by Lisa Shearin
Talon was with Agata, using surprisingly subtle magic to maximum lethal effect. Blazing red motes of burning light swarmed like hornets around the beast they faced, searing their way through and burrowing inside wherever they found a chink in the thing’s armor.
Indigo was staying well above the beasts’ heads, darting with hummingbird speed to aim gouts of fire at their eyes, zipping away before any lashing tails could snap him out of the air.
Agata was using her gem magic to launch rocks at any beast within her sight. Rocks of a size that could bash in their skulls, or at least give them a concussion.
The rest of my team was more than holding their own, but the noise was drawing more beasts out of the darkness.
“Surrounded” quickly became “outnumbered.”
We were ten kinds of screwed.
I darted away in an attempt to draw some of the beasts away from my team.
It worked too well.
One of the beasts lunged and snapped its jaws where I had been standing. Cloaks and wards didn’t matter with predators that hunted by smell.
I didn’t dare call out to my team for fear of drawing even more attention to either myself or them. But all that my silence would get me was being eaten alone.
Unless …
My lips curled in a slow grin.
These things lived in the dark, and I was willing to bet my life they didn’t like bright light.
The beast that had just missed me was being cautious. They weren’t stupid. It knew I could hurt it, but its prey drive was stronger than any fear it might have been capable of.
I ducked behind a boulder. First its jaws came around the edge of the rock, along with a charnel-house stench to go with the bits of flesh stuck in its serrated teeth. I held my breath to keep myself from gagging. The beast had to be fully committed for this to work. It thought it was about to pick off wounded prey. No danger, an easy goblin meal.
The yellow eye came into sight, narrowing when it saw me, and shaking the ground beneath me with a pleased rumbling growl.
Come on, you ugly bastard.
Its nostrils flared as it inhaled, taking my scent.
I opened my clenched fist and the lightglobe flared like a tiny sun, darting in a collision course with the beast’s left eye with a spell that would make it stick. The thing’s hide might have been harder than armor, but its eyes were just as vulnerable as any other creature’s.
The lightglobe sizzled when it made contact, melting the eye and sticking in place.
The beast screamed in agony.
I ran.
The other creatures couldn’t see me, but they’d be able to smell me. I was counting on the wounded one attracting all of their attention. Rheskilia’s giant salamanders wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter one of their own if they’d been wounded and weakened. I hoped these things had similar base instincts. While they were occupied with their injured pack member, we’d run like hell for the temporary safety of Agata’s tunnel.
All in theory.
Five of the beasts ran toward the screaming and thrashing one.
The sixth didn’t move. It was larger than the others, and stood straight and tall, tracking me as I ran, even though I was cloaked.
The alpha female. Smart and cunning.
Great. Just what I needed, a strategic thinker.
And then I tripped, landing in a full sprawl on the floor.
She lunged, clearing the distance between us.
I twisted as she snapped her jaws shut where I had just been. I rolled to my feet, summoning and flinging a blazing lightglobe at her eyes. No time to add the sticky spell.
She ducked, and to my amazement swatted it away with her lashing tail.
Then struck at me like a snake.
An explosion tore through the air. Almost in slow motion, the creature fell forward, hitting the ground, the impact force nearly sending all of us to the ground with her.
The beast’s entire back was missing, blown away. The dust settled, revealing Phaelan slowly sitting up, bloody and battered, holding his shoulder cannon across his lap, smoke coming from the barrel.
He spat a mouthful of blood. “Kicks harder than I remember.”
I ran to where the elf pirate lay sprawled, his lower leg twisted at an unnatural angle.
“Ankle.” The elf hissed air in and out from between clenched teeth. “Feels broken.” He fumbled in the pouch at his belt for another round. “Go ahead. I’ll hold her friends here.”
We were separated from the rest of the team by rocks—and more beasts. They had their orders: get to that tunnel.
“I’m not leaving you,” I told Phaelan.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
“Yes, being eaten.” I bent, lifted the elf pirate, and tossed him over my shoulder.
At least that was my plan.
Phaelan was shorter than I am, but the weight was still there. I was committed. Unfortunately, the beast was equally committed. Unless I wanted to hand it a double meal, not outrunning him was not an option.
It’s true that we goblins are known for our speed and grace. However, we least display those qualities on ground covered in broken, jagged rocks that shifted underfoot under the best conditions. My optimal conditions didn’t include a swearing elf pirate slung over one shoulder, with a hungry and highly motivated monster snapping at my heels.
“We’ve…got…company,” Phaelan managed.
“I’m aware of that.”
“He has friends.”
I didn’t dispute that our dash across the cavern floor had attracted more dining companions for our pursuer. I simply put on a burst of speed, which would have worked much better if I hadn’t hit a smooth patch of the cavern floor, slick with glowing moss.
I saw it just before my right boot landed right in the middle of it.
The beast that was right on my heels was focused on making us his next meal.
He wasn’t watching where he was going, either.
Slimy moss. The great equalizer. Downfall of predator and prey alike.
