The gibberer was still for a moment, as if weighing its options, and then it gave a barely perceptible nod. Frayne ripped the gag out of it mouth, none too gently, and settled at its side, his knife at the ready.
The gibberer remained silent, its eyes darting to each member of the group. Then it spoke. “Akh. Du bissel nonay stihl. You bad humans. I merely walking, then you attack. Why?” Its voice was very like a snake’s hiss and sent chills down Joel’s spine.
Frayne snorted. “Likely story. Just out for a pleasurable hike, eh? If you’d seen us first you would have been happy to slaughter us.” He poked its throat with his knife. “What are you doing up this far north? Where’s the rest of your troop?”
The creature shook its head. “I alone. No others.”
“Dung. How many of you are there? And why were you watching us?”
“I wondering if you had food. Long time no eat.”
It was Gaen who spoke next. “Listen, you miserable crax-eater. I’ll be more than happy to have Bowen here fill you full of arrows. So tell us the truth. Why are you up here? Where’s the rest of you?”
The gibberer didn’t answer for a moment. It seemed to be listening to a voice that only it could hear. Suddenly a terrible tremor overtook its body, and it began to thrash as if it were having a seizure. Bowen pulled his string back, but didn’t release, and Frayne backed up a bit.
As suddenly as the fit had started, it stopped. The creature’s eyes flew open, but now they had no pupils. Goose bumps covered Joel’s arms as he recognized the blank, pupil-less stare of the girl from his summoning.
The gibberer’s head turned until it faced Joel with its sightless eyes, and it began to speak. “SongMaster comes,” it said in a booming, emotionless baritone completely unlike its previous hissing. “SongMaster will die. I will make sure of that.”
“Who are you? Speak your name!” said Fender in a powerful voice that gave no hint of his years or his fatigue. “I command you!”
Once again the creature opened its mouth, and a booming, evil laughter emerged, though the gibberer remained still. “You dare to command ME?!” it boomed. “Quiet, little wizard, for I am Ysuldur! I could strike you where you stand, should I so choose. Do what you like to this creature – I have more. Many more. Please, continue your futile journey north. It is amusing, if nothing else.
“But know this: SongMaster will die before he reaches his goal. It is a promise, and I do not promise lightly.” The gibberer’s eyes closed again and it went still. Then suddenly its eyes flew open and its mouth opened and it began to utter something in a guttural language Joel had never heard.
It had no time to get out more than a few syllables when it abruptly stopped speaking. One of Bowen’s arrows had sprouted from its forehead as if by magic. Muttering, the archer let fly another one for good measure, and the clearing was still. At some point during the interview, the snow had stopped.
For a moment, nobody spoke. Joel hadn’t realized he was there, but it was J’Mart who broke the silence. “Good shot, Tex!” he called to Bowen. “The last thing we needed to hear was his grandmother’s meatloaf recipe, trust me. It’s pretty horrid.”
The Ramiken’s attempt at humor was weak, and Joel decided not to repeat it. “Was that really Ysuldur?” Jared asked nobody in particular.
“Not in person, no,” answered Fender, “But yes, there is a good chance that it was He speaking. Joel has had an encounter with the Two before this.”
The Prince nodded, a bemused expression on his face. “Interesting. Just when I thought this couldn’t get any more interesting, it suddenly does.” He looked at Joel. “Do you attract the attention of deities in your world as well?” Then he smiled. “And do they want to kill you there as well? That is something I do not envy you.”
Joel shook his head. “I don’t know if He hates me or what, but I think I kind of stand in the way of Him winning a bet with Yath. At least that’s what J’Mart and Massar seem to think.” He looked at Athena then, holding her gaze with his own. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Him just get me without a fight, though.”
“Well said, SongMaster! Well said!” exclaimed Jared. “That’s the way any true warrior would look at it.” Then he turned to Gaen and Frayne. “So what say you two? I vote we get rid of the carcass,” he said, pointing to the gibberer, “and discuss our plans for tomorrow.”
Joel and Step hauled the body out of the clearing and left it several hundred yards away. Withers had assured them that it would be gone by morning. When they got back to camp, the discussion was already in full swing.
“You know there are more,” Frayne was saying. “Not only did Ysuldur do us the favor of telling us that, we all know that goblins don’t travel alone. Ever.”
“That may be,” said Withers. “However, I fail to see how it affects our travel plans. We are still heading for Vertton Crags, am I right? Or has He scared you off?” At his words, Frayne whirled around, and for a moment Joel thought the little man would hit the guide.
“Peace, Frayne,” said Fender commandingly. “Nobody has suggested turning back,” he said to Withers, “and I suggest you avoid suggesting that anybody here has been ‘scared off,’ as you so eloquently put it.”
Withers shrugged. “Makes no difference to me. I only know that I will take you to the city as we agreed. I don’t know what has changed to make this discussion necessary.”
“We only need to stress the need for caution from here on out,” said Gaen. “The presence of one goblin indicates the presence of more. They seem to be working for Ysuldur, and since He apparently wants the SongMaster dead, we can expect Vertton Crags and the surroundings to be crawling with them.” He looked again at Withers. “How far away is the city?”
