oath to defend to the death the babies they carried. Fulkth, the Chief Engineer and commander of the squadron, came to stand beside Kang.
“Looks good,” he said.
“It’s a Temple of Paladine,” Kang returned.
Fulkth’s long tongue flicked out between his teeth. “Must be nigh unto six hundred goblins on our tail, sir.”
Kang snorted, said nothing. Slith came out of the front, began waving his arm back and forth, the signal that all was well.
“Go!” Kang ordered and Support Squadron moved out, heading for the temple at a run. They passed Slith, who was returning to make his report.
“You think we can hold there, Slith?” Kang asked.
“Yes, sir. Support Squadron can fortify the doors and windows. That brick wall is good and solid. It’ll give pause to the goblins. They’ll think twice before they try coming over the wall after us.”
“Just like they thought twice about tracking us through the snow,” Kang muttered. “I’m sorry, Slith. It’s not your fault. I’m in a bad mood, that’s all.”
“I know how you feel, sir,” Slith said. He gave a shiver, his scales clicked. Normally, the dragon heritage of the draconians would protect them from the cold, but if the temperature dropped too low, the draconians couldn’t adjust to it and faced the possibility of freezing to death.
The temperature was dropping.
“No problems inside?” Kang asked. “No holy force tried to prevent you from entering?”
“No, sir.” Slith grinned, showing a row of sharp teeth. “The rumors we heard must be true. Paladine’s long gone. No one else is inside either, at least that I could see.”
“Fulkth will check the place out. I’ll make the temple my headquarters. Let’s go.”
Kang and his small security detail of five baaz draco-nians raced to the temple. Support Squadron had already entered the gateway of the temple grounds. He could hear Fulkth shouting commands to search the buildings, secure the windows and the doors. Kang had reached the gate when one of his guards called his attention behind them. A runner was coming toward him, using his wings to hop and glide, letting the wind help carry him across the plain.
The runner skidded to a halt.
“Sir, Squadron Master Gloth reports that the goblins broke through his first line, but that he repelled the break and now the goblins have retreated three hundred yards. He thinks its only temporary, though, and wants to know if you want him to pull back to the temple, sir.”
Kang looked at Slith. “What do you think?”
Slith shrugged. “They’ve got to pull back sometime, sir. Might as well be now.”
“How’s it looking up there?” Kang asked the runner.
“We’ve lost four or five of ours, but one was Kelemek, the bozak, and when he went, he took nearly twenty goblins with him.”
“Hate to lose him, all the same.”
Another one of us gone, Kang thought. Our numbers grow fewer every day. Maybe we should have stayed in the valley. .
“Sir?” Slith was regarding his commander in concern.
The runner flapped his wings and did a little dance to keep warm.
Kang blinked, rubbed the stinging snow from his eyes. “If First Squadron pulls back, it’ll put all the pressure on Second Squadron. That can’t be helped. Churz, go back and tell Gloth to retreat to the temple, then go to Yethik and tell him to do the same. The length of time it takes you to move between one and the other will cause a delay between the two. Keep the squadrons moving back in echelon.”
Yethik was new to the command of Second Squadron. He had taken command only two days before when a goblin arrow had pierced Irlihk’s eye, killing him instantly. They had lost nearly thirty draconians since setting out from Mount Celebundin. There were just over two hundred left in the regiment.
The runner nodded, repeated the orders to ensure he got them right. Kang slapped him on the back and sent him off.
One of the baaz in the Security Detail pitched forward on his face. Slith rolled him over. There was an arrow in his back, lodged beneath his wings, a patch which the armor couldn’t cover. Even as they watched, the body started to turn to stone.
Slith ran inside the temple. Kang left the baaz where he lay and entered the gates to the temple grounds. The rest of the baaz guards trooped in behind him. Inside it was eerily quiet. The wall kept out the wind. Maybe it would also keep out the goblins.
“Slith, make sure Support Squadron’s ready to handle the defense. Oh, and get fires going. We’re going to need heat. You four, fix me a post up on the second level where I can see the fighting. I want some torches brought up. Have Dremon report to me once you’re set up.”
The lead baaz saluted but hesitated before carrying out his orders. He looked back out to the body of his comrade. Snow was starting to pile up around it
“Yes, I know,” Kang said, answering the unspoken question. “If we win this battle, we’ll go back and retrieve him and bury him properly. Same with the rest of our dead, those that remain intact. If we lose, it won’t make much difference where he lies, will it?”
“No, sir. Sorry, sir.”
“Don’t apologize, Rog. We care for our own,” Kang replied. “No shame in that. Only credit. Now, off you go.”
The four baaz moved off to do their commander’s bidding.
Kang climbed the stairs, entered what had apparently been a living quarters for some of the clerics who served the temple. The room was small and exceptionally clean but completely bare. Only the bunks built into the walls remained.
Kang opened the shutters, looked out the window. The wind howled at him, but he could see First Squadron drawing near the temple grounds. Second Squadron was five hundred yards back. Neither was being pursued. He closed the shutters, sat down on one of the bunks.
A mistake. He would lie down, stretch out, take a nap. Just a short nap. He hadn’t slept much in these past few days. He hadn’t slept much in the past few months, or so it seemed. A nap wouldn’t hurt anything. He’d done everything he could, the matter was out of his hands, Slith could deal with. . with. .
“Sir! Support Squadron reporting, sir!” A draconian materialized in front of Kang, saluted.
Kang sighed and opened his eyes. He wearily returned the salute.
Dremon, another sivak draconian, had been promoted to Chief Supply Officer when Yethik had taken command of Second Squadron. Dremon was the best reconnaissance soldier in the regiment, meaning that he was the best assassin, but he had broken his shoulder during one of the last raids at Celebundin and had never healed properly. He couldn’t do the stealth work required of a reconnaissance soldier, but Kang had found other uses for him. He had put Dremon in charge of security for the young draconian females.
“How are the babies?” Kang asked.
Dremon shook his head. “There’s something wrong, sir.”
“What, damn it?” Kang was on his feet. Fear shriveled his heart.
“I don’t know, sir.” Dremon looked helpless. “I don’t know anything about kids. The only kid I ever saw was a little human and, well, sir, I killed it. That was on that raid on-”
“Never mind about the damn raid!” Kang thundered. “What about the babies?”
“They’re listless and they won’t eat. We tried to give them some of the raw meat we’ve been feeding them but they just turn their heads away.”
“Are they warm enough?”
“Yes, sir. We’ve got them tied up snug as a bug in the sacks. They’re fretful, sir. All they do is whimper and cry.”
“Are they sick?” Kang was sick himself, sick with worry.
“I don’t know, sir. I really think you should come-
“Sir!” One of Support Squadron entered the room. “Subcommander Slim said to tell you that the temple is not
