My father jumped down, landing squarely in the snow, a broad smile splitting his face. “What a rush!” he yelled, holding his dull sword skyward.
“Shh. Avalanches!” I reminded him, pointing at the snow. I’d told them all about the possibility of avalanches down in Frokontas. Either he’d not been listening or was too excited to care. I suspected the latter. I’d never seen anyone so ready for battle.
One by one the others arrived. Thankfully, they’d listened to me and spoke using hushed tones. As they were all assembling, I gazed down the mountain. The entrance to the Goblin village was about two hundred feet below us. I saw no sign of movement, but that didn’t mean they weren’t ready.
“This is going to be too easy!” whispered Jasper in my ear.
“Don’t underestimate them,” replied Morganna who was standing right next to us and overheard him.
“There’s no one there. Look!” insisted Jasper, who seemed to have inherited his lack of fear and brazen attitude from our father. I wished I had half their confidence.
“They are there,” Morganna said, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I can feel the Goblin magic. It’s pretty strong. Can’t you feel it?”
I’d felt it in Spears house when the swords were disappearing, but up here all I could feel was the icy breeze, which had the same effect, standing the hair on the back of my neck on end.
“We go down in waves,” said my father quietly. “I’ll go first with Alpha, Jasper, and Xander, then the Wolvren can follow. The dragons can take to the air and defend us as they see fit.”
A couple of the dragons nodded their heads and prepared to take off once again.
“Wait!” shouted Morganna. The snow behind us shifted slightly, making me nervous. “What about me? What about Julianna?”
My father looked over at me. “You two can follow the Wolvren. We need someone to hold back.”
“And you picked the two girls?” Morganna put her hands on her hips. “Not happening. You know I’m a better Slayer than you, and you’ve seen how brave Julianna is. I’m going down with you.”
My father looked like he was going to protest but thought better of it. “Fine. You can head up the front. Julianna, you stay to the rear.”
Now I was mad. Hadn’t I proved I was good enough to lead the group? But there was no time to protest. Everyone was already setting off. My father held his sword aloft again, and with a war cry, began to run down the mountain. Behind me, the earth shuddered. The snow was beginning to crack. In a spur of the moment decision, I ran toward the dragons that were beginning to take off and launched myself onto Ash’s back just as his feet left the ground. If my father didn’t want me on the front line, fine, but I wasn’t going to sit back and wait in the snow.
I’d flown with Ash enough times to anticipate his every move and so when he rolled right, I leaned left. We were a team and with us working together, we were stronger than if we were apart. Below us, my father charged to the entrance. I expected him to run straight but something was stopping him. I just couldn’t see what it was.
“Lower,” I shouted to Ash, who immediately went into a dive. As we neared the entrance, I saw a dome-shaped barrier covering the doorway. It was almost invisible, but I could just about see its outline. I watched as my father began hacking away at it with his sword, but it wasn’t having any effect.
“Get back!” I shouted down at him. “Ash, blow fire at it, see if that helps.”
Ash waited until everyone was a good ten feet clear of the entrance, then, stretching out his neck and opening his jaws wide, he let out a blast of flame. The magic dome was much easier to spot now as the fire burned around it, but it didn’t penetrate it. I couldn’t believe it. We’d come all this way to fight them and they’d made themselves safe using a magic forcefield. If we couldn’t find a way past it, they’d be free to do what they wanted with the swords and there would be nothing we could do to stop them.
Ash flew back up into the sky so high that the people below us looked like ants.
“What are you doing?” I screamed, holding onto him tightly. I loved flying with him usually, but at this height it was terrifying. Below me, I could see the whole mountain. The peak was below us and to the left. If I looked right, I could see Frokontas on one side of the range and Dronias on the other side. In the distance, I saw other small towns and villages with a patchwork quilt of farmlands separating them. Below us, the rest of the dragons circled, waiting for something to happen.
Ash circled around the peak. He couldn’t speak to me in his dragon form, but he was trying to tell me something.
