There was then a squealing sound as she pushed her chair back and got to her feet. After a brief look at her lieutenants, she walked over to the nearby window. The hobgoblin hiding outside heard her coming. He quickly scampered over to a bush off to one side and went very still.
“I’ll leave early tomorrow morning with the dawn, so make sure you’re all ready. When I return, no one will be able to challenge my claim on this territory, and that’s just the beginning!” Herad announced to the air outside the window. She then turned back around. “When I get back, I expect this place to be fit for a queen, so no slacking off. Now off with you lot. I have stuff to do, and I’m sure you have your own concerns.”
After her dismissal, everyone quickly left, lest they annoy their boss. As Red Dog walked out the door, he threw an uncertain look back over his shoulder. He seemed unsure about how serious Herad’s command about fixing the place up had been, but if she noticed his concern, she didn’t bother to enlighten him.
Blacknail continued to sit in the bush outside the window for a few seconds until everyone was out of sight. Just as he was about to get up, he heard something from inside the house.
“Soon, it will all be mine! They will all bow before me,” Herad whispered lovingly to herself before chuckling hungrily in anticipation.
Soon, the chuckle died down, and there was only the sound of breathing from inside. Very carefully, Blacknail got up and crept away. He was reassured that Herad was confident in her plan, despite the others’ doubts. The more powerful the tribe of bandits grew, the higher his own position could grow, so Blacknail approved of her ambition.
She was obviously looking forward to victory a lot too. Blacknail got like that sometimes. Standing over the corpses of your enemies felt so great. It felt like someone was tickling your brain, and you just wanted to keep on smiling…
The hobgoblin sped around the building. He had to get back to the campsite before Saeter started to question what he had been up to. As he moved, he watched the camp for people who looked to be paying him too much attention, and he thought about what he had just heard.
Mistress Herad had mentioned Saeter would be going with her, but no one had mentioned him. Blacknail found himself wishing he could go with Saeter to this human place called Daggerpoint. Things had begun to grow boring around the camp, and he kind of wanted to see a human city again. He had lived in one for years as a goblin and roamed the streets at night after all.
With the clothes Saeter had given him, Blacknail didn’t think he would have too much trouble doing similar things again. Only now, he could think of much more exciting things to do after dark, and he knew he could find tastier things to eat than garbage. The city would be full of targets that weren’t part of his tribe, and thus he would have no reason to hold himself back. It would be nice to finally let loose. Discipline was important, but that didn’t mean he could never have fun.
Blacknail shivered in eagerness as he pictured it. He could almost already taste the blood.
Chapter 3
No one had said it directly, but from listening to people talking, Blacknail swiftly came to the conclusion he wasn’t invited to join Herad’s expedition. That wasn’t going to stop him though. He was looking forward to visiting a human city again too much to let a simple lack of permission get in his way.
So as night fell and everyone went to sleep, he started scheming, and he quickly came up with a foolproof plan. The best way to make sure he was included in the party sent to Daggerpoint was simple; he wasn’t going to ask. If no one knew he was there, they couldn’t tell him to go back.
The next morning, when Saeter was getting up to get ready to go, Blacknail was nowhere to be found. The hobgoblin had woken up even earlier than usual and had quickly made his way out into the woods, as if he were checking the snares or hunting.
However, he had no intention of doing his usual routine. As soon as he was out of sight and safely hidden in the forest, he stopped to make sure no one else was around. Blacknail then stealthily crept through the bushes around the edge of the camp.
When he got to the road, he selected a nearby tall tree that overlooked the area and scrambled up it. The bark of the tree was gray and rough, but once he got up into the branches, it was easy climbing. Scaling trees took a lot less effort since he had become a hobgoblin because his limbs were so much longer.
Once he was a couple dozen feet up, he stopped and hid on a particular leafy branch that gave him a good view of the surroundings. Then the hobgoblin simply waited for the expedition to leave.
