Noble of Blood Trilogy Box Set: All 3 books; Blood Price, Blood Ties, and Blood War in 1 set

by A L Wright

  They were on their own for the battles ahead.

  Of course, along with Mortul’s main force, they had a contingent of rangers and warriors from the Keep that would fight with them. The Patriarch had stripped the entire Palace of fighters, leaving behind only the necessary council members needed to oversee the town and palace itself, now that it was out of danger.

  All counted, they had a force of maybe a couple thousand Nobles. Hudreia hoped beyond hope that it would be enough.

  She had seen before how many tens of thousands of goblins could hide in their underground caverns, waiting to pour out and overwhelm them. And they had before, in the Old War. But the opposing army had been all humans, with the three warlocks leading. This time, thankfully at Mortul’s long spent preparations, they had a strong army made up of individuals who could wade through the enemy.

  Well, the goblins anyway. With strong evidence of The Deep Dweller still being alive, they needed to plan how to handle that fight. The Nobles would have no chance against the wyrm. It would be up to the Warlocks, which now included Nikkola and even her friend Friesa, to lead that final fight. If they could bring the wyrm down quickly, the goblins would lose all heart and break away. It was much easier to hunt them down, flush them out, and eradicate them when they were no longer eager to fight. Sure, it would take longer, but now they had Nobles they could send out in parties to do this.

  If their army wasn’t decimated in the main fighting.

  Hudreia had left as Yosan and Dartein began setting up a rotation for the humans to begin their Slumber within the Chamber and wandered around to the west side of the Keep in search of a spot to be alone and meditate upon her thoughts. She really should speak with Friesa tonight and assess the young smith’s magical abilities. Her talent of lightning seemed to be quite powerful, and Hudreia wished they could have more time to train the girl before they had to rush out.

  But then again, maybe that raw talent was exactly what they needed. In the Ancient War, the three Warlocks had had no time to learn or train in their new abilities. And there was no one to teach them anyhow. They had come through the other side of Slumber with incredible powers, and they tested their limits by taking it straight to the enemy. Of course, they had had latent talents before their turning, so had the basics of a magical education to start on. In this time and case, they would have to guide these new magic users themselves. And use them as weapons in their quite limited arsenal.

  She had a feeling that before the end of this, they would all be stretched to their limits and most presumably, beyond them.

  As Hudreia came around the wall of the Keep to the open western field, she sensed another nearby and knew it to be Mordred before she even saw her. Hudreia stopped and watched the Seer as she went about casting a ripple in the air. The ripple turned into a smoky image that portrayed goblins marching, single-mindedly rushing towards a common goal. The image zoomed out and over the enemy army and showed uncountable numbers spread across what Hudreia recognized as the plains that bordered on the north end of the Lothnau forest.

  If this were correct, and she had no reason to doubt the vision, then the main force of the goblin army was on the move from their caverns, and merely days away.

  Suspicion crawled up Hudreia’s spine at witnessing Mordred’s surveillance of the goblins. Of course, Hudreia could not conjure up these visions, as she had no abilities to “see” as Mordred did, but she still couldn’t shake the funny feeling that Mordred had been aware of exactly where to spot the main goblin army and was watching their advancement.

  The real question was; why didn’t the Seer call this vision where they all could see?

  Casting a warmth to the heels of her boots, she lightened her steps, so Mordred would not hear her footfalls, and Hudreia turned back to the Keep to find Yosan.

  As she walked past the smithy, Friesa walked out carrying several long metal poles.

  “G’day, mistress,” Friesa greeted her.

  “Good day, Friesa. What are you lugging around, there?” Hudreia asked.

  Friesa smiled, her whole face taking on a sneaky look. “Well, I’ll tell ya if’n ya help me. I’m shoring up our defenses some.”

  “We’ve already seen to that, what else do you believe could be done?”

  “See, these poles are conductive. I plan on placing ‘em in certain spots on the walls. Then, once they are in place, and these here arms are pointin’ ta one another, I can charge them.”

  Hudreia gazed for a second at the poles, then back to Friesa.

  Friesa continued her explanation. “See, it’s similar to when lightnin’ hits a weather pole, and if yer standin’ near it, you’ll feel the shock, too. Electricity tends to jump to easily conductive materials.”

  “Friesa, this is genius. How long will it last?”

  “Until them goblins get smart enough to knock down a pole and break the loop. Or if they get lucky.”

  “Then we need to place them in the parts of the walls that are better reinforced.” Hudreia nodded to herself as she thought about it.

  “Well, let’s get to it then.”

  Hudreia paused, looking back to where she had spied on Mordred. “I need to find Yosan, first.”

  Friesa shrugged. “He’s over at the gates. We’ll start there.”

  Chapter 13

  As Darkness took over the land, the army readied to march. Dartein’s frayed nerves were making him jumpy. His normal calm demeanor had long since vanished. They had been back to the Keep for only a few hours, to find they had very little time to shore up defenses, station warriors and rangers to their posts, get the chamber up and running, and then march back out. The positioning of the goblins to both the north and south left them sitting in a closing vise.

