by Jeff Inlo
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“The cursed delver from Burbon!” Sazar hissed. “What is he doing here?”
The serp took a moment to concentrate on all the images which passed through his mind. He could visualize the entire town at this moment. His hook hawk stationed itself on a tall grain tower near the center of town, and although it was busy shredding a goblin into an easier meal to swallow, it continued to cast a wary eye in nearly every direction. This panoramic along with the viewpoints of hundred of goblins that still encircled Pinesway gave Sazar a complete picture of the situation. He then focused in on the rock beetle, which was just finishing its own goblin meal. The giant insect stood above ground, but all six legs remained anchored into the dirt street. Sazar could feel the vibrations that the beetle sensed and this allowed his awareness to flow for a great distance outward.
Other than the appearance of the delver, every other facet of the raid seemed in perfect order. No other grouping of goblins reported any resistance from the still frightened and fleeing inhabitants of Pinesway. His minions continued to make steady progress in forcing out hiding humans and channeling them to the town center. The borders of the town right to the trees of Dark Spruce that surrounded it remained clear. Through the sensory perception of the beetle, he sensed no coordinated movement other than that of his own forces. In every aspect, he remained in complete control of the battle.
The appearance of Ryson Acumen, however, left him with more than an uneasy feeling. He hated this delver, for he knew what he was capable of.
“Why is he here?” Sazar cursed under his breath. “Burbon is his home now. Pinesway holds nothing for him. He is alone to face a goblin raid in an abandoned town. This makes no sense.”
A realization struck the serp like a clap of thunder. “But is he alone? He is close with the wizard, and the wizard is far too powerful. He could easily disguise himself from me, or even an entire force of the human guard. They could be surrounding us now. As for the wizard, he could be anywhere. He flies as easily as the hook hawk. He could be above the town at any point. He could be above me right now.”
The serp’s words died off with this assumption. At that instant, Sazar understood what is was like to be Joel Portsmith wondering if a rock beetle was directly underfoot, except the serp now worried if an angry wizard was floating over his head. Sazar looked about in a near panic. He also realized that other than the two goblins that patrolled the exterior of the building he stood within, he was completely alone—unguarded and vulnerable. He sent an immediate command to the monstrous shag that stood before Ryson Acumen.
Return to me at once!