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

Both of the sisters froze as they stared at Catherine and the lingering shadow of Luther behind her. Jane heard her brother make a strangled noise while Catherine’s hands flew to her lips.

“You’re not supposed to be in here.” Catherine hissed at them, but she shoved Luther into the room and shut the door behind them.

Jane’s hand curled around a medical instrument on a tray nearby as she bolted towards Catherine. The only thing that saved the much smaller woman was Luther’s shoulder that slammed into Jane’s chest.

“Let go of me!” Jane wanted to scream the words, but the need for quiet was more important than her own anger.

“I can’t.” Luther said. “You know I can’t. Put it down Jane.”

Instead, Jane pointed the thin metal tool directly at Catherine. “You did this. I know you did this, I can see it in your eyes.”

She watched as Catherine’s throat worked in a hard swallow before the woman nodded.

“I did. I didn’t have a choice.”

“We all have choices.” Jane knew that more than anyone. She had already made enough foolish choices to last a lifetime. Right now, she was going to make the right choice for all of them.

Luther’s hands eased on her but he grasped hold of the metal in her hand and gave her a severe look.

“Give it to me Jane.”

She clenched her jaw hard before she released it. Even without a weapon, she advanced upon Catherine with a snarl, pushing the woman back towards the wall with her body.

“You’re going to help us get out of here.”

“I can’t.”

But Jane could hear the uncertainty in that tone. She had apparently been picking up her tactics from Ruric. Her body was used for intimidation as Catherine was pressed firmly against the wall. Jane was the largest person in this room, other than Juo who was still using Willow’s shoulder just to remain upright.

She was going to use that to her advantage.

“You’re going to help us get out of here because you know how they got him in.”

Catherine shook her head. “They brought him in through the front door.”

“I don’t think they did.” Jane cocked her head to the side and attempted to stare the other woman down. “And I think you know how we’re going to leave.

Catherine pressed herself against the wall harder but slowly, she nodded.

They managed to strap Juo down onto the same table he had been imprisoned on. Jane murmured soft words and kept a hand on him throughout the whole process. He was confused and in pain, but somehow the soft touches kept him calm enough to allow him to be covered with a white sheet.

Catherine was shocked that he was so easily controlled. Though the goblin boy had never shown serious aggression towards her, he had resisted more times than she could count. Jane seemed to have a way with him.

But it was Catherine that gently laid the white sheet over his face.

“I don’t know if this will work.”

“It has to work.” Jane replied, looking warily at the door as though guards were going to burst through at any moment.

“The guards will notice something this large.”

“Then we’ll avoid the guards.”

“We can’t avoid the guards in this place. They’re everywhere.”

Jane’s eyes darkened as she turned to stare at the smaller woman. It would work because it had to work.

This was their only chance at getting him out of here.

As the largest person in the room, Jane pushed the gurney out of the lab room. Willow ran ahead to watch the corridors and waved them on when it was clear. Though it should have been Catherine or Luther leading, Jane felt more comfortable with her sister.

Willow didn’t understand particularly what was happening. She thought this was the grandest adventure that she had been waiting forever to be part of. The longer she felt that way, the better as far as Jane was concerned. She didn’t need to know how much danger they were in.

“This way.” Catherine murmured, and pointed down a long tunnel.

Pattering footsteps echoed as Willow raced back towards them.

“Of course!”

As the golden haired child sprinted down the hallway, even Jane found herself moving quicker. They were so close.

Not that she had any idea what she was going to do with the weak goblin boy once they got out of the City. The sun was still up, which meant that Ruric and the others could not come get him. Jane might be able to carry him for short amounts of time until they met up with the goblins.

But that meant that they would be in plain site of the City the entire time. Somehow she didn’t think that the authorities weren’t going to notice a woman carrying a body in a white sheet.

“Jane.” Luther’s voice broke through her thoughts as she wheeled the gurney closer and closer to freedom.

Jane nodded in response.

“Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”

“Of course I am.”

“Don’t you remember the stories Jane? These things kill our people.”

“And we experiment on them.”

“That’s because they’re not human!”

She nearly stopped pushing the gurney.

“Luther, have you not wondered where I have been these past months?”

He nodded slowly, and even as they walked she could see that he was eyeing her.

“These creatures may not be human, but they have the capacity for great kindness. I don’t think we can judge them so harshly when we have made mistakes as well.”

Her hand once more ghosted over the goblin boy’s shoulder. He remained so still that she worried he had fainted. Or worse, that she was too safe to save him.

Jane could feel her brother’s eyes following the path of her hand. The sharp intake of breath was not surprising.

“You have feelings for them.”

“Of course I do.” She murmured. “They took care of me for many months. They were kind and I started all of this. It’s up to me to finish it.”

She didn’t give him any time to ask more questions of her. Luther didn’t need to know of her