The older kobold nodded toward Sonder, and the other two moved to block the window she came through, pushing a crate against it.
It was a flimsy defense, but it made them feel safer.
"You should come below," the old one said. "It is clearly not safe up here."
He led her toward a staircase spiraling down into the building's lower level.
The other two followed, glancing nervously out at every crack.
The main chamber below looked like a mix between a meeting hall and a refuge. Piles of blankets, half-empty baskets of dried fish, water pots, and lanterns cluttered the floor.
"How long have you been hiding here?" Sonder asked quietly.
"It was shortly after the Chackara began their siege. Since the changing."
"The changing?" Sonder asked.
"The day the others stopped thinking," whispered the kobold with the chipped knife. "Stopped listening. Stopped sleeping. Started hunting."
"Why did they change?" she pressed.
None of them spoke.
"It began when someone took it out of the vault."
"Took what?" she asked, eager.
"A shard?" She didn't say it aloud, just thought it sharply.
The old kobold shrugged weakly. "A piece. A dark bit of glass. We found it weeks ago. Pretty, but seemingly nothing more. We tossed it into the vault. It's not a mighty treasure-place, but we put shiny things in it. Odd metal. Broken relics we cannot repair. Stones with strange glows. Gifts from travelers." He shook his head. "We did not think anything of it. But when we wanted to flee from the Chackara, and wanted to take our things with us…"
The other two kobolds shuddered.
"After that, they argued about who should have it. Everyone grew restless. Then paranoid. Then violent. It began with one of the vault keepers," he whispered. "He was gentle. Would never raise his voice. But after the glass was brought… he began to argue more frequently with the others. And then he would even argue with himself sometimes. Quiet muttering."
"They hear things. Whispers."
"And you?" Sonder asked suspiciously.
"We stayed away from the vault and the shard," said the old kobold. "We feel… only unease. Enough to know the others are not well."
A shard was here. But where was it? Who had it?
Sonder stood upright and tightened her grip on her staff.
"Who has it now?"
"We don't know. We don't know anything. Honest!"
"Where is this vault?" she demanded.
The kobolds hesitated, and a fear flickered across every face.