“What is it?” I asked pointlessly. Then I realized what he wanted to say. The entrance we knew of to the Goblin village was one of three entrances. The second entrance, the one that the Slayers used to buy swords, was down at the base of the mountain somewhere, but there was another higher one on the mountain, too. If we could find it, there was a chance we’d be able to get in there.
We were too late. I didn’t need to look for the entrance. I could already see it and there were hundreds of Goblins swarming out of it and running down the mountain to where the Slayers and Wolvren were standing.
The Goblins had known we were coming and they’d been ready to ambush us. We were sitting ducks!
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ash saw them at the same time I did. He fell into a dive so quickly I almost didn’t have time to hold on. Fire burst from his mouth in an attempt to fry the invading goblins, but they were ready for him. They were using the same magical force field they’d used at the entrance to shield themselves. The fire bounced off of the invisible umbrella over them and spat out in all directions.
“Warn the others!” I screamed.
Ash turned slightly and glided down to the main Goblin entrance.
“They are here!” I yelled to the Slayers and Wolvren. “They are coming around the peak of the mountain at any second and they have a forcefield around them.”
The people below me readied themselves for the attack, but I already knew it wasn’t going to be enough. The Goblins may have been small, but the Slayers and Wolvren were hopelessly outnumbered. The dragons, after hearing what I’d said, followed Ash back up the mountain. The Goblins were still running down. In less than five minutes, they would be at the lower entrance and our people couldn’t hope to fight them.
“Maybe we should call it off,” I whispered. If we could get everyone on the backs of the dragons, we could get them all down to safety.
Ash shook his head. He was right, we couldn’t call it off. If we did, the Goblins would only come right down the mountain to Frokontas or Dronias and kill everyone in the villages. We had to fight them, to stop them, but how?
On either side of me, the dragons flew past, circling the angry Goblins from above. Every so often, they’d let out a burst of fire, but just as it had with Ash, their fire didn’t penetrate their protective field. I panicked, not knowing what to do. I could jump down from Ash and try to kill them with my sword, but there were too many. I’d be dead in less than a minute. I was just about to ask Ash to turn back to the others when inspiration hit.
“Fly higher!” I shouted at Ash, pointing to the mountain peak.
As we neared the top of the mountain, I began to scream. I shouted at the top of my voice. At first, Ash turned his head to see if I was alright, but when he understood what I was doing, he joined in, letting a loud roar escape his lips. The other dragons came to investigate and when they saw our plan, one by one, they added their voices to the mix. Our combined efforts rattled down the valley. Anyone below us would wonder what was going on.
“Blow fire down there,” I instructed, pointing at a particularly precarious patch of snow. He did as I asked and it was all it needed to give way. Thousands of tons of snow began to crash down the mountain. We’d caused a massive avalanche.
In my head, I’d only thought to cover the goblins. I thought that w
e’d dislodge only enough snow to reach them, leaving our people free, but now I saw what we’d done. What I’d done. Snow, too much snow, was hurtling down the mountain at an impressive rate. It wasn’t only going to envelop the goblins, it was going to smother those on our side too.
“Quick! Go down and pick up the others,” I instructed, urging him to speed up.
Ash turned and flew as fast as he could down the mountain, letting gravity help. We flew over the Goblins who had now noticed the snow tumbling towards them and had picked up their pace. But it wasn’t enough. The snow rumbled down, knocking the Goblins over and smothering them. Their forcefield was not a match for the sheer weight of the snow. Ash flew over them and swooped down so we could pick up some of the Slayers and Wolvren by the lower entrance, but it was too late. The snow was almost upon us.
“Ash!” I screamed as we were engulfed in white powder. I tumbled from Ash’s back and rolled, unable to stop the motion. What had I done? I thought I’ be saving us, but I’d only succeeded in getting everyone caught in the avalanche.
Everything went from white to black as the snow above me got deeper and still I was tumbling, spinning over and over with only the roar of the snow in my ears.
