Hartag spoke softly. “You think he’s telling the truth this time, Will?”
“Yes. He’s got no reason to lie, and getting as far from Bear as he can is obviously his best choice.” William’s eyes seemed to light up as he continued, “We have him. Get the men ready to ride. We’re pushing through this night, and the next if need be, and we’ll get to Two Fang Pass before Bear.”
“Sir!” said Hartag, and he turned to carry out his orders.
TEN - Goblins
James awoke. Something was wrong.
He leapt to his feet and kicked at the foot of Kendaric’s bed. The guildsman sat up with a sleepy expression and mumbled, “What?”
“I smell smoke.”
James hurried to the next room, where Jazhara and the monk were sleeping, and pounded on the door. The hall was already blue with smoky haze and the acrid smell of burning wood stung his eyes. “Get up!” he shouted. “The inn’s on fire!”
Doors up and down the hall flew open as the handful of other guests looked out to see what the fuss was about. James repeated his warning as he buckled on his sword and grabbed his travel pack. Jazhara and Solon appeared a moment later and hurried after him and the others down the stairs.
In the common room, it was obvious that the fire had been started near the front door, for now the entire wall around the exit was engulfed in flames. “The kitchen!” James shouted. He hurried through the door behind the taproom bar and saw Goodman Royos and a young woman drawing buckets of water. “Stay calm!” shouted the innkeeper.
James grabbed the man by his shirt. “Don’t even try. You’ll never put that fire out with buckets of water. Get out while you can!”
The man hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He ushered the girl out of the kitchen into the backyard as the last of the guests fled through the rear door.
Screams alerted James to the fact that something even direr than a fire was at hand.
He and Solon had their weapons at the ready when they emerged from the rear of the building, only to discover a band of goblins trying to untie the horses from their picket line beneath the run-in shed.
James counted quickly: there were a dozen of the creatures nearby. The goblins stood shorter than men, and were smaller across the shoulders, but not by much. Sloping foreheads terminated in heavy brows of thick black hair. The black irises of their yellow eyes caught the firelight, seeming to glow in the darkness. James had fought goblins before and realized at once that this must be an experienced raiding party. Three of the warriors wore tribal topknots complete with feathers or bones in their hair, signifying that they were chieftains or priests. They all carried bucklers and swords, and James was only thankful that they didn’t appear to have archers with them.
There were three other armed men emerging from the inn, so including Solon, himself, and a few of the guests, James counted eleven warriors. Jazhara could handle herself, he knew, so he shouted to Royos, “Get the girl behind us!”
The goblins charged, and Jazhara unleashed a ball of fire at the center of the group. It struck square on. Flames immediately consumed three goblins, while another three off to one side were badly burned.
The remaining six goblins came forward at a howling run, swinging furiously. Out of the corner of his eye, James saw Solon wield his heavy warhammer deftly, caving in the skull of one goblin before the creature could dodge away.
One more down, five to go, thought James.
Kendaric came into James’s view awkwardly waving a short blade, and suddenly James realized that the journeyman had no skills whatsoever to defend himself. James leapt to one side and kicked at the goblin who had overrun his position, sending the creature sprawling. He then leapt to his right, and with a spinning blow, cut at the goblin who menaced Kendaric, slashing him across the back of the neck.
The panic-stricken wrecker stared at James with wide-eyed terror. James yelled, “Get over there by Royos!”
Kendaric seemed unable to move, and James barely avoided being struck by a sword-blow from behind. He only sensed the attack at the last second and ducked to his left. Had he ducked to his right, he thought, he’d have been a head shorter.
James spun and saw that he had been attacked by one of the burned goblins. This one’s entire right side was still smoking, his eye swollen shut, so James immediately moved to his own left, attacking the goblin’s blind side.