  Back in the saddle, with their company almost ready to move, his thoughts calmed just a bit. But every moment that passed as one last task needed finished or one more plan brought up and thought out, threatened that calm.

  His father next to him looked just as pained and anxious as he did, but Mortul bore it stoically, with his new mount holding steady under him despite the tension.

  Dartein held up his fist, demanding attention from those around him. Quiet fell over the yard of the Keep, as those fastening saddle straps or loading packs stopped to give their leader their focus.

  His eyes swept over the crowd of the few hundred that had been able to pack themselves into the Keep’s yard. The rest of their army had spilled over into the fields outside. A couple thousand men and women, all nobles. Any other time than now, it would have been a terrifying number to any humans. But now the humans who stood at the edges of the crowds were not teary-eyed in fear of the powerful nocturnal beings that amassed nearby. Theirs were tears of terror of the enemy closing in; tears of hope that the Nobles would live up to the promise of protection they had given.

  His father’s presence strengthened that promise. The humans were aware of the history of how his father had sheltered and protected their kind over the last several decades; of how the Nobles built and then protected the villages so the humans could recover from the Ancient War. But even the knowledge of that history, the Noble’s had always been an intimidating power.

  “I know that we all desire to be ready, perfectly ready, for what is coming. But you must all face the fact that no matter how well prepared we are, surprises can and will happen. We’ve packed what we need. We’ve said our goodbyes to friends staying behind. We’ve made every plan we can think of. Now it is time to commit.”

  Dartein’s voice carried out over the crowd. Nobles, both from astride their horses or next to them on the ground, nodded in agreement of his words.

  “There were days we raced into battle with no plans at all and have come away victorious.”

  More nods and rumbles.

  “There were days we were fallen upon with no warning and have again come away victorious.”

  Smalls cheers erupted from the gathered.

  “But victory will not come
easily this time. We have struck small blows, chipped away at the angry hordes that are now amassing around us. We claim small wins over and over and have succeeded in drawing their full attention.”

  Quiet fell over the crowd as they absorbed the full weight of Dartein’s words.

  “This coming fight will be the fight of our lives. Of our very survival, Noble and human equally. I don’t tell you this to frighten or scare you, but to enlighten you of what our true purpose is. The deciding battles are upon us, and if we do not commit fully, each and every one of us, we will not win.”

  Dartein swept his gaze across the faces he could see, ensuring they understood his meaning.

  “We have advantages, however. We have knowledge from the previous war, of what our enemies are and what type of force leads them. We have magic on our side, several warlocks who wield frightening power that can slaughter our enemy by the hundreds.

  “But even then, we may fall short, as our enemies number in the tens of thousands. Or more. We have no way to guess how many more lie in wait in underground tunnels.

  “So, we must be ruthless, calculating, and swift. We’ve discussed strategies and battle plans, and we must stick to them and not let the enemy scatter us. If that happens, we will fail.”

  Nikka moved her horse nearer to him and nodded slightly to show her support.

  “Most of you Nobles have drilled and practiced the craft of war for decades, even centuries. We may be small in number, but we are unbreakable!” Dartein held his sword over his head as he shouted.

  The crowd returned the shout.

  “We are strong, we are smart, and as long as we hold together, we will win!”

  The shout turned into a roar, as all assembled held their weapons aloft to punctuate their agreement.

  Dartein waited for quiet to descend once more before he spoke again.

  “Now, let’s go finish this.” Dartein turned his horse and walked out of the gates, his father and his daughter on either side.

  Nobles hurried as they finished their saddling and strapping down packs. Within minutes the yard of the Keep was empty of horses, with Friesa and Hudreia being the last through. Once the gates were closed and secured behind them, Friesa nudged her horse close to the pole mounted above the gate and pointed at it with her dagger.

  A fierce bolt of white-hot lightning arced from the tip of the dagger to the pole, continuing to stream from her as it turned into electricity and raced around the perimeter of the Keep and settlement. Once the electricity completed its circuit and linked back to the first pole, Friesa cut off the stream of her power and lowered her dagger.

  Friesa smiled at her accomplishment, and with a small bead of sweat running down her face, cantered her horse over to join Nikka as Hudreia followed close behind. A hush had fallen over the army as they beheld the spectacle. Dartein watched as Nikka beamed at her friend before he turned his horse and began the march north, leaving the Keep to its barriers of magic and electricity.

  Only two hours into their ride they came upon the first lines of the goblins marching from the north. The short and square forms of the enemy scattered around, resting in beaten down patches of the plains grasses with no sense of order to their camp. Sentries screeched at the army’s approach, and goblins sprang up and raced towards them, weapons drawn. There was no coordination to their rush; no commanders appeared to be directing them. Only screams as they rushed in. And screams as they died.

  Dartein watched as his soldiers dispatched the enemy with precision, barely giving any of the warlocks a chance to cast their magic. He only came upon a handful, himself, to strike down.

  The main body of the army had just caught up to the front lines by the time the skirmish was over, to find warriors and rangers checking the goblins’ bodies to ensure they were dead.

  “This was too easy,” Dartein said to his father as he rode up.

  “Indeed.” Mortul agreed.