It only took a few minutes for something to happen. Unseen up in the tree, Blacknail watched Herad, Saeter, and the rest of their group pour out of the camp and head down the road. As he watched, he caught a brief glance of red hair. Wait, was that Khita? They were taking that useless human whelp and not him! Why? The hobgoblin glowered down at them from his leafy perch.
When they were out of sight, Blacknail smiled gleefully again though. He’d show them how sneaky he could be. It was time for him to put his plan in action. He hastily climbed to the ground and hurried back through the woods to the far end of the camp. Once back in the clearing, he calmly walked over to his campsite and packed up some of his things. If he had done it beforehand, it would have alerted Saeter. There was no way his master would have missed something so obvious. That done, he picked up his bag and once again strolled over to the back of the camp. He got a few odd looks, but no one said anything. Not that a lot of people usually struck up casual conversations with him anyway.
Once back in the woods, he headed toward the road. By this time, Herad’s group had quite a lead on him, but the hobgoblin could keep track of them by their scent. Even if they left the road, he wouldn’t have any trouble finding them. As Blacknail jogged in pursuit, the scent grew stronger until he knew he was almost upon them. Forewarned, the hobgoblin slowed his pace. It would be very bad for him if he was spotted now.
The forest was thick and green on both sides of the road. The occasional hill or curve limited the vision of anyone following the trail. Blacknail saw one of those twists up ahead. It would hide him, so he hurriedly ran over to it and peered through the bushes at the road ahead. The bandits he had been tracking were right there.
Herad was leading the way and dressed in her usual attire of dark leather armor. Blacknail really didn’t want to be caught by her. The bandit chieftain wasn’t a large woman, but her frightening fighting skills and ruthlessness kept all the other bandits in line. Blacknail had seen her cut down the disobedient and the stupid several times. Her dark eyes didn’t show a hint of normal human weaknesses like mercy or honor. That was why she was one of Blacknail’s favorite people.
Saeter was walking directly behind Herad, and the rest of the bandits were following him. They all had long-hooded travelers’ cloaks meant for keeping people warm and dry. Their supplies and camping gear had been loaded into large backpacks like the one Blacknail was wearing.
A few moments later, the group disappeared behind another turn in the road, so Blacknail crept after them. He moved cautiously and kept his senses alert in case they left a scout behind or came to a sudden stop. He kept careful watch on Saeter in particular. If anyone was going to spot him, it would be his master.
As they walked, Blacknail grew excited. He loved the act of stalking! It filled him with eager energy and just felt right, like he was doing what he was meant to. He didn’t mean his tribe any harm, but it was still exciting to fool them. He was truly a skilled hunter!
After a few hours of trudging down the dirt road, the humans suddenly came to a stop. They froze as a loud cracking noise reverberated through the forest. A second later, it happened again, and then again. The forest was now full of the sound of cracking tree branches and the thud of heavy footsteps. Blacknail dropped low and hurriedly scanned his surroundings as the barrage of noise echoed from every direction. His long ears perked up as a surge of panic ran down his spine. What was going on? He didn’t see anything
.
Suddenly, a tree down the road fell and crashed to the ground. As the ground shook and leaves flew up into the air, several massive brown creatures appeared from out of the greenery. They were easily the largest creatures Blacknail had ever seen. They were far taller and bulkier than even the troll Blacknail had encountered. Like trolls, they had two thick legs and two long arms, but that’s where the resemblance ended. The creatures were easily three times as tall as any man, many more times as heavy, and covered in thick brown hair. Most of them moved ponderously on all four limbs, but every once in a while, one would rear up onto its back legs and walk around that way for short distances. It would then reach up into nearby trees and rip branches down. Their arms ended in truly impressive claws as long as swords that shredded the wood effortlessly.
Blacknail was too far away to get a good look at their blunt faces, but two large curled horns rose from their heads. The beasts brought the leafy branches they tore from the trees to their mouths and chewed them. That meant they were either eating some very slow and stupid tree rats, or they were plant eaters. The hobgoblin vaguely remembered his master mentioning something like them, but he had forgotten their name.