The beast’s triumphant roar rose in pitch to a something resembling a cry of surprise as one powerful leg shot out from under him. Then the other, and with a boom that shook the cavern, the behemoth landed hard on its meaty side, its massive head striking the stone an instant later.
While down, the monster was far from out, but he was stunned.
I’d take it.
I don’t know how I stayed on my feet. I had an elf over one shoulder, and my run was more like a barely controlled lurching.
But stay on my feet I did, and when the moss ended, a beautiful expanse of dry, smooth, and non-slimy rock floor began.
Malik and Elsu were just ahead, standing to either side of a goblin-sized opening in the cavern wall. They were beckoning wildly, their eyes at a point entirely too far above my head and entirely too close behind me for any kind of comfort.
I trusted the panic of my friends implicitly, and kept running. I had no clue where the crevice led, but I was pretty sure that what was chasing me wouldn’t fit.
We burst through the narrow opening, the frustrated roars of the beasts fading behind us.
Chapter Sixteen
The fissure was wide enough to fit only if we went one at a time. My shoulders brushed both walls, but I made it through carrying Phaelan.
The narrow entry widened into a small chamber. The rest of the team was there and appeared to be unharmed. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but we were safe from at least the beasts for now.
I knelt and set Phaelan down as gently as I could, leaning his back against a wall. “Elsu, I need your healer kit. Jash, water.”
While we all carried basic medic kits, Elsu had been entrusted with the more powerful supplies.
Phaelan’s eyes were dazed and glassy. He was in danger of going into shock.
“Talon,” I called. “Get me a blanket and help me get him out of this armor.”
Phaelan’s left arm and chest were covered in
blood. The vambrace had been ripped completely off, and the overlapping leather covering his chest had been slashed open. His ankle may have been broken, but getting any bleeding under control was my first priority. The elf’s upper body was covered in dirt, blood, and bits of flesh that didn’t appear to be his. I wouldn’t know the extent of the damage until I got him cleaned up.
Several of the chest straps didn’t need to be unbuckled, because they’d been sliced through by claws. Once Talon and I got him stripped to the waist, the extent of Phaelan’s injuries were apparent. At some point, one of the beast’s claws had penetrated the leather armor and the arming jacket beneath, and opened a line across the elf’s ribs. Talon bundled the blanket around the parts of Phaelan that weren’t presently bleeding. The slash didn’t appear to have penetrated the muscle wall, just skin. A fraction of an inch deeper, and Phaelan would have been eviscerated and dead. With her healing skills, Elsu would be able to close the skin without stitches.
Phaelan glanced down at his chest. “Left side. Goes nicely with the left ankle. I do try to be tidy.”
“That thing wasn’t going for tidy when he ripped into you,” I told him. “What happened to your cloak and shield?”
The elf had enough awareness to look sheepish. “I kind of got separated from Jash.”
“That wasn’t a good thing to do.”
Phaelan gazed blearily down at the blood covering his left side. “No, I don’t believe it was.”
Jash spat a few choice words from behind me. “I told you to stay put.”
I assumed he was referring to Phaelan, but I had separated myself from the team, too, so he could have been angry at either one of us—or both.
“Sorry about messing up your spare leathers,” Phaelan told him.
“I have more. Why the hell did you go running off?” Jash was livid.
Phaelan shrugged, and winced in pain. “Tam did.”
“That’s no excuse. Tam’s a battlemage. He’s qualified to do stupid things. You’re not.”
“I’m alive. So it worked.”
“Because of Tam.”
“True.” Phaelan flashed me a grin. “Thanks, Tam.”
“You’re welcome. And I agree, you shouldn’t have gone off on your own.”
“I didn’t mean to. I’d just finished slicing open a belly, looked up, and there was this big, clawed foot coming down. I rolled, and there I was, separated, armor slashed, and all by my lonesome. It didn’t take much.”
“Don’t do that again,” Jash told him. “You’re my responsibility.”
Phaelan was incredulous. “You told him to babysit me?”
“You are the magical null on the team,” I said with a perfectly straight face. “It’s the responsibility of the mages to protect you when needed.”
“See,” Jash told him.
I couldn’t stop a little smile. “But I didn’t specifically order Jash to protect you. Just cloak you. Apparently, he took it on himself to go above and beyond.”
Phaelan grinned up at Jash. “Is that so?”
Jash ignored him, but his face was flushed. “You need water, right?” he asked me.
I pressed my lips together against a grin. “That’s correct.”
Jash went off in a huff to access the water portal.
Other than the ankle, and a nasty gash across his ribs, Phaelan’s injuries were superficial. Some of the blood was his, most wasn’t. A master healer like Mychael Eiliesor could have mended all of it in minutes with no loss of his own strength. We didn’t have a master healer. Elsu was a capable battlefield medic, and so was I. Either one of us could set the ankle and close the wound, but we had no ability to restore Phaelan’s strength as a healer of Mychael’s skill could easily have done. Phaelan could do that himself with sufficient rest, but that would take time—and a place to rest without risk of being eaten. Time and a safe place to spend it were things we didn’t have. I had no doubt Phaelan would force himself to keep up with us, but he couldn’t take another attack like the one he’d just sustained. Now I would have to assign Jash specifically to Phaelan. Not that I needed to; Jash had already taken that duty for himself.
Jash returned with the water, and I set him and Elsu to work cleaning and doing what healing she could do to Phaelan’s ribs. The elf had yet to have any reaction that could indicate that the beasts’ claws were poisonous. At least one thing had gone in our favor.
And just because we hadn’t seen or heard any Khrynsani or Sythsaurians, didn’t mean they weren’t out there. Dasant was standing guard near the entrance.
Thankfully Phaelan’s boots laced up, so l wouldn’t have to cut his boot off. We had no spares, and considering where we were, going barefoot wasn’t an option.
“This is going to hurt,” I told Phaelan.
Phaelan took a swig from his flask. “You think?” He saw my glance at the flask. “Medicinal purposes only. I hurt like hell, but I don’t care.”
“And if you’re holding that flask, you won’t take a swing at me in the next minute. Also, screaming would be ill-advised just now. We are trying to hide, you know.”
Phaelan arched a brow. “Screaming?”
“Excuse me, making a manly exclamation of discomfort.”
I went to work on extracting the ankle from the boot. Other than a couple of sharp breaths, Phaelan was stoic. Once again, I was impressed, not surprised. Dealing with and working despite injuries was a fact of pirate life. Ships wouldn’t board and plunder themselves.
“Good news,” I told him, examining the bare and bruised ankle, “is that it’s not broken. Bad news is that it is a severe sprain.”
“In addition to fire, I can channel extreme cold, Captain Benares,” Elsu said without looking up from her work on Phaelan’s ribs. “Once I’m finished with this, I’ll get some cold on it to help with the swelling. Then we’ll wrap it and boot you back up.”
Phaelan took another swig. “Sounds like a plan.”
“We don’t have the luxury of much time for you to rest it,” I told him, “and you’re not going to be able to run on it.”
The elf tilted his head back in the direction of the cavern. “If those things get in here, I guarantee you that I will run—and probably pass all of you. For me, survival always wins over pain.”
The beasts hadn’t tried to get in, but we had heard them snuffling around the crack we’d wedged ourselves into. Agata, Talon, and Malik had gone to try to find a way out that didn’t involve exiting the way we’d come in.
Jash had delivered the full waterskin, but was back at work trying to wrestle what looked like a tree branch through his portal. With a final grunt, it came through, the effort nearly landing him on his backside.
He saw all of us looking at him. “There must have been a storm up mountain,” he said. “Branches and debris end up in the river and get washed downstream.”
“Yes,” I said, drawing the word out. “That has been known to happen. You’ve dragged one through because … ?”
“Phaelan’s going to need help walking. That is unless we all want to take turns carrying him. With a little magic manipulation, this will make a nice staff.”
“Magic?” Phaelan asked. “How can—”
“Like this.” Jash held out the branch like a quarterstaff. With a small surge of his will, he stripped off the bark and straightened the wood, all in less than a minute. “Give me another few minutes, and I’ll have it dry and reinforced.” He jerked his head toward the fissure leading out into the cavern. “You’ll be able to crack one of those things’ skulls and this staff won’t break.”
Agata ran back into the chamber, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “Come quickly! You have to see this.”
Chapter Seventeen
Agata led me to the back of the cave and into a small niche. The light from our globes barely extended this far, casting the space in flickering shadows. I’d expected another fissure. There wasn’t one. I’d also expected to see Talon and Malik. They weren’t here, either.
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Agata saw my confusion and concern, and her smile broadened. “They’re down there—and in there.”
I looked down. Then stepped closer. I wouldn’t have seen it unless I’d been standing right in front of it.
The opening was less than knee high and barely shoulder width.
I went down on one knee in front of the opening. “Talon and Malik—”
“Are in the next chamber,” Agata said.
“They are?” My brow creased in worry. “But I can’t sense them.”
She smiled. “What’s inside is shielding us naturally. No magic needed. As long as we’re in there, the Khrynsani won’t be able to find us. Go on in, and see for yourself.”
I looked up at her. “I trust you with my life, but I’d like a little more to go on before I dive into a hole in the ground.”
“You don’t like surprises, do you?”
“In this place? At this time? No, I don’t.”
“You’re no fun.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Very well, spoilsport, through there is the strong signal that I’ve been getting. It’s not the Heart, but we must be close.”
“Now I’m intrigued.”
“Would you like to go first, or shall I?”
I tossed a dubious glance at the size of the opening—or lack thereof. Both Talon and Malik were slightly narrower through the shoulder than I was.
“If you can get in, you’ll be fine,” Agata assured me. “The tube widens a little after that, and tilts slightly down. After about thirty feet more, you’ll be in.”
“Tube?”
“That’s the only way I can describe it. It’s smooth as glass.”