| |
“It’s time to go,” Lex whispered, grabbing Dusk by the shoulder.
Dusk started and tore his eyes away from the horde that was devouring Torbin. He could still hear the slurping and the tearing, but he tried to keep his attention on Lex. His stomach turned as a loud crunch filled the air. Gripping the hilt of the sword a little tighter, he followed behind as Lex began to creep around the back of the closest hut, keeping as close to the stone wall as possible.
They kept themselves pressed between the wall and the moldy structures, sometimes having to step over logs and debris to avoid going around. Every few yards Dusk glanced over his shoulder to watch the feeding frenzy that continued in the center of the chamber. Even the crowned goblin had set his cloak and antlers aside to join them. Dusk saw that he had removed an arm at the elbow and was holding it by the wrist, stripping pieces of flesh off the forearm. The sight was sickening, but still they pressed forward.
Lex guided Dusk through the tangle of logs and rotting wood until at last they reached the other end of the cavern. Holding out a hand to steady himself, Dusk noticed the stone was warmer this close to the surface and small patches of moss grew across it. He peered ahead with Lex over the distance that separated them from the way out. It would take them less than ten seconds to cross the gap at a sprint, but there was a problem. Two goblins stood guard at the door, although they were distracted and staring hungrily at the mass that fed at the statue. Dusk could see them licking their lips and shifting side to side restlessly, anxious to take part in the feast.
Lex turned back and whispered, “If we make a run for it, we might be able to get away before they know what’s happening.”
“Isn’t there a way to go through quietly?” Dusk asked, looking around as he leaned against the back of the last hut. “Can we distract them somehow?”
“The longer we wait, the less of that man is left for them to eat. We have to go now.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Trust me.”
“But I—”
Lex leapt out from behind the hut and took off at a dead sprint towards the door. Dusk hesitated for only a moment, but he knew it was their only shot. Digging his heels into the rough stone floor, he took off. Lex made it to the door first, brandishing his weapon. The guards didn’t have time to react as his sword flashed in the sunlight, cleaving one of their throats open. Blood sprayed across the stone and the first guard fell without a sound. The second guard, however, found a moment to screech out before Lex jammed his sword through its torso and twisted it cruelly. As he yanked it out the goblin sank to the floor pawing at its torso to stop the blood from pouring out of its body.
“Come on!” Lex called back and rushed through the door into the sunlight.
Dusk was only steps behind. Within Seconds he finally burst into the bright light of midday beyond the goblin city. The world was ablaze with harsh white sunlight and he had to shield his eyes. Half-blind, he ran forward following the sound of Lex’s footsteps until, through squinted eyes, he could make out some of his surroundings. It looked as if they were in the center of the ruined city. Streets overgrown with ivy and trees curved away from a large open square. If not for the sparse patches of cobblestones, Dusk wouldn’t even have guessed they were paved. Grass and trees grew everywhere and a thick layer of soil had accumulated over the centuries. Crumbling walls were covered in sprawling vines that still held their green in the autumn. All around, the trees had turned to skeletons and the golden leaves left on the ground were losing their luster. He could hear the sounds of nature on all sides and he gladly inhaled the fresh, clean air.
Then a new sound came from behind them, one that caused their feet to quicken. The shrill cries of a small army of goblins whose feet could be heard pounding on the stone.
“Into the forest!” Lex panted, putting on more speed. “We can lose them in the trees!”
Dusk strained against his boots harder, his sword flashing as it swung wildly, still clutched in his right hand. Allowing Lex to lead, they pounded their way through the ruins. Lex turned at every other building, weaving through them as if he knew where he was going. Dusk suspected he was trying to confuse the goblins, but something told him they wouldn’t have much trouble sniffing the two out. Building after building passed by, each more overgrown than the last. Eventually they were running through the forest itself, but low stone walls and crumbled buildings still remained amongst the trees. In many places the walls had been pushed aside by the massive trunks, their roots disrupting the foundations and slowly shifting and collapsing them over time. Dusk strained to hear over the sounds of his own breath and his heart pounding in his ears. The screeches and scrabbling feet had faded.
Up ahead, Dusk watched as Lex stole a glance over his shoulder. Then he stopped and looked about. Without missing a beat he ran to a crumbling wall and began to climb the tipping pile of stones. “Up here,” he cried as he clambered up, throwing his sword to the ground to free his hands.