Feeling extremely curious, Blacknail used the distraction the creatures were creating in order to move closer to Herad and the others. He wanted to hear what they were saying. Carefully, Blacknail slipped into the bushes at the edge of the road. He stealthily made his way right up behind the position the bandits had taken. They had stopped on the road a fair distance from the giant creatures, and were talking amongst themselves as they watched the beasts. Blacknail managed to get within two dozen feet of the humans. That was more than close enough for him to hear everything they said, even with all the noise the beasts were making. He had good ears.
“…ogres will move on in a bit. We just have to be patient. There’s no reason to leave the safety of the road. Right now, they’re watching us. If we all stumble into the forest, we might spook them, and that could end badly,” Saeter was telling Herad.
The bandit chieftain was looking impatient, and not completely convinced by Blacknail’s master’s words. She was scowling at the ogres, and her hands were on her hips. She looked like she wanted to single-handedly kill the beasts that had dared slow her down—which Blacknail would have enjoyed watching—but then she sighed in resignation. “Fine, tell the men we’ll be resting for a bit. We’ll be doubling the pace when the way is clear though, to make up for lost time.”
Saeter nodded and moved to fulfill her orders. He moved slower than usual and didn’t make any loud noises, probably as not to spook the ogres.
As Blacknail’s master had suggested, the bandits simply held their position and waited for the ogres to move away from the road. The minutes passed by, and the ogres continued to move ponderously from tree to tree so they could eat the leaves and fruit. Every once in a while, one would turn toward the bandits and give them a curious or wary look, but they didn’t seem too concerned by the presence of humans. That was definitely a good thing, because Blacknail didn’t think even Herad could take on several of the gigantic beasts. It would be like a goblin trying to wrestle a large man; the goblin would without a doubt end up stomped flat.
As Blacknail was beginning to relax, a deep roar suddenly pierced through the ogre’s racket. Instantly, the giants all stood up on their hind legs and looked alarmed. They scanned the forest as it grew eerily quiet in every direction. Even the birds went deathly silent, and Blacknail’s fear returned in full force. He knew deep down he had just heard the primal call of a massive predator.
“Hells... a drake,” whispered Saeter as all the bandits around him grew stiff with fear.
“It’s not close, right?” one of the other bandits asked him fearfully.
“Shh, shut your trap.”
Another louder roar filled the air. The sound seemed to ricochet through the trees and caused a shiver to crawl up Blacknail’s back. His instincts were suddenly screaming at him to find a nearby hole and disappear down into it. If he hadn’t been worried about losing sight of his master, he might have listened. Holes in the ground could be quite comfy and safe.
Saeter seemed to be listening intently, and he was now staring at the forest behind the ogres. After a moment, he whipped around and urgently warned Herad. “Shit, we need to move. Now!”
Before he could get a response, the sound of splintering wood and the unmistakable boom of a falling tree echoed through the forest. None of the ogres had moved, but now several of them flinched, and Saeter immediately started running back down the road the way his party had come.
“Fall in and follow, or you’re dead meat!” Herad commanded everyone before taking off after the scout.
With a scared snort, one of the ogres dropped down on all fours and started to flee. After a second of hesitation, another ogre quickly joined it. Then with a chorus of alarmed huffs and snorts, the rest of them took off in pursuit of the first two. They were headed almost directly toward where several of the bandits were still standing. That didn’t last long. The remaining bandits immediately spun around and joined Herad in retreating out of the stampeding beasts’ path. Several of the humans looked like they were screaming and shouting in fear, but Blacknail couldn’t hear them over the thunderous noise of the running giants. The ground was shaking beneath him and he could see the leaves of nearby trees shaking.
The vibrations were so strong, they made running more difficult than usual, which was bad because the ogres were headed in Blacknail’s direction. The hobgoblin had wasted no time; he had started running as soon as Herad had. On all fours, he scrambled through the trees at the side of the road after his master. He whipped through bushes and tore up dirt and leaves as he ran. He could hear the ogres growing closer, and he didn’t want to find out what they thought of hobgoblins.