Then everything stopped. The tumbling ceased and I found myself encased in snow. Snow that would become my grave if I didn’t find a way out soon. I cried out for Ash but my voice disappeared into the snow. I was completely alone.
I was disoriented and didn’t know which way to dig. I tried listening, hoping that someone would be shouting for me, but everything was silent, the snow drowning out all sounds from above. I took in a couple of breaths, knowing that I didn’t have much oxygen left, and tried to clear my head. Trying to figure out which way was up was impossible, but to stay still and do nothing was a death sentence.
I chose a direction, not knowing if it was the right one, and began to dig, pushing freezing snow away from my face. I knew I only had minutes left, so I worked hard and fast, trying to get as much snow away from me as possible. I was just about to give up when a strange vibration passed through me and the snow. It was enough to loosen the snow and for me to punch my way out. From there, someone grabbed hold of my hand and yanked me free. I took a great lungful of air to shake the dizzy feeling, then looked about me.
The whole mountainside was covered in snow, but at least it had stopped moving. All around me I could see people clamoring out of the snow. Many people. The avalanche had not been as deadly as I thought it might be, but it had done damage. I could see that. The entrance to the Goblin village was now buried.
“Morganna used the last of her goblin magic to loosen the snow,” my father said, pulling me to my feet. “I think you are the last to be pulled free.”
“Everyone survived?” I asked incredulously.
My father nodded. “Thanks to Morganna and the dragons, yes, I believe they did.”
“The dragons?”
“They used fire to melt the top layer of snow.”
“What about the...” I hadn’t finished my question before I got my answer. A mob of angry Goblins was heading our way.
Weapons raised and angry looks on their faces, they charged at us. As the farthest down the hill, I watched as they began their attack. There were about a third of them than there had been before. The snow had taken them by surprise, crushing their forcefield and burying many of them.
The thought of it was enough to spur me on. We were now on an even footing. Pulling my sword out from its sheath, I raced uphill, ready for battle, my father following closely behind.
Ahead of me, Morganna and Xander were locked in a battle of swords with a couple of the Goblins. Jasper had forgotten his sword completely and was using his fists to clobber one of the taller Goblins. Above, the dragons spat fire and snapped at the Goblins at the back, picking them up with their teeth and flinging them over the precipice. I watched as Ash swooped down and grabbed one of the Goblins. He flew over me and hurled the screaming creature down the mountain.
A pack of wolves ran past me, their teeth bared, ready for a fight. I jumped, wondering for a second where they had come from, before realizing they were just the Wolvren who had shifted into their wolf form. It had been such a long time since I’d seen them as anything but human that I’d forgotten they were shifters. Snarling and snapping, the wolves attacked the Goblins, biting down on any limb they could sink their teeth in to.
Everywhere I looked, people and Goblins were fighting. Some with weapons, some with fire, and some with magic. I scanned the chaos, looking for Krikor, but before I found him, I saw Alpha being held upside down in the air by some invisible force. Below him, a Goblin held up his hands, using what was left of his magic.
I ran toward him, and before he had time to react, I barged into him, knocking us both to the ground. Without the magic holding him up, Alpha fell on top of the pair of us, knocking the air out of all of us.
“Thanks,” Alpha said getting to his feet. He held his hand out to pull me up, but another Goblin was already upon him. Without any weapon, Alpha was at a disadvantage, but the small goblin underestimated his strength. As I pulled myself up, Alpha turned into a wolf, surprising both me and the Goblin on his back. He turned and with his huge jaw, he grabbed the Goblin, pulling its arm clean away from its body. I closed my eyes and tried not to throw up at the sight of blood spurting from the Goblin’s arm socket as the piercing scream hit my ears.
