"What a strange girl!" Sylvia muttered before following the way the female server had shown her.
Sylvia entered through the curtain in alert, only to find herself in another hall similar to the one she had walked from. One couldn't tell the place was so big by looking only at the outer hall.
This one was less crowded, and she caught a couple of tables occupied by only one or two people.
She saw many doors around the hall through which the servers came out and disappeared inside.
Not wasting her time in observing the place in detail, Sylvia began walking through the rows of tables in search of Rune.
Her eyes spotted a short and thin man sitting alone at a table in the middle of the row. He was wearing a coat and a hat.
Since when Goblins became the fashion experts? Sylvia wondered inwardly before making her way toward him.
Stopping near him, she cleared her throat to get his attention. When he looked up, she was met with a pair of large green eyes that bulged out of their sockets.
"Rune?"
"Sylvia Ibs-" He abruptly stopped before taking her last name and looked around with his already pointed ears perking up in cautiousness.
Sylvia understood his reaction. Of course, nobody would want to be seen with the only rebel of the Ibsen family- one of the oldest and the strongest families of the witches!
She nodded her head, and the man gestured for her to sit across him on the other side of the table with his overly thin hands which were covered with yellowish-green wrinkled skin.
Sylvia did as she was told. From there, she could see tables she had walked past and the people minding their own business. Most of them looked like humans, but she knew better than to believe that.
No humans could enter this place, not with magic, nor with the help of any supernatural.
"You are at the right time." The man with no hair and eyelashes said, drawing her attention toward him.
Sylvia met his too-big green eyes and nodded. "I don't like being late."
Rune didn't comment and placed a paper in front of her. Sylvia looked down at it, wondering what it was.
"Order something to eat. You must be hungry."
Sylvia's eyes roamed over the list of dishes and their prices mentioned right after them. On her Warthford Island, whenever she craved delicious food, she would just create it with her powers or asked Gerald to get it from the local diner.
Sylvia contemplated ordering food.
Sensing her hesitation, the Goblin said, "I am going to pay because I am also ordering something to eat."
That made her shoulders relax. But then again, she barely knew this outside world and had no idea what half of those things were.
She passed the paper back to him and said in a low voice. "Please order anything you see fit for me. I am not a choosy person anyway."
Rune nodded. He read the menu card while tapping his fingers with sharp nails. Sylvia feared he might end up breaking one of his thin fingers if he was not careful.
Rune looked up and raised his hand in the air. A man dressed only in one piece of cloth that was doing no good job of hiding his natural bulge between his legs appeared to take their order.
Sylvia blocked out what Rune was saying as she looked to the other side, avoiding the naked man beside her.
The only naked man she had seen, admired and devoured was Gerald Livingstone. Unfortunately, she had to leave him.
She left him when he needed her the most. She left him when he was fighting the biggest battle of his life.
Guilt began crowding her conscience. The only selfish argument she had to justify her action was that he didn't love her, he never did.
They were only two individuals- a human and a witch- who enjoyed each others' company and satiated each other's physical needs.
"Sylvia? Sylvia?"
She blinked, breaking out of her reverie as she met Rune's curious eyes again.
Getting a hold of herself, she breathed before sipping some water. Thankfully the server was gone, and now she didn't need to restrict her wandering eyes.
Clearing her throat, she asked, looking around attentively. "Are you sure this place is safe?"
"I wouldn't have asked to meet you here if it wasn't."
When she didn't say anything further, he asked, "How did you manage to contact me?"
It was not easy to find Goblins like him, especially for people like her. Yet the irony was only the people like her who had no home, no friends, no family and no protection tries to contact him.
"Through a friend." She didn't elaborate, and he didn't force her.
"So... you left Malvadogar. But why? Wasn't Reznor taking good care of you?"
Sylvia's jaw clenched, and she wanted to ignore his questions, but she also understood that this man was going to help her find a new home where she would be safe. So it was natural for him to ask those questions.
"Malvadogar... was nice. And Reznor provided me with everything I needed." She answered truthfully.
Seeing that she was willing to answer, he felt encouraged to satiate his curiosity.
"So is it true about Malvadogar? That it is home to all dark witches and wizards?"
Sylvia nodded her head. "Malvadogar provides a home to all witches and wizards who want freedom for themselves, who don't want to follow the age-old rules and regulations of Larnwick.
Larnwick never felt like a home to me. It was like a prison, a golden prison but Malvadogar was my happy place!" Her voice came thick with emotions, and the goblin's face softened.
"Then why did you leave, Sylvia?"
She gulped, not wanting to answer, but before she could make up her mind, the words slipped out of her lips.
"Oscar Devera."
She heard Rune sucking a sharp breath as he stared at her wide-eyed.
"Do you know what happened with him?"
Her head snapped up at Rune, and she asked desperately. "What? What happened with Oscar? Is he okay?"
The Goblin looked around before leaning forward. He knew the risks of bringing up that topic, but he thought the witch deserved to know what happened with her friend who left Larnwick- the magic world- and went to live in Malvadogar like her.
"He surrendered his powers, Sylvia. He... has now turned into a muggle- a human. Everyone was so shocked at Larnwick when he landed there with his human lover. Can you believe that?!
A human dared to step in Larnwick without the permission of Magic Council!"
Sylvia's heart thudded fast in her chest. Oscar was her only friend who understood her pain clearly. They had been there for each other for years after they left Larnwick.
People thought he left Larnwick to be a part of Malvadogar, but Sylvia knew the truth. He was so fed up with his domineering father and the unjust traditions of the Larnwick and his family that he fled.
When he came to live on Warthford Island to get help from Reznor- a dark wizard who established this secret world named Malvadogar for the witches and wizards who had fled from Larnwick, Oscar fell in love with a human- Isabella.
Everyone who knew about Larnwick and its one of the most powerful families- the Deveras- knew the tussle between Oscar and his father.
His father forced him to return home and leave his human lover so much so that, he decided to surrender his wizardry powers and become a human.
Sylvia couldn't do such a great sacrifice for Gerald. She was hungry for more power. She was ambitious and wanted to be more powerful than her family- the Ibsens.
And thus, she killed her feelings for Gerald.
Sylvia gulped and asked, "Where are Oscar and Isabella?"
The goblin narrowed his eyes at her. "So her name is Isabella?! But how do you know?"
Sylvia tensed. Should she tell him that she got into trouble with the Deveras for helping Oscar and saving his lover Isabella?
Before Oscar left for Larnwick, he warned Sylvia to leave Warthford Island and also Malvadogar because he knew his father would hunt her down in a fit of rage.
Because she had stopped Oscar's father from killing Isabella.
Sylvia took a moment before saying in a collected voice. "We lived together, remember?"
Rune nodded his head slowly. "I don't know where are they though. Nobody knows where they went after leaving Larnwick.
Oscar's father couldn't find them because they say someone from Larnwick helped him escape safely."
Sylvia's brows furrowed. As far as she knew, everybody loved Oscar until he was living in Larnwick. But when he rebelled against his family, nobody dared to help him.
Helping Oscar meant becoming the enemy of Deveras. Who would dare to do that?