Betrayal at Goliath Gate by Tim Paulson

Author:Tim Paulson [Paulson, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ikkibu publishing
Published: 2020-03-21T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

"The song of the southern sea is different lad. She's cold, deadly. Her waves lie in wait beyond the rails... to drag you to your doom."

-Miles McKitterick, first mate of the HMS Harasser, 1605

Another arrow whizzed by Mia's ear, clattering off the rocks below them. That one was close, a hair to the left and she'd finally have one of her ears pierced like Giselle had so often suggested in the past, only with a hole big enough for three fingers.

Unfortunately the arrow had not gone far and now Adem was inching toward it.

“Stay down!” Mia told him for the twentieth time as she grabbed him by the back of his clothing and pulled him tight up against the medium sized boulder that was their only protection from the rain of goblin arrows.

“I just want one!” Adem replied.

“I told you, later!” Mia said as she peeked over the edge of the stone, sighted her pistol on a dark shape hovering just above the ridge line, and fired.

The shape dropped, hopefully she'd killed it.

“Loud!” Adem said.

“I'm sorry Adem. It's a gun. They're loud,” Mia replied, looking down at her powder horn. She had ample shot, but barely enough powder left for one charge. Quickly, she began the process of rearming the pistol.

“What's that?” Adem asked, pointing at the ramrod.

“That helps me push everything down to the bottom of the barrel,” she replied.

“Why?” Adem asked.

“Because that's where the fire makes it go boom!” Mia said as another set of arrows flew over. One plinked off their rock, landing only a couple feet away.

Adem's hands went to cover his ears involuntarily. The sight hit Mia with a pang of guilt. She ought to have been warning the boy about the shots before she did them. Such things just didn't occur to her.

When the shot was prepped and the pan filled with the last few grains of veil powder, she cocked the hammer back.

“I'm about to shoot. Cover your ears,” she told him, taking a quick look back. The boy was not where he had been however. He'd crawled out from behind the rock and was reaching for a goblin arrow.

“Adem!” she yelled.

It was too late. An arrow whistled in and sunk deeply into the little boy's back with a sickening thump.

Adem shrieked with pain and fell forward, his little fingers reaching for his back frantically.

“No!” Mia cried. She dove out from behind the rock and pulled the boy back. “No, no, no!”

Adem was writhing in pain in her arms. His cries of pain were terrible, but not nearly so monstrous as the whooping she heard from above as the goblins celebrated their hit.

Mia pulled the boy's clothing back, viewing the wound. It was bloody, but she could still see the back end of the arrow head, meaning it hadn't made it past the boy's ribs. Likely it had cracked them though. Adem would be in considerable pain for some time, assuming she could get the wound closed, and he didn't die of fever, or poison.

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