Dusk followed his lead, tossing his sword aside and taking a running start at the stone. He kicked off from the ground and used his momentum to bring him level with Lex in a matter of seconds. The branches of the trees were more than fifteen feet off the ground, leaving the forest floor wide open to pass through. Lex stood up on the highest stone and easily reached one of the lower, thick branches. With a jump he hoisted himself up and stepped gracefully to another, leaving space for Dusk to do the same.
Hoping that the goblins couldn’t climb trees, or better yet, passed by unaware, Dusk climbed upward, following Lex high into the boughs. They were more than forty feet off the ground when the horde could be heard once more, crashing its way through the woods. Both of them turned and looked out through the branches. A swarming mass of lumpy gray-green flesh made its way towards them, moving as if it was a single beast. They scuffled and fought with one another to be at the head of the mass, but three led the way some thirty feet in front of the group. The three were spread out and sniffing the ground like dogs on all fours, occasionally stopping at a log where Lex’s foot had fallen or a trunk that Dusk’s hand had brushed. As they came closer the three came together, heading directly for the wall.
Dusk and Lex exchanged nervous glances and pulled their way higher into the tree. They could still make out the roiling mass below, but they could go no further. The branches were growing thin and would no longer bear their weight. Dusk kept himself close to the trunk. Although he was skinnier than most, he didn’t trust the branches. He looked down between his feet, noticing a few of the goblins with their claws dug into the bark of the tree. They were looking directly at him.
Without any leaves there was nowhere to hide and soon the entire group was staring at their prey. They barked and bayed like hounds at the foot of the tree. A few of them even attempted to climb it, but most fell back to the ground, too weak to hoist their bulbous bodies up the trunk. Two however, managed to get hands on the lower branches and began climbing rapidly. The snarls grew louder as the two men watched the creatures come closer. Being unable to fight and armed with no more than a hammer and dagger, they watched as the creatures drew closer.
One put on a burst of speed, leaping at Dusk and latching to one of his legs. It clawed and scratched, finally managing to get its mouth around his lower leg. The teeth sank into the soft black leather, but couldn’t find their way through to damage his skin. Holding the branch above, Dusk lifted himself into the air and aimed a swift kick between the creature's eyes with his free foot. It connected hard and Dusk felt his heel sink into one of the large, dark eyes with a sickening pop. Immediately it let go, howling with pain and clutching its face as it fell. It struck several branches on the way down, each making a hollow cracking noise before the body struck the hard earth.
Another followed it moments later as Lex kicked the second away from the trunk. The goblin was thrown far from the tree and missed the branches on the way down, but the sound of its body crunching as it hit the ground echoed back up to them over the din. The creatures below grew frustrated at their newly dead comrades and began to cry and shriek louder, filling the forest with the sounds of their rage for miles.
Dusk looked on as the antler crowned goblin made its way up to the top of the crumbling wall they had climbed and held its hands up once more. The crowd fell silent and the sounds echoed away in the trees. Not even a breath of wind stirred in that moment as the goblins waited for their leader to speak. Its hands fell to its sides and it drew a breath, but nothing came out. The only sound was a dull thud as the body toppled forward off the wall, a thick black-shafted arrow with white fletching sticking out of the back of its skull.
The horde stood dumbfounded for a minute, looking to their fallen leader and then to each other. Then more arrows began to rain upon them, striking at least five more dead before any of them could react. Chaos followed as every goblin tried to flee in a different direction. They crashed into one another, fights broke out, and more arrows flew into the crowd. Without a leader they seemed confused and helpless. Before the last had disappeared into the trees, more than twenty lay dead upon the ground, including the two that had been kicked out of the tree.
Lex opened his mouth to speak, but immediately snapped it shut as a thick, muscled figure entered the clearing near the crumbling wall. They recognized him immediately.
“They won’t be coming back, at least for a while,” Brand’s husky voice called out over his shoulder. “Goblins can’t do anything without a leader.”
“Torbin!” another familiar voice called. Rami stepped forward in his fawn colored furs. “Torbin! Are you alive?”
“Well if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t answer. I don’t know why I let you talk me into this Rami,” Brand sighed, kicking one of the goblin carcasses. “That bastard is more trouble than he’s worth.”
“He’s our best tracker boss,” Rami replied. “We need him for jobs.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just find him and get out of here. If there’s anything left to find.”
Brand waved a thick arm over his head and eight more men walked out into view. Each of them had the same greasy, unkempt appearance. At least two of them were the same men that had attacked the caravan Dusk had been tied to on the way to Malkekna. He felt his chest tighten as dread set in. What if they recognized him?
