The Goblin Warrior (Beneath Sands Book 2) by Emma Hamm (100 books to read txt) 📕

He couldn’t let her go. It would kill him to have her gone from his side, banshee or not.

The cave was eerily still. Ruric lowered the hand he had raised and for the first time started to worry. She had not left the cave in a very long time. There was all manner of places for her to become lost in. Though they had spent weeks exploring the cave system, it was too dangerous for a human on her own.

After he checked every corner thoroughly, Ruric ducked out of their home and started down towards the community cave. It was a stretch that she would go there. He doubted Jane was going to be excited to see the other goblins after so many weeks of solitude.

The congregation of goblins could be heard from hundreds of paces away. The large swell of chatter reached his ears. A smile cracked through the worried expression on his face. Peace after such pain was good to hear.

There were roughly a hundred goblins in the cave. The tall domed ceiling stretched upwards and blue crystals hung from the top. They glowed softly and stroked the familiar forms of goblins with light. Food had always been a community event, though he had never brought Jane here other than their wedding.

Swells of laughter rioted through the cave. The scene was hardly ruined by the few goblins who had bandages wrapped around their head or arm. A smile quirked the side of Ruric’s mouth.

“Ruric!”

The voices called out to him as he entered the large cave. Clawed hands waved at him to come and sit with them. They were all exhausted. He could see that in the lines on their faces and the dirt smudges on their skins. For some, the work would break them. For others, the work was a justification of physical prowess and power.

Ruric settled himself down at a table with four goblins. All four were different shapes and sizes that complimented the many strengths of the goblin race.

“Hello Shusar.”

They both reached forward to clack nails against each other, a customary hello between the goblins.

“You are so rarely here after we work in the mines. What brings you today, my brother?”

The goblins had chosen to continue the work humans had done. The deeper into the mines they could tunnel, the further away they could get if there was an attack. The threat of humans was a constant one.

Ruric disagreed with this thinking. He would have liked to train more goblins to fight. They had the advantage in these caves. If the humans ever desired to fight, they would not stand a chance. Some of the goblins agreed with him, but the council never would. They were too soft to desire warriors.

“I’m looking for my wife.” Ruric seated himself down next to the others.

“Your wife?”

There were a few startled looks cast towards him. He had expected some of them to be confused. Jane had not yet earned the title of wife back as long as that intricate chain was still around her throat. Ruric did not wish to remove it, not yet.

“She appears to be missing.”

Shusar laughed. He was the only other goblin who appeared to give a response. The rest remained frozen or fixed their eyes upon their food. “Ah, so the stone maiden finally came out of her cave? She must look like us by now.”

“If I had seen her, I would tell you. She hides even from me.” Ruric replied.

“One would think she fears us.” Another goblin commented. He was a large male from Ruric’s line somewhere in the histories. That could easily be seen in the bulk that made him stand out from the others. Broad shoulders, flat features, and tall, Illyrin was nearly bigger than Ruric.

“There is much to fear.” Ruric said quietly, leaning forward to steal a piece of fish off of Illyrin’s plate. “We are the creatures their children fear at night.”

The large goblin snorted. “They do not know that goblins exist at all.”

Shusar winked at the other goblins. “With good reason. However, I like the idea of nibbling human flesh. Their children must be particularly tasty.”

Though he was joking, Shusar had every right to feel that way. His son had been killed by one of the humans that had been involved in the rebellion. Curious and intelligent, Shusar’s son had been one of the many to fall by human hands.

Ruric had brought the boy home and would never forget the raw scream that had erupted from Shusar’s mouth. The boy was one of the rare younglings they had. To lose him had been a blow to the entire community, let alone to his father. He had been the youngest son Shusar created.

Ruric watched carefully for a change of expression on Shusar’s face. There were few goblins that he felt could potentially cause a problem for Jane. As much as he respected Shusar, the scarred goblin was firmly on that list.

There was a resounding thump as Illyrin’s knife sank into the table close to Ruric’s hand which had snuck closer to the fish on his plate. “Get your own food, goblin.”

A feral grin was Ruric’s response. “Why get my own when I could take yours?”

“Children.” Both large goblins pulled away from each other at Shusar’s reprimanding tone. He was half the size of the other two but somehow they always listened when he spoke. Shusar was older than most goblins in this tribe and he had already fathered two sons. Goblins with children were automatically respected. To be chosen as a potential mate for a female was the highest honor.

His knife slid a slice of fish towards Ruric. “Go find your female, warrior. Leave us in peace.”

“I don’t know where she disappeared to.” Ruric replied sarcastically. His fingers grabbed the fish though and slid it delicately between serrated teeth.

“Where would you go if you wanted to be alone?” Shusar said quietly.

Ruric froze, his eyes slanting to glare at the other goblin. “What do you know, old one?”

“‘Old one’?”