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

to pass that they discovered a goblin was missing. Not dead as they had suspected. The bodies were easy to find in the caves. The humans had naturally gravitated towards the wide open tunnels that had been well worked. But after weeks of searching, they could not account for the goblin that had disappeared.

Even more concerning was the fact that there was a human also unaccounted for. The man had disappeared entirely it seemed. To be missing both human and goblin was too much of a coincidence for the council to ignore.

“We have to do something!”

“What is there to do? Really do you expect us to follow them?”

“And if they find a goblin above ground? What then?”

“Surely the likelihood is very small.”

“Are you willing to take that chance?”

The council of goblins had been arguing amongst themselves for hours now. Ruric was slumped in his carved crystal seat. His wrists hung limply over his knees as his head dropped to stare at the ground.

They were all right in their own way. The goblins could not allow such an action to go without reprimand. If the humans discovered that goblins actually existed there was a high chance of a war. They could not afford such a thing. Their numbers would dwindle too quickly.

And yet, the chance that a goblin could even survive above ground was so small that they might not have to worry.

It was a risky chance to take.

The reality was that they had no options. They could not follow the human. They had never been Above before and they wouldn’t know how to follow the human in the first place. But they could not allow a human to take a goblin for risk of being found.

“You have to follow him regardless.” Micah said from his similar crystal chair. “Or do you really believe that he won’t go straight to the City and explain what he has seen?”

A council member shifted and the room seemed to echo with the soft shushing motion of silk fabric. They were all raised higher than Micah and Ruric, yet it seemed as though they were asking the human and goblin what to do next.

“Will anyone believe him?”

Micah snorted. “I think if he dragged a goblin body with him someone might. All he needs is one person to show interest and hire head-hunters to come down here.”

He spoke in the human tongue while the goblins spoke in their own. Though Micah was capable of understanding the goblin language thanks to the hearing aid in his ear, he could not speak it. Regardless, they all heard the sarcasm in his tone.

“I don’t think there’s a choice.” Dumar said. The council member cared little for his own people. He would always ensure to save himself before all others. “We have to follow him. We have to send one of the human slaves remaining to track him down, and kill him.”

“Really?” Micah said in response. “And if he makes it to the City before your pet finds him? What then?”

“Then the human will follow him still.” Dumar shook his head. “Your mind is growing feeble in your old age, Micah. This is a sound plan.”

“A human cannot simply walk into the City whenever they wish. They have to have a reason for it. Those gates are locked to everyone.”

Ruric watched Micah’s face as a red blush slowly traveled from his neck to his cheeks. He recognized the reaction as anger. He had seen it many times in Jane.

“Micah, I don’t believe you understand how truly dedicated these humans are to us. They will do anything we ask.”

“And you are repaying them by sending them to their death. How many humans will you send after this man before you realize every single one will be killed before they set foot on those stone steps?”

Micah had raised himself from his seat. Ruric watched as the knuckles of the elderly man’s hands turned white. His fingers turned into claws as they gripped the edges of his chair.

Dumar raised as well. The added height of his chair made the goblin appear even taller. Though he was thin and weak for a goblin, he still could harm the frail human before him.

The Queen raised a hand and everyone in the room quieted.

“Micah your concern is noted.” Her voice was so frail compared to what it used to be. Ruric could remember the power she used to wield with every single word. “Yet we have to do something. Without arguing, what are our options?”

They all remained silent as they stared at her. There were no options. All the choices seemed to lead to death and destruction.

Micah’s voice rose from the silence like a bird taking flight. “There is one human we have that has connections in the City.”

As one, the goblins turned to face him. He looked at all of them for a moment. What he would suggest would likely cause another eruption of arguments.

“It is unlikely that the goblin will survive the sands to the City. The goblin that was taken may have already lost his life. However, I do believe a human could manage to bring the body into the City dead or alive. This poses a dangerous threat. We need to have someone that can enter without suspicion.”

He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. “Jane is the only one that has those connections.”

As predicted, an eruption of complaints quickly followed.

“You would have us trust her?”

“She is under suspicion of releasing the humans and causing a mass riot!”

“What reassurances we have that she will even return?”

“We have no reassurances! She won’t return. That is why she released the humans in the first place!”

Once more, the Queen rose her hand. This time they did not stop arguing. Their voices swelled into shouting in the cave. Her frail fist pounded against the crystal she sat upon with surprising force. Only then did the voices fade.

“Ruric?” She asked. “What are your opinions on this?”

He had been surprisingly silent through all of the conversation. He