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“All you say is true,” said Bregnest. “Battle, however, is the last thing we want.”
“If the goblin scouts are any good, they’ll find us here for sure,” said Halfdan.
“The horses are too tired for us to make a run for it,” Val added. “I doubt we would make it more than a mile or two.”
“Gather your gear,” Bregnest ordered. “We can’t stay here and we can’t run, so we’ll do what we can. We’ll walk the horses back the way we came, and hope for the best.”
“There was some rocky ground two, maybe three, miles back,” Andy whispered. “We’d be out of the trees but able to see anything coming toward us.”
“I remember some large rocks on the east side of the road,” said Alex. “If we can reach them, we would have some cover as well.”
“Two or three miles is a long walk, so we’d best get moving,” said Bregnest. “Keep your horses quiet, and no talking. Sindar, scout ahead of us, but not too far. If we are attacked, I want you close.”
They moved into the darkness as quietly as they could. The night air was still, and every sound they made seemed incredibly loud to Alex. He wished there was some wind to help cover the noise they were making, but his wish went unanswered.
Alex didn’t know much about goblins, but what he did know didn’t make him feel good. Goblins were warriors, and they could see in the dark. If the goblins found them, they would have to fight for their lives. And with sixty or more goblins so close, Alex wasn’t feeling too confident.
Without thinking about it, Alex rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. The touch of the cold metal calmed his mind, just as it had in the past, but this time he could feel the magic slipping into him, and with it came the desire to destroy the goblins. They were evil after all, and the world would be better if they were destroyed. In fact, they should be thinking of how to kill the goblins, not looking for a way to escape them.
“Take your hand off the sword,” a voice whispered. “Don’t touch it unless you are attacked.”
Alex jerked his head around to see who had spoken, but nobody was there. Slowly he let his hand fall to his side, his mind focusing on the path ahead of him. His desire to kill the goblins had been strong, but now it seemed foolish. Six against sixty? The company wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight; they would all be killed.
Time seemed to slow down. The rocky place Alex remembered seemed to be further away than he’d guessed. Troubled thoughts filled his mind as the group continued to walk, and the thoughts weren’t all about goblins. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard a voice that seemed to be coming from inside his own head.
Alex was starting to think they had gone too far, that they’d missed the rocky place in the darkness, when Bregnest came to a sudden stop. Without speaking, he motioned for the others to follow him off the road, pointing to a high spot a few hundred yards away where four stones, each one nearly as tall as Alex, formed a rough square, giving them some cover. They started forward once more, moving slower than they had before and unavoidably making more noise. Some of the rocks on the hillside were loose, and they clacked loudly against each other as the horses walked over them.
“This will have to do,” Bregnest said quietly when they reached the standing stones. “We’ll tie the horses between the rocks, and—”
His words were cut short as Sindar dove forward, knocking both Alex and Andy to the ground. Alex heard a loud crack, and then what sounded like a stick being dropped on the rocks.
“Arrows,” Halfdan growled. “We’re in trouble now.”
“Let the horses run,” Bregnest yelled. “Get into the square.”
Alex let go of Shahree’s reins as he tried to get to his feet. He could hear the other horses already ru
“Go!” Alex yelled, afraid that an arrow would hit his horse at any moment. “Guide the others to safety. I will call you when the danger has passed.”
Shahree snorted and dashed into the darkness, vanishing in seconds. Alex stumbled over loose gravel and crashed into one of the large stones, falling to his knees. His mind raced with fear, and he tried as hard as he could to focus and control his emotions. The goblins had them trapped, and he couldn’t see any way for them to escape.
“Is anyone hit?” Sindar questioned.
“Thanks to you, no,” Andy answered in a shaky voice.
“They will be coming soon,” said Bregnest. “I’ll take the north side. Sindar, the south. Alex and Val, the east. Halfdan and Andy, the west. Stay near the rocks, and don’t let them draw you away.”
Stay near the rocks,Alex repeated to himself as he drew his sword.
The magic of Moon Slayer flooded him, and just in time. As soon as the sword was in his hand the goblins came from all directions. Alex’s fear disappeared, and the desire to destroy the goblins was stronger than ever. Taking one quick step forward, he drove his sword through the first goblin warrior and was back behind the rocks before an arrow could find him.
Two more goblins appeared, one of them tripping over the body in his rush to reach the rocks. Alex brought his sword down on the goblin’s head, while Val took care of the other one with several quick slashes from both his sword and his dagger.
“Everyone still all right?” Bregnest questioned in the darkness.
“That was only a test,” Halfdan commented after everyone had said they were fine. “They’re testing our defenses. They’ll come in greater numbers before long.”
“First they will give us some time,” Sindar added. “In case we decide to run for it and make ourselves easy targets.”
Sindar was right. The night was silent for a long time; Alex could hear his friends breathing around him. He knew the goblins were still there, just out of sight, waiting for the right time to attack again. The magic of his sword urged him to move forward, to go out and hunt down the evil in the darkness, but he resisted.
Alex tried to relax, but it wasn’t easy. Taking several deep breaths he focused his thoughts on something other than the trouble they were in. At first he couldn’t think of anything at all, and then he thought about the goblins. Why were they even here? The goblins had been moving down the valley, but where were they going? The more he thought about the goblins, the more he felt his magic moving outward, away from him.
Unsure of what he was doing, Alex let his magic flow. He felt the emotions of his friends for a moment—their worries and fears—but then his magic moved on. Hoping that his magic could somehow help, Alex focused on every thought and feeling that came into his mind. There was nothing for a time, and then a mix of hate and fear crashed into his mind. He pressed himself against the rock he was standing next to so he wouldn’t fall down. A wave of thoughts washed over him, and as he struggled to sort them out, he suddenly understood.
“They will come from the north in force,” Alex said softly. “One or two from each of the other sides, but at least a dozen from the north.”
“How do you—” Val questioned, but stopped short when he saw Alex’s face.
“Magic?” Bregnest asked.
“Yes,” said Alex, pushing himself away from the rock. “They will be here in a few minutes.”
“Alex and Sindar with me on the north,” Bregnest ordered without asking any more questions. “Sindar, keep an eye on the others, just in case.”
They had barely moved into position when the goblins appeared, howling and yelling like demons. Alex let the magic of his sword guide him as he fought, but he continued to resist the urge to rush out and slay every goblin he could find.
The battle was short and bloody, and near the end, Alex looked around in time to see a huge goblin hit Halfdan with a hammer-like weapon. Halfdan went down hard, and Sindar quickly drove both his swords into the goblin’s chest. The elf reached down to check Halfdan for wounds, and Alex was glad Halfdan hadn’t been killed.