Brenwise relieved the discomfort in his legs by subtly adjusting his position, he was eager not to give away his hiding place that he had been occupying for the past four hours. Brenwise was used to these long periods of inactivity, he had on many occasions sat up all night amongst the boughs of a tree or up to his neck in a ditch just waiting for his quarry to arrive. On those occasions it had usually been a wolf or bear that had overcome its wariness and started to move closer and closer to inhabited farm buildings of villages. This time however Brenwise was after a more dangerous target, Goblins.
It had long been the practice of a few carefully selected Hobbits, who knew the area well and possessed the right skills for the job, to watch over and maintain a close observation on the activities of the Goblins that inhabited the North farthings. The general Hobbit population was kept unawares as it was thought that the idea of Goblins on the doorstep would induce panic. The Sheriffs had maintained their watch ever since the Battle of the Greenfields and Brenwise was the latest Hobbit selected to perform the task of assassinating the latest Goblin leader.
Goblins are constantly squabbling amongst themselves and rival families or tribes are always plotting and feuding against one another. Whilst they argued and were divided they were of no threat to the Shire, if however a strong leader arose to unite them they could once again turn their anger against the Hobbits. So it was customary for the Shires Sheriffs to remove any likely candidates with complete secrecy. If a Hobbit was seen to have performed the deed then there was a good chance this act would bring the wrath of the Goblins down on the good folk of the Shire. If on the other hand a potential leader was found dead this would usually provoke even more internal hostility as the various Goblin factions accused each other, which could lead to many months of even years of infighting.
Before Brenwise the task had been performed for many years by a Burglar, Miss Druda Quickfoot. She was not well known within the Shires Bounds and such was the flawless nature of her masquerade that those that did know her had no idea of the scale of her exploits. Outside the Shires Bounds her name was whispered and held in great respect from the Halls of the Dwarves to the Golden Woods of Lothlorien and beyond. But in the Shire she had lived her life completely unnoticed.
Rather than entering the Goblin camps as Druda had done Brenwise preferred to use his skills as a hunter. He had spent weeks stalking the outskirts of the camp, spying from the cliffs above and he had spotted a Goblin that was much larger than the rest, Goblins respected strength above all and the biggest and strongest would inevitably rise to become leaders. The large Goblin would regularly walk about the camp and Brenwise hoped that he could be brought down under cover of darkness. It would be no mean feat; at a range of some two hundred feet and in the dark it would take some considerable skill.
Brenwise shifted position as he spotted the large Goblin emerging from his cave. He plucked a leaf from the tree in which he was hiding and let it fall, taking careful note of its path to gauge the strength and direction of the wind. The leaf took an almost straight path towards the floor, perfect conditions. Brenwise rested his crossbow on the crook of a branch and pulled back the string until a faint click told him it was now locked and ready to fire. A crossbow bolt was loaded, it was a crude black fletched bolt identical to the arrows used by the Goblins, this would he hoped remove all suspicion of Hobbit involvement.
The Goblin was now approaching the spot Brenwise had chosen, the range had been calculated and it offered the best position to get a clean shot. He raised himself onto his elbows and took aim. The point of the arrow followed the Goblin as he walked through the crowd of Goblins; Brenwise gripped the trigger and held his breath. As soon as the Goblin was in clear view he squeezed the trigger.
The crossbow string had been modified with the addition of small scraps of cloth to make as little noise as possible and the bolt was fired with no more than a faint whisper. Less than a second later the bolt buried itself cleanly in the centre of the Goblins head. Pandemonium broke out amongst the Goblins and Brenwise resisted the temptation to flee from his treetop refuge, any movement now could reveal himself to the Goblins. Soon several arguments had broken out and swords had been drawn.
As the brawl spread across the camp Brenwise slowly slid down from his position and crouching low he headed back towards the village of Brokenboring.
As he approached the village a voice came from out of the darkness.
“All went well I presume?”
Brenwise looked around and saw a shadowy figure leaning against the large statue of Bullroarer Took. It was Druda Quickfoot.
“I thought you had retired” said Brenwise.
“I have, but I could not resist seeing how my replacement faired before I left” replied Druda
“You are leaving the Shire?” Brenwise had pulled a long pipe from his pocket and began stuffing pipe weed into it.
“I am. I have lodgings in a village outside Bree for now, there is little for me to do within the Shire nowadays”.
“Well I can tell you that the job went well and without any problems” said Brenwise as he turned his attention to finding a light for his pipe.
“I knew you would be more than capable” said Druda
“I am glad to hear it, but.....” Brenwise stopped mid sentence as he looked up to see he was alone once more, Druda had apparently vanished.
“How does she do it?” said Brenwise.
