Into the Wastelands: Book Four of the Restoration Series (22 page)

Atock reached out and grabbed Heather by the shoulder. “That makes absolutely no sense. What makes you even consider that?”

“It makes perfect sense,” Heather said, starting to push herself away from the wall. The others followed her and she kept talking. “The goblins are probably here because of the armor, so we need to know if they have the armor and what they’re doing.”

“Heather,” Atock said in a very quiet voice, “I agree that we need to know why they’re here, but this is too dangerous. There has to be a better way.”

“Probably,” Heather said in agreement, “but we don’t have the time to find it.” She reached the bottom of the wall, stood up, and turned to face the other three as they too reached the bottom.
She spoke softly so as to not wake the others.
“I’m an excellent tracker and I know how to move silently. And don’t forget that Dagan’s bit of sorcery will help hide me,”
s
he added, almost as an afterthought.

Atock shook his head, “Give me a moment to think of another way.” Unlike Heather, he didn’t try to keep his voice down. While he spoke, Dagan pulled Agminion off to the side and whispered something in his ear.

“We don’t have the time,” Heather shot right back. “I need to catch up with those goblins and see where they’re
going.
I’ll scout their position and see if I can find out what they’re doing.” She smiled at Atock, trying to put him at ease. “I’ll be careful and be back soon.”

She grabbed her cloak, sword, and a water bottle and then quickly rejoined the others. Atock and Dagan waited on her, but Agminion was fussing with his blankets.

“I’m ready,”
s
he said to Dagan as she stopped in front of him.

“Ready?
” h
e repeated confused.

“Yes. Do your little bit of sorcery so that I can get going.”

Dagan smiled, “You miss-un
derstand,” h
e said in a slow patient tone.

Dagan’s tone was the slow way a person might speak to a child and it riled Heather. She took a deep breath, “What do I miss-understand?”
s
he asked as calmly as she could.

“I will not be doing any sorcery,” Dagan said. “Agminion will accompany you and perform the ward you require.”

She glanced back over her shoulder and her eyes widened at the sight of Agminion pulling a heavy cloak on as he hurried over to join them. “No. He will not be accompanying me.”
Shaking her head, she looked back at Dagan. “No. Just do the bit of whatever it is so that I can go.”

“You don’t understand,” Dagan began in that infuriating tone. “I cannot do the ward and then remain here.
The ward has to be maintained and if you’re out of my immediate vicinity, then it will stop working. Therefore, Agminion will accompany you and maintain the necessary ward.”

Once again, Heather shook her head. “No. I’ll go without it.”

“No you won’t,” Atock said quickly.

Heather turned her gaze on the big warrior. “Am I in charge of this group or not?” She thought
they
had already settled any question of authority and it galled her that she had to refight this battle again.

“You’re in charge of those three sleeping over there,” Atock said, pointing to where Aaron, Enton, and Mikela were still in the
i
r blankets. “But you are not in charge of me. I will not let you go by yourself.” Heather opened her mouth to argue but he talked right over her. “If you want we can wake them and ask their opinion.”

“Their opinion?” Heather demanded angrily.

“Yes,” Atock answered calmly, and he actually had the nerve to smile. “I especially would like to know what Enton thinks of you running off to chase a goblin horde by yourself.” The smile grew bigger, “It actually sound
s
like something I would expect him to do.”

It took a moment for the words to register and then the anger slipped quickly away.
He knows,
she thought,
or at least he suspects
something
.
It was a dirty move on Atock’s part. Regardless of who was in charge, Enton would
vociferously argue and refuse to let her go. Most likely the big oaf would insist on going with her.

“We don’t have time to argue,” Heather said. She wasn’t angry anymore but whatever Atock knew, or thought he knew, would most likely complicate things. “I have to go now.”

Atock nodded, “Fine, as long as you take Agminion with you.”

Heather looked to Dagan for help. The old bastard was actually smiling like he
was enjoying the show. “Fine,” s
he said with as
much grace as she could muster,
“
b
ut when I get back, you and I are going to have a talk.”

Chapter
18

Heather and Agminion climbed down the hill from their camp and paused behind several thick bushes. Undoubtedly, she was being overly cautious.
Both sorcerers had checked and said that all the goblins had left the immediate vicinity.

“Do whatever it is you’re going to do,” Heather said in a rather angry tone. She wasn’t pleased that Agminion was coming along with her, but at least he would be able to maintain his ward.

“I already have,” came his reply.

Heather blinked in surprise, “That was quick.”

Smiling, Agminion shrugged. “I had the ward in place before we descended the slope.”

She nodded and leaned close. “Listen up. You stay right beside me and if I suddenly stop or drop to the ground, then you had better do your best imitation of me. Do you understand?”

