Lady Churl had all of fifteen minutes to herself before one a them's what returned needed her to do something. It was Elixander who'd approached her. Elves weren't her thing, but she had to admit he was a handsome one. When he'd asked with that smooth voice, well, she had said yes.

  What was the harm in it anyways? Them's tall ones needed a favor that weren't all that hard: climb into that cavern below the Shadow's Respite and bring some moss back. Churl had spent years living underground. Her eyes were specially designed for that kind of environment.

  Gotta rush it, yeah, of course. Save some other tall one Churl ain't never met and ain't never heard of, and didn’t care about.

  Lady Churl sharpened her favorite skinning knife against her well worn sharpening stone. S'right pleasant sound, that was. She reckoned the slim blade would do nicely for harvestin' delicate moss, though why anyone'd want to save that stick-up-his-arse baron's wife was beyond her. Still, Varix had asked, and that was reason enough. The fancy elf mage with his flowery words could explain all he wanted about magical afflictions and rare cures, but all Lady Churl needed to know was which tunnels to take and what the moss looked like. The rest was just humans and their complicated problems.

  Lady Churl tucked her knife back into its sheath and gathered her things. The sharpening stone went into one pocket, a small pouch of dried meat into another. Never knew when a bit of jerky might come in handy. She adjusted her leather vest and scratched behind one pointed ear.

  Footsteps padded down the stairs outside her room. Light steps. Fancy-like. That elf, for sure.

  "Door's open," she called before his knuckles hit the wood. "No need to knock."

  The door swung open, and Elixander stood there with his perfect posture and flowing robes. His eyes stayed on her, though they somehow glanced around the room at the same time. There was a time when she woulda tried to stab this one in the heart. But here he stood, looking all regal-like.

  "Good evening, Lady Churl," he said with a slight bow. "I trust you are prepared for our little jaunt?"

  Churl snorted. "Yeah, I'm ready. Got everything we needs right here." She patted her belt where various pouches hung.

  "Excellent. If I have not said so before, I'll say it now. Thank you for your help. I could think of no other better suited to find this mysterious plant."

  Churl waved him off. "Ain't nothing I ain't done before. In and out in a few minutes. Reckon I know right where it's located."

  "I had hoped so. What little I know of the plant is that lumina moss grows in clusters along the lower cavern walls," Elixander explained, unrolling the small map. "It gives off a faint blue glow, hence the name. We must handle it with extreme care. Its properties deteriorate rapidly when touched with bare hands."

  "And this'll save that baron's wife?" Churl asked, her nose wrinkling.

  "Melisant Swiftwood suffers from a rare affliction. I believe the moss is the missing ingredient. I will be honest. This may not work at all. However, I feel the effort of trying is more important than fretting about failure."

  "Wa's that thing Varix is prattling on? 'Failure is always an option."

  It was time for Elixander to chuckle behind his hand.

  Churl shrugged. "Don't much care for the baron, but Varix asked, so that's that." She grabbed a lantern from her shelf and thrust it toward Elixander. "You'll need this. I sees fine in the dark."

  "My gratitude, Lady Churl."

  "Jus' Churl," she corrected again, scrunching her nose. "Lady Churl's me fancy upground name. Down 'ere I'm jus' Churl, I reckon."

  "I wouldn't dream of it, Lady Churl."

  Churl chuckled. "Suit yerself."

  She led him to the doorway they had uncovered in the wall. The stone steps were cool on her feet, which was welcome. Living underground was the preferred method of existence for goblins, but she found living in her own room, in a tavern she partially owned, and working for a man who was not from this world to be a rather comfortable life. It was far better than being massacred by the heroes when they’d stormed Morthisal's fortress.

  The air grew damper. Churl welcomed it because it smelled like her old home.

  "Watch your head there," she warned as Elixander nearly bumped into a low-hanging beam. "Tall folk always bonk themselves in these passages."

  "Thank you for the warning."

  She glanced back at Elixander and realized a barely perceptible haze hung around him. One of them warding spells, she reckoned.

  The narrow corridor opened into a wider chamber with crumbling columns and faded carvings on the walls. Elixander paused, his lantern held high.

  "Remarkable," he breathed.

  "Can't read it meself," Churl admitted.

  "Nor can I, but the runes are familiar. It's as if I'm seeing a familiar language, but the letters are mixed up."

  "Yeah? You stay here and look at them weird runes. I'll scout ahead."

