Ru Emerson - Keep on the Borderlands

Gods, it’ll kill them! Eddis knelt, bow in hand and tried tosight on the brute’s eye or its throat-either was big enough to make a decenttarget. The Keep men moved around her, staying close to the wall, and began firing arrows and spears at the goblins.

The ogre spun around as M’Whan’s spear missed it by inches,and it swiped at Blorys with one massive hand. Blorys leaped out of the way, ducking as M’Baddah’s arrow sang over his head, and sliced across the monster’sshoulder. It didn’t even notice, Eddis thought, and shifted her attention to theorcs, who had been bullied into a pack by one of their number and were charging the Keep men. She fired several arrows at them, but most were foiled by armor or went wild. They slammed into the humans, and she didn’t dare shoot any more.Willow eased past her, sword in one hand, dagger in the other, and went to help.

M’Baddah’s second arrow bounced off a bony hip. The next sankdeep into the ogre’s belly. Behind Eddis, Mead was muttering-setting up a spell.Off to her right, one of the men yelled and went down. Another slid down the wall.

The ogre plucked at M’Baddah’s arrow, snarled, and left itwhere it was. Its filthy leather pants were slick with blood. Eddis stared in horrified astonishment as Blorys darted back and forth in front of the massive creature, waving his arms and shouting taunts. She brought up her bow and shot high. The arrow tore through the air where the massive head had been, but the ogre was on the move, its attention locked on Blorys as it swung the club.

Too hard. It overbalanced and fought to regain its feet, but as the man ran in, sword swinging, it smacked him with an open hand, sending him rolling across the floor, half-stunned. His helm rolled the other way and cracked against Eddis’ knee. She dropped her bow and drew her sword, throwingherself into the open between Blor and the brute. The ogre laughed, an evil sound that filled the chamber and left the orcs drawing back in a terrified huddle. Brushing past M’Baddah and M’Whan, the creature raised its club high.

Eddis slashed wildly with her sword, hoping to force the ogre back. Behind her, Blorys was fighting to sit up and gasping for her to get away.

“Don’t distract me!” she yelled.

The ogre bared its ugly teeth in a savage grin and reached for her.

Eddis tightened her hands on the sword hilt and swiped at the ogre’s hand. The blade rebounded. She staggered back, off balance, and Blorysshouted a warning. Jerdren came running then, sword a blur as it cut the backs of both the ogre’s legs. The brute snarled and fell hard, one or both of thelong tendons cut, but it was fighting to turn and bring the club down on the head of the man who’d injured it. M’Baddah, M’Whan, and Willow threw themselvesat the brute, stabbing at its throat and eyes. The ogre jerked once and was quiet. A little blood trickled down its filthy cheek but soon stopped.

Blorys staggered to his feet and fell back into the wall. Eddis wrapped her free arm around his shoulder to draw him away from the fighting, and when he tried to resist, her hand tightened.

“Come with me! You’ll get someone else killed trying toprotect you!” He went with her then, back into the passage where Mead, thepriest, and Flerys waited. He was still panting for air and not walking very well, but he wouldn’t go any farther than the entrance.

“Gotta… see,” he gasped.

Eddis swore under her breath as she eased him down to the floor and handed him her water bottle. A glance over her shoulder assured her that the goblins were retreating.

“How bad?” she asked quietly.

“Just… knocked the wind… out of me,” he replied.

Eddis tensed and spun around, sword ready to slash, as Jerdren yelled. She couldn’t make out what he said, but the few goblins stillstanding shrieked in what sounded like pure terror and ran through the open door.

Blorys laughed. “Jers… learned a word or two of Goblin… back in the army. When… we… fought ’em. Forget… what that means.Don’t think they’ll… come back, though.”

A moment later, he let Eddis help him back to his feet as Jerdren came running across the guard alcove to join them.

“Blor! You all right?” Without waiting for answer, he said,“Ogre’s chamber beyond that door. Know what that means, don’t you, Brother? Comeon, all of you!”

Eddis kept a steadying hand on Blorys’ arm as they went backinto the open. Two of the Keep men were down and still. Another leaned against the wall, lips tightly compressed while one of his fellows wrapped his forearm. The man’s fingers were bloody. Several goblin bodies were scattered around aswell. M’Baddah and Willow moved around the room, dispatching the woundedcreatures.

Jerdren paused as they started past the dead ogre. “Got anidea,” he said. “Those goblins that ran? I’m pretty sure I could see daylight onthe far side of the ogre’s den. So, I’m thinking they just kept going, all theway out of the cave. It looks to me like there could be more chambers on ahead, but if anything’s there, they aren’t coming at us.”

“There are creatures that way, I think,” Mead said, “but notnear.”

Jerdren nodded. “So what if we drag this monster back intohis lair? Some other goblins come through here later, and they’ll see all thisblood, all the dead guards, they’ll figure the ogre went nuts and killed ’em.Won’t go looking for him, then, will they? And they won’t suspect we’re here,and we still have surprise on our side.”

“You’re forgetting the guard who ran back the other way,”Blorys said. “Still… it might work to our advantage, and we’re a couple ofmen short.”

“What about our men?” Eddis asked.

“Bring them into the ogre’s den as well,” Jerdren said “Bestwe can do for them, don’t you think?”

Eddis glanced at the remaining Keep men. They looked grim to a man, but no one protested.

M’Baddah shoved a last arrow into his quiver. “My son, two ofyou others, keep watch up and down the passage. Only fools would let themselves be surprised now.”

It took time. The dead men were brought in first and laid against the wall, behind the door. The ogre was awkward and heavy, and it took four of them dragging at the massive arms to get it moving. They hauled the body just far enough inside the chamber that the door could be pushed shut.

Jerdren strode into the darkened cave, hands on his hips, looking around. Eddis’ nose wrinkled. A faint breeze rustled dry leaves piledhere and there on the cave floor, but the air remained utterly foul, like poorly tanned hides and meat gone rotten.

“What’s that?” Flerys demanded sharply and brought up herspear. “Nasty brute keeps a bear?”

At first glance, the thing near the far walled did look like a sleeping bear. Eddis drew her sword and stalked warily toward it, but after a few steps she realized it was a hide. Probably the source of the odor, she thought and backed away from the thing.

“Just a skin,” she said.

Flerys gave her a doubtful look.

Jerdren was rubbing his hands together and grinning cheerfully. “Only other ogre I knew kept his treasure close-and he had plenty ofit. Too bad for me and Blor that was when we were infantry, because the officers got most of it. Still… some of you, look under things and in things. Coin,gems, gold, jewelry, any of that should be just what it looks like. Anything you see that doesn’t look like that or like food-”

“Like garbage, you mean,” Blorys said.

“Food or garbage.” Jerdren shrugged. “Ogres collect stuff.Magic devices and amulets among ’em. Anything that looks odd, you let our priestor our mage check it before you touch it, got that? I think I’ll start-there.”He pointed.