He swallowed hard and nodded. “I just want to remind you that any goblin that sees us should see us as one of their own. I would suggest not doing anything stupid.” He stopped and Heather just glared at him. “If you did something unusual, then they might take a closer look at us,” Agminion added, trying to clarify his point.

“Thanks,” Heather said sarcastically.

Following the goblins’ trail was absurdly easy.
They didn’t try to cover their
tracks
in the least and it would have been impossible anyway, due to their large numbers. The
goblins continued to the northwe
st in a zigzag manner; the terrain prevented them from travelling the most direct route.

Heather and Agminion had been following for nearly a quarter of an hour when he pulled her to a stop
in a small clearing
. “Goblins coming from the east,” he breathed into her ear.

Without hesitation, Heather
knelt down behind some thick bushes that were growing beside a small wall. She pulled Agminion down to join her. They didn’t have long to wait and then twenty or so goblins stomped noisily into the clearing. In addition to the goblins who were on foot, two more goblins were bound and being carried. The two prisoners had thick ropes binding their hands and feet. Each of the captives were being carried by two extraordinarily large goblins.

The group hardly even slowed as they entered the clearing but they did seem to be constantly scrutinizing the area for any signs of trouble. Several of the big brutes looked right at their hiding spot, causing both Heather and Agminion’s breath to catch. The goblins showed no sign that they had noticed anything.

Almost as quickly as they had arrived, they had passed on through the clearing. For several moments they continued to hear sounds made by the goblins, but eventually, the sounds died down.

Agminion let out a long deep breath.

“Still glad you came with me?” Heather asked, although she too was slumping from relief.

Smiling, Agminion nodded, “Sure. There was only twenty or so of them. We could have bested them.”

Heather frowned at the sorcerer’s poor attempt at humor. “Did you notice their shields or helms?”

He didn’t answer immediately but instead thought back
on the incident
. He had noticed that they carried shields but not much more than that. “N
ot really,” he finally admitted,
“I was more concerned with the goblins than their shields.”

“The goblins were from at least three, maybe four, different tribes.”

Frowning, Agminion shook his head, “That can’t be. I’ve never heard of the tribes working together before.”

“I have,” Heather answered. She cautiously stood up from behind the bushes. “Remember I was at Mul-Dune.” Agminion didn’t respond to that. “Is it safe to follow them?”

Agminion’s eyes seemed to lose focus for several moments and then he nodded. “Yes.”

They continued on the goblin’s trail for almost half an hour. Gradually the ground began rising when they left the plateau and entered the mountains. Despite the rocky terrain, it was still painfully easy to follow the goblins’ trail. They continued this way for another quarter of an hour until Agminion placed a hand on Heather’s arm. He held a finger to his lips and then leaned in close. “Just over the rise is an enormous number of goblins.”

“How many?” Heather asked, her heart pounding in her own ears.
She looked to the rise but didn’t see any sentries. The rain had stopped for the moment, but the clouds still made it difficult to see.

Agminion shrugged, “More than I can count.”

“The ward’s in place?” Heather asked.

Looking a little perturbed, Agminion nodded, “Of course.”

“All right,” Heather said, “we’re going to take a look.” She watched the sorcerer carefully for any signs of fear. She was impressed to see him merely nod his head. “If we get separated, then you run until you reach the camp.” She paused waiting on him to nod
again
which he eventually did. “
Don’t stop until you get ther
e and don’t let them take you a
live.” She waited until he nodded his head a second time. “All right, l
et’s go.”

They approached the ridge and paused while Heather took a quick look around.
The ground crested and then descended for a good ways, creating a natural amphitheater. In the very center of the bowl, was a flat circular area, almost like a stage
except it was sunken and not raised.
. On the far side of the natural stage, the ground rose again until it hit the steep side of the mountains. It was hard to see in the darkness, but the
re was a
gigantic opening in the side of the mountain
which
was unmistakable.

He had been right, the amphitheater was full of goblins.
Gods above!
she thought at the sight of the
goblin throngs.
They sat or stood all along the sloping ground; their attention was focused on the flat area in the middle.
Heather glanced that way and realized why. The goblins they had followed had made their way down to the
center and they were not alone. In addition to the two bound prisoners they had already seen, there were at least another nine or ten bound goblins. More importantly though, four humans stood beside the prisoners. The humans were not bound and, in fact, they appeared to be in charge.

Swallowing hard, Heather grabbed Agminion by the arm and pulled him along behind her. She stayed behind the goblins, higher on the ridge and moved over to the shadows provided by several short trees. Her heart was beating fast and she carefully looked around to make sure no one was watching them. She recognized the humans in the middle of this madness. She looked back, just to make sure.

“What is it?” Agminion asked. “What’s the matter?”

She was relieved that he had the good sense to keep his voice down. “I’ve seen them before,” she replied, pointing at the four.

Agminion turned to stare out over the goblins’ heads.