  “Could it be a distraction tactic?”

  “I’m not sure they are smart enough for that. Usually, overwhelming numbers are their main tactic.” Mortul squinted, his face taking on a faraway look. “But it could be.”

  “What is on your mind, Father?”

  Mortul looked over at his son. “Something just feels wrong.”

  Hoofbeats sounded as Nikka and Victor approached.

  “I don’t care for this. Something feels off,” Nikka said in a low tone.

  Dartein acknowledged Nikka’s words with a nod. “We were just discussing that, as well.”

  “Every battle has been too easy since we came out of that cave,” Victor added.

  “When do the scouts report back?” Mortul asked his son.

  “Every hour. One is due any minute now.”

  “And what did the last report say?”

  Dartein hesitated. “There wasn’t a previous report.” He glanced out across the dark grasses, tall yellowing stalks swaying in the warm night breeze. The plains of the Middle Reaches were vast, tall wheat that could hide a grazing horse. It grew thick enough to block sound until whatever approached drew near, until the fall time when the crackles of dried grass could be heard from quite a distance.

  Nobles were not as limited as humans by hearing. Even with the thick grasses, anything within a couple hundred feet would be heard clearly by any of them. The rangers among them had honed their heat tracing abilities over many decades and could spot a living being from nearly a mile away in high visibility circumstances. These well-trained Nobles were dispersed around the fringes of the army, to keep a constant vigil.

  Worry etched Dartein’s face; his brow drew down as he glanced around. Spotting two rangers close by, he signaled them over.

  “Have any of the rangers seen the scouts that were sent out when we departed the Keep?” Dartein asked them.

  “I have not seen them, Sir. We will ask around, and report back momentarily.” The two rangers bowed quickly, then trotted off on their errand.

  Chapter 14

  Edgy silence had settled in around the small group as they waited. They barely had a couple of hours left until they would need to make camp for the day. Mortul was reluctant to force a hasty decision upon his son to press on without waiting for the scouts’ report, but also knew that every moment counted in moving forward and leading the goblin army further away from the Keep.

  The disappointment on Dartein’s face was obvious to everyone when he was given the news that no one had seen any of the scouts return.

  “We’ll press on as far as we can, as cautiously as we can. We cannot afford to wait here for the goblins to catch up.” Dartein gave a signal, and everyone mounted up to follow.

  Mortul was quite pleased with Dartein’s decision but had expected no less. His son was a born leader with sound judgment. They would need as much of that as possible in the days ahead.

  Hudreia, Yosan, Nikka, and Friesa joined them at the front, riding just behind Dartein and Mortul. They already knew what was behind them, trying to catch up. But without the scout reports, they were blind to what was ahead. The Warlocks rode in the front of the army just in case of any surprises.

  They made slow progress and were completely surprised when they finally dragged to a halt at sunup that the goblins behind them had not caught up. Mortul was afraid that some, or all, of the goblins had split off to the Keep. Unfortunately, they had no scout reports to tell them if that was the case.

  “I sent several riders back to the Keep,” Dartein said to him as they waited for the army to settle into camp.

  “I was thinking of much the same thing.”

  “If the Keep has not been attacked, then I have asked the human fighters to head out mid-morning to catch the goblins as they sleep.”

  “That could still be dangerous, even if the little monsters are nocturnal.” While fretting over the order his son had given, he silently applauded the ruthlessness of the decision. They needed to be completely ruthless to have any advantage. They were, knowingly, marching right into
the center of the battle.

  “I asked for them only to sneak in, cut the throats of any they could easily reach, and be riding back towards the Keep within minutes. They may get lucky and open the vein of a commander.” Dartein shot him a quick look. “I know it seems a desperate move, but I needed to do something they wouldn’t expect since they took out our scouts and expected us to be on the defensive.”

  Desperate times, desperate measures. Mortul took a slow breath. It wouldn’t be the last desperate decision they would make.

  “Rest, son. We will ride hard tonight despite missing our scouts, and hopefully, make some ground.”

  Dartein nodded and slipped into his tent. The warm beams of the first rays of the sun caressed the skin of his face before he turned to do the same.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Most of the night they had ridden hard, barely slowing until they reached the Lothnau Forest and were forced to slow lest they injure their horses in the press of trees. Despite their press, they still had to ride with some caution without scouts around, and the goblins were mere minutes behind their army. Mortul had discussed the plan with his son, and they passed the plan around the army to ride into the trees and dismount to meet the enemy.

  Horses tied off a few hundred feet away, the Noble army crouched low behind trees and shrubs and waited for the first of the goblins to run in. Mortul began to hear screeches from the monsters and shouts as the Nobles met the attack. The sounds all came from one side or another of where he and Dartein were positioned, and nowhere nearby. It was as if the enemy had already been alerted where the Warlocks were staged.

  Mortul flashed Hudreia and Yosan a look, and they both leapt up. Hudreia grabbed Nikka’s hand and ran down the left side, while Yosan took Friesa by the arm and ran to the right. Dartein watched after his daughter as she ran down behind the line of men but held his ground. Mortul understood his son's anguish. It was a tough decision to let your only child rush off to face danger.