Chapter 10

A part of me was appalled while the other felt fascinated. The man who chattered with a gravel mouth was now visible. It wasn’t his eyes that apprehended me anymore, but his size. He was no taller than a foot, if that. His eyes were no longer a hair-raising yellow, but that didn’t solve any of his problems.

He was hideous. Nothing about him seemed proportionate. His nose was bigger than his hands, and his feet were twice the size of his head. He had massive moles mutilating his face and what skin was not covered in unkempt, dirty rags was plastered in hives. His expression unveiled a gritty smile with very few teeth.

I looked at Francis and saw the exact color beige that the creature wore was now donning him. Turning my eyes down on myself I saw the same shade on me as well. I did not want to know if it was the creature’s filthy mammoth hands that changed us. Or why he did.

I was unable to form words, but luckily Francis could. “What are you?” He asked.

The small man turned from me to gawk at Francis. “Der mannerly question is who are I, but I are what dey call Coblynau.”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, much less what I was hearing. I pursued him, “What is a Coblynau?”

He cackled at my question and outspread his arms as if to present himself. “Dat what I be! Dat’s a hard answer yer seek. Dat’s like me askern what be Halfling?” I crumpled my face up in even more confusion. He snorted with laughter. “Yer two are funny. I like da tongues yer have.”

My face twisted into a combination of terror and disgust. I pushed further, “Why did you kidnap us? What do you want?”

 He looked between the both of us with a jumbled expression. “Kidnaper? We saved yer two. Yer in hiden.” I caught Francis’s eyes before returning my attention back to the small ugly man. “We keep yer here, til yer is safe. Our last hope is fer Ralella.” I couldn’t understand half of his speech.

Francis asked, “Ralella? We don’t know what you are saying! Please, just let us go.”

The Coblynau was watching me with expectant eyes.

“We been waiting fer yer, Misses Ralella.”

Author's Note

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