With a silent curse, she released her grip on the bridge and focused on the sword. She twisted and flattened her hands against her side to increase the speed of her descent. The heat from the molten river intensified the lower she got.
The sword tumbled a few yards ahead of her. She reached for the hilt when it rotated around in her direction. The tips of her fingers only grazed it, sending it into an uneven wobble. Nali knew she would have to pull up in a few seconds.
“Come on,” she hissed as the hilt swung toward her again.
Her fingers slid over the heated metal, and the moment she had a grip on the sword, she called forth her wings, opening them as wide as she could to slow her free fall.
She soared mere feet from the molten river, swerving as a super-heated bubble of lava exploded in front of her. She glided for several yards before she was able to rise on a wave of heated air. It gave her the lift needed without fear of her touching the lava. With powerful sweeps of her wings, she ascended from the deep ravine and turned back toward the bridge. A brilliant, almost blinding light guided her back to Asahi. It took a moment for her to realize that he was holding the winged-lion dagger.
She scanned the area where the alien had been only minutes before. From her vantage point, she could see that the creature had fled but not before leaving a trail of horror behind. Her throat tightened when she counted at least a dozen goblins lying lifeless along the wall and inside the goblin stronghold.
Sword in hand, she twisted in midair, and dropped onto the bridge near Asahi. He slowly lowered his arm as her feet touched the stone. The glow of his dagger faded when he reached out and steadied her.
“Where did it go?” she asked in a voice filled with emotion.
“It disappeared through the larger drainage vent just over the edge of the bridge,” he quietly replied.
She walked to the edge and looked down. There was a large pipe with water flowing out of it like a waterfall along the ravine wall. Only the goblins would know where the pipe led.
Nali glanced at Asahi when he came and stood next to her in silence. She took a deep breath to calm the grief rising inside her and turned toward the gates of the stronghold.
“I have to see to the dead—and find out if any of the goblins survived,” she said.
“I’ll help you,” he murmured.
An hour later, Asahi gently lay the last of the dead goblins down on the cobblestones. After Nali had left to search for survivors, he gathered all the dead he could find. By the time he finished, twenty dead goblins lay in a row on the path. Now, he stood over the small, armor-clad, green and tan bodies.
He turned away from them, walked over to an overturned cart, and picked up the magical dagger propped there. Mr. Gryphon was keeping a keen eye out in case any part of the alien returned. The animated creature had also filled him in on some of the quirkier details of goblin etiquette while Asahi had completed his gruesome task.
The echo of footsteps, the loud creaking of leather, and the telltale clang of metal on metal attracted his attention. Nali must have been successful in her search. Asahi turned on his heel and faced the approaching group, stunned when he saw that there were already hundreds of goblins gathered at the gates, and more were joining the group every moment.
“Ah, here comes the leader of the goblins,” the winged lion murmured, sitting up on the dagger’s hilt. “Make sure you show respect or she’ll take you down to her level with one swing of her ax—literally,” the lion added with a suggestive swipe of a claw across his front leg.
Asahi distractedly nodded. His attention was focused on Nali. She had returned to her natural form—or at least what he suspected was her normal self. Her creamy skin was the warm color of mocha, and her hair hung about her shoulders in thick, curly waves. She was, in a single word, breathtaking.
He forced his gaze away from Nali and looked at the creature walking beside her. He was surprised when he realized that the leader of the goblins was a woman. The royal goblin stared back at him with vivid green eyes that glowed like the vein of luminescent bacteria in the rocks. She held a short sword in her hand and wore a large, double-headed battle axe slung across her back, much like a Minoan labrys.
Asahi wasn’t sure what the proper protocol was for a Goblin Queen since the winged lion hadn’t included that part in his ongoing description of the creatures. He tried to remember if his grandfather had ever shared any information that might be helpful, but when he came up blank, he did the only thing he could think of and gave the Goblin Queen a deep bow.
“Your Majesty, my humblest regrets for the horrific loss your people have suffered today,” he formally greeted her.
“You are a stranger to our world,” the Goblin Queen stated in a raspy voice.
When Asahi heard the rumble of concern that ran through the crowd of goblins, he slowly straightened and looked around at hundreds of eyes staring back at him in curiosity, suspicion, and fear. He returned his attention to the Goblin Queen.
“He is a human from another world,” Nali responded, stepping up beside him.
“Another alien!” hissed an old goblin as he pulled his short sword and pointed it at Asahi.
Asahi watched as a wave of alarm swept over the crowd. Suddenly more swords, spears, and even rocks appeared
