Come to White Horse with your weapons if you have them, but bring your strong heard. Kiss the sword if you are a man!”

As some men rushed forward to pledge themselves Geoffrey wished for the first time that he was a man, but it could never be. No matter what Zyphos had said he was a Goblin forever. After breakfasting on a dead rat, which tasted horribly bad, he set off on his journey. 

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I very much enjoy your storytelling, full of adventure & high imagination. I love your slightly elevated way of choosing language, as if this story unfolds in some mystical realm beyond human comprehension. I like the way this story opens, but it takes too long for you to get to an excellent explanation of what powers Geoff has & what additional powers he wishes for. Paragraph starting with "Humans were working in the fields and he decided to play some tricks." -- it could be stronger if this was moved closer to the beginning, not clear at the middle. Just my opinion -- you start this story with too much concern about laying out the setting of the times, rather than having us get to know Geoff on a more in-depth basis. To me, characters make a story. You get the reader involved by creating irresistible characters. Early in your story you whiz thru forgettable characters, but you don't spend much time showing us why we should care about your main character & his upcoming venture. That's why I think the specific example of various magic principles would be better, if closer to the opening. I love all your content, but it seems it could be shifted around some to grab your reader's attention earlier (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie