Into the Wastelands: Book Four of the Restoration Series

by Williams, Christopher

  She bolted up to a sitting position, her whole body tensing up. Upon seeing the sorcerer, she relaxed, yawned, and began to stretch her neck. “Is it my turn…” she started to say, but Agminion did not let her finish.

  “Shh!” he said quietly, holding his finger to his lips.

  Once again Heather tensed up and she studied his face. There was a definite worry there. “What is it?” she asked in a much quieter voice.

  “Goblins,” Agminion said so quietly that Heather almost didn’t hear it.

  She looked past Agminion and could make out Atock’s outline against the top of the wall. The rain was almost gone but it was still overcast which hid the moon’s illumination. She threw her cloak off and quietly climbed up the slope to where Atock peeked out over the top. He didn’t even glance her way as she moved in beside him. Even before she reached the wall, she could hear movement outside their camp. Occasionally a low guttural word reached her ears. Her first thought was that somehow the goblins had managed to track them here and that was followed closely by the memory of what the goblins had done to the agents of the Church. Her stomach seemed to tighten at the thought of her fellow Guardians’ heads on pikes.

  Raising up slightly, she peered out into the darkness. It took her a moment to make sense of what was happening and then she nearly slumped in relief. The goblins were not circling their campsite, they were moving past. Then she realized just how many of them there were. She leaned down and whispered into Atock’s ear, “Any idea what’s happening?”

  His only answer was a quick shake of the head.

  They stayed there and watched as the horde of goblins moved past their hiding spot. Goblins are evil creatures, with wicked looking fangs. About as tall as humans, they’re much stronger. Even though they’re covered in fur, they sometimes wear clothing. They live in clans, or tribes, and constantly fight amongst themselves.

  They continued shuffling past the Guardians’ camp, mostly headed towards the northwestern edge of the plateau. Heather’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. It seemed an odd choice as the mountains appeared impassable. It took her a moment to remember the mountains on the north and northeastern part of the plateau were fairly sheer, but the slopes weren’t quite as steep to the northwest. The travel would still be tough that way, but it was manageable. Still, it was hard to discern any reason for this many goblins to travel in that direction. That only left one explanation to Heather’s way of thinking. There must be a system of caves or whatever the goblins called home.

  After a short while, the goblins’ numbers thinned until finally there were no more of the foul beasts. She still waited, leaving plenty of time for any stragglers to show themselves. “What do you think?” she asked finally, although she still kept voice so low that it was nearly inaudible.

  Atock shrugged. “Well,” he began but cut off as two more figures climbed the wall and joined them. Agminion and Dagan peeked out over the wall from just to the right of Heather.

  “Are there anymore of them around?” Heather asked.

  Dagan got a faraway look in his eyes and he didn’t respond for several moments. “No,” he said finally, shaking his head. “They’re all moving towards the mountains.”

  “Sure was an awful lot of them,” Agminion said. He was looking to the northwest, but the mountains were hidden by the cloudy night. “Do they normally live together in such large numbers?”

  “Not that I’ve ever heard of,” Heather answered.

  Atock looked over, “You think they’re doing Zalustus’ bidding?”

  Heather considered the idea for a moment before shrugging. “No idea, but I find it strange that the Church sends its agents here at the same time that Flare claims Ossendar, and then there just happens to be a huge number of goblins waiting for them.”

  Silence settled in but it only lasted a moment. “It’s possible the goblins were waiting on us,” Dagan said quietly.

  “What?” Atock asked looking surprised.

  “I mean it’s possible the goblins are waiting on us,” Dagan repeated. The other three had surprised and confused looks on their faces and he continued, “I don’t mean waiting on our group necessarily, but they had to be expecting Flare to come looking for the armor.”

  “And we came in his place,” Heather said softly.

  They lapsed into a brief silence which was broken by Agminion several moments later. “So what do we do?”

  Heather had been wondering that herself. She had only come up with one idea and she wasn’t overly fond of it. She turned to look at Dagan and Agminion. “Can you do something,” she waved her hand in the air, “to make the goblins not see me.”

  Both Dagan and Agminion just stared at her for several moments. Finally, Dagan roused himself enough to shake his head. “No. The best we could do is to muddle how they see you. It might work and it might not. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I think I should follow those goblins,” Heather said rather matter-of-factly.

  Atock reached out and grabbed Heather by the shoulder. “That makes absolutely no sense. What makes you even consider that?”

  “It makes perfect sense,” Heather said, starting to push herself away from the wall. The others followed her and she kept talking. “The goblins are probably here because of the armor, so we need to know if they have the armor and what they’re doing.”

  “Heather,” Atock said in a very quiet voice, “I agree that we need to know why they’re here, but this is too dangerous. There has to be a better way.”

  “Probably,” Heather said in agreement, “but we don’t have the time to find it.” She reached the bottom of the wall, stood up, and turned to face the other three as they too reached the bottom. She spoke softly so as to not wake the others. “I’m an excellent tracker and I know how to move silently. And don’t forget that Dagan’s bit of sorcery will help hide me,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

  Atock shook his head, “Give me a moment to think of another way.” Unlike Heather, he didn’t try to keep his voice down. While he spoke, Dagan pulled Agminion off to the side and whispered something in his ear.

