Chapter 19: The Invite

But much to my surprise, Talia didn’t react like the others.

She didn’t recoil or join in the accusations.

She simply blinked, her gaze fixed on me as though she were trying to make sense of what she’d just heard.

"You ate... the ogre brain?" she repeated slowly, rolling the words around in her mouth as if she still couldn’t quite believe them.

I nodded slowly.

"Yes. And the humans it killed as well."

The atmosphere grew even heavier, thick with tension as the goblins exchanged uneasy glances, their discomfort written plainly across their faces.

Gunthar’s entire body trembled with barely restrained rage, his nostrils flaring as his lip curled into a snarl before he spat onto the ground once more.

"Don’t you see? He’s tainted. We should get rid of him."

"Don’t be a fool, Gunthar," Talia replied smoothly, her voice calm in stark contrast to his fury. "Declaring him tainted so quickly is both rash and extreme. I’ve yet to decide whether he truly is tainted or not."

Gunthar’s nostrils flared again, and his fists clenched so tightly I could have sworn I heard his knuckles crack. Yet despite the fury burning in his eyes, he said nothing. He couldn’t.

Now that was interesting.

Gunthar was strong. I knew that firsthand.

Yet despite his temper, he still backed down the moment Talia spoke.

That alone told me her authority wasn’t just for show. Whatever position she held, it gave her real power over every goblin here, even a goblin like Gunthar.

I quietly filed that observation away as Talia turned back to me, her sharp gaze lingering on my face as though she were trying to figure me out.

"It’s clear you have no understanding of goblin law," she said at last, sounding less angry than thoughtful, as if she were carefully weighing something in her mind. "And by all accounts, your actions would be... punishable."

The word sent a low murmur through the goblins surrounding him.

"But..."

Talia took a step forward, and my body instinctively tensed. Not out of fear, well, maybe a little, but because there was something about her presence that demanded my full attention.

"You’re a juvenile," she said, her voice slow, steady, and unwavering. "With memory loss. None of this is truly your fault."

Gunthar let out a low, strangled sound that was somewhere between a growl and a protest, but Talia didn’t so much as spare him a glance.

She wasn’t asking for permission, nor was she interested in anyone else’s opinion.

Her sharp gaze remained fixed on me as she tilted her head ever so slightly.

"So," she said, "I offer you a choice, Sylas. You come with us to the clan, where you’ll relearn what it means to be a goblin, or you don’t."

A choice.

That’s what she called it.

But there was something in her tone, something buried beneath the surface, that told me this wasn’t a choice at all. Not really.

I let my gaze drift around the clearing.

Gunthar still looked like he wanted to tear my throat out just for existing, and the other goblins weren’t much better.

Their eyes kept flicking between Talia and me, their jaws clenched and shoulders taut with tension.

It didn’t take a genius to understand the situation.

If I refused, I wasn’t walking away alive.

As much as I’d love to play the rebellious lone wolf, I wasn’t an idiot.

Fighting this many goblins was suicide, and even if I somehow managed to take a few of them down, the rest would tear me apart long before I had any chance of escaping.

Besides... I wanted to know more about goblins. About this so-called clan.

Letting out a slow breath, I rolled my shoulders and made my decision.

"Alright." I gave a small nod. "I’ll go."

The moment those words left my mouth, Gunthar’s entire body went rigid.

Disgust twisted across his face as his breathing grew heavier, each ragged exhale sounding more furious than the last. He looked like he was barely holding himself back from exploding.

"You can’t be serious!" he snarled, whipping around to glare at Talia. "You’re bringing a tainted one into the clan?!"

Talia’s gaze turned cold, her voice taking on the edge of sharpened steel as she looked directly at him. "Do you wish to challenge my decision?"

Gunthar froze where he stood.

His fingers twitched at his sides, his jaw tightened until the muscles stood out beneath his skin, and for a brief moment, I genuinely thought he was about to throw caution aside and challenge her.

The tension lingered for a heartbeat before his shoulders sagged ever so slightly, the fight draining out of him as he let out a slow breath through gritted teeth.

"...No."

The word sounded painful, as though it had been dragged from his throat against his will.

A faint smile tugged at Talia’s lips, subtle but unmistakable.

"Good. Then let’s move."

Without another glance, she turned and walked away.

I hurried after her, and after a brief moment of hesitation, the other goblins fell in behind us, though the unease hanging over them was almost tangible.

Gunthar, however, remained where he was, his heavy breaths rumbling through the clearing as he struggled to keep his rage in check.

He fixed me with a glare so venomous I half expected my skin to peel off under it before letting out a low, guttural growl and stomping after the others, every step radiating barely restrained fury.

Only then did I allow myself to exhale, letting a small portion of the tension drain from my body, though not nearly enough to relax completely.

My gaze drifted upward, where the sky had already darkened into a deep shade of blue, the last streaks of daylight slowly bleeding beyond the horizon.

Night was coming fast, and that was a problem.

Even I knew the forest became far more dangerous after dark.

I had no idea what kinds of monsters or predators prowled these woods once the sun disappeared, but I knew enough to be grateful I wouldn’t have to find out.

Even with my newfound strength, some risks simply weren’t worth taking.

Better to be cautious than dead.

The goblins moved with an easy, practiced rhythm, their formation settling into place as naturally as breathing, as though they had walked this route a thousand times before.

Several goblins had quietly positioned themselves behind me, their expressions wary and their movements deliberate, making it painfully obvious they weren’t there for protection.

They were there to...