Glancing to the side he saw Lex was already pressed against the tree, trying to make himself as invisible as possible without much luck. Dusk looked down again, watching the men go from body to body, retrieving their arrows. He prayed they wouldn’t look up as Rami continued calling for Torbin, not knowing he would never answer. The men made their way across the clearing, kicking at the bodies viciously and laughing about how easy they were to kill.
They were almost out of sight when one of the last men bent down and lifted something out of the fallen leaves. It was one of the swords they had cast away.
“Hey boss!” he called out. “Look at this.” The man held the sword high in the air, waving it back and forth. “It’s not a goblin blade and I don’t think it’s Torbin’s.”
Brand’s large body lumbered back into the clearing, taking the blade from his subordinate. He studied it for a moment and then looked about as if putting the pieces together. Dusk couldn’t tear his eyes away as Brand walked the area, squatting down at times to examine the forest floor. A few moments went by before he picked up the second sword and made his way to the crumbling wall. Slowly his eyes began to look up the trunk of the tree until they settled on Dusk and Lex high above.
“It seems we have some tree bound rodents,” Brand growled. “Get back here you morons,” he called to his men, swinging an arm to beckon them.
All came scampering back quickly. Rami was the slowest to return as he was still calling out for Torbin. Brand spoke to them so quietly that Dusk couldn’t make out the words. Three of the men, including Rami, split off and headed into the ruins. The other eight, including Brand, circled the tree. A few of them had arrows knocked on their bowstrings and held them aloft, aiming directly at the pair of them.
“You’ve got nowhere to go!” Brand called up at them. “You can come down and join us or we can shoot you out of the tree.” The men around him laughed darkly, each smiling with rows of yellow teeth. “Or we can chop the tree down. Either way it’s going to be a nasty fall.”
“We’ll never join you!” Lex cried out suddenly. “You and your fellow jackasses can jump off a cliff!”
“Oooh, the puppy can bark,” Brand laughed again, the others joining in. “You have an hour. After that we’ll shoot you out of the tree. Live or die, it’s your choice.”
Brand motioned for the others to follow him. Within a few moments all of them had found a comfortable place to rest still within eyesight of the two men stuck at the top of the tree.
The wind blew softly, rocking the top of the tree back and forth as Lex and Dusk stared at their inevitable fate. Dusk knew he didn’t want to die, but the idea of being forced to join a gang of bandits seemed unappealing at the very least. They didn’t know who he was, but his scars and tattoo would give him away. But maybe they needed men more than they needed a few gold coins for a runaway slave. Lex on the other hand would be recognized immediately. Dusk glanced over to him, catching his eye for a moment.
“Lex,” he said quietly, making sure he couldn’t be overheard. “We’ll have to go down.”
“What!?” Lex hissed through his teeth. “Are you crazy? We can’t join a gang of highway bandits!”
“Would you rather be dead?”
“Yes! I would rather die with honor than stoop so low as to become an outlaw!”
“You’re already an outlaw.”
Lex was silent, a look of confusion on his face.
“You’ve been travelling with a runaway slave for days and you haven’t turned me in. And I don’t think you ever intended to,” Dusk whispered, placing a hand on Lex’s shoulder in appreciation. “Let’s just go with them and we’ll find a way out later. We made it through that giant ruin with no help, we can outwit a bunch of buffoons that steal coin purses from passing travelers.”
“What if someone finds out?”
“Who is gonna care that some nobody named Lex was a bandit for a couple of weeks?”
Lex opened his mouth to reply, his brows furrowed with anger, but then he stopped himself. The anger melted away, leaving behind only anxiety.
“We’ll escape the first chance we get. They won’t be watching us if we prove ourselves quickly. The faster we come out of this tree, the better our chances will be.”
Lex stared at him for a moment and then nodded heavily in defeat. Dusk nodded back and together they began to work their way down the tree. As they approached the last branches, one of the men tapped Brand on the shoulder and pointed up. Suddenly everyone was on their feet and surrounding the tree once more as Dusk dropped the last few feet off the stone wall onto the soft soil.
“Smart choice,” Brand rumbled. “Maybe you’re not worthless after all, but I still don’t trust you. Search them!”
Dusk was pulled roughly to the side, his arms twisted painfully and forced behind his back. Another two men nearly tackled Lex as soon as his feet touched the ground. The bandits rifled through their pockets and clothing, pawing them unceremoniously until everything they still had was removed from their person. Two coin purses, a dagger, a hammer, and Lex’s satchel lay on the ground in front of them.