  “We don’t have the time,” Heather shot right back. “I need to catch up with those goblins and see where they’re going. I’ll scout their position and see if I can find out what they’re doing.” She smiled at Atock, trying to put him at ease. “I’ll be careful and be back soon.”

  She grabbed her cloak, sword, and a water bottle and then quickly rejoined the others. Atock and Dagan waited on her, but Agminion was fussing with his blankets.

  “I’m ready,” she said to Dagan as she stopped in front of him.

  “Ready?” he repeated confused.

  “Yes. Do your little bit of sorcery so that I can get going.”

  Dagan smiled, “You miss-understand,” he said in a slow patient tone.

  Dagan’s tone was the slow way a person might speak to a child and it riled Heather. She took a deep breath, “What do I miss-understand?” she asked as calmly as she could.

  “I will not be doing any sorcery,” Dagan said. “Agminion will accompany you and perform the ward you require.”

  She glanced back over her shoulder and her eyes widened at the sight of Agminion pulling a heavy cloak on as he hurried over to join them. “No. He will not be accompanying me.” Shaking her head, she looked back at Dagan. “No. Just do the bit of whatever it is so that I can go.”

  “You don’t understand,” Dagan began in that infuriating tone. “I cannot do the ward and then remain here. The ward has to be maintained and if you’re out of my immediate vicinity, then it will stop working. Therefore, Agminion will accompany you and maintain the necessary ward.”

  Once again, Heather shook her head. “No. I’ll go without it.”

  “No you won’t,” Atock said quickly.

  Heather turned her gaze on the big warrior. “Am I in charge of this group or not?” She thought they had already settled any question of authority and it galled her that she had to refig
ht this battle again.

  “You’re in charge of those three sleeping over there,” Atock said, pointing to where Aaron, Enton, and Mikela were still in their blankets. “But you are not in charge of me. I will not let you go by yourself.” Heather opened her mouth to argue but he talked right over her. “If you want we can wake them and ask their opinion.”

  “Their opinion?” Heather demanded angrily.

  “Yes,” Atock answered calmly, and he actually had the nerve to smile. “I especially would like to know what Enton thinks of you running off to chase a goblin horde by yourself.” The smile grew bigger, “It actually sounds like something I would expect him to do.”

  It took a moment for the words to register and then the anger slipped quickly away. He knows, she thought, or at least he suspects something. It was a dirty move on Atock’s part. Regardless of who was in charge, Enton would vociferously argue and refuse to let her go. Most likely the big oaf would insist on going with her.

  “We don’t have time to argue,” Heather said. She wasn’t angry anymore but whatever Atock knew, or thought he knew, would most likely complicate things. “I have to go now.”

  Atock nodded, “Fine, as long as you take Agminion with you.”

  Heather looked to Dagan for help. The old bastard was actually smiling like he was enjoying the show. “Fine,” she said with as much grace as she could muster, “but when I get back, you and I are going to have a talk.”

  Chapter 18

  Heather and Agminion climbed down the hill from their camp and paused behind several thick bushes. Undoubtedly, she was being overly cautious. Both sorcerers had checked and said that all the goblins had left the immediate vicinity.

  “Do whatever it is you’re going to do,” Heather said in a rather angry tone. She wasn’t pleased that Agminion was coming along with her, but at least he would be able to maintain his ward.

  “I already have,” came his reply.

  Heather blinked in surprise, “That was quick.”

  Smiling, Agminion shrugged. “I had the ward in place before we descended the slope.”

  She nodded and leaned close. “Listen up. You stay right beside me and if I suddenly stop or drop to the ground, then you had better do your best imitation of me. Do you understand?”

  He swallowed hard and nodded. “I just want to remind you that any goblin that sees us should see us as one of their own. I would suggest not doing anything stupid.” He stopped and Heather just glared at him. “If you did something unusual, then they might take a closer look at us,” Agminion added, trying to clarify his point.

  “Thanks,” Heather said sarcastically.

  Following the goblins’ trail was absurdly easy. They didn’t try to cover their tracks in the least and it would have been impossible anyway, due to their large numbers. The goblins continued to the northwest in a zigzag manner; the terrain prevented them from travelling the most direct route.

  Heather and Agminion had been following for nearly a quarter of an hour when he pulled her to a stop in a small clearing. “Goblins coming from the east,” he breathed into her ear.

  Without hesitation, Heather knelt down behind some thick bushes that were growing beside a small wall. She pulled Agminion down to join her. They didn’t have long to wait and then twenty or so goblins stomped noisily into the clearing. In addition to the goblins who were on foot, two more goblins were bound and being carried. The two prisoners had thick ropes binding their hands and feet. Each of the captives were being carried by two extraordinarily large goblins.

  The group hardly even slowed as they entered the clearing but they did seem to be constantly scrutinizing the area for any signs of trouble. Several of the big brutes looked right at their hiding spot, causing both Heather and Agminion’s breath to catch. The goblins showed no sign that they had noticed anything.

