Jerdren thought for a moment, then listened as the priest spoke into his ear. The swordsman nodded vigorously.
“Eddis, M’Whan, and two of you Keep men who can run fast, we’ll go first,” he whispered. “Arrows ready. We’re gonna sprint along that passage, fire, and keep going until we reach the far end of the chamber.”
“Where they can pick us off one at a time?” Eddis objected.
“No. Panev says he has something that will distract ’em.”
He was gone before she could say anything else, moving along the tunnel until a step or two more would bring him into the open. Blorys sighed faintly and gripped her arm as she swore under her breath. She smiled at him, fitted an arrow to the string, and went to join Jerdren. Two of the Keep men and the priest were right on her heels. A glance over her shoulder as she settled in to wait. Panev tilted his head back and began to pray quietly.
Jerdren went into a low crouch, then burst into the open, Eddis right on his heels. She could hear the pounding of boots right behind her. Movement—there, to her right, and not as far away as she would have liked. She swerved as her co-captain came to an abrupt halt and turned to fire an arrow, then took off again. She shot two arrows wildly and ran, slamming hard into Jerdren’s outstretched arm. She had a sharp mental image of stunned goblins staring at them, mouths agape, until Jerdren’s arrow brought one of them down yelping. The Keep men ran up, and the orcs were coming for them.
We’re dead, Eddis thought, and was suddenly angry.
“Jers, you brainless oaf—!” She caught her breath in a startled gasp. Brilliant light, painful as lightning, flooded the room.
“That’s Panev,” Jerdren hissed. “Back the way we came—now!”
If he’d run fast coming over, he was almost flying now. Eddis stretched her legs and tried to keep up.
All four made it back across without incident. Most of the goblins were clutching their eyes and wailing, but as Eddis ran for the relative safety of the corridor, two of the goblins scooped up a bundle from the floor and fled through a massive wooden door she hadn’t noticed before. Two others drew short swords and swung them wildly, as if they expected the crazed humans to sneak up on them and kill them while they were blinded. One accidentally slashed its companion in the forearm.
He screeched in pain and flung himself away from the blade, crying out, “Bree-yark!”
Kadymus pushed past Eddis, laughing. “Hey, get that! Hit ’em with a little light and a few bad shots, and they give up!
Jerdren snatched at the youth’s sleeve but too late. The young thief was already halfway across the room, swaggering toward the huddled creatures, sword in one hand, long dagger in the other.
“Gotta be one of you understands some Common, I bet, just like I know that surrender word of yours. So you just drop those swords and give up n-now… ?” His voice rose to a girlish squeak. Two of the goblins were coming for him, still blinking but ready to kill. As he retreated a pace, the door slammed against the far wall. A massive brute filled the doorway, huge club clutched in one hand. It raised a meaty fist and leered at the youth only paces away, revealing brownish, ugly teeth. Kadymus’ sword fell from his hands, and he staggered back into the nearest wall. Jerdren darted into the open, grabbed him, and dragged the youth back into the passage.
“Gods,” Blorys said reverently. “It’s an ogre! Willow,” he added urgently, “you and Mead, back, out of sight!”
“It knows we are here,” Willow replied calmly, though he’d gone pale. “It can smell us, but I will not run from it.”
“Now what?” Eddis asked. Her sword felt puny, all at once. The creature was head and shoulders taller than she, if not more, and muscled like a blacksmith. Still, there was only one….
“We fought one in the north,” Blorys said. “They’re mean and strong but not smart or fast. Remember, Jers?”
“Sure. You remember what we did to stop it?” his brother replied, as tersely.
“Hope so.”
“You’d better remember! M’Baddah, you and M’Whan come with us, and the rest of you, deal with those goblins, so we can concentrate on that ogre!”
Jerdren moved out into the chamber again, sword drawn, and his back against the nearest wall.
The ogre was in the chamber now, the goblins backing warily away from it, though two had begun a slow stalk along one wall.
“Watch it,” Eddis said and indicated the two with her chin. “They’re trying to flank us.”
Willow brushed by her and shot two arrows at them. One struck its target, and the goblin sprawled across the passage, twitching and snarling. The other yelped in surprise and darted back to join his companions near the doorway. The ogre growled at them, and they backed hastily from the door, edging along the north wall, out of his reach.
Jerdren yelled something guttural, a single word. The ogre’s eyes narrowed, and it drew itself up straight, grip tightening on the club as the man ran for the far wall, just as he’d done earlier. This time, he didn’t stop. The ogre, astonished, turned to watch him. Blorys and the outlanders flung themselves into the room, M’Whan clutching a throwing spear, M’Baddah his bow, Blorys his sword.
Gods, it’ll kill them! Eddis knelt, bow in hand and tried to sight on the brute’s eye or its throat—either was big enough to make a decent target. The Keep men moved around her, staying close to the wall, and began firing arrows and spears at the goblins.
The ogre spun around as M’Whan’s spear missed it by inches, and it swiped at Blorys with one massive hand. Blorys leaped out of the way, ducking as M’Baddah’s arrow sang over his head, and sliced across the monster’s shoulder. It didn’t even notice, Eddis thought, and shifted her attention to the orcs, who had been bullied into a pack by one of their number and were charging the Keep men. She fired several arrows at them, but most were foiled by armor or went wild. They slammed into the humans, and she didn’t dare shoot any more. Willow eased past her, sword in one hand, dagger in the other, and went to help.
M’Baddah’s second arrow bounced off a bony hip. The next sank deep into the ogre’s belly. Behind Eddis, Mead was muttering—setting up a spell. Off to her right, one of the men yelled and went down. Another slid down the wall.
The ogre plucked at M’Baddah’s arrow, snarled, and left it where it was. Its filthy leather pants were slick with blood. Eddis stared in horrified astonishment as Blorys darted back and forth in front of the massive creature, waving his arms and shouting taunts. She brought up her bow and shot high. The arrow tore through the air where the massive head had been, but the ogre was on the move, its attention locked on Blorys as it swung the club.
Too hard. It overbalanced and fought to regain its feet, but as the man ran in, sword swinging, it smacked him with an open hand, sending him rolling across the floor, half-stunned. His helm rolled the other way and cracked against Eddis’ knee. She dropped her bow and drew her sword, throwing herself into the open between Blor and the brute. The ogre laughed, an evil sound that filled the chamber and left the orcs drawing back in a terrified huddle. Brushing past M’Baddah and M’Whan, the creature raised its club high.
Eddis slashed wildly with her sword, hoping to force the ogre back. Behind her, Blorys was fighting to sit up and gasping for her to get away.
“Don’t distract me!” she yelled.
The ogre bared its ugly teeth in a savage grin and reached for her.
Eddis tightened her hands on the sword hilt and swiped at the ogre’s hand. The blade rebounded. She staggered back, off balance, and Blorys shouted a warning. Jerdren came running then, sword a blur as it cut the backs of both the ogre’s legs. The brute snarled and fell hard, one or both of the long tendons cut, but it was fighting to turn and bring the club down on the head of the man who’d injured it. M’Baddah, M’Whan, and Willow threw themselves at the brute, stabbing at its throat and eyes. The ogre jerked once and was quiet. A little blood trickled down its filthy cheek but soon stopped.