The centaur narrowed his eyes and grumbled out a few quiet curses. He had a bad feeling about this soldier's return, but was willing to tell himself that it was just his own anger at being once more relegated to the shadows.
Thus, with a frustrated grumble, the centaur turned to go.
He was not alone; he knew that immediately. Something crept at him through the brush, deep down, brushing through the snow. Bradwarden quickly assessed the direction of the approach and the distance, and measured that against the visibility in the gloomy forest.
He turned back then, and moved his telltale humanlike torso behind a tree, so that the part left visible to the newcomer would seem only the hindquarters of a horse.
"Ack, ye little horsie," came a grating goblin's voice. "Get me some food afore we're pickin' at the bones o' the men."
Bradwarden restrained the urge to turn and run the thing down, waited patiently, and let the goblin come to him.
"Now don't be movin' so I kills ye quick," the goblin said quietly, standing right beside the centaur.
How its eyes widened when Bradwarden stepped back, revealing the truth! So frightened, so caught off guard, was the creature, that it threw its spear —just a sharpened stick, really—to the ground. How it scrambled and tried to run away, but the centaur caught it by the throat and held it fast while his other hand came up with his heavy cudgel.
Up, up, and then down right on top of the squirming goblin's head. Only Bradwarden's strong grasp held the dead thing upright.
"So ye came outta yer holes," the centaur said quietly, surprised, for, since the war had become a rout, few monsters had shown any initiative toward starting any fights, with most looking only to run as far away as fast as possible. Ni'estiel's warning that the goblins were on the move only made him think that they had heard of the human settlement and had decided to run the other way, to the west and the farthest of the towns. When he thought it over for a few moments, Bradwarden saw that the eastward march made sense. This goblin and its kin had become entrenched in Weedy Meadow enough to recover their wits. The powries and giants were probably long gone, so the goblins had likely consolidated their ranks around a single leader, or a couple of strong figures.
And now winter had come on, and the goblins thought to sneak in on the unsuspecting humans and hit at them hard, perhaps to steal some needed supplies.
The centaur stood very still, all his senses tuning to the forest about him. Gradually, he made out the telltale sounds of the monsters on the move: a soft rustle here, the snap of a twig there. Yes, they had come from Weedy Meadow, heading east, back toward Dundalis, obviously spoiling for a fight with the new settlers.
And now, like the elves, like Elbryan and him, they had spotted the approaching soldiers.
The centaur glanced back over his shoulder; if his guess concerning goblin numbers in Weedy Meadow was correct, then Elbryan and the soldiers were in for an unpleasant morning.
"Dundalis has been reclaimed," Elbryan said to Shamus Kilronney as soon as they had completed the pleasantries. The ranger recognized all of Shamus' soldiers, as they recognized him, so no introductions were necessary. "You can soon report to your king that the Timberlands are secured."
"My king?" Shamus replied, his tone light but with a hint of something deeper behind the question. "Is Danube Brock Ursal not Nightbird's king as well?"
It was the first time that question had ever been put to the ranger, and frankly, he had no idea how to respond. "My roots trace to Honce-the-Bear," he admitted, carefully weighing the reactions of Shamus' men to his every word. "Yet I was born and have lived all my life outside of King Danube's domain."
He paused then, considering carefully how he felt about the issue. Was he indeed a citizen of Honce-the-Bear, or ... or what? he mused. A homeless rogue? Hardly. But he had never considered Danube his king, nor, for that matter, Lady Dasslerond his queen. He gave a helpless shrug then, his expression perplexed. "However you may define the matter, it would seem that King Danube and I are on the same side in this conflict," he added with a chuckle, and Shamus joined in, though the ranger did not miss the fact that the man's laugh seemed a bit strained.
"And what of the present? " the captain asked a moment later. "Dundalis has been reclaimed, but there is another town, is there not? "
"Two others," Elbryan corrected. "Weedy Meadow, at present, is in the hands of a goblin band, a fairly strong contingent, we believe, but End-o'-the-World, the third and westernmost town, as far as we know, remains deserted."