  Churl entered the first cavern. The ceiling dripped in places, and small puddles formed on the uneven floor. Churl stuck her hand out and sampled the water. She knew that most water underground tasted strongly of minerals, and this was no different. Mighta been a little sweeter; kinda tasted like lickin' a copper pot. Good for underground folk, but real bad for human folk.

  "Gonna check the side cave," Churl announced, pointing to a narrow opening behind one of the larger columns. "That's where your glowy moss should be."

  Elixander held up a hand. "One moment, if you please. These inscriptions..." He traced his fingers over symbols etched into the wall. "I should document these." He pulled out a small leather-bound journal and a charcoal stick.

  "Suit yerself. I'll peek ahead." Churl ducked through the opening without waiting for a response.

  The cavern beyond was unlike the dusty temple. Many strange plants clung to the walls. Some had bulbous caps that pulsed with inner light, others had thin tendrils that swayed without any breeze. Fungus patches in purple so deep it made her repeatedly blink, and orange brighter than any sunset carpeted sections of the floor.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  A flash of movement caught her attention. Something long and scaled slithered behind a cluster of crystal formations. Its tail, at least she thought it was a tail, flicked once before disappearing.

  "Wha's this sneaky little beastie? Too quick for its own good, reckon," Churl muttered.

  She crouched down, examining the cavern walls. The blue glow of lumina moss beckoned from a recess about fifty paces ahead.

  "Reckon I found it," she called back to Elixander.

  "Excellent. I'll be there as soon as…" he trailed off.

  "As soon as yer done starin' at wall writin’s." Lady Churl chuckled quietly.

  Churl crept toward the blue moss. It was a small patch about the size of half her palm. She hoped it would be enough for the elf's serum. Churl leaned in close, her nose twitching as she took a deep sniff.

  "Looks to be the one," she murmured.

  She pulled the glass vial with the cork lid from one of her pouches and carefully scraped the delicate moss from the wall. Her knife slid beneath the fragile growth and the hard rock wall. A small clump broke free and tumbled to the ground, only to disappear behind a large rock.

  "Bloody hells," she grumbled.

  Lady Churl placed the vial on a flat stone and dropped to her knees. Her fingers probed the darkness behind the rock. Her hand closed around the wayward moss. She pulled it out, added it to the vial, and then set the container down again to search for any remaining bits.

  A flash of movement caught her attention. Something darted from behind a cluster of crystals. It was the same lizard-like creature she'd spotted earlier. It was about two feet long with six spindly legs that helped it quickly dart around. Its body glowed with iridescent scales that shifted from green to brown as it moved, trying to blend into its environment. A long, whip-like tail extended behind it, ending in what looked like a sharp, barbed arrow. Churl remembered tales of this creature from her youth and reckoned it was a vassilith though she'd never seen one up close. They were usually too fast to catch, or even admire.

  The creature paused and its head turned toward the vial. Before Churl could react, it darted forward with startling speed. The vassilith snatched the vial in its tiny clawed hands, hissed a warning, and scurried away.

  "Oi! Get back here, ya thievin' little rascal! That ain't yours to take!" Lady Churl shouted, scrambling to her feet.

  She bolted after the creature, cursing under her breath. The six-legged vassilith proved remarkably fast. It darted between stalagmites and over loose rocks, scrambled up the cavern wall, then back toward the center of the chamber, heading toward a narrow passageway that branched off to one side.

  Lady Churl glanced back, mentally marking her location. If there was one thing a goblin excelled at, it was navigating underground passages. She wouldn't lose her way.

  The creature disappeared into the side tunnel. Churl followed, only to find the passage narrowed dramatically after a few yards. She paused, assessing the tight squeeze.

  "Bleedin' tight fit, this is. Good thing I ain't one of them lanky humans. Reckon they'd be stuck like a cork in a bottle."

  She pulled one of her daggers, clamped it between her teeth for easy access, and pushed through. The rough stone scraped against her back and chest. After several uncomfortable moments, the passage opened slightly, allowing her to move more freely.

  Darkness enveloped her completely. Churl's vision adjusted quickly, and the shapes around her became clearer in shades of gray and black.

  She spotted the thieving vassilith ahead, but it wasn't alone. A smaller vassilith lay on a bed of soft fungus, its breathing labored and irregular. The larger creature carefully placed the vial on the ground and moved to lie beside its companion. It rested its head atop the smaller one's body in what looked like a gesture of comfort.

  Churl's anger faded as understanding dawned. The smaller creature was injured or sick. The other vassilith had drawn her here.

  "Well now, s'that what this is about? Yer little friend's in a bad way, ain't they? Reckon you was just tryin' to get help, not steal," Churl softly said.

