Willow took the lead then, arrow nocked to the string of his longbow, and stopped just short of the light, Mead right behind him. Blorys slid into place at Eddis’ left and gave her a questioning look. She held up herright hand, flexed the fingers, so he could see they were working again, then drew her sword.
He murmured against her ear, “Good. All the same, stay out ofthis fight if you can. Keep the girl back.” She nodded, drew the child to herside, and let Panev go by. The priest’s eyes were black, his face stern, and hislips moved silently.
M’Baddah knelt to draw on his thick gloves and hooked theleather envelope of sh’khuris to his belt where he could reach them. That done,he tested his bowstring and joined Willow. M’Whan followed, one arrow nocked tothe string, a handful stuffed up his sleeve where he could grab them quickly and fire. How he can do that without losing them all or slicing his arm? Eddis wondered. The youth’s points were long as her finger and wickedly sharp on allfour sides.
Tense silence as Willow held up a hand and touched it briefly to his lips, then held it out as a warning to be ready. The high-pitched voice was whimpering once more. It sounds like a dog that’s been beaten, Eddisthought. Flerys bit her lip. Her hands tightened on the spear. The elf brought his hand down sharply and sprinted around the corner, Jerdren and M’Baddah righton his heels, the rest following. Eddis kept the girl back with her.
The passage bent once more, then opened out into a small, brightly lit chamber. Eddis could make out humans shackled to the far wall, and near them, a gnoll hung from chains. The wall was pale rock, splattered with blood. Eddis drew Flerys aside with her as men and elves slammed into the hobgoblin guards. Already the fighting was so fierce that it took the woman a moment to figure out there were only two of the monsters, but both were armed with thick-bladed swords. They were swinging the blades with vicious intent and not much skill-which could be just as deadly in close combat. One of the Keepmen fell back, sword dangling from his hand, blood pouring down his arm. Mead dragged him aside, and Jerdren bellowed an order for the swordsmen to get back.
“No arrows!” her co-captain yelled. “You could hit theprisoners!” He pulled back himself, freed up his short boar spear, and waitedfor an opening.
One of the guards slashed a wild path through the attackers and charged past the Keep men. Eddis drew Flerys farther into the chamber in case the thing was trying to escape, but it turned sharply, sword still swinging, and threw itself at Blorys. Blor parried an overhand blow with his blade and was sent sprawling. Eddis started but subsided against the wall as Flerys snatched at her arm.
Somewhere deep in the turmoil of bodies, M’Baddah shouted,“Down!” A moment later, he broke free and began working his way around thecreature, a glittering, deadly metal star gripped in one gloved hand. M’Whan’sspear broke against the brute’s armor. Another hit and clattered harmlessly tothe floor.
The hobgoblin was starting for Blorys once more when the sh’khuri thudded home, lodging in its throat, just above the armor. Blood randown the monster’s throat, but it seemed merely enraged by the wound. A seconddeadly missile sank in deeper, just above the first. Men and elves scattered as blood sprayed everywhere. The hobgoblin pawed at the sh’khuri but succeeded onlyin slicing its hand open. It toppled slowly backward. Blood shot high briefly, slowed, and stopped.
The second hobgoblin was trying to gain the entry and escape. Eddis brought up her sword, took two long steps to put herself squarely in the creature’s way, and thrust Flerys behind her. The priest was back in thehallway. He was armed, and a good fighting man, but if he was distracted by prayer, he’d be caught unawares and probably cut down. Not, Eddis thoughtgrimly, while I’m here to prevent that. She was aware that Flerys had moved apace to one side, could see the steady spear. But two of the Keep men knocked the brute flat from behind, swinging mace and morningstar in a smooth, precise maneuver. Before it could struggle to its feet, Blorys and Jerdren finished it off.
“Good work, people,” Jerdren said. He sounded out of breath.
“Noisy,” Blorys objected as he sheathed his dagger.
“Only in here, Brother. Panev said he’d make a silence spellback there, across the passage.”
Eddis glanced across her shoulder as the priest came into the open.
“Anything?” the ex-soldier asked.
