conjured an image of a patrol all his own, returning to the lair with the bodies of the adventurers dragging behind them. There was cheering and shouting and singing. Songs that weren’t about goblins getting themselves killed.
He didn’t care if he was the one leading the patrol. Even to be a part of such a group, to work with other goblins to win battles, would be a thing worth all the treasure in Straum’s lair.
Reality intruded as Jig remembered the sound of Porak’s last gurgling breaths, right after Barius’s sword poked out of his back. Jig shook his head, angry at himself for his silly fantasies. Goblins were nothing. The natural hierarchy meant the deeper you went, the stronger the monsters. That was why goblins lived here, closer to the entrance than any other monsters. Things had always been that way, probably since the day Ellnorein made this place.
“Goblin, get in here,” Darnak yelled.
He joined the others. Ryslind held out five vials of a dark green liquid. “This is an antitoxin,” he said. “I had hoped to save it for emergencies, but I see no other way to survive the lizard-fish.”
Jig took one of the small vials and stared at it with suspicion. What had died to create these potions? he wondered, remembering what Riana had told him about the blue powder. And how had Ryslind known to bring antitoxin? Was this common practice among mages? Maybe so. If Ryslind was a normal mage, Jig could understand why people would try to poison them.
The others drank it down, even Riana. If anyone had reason to doubt the mage, it was her. Jig shrugged and swallowed his own potion in one gulp. After all, it couldn’t be worse than bread.
The potion tasted salty, and it was thicker than he expected. A thin, slimy coating clung to the roof of his mouth and the back of his throat. This would save him from the sting of the lizard-fish? He didn’t understand how, but what did he know about magic? If Ryslind said this would work, who was he to question? Nobody else seemed to have any doubts.
“We have a half hour. Maybe more for the goblin and the elf, as they’re smaller. Come.” Ryslind rose and strode back toward the lake. Darnak hurriedly finished drawing a small lizard-fish on the map, marked it DANGEROUS, then rolled the whole thing up and tucked it into a hard leather tube. As they walked, he used a block of sealing wax to waterproof the seams. By the time they reached the shore, Darnak’s precious map was safely tucked into his pack.
“Follow,” Ryslind commanded. He walked straight toward the water, ignoring the lizard-fish that scurried up the beach. Darnak and Barius killed them as they approached, but Ryslind appeared oblivious.
What was he planning to do, just swim out to the whirlpool? The wizard’s hands began to move in small circles, fingers pointed toward the surface of the lake. Jig waited for a flash of lightning to kill the lizard-fish, or a magical bridge to suddenly appear over the water. As he stared, a lizard-fish ran up and jabbed Jig with the spines of its tail.
Cursing, Jig grabbed his knife and stabbed at the lizard-fish, which dodged to the side and ran off. Lizard-fish weren’t terribly bright, however, and it ran straight into the path of Darnak’s club. I guess I’ll find out whether or not this potion works.
He looked back toward Ryslind, and his eyes widened. Ryslind had begun to walk across the surface of the lake. As Jig stared, Barius followed his brother. Jig hurried after them, not wanting to be the last target for swarms of angry lizard-fish.
He and Riana reached the edge together, and only then did he see what Ryslind had done. “It’s frozen,” he whispered. A path of ice several yards wide led straight toward the center of the lake. “Incredible.”
“But at what cost?” Riana asked. At Jig’s confused look, she said, “Where does he get all that power?”
Jig shrugged. Magic was beyond him. All he knew about wizards was that you were smart to
He didn’t care if he was the one leading the patrol. Even to be a part of such a group, to work with other goblins to win battles, would be a thing worth all the treasure in Straum’s lair.
Reality intruded as Jig remembered the sound of Porak’s last gurgling breaths, right after Barius’s sword poked out of his back. Jig shook his head, angry at himself for his silly fantasies. Goblins were nothing. The natural hierarchy meant the deeper you went, the stronger the monsters. That was why goblins lived here, closer to the entrance than any other monsters. Things had always been that way, probably since the day Ellnorein made this place.
“Goblin, get in here,” Darnak yelled.
He joined the others. Ryslind held out five vials of a dark green liquid. “This is an antitoxin,” he said. “I had hoped to save it for emergencies, but I see no other way to survive the lizard-fish.”
Jig took one of the small vials and stared at it with suspicion. What had died to create these potions? he wondered, remembering what Riana had told him about the blue powder. And how had Ryslind known to bring antitoxin? Was this common practice among mages? Maybe so. If Ryslind was a normal mage, Jig could understand why people would try to poison them.
The others drank it down, even Riana. If anyone had reason to doubt the mage, it was her. Jig shrugged and swallowed his own potion in one gulp. After all, it couldn’t be worse than bread.
The potion tasted salty, and it was thicker than he expected. A thin, slimy coating clung to the roof of his mouth and the back of his throat. This would save him from the sting of the lizard-fish? He didn’t understand how, but what did he know about magic? If Ryslind said this would work, who was he to question? Nobody else seemed to have any doubts.
“We have a half hour. Maybe more for the goblin and the elf, as they’re smaller. Come.” Ryslind rose and strode back toward the lake. Darnak hurriedly finished drawing a small lizard-fish on the map, marked it DANGEROUS, then rolled the whole thing up and tucked it into a hard leather tube. As they walked, he used a block of sealing wax to waterproof the seams. By the time they reached the shore, Darnak’s precious map was safely tucked into his pack.
“Follow,” Ryslind commanded. He walked straight toward the water, ignoring the lizard-fish that scurried up the beach. Darnak and Barius killed them as they approached, but Ryslind appeared oblivious.
What was he planning to do, just swim out to the whirlpool? The wizard’s hands began to move in small circles, fingers pointed toward the surface of the lake. Jig waited for a flash of lightning to kill the lizard-fish, or a magical bridge to suddenly appear over the water. As he stared, a lizard-fish ran up and jabbed Jig with the spines of its tail.
Cursing, Jig grabbed his knife and stabbed at the lizard-fish, which dodged to the side and ran off. Lizard-fish weren’t terribly bright, however, and it ran straight into the path of Darnak’s club. I guess I’ll find out whether or not this potion works.
He looked back toward Ryslind, and his eyes widened. Ryslind had begun to walk across the surface of the lake. As Jig stared, Barius followed his brother. Jig hurried after them, not wanting to be the last target for swarms of angry lizard-fish.
He and Riana reached the edge together, and only then did he see what Ryslind had done. “It’s frozen,” he whispered. A path of ice several yards wide led straight toward the center of the lake. “Incredible.”
“But at what cost?” Riana asked. At Jig’s confused look, she said, “Where does he get all that power?”
Jig shrugged. Magic was beyond him. All he knew about wizards was that you were smart to
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