35. The Goblin Embassy

Kinch, performing for Princess Renata, observes as King Agraias receives an embassy from the imperatrix and three Hordeclans. Four goblin diplomats, guarded by five Moth Knights, arrive masked, robed in hypnotic “Mystery Robes,” and exuding paired scents that both repel and pacify. Their leader’s copper mask carries a spell that smooths their rasping speech into comprehensible courtly language.

The Horde ambassador offers a layered greeting promising partnership and conquest against “foodkingdoms,” while Kinch senses the magic’s direct-to-mind translation. Lavish gifts follow—amber, goblin silver, and a gold-and-ivory statue that suggests grim origins—sealing the embassy’s bid to impress and ingratiate.

Compelled to accompany the tour, Kinch watches the king show the visitors the library and a cloud-ship, withholding the printery and sathium mine. From the air, Erydoni ministers stage a demonstration: arrowlets rain down on condemned kynd, a giant, and unwanted animals; a thunderdust barrel detonates, igniting a lethal ring of fire.

As Renata cheers and the court revels in might, the goblins drop their masks, revealing naked greed for cloud-ships and thunderdust. One meets Kinch’s gaze, grinning—a silent promise to seize these weapons and return, escalating the menace of the Horde’s ambitions.