“No time for dawdling.” Someone pulled me up. I opened my eyes to find my father once again. He was locked in a sword fight with one of the Goblins but had still managed to take my arm and pull me out of harm’s way. Behind him, another sword-wielding goblin attacked. I jumped between them and pointed my sword at the attacker. Behind me, I heard the sound of metal clanging together, of sword upon sword as my father fought. In front of me, I knew I’d have to do the same. It had been a long time since I’d had to battle anyone with a sword but it came naturally. The Goblin came right at me, his sword outstretched, but I managed to knock it to one side. I quickly recovered from the attack to get in my own blow, but the Goblin was good. He parried my blow and lunged forward, but I was too quick for him. I jumped to my left and attacked again, this time ripping a hole in his sleeve and tearing the skin of his arm slightly. He kept up with me, defending my attacks expertly and getting in some jabs of his own. Behind me, I still heard my father fighting with the other Goblin, his back against mine.
I tried another move, this time shocking the Goblin into taking a step back. I was winning! As I was about to deliver a final blow, another Goblin jumped in. Now I was fighting two of them. I was good, but not that good. Keeping two swords at bay was taking up all of my concentration and skill.
“Daddy!” I shouted as the first one leaped forward.
A flash of silver from my father’s sword and the Goblin’s head came clean off his shoulders, flying down the mountain. The shock of it was enough to make the second Goblin pause. I took my opportunity and lunged at him, but he was quick and managed to dodge out of the way. He turned and fled, leaving me with just my father.
“Thank you, you saved my life,” I said, turning to my father, but he wasn’t standing behind me as I’d expected. He was on the ground, a sword protruding from his eye socket. I knelt, feeling numb, and pressed a finger to his throat. There was no life in him.
He was dead because of me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
At that moment, the world ceased to exist. Everything went quiet, the fighting stopped. Nothing mattered. My father was dead. I tried to shake him awake even though I knew it was pointless. The Goblin sword had pierced his brain.
All around me, the battle raged on. We’d started off strong thanks to the avalanche, but the Goblins were using both magic and weapons stronger than ours. I recognized the sword that killed my father as one that had disappeared from Spear’s house.
Tears fell down my cheek, dropping onto my father’s face, mixing with the blood. I pulled the sword from his
eye and threw it as far as I could away from him.
My father had given his life to save me. If I’d not called out his name, called to him for help, he wouldn’t have lost concentration. There was no way a lowly Goblin would have been able to kill my father, not even with my father’s sword empty of dragon souls as it was. My father was a slayer, a warrior, a protector. It was all he ever had been. He’d died on the battlefield as he always wanted to.
Movement to my right jolted me out of my reverie. It was the Goblin that had killed him, and he no longer had a sword. Jumping to my feet and with an anger I would never have thought I could possess, I charged at him, screaming. My sword pierced his heart.
He dropped to the ground, blood pouring out of him as he took his last breath. He died, his eyes still open, now unseeing. He was my first kill, but he wouldn’t be my last. Anger and frustration surged through me. I screamed so loudly that I was sure they heard me at the bottom of the mountain. I lifted my sword skyward and vowed to kill the Goblins. I’d kill all of them for what they had done, not just to my father, but to all the Slayers and dragons.
My sword felt different, heavier somehow, and yet more powerful. It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened. I’d not killed the goblin at all, despite driving the sword right through his chest. I’d stolen his soul just as the goblins had taken the dragons’ souls.
I could feel the magic around me, and for the first time, understood what it felt like to own a soul-filled sword. I felt invincible. Invincible and extremely angry.
People were fighting all around me. It was chaos. Fire rained down, melting the blood covered snow, revealing the dead bodies of those Goblins who had fallen in the avalanche. The smell of burning meat, which could only be coming from the charred bodies of the Goblins that the dragons had attacked, permeated the air. To my side, a couple of the Wolvren still in their human form were fending off a particularly nasty group. I ran past them, slaying each Goblin in turn before they even saw I was there. With each kill, my sword grew stronger and my anger deepened. Adrenaline fueled my rage as I killed Goblin after Goblin, not pausing between each kill, and not caring for the souls I was taking.
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