  Almost as quickly as they had arrived, they had passed on through the clearing. For several moments they continued to hear sounds made by the goblins, but eventually, the sounds died down.

  Agminion let out a long deep breath.

  “Still glad you came with me?” Heather asked, although she too was slumping from relief.

  Smiling, Agminion nodded, “Sure. There was only twenty or so of them. We could have bested them.”

  Heather frowned at the sorcerer’s poor attempt at humor. “Did you notice their shields or helms?”

  He didn’t answer immediately but instead thought back on the incident. He had noticed that they carried shields but not much more than that. “Not really,” he finally admitted, “I was more concerned with the goblins than their shields.”

  “The goblins were from at least three, maybe four, different tribes.”

  Frowning, Agminion shook his head, “That can’t be. I’ve never heard of the tribes working together before.”

  “I have,” Heather answered. She cautiously stood up from behind the bushes. “Remember I was at Mul-Dune.” Agminion didn’t respond to that. “Is it safe to follow them?”

  Agminion’s eyes seemed to lose focus for several moments and then he nodded. “Yes.”

  They continued on the goblin’s trail for almost half an hour. Gradually the ground began rising when they left the plateau and entered the mountains. Despite the rocky terrain, it was still painfully easy to follow the goblins’ trail. They continued this way for another quarter of an hour until Agminion placed a hand on Heather’s arm. He held a finger to his lips and then leaned in close. “Just over the rise is an enormous number of goblins.”

  “How many?” Heather asked, her heart pounding in her own ears. She looked to the rise but didn’t see any sentries. The rain had stopped for the moment, but the clouds still made it difficult to see.

  Agminion shrugged, “More than I can count.”

  “The ward’s in place?” Heather asked.

  Looking a little perturbed, Agminion nodded, “Of course.”

  “All right,” Heather said, “we’re going to take a look.” She watched the sorcerer carefully for any signs of fear. She was impressed to see him merely nod his head. “If we get separated, then you run until you reach the camp.” She paused waiting on him to nod again which he eventually did. “Don’t stop until you get there and don’t let them take you alive.” She waited until he nodded his head a second time. “All right, let’s go.”

  They approached the ridge and paused while Heather took a quick look around. The ground crested and then descended for a good ways, creating a natural amphitheater. In the very center of the bowl, was a flat circular area, almost like a stage except it was sunken and not raised.. On the far side of the natural stage, the ground rose again until it hit the steep side of the mountains. It was hard to see in the darkness, but there was a gigantic opening in the side of the mountain which was unmistakable.

  He had been right, the amphitheater was full of goblins. Gods above! she thought at the sight of the goblin throngs. They sat or stood all along the sloping ground; their attention was focused on the flat area in the middle. Heather glanced that way and realized why. The goblins they had followed had made their way down to the center and they were not alone. In addition to the two bound prisoners they had already seen, there were at least another nine or ten bound goblins. More importantly though, four humans stood beside the prisoners. The humans were not bound and, in fact, they appeared to be in charge.

  Swallowing hard, Heather grabbed Agminion by the arm and pulled him along behind her. She stayed behind the goblins, higher on the ridge and moved over to the shadows provided by several short trees. Her heart was beating fast and she carefully looked around to make sure no one was watching them. She recognized the humans in the middle of this madness. She looked back, just to make sure.

  “What is it?” Agminion asked. “What’s the matter?”

  She was relieved that he had the good sense to keep his voice down. “I’ve seen them before,” she replied, pointing at the four.

  Agminion turned to stare out over the goblin
s’ heads.

  The first of the four humans was a tall warrior, whose head was completely shaven. He was a monster, well over six feet tall and heavily muscled. He had a nasty looking scar across his throat. His chainmail was visible, even from this distance, and a sword hilt poked up over his left shoulder.

  Beside the bald warrior was another fighter, albeit of a much more normal size. He was shy of six feet tall and not so much muscular as he was lean. He had a fair complexion and sandy-blond hair that fell almost to his shoulders. He didn’t wear any visible armor but he had a sword strapped to his waist. He moved with such grace, almost seeming to flow from one stance to another.

  On the other side of the bald warrior, and a good ways behind, was a magician. She wore a brown cloak that covered her completely except her head. She had long black hair, light colored skin that contrasted with her dark hair, and high cheek bones. She was a very beautiful woman but there wasn’t any warmth about her.

  The fourth and final human was a man. He was slender and short, downright puny compared to the others. He had short brown hair and a small nose. He looked more like a large child than he did an adult. He wore no visible armor and there wasn’t any sign of a sword about him. He was the only one that Heather wasn’t sure had been at Mul-Dune.

  Agminion turned from his study of the four towards Heather. He had a resigned look about him. “Let me guess, Mul-Dune?” he said quietly.

  Heather nodded. “Without a doubt the two tall men and the woman were there.” She hesitated and took a deep breath. “I’m not sure about the shorter man. I just don’t remember him.”

  He was about to respond but stopped as someone began beating a sword against shield. The action was taken up by the masses and soon there was an unbelievably loud clamor as every goblin in sight slammed their sword repeatedly against their shield.