Naming the Enemy

Within Stonegate Keep, weeks passed slowly under the oppressive watchfulness that had become the new standard. A grinding tension and the expectation of another shoe dropping were caused by the doubled patrols, the ongoing mistrust between the human and goblin contingents, and the icy formality Kaelan had to put up with from certain officials. Kaelan was constrained while he awaited word from the scouts sent to the hazardous Shadow Peaks and became dissatisfied with the lack of tangible progress in determining the force responsible for the attack. Grakka also appeared to move with a restless restlessness, her normal alertness heightened to an acute level. The invisible adversary continued to pose a serious threat, and their quiet was nearly as unsettling as the possibility of another assault.

At last, Kaelan's lead scout Brennan came back, exhausted and worn out from the trip. Delivered to Kaelan in private, his report was incredibly brief. "Mercenaries, sir, definitely operating in the foothills of the Shadow Peaks," said Brennan. "Well-prepared, orderly bands. We saw a number of camps. He produced a charcoal sketch of a rough insignia, a jagged lightning bolt crossed with a dripping dagger, that he had seen on a discarded shield. "Doesn't match any known mercenary company operating openly in the Kingdom." He paused. "But we did see similar, rougher versions near the old watchtower where Baron Varkas’s men used to patrol before… before the treaty."

Kaelan's forehead wrinkled. Varkas, Baron. Known for his brutality and alleged interactions with smugglers and worse, he was a forceful opponent of the peace who was deprived of important border territory by the treaty. He had a reason, no doubt. Despite his cruelty, Varkas was viewed as more of a brute than a thinker. Could he have planned such a well-planned ambush? "Nothing more definitive?" Kaelan pushed.

"No, sir," acknowledged Brennan. They do a good job of hiding their tracks. The locals, meanwhile, see and hear nothing. Or they're afraid to speak."

With intriguing clues but no concrete evidence connecting Varkas to the attack on him and Grakka, Kaelan threw the scout aside. It was like reaching for smoke.

Meanwhile, from several currents, Grakka gathered rumors. After being freed from captivity, Zog, still harboring bitter grudges, had spent some time close to the narrow, strongly guarded market area where authorized vendors, including a few goblins from neutral clans, were allowed. Following the whispered conversations he had heard, he reported back to Grakka about a strong, invisible entity called a "Shadow Broker" that operated out of the Shadow Peaks and paid unusually highly in untraceable coin to warriors who were willing to cause "disruptions" along the border. The Broker's increasing power and brutality were the only things spoken, not names.

During his own follow-up scouting, Borg, who was always perceptive, independently identified the particular pattern that was utilized to hide the attackers' footprints close to the postern gate. He growled, "Klag," at Grakka. "The Red Fang clan's outlaw tracker." His distinctive take on the drag-brush method. He reportedly betrayed his allegiance years ago and now works out of the Peaks.

Both Grakka and Kaelan had parts of a puzzle, but when they were viewed separately, they didn't make sense. Varkas's ancient symbols close to mercenaries? A shadowy Broker employing combatants? One particular renegade tracker? It was insufficient. More was required because of the ongoing danger and the oppressive atmosphere inside the keep.

Kaelan realized they were at a standstill and went to see Grakka in their living room. Perhaps comforted by the routine, she was looking at the odd goblin trail markings she had carved earlier. "Grakka," he said without prelude, "my scouts have come back." They have a limited amount of information. I believe it's yours. He looked her in the eye. "It was agreed to share evidence. But maybe there's more to sharing bits than clinging to individual pieces.

She raised her head, her face reserved. It went against all instincts to share unconfirmed intelligence with a human knight, particularly goblin underworld murmurs. But there was no denying the logic. The enemy, who threatened them both, the pact, and her troops imprisoned in this fortress, was still unknown. There was a tense pause, and then she nodded abruptly. "Speak."

Kaelan outlined Brennan's discoveries, including the location close to the Shadow Peaks, the Varkas-like symbols, and the mercenary sightings. After listening attentively, Grakka responded with her own knowledge, which included the 'Shadow Broker' rumors and Klag the tracker's identity.

Kaelan put his maps on the table, and they stood over it. For the first time, they were working together, combining different types of information, rather than disputing or defending positions.

"Varkas," Kaelan thought as he tapped the map close to the Baron's old estates next to the Peaks. "Hatred for the pact and lost territory is his motivation. He is wealthy.

"But not the skill," Grakka shot back right away. "Varkas fights with all the rage and little grace of a charging boar. The ambush was expertly executed. coordinated.

"But Brennan saw emblems like his near mercenary camps in the Shadow Peaks," Kaelan said.

"And my sources speak of a 'Shadow Broker' in the Peaks, hiring fighters," said Grakka. "Someone organizing things."

Borg had discovered "Klag the tracker," Grakka added. Prior to going rogue, he was employed by Varkas years ago. The Peaks are known to Klag. has the ability to move covertly.

On the map, Kaelan drew a line. "The point of ambush... This ridge sent signals to Brennan.

"...which overlooks the area richest in night-crawler nests right now," Grakka concluded, hitting the same spot. "Where the arrows' venom most likely originated. The Broker is said to govern territory.

Suddenly, with icy clarity, the parts clicked into place. Varkas wasn't alone. There was more to it than a shadowy Broker or mercenaries. It was a network.

"Varkas," Kaelan inhaled as he noticed the same realization appear in Grakka's eyes. "He has the riches and the raging hatred, but he lacks the grace. He provides the funding.

"The Shadow Broker," Grakka continued in a somber tone. "The coordinator. headquartered in the Peaks, manages resources like venom, and employs the right people, such as Klag to lead them, like the mercenaries Brennan observed.

"Mercenaries using Varkas's old emblems, perhaps as a crude form of identification or loyalty mark demanded by their paymaster," Kaelan said. "They hit us, symbols of the peace treaty Varkas despises, using methods and locations tied to the Broker's operation."

They were known by the moniker of Baron Varkas, who was probably the mastermind. Additionally, they had a shadow in the form of the Broker, his perilous middleman. Suddenly the enemy had method, motive, and form. Only when considered as a whole had the different pieces of goblin practical knowledge and human military information come together to form a frightening, cohesive whole.

The awkwardness gave way to a new tension in the room. It was the acute concentration of confronting a well-known, powerful foe. They now had a clear goal for their grudging union, which had been formed in mutual danger and isolation and was the result of a political decree. They were aware of their probable predator. What the goblin warrior and the human knight planned to do about it was the unanswered issue that still hung between them.