As if on cue, a huge arrow thudded into the ground between the two riders, and both horses twitched and nickered. The soldiers went into a frenzy, calling "To arms!" and "Draw blades!" repeatedly and fighting to turn their horses into a defensive line.
And not a moment too soon, for before the formation was even properly prepared, the goblin charge came on, dozens of the wicked creatures appearing as if from out of the insubstantial mist, screaming and cursing and throwing their spears, running headlong at the group with an aggressiveness Elbryan had not witnessed since he and Pony, on their way to St.-Mere-Abelle, had happened upon a seemingly helpless merchant caravan east of the Masur Delaval.
Before Kilronney's soldiers were even set, one man went down under the weight of two spears, and another lost his horse, the poor creature hit several times. Another soldier took a grazing hit, and Nightbird missed catching a spear in the face only because he managed to get Tempest at a perfect angle to deflect the missile —at the very last moment!
Shamus Kilronney recognized that his most advantageous move would have been a thunderous charge, rolling over the weakest section of the goblin circle. But they had not the time to gain any momentum through the deep snow, for the goblins were among their ranks almost before they had recovered from the unexpected volley.
Nightbird urged Symphony into a short burst, the powerful stallion burying the closest goblin under pounding hooves, the ranger slashing down another as he rushed past. Shamus almost cried out in protest, fearing that the ranger was fleeing the fight, but as soon as he cleared that initial line, Nightbird turned Symphony around, scanning to see where he would best fit in.
Shamus was relieved and admitted to himself that his fear was more the result of De'Unnero's warnings about the ranger than any actions Nightbird had ever personally shown to him. No time to analyze now, the captain reminded himself —and a prodding goblin spear pointedly reminded him! He batted the spear aside and leaned to strike, but he had to retract his sword to parry the swing of a spiked club. Catching it successfully between two of the spikes, Shamus turned it aside, but then realized he had a problem: the goblin's subsequent pivot prevented him from easily extracting his blade and left him open to the returning thrust of the first monster's spear.
Shamus yelled aloud and closed his eyes, and . ..
Nothing.
Shamus' eyes popped open to see the goblin crumble down under the blow of another soldier's sword, the shining blade creasing the goblin's head and spraying crimson blood all over the snow. For that soldier, though, the move proved disastrous, as a pair of goblins leaped from the side, catching him in their grabbing hands and pulling him from his saddle.
Shamus pulled free his sword and leaped his horse past the club-wielding goblin. The creature smacked the horse hard on the rump as it passed, drawing a deep gash, but the wounded animal responded with a solid kick to the goblin's chest that sent it flying to the ground.
Shamus tried desperately to get to his rescuer, but the goblin horde was thick about them then and the captain had all he could do to keep the grabbing hands and swinging weapons at bay.
Symphony's hooves dug deep ruts in the snow as the ranger masterfully turned the horse. He spotted one soldier in trouble immediately and started that way, but pulled up before Symphony had taken a single stride, and wincing, turned to find another.
The soldier, skewered through the chest by a goblin spear, tumbled to the ground.
Another man was on the ground, having lost his mount in the initial spear volley. In rushed the ranger, Tempest slashing, driving back the goblins with mighty strokes. He threw his leg over Symphony's back and leaped to the ground in a run, using the turquoise gemstone set in Symphony's chest, the telepathic link to the magnificent stallion, to guide the horse.
A goblin tried to whip its club across, but Nightbird was already too close. He jammed his forearm into the goblin's arms, holding them at bay before the swing had truly begun, then bowled the creature over, stabbing once, to keep it down.
Then he was standing over the soldier, Tempest working in a blur to fend off the attacks of three goblins. Left and right went the blade, picking off a thrusting spear and a slashing sword. The ranger dug in one foot and wheeled about, Tempest coming across just in time to deflect the sharp tip from yet another stabbing spear.
Nightbird thought to go forward, to finish the suddenly unarmed goblin, and he even started that way —but only as a ruse to the two behind.