The first of the four humans was a tall
warrior
, whose head was completely shaven
. He was a monster,
well over
six feet tall and heavily muscled. He had a nasty looking sc
ar across his throat. His chain
mai
l
was visible, even from this distance
,
and a sword hilt poked up over his left shoulder.

Beside the bald warrior was another fighter, albeit of a much more normal size. He was shy of six feet tall and not so much muscular as he was lean. He had a fair complexion and sandy-blond hair that fell almost to his shoulders. He didn’t wear any visible armor but he had a sword strapped to his waist. He moved with such grace, almost seeming to flow from one stance to another.

On the other side of the bald warrior, and a good ways behind, was a magician. She wore a brown cloak that covered her completely except her head. She had long black hair, light colored skin that contrasted with her dark hair, and high cheek bones. She was a very beautiful woman but there wasn’t any warmth about her.

The fourth and final human was a man. He was slender and short, downright puny compared to the others. He had short brown hair and a small nose. He looked more like a large child than he did an adult. He wore no visible armor and there wasn’t any sign of a sword about him.
He was the only one that Heather wasn’t sure had been at Mul-Dune.

Agminion turned from his study of the four towards Heather. He had a resigned look about him. “Let me guess
, Mul-Dune?” h
e said
quietly.

Heather nodded. “Without a doubt the two tall men and the woman were there.” She hesitated and took a deep breath. “I’m not sure about the shorter man. I just don’t remember him.”

He was about to respond but stopped as someone began beating a sword against shield. The action was taken up by the masses and soon there was an unbelievably loud clamor as every goblin in sight slammed their sword repeatedly against their shield.

After a few moments, the bald warrior stepped forward and raised his arms. Immediately the clanging sounds cut off.
Silence settled in, except the for the wind which was blowing steadily.
He turned and nodded to the magician and then looked back to the crowd. The goblins were actually in an enormous circle around him and he moved around the edge of the small stage. After a few moments he spoke,
his v
oice magnified by a magic spell,
“The deserters have
been
captured.” He waved at the ten or so prisoners. He continued to walk about as he spoke, his voice a deep gravelly growl. “Their crime is the worst possible. They have betrayed their master. They have betrayed the Lord Zalustus.”

Once again the goblins began banging their swords against their shields. The bald warrior let this go on for several moments. The other tall warrior was also walking about the stage and he was watching the goblins as the other man spoke. The magician had not moved and seemed rather disinterested. The shorter man also had not moved, but he watched the goblins closely.

Finally, the bald warrior raised his arms again and the goblins fell silent. “I have already told you and showed you the penalty for desertion. They have no one to blame for this but themselves.” He nodded at several goblins who were standing off to the side of the stage and they rushed forward.

They were carrying some rope and several sharpened stakes. The stakes had to be nearly ten feet long. At their approach, the prisoners began squirming, trying to get away. Some of the prisoners cried, others screamed, and still others were silent.

Heather’s breath caught. She had an idea what was coming and it was not something she wanted to watch.
Her suspicion was that the prisoners were to be impaled.
The very thought caused her to shudder. They would be impaled on the stakes and it would take them days to die.
She thought about leaving. It would be
so
easy to slip away, but then she noticed that not all the goblins were watching the spectacle, some were watching the crowd. If they tried to leave
now
, they probably would be seen. If that happened, then even Agminion’s ward wouldn’t help them.
Deciding they could not leave, she lowered her eyes.

The big
warrior started speaking again,
“I have already told you that your silly superstitions do not concern the Lord Zalustus. He cares not
if you think this land cursed or the mine haunted
. The
excavation of the mine must continue. We must find the armor for our lord.”

Heather’s eyes snapped back up at the big man’s words.
“The armor?” s
he repeated vaguely. She looked towards Agminion to see if he had heard the same thing she had. Judging by how wide his eyes were, he had.

The first prisoner began screaming in earnest and Heather accidentally looked. She immediately wished she hadn’t. There were times when a prisoner had to be executed, she just didn’t believe they needed to be tortured in the process.

Pulling her eyes from the gruesome scene, she noticed that all the assembled goblins were watching the punishment, even the ones who had been watching the crowd. “Now’s our chance to escape,” Heather said quietly. She was already climbing to her feet and Agminion followed. “Is the way back clear?”

Agminion nodded, but he looked pale.

“What’s the matter?” Heather asked.

He just shook his head but was careful not to look at the prisoners.

Heather nodded in understanding. Even someone who had seen people tortured before could still be affected by such horrible displays.

They slipped away from the assembly, backtracking along the same path they had followed on the way here. They made good time, mainly due to Agminion using sorcery to constantly check for any goblins in their path.

Going back to camp was easier than the trip here had been. The goblin gathering had occurred in the outskirts of the mountains and th
e trip here had mostly been up
hill.