A bright red fox red suddenly burst out of a nearby thicket and began racing alongside the hobgoblin. They both gave each other surprised looks, but neither stopped running or even changed directions. Blacknail heard the sound of splintering wood behind him and redoubled his pace. His heart was beating frantically in his chest. Being near the stampeding ogres reminded him too much of when he had been a little goblin, and beneath the notice of larger creatures.
Then the thud of heavy footsteps started to die down. Blacknail gave a relieved sigh and let himself slow down. The fox that had been running beside him sped off into the trees. Now the noise of the stampeding ogres had almost completely faded, and the forest no longer seemed to be shaking. Blacknail leaned against a nearby tree trunk and sucked down a few quick breaths. Gradually, his heartbeat returned to normal. He was tired after such a hard sprint but glad to still be alive. Not being crushed was good.
Once he had recovered, Blacknail stood back up and went to check out the road for signs of his tribe. He glanced around a tree at the forest’s edge and saw that Herad and her minions seemed fine. They were recovering from their own mad sprint, and Saeter was motioning everyone off the road and into the ditch beside it. Blacknail smiled after he saw everyone was all right. He would have hated it if they had decided to turn around and go back to camp. He wanted to see Daggerpoint!
Just then, there was another loud boom. Blacknail whipped around to look a fair distance up the road toward its source. He was just in time to see a massive green shape bound out of the trees and across the road before disappearing into the forest on the other side. It hadn’t been an ogre; it had been much larger and faster. Blacknail gulped as his stomach twisted in fear again. The hobgoblin had only got a quick look at the creature, but unlike an ogre, it had obviously had a long neck and tail. It could only have been a drake, one of the rulers of the forest that Saeter was always telling him about. The most dangerous creatures you could run into, and likely the last.
Both Herad’s group and Blacknail stayed still and hidden for the next while. Only after several long minutes had passed did the bandits get up and resume their trek to Daggerpoint. Blacknail fol
lowed them as closely as he could without being seen. He really didn’t want to be left behind right now.
Much to everyone’s relief, no more drake screams were heard, and the rest of the day was fairly uneventful. It began to get dark, but Herad kept pushing them to keep going. Blacknail was starting to wonder if they were even going to stop for the night when they came upon an abandoned stone building at the side of the road. Even in the dark, it was easy to see it was in poor repair. It bore signs of once being an impressive building, but there was an obvious hole in the roof and one of the walls had collapsed. It would still be a much safer and dryer place to sleep than outside though, so the bandits all headed inside.
As Blacknail moved to follow them, he noticed signs of other long-decayed wooden buildings among the grass and bushes. They must’ve been the remains of an old, sizable human settlement, but now only the one large building remained to remind travelers that a flourishing village had once stood there.
The hobgoblin could see and hear much better than the humans in the darkness, so he had no problem creeping up to the building in the dark. The bandits were setting up camp and building a fire for the night. The light from the flames served only to hinder the humans’ night vision and make his approach easier.
The hobgoblin slipped up beside one of the outside walls. He watched and listened a while through a small hole that gave him a clear view of the inside. It was pretty boring stuff though. The only thing even remotely of interest he learned was that the building was called a temple, and it was supposed to be good luck or something. Soon the bandits started going to sleep, and that was really tedious to watch, so Blacknail moved away. He had to figure out where he was going to rest for the night as well. He hadn’t brought his tent, but he had brought a pair of blankets. Carefully, Blacknail explored the area around the temple.
Crumbled stone bricks and thick bushes surrounded the old building. A few dozen feet away, through the darkness, the thick growth of the forest loomed. The hobgoblin didn’t want to move too close to the dark woods. He had no idea what might be lurking out there. He could hear crickets chirping and leaves rustling, but it was what he couldn’t hear that worried him. He had been reminded earlier that no matter how experienced you became, the forest always contained new unseen dangers. Besides, he felt much safer closer to Saeter and the bandits than out there. He couldn’t get too close to them though, or he would be seen.
City of Daggers (The Iron Teeth Book 2) Page 3
