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

by A L Wright

  Long minutes slipped by as flashes of light came from either side, along with shouts and yells from the Nobles, screams of goblins dying, and the occasional screech of metal on metal. The goblins didn’t carry many iron weapons, so the sound was most feasibly a sign of goblin commanders and officers who would carry blades. Which was worrisome, as it seemed more and more probable that the goblins had concentrated their attacks nowhere near them.

  But they couldn’t break the line and possibly let any enemy reinforcements slip through.

  Mortul watched as Dartein pulled one of his rangers close and whispered orders. The ranger ran off, down the left side of the line. Several long moments later, the man came back from the right side. Mortul hadn’t even seen him slip back past them.

  “The fighting is heavier down there, Sir.” The ranger panted, pointing down the right side of the line.

  “Tynen, take every fourth man and reinforce that side,” Dartein ordered the tall warrior standing next to him.

  Tynen nodded and hurried to execute the order, no doubt pleased to have an excuse to be able to check on Friesa. Mortul watched as Tynen and a couple dozen men melted into the dark.

  The ranger had caught his breath. “Sir, it seems the fighting is only coming from the goblins who were following us up from the South. The north lies quiet.”

  “Thank you for the report. Please, take the loop around again, a bit slower, and see what else you may find.”

  The ranger nodded and set back out at once.

  “Odd, don’t you think?” Dartein asked him.

  “I agree. We should see how quickly we can wear this band down and continue to press north. The quicker we reach The Deep Dwellers lair, the better.” Mortul knew the only way to end this whole fight was to bring down the master.

  “Do you have a plan?”

  “I think so.”

  Minutes turned into an hour before the ranger turned scout came back with a report. Still, no sign of any goblins to the north and both sides of the battle lines were slowing down. The goblins had suffered heavy losses quickly and were attempting to regroup.

  “Give the order down the line, once the goblins back off we force march north. We have to gain more ground tonight,” Dartein said to the ranger, who trotted off to spread the word.

  Again, Mortul agreed with his son’s judgment. The men would be tired, but they were strong and could still make some miles before sunrise. As a group, Mortul, Dartein and all the men nearby made their way to the horses and tightened saddles and checked packs, to ensure all were ready when the fighters from the right and left wings made it over.

  Chapter 15

  Once the enemy force had been sufficiently pushed back, the fighters and their supporting warlocks slipped through the forest to where the horses now stood ready. Nikka scanned the growing crowd for her friend until she spotted Friesa being helped onto a horse by Tynen. Seeing that the other warlocks were mounted and ready, she breathed a sigh of relief that their first skirmish had only minimal impact to their forces.

  Quickly and quietly, Nikka mounted up and moved to the front of the line near her Father. At a brisk pace heading roughly north, they all hurried to make much needed time. But not so fast as to risk any of the horses being injured in the dark forest. At least the horses had had a chance to rest while the rest of them wore the goblins down.

  Rangers and scouts came and went, thoroughly checking the terrain ahead, and keeping watch for the northern band of goblins who had yet to present themselves.

  Daylight stopped them, forcing them to make camp once more. Nikka retired quickly to her and Victor’s tent, spent from the night’s fighting and forced marches. She didn’t even remember falling asleep, so when Victor shook her awake, Nikka’s grogginess kept her from moving right away. Lying there in the pre-dawn night, she replayed some of the previous night’s battle in her head.

  Nikka had kept to the middle of the line of warriors for the most part, until a surge of goblins pressed in and engaged most of the fighters to her left. Suddenly exposed, Nikka threw up a light shield around her to stop any projectiles from flying her way. After her light was in place, it took a moment for her sight to adjust for it, and by the time she could see clearly again, a group of a dozen goblins had gotten close.

  On instinct, she had pushed her hands forward, pulsing the light shield out from her, flinging the goblins backward in a mighty explosion. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two Noble fighters dropped to their knees from the concussion. They had been off to the side, but the push had been strong enough to have a backlash.

  Mentally cursing herself for being careless, Nikka moved forward, ahead of the fighters, and put her light shield up once more. She squinted as she did so this time, and her vision cleared much quicker than before. Unfortunately, her light seemed to be attracting the enemy each time. Another group of goblins, twice as many as before, rushed in at her.

  The good thing about goblins was that they weren’t altogether smart. That meant they didn’t change their tactics much. When a group of one size didn’t work, they just added more to the next, hoping to overwhelm by sheer numbers.

  Once more, Nikka had exploded the group of goblins back. Not all of them were dead on impact, however, and she knew that eventually, they would figure out just how many would be needed to overwhelm her.

  Hudreia stepped up beside her, drew a line of flame across the ground in front of them that flared up once she drew her hand back. On instruction, Nikka reinforced the flame wall with her light, causing it to burn brighter and hotter. Between the two of them, they stepped forward, moving the wall in front of them, until they were well in front of their forces. On Hudreia’s command, they burst the wall forward, blasting through dozens of goblins, decimating the force by over half.

