Kaelen. Tigers rejoined them, their coats stained with the innards of the natters. "They will be eager to find the river."
The river. The blue water shimmered ahead, a ribbon through the green between mountain rises. Je'Rol had followed that river.
Nadia shook away the thoughts too easily resurrected while riding in quietude with the demonlords sedate around her. Five months she had grieved and healed, but this journey brought back a new grief, one of regrets for her previous life. If only she had understood then the truth that Lord Je'Kaoron had shown her, she would bear no such regrets.
They soon reached the river, where the tigers waded in deep. The horses splashed through a shallow crossing and paused to lower their muzzles to drink.
Once across, the party continued onwards in a line directly opposite the setting sun. More east than north, they traveled away from the valley through which she had tracked Je'Rol's escape five months ago.
Lord Je'Kaoron said nothing and wore an expression that weighed upon her with the sense that she shouldn't dare to interrupt. Kaelen remained behind, separated from them by the many tigers.
That changed near sundown. At an unseen cue, half the tigers dispersed, running ahead in pairs and trios. Hunting parties, she guessed.
The rest of them continued, until they reached a copse of trees, several with trunks thicker than her, and Je'Kaoron signaled to halt.
Something rustled in the grass.
Tigers fell silent, several moving into positions around the trees.
Nadia waited.
"Come out." Lord Je'Kaoron's voice broke the quiet hush of the wind.
The rustling stopped.
Nadia reached out with the dispirit power and felt it—a demon mind but far more aware than the natters. She recognized what it was.
From the shadows broke a shape no higher than her waist, a dome of a light green head catching the last light. Fanlike ears drooped. The goblin curled its shoulders to shrink from the circle of demonlords around it.
"Have you a message for High Lord Je'Dron?"
The goblin shook its bald head.
The squeak of leather accompanied Lord Je'Kaoron's shift in the saddle as he twisted to look back to Nadia. His eyes searched past her for a moment, a frown on his face. "We will leave him to you, Huntress, and return after our hunt. I'd like to know why he's here alone."
"Yes, my lord." So would she. Goblins didn't usually travel alone but preferred the company of demonlords. She had only had such an encounter on one other occasion, and it had taken the demonlords accompanying her putting some distance between them for the curse to lift.
His frown shifted past her again, but she didn't have to guess why. "You will do as she commands, Hunter."
"Yes, my lord," Kaelen grumbled from close behind her.
Lord Je'Kaoron waited, his attention on her and Kaelen until the others ran off, then took up the rear of the pack of tigers and riders.
Nadia dismounted, her eyes unwavering from the goblin except to look past at the disappearing demonlords. It would take a while before the curse lifted and the goblin could speak.
The squeak of leather came from behind, followed by the thump of Kaelen's feet hitting the ground.
"I thought goblins lived with demonlords," he said as he stepped up next to Nadia.
"Only the ones who serve."
"Don't they all?"
"No." The knowledge of the Adepts had been incomplete regarding goblins, as she had discovered.
To her relief, he fell silent, no questioning or trying to bully her. He'd learned long ago those tactics only aroused her defiance.
The goblin didn't run, but he had straightened upon the disappearance of the demonlords.
"One helped me find Je'Rol. He was…a scholar."
The goblin tilted his head and blinked.
"The goblin was a scholar," she corrected.
The goblin before her gave a nod. They were more intelligent than her teachers had indicated, not the servile whipping posts of the demonlords that were usually witnessed around the feet of their masters.
Kaelen said
The river. The blue water shimmered ahead, a ribbon through the green between mountain rises. Je'Rol had followed that river.
Nadia shook away the thoughts too easily resurrected while riding in quietude with the demonlords sedate around her. Five months she had grieved and healed, but this journey brought back a new grief, one of regrets for her previous life. If only she had understood then the truth that Lord Je'Kaoron had shown her, she would bear no such regrets.
They soon reached the river, where the tigers waded in deep. The horses splashed through a shallow crossing and paused to lower their muzzles to drink.
Once across, the party continued onwards in a line directly opposite the setting sun. More east than north, they traveled away from the valley through which she had tracked Je'Rol's escape five months ago.
Lord Je'Kaoron said nothing and wore an expression that weighed upon her with the sense that she shouldn't dare to interrupt. Kaelen remained behind, separated from them by the many tigers.
That changed near sundown. At an unseen cue, half the tigers dispersed, running ahead in pairs and trios. Hunting parties, she guessed.
The rest of them continued, until they reached a copse of trees, several with trunks thicker than her, and Je'Kaoron signaled to halt.
Something rustled in the grass.
Tigers fell silent, several moving into positions around the trees.
Nadia waited.
"Come out." Lord Je'Kaoron's voice broke the quiet hush of the wind.
The rustling stopped.
Nadia reached out with the dispirit power and felt it—a demon mind but far more aware than the natters. She recognized what it was.
From the shadows broke a shape no higher than her waist, a dome of a light green head catching the last light. Fanlike ears drooped. The goblin curled its shoulders to shrink from the circle of demonlords around it.
"Have you a message for High Lord Je'Dron?"
The goblin shook its bald head.
The squeak of leather accompanied Lord Je'Kaoron's shift in the saddle as he twisted to look back to Nadia. His eyes searched past her for a moment, a frown on his face. "We will leave him to you, Huntress, and return after our hunt. I'd like to know why he's here alone."
"Yes, my lord." So would she. Goblins didn't usually travel alone but preferred the company of demonlords. She had only had such an encounter on one other occasion, and it had taken the demonlords accompanying her putting some distance between them for the curse to lift.
His frown shifted past her again, but she didn't have to guess why. "You will do as she commands, Hunter."
"Yes, my lord," Kaelen grumbled from close behind her.
Lord Je'Kaoron waited, his attention on her and Kaelen until the others ran off, then took up the rear of the pack of tigers and riders.
Nadia dismounted, her eyes unwavering from the goblin except to look past at the disappearing demonlords. It would take a while before the curse lifted and the goblin could speak.
The squeak of leather came from behind, followed by the thump of Kaelen's feet hitting the ground.
"I thought goblins lived with demonlords," he said as he stepped up next to Nadia.
"Only the ones who serve."
"Don't they all?"
"No." The knowledge of the Adepts had been incomplete regarding goblins, as she had discovered.
To her relief, he fell silent, no questioning or trying to bully her. He'd learned long ago those tactics only aroused her defiance.
The goblin didn't run, but he had straightened upon the disappearance of the demonlords.
"One helped me find Je'Rol. He was…a scholar."
The goblin tilted his head and blinked.
"The goblin was a scholar," she corrected.
The goblin before her gave a nod. They were more intelligent than her teachers had indicated, not the servile whipping posts of the demonlords that were usually witnessed around the feet of their masters.
Kaelen said
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