“At our current pace, we could get there late tomorrow. If you want stealth, however, it will add a day, maybe more.”
“Fine. I want a compromise, then. Speed versus stealth – I would like to reach the city the day after tomorrow if possible, and if you know any routes that are less accessible than others, I suggest we use them.”
The clearing was quiet, and Gaen looked around at every member of the company. “If nobody has anything to add, I suggest we get some sleep,” he said. “From here on out it’s going to be… interesting. No more waltzing through the forest – we’re entering enemy territory at this point, and I want everyone on his toes.” He glared at nobody in particular. “And I mean everybody. Let’s get some sleep. I’ll take first watch, then Step relieves me.”
With that, everyone settled down. Joel and Athena quickly set their beddings next to each other, trying not to be too obvious about it. He was still a bit giddy from his earlier conversation with her, but Joel could not keep his eyes open to talk with her some more, as much as he craved her company. She saw that he was exhausted, though, and quietly told him, in a mock-stern voice, to get some sleep. He tried to argue, but then relented, and was asleep in minutes.
FOURTEEN
Step woke everyone up the next morning just as the sun was beginning to show over the eastern horizon. It was cold – so cold that Joel had to gather his willpower to get out of his warm bedding. Gaen and Step had kept the fire going all night, however, so it wasn’t as difficult as he feared to keep warm, especially once he had a cup of mirpoix steaming in his hands.
Perhaps because of the cold, everyone in the party wasted no time in packing up and getting ready to leave. Joel and Athena spent a lot of time bumping into each other and giving each other silly smiles until Joel was sure that everyone else in the party was aware of their new situation. Nobody mentioned anything, however, and before long Frayne called for the journey to resume.
The morning started out uneventfully. The snow had stopped sometime during the night, and the air was cold and still. The only sound Joel could detect was the company’s footsteps on the new snow, and he could see no movement, which only added to the surrealism of the scenery. They had been walking for an hour when J’Mart popped into ex
istence on Joel’s shoulder, startling him.
“Morning, music man!” said the Ramiken, grinning. “Kind of got a winter wonderland here, don’t we?” The little man hopped off of Joel’s shoulder and landed face first in a snowdrift, disappearing up to his waist. His legs wiggled in a fairly comical manner until he vanished and reappeared once again on Joel’s shoulder. Joel couldn’t help smiling.
“What’s funny?” asked Athena, who had been walking next to him.
“J’Mart’s clowning around in the snow,” said Joel, “and he’s looking pretty silly. Sometimes I really wish that Fender and I weren’t the only ones who could see or hear him.”
“I think the version of laughter that he brings would be welcome,” she replied. “But it’s good to see you smile, even if we can’t share the joke.” She paused for a moment. “You know, I almost thought I saw something there, on your shoulder. A flash of blue, maybe?”
Joel looked at her in surprise. “Really? He’s dressed in blue, as a matter of fact. Can you see him now?” Even J’Mart stopped and looked her with a look of curiosity on his face.
“No… no, wait. There it is again. It’s like an image that you catch out of the corner of your eye and then it’s gone. I’ll have to keep looking.”
They continued the hike, and J’Mart continued to play around until up at the front of the line, Frayne suddenly held up a hand, motioning everyone to be quiet. Without a word, Bowen notched an arrow and vanished into the trees to the left, while Athena drew her sword and vanished to the right. They were only gone a few minutes before both returned almost simultaneously. Joel and the others gathered around to hear what they had found.
“There’s an entire squadron of goblins camped up ahead,” reported Bowen. “I count about a hundred.”
“If we bear more to the east we can slip around them, I think,” said Athena. “They seem to be waiting for something and are in no hurry to move.”
“Yeah – they’re waiting for me,” said Joel disgustedly. “I didn’t know that me just coming along would be putting all of you in danger.”
“Relax, Joel,” said Step. “It’s not like we’ve never seen goblins before. And they haven’t seen us yet, so we have a definite advantage. Right, Withers?”
The old guide shrugged. “I’d rather face a squadron of goblins than a jakar, but yes – we can slip around them to the east, if the warrior woman is correct. There is a ravine about a mile in that direction that we should be able to follow and remain hidden that leads almost to the walls of Vertton Crags. This way.” With that, Withers strode off, and Frayne motioned everyone to follow.
“And for Yath’s sake, keep quiet,” said Gaen softly to everyone as they hiked. “I am not keen on the idea of the nine of us taking on a full goblin squadron.”
“I think it’d be more like eight of us,” said Step quietly to Joel. “Methinks that at the first sign of trouble, our wonderful guide will become awfully scarce.”
Joel nodded. “He’s already chickened out of going into the city.”
“‘Chickened out?’”
“It means he backed out because he got scared. Sorry.” Joel would have continued, but Gaen and Jared had both turned and were glaring at the two of them, so he swallowed hard and kept hiking. The tension was thick, and he half expected to feel a goblin arrow in his back at any time.
They reached the ravine without incident, however, and took a brief rest before moving on. The snow cover was not as deep in the gorge, and hiking was a little easier. Frayne insisted on he, Bowen, Athena and Step taking turns scouting out the territory ahead, so their progress was marked by pauses and leaps forward.