  Seeing this, the remaining goblins retreated several hundred feet back, leaving the two warlocks and the band of Noble fighters a moment to catch their breath. When the scout had come by giving the word to pull back and march north, they took the opportunity and ran, leaving drops of fire and light across the ground behind them. These would explode if goblins stepped on or near them, so it gave them a decent cover for their retreat.

  Wishing she’d had more opportunity to hone her magic skills before this war, Nikka finally forced herself up and out of the tent.

  The first thing she saw upon emerging from the tent was Victor’s smile. She smiled back and felt a little bit better. Nikka munched on the fresh rabbit Victor handed her while saddling up her horse.

  Her father approached her just as she was cinching down the last of her saddlebags. The crease is in brow showed his concern before he even spoke.

  “What is it, Father?”

  “The scouts latest reports put the goblins to the north of us, several hours away. If we leave now, we will reach them just past midnight.”

  “That’s good news. We will still have several hours of darkness to work them down.”

  “This group is no small band. It is a literal army. They’ve saved their forces for this attack.”

  We will make sure to keep the warlocks spread amongst the ranks then. That should keep the fighting even.”

  Dartein nodded at her words. “I agree, we should do that. Victor, ride with Nikka. I want you to stick to the middle of the left wing. Hudreia and Yosan can take the edges of either side. Friesa can take the middle of the right wing.”

  “You will keep Grandfather with you, in the center, then?”

  “Yes. He and I will remain at the center of command.”

  “Then let’s get to it.” The decisions made, Nikka was ready to move. She was nervous, of course. Especially considering the previous night and the help Hudreia had provided her. Nikka was ready to prove she could hold her own but was afraid she just didn’t carry enough experience to do so.

  Victor wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed her soundly. “I will be right there next to you, love.”

  Nikka only nodded, gave Victor a second quick kiss, t
hen turned to mount her horse.

  The ride north seemed to take forever. The dread in her stomach roiled and churned, and she turned down offers of food, afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep it down. The only thing that stayed steady was her horse. Nikka was grateful for her mount. The mare never shied, never seemed to tire. She did take exception to walking behind Victor’s gelding and would nip whenever she got close enough. Victor had finally relented and moved behind Nikka, claiming he could watch over her better from there.

  It had made sense anyway, as Nikka’s mare had heightened senses and could see far better in the dark than the other horses could.

  The army, even as spread out as it was, made good time that night and were well into the next night before any goblins attacked. The attack didn’t hit Nikka’s section of the army, it had been concentrated in the middle, but her Grandfather had ended it quickly. It had only been a few dozen of the small fighters lying in wait to surprise them. No Noble’s had been injured, though a few horses had been taken down in the confusion. But to her Father’s rangers, horses were a convenience. Especially at the pace they were traveling. So, the rangers had traded their horses to the warriors who now had none and ran on foot.

  Again, they pressed north, weaving through the trees and underbrush as quietly as possible. The moonlight shone brightly through breaks in the branches overhead. No one spoke as they rode along, so the only sounds heard were owls angry at them for scaring their food underground and bats on the hunt for insects. Small twigs and dead leaves popped and crunched under hooves. The night breeze came in towards them from the north-northwest. Nikka knew this was a good sign, as their scent would be carried away from the goblins, and maybe they could press closer before launching an attack.

  Word came down the line; scouts ahead had spotted the northern assembly of the enemy. The report said the main force of goblins was massed centrally, so Victor had their wing of men tighten in towards the center. They remained spread out but were just a few dozen feet closer to her father and grandfather, to react quicker to initial commands.

  That first command would be given, but then the rest would be up to Victor. At least for the fighters. Yosan would be near them at first, but if their wing needed to spread to catch a force out to the side, then Yosan would lead those men. And she would be the only magic available in her section.

  It terrified her at first, with her need to protect Victor. She knew he was highly trained as a fighter. He had taught her, so she knew first hand he was more than capable. Nikka decided she’d just drop a light shield over him and stay near to help. He wouldn’t care for it, but his survival mattered more.

  Nikka brooded over the thought for several moments, adjusting her plan, and summarily boosting her confidence. When the call came down the line to ready for engagement, Nikka turned to Victor, who had dismounted already, and dropped the bubble of light over him and herself. She jumped from her horse, and when was near enough, their bubbles merged into one. Nikka smiled at him and pressed her fingertips into the light directly in front of her, sucking the glow from it.

  Now where they stood, all anyone else could see was a black void.

  Chapter 16

  Yosan had seen Nikka’s light bubbles wrap around her and Victor and had been of two minds about the usefulness of a bright light marking them out. But then had been shocked to watch those bubbles turn to pitch black. Seeing that sparked an idea in his mind, but he would have to wait to share it. He could smell goblins nearby.

  Standing still as stone, Yosan let his senses heighten to catch glimpses of the enemy’s heat signature. While this particular trick could be used by any Noble if they practiced, his sense was enhanced by his use of cold magic. He let a bit of chill creep over his skin, so now he could not only see their body heat but could sense its nearness as well.

  It wasn’t long before the squat but sturdy creatures launched themselves from the underbrush, assuming they had the advantage.

  The fighters near him knew not to make the first move. They left that to him.

