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

The soldier seemed to think on that before he nodded. “I know a few. How long will you be here?”

Catherine glanced over her shoulder. “It’ll take the others a half hour to wake, perhaps another hour after that too to be able to make the journey. It’s a fast moving drug.”

“I’ll be back then.”

“Could you-” Catherine paused to untangle herself from Jane’s grasp. “Could you move the others? Back to the tunnel?”

“No!” They all paused to look at Jane’s wild eyes. She had instantly moved to Ruric’s side and was crouched protectively over the goblin male.

“Jane, they can’t stay in the sun. It won’t be good for them.”

Catherine was gentle in her speaking, as though she were talking to one of the wild animals she had experimented on for so long. The thought brought an answering thrill within her chest that she might have a chance to see these creatures in their natural environment.

If she didn’t die from her weak lungs first.

“We’re not going to take them back Jane. We’re just going to make them comfortable so that we can leave.”

“I don’t trust you.”

“You have to trust someone, sometime Jane.” Catherine had no right to ask it, but she did all the same. “Let us take care of you now.”

“Why?”

“Because you gave the courage to be free.”

Frank stepped forward, a sheepish expression on his face. “Maybe you’ve got something on the sands that we don’t know about. Whatever it is, we’ll follow you out of this place.”

“The City is everything that the mining towns want. Why would you leave this place?”

Catherine’s eyes looked up the heights of the walls around them and she shook her head slowly. When she met Jane’s gaze again, her eyes were haunted. “These walls hold so many twisted things, Jane. For once, I want to be somewhere that isn’t shrouded in ghosts.”

Jane understood that sentiment far more than she wanted to admit. Returning to the mining town had been as though she had visited her own ghosts. If this woman wanted to leave, then she was welcome. But they all needed to be aware of what they were getting into.

“I can’t offer you shelter. I can’t offer you a home with the goblins. There’s nothing for you out there but sand and possible starvation.”

“Then that is where we go.” Frank shrugged in response.

“I agree.” Catherine said. “We’ll let the others know, but I don’t think you’ll find that many of us wish to linger here.”

Slowly, Jane nodded. “Then move the others. We leave as soon as we can.”

14

The guards returned with twenty five more people. Most were families that had hollow eyes and gaunt faces, but Jane was shocked to see the wealth that came with them. The guards had the foresight to bring enough water for the journey as well as food.

Jane was touched that there was anyone who would consider it.

Most of the people who had been tranquilized were finally awake. They had slowly sat up and touched hands to their heads, but there did not appear to be any with adverse effects. Both Catherine and Luther had flitted from person to person to ensure that they were all healthy.

Jane had remained next to her sister and the goblins. Willow tucked easily into the empty arm of Illyrin’s. He had remained awake throughout the entire ordeal, though Jane had no idea how. Even Catherine appeared stumped as she said one of those darts would have been enough to make a horse sleep.

Illyrin was all too pleased to watch over her sister as Jane watched over the rest of them.

The sun set and the heat of the day finally cooled. She was able to breathe as the goblins eyes opened. It wasn’t particularly comfortable for them to look around, but at least they were able to see.

The journey that awaited them was going to be just as grueling as the first.

As the soldiers and families emerged from the tunnels, she was crouched before Shusar. The goblin lurched forward as though to attack the humans coming through, and Jane placed a warning hand on his chest.

“No.”

He growled in response.

“I understand that you don’t trust them. But they’re running with us.”

“Bad.”

“Yes.” Jane watched as his eyes snapped towards hers. He hadn’t been expecting him to agree with her. “But they need sanctuary as much as we needed it.”

“They did not give to us.” His words were lisped and uncomfortable around sharp pointed teeth.

“Then we must not make their same mistake.”

She stood slowly and dusted the sand off of her knees. The humans would want some kind of reassurance about the goblins, and Jane was the most capable of providing that.

But she was shocked when she walked towards the others and was not questioned immediately. Instead, a woman she did not recognize walked towards her and handed her a plain dress.

“It’s not much, but it’ll cover you far better than that hospital gown.” The soft smile that accompanied the kind words was nearly her undoing.

“Thank you.”

“And thank you.”

Jane looked around at the smiling faces and found she had the words to say. These people needed reassurance from her, but she did not have that. What she did have was strength and pride that for once her people had made the right choice.

“I don’t have much to offer you. There is no town waiting for us. There is no food or water where we go. I cannot say that you will not be hungry or that you will be safe.”

The solemn faces around her turned towards each other and she saw a few step back from the group.

“But I do offer you a place where you will always be free.” This caught their attention. “I do not know if there is an oasis waiting for us or if there will even be kind words. But I do know that wherever we end up, together we will make it work. There will be no Doctors. No