“Junk,” Brand said as he tossed the rusted hammer aside. Then he picked up Lex’s bag. “I remember this satchel,” he said lightly. “I should have taken it, it’s finely made although you’ve made a right mess of it.” Brand turned to Dusk, “I haven’t seen you before. You must have found him on the road and set him free. I didn’t believe Torbin when he said there was someone watching. I guess that old bird was useful after all.” He pulled out two Lumorium stones that were now dull in the sunlight, “Do you two collect rocks for fun? Worthless.” He tossed them into the forest, not knowing what he’d thrown away.
Nothing else in the bag seemed to catch his attention and he finally dropped it to the ground. He lifted the two small coin purses, jangled them lightly with a smile, and then attached them to his own belt. He looked at the dagger for a moment, then tossed it to one of the other men, turning back to Dusk and Lex.
“Now that you’ve cooperated, I’ll give you a choice. You can join us or serve us, which do you ch—”
“Boss,” one of the other men interrupted.
Brand spun around and stamped up to him, taking him by the collar and lifting him off the ground, slamming him against the trunk of a tree. “Can’t you see that I’m busy you fool? Don’t interrupt me again or I’ll break both of your legs and leave you here to be scavenged by those little green fucks!”
“It’s–” he choked, his windpipe pressed shut by a meaty hand. “It’s Karthan’s–dagger.”
Brand dropped him to the ground. “What do you mean it’s Karthan’s dagger?”
The man coughed a few times, trying to get air back into his lungs. “The day–we attacked–that slave trader. One of the slaves–ran off. He chased after. I found him dead just inside the woods,” he took another breath. “His bone dagger, cloak, and leathers were gone.”
Brand wheeled around, looking furiously at Dusk who was still wearing the aforementioned leathers across his torso.
“So,” he said casually. “You like to kill my men.”
Dusk was silent, his heart pounding in his chest.
“I can appreciate a lust for blood. That’s a good quality in a man, but...” he walked over and jerked Dusk’s arm forward, turning it over to show the tattoo and the rough scars on his wrist. “I won’t have a broken dog as one of my men. No, I know what you’re already good at. Being subservient. Isn’t that right?”
Dusk met his eyes for a moment, a fire burning deep within him. It was just like being in front of Maxon once more. He felt the grip on his wrist tighten, the bones creaking against one another as Brand squeezed and twisted. Knowing there was no way out, he did the only thing he could think of. Dropping his gaze to the ground he muttered the phrase he knew so well.
“Yes sir.”
“Ah, there he is,” Brand scoffed, letting his wrist go. “I think you’ll make a nice servant back at base. We haven’t had any good help in a long time. There’ll be plenty to do. And you,” he snapped, turning to Lex. “You’re a wild animal that hasn’t ever taken orders. You’d bite me the second you got a chance.”
“I don’t want to join your shit show anyway!” Lex yelled. “You fucking piece of sh—”
Dusk cringed as he saw Brand’s massive fist collide with Lex’s stomach. The air rushed out of his body with a sickening wheeze and Lex collapsed to the ground. Dusk stole a glance at him. He was definitely unconscious. Over his shoulder, Dusk could hear the sound of footsteps approaching.
“Tie them up and blindfold them,” Brand ordered, turning to meet the three men who were just returning from the ruins. “Well, what did you find?”
“Torbin’s dead,” Rami sniffed. “There wasn’t... much left.”
“Good. One less idiot to worry about. Anything else?”
“There’s a w-whole city in t-there boss,” Dusk heard a small jittery man dwarfed by Rami say as ropes were being lashed around his wrists. “Lots of s-statues but n-no gold it looks l-like.”
“We can explore it another day.” Brand turned back to the rest and pointed a finger up to the sky, twirling it in a circle. “Pack it up! Those goblins may not have a leader, but they’ll be back soon and they’re stupid enough to try attacking.”
Dusk watched as Rami stumbled over, wiping tears from his eyes. For a fraction of a second, Dusk almost felt bad for the large man. He remembered how Rami had treated Torbin the day they robbed Lex. They must have been friends. Rami stooped down and picked up Lex as if he were no more than a sack of potatoes. Throwing his limp body over one shoulder he turned to follow the others. Dusk watched the men follow and begin their trek to the southeast as his hands were bound in front of him and a piece of dark fabric was pulled down over his eyes.