Chapter Thirty-Nine
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Ahhhhhh! I was engulfed in fire. Lurched to get away and collided into somethin’. I opened my eyes to a rain of—
“Ya ornery fart,” I shouted.
The sting was from icy-cold water not fire. I made it to my feet, wipin’ my face. Ike had been leanin’ over me drizzlin’ snow melt over my head until he emptied the gourd fully.
“Ah. Feels good don’t it? Invigoratin’.” Ike was so hoarse his words sounded as though they belonged to an ancient hag. Represented a lot of talkin’ the last twelve hours.
Clearly, Lucas had also been a butt of Ike’s shower. But his expression was—acceptin’. He wiped his face with his sleeve. “Wakin’ up fast is as good a way as any,” he mumbled. The poor human had experienced a lot of years of Ike’s shenanigans, considerin’ his staid attitude.
“Few got a chance to close their eyes last night,” Ike mumbled. “Ya three will likely be the only ones with a fresh mind. I hope ya put them to use.”
Ike’s eyes were blood red, but he wore his characteristic subtle smirk. The eastern sky was a vivid purple. The valley full of five sleepin’ dragons, huddlin’ with overlapped wings. Forms moved about the far crests, still preparin’. At least six of the battlements were visible from where I stood. Each structure loomed fifteen feet in the air, outstandin’ firin’ platforms. An impressive accomplishment in such a short amount of time.
“Can’t believe I slept,” I said.
Ike’s eyes bore into me. “I want ya and Doc Adam to greet the Northerners.” He turned to Maertin. “Will ya join Lucas in greetin’ yar eastern friends?”
The goblin nodded. “What about ya?”
“I’ll join ya in parley in the valley, but expect to keep my mouth shut. Both sides hate me well enough. Don’t need to antagonize them, at least at first.” His grin flashed.
“Iza says goblins have already been scoutin’ our positions.” Lucas rubbed his eyes. “They look like they’ve stopped where they are, perhaps decidin’ what to do.”
I scanned the sky, lookin’ for the golden dragon.
Lucas continued. “Northerners are ridin’ directly for the valley. Maybe an hour.”
“Gives ya three,” Ike pointed at us, “an hour to wake up fully.” He momentarily shared his grin again, before he pointed to a battlement nearby. “Maertin took the time early this mornin’ to fell a deer. It’s goin’ fast. If ya want somethin’ on yar stomach, ya better hurry.”
My stomach complained with the offer. Thought of the cold gruel from days earlier, and hurried for the fire and the smell of the roastin’ venison. Ike hadn’t joked. The carcass was bein’ stripped before it sizzled good. Any other day I would have turned up my snout at what was left, most sorely undercooked or black, and sinewy. Not today. I got in line and reached over the hot fire to saw a strip of bloody muscle off.
I licked the last off my fingers when Maertin joined me.
“I suppose ya’ll be wantin’ yar bow back. I can tell ya first hand it fires a very accurate shaft. Ya’ll be happy with it.”
The goblin pulled the strung bow and quiver off his shoulder. Pain chiseled his face as though he stood barefoot on a sharp rock. But I took the weapon-tool without a second thought. The status the bow represented wasn’t somethin’ I was averse to holdin’—especially today. Besides, I had a feelin’ Ike would be presentin’ the bull with his own bow one day soon.
“We should be going,” Dr. Adam said.
I nodded. Lucas and Maertin looked back and forth between them, their raised brows subtle wishes of good luck.
The short human fell beside me as we walked north in an unhurried pace. My nape tingled as we got out of arrow range of the battlements. Told myself it was a pathetic fear. No reason for the humans to hurt us. Besides, the doctor’s one of them, a respected professional.
We walked in silence. Adam shifted around as he stepped. A man used to workin’ on a planked floor, hikin’ through the wet, tall, early summer grass and rocks must have felt awkward. Humans should remove their boots and build some proper calluses on their feet. The doctor stopped suddenly. I peered directly at the two riders who startled the man. We were hardly out of the valley.
The two men acknowledged us with a nod, but spurred their horses forward, passin’ us.
“Don’t bother about us,” Adam mumbled.
“Scouts.”
“No doubt. So do we continue on?”
I scanned the sky again for Iza. There were several dragons, spiralin’ slowly. They might have been vultures, but the creatures flew a thousand feet in the air, and still looked enormous. If the humans looked as though they prepared to attack, the dragons surely wouldn’t have soared about so casually.
I took a step and Adam followed. We met the main human column one gentle rise away. The man known as Johanson sat on a tall, muscled black stallion, lookin’ down at us for a long moment.
“Why are you involved in this business, Doctor?”
“Just here to mend wounds, if you choose not to make a wise decision. I look forward to escorting you to parley. Will you join us?”
“Your hamlet mayor looks like he’s a—an ogre of his word. I’m told there’s a large contingency east and west. Who are they here to fight?”
