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

by A L Wright

  Looking back to the now-felled section of forest, he saw that all the goblins within a hundred yards were all dead, and the heat traces beyond that had stopped moving.

  Victor ran to Nikka, placing a hand on her shoulder for support. She nodded at him in answer, indicating she was fine.

  The stunned silence wore off slowly, and the fighters used the time to grab drinks of water and wipe their blades free of blood. Yosan continued to watch the goblins who had stopped, expecting them to resume their charge at any moment. The longer the wait stretched on, the jumpier his nerves became.

  Something was off. Goblins didn’t waver in their fight unless their numbers were much smaller than their foe. There were hundreds of goblins, just standing out there beyond the reach of their blast.

  Yosan felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck rise. He couldn’t figure out why, until what had been at the edge of his hearing was recognized as the staccato of leather beating against air. And it was growing louder.

  “Run!” He yelled, grabbing Nikka by the arm and hauling her back away from the edge of the destroyed forest, to the south.

  Victor, not one to argue a direct order meant to save lives, grabbed Nikka by the other arm and sprinted with them.

  “Run!” he shouted to the men. “Move your asses! Get away from there!”

  Just as then men broke into a run to follow their commander's order, the wingbeats drew up directly overhead. A shriek that sounded of hot air rising quickly from volcanic vents whistled above their heads. It was a sound Yosan had not heard in centuries. His blood ran cold.

  Before he could shout again, a luminescent green jet of acid sprayed the ground behind them, soaking the dry dirt and pooling in depressions in the ground. Several Nobles had had no chance to get away and were taken down under the bubbling liquid. Within seconds, nothing remained of their bodies.

  Men who had been stranded on the north side of the acid began to run west, away from the main body of the army, hoping to lead this new threat away. Another shriek sounded, threatening to deafen them all. Immediately after, another spray took down half of the running men.

  The wingbeats deepened, hastening as the beast rose and flew after the remaining runners.

  A shriek signaled the men had been found. A chill crept down Yosan’s spine, as he knew they hadn’t made it far.

  Nikka stopped running and turned to face the aftermath. “We have to go back and do something!”

  “No,” Yosan said to her. “We need to regroup and raise shields over those of us who remain. It will be easier if we are all together.”

  “Why? We need to help those men.”

  Victor turned her towards him and stared down at her. “Those men are beyond help now. A leader knows when to retreat. This is one of those times.”

  Nikka nodded, looking numb. “I don’t understand. What happened?”

  Yosan closed his eyes for a moment. “The Deep Dweller. Hielrich has found us.”

  Chapter 17

  The shriek could be heard over the fighting and the roar of her flames. Hudreia froze upon hearing that sound. Shocked, at first. But then cursed herself. Of course, the master of the goblins would show as they marched towards his lair. It had really been a game of waiting to see when.

  When the shriek sounded a second time, she loosed a barrage of flame; a ten-foot wall that backed the goblins away from the fighters.

  “We need to run!” When the fighters looked around confused, she grabbed the collar of the closest Noble. “We are all going to be slaughtered if we don’t move now.” Her low growl shook either sense or fear into the man; she didn’t care which at this point. He began to yell and shout at the rest of the men until they started moving back to the south.

  “The Patriarch will be moving south as well. Run south, but angle west towards him. Go!” Hudreia stayed behind for only a moment, to ensure her flame wall burned hot enough to stick around for several minutes. It would burn a goblin to a crisp upon contact. But if enough of them attempted to run through, it would eventually fizzle out.

  Hudreia only looked back once after she began to run, only to see the stars wink out above the treetops as Hielrich the Deep Dweller flew over her firewall. A gout of acid rained down from the sky, putting out her flames.

  When the white-hot wall came down, hundreds of goblins stood just beyond. None of them moved.

  Hudreia turned and ran faster.

  The men had seen the acid, too, so she didn’t have to yell at them again to keep moving. They all generally ran south, working to intercept Mortul and Dartein’s detachment of fighters.

  Several times more, they heard the steam-whistle screech of the wyrm from behind them, but it faded as they continued on. Now the only thing they could hear was their footfalls in the dead leaves. The rest of the forest was deadly silent.

  Hudreia cast out a sliver of heat; a thread that wove its way through the forest, probing for another Warlock’s magic. When she felt a small zap of electricity come back through the line, she yelled for the men to turn west a bit more to intercept Friesa and her group. It was only a short moment before they caught up.

  “Friesa! Are you okay?” Hudreia grabbed the young woman’s arm and ran along beside her.

  “By the screaming fires of eternity, what was that?” Friesa asked, eyes round as ale mugs.

  “Our ancient enemy, the leader of these goblins. The Deep Dweller has surfaced to show his strength.” Hudreia grabbed her cloak and pulled it free from where it had snagged on the thick underbrush. “We need to get to Mortul and place shields over the army.”

  Friesa looked scared but glad to follow the order. The strong young woman practically pulled Hudreia along as they ran straight south now to intercept Mortul and Dartein.