Lunch was quietly eaten on the march; Gaen and Jared both felt that the farther the company advanced before nightfall, the better. As the day wore onward, Step and the other three occasionally reported back that there were camps of goblins on one side of the ravine or the other, but the company remained quiet and managed to avoid detection. Joel had the feeling that they were sojourning deeper and deeper into a nest of the creatures with no way out.
Finally it grew too dark to continue, and they halted. Once again they snacked on the last of the jerky and a few roots that Withers located, but they did not dare light a fire. Occasionally they would hear guttural laughs or faint voices carry through the still evening air from all directions.
As they each sat quietly, listening and thinking, Jared settled next to Joel. “Well, SongMaster,” he said quietly, “I have never seen so many goblins in one place since the border wars twenty years ago. Ysuldur, it would seem, definitely wants you out of the picture, and is using an incredible amount of manpower to ensure that you don’t reach the city.”
“I know,” said Joel, “and I really can’t understand how we’ve been able to get this far without being seen.”
“Oh, you can thank Withers and Frayne for that,” said the Prince. “And also the fact that goblins are rather stupid creatures.”
“So when do we reach the city?”
“I’m not an expert on the geography, but Withers tells us we should be able to see the walls tomorrow. Then we can see how many of those scum there are, how well the city is guarded, and determine the best way in.” Jared paused, looking around at the company. “I don’t think it’s going to be easy,” he said, shaking his head. “I hope we can sneak in, but don’t hold your breath.”
“I’m not planning on it being easy either,” said Joel. “I just want to get in and back out without anybody else getting hurt or killed.”
“I know, SongMaster, and we’ll do the best we can, right? It’s all any of us can do. Now, I suggest you try to get some sleep. We may be able to get in the city tomorrow, if our luck holds.” He rose and wandered over to where Gaen was sitting, sharpening his sword
Joel shivered in the cold air and wrapped his blanket around himself, wishing he could light a fire. He had not played his guitar since the day before yesterday, and was starting to feel a little guilty again for not practicing. He consoled himself with the knowledge that playing the guitar now would most likely bring scores of goblins down on their location, so he would have to go without the practice and its accompanying lights and sounds.
He was wondering where J’Mart had disappeared to when Athena sat down next to him. “Hi,” she said. “May I join you?”
He smiled. “Of course you can. How goes the scouting?” Upon halting for the evening, Frayne had sent Bowen, Step and Athena in different directions to scout the territory around them and find exactly where the goblins were situated. Athena had been the first to return, and had just finished giving her report to the short warrior and the Warmaster.
She shrugged in response to his question. “As well as can be expected, I suppose. We’re basically surrounded on all sides, with the exception of the ravine, though I can’t imagine why. I can’t believe that they really are that stupid.”
“Maybe we’re just lucky,” he said. “It’s about time we had a little luck, don’t you think?”
“I suppose, but I don’t like it.” She frowned. “I can’t help thinking we’re walking straight into a trap.”
“Well, that may be, but I guess we’ll have to trust Withers.” He chuckled at the expression that crossed her face at the mention of the guide’s name. “Looks like you don’t trust him either.”
Athena shook her head. “No, and I don’t know why. I’ve just had a bad feeling about him since we met him in Gerund. Do you think he’s working for Ysuldur?”
Joel shrugged. “Impossible to tell, though I’m not sure why He would use trickery when he’s got about a million goblins ready to disconnect my head from my neck. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” Changing the subject, he said, “It’s good to see you.”
She leaned in closer and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s good to see you, too,” she whispered. “It sounds silly, but I’m glad we made it through another day.”
“You know, I’ve been wondering,” he said quietly. “Why are we bein
g so discreet? We’re both adults, after all, aren’t we? Are we doing something wrong?”
She sighed. “No, we’re not, Joel. The problem is that I’m still a Scout, and like I told you before, it’s discouraged for Scouts to be in relationships. It’s considered distracting because it can affect your judgment.”
“But I want to tell everybody about us. You know, there’s a good chance that they already know. Nobody here is stupid. I know the Prince is aware of it.”
“Which is fine,” she said, “because he’s not my commanding officer, Frayne is. And until Frayne comes to me and tells me it’s okay, I need to keep this kind of discreet, all right? It’s hard for me, too, you know.”
He put a dejected look on his face. “How about a deal?” he asked her. “If we make it past the goblins and rescue the Duran, then we tell everybody. How about that? I think we’ll have earned the right to do whatever we want by then, don’t you?”
She smiled. “All right, SongMaster. You have a deal. If we make it through this alive, I will tell every member of this company, beginning with Frayne, that I’m in love with you. Shall we shake on it?”
“Well, I’d prefer a kiss, but under the circumstances a handshake will have to do,” he said, and took her hand gently.
Just then there was a ‘pop’ and J’Mart appeared. “Brrr!” he said, making a show of shivering. “Getting colder in this winter wonderland, isn’t it?”
Athena started and looked in the Ramiken’s general direction. “J’Mart just appeared, didn’t he?” she asked.
“Yeah, he’s right there,” said Joel, pointing. “Can you see him?”
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