Delver Magic Book III: Balance of Fate

by Jeff Inlo

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  Sazar saw the image of Joel fleeing flash through his mind. The serp continued his mental connection with the beetle. The old man, however, was not his main concern at this point. The beetle was needed to ascertain the position of the river rogue that staked a territory a bit further north of this point of the town. The rogue was not under Sazar’s control, not yet anyway. Sazar wished to avoid any conflict between the rogue and his own minions until he had the opportunity to visit the rogue and convince it to join with them rather than fight. For that, he needed time and calmer surroundings. So, for the time being, he wanted to pinpoint the exact location of the rogue and isolate it. Perhaps not totally isolate, as he would throw it a goblin or two for a quick snack and as a gesture of friendship. With the town now very near his grasp, he would have all the goblins he needed. Losing one or two to gain a river rogue was well worth the price.

  “Forget the human,” Sazar hummed as he directed his thoughts to the beetle. When he made this kind of direct communication with one monster he would often lose links with others. It was at this time, Sazar risked losing an advantage of battle as the minds of his other minions he was controlling would go suddenly blank, as if a curtain had been pulled. The battle in the town, however, moved surprisingly well and far swifter than he had hoped. He could spare the momentary diversion.

  Sazar could sense the beetle’s hunger and understood what it wanted. “Go north. Easier meals will be there waiting for you.”

  He broke off direct communications with the beetle and established a connection with two goblins that were very near the cemetery. “Leave the cemetery and go north about two blocks. Wait there and don’t move.”

  He then broke off that link and reestablished his focus on the assault forces that were quickly encircling the town.

  “It would have been easier to feed the beetle some human remains, but I don’t have time to collect them at the moment,” the serp mused to himself. “I haven’t lost any goblins in the strike yet, so I guess if I lose two goblins to the beetle and two to the rogue, I’ll hardly notice.”