  Several long minutes drew by as they hurried over uneven terrain, batting low branches out of their faces and dodging or jumping shrubs and brambles. There were no more shrieks heard or leathery wing beats thrumming overhead. But they continued to make their way, swiftly, as Hudreia probed with her power to locate Mortul.

  Once she felt an answering touch of his dark powers, she turned the group more directly south. It was another several moments before they found Mortul and Dartein, catching their breath along with Nikka and Yosan and the rest of the army.

  “The goblins are reassembling. We had them scattered for a while, but the wyrm gave them cover to reorganize,” Victor reported.

  “We won’t make it very far before they come back at us,” Dartein said. “We’ll need to reorganize our own ranks.”

  Victor and Tynen nodded and ran off to reassure their men and form them back into marching order.

  Hudreia looked around, thoughtfully. “It will be difficult to get our army past this band of goblins. Unless the Old One flies off and we can punch through.”

  “If the Old One flew off, our army could wear the goblins down. It would take time, as they have numbers much higher than us. But we have the strength and intelligence they lack.”

  Hudreia and Mortul shared a long look of understanding.

  Mortul nodded, committing to the unspoken plan, and looked away towards the north.

  After a moment made longer by curiosity, Dartein cleared his throat. “What exactly are you two thinking of?”

  “If the warlocks could punch past the army and make our way north, we could bring the firepower, and the fight, right to Hielrich’s caverns,” Hudreia explained.

  “We could wedge through, with those strongest amongst us in the front to make the punch,” Dartein suggested.

  Mortul shook his head once. “No, if we do that, the goblins will split off and chase us. We will be unable to gain ground fighting them and trying to run north at the same time. The full army has to distract and keep their attention while the magic wielders move onward.”

  “You will need some escort to protect you along the way. To keep your powers ready for the final fight.” Dartein stood defiant.

  “Son, I know you want to be ther
e for Nikka.” Mortul placed a hand on Dartein’s shoulder. “I don’t want to leave you here to face this army alone. But I trust you to do what needs to be done, and you need to trust Nikka. And the rest of us.”

  Dartein stared at his father, eyebrows drawn down in defiance. Hudreia brushed between them, impatiently.

  “Look, we have no time for this. We are all familiar with impossible decisions. This is one of those times. We must act objectively here, and not let our emotions cloud our judgments.” Hudreia crossed her arms and stared them both down.

  “You don’t even have a plan!” Dartein threw his hands in the air and turned away.

  Nikka strode forward. “I have a plan.”

  Hudreia nodded in encouragement to the girl.

  “I can turn a light shield dark. Dark enough to become practically invisible.”

  Hudreia was impressed. “Can you make a shield big enough to cover several of us?” Hudreia asked.

  “Maybe, it takes some concentration, but I’m sure I could.”

  “I could help power it.” Mortul looked between the warlocks. “We all could help power it, to keep the drain minimal.”

  Hudreia’s finger tapped her lower lip in thought. “We could slip past the goblins easily, this way. We will need to keep the shield around us as we travel, to hide from the Deep Dweller. We could practically sneak up on him.”

  “Then you better go now before they reorganize.” Dartein turned back to them, arms hanging to his sides. “They will be too distracted to notice much at all.”

  “Let us get our horses and supplies. We will be able to gain a lot of ground before daybreak if we leave now.” Seeing Victor and Tynen walking back to the group, she added, “I’ll see to your horse and supplies, Nikka. You tend to your farewells.”

  She didn’t envy the young Noble the task of convincing her love and protector to stay behind.

  Chapter 18

  In the end, they couldn’t convince everyone to stay behind with the army. Nikka begged and pleaded with Victor to understand. He didn’t, of course. And every argument he made in return nearly had her convinced to let him go with her.

  At the last moment, Dartein stepped between them and surrendered command of the armies to Victor and Tynen. Stunned, Victor stammered for a moment before recovering himself, and, unable to refuse a direct order from his Prince, conceded the argument.

  Nikka was relieved, as she was in a hurry to leave and get their journey underway, until she stepped into Victor’s embrace. The realization that this could be their last moment together was almost enough to root her feet to the forest floor.

  Her father’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Come on, dear daughter.”

  Nikka turned her head enough to take in her father, standing nearby with horse and packs ready. She broke away from Victor and crossed her arms.

  “I spent too much energy arguing already, so how about you just tell me what you are doing?”

  “I am riding with you. Victor can rest assured I will watch over you, and he can command this army as well, or better, than I could.”

  Victor stood near, pride and anguish warring in his eyes.

  “Alright, you can argue with grandfather, then. Let’s go.” Nikka turned back into Victor’s embrace, letting him crush her against his large frame. One quick kiss and Nikka slipped free.

  Looking back as she walked away with her father, she felt torn in two.

  “He may be upset that he cannot go, but he is proud of you. As am I.”

  Nikka glanced to her father, finding she had to force words past the pain in her throat.

  “You aren’t truly going with us, are you?”

  “No. You and the others need to make time, and I will ride with you to the fringes of the army to do some scouting of my own.”

  “Victor will be upset with you.”

  Her father winced. “It will not be the first time.”

