Ru Emerson - Keep on the Borderlands

“M’Whan must have gone that way,” she began but stopped, as abreath later M’Whan came into the light.

“Passage there,” he gasped, out of breath. “Goes down, arounda corner. More stairs and a closed door at the top. The one I followed went through it.”

“And may bring others back here,” M’Baddah said. He, Willow,and two of the Keep men went back the way they’d come to keep watch, and Meadtook up a position just inside the lower corridor.

“Or it might’ve just run,” Jerdren said. He retrieved hisarrows, tossing aside one that had snapped against the wall and another that had fallen into the fire pit.

“These don’t look like rich goblins to me. Ratty clothes,lousy leather bits for armor-nowhere to hide a bag of gems in that, and nowherein this room, either. I say we go back the way we came and on up where those guards were before we worry about that runner. No sense getting caught between two bunches of goblins, even if they aren’t much to fight. Besides, if theguards are eating, they’ll be as easy as this bunch to catch off guard.”

“Not much to fight,” Blorys said dryly. “They just sneak upon you and ambush you. No danger of dying from that, is there?”

“Don’t make assumptions like that,” Eddis added flatly.“We’ve been blessed lucky, two fights in a row. Only a fool would think they’reall going to be as easy as this was.”

Jerdren rolled his eyes ceilingward and led the way back out, beckoning M’Whan to join him. The rest followed.

Near the end of the passage, where they could see light from outside, Eddis called a brief halt for water and a rest. When they moved on, she and Willow were in the lead, several paces ahead, the elf listening intently for the sounds of goblins or other creatures moving around the passages. For now, there didn’t seem to be any, and within moments they reached a four-waybranching passage. A faint light flickered straight ahead-perhaps a candle oroil lamp in a deep niche, Eddis thought. Otherwise it was quiet and dark that way and utterly dark to their left. She glanced at Willow, sent her gaze that direction.

The elf listened and sniffed cautiously, then whispered, “It’s a dead end, I think.”

To their right, however, came a sudden burst of coarse laughter. They’d found the guards. These were laughing at some joke, or maybesimply drunk-she couldn’t tell. Ruddy light flared as though someone had tosseda log on a fire, and by that she could make out that the whole south wall of the chamber-a large chamber-was open to the passage. Great, she thought. We won’t besneaking up on anyone here. She and the elf drew back to describe the layout to the others.

Jerdren thought for a moment, then listened as the priest spoke into his ear. The swordsman nodded vigorously.

“Eddis, M’Whan, and two of you Keep men who can run fast,we’ll go first,” he whispered. “Arrows ready. We’re gonna sprint along thatpassage, fire, and keep going until we reach the far end of the chamber.”

“Where they can pick us off one at a time?” Eddis objected.

“No. Panev says he has something that will distract ’em.”

He was gone before she could say anything else, moving along the tunnel until a step or two more would bring him into the open. Blorys sighed faintly and gripped her arm as she swore under her breath. She smiled at him, fitted an arrow to the string, and went to join Jerdren. Two of the Keep men and the priest were right on her heels. A glance over her shoulder as she settled in to wait. Panev tilted his head back and began to pray quietly.

Jerdren went into a low crouch, then burst into the open, Eddis right on his heels. She could hear the pounding of boots right behind her. Movement-there, to her right, and not as far away as she would have liked. Sheswerved as her co-captain came to an abrupt halt and turned to fire an arrow, then took off again. She shot two arrows wildly and ran, slamming hard into Jerdren’s outstretched arm. She had a sharp mental image of stunned goblinsstaring at them, mouths agape, until Jerdren’s arrow brought one of them downyelping. The Keep men ran up, and the orcs were coming for them.

We’re dead, Eddis thought, and was suddenly angry.

“Jers, you brainless oaf-!” She caught her breath in astartled gasp. Brilliant light, painful as lightning, flooded the room.

“That’s Panev,” Jerdren hissed. “Back the way we came-now!”

If he’d run fast coming over, he was almost flying now. Eddisstretched her legs and tried to keep up.

All four made it back across without incident. Most of the goblins were clutching their eyes and wailing, but as Eddis ran for the relative safety of the corridor, two of the goblins scooped up a bundle from the floor and fled through a massive wooden door she hadn’t noticed before. Two othersdrew short swords and swung them wildly, as if they expected the crazed humans to sneak up on them and kill them while they were blinded. One accidentally slashed its companion in the forearm.

He screeched in pain and flung himself away from the blade, crying out, “Bree-yark!”

Kadymus pushed past Eddis, laughing. “Hey, get that! Hit ’emwith a little light and a few bad shots, and they give up!

Jerdren snatched at the youth’s sleeve but too late. Theyoung thief was already halfway across the room, swaggering toward the huddled creatures, sword in one hand, long dagger in the other.

“Gotta be one of you understands some Common, I bet, justlike I know that surrender word of yours. So you just drop those swords and give up n-now…?” His voice rose to a girlish squeak. Two of the goblins werecoming for him, still blinking but ready to kill. As he retreated a pace, the door slammed against the far wall. A massive brute filled the doorway, huge club clutched in one hand. It raised a meaty fist and leered at the youth only paces away, revealing brownish, ugly teeth. Kadymus’ sword fell from his hands, andhe staggered back into the nearest wall. Jerdren darted into the open, grabbed him, and dragged the youth back into the passage.

“Gods,” Blorys said reverently. “It’s an ogre! Willow,” headded urgently, “you and Mead, back, out of sight!”

“It knows we are here,” Willow replied calmly, though he’d gone pale. “It cansmell us, but I will not run from it.”

“Now what?” Eddis asked. Her sword felt puny, all at once.The creature was head and shoulders taller than she, if not more, and muscled like a blacksmith. Still, there was only one….

“We fought one in the north,” Borys said. “They’re mean andstrong but not smart or fast. Remember, Jers?”

“Sure. You remember what we did to stop it?” his brotherreplied, as tersely.

“Hope so.”

“You’d better remember! M’Baddah, you and M’Whan come withus, and the rest of you, deal with those goblins, so we can concentrate on that ogre!”

Jerdren moved out into the chamber again, sword drawn, and his back against the nearest wall.

The ogre was in the chamber now, the goblins backing warily away from it, though two had begun a slow stalk along one wall.

“Watch it,” Eddis said and indicated the two with her chin.“They’re trying to flank us.”

Willow brushed by her and shot two arrows at them. One struck its target, and the goblin sprawled across the passage, twitching and snarling. The other yelped in surprise and darted back to join his companions near the doorway. The ogre growled at them, and they backed hastily from the door, edging along the north wall, out of his reach.

Jerdren yelled something guttural, a single word. The ogre’seyes narrowed, and it drew itself up straight, grip tightening on the club as the man ran for the far wall, just as he’d done earlier. This time, he didn’tstop. The ogre, astonished, turned to watch him. Blorys and the outlanders flung themselves into the room, M’Whan clutching a throwing spear, M’Baddah his bow,Blorys his sword.