The dry tack was gone, and all the goblins were accounted for. She suddenly threw down the dry twig she was chewing and stood.
Where are you going? Anowon said.
Nissa had been watching a small flock of birds bob from rock to rock. She ignored Anowon s question and approached the rock the birds had massed on. At her approach the flock flew off and to another rock, where they complained noisily. Nissa peered carefully at the base of the large boulder. Then she dropped down onto her knees and put her face within a foot of the seam where the sandy soil met the boulder.
Sorin looked over casually and raised one eyebrow as Nissa sniffed tentatively at the dry soil. Unsatisfied, she moved an arm s length to the right and sniffed the ground again. She moved six more times before she found what she was looking for: a small hole in the dirt. A small patch of bright green lichen grew in a spiral pattern above the tiny hole, Sorin noticed. Even Smara watched Nissa quietly.
Then the elf began digging. She dug with her hand, carefully piling the sandy dust next to the rock as she worked. After a good time at it, Nissa began to hum. The hole deepened. It was not morning anymore when Nissa began to heave. She pulled three times before looking over at Sorin and Anowon. They approached the hole.
It s soft, so you have to grip hard, Nissa said.
What little gift have you found here in the loam? Sorin said, glancing over at Smara as he bent and took a handful of what felt like a wine skin filled with jelly. It had not rained in weeks, yet the soil was damp at the bottom of the hole.
Smara cocked her head at Sorin. She gave no indication she had understood his taunt.
Now pull, Nissa said.
It took six heaves before it came free. A large, bright red blob of material popped out of the hole.
Sorin jumped back despite himself. Anowon bent for a closer look.
A grit slug, Nissa said. She collected dead limbs from the low and gnarled evergreen shrubs clinging to the cracks between the rocks, and built a small fire.
What will you do with that? Sorin said of the fire.
Cook the slug, Nissa said.
With that?
Just so.
Nissa lit the fire with a flint and steel and constructed a small shelf of rocks around the fire.
That fire will never heat that thing, Sorin said.
I only have to boil one area, and the slug will cook in its own skin, Nissa said.
It took hours to cook the thing, nonetheless. And the whole time the mountain did not fall.
When Nissa poked the slug and pronounced it cooked, Smara and the goblins flocked around. Even Anowon seemed interested and drew near.
I thought you only ate blood, Nissa said to the vampire.
Anowon shrugged. I prefer blood, he said.
Nissa used the eating knife stowed up her right sleeve to cut jiggling wedges out of the slug. The color was a dull red. The goblins threw their pieces down their gullets and put rough hands out for more.
It tastes like raw human fat, Anowon said.
Sorin scoffed from where he stood at the periphery.
Nissa made a sour face hearing Anowon s words. She cut the goblins more slug, and then ate three wedges of her own as fast as she could, with the viscous juices running down her knuckles and dripping off her forearms.
Smara held her piece up to the sun to watch the light diffuse through it before eating.
How did you know the slug was there? Anowon asked, licking the juice off his thin fingers.
The birds were waiting for its eye to poke through that hole they told me, Nissa said.
I did not see anything like an eye pop out of that hole, Sorin said.
It would not have, Nissa said.
Why?
Because the slug was dead, Nissa said. Had been for days.
Sorin shook his head and swallowed hard. Anowon looked away from the half-eaten slug.
Nobody except the goblins ate any more of the slug. Then they sat against the rocks and watched the flies ply the gelatinous corpse, waiting for the mountain to hurtle down.
I think we should run through now, Nissa said.
Anowon stirred in his torn cloak.
If we wait here any longer Nissa said. She did not need to finish. Even in her cold sleep she could feel the brood closing in on them from behind, and the others felt it too, she knew.
Sorin groaned and sat up. He blinked at the gap. Then he patted the pommel of his great sword. But I love the shape it is in right now, he said. It would not have the same charm if flattened.
Walk around if you have fear in your heart, Nissa said.
Fear in my heart, Sorin repeated. I like that. He stood and yawned. Then he walked over to the gap, ducked calmly, and disappeared. Anowon hopped up and followed, and so did Nissa.
Nobody said a word while they walked under the mountain. Even Smara, who was last through, was absolutely quiet. Nissa put her palms on the damp rock above her head as she walked. Rough hewn, but split with the grain. No tool had done the work on the mountain. But what had, then?
Their foot falls echoed on the wet stone. The echoes that returned to their ears were affected by a strange chirping, so for a moment Nissa thought the brood must have entered the cleft from another part of the mountain. The more she listened, the more she detected the scurry of mice in the odd echo. But it was hard to tell.
Soon the line of sunlight opposite became wider, and Nissa could see rock through the gap and something else. She stopped and squinted. Sorin had seen it too. He was in the process of very slowly drawing his great sword from its sheath.
They could only see the bottom half of it, but what they saw was large easily as large as a forest troll, but not quite as tall as the trench giants. It had thick arms, hands, and torso, but its legs were stunted and tiny. Its tail was long and thick like that of a rat. It was sitting with its body against the rock and its tiny legs sticking straight out. Its overall appearance was almost comical. But judging by the keen way Sorin had his sword at the ready, Nissa guessed he was not in the joking mood.
They neared the gap and could see the whole creature its massive shoulders and large-jawed, reptilian head and its closed eyes. Nissa watched as its chest rose and fell rhythmically.
Asleep, Nissa whispered. She stepped out of the gap on tiptoe. The sun had grown bright and seemed to be shining directly into her eyes. Still, she could see clearly enough the rusted, flattened remnants of armor and splintered bone strewn around the creature, and she could guess why the thing waited at the edge of the cleft. The meat must already be well tenderized by the time he pulls it out.
Nissa motioned to the others and crept around the creature and through a cut in the rock. The huge thing smelled like rotting death lying in the sun the way it was, snoring softly. Soon Nissa saw why it stunk so badly she passed the pile of cast off parts. Bright red flies buzzed off the rotting pile as the intruders passed.
But then one of the creature s eyes popped open.
Anowon noticed the open eye too late. The thing was up on its knuckles in a moment. The speed and quickness with which it swept its stunted legs forward and landed a kick on Anowon s chest shocked Nissa, and then he was tumbling through the dust.
Sorin drew his great sword with its blade as black as night.
Anowon was up on his feet the moment after he stopped rolling. His teeth were bared, and his long-nailed hands were up and ready for attack. Small trails of blood were falling from around Anowon s red eyes. A deep growl that Nissa did not like at all came from the vampire s throat. Then he charged at the creature.
Nissa drew her stem sword and swung, hoping to catch the creature before it reached Anowon, but it caterwauled forward and swung in on its knuckles for another kick. Just then Sorin s blade slashed through the creature s back.
As soon as the blade bit into its flesh, the creature s body began to shrivel. In two breaths it was no more than a dry shell. In three breaths it fell to a large pile of gray dust. Soon the wind was blowing it away.