“I understand it’s whoever chooses to break the peace.”
“You understand we can’t bear goblins on our back door.”
“They’ll be on our back door, not yars,” I answered.
“Little difference.”
“I have little patience for banter, human! What are ya gonna do?”
Adam placed his hand against my forearm, but he spoke to Johanson. “Plain words will be highly appreciated today. If you’ve never noticed, ogres aren’t a kind to argue for no purpose.”
Johanson laughed. His smile evaporated quickly. “You threatened me yesterday, too, ogre. I may tire of that.”
“Get off that horse and we can settle our differences,” I said. The challenge raced from my stinkin’ mouth without consideration. Wasn’t sure if I meant it or not. But the human’s expression softened.
“I have no quarrel with those of the Hamlet. I—”
Yeah, yeah. “Notice, there are archers of ogres, and we would have had trolls here too, given time. We can muster an army just as ya can. Even quicker.”
Adam whispered my name.
I took a slow breath. “Which is to explain, we can keep a small clan of goblins in line.” I wasn’t as confident of that as I wished. But then I thought of the nearby troll clan that I had mentioned. They aren’t that innately appreciative of goblins either, best I’m aware. So, maybe the goblins could be managed, by those of us in the Range.
Johanson seemed to relax in his saddle after a moment, as though becomin’ more comfortable with a decision already made. It angered me that he toyed with us. I could see why Lucas doesn’t like the man.
“Prepare for your parley then,” the man said. “I’ll join you.”
“Nothin’ to prepare for,” I said. “Ya just need to hear the decision and concur, and return home.”
“You offer me so many options.” The man motioned to precede him.
That irritated me more, as though he commanded, that I was required to follow the human’s whim. I pivoted on the ball of my foot nonetheless, arguin’ the man bended to our demands, but it didn’t help much. Just the way the human looked down his long nose at me was enough to make me swing Bacchus at his head. Smug—
The image of Faeylin lyin’ inside his shallow grave came to mind. I had the queer sense that Bacchus had provided the sight to settle me. It worked.
There were no dragons in the valley when we crested the ridge. That was irritatin’ too. The last decision I heard, was they would be there to add an emotional edge to our strength. I looked up and caught sight of the tan Tir, and the gray Taiz’lin, circlin’ nearer than the others. Ike stood alone in the center of the modest watershed. Maertin and Lucas? The goblins? I studied the far tree line.
Bacchus vibrated in my hand. Somethin’ was wrong, had gone awry. I stumbled as I was blinded by pre-sight. Maertin grasped an arrow protrudin’ from his side, blood seeped between his fingers.
“Nooooo!”
“What is it?” Johanson shouted.
I stamped the ground hard with Bacchus. “Ya may get yar way yet, human. Come!”
I didn’t wait to see if the two humans followed. Not knowin’ if I saw the future or the past, I ran hard to get to Maertin. I heard the loud clop of the horse behind me. Dragons trumpeted. I sensed anger from Taiz’lin and Tir. Before we reached the floor of the valley I had left the doctor far behind. I realized the irony of that. The man might be the only one who could aid anyone for the time bein’.
As Johanson and I neared Ike, he shouted questions that I couldn’t distinguish, surely couldn’t answer. I just pointed south, and the bull fell in step with me. “Taiz says Maertin is lyin’ on his back not movin’.”
So it was the past, not pre-sight. Or a very short-sighted pre-sight. “What can they be thinkin’?”
We found Maertin just as a dozen arrows arched into the air from the far trees. Most would go wide or short. But through Bacchus, I experienced another ethereal supplied image. I turned and ran directly at the human’s horse, holdin’ Bacchus before me. The horse reared and kicked at me. The human screamed, and yanked at his reins, kicked to send the horse rushin’ past me, never seein’ the arrow that struck Bacchus’ ward, fallin’ harmlessly to the ground.
Johanson raced across the valley, only slowin’ to exchange shouts with the doctor. I turned to Ike and we quickly looked toward the trees for more arrows. But the goblins had folded back into the forest. Without hesitation the two of us sprinted until we met the groanin’ Maertin.
“Let’s get out of here,” Ike mumbled. “Grab his shoulders.”
Maertin cursed as we lifted him. “Ya’re gonna pay for this, ogre.”
“Later!”
Adam reached us shoutin’. “What happened? Johanson said ya attacked him.”
“He’s as blind as the goblin elder,” I muttered.
“He saved his life, is what he did,” Ike shouted.
Adam ran beside us takin’ in the goblin’s wound, arrow still extendin’ from his gut. “This jostling isn’t going to help him,” he grumbled.
“Neither is another arrow,” I answered.
“Where’s Lucas?” Ike shouted.
“Can’t ya hear Iza? Ain’t it plain enough for ya?”
“Shut up, wizard.”
Warlock, no wizard. Seems we’re always wonderin’ where either the stinkin’ human or Ike is.
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