  Unable to think of anything else to say, she kept quiet until they came to the edge of the group of waiting warlocks. Nikka shared a silent look of sympathy with Friesa, whose eyes held the same pain as hers. Taking the reins to her horse, she was too distracted to listen to her father and grandfather quickly discuss the plan for the army they were leaving behind.

  “Nikka, dear.” Her grandfather’s voice startled her, but he didn’t need to tell her that it was time.

  Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she mounted her horse and let her father take the reins. As they began to ride, Nikka envisioned the light shield she would place around them. She didn’t want to put it in place until she had it firm in her mind, so she could quickly drain the light from it and replace that with complete darkness. The group rode close together, trotting as quickly as they dared in the forest, as they drew closer to where they had left the goblin army behind.

  Before they got too close and drew attention, Nikka pictured a ball of light in her mind, several feet above their heads. Quickly, she drew it down with her hands until it touched the ground, then pulled the light from it in snaky tendrils across the forest floor. The tendrils disappeared as they met her horse’s hooves, leaving her to wonder if the creature had just absorbed her magic.

  Turning the thought aside for later ponderance, Nikka put her arms out to either side of her and touched the hands of her grandfather and Hudreia, who then linked theirs with Yosan and Friesa, to share the powering of the shield amongst all the warlocks.

  Nikka felt the strain of holding the shield in place lessen considerably and knew they would be able to travel easily now underneath of it.

  In as much silence as the six of them could manage in the dark forest, they marched forward until they could hear the goblins grumbling and shrieking in what sounded like confusion ahead.

  Dartein touched Nikka on the shoulder to catch her attention, then moved his hand to trace her cheek. She clasped his hand in hers, pressed against her face. A single tear fell and ran down their hands, tracing its way between their fingers.

  She pressed a quick kiss to the palm of his hand, then let go and watched as her father turned away and out of the shield, to scout the edges of the enemy’s army.

  Her grandfather caught her eye with a wave and a nod as a signal for their need to continue moving. Sitting still this close to the main force of the enemy was dangerous enough, even if they couldn’t be seen. Nikka nodded in return, and the small band of warlocks pressed onward.

  Goblins had a decent sense of smell, so blind as they would be to the Nobles riding by, if they caught a whiff of them there could be trouble. The group stayed downwind as much as possible. Nikka winced every time the breeze changed. But, to their fortune, the wind swept north and south, and never east toward the army.

  The real dilemma lay in the dawn that was mere moments from lightening the sky. They hadn’t made it very far past the army, and the looks on all their faces showed how on edge they were at the thought of stopping for rest. Even if the goblins needed to rest during the daylight as well, there simply wasn’t a large enough gap between them for any real comfort.

  In silent agreement, they pressed forward even as the dawn touched the horizon, hidden behind the towering trees of the Lothnau Forest. As the first rays of the sun poked through the gaps of leaves and needle, the dark shield held them at bay.

  Trailing to a stop, Nikka closed her eyes but couldn’t feel the warmth of the sun through her shield.

  Mortul turned his horse back toward her, the rest coming to a halt at his flank.

  “It seems as though this shield of yours keeps the sun’s draining effects at bay. I feel it’s pull toward slumber, but not quite as strong as normal,” Mortul observed.

  Nikka nodded, still concentrating. She felt the same. “Doubtless it will catch up to us once the sun is up fully. Let’s press on and see how far we can get.”

  “Just far enough ahead to put some decent distance between ourselves and the armies. We still need to rest.” Her grandfather turned his horse back around.

 
; Their mounts could probably have kept going, as they had rested during the major fighting earlier in the night. But keeping them rested and ready was just as important as doing the same for themselves.

  In but another hour they reached the thinning of trees that signaled the end of the Lothnau Forest before it flattened out into the wild grasslands of the Northern Reaches.

  “Let us rest here. Once darkness falls, we can let our mounts run across the plains. We should be able to reach the caverns sometime twixt midnight and dawn,” Hudreia said as they came to a stop.

  The undertone of Hudreia’s voice had Nikka looking around at her group, who were all showing early signs of exhaustion. Nikka herself had been concentrating so hard on her shield these last moments that she didn’t realize how weary she truly was herself until they came to a halt. Letting the darkness around them fizzle out, and the bright dawn shine down on them sapped all their strength, and it was all they could do to pull saddles from their horses and hastily erect tents.

  As Nikka’s head met her saddlebag, there was no room for worries to crawl into the tiny tent with her. The true blackness of sleep pulled her under before she could even think about getting comfortable.

  Chapter 19

  Isuppose you would like me to turn command back over to you.”

  Victor’s voice had a hard edge to it, and Dartein had fully expected it. Deceiving his only true friend had not been his proudest moment. But choosing between letting Nikka and his father make haste north to hopefully end this war at its heart, and not breaking his friend's heart… well, there were always unfortunate casualties in every war. And if heartbreak were the only sadness, then Dartein would take that risk.

  He was fully aware that sending his only daughter, and only remaining link to his long-dead love, Josaleene, was an even bigger risk. But there was no denying she had magical talents beyond all their imagining, and it didn’t take a brilliant tactician to see Nikka needed to be there at the heart of the fight.