  She crouched down, keeping a respectful distance. The larger vassilith raised its head and made a soft trilling sound. Its companion shuddered as it struggled to breathe.

  Churl crept closer to the injured vassilith. The larger one hissed a warning, its tail flicking back and forth. Churl reckoned its tip was sharp enough to pierce through prey. She stopped and held up her empty hands.

  "Easy there," she said softly. "Just wanna help yer little friend, yeah?"

  The larger vassilith reluctantly backed away. It kept its gaze fixed on her, obviously ready to attack if necessary.

  "Don't be stickin’ me with that tail."

  Churl inched forward and examined the smaller creature. A deep gash ran along its side. The scales around it were discolored and flaking. Something had slashed the poor thing. The wound looked fresh but already showed signs of infection.

  "That's a nasty cut you got there," Churl muttered.

  She reached into one of her many pouches and pulled out a small clay jar sealed with wax. Inside was goblin healing salve, made from cave mushrooms, bat guano, and bloodgill clusters. It smelled awful, but it worked wonders on cuts and scrapes. Churl had been mixing her own for years, long before she had been forced to work for Morthisal.

  "This'll sting a bit, but it'll do ya good. S'made from the tastiest mushrooms in the deepest caves. Works a wonder, it does," she warned as she popped the seal.

  The salve inside glowed a faint green. Churl scooped a dollop onto her finger and paused. Would it even work on a vassilith? Different creatures needed different medicines. But the wound looked infected, and infection was infection, no matter what got it.

  "Worth a try," she decided.

  She reached toward the smaller vassilith. The creature flinched as she applied the salve to its wound. The larger vassilith tensed.

  "Easy now," Churl soothed. "Just medicine. Works for underground types like me. Might do tha' trick on ya."

  The injured vassilith thrashed for a moment, then settled. Its breathing steadied. The salve sank into the wound, and the crustiness softened.

  Churl sat back on her heels and waited. The larger vassilith watched her with what seemed like curiosity now rather than hostility.

  "Hungry?" she asked.

  She pulled a strip of dried meat from another pouch and tore it in half. Churl placed one piece near the smaller vassilith and offered the other to the larger one. The creature sniffed cautiously before snatching it with surprising speed.

  "Here ya go. S'not fancy tavern grub, but it'll put some strength in them skinny legs. Go on, have a nibble."

  Both vassiliths nibbled on the jerky. Their tiny teeth made quick work of the tough meat. The larger one regarded Churl, nictating eyes flickering, before settling down.

  "Got your trust, yeah?"

  Churl dug deeper into her pouches and found a small leather pouch of water. She uncorked it and dripped some near the injured vassilith's mouth. The creature lapped at it eagerly.

  "That's it," she encouraged. "Good medicine needs water to work proper. Just common sense, that."

  She offered water to the larger vassilith, too, which drank more cautiously, but lapped it up. Churl reckoned he was the male and she was his mate.

  "You two needs proper names, ya do. You with the pointy tail, yer Arrow. And this poor thing with the nasty gash, that's Scratch. S'right proper names for ya both."

  The smaller vassilith, Scratch, seemed to perk up already. Its breathing steadied. The wound looked less angry.

  "That salve works fast," Churl noted with satisfaction. "Good stuff."

  She reached into yet another pouch and pulled out some hardtack. Rock-hard bread meant for long journeys. She broke it into small pieces and set them down alongside what remained of the jerky.

  "This'll keep you going," she told the vassiliths. "I'll be back tomorrow with better vittles than this dried stuff. Maybe snag some of them juicy bugs you probably fancy. Ain't no one deserves to suffer, even if yer just a scaly little thief."

  Churl backed away slowly. "Rest up now, Arrow and Scratch."

  She picked up the vial, squeezed back through the narrow passage, and easily found her way back to the main cavern.

  "Oh, there you are," Elixander said when he spotted her. "I was beginning to worry."

  Churl pulled out the vial of lumina moss she'd stashed in a secure pocket, and held it up, the blue glow illuminating her face.

  "Reckon this is what we came for?"

  "Wonderful. Just wonderful.” Elixander took the vial carefully. "Did you encounter any difficulties?"

  "Trouble? Nah. Just got meself turned around is all. These caves are trickier than a goblin card game. But I got what we came for, didn't I? Reckon that's what matters."

  They made their way back toward the entrance. Churl paused at the junction that led to the vassilith's hideaway. She'd be back tomorrow, sure as sunrise.

  Texas Frightmare. If you happen to be at this con I'll be in booth 333. After this, things settle down for a few weeks before my next con in Spokane, WA, .