He spun back and sidestepped, free hand grabbing the shaft of the spear as it stabbed past, turning the weapon harmlessly outward as he stepped forward. Tempest circled, tip down, before the ranger, catching the goblin's sword slash under the blade, lifting it high over the goblin's head, and then sliding behind it to push it away. A deft twist of the ranger's wrist brought Tempest's tip down and in line, and he advanced; the sudden thrust of
bi'nelle dasada,
and the goblin fell back with a shriek, clutching its torn chest.
On came Nightbird, pulling the spear, goblin still attached. The stubborn goblin wouldn't let go, still had both hands tugging at it, when Tempest came slashing across its face.
The ranger turned fast and breathed a bit easier to find the soldier standing once more, finishing off the goblin with the broken spear.
But other monsters were all around and came happily at the two humans who were not on horseback.
Symphony rushed in to help Nightbird, who caught the saddle and pulled himself astride in one fluid move, then reached down and caught the hand of the soldier, pulling him up right behind.
The goblins, surprised, skidded to a stop, but Nightbird paid them no heed. They went by fast, and the soldier leaped from Symphony's back onto his own horse, struggling into the saddle while Nightbird kept the goblins busy.
Then the ranger turned back to the general melee and saw that Shamus' men were gaining even footing against the ambushers. Hope soared, and then died as the ranger spotted a pair of goblins standing at the side, spears in hand and with several more lying on the ground at their feet. Symphony leaped toward them, but one goblin lifted its arm to throw at a soldier battling furiously, his back to the creature, and Nightbird realized he couldn't get there in time!
He shouted, trying to draw the goblin's throw his way.
The goblin went flying away suddenly. The ranger nearly broke Symphony's stride, pulling up in his stirrups in startlement, but he was back low again in an instant, head down and yelling, forcing the remaining goblin to concentrate on him.
The creature turned, trying desperately to flee, even as it tried to throw. The spear flew far wide of the mark, not even slowing the ranger, who dispatched the vulnerable creature with a brutal slash as Symphony ran by.
Only then did he notice that the goblin had been wounded, a small arrow protruding from its lower back. Now his hopes soared; if Lady Dasslerond and the elves had arrived, the fight would soon be a rout!
Again the horse's hooves dug in deeply, Symphony pivoting back toward the battle. Nightbird smiled as he passed the first dead spear thrower, a very large arrow driven through its side.
With only a glance up at the tree line, one that didn't show him Bradwarden or any of the elves, Nightbird focused on Shamus Kilronney, guiding Symphony through the thickest tangle of goblins to get to his friend's side.
Blood covered the captain, but to Nightbird's relief it was much more the blood of his enemies than his own.
"The day is ours!" Shamus cried, urging his horse ahead, bowling down one goblin and knocking another off balance.
Tempest took that stunned creature on the side of the head, flipping it head over heels to the now-bloody snow.
"The day is ours!" Shamus cried again, more loudly, lifting his sword so that his men would rally about him.
And, indeed, the tide had turned against the goblins, the better-armed, better-trained horsemen gaining a stronger advantage with each passing second.
Another goblin went down under a flurry of swords and trampling hooves, and another ran off, screaming, their cries of terror helping drain even more of the morale of the faltering goblin horde. To the ranger's delight, that running creature staggered once, then again, then yet again, as three elvish arrows laid it low.
Nightbird charged back into the fray, Symphony bowling a goblin to the ground, the ranger working Tempest furiously, batting aside a weak club attack, then slashing down a second time to crease the goblin's face. Then over the other way went the blade, slashing down at a goblin battling another rider. The blade missed as the goblin shrieked and dodged, but its desperate move left the monster off balance, a situation Nightbird was quick to exploit as Symphony continued past, stabbing straight and sure through the goblin's shoulder, dropping it writhing to the ground, an easy finish for the other mounted soldier.
The fight ended as abruptly as it had begun. The remaining goblins broke ranks and scattered back into the mist and the forest. Several soldiers briefly gave chase, ensuring that the creatures would not come back, but most, including the ranger, dismounted quietly and ran to their fallen companions.