  Yosan brought his hands together in front of him, then moving them apart, spread them out to each side. Cold oozed from his fingers and spread in the same direction his hand had cast it, effectively laying a trap of ice in front of the charging goblins. The first ones in the advancing line never made it close enough to swing their weapons. As they ran across the blue line, they froze solid and shattered apart either as they hit the ground or when their comrades bumped into them.

  The ones rushing in behind made it through. Yosan left those to the Noble fighters.

  Watching their own kind shatter to a million pieces in front of them had not daunted the goblin’s fighting spirit. They lived for this moment. Their master had bred them for it.

  Yosan stepped behind the line of his own kind and cast cold spears at goblins that looked to be gaining any advantage. Once, when one group had used their limited wits and rushed a weak spot in the line, Yosan had pushed in front of the Noble in their path and cast daggers of ice in a spray in front of him. This took down the first few and blinded or hobbled a dozen or so behind those. Overall, it had sufficiently reduced the charge enough for the Nobles to dispatch the rest with ease.

  Glancing off to the east, he could see random flashes of light from Nikka. The flashes seemed to be meted out in a calculated measure, and not so hastily as to seem as though they were in any trouble.

  Realizing he had let the chill fade from his skin, he recast it and set his sights out behind the enemy he could readily see. The old warlock cursed himself for not keeping a closer eye out, as he scanned the woods and saw what could only be hundreds of bodies putting out heat getting closer to the battle.

  The Nobles were not hard pressed yet. The fighting had only gone on for less than an hour to this point, and these men were trained and skilled in battle situations. This next wave of goblins could be taken care of if they kept to their strategies.

  The men were not surprised anytime Yosan put an arm over one of their shoulders to cast a spear of ice. Yosan enjoyed it, as doing so kept his arms from tiring after being held out in front of him for so long. After casting another spray of ice daggers at a small group, he looked up and saw that the number of heat traces out in the forest coming their way hadn’t diminished at all. In fact, it looked to be more headed their way now.

  Stepping out in front of the Noble fighters, Yosan spread three lines of cold down as far as he could throw his power, each line about a foot behind the other. He stepped back behind the line as the new rush of goblins charged in. The mass of enemies stepping across the lines and shattering caused the ground to be soaked and slippery, so even after the spell was exhausted, goblins slipped and slid directly into waiting axes and swords.

  Yosan caught his breath as an explosion rocked the ground beneath him. He glanced over towards Nikka and Victor as twigs and dirt and leaves began to rain down on him. Her dark shield was gone, and she was now lobbing globes of light that caused smaller explosions as they landed amongst the enemy.

  The light showed him that there were many more goblins pressing in than he had seen just a few moments ago.

  “Nikka!” Yosan shouted as he trotted toward her. She spotted him, and after looking to Victor, reluctantly came to meet him.

  “What was that explosion?” he asked as she ran up.

  “I forced my shield out. I’ve done it before with the light, but it was much more effective with the dark.” Sweat trickled down her temple.

  “Effective, it seems. Can you control its direction?”

  “Partly. If I am a certain distance in front of anyone else, I can keep the main force of the explosion away from them.”

  Yosan pondered on it a moment, watching as Nikka glanced back to where Victor was fighting. The man was just fine, a skilled fighter, but obviously it worried Nikka to leave him alone.

  He scanned the forest once more.

  “Nikka, how many heat traces can you sense out there?”

  �
��Too many. It’s too many to count.”

  “Can you drop a globe of darkness over us, so we can move in front of the line?”

  Nikka shot him a wide-eyed glance. “Yes. Why?”

  “We need to make a big impact. And together, I think we can.”

  Without questioning him further, Nikka traced a circle with both arms around herself, then pushed it outward to fit over both of them. Yosan grabbed her hand.

  “Let us push them back a bit.” Yosan moved quickly out in front of the fighters with Nikka in tow.

  “Okay, concentrate on the moment before you release the shield. That singular instant just before you push and build upon it. Intensify the energy.”

  He watched as Nikka nodded and concentrated. The globe around them seemed to solidify to where looking through it was akin to peering into a glass globe one found on a beach after lightning struck it. Yosan put his hand to the darkness, feeling it grow more and more tangible, and began to lace it with subzero temperatures.

  “When I say go, you push with all you have. Try to keep it moving forward. I will help direct it.”

  Nikka nodded, too deep in concentration to respond. The sphere around them had turned into a swirl of the blackest ice.

  “Okay, go!”

  The command given, Nikka growled as she put both hands straight out and sent the shield flying apart. It was all Yosan could do to direct the black shards of ice to go in any single direction, as pushing against the force Nikka had created felt as though he were stopping an iceberg. The trees in front of them and out to the sides exploded as ice ripped through them and goblins both. Tall pines toppled over, taking down goblins that the ice hadn’t touched.

  Yosan’s ears rang after the explosion, but it was deadly silent around them even after his hearing cleared. He looked back, afraid the ice had taken down the fighters as well and breathed a sigh of relief when he found them all alive and well. And staring wide-eyed at the two of them.