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"You guys ready? With al the screaming and thumping there, I doubt they've heard us."
"Ready," Camil e said, and as I watched her, I could feel the swathe of energy descending around her. But it wasn't from the Black Unicorn's horn--she had so thoroughly discharged the horn when she was in Otherworld that it was taking two ful dark moon cycles to recharge.
Morio put his hands on her shoulders, steadying her. He arranged his bag so that it was out of the way--he carried his skul familiar wherever he went because without it, he couldn't return to human form when he turned into a fox--and nodded. Smoky cracked his knuckles and gave me a thin smile.
"Let's go. And remember: No mercy, no compassion, because the goblins won't have any." I slid Lysanthra out of my boot sheath and glanced at them, then slammed open the door.
As we burst through the opening, I scanned the room. It was fil ed with shadowy figures il uminated by what remained of the dim light from broken sconces and overheads. From what I could see, we were facing a good twenty figures. Goblins. Drunk goblins. Oh goody. Sober goblins were bad enough, but hyped up on booze, they'd be feeling their oats. Goblins with an attitude: so not attractive.
The dining hal was a mess--overturned tables and chairs everywhere, broken glass from behind the bar, holes dotted the wal s, and it smel ed like someone had put out a fire in the smel iest way imaginable--the stench of urine was strong. With al the strong odors, I could barely smel the skunk.
The shouts of fighting abruptly stopped as al eyes turned to us. I held my breath, waiting for that moment, waiting for the inner urge that would propel me forward. Always before a battle, there was the deciding nudge, the prime moment when al hel broke loose. And it always came before I thought I was ready.
But this time, as I surveyed the enemy, I felt a quiet confidence. Fear, yes, but confidence. Lysanthra hummed in my hand, and I felt her shiver of anticipation. She loved a good fight, and when her edge cut into our opponents and she tasted blood, Lysanthra sang. And her song boosted my energy.
And then someone--perhaps it was a goblin, perhaps it was one of us--made a slight move, and the tableau crumbled and we were into the battle.
I raced forward, straight toward one of the biggest goblins I could see. Our policy was to start with the toughest, which general y scared the weakest ones into submission or to run away.
The brute was at least my height, but he outweighed me by fifty pounds. A surge of adrenaline flooded my body. Goblins were butt-ugly, their leathery skin protecting them like good armor. His hair hung in makeshift dreads, and he arched one eyebrow as I moved in, a sick look of pleasure crossing his face.
Camil e let out a scream--a battle cry of sorts--and joined hands with Morio. They were weaving a web of magic impossible to ignore. Smoky slipped past them, rumbling like an earthquake, and as he met one of the goblins, his nails grew into long, razor-sharp claws, and his hair lashed out like a bul whip, striking the creature in the face with a loud snap. He swiped a long gash along the demon's torso and then leapt back before the creature could touch him.
My opponent engaged me, and we circled one another. I noticed an entry--he'd let his guard down by a fraction, just enough for me to dart in and thrust. I lunged at him, Lysanthra singing in my hand, and landed a stab to his lower torso. He bel owed as I pul ed back, my blade bloody.
The goblin brought his hands up, clasping them together overhead. I looked for his weapon, then realized too late that he was casting a spel . Oh shit--a goblin mage, and I didn't have anything to counter magic!
I darted away as he thrust out his palms and a lick of flame shot toward me. Dodging the fire by mere inches, the heat singed me as the column of fire passed by. Now I had the upper hand. I took advantage of his position, bringing Lysanthra down across his forearms. He screamed as I slashed long gashes across both arms and, as he staggered back, I pressed on to drive Lysanthra into his chest, through a gap in his leather jerkin.
The goblin fel back, yanking me along as I held on to my dagger. I landed atop him and promptly slid the blade out of his body. His eyes were flickering-
-I could stil see life--and grimly, I brought my blade across his throat, severing from side to side. Confident he was dead, I leapt up to gauge my position.
Camil e and Morio were spreading something through the goblins--I could tel that much, though I wasn't sure just what they were doing. A web, a net of shadow seemed to be gliding over a group of five of them, dark and thick, oozing like poison. The goblins stared at my sister and her husband, petrified.
The looks on their faces shook me, and I wondered what the hel Camil e and Morio were up to. But there wasn't time for more than a fleeting thought.
Smoky had downed another two and was onto another.
I turned to the next and tapped my blade against my thigh. "Come on, boy, let's get it on."
He said something in Calouk, but I didn't bother trying to translate. I raced toward him ful -tilt with a loud shriek. The goblin swung to meet me, his short sword parrying my attack.
Our blades whistled, singing as they cut through the air. I managed to deflect his blows each time, but he was getting the upper hand.
Just then, a noise startled me, and I turned to see a goblin who'd been hiding behind a tipped-over table careening my way, his serrated blade outstretched. I threw Lysanthra at him and dove out of the way. As he stumbled past, my blade lodged in his stomach.
I whirled and gave him a massive kick on his backside. He went plummeting to the ground, driving my dagger through him.
The smel of blood was thick and nasty as I quickly kicked him over and grabbed the hilt of my blade, yanking it out of his body. Turning, I was just in time to meet another goblin, but his blade was already whistling down. As I ducked, trying to rol out of the way, I heard the clang of metal against metal, and for a moment, found myself staring at eyes gleaming at me, out of a dark shadow. The goblin's blade had been deflected before it could reach me and, with a grunt, he fel to the ground, bleeding from the heart.
I scrambled up, startled, feeling a rush of chil wind pass by, the scent of graveyards and bonfires riding high on it. Hi'ran? His energy lingered around me, a comforting embrace, and yet . . . and yet . . . it was not him. I whirled toward the dark cloud, but in that moment, it dissipated.
"What the . . . who are you?" I shouted at the vanishing shadow, but it was gone, as if it had never been.
"What did you say, Kitten?" Camil e's voice sliced through my thoughts.
I wiped my blade on the dead goblin's tunic, realizing the room had become silent around us. Camil e, Smoky, Morio, and I were the only ones standing.
