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“They hunt in packs,” Odessa informed me. “Their bite is venomous.”
I glanced at Malkah. The wound on her stomach hadn’t seemed so bad, but if it was infested with poison...
“She’ll need to clear the caves quickly and get to a healer,” Odessa said grimly.
I looked along the cave system. When the mist had sprung up, the goblins had entered. But the ground had also changed. Pools of dark water now covered large patches of the cave floor.
“That’s where they need to go,” Crescent said in a low voice, pointing to the opposite side of the cave where a perilous-looking stone cliff loomed. “They make it to the far side. Climb up.”
“And the pools?” I thought I already knew.
“Goblins love caves and dark places, including water. They’ll be infested with them.”
I looked at the path the challengers would have to take. It would be impossible to avoid all of the water. At some point, they’d have to step into a pool–or even swim across, depending on how deep the water was.
Draven was already moving forward. So were most of the others.
Only Malkah hung back, with Erion and Selwyn beside her.
I watched as Draven called something to them, then approached the first pool.
Avriel, I noticed, was skirting around the edge of the caves, not coming close to anyone else. I supposed I should be grateful for that at least.
A head popped out of the water, then another. And another.
Draven swung his sword almost lazily, lopping off heads as fast as they poked up.
Beside him, Lyrastra took up a position at his back, her eyes scanning around them.
Despite what she had said, she seemed intent on guarding him. Or perhaps she simply knew Draven’s back was the safest place for her to be.
Sure enough, a group of goblins emerged from around a pile of stones. They moved towards Lyrastra with surprising quickness.
I watched as she moved into a low stance, then slashed out with a pair of daggers, cutting them down as quickly as they came towards her.
There was a shrieking sound and one of the challengers swooped towards her. The woman called Vespera, whose hands ended in sharp bird-like talons.
As Lyrastra used her daggers, Vespera attacked the goblin pack from the rear, slicing them to pieces with her talons.
“She doesn’t even need weapons,” I observed quietly.
Crescent nodded from beside me. “Though she might wish she’d brought one eventually. The prince could use his claws as well, but a sword is easier and faster when fighting a larger group.”
I clapped my hands. “He’s across.”
Draven had cleared the pool. I watched as he waded out of waist-high water and clambered up over some boulders, then gestured to Selwyn and Malkah to move ahead.
“He can’t shield them all the way across,” Odessa murmured. “But it’s an honorable attempt.”
I glanced at Javer and he met my eyes, his lips thinning into a cold smile. “There are no bonus points for chivalry, Lady Morgan. The survivor takes all.” He inclined his chin and I saw that Avriel was at the front of the group, the furthest ahead, still edging along the border of the caves.
Rhea was close behind him. She had left the main group and was following Avriel. A small smile played on her lips as she leaped and bounded like a graceful gazelle over rocks.
“She’s following him. Avriel won’t like that,” Odessa noted.
I watched as Avriel and Rhea neared a pool of black water that came right up to the border of the caves. There was no way to skirt this one. But there were large rocks spaced out across the pool, wide enough to stand on.
In a flash, Avriel leaped to the first one. Then the second.