“I saw the fight but heard none of it,” the priest replied.“Nothing is moving this way, just yet.”
“Good. Let’s be quick about this.” Jerdren turned on one heelas Kadymus came hurrying up, a clanking batch of heavy keys in his hands. “Fastwork, lad,” he added, and the thief smiled.
“Was hanging just there, in plain sight,” he said, and toEddis, he sounded smug and self-confident once more.
Leave be, she thought tiredly. If he’s cocky, he’s probablymore use to us.
“Good,” Jerdren said. “Stay close. If these don’t work, we’llneed you and your lock-picks.”
“I’ll use ’em anyway,” Kadymus said. “Free ’em all so muchthe faster.”
“Good thinking.” Jerdren slapped the youth on the shoulder,staggering him, then turned to survey those chained to the far wall. “Onlyrelease the humans, though. We’ll need to be sure what the others will do, if welet ’em go.”
There were four humans, and two-a chubby older man and aragged-looking woman with wild, staring eyes- couldn’t have been here long, Eddisdecided. The man would’ve lost the belly straining at his filthy robe, thewoman’s hair was still partly a mass of worked curls atop her head, though someof it was plastered to the side of her face and stiff with dried blood. The other two had the look of armsmen, though they wore only torn jerkins and trousers. Both were barefoot and bloody, but they looked alert enough as their eyes moved across the invaders.
Just beyond the merchant, an orc cringed away from the party, babbling or muttering in its own language. The gnoll stared fearfully at the far wall or at some nearer delusion, panting and licking its lips.
“We’re here to get you out,” Jerdren said. He began tryingkeys one after the other on the older man’s fetters.
“I know him!” one of the Keep men said. “He used to sellpottery in the Keep!”
“Get us… get us out, by all the gods, please get us outof here!” the man begged, his teeth chattering. “They’ll kill us, me and mywife!” He swallowed. “They keep saying they’ll kill us tonight, and… andthere’s a b- banquet, and-”
“Don’t, man,” Blorys urged. “We’ll keep you from that, Iswear it. Kadymus, free the lady, will you?”
“We… haven’t anything to give you.” The potter’s voicequavered. “They… took everything, but I have gold, a bag of it, I left itin the Keep. It’s all yours, every gold piece, if you’ll only-!”
“We don’t ask a reward,” Eddis said as she came up. “Justhold still, if you can. The manacles will come off faster.”
“We were guarding the merchant’s wagon,” one of the otherprisoners said. “Bunch of those things came down on our camp, late at night. Wedidn’t have a chance. Free us, and we’ll serve you. Though I wouldn’t blame youfor doubting we can fight, seeing where we are.”
“She just said,” Jerdren replied, a nod of his head to Eddis,“this isn’t for reward. Likely you’d do the same for us, but we can talk it overlater, after you’re all safely out of here.”
The merchant’s wife seemed to come out of a half-swoon, andbegan shaking her head frantically. “Out of… no, you can’t, we can’t! If weeven think about escape, they’ll… they said that they’d-” She broke intoterrified, wracking sobs, and tears ran down her face.
Blorys caught the woman’s shoulders in a gentle grasp. “Theycan’t do anything, because we’ll be gone from here before they know you’veescaped. The two who guarded you are dead. We’ll see you safely away from here,back to the Keep.”
The woman beat at him with soft little fists, and when her husband staggered the few paces to take her arm, she shook him off, her voice spiraling into hysteria.
“Here, let me have her,” Mead said. He drew the woman aside,speaking quietly. The shrill cries broke off suddenly, and when Mead turned to lead her back, she came willingly and quietly. Her eyes were unfocused, and the merchant eyed her, then the elf, with fear.
“I bespelled her. A simple and harmless charm. She feels noneof the terror that crippled her mind, and now she believes herself safely home. I will waken her from that spell once we are far from these caves.” He beckonedto Jerdren. “That orc told my brother that he will aid us against the hobgoblinsif we give him a weapon.”
“Oh?”
“I do not trust him, any more than you do, but to leave himhere for other hobgoblins to find, and their two comrades dead on the floor…? Or that poor, mad thing,” he added, his eyes flicking toward the gnoll.
