Sting & Song by Benjamin Medrano

Author:Benjamin Medrano [Medrano, Benjamin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-28T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Joy barely breathed as she looked over the edge of the rock, seeing the goblins from even closer than before. A part of her wanted nothing more than to get away, since they were obviously predators. Bees weren’t, and neither were apis, so her instinct was to avoid them if there was any choice in the matter.

The difference was that she was doing this for her hive, such as it was. Not that Joy would tell the other women that she considered them that. They might misinterpret it, after all, and it was a very makeshift hive, without even a queen. That should be depressing to her, but for some reason it wasn’t. It made them all close to equals.

That was part of why she was willing to go so far for them, and Joy focused on the goblin ahead of her, controlling her breathing and emotions as she focused. The other goblin had about finished its meal, which didn’t give her much time. She raised her dagger, taking a deep breath as she prepared to throw it—

“Eek!” the goblin screeched as the gnawed bone with a bit of meat attached to it suddenly bounced off Joy’s head. “Humies! Humies are here, everyone!”

Joy hissed and threw the dagger at the suddenly rousing goblin, but the impact of the bone threw off her aim, and she belatedly said, “Flurry of—drat, I have to say that first!”

A flash of lightning split the air as it streaked past Joy and hit the ground between the two goblins, who shrieked as the afterimage of the bolt seared itself into Joy’s vision. When it ended the two goblins fell to their knees on the ground, howling in pain but not dead.

Brianna let out a war cry that startled Joy as she rushed out of the underbrush, her sword in both hands, and right behind her was Stella, though the Acolyte wasn’t making much noise. Instead, Joy belatedly drew her rapier as she followed them, then winced as Brianna beheaded the goblin that’d been eating as it tried to stand. The other goblin managed to regain its feet, but only barely blocked Stella’s mace.

“Bri, hold the gate!” Cora called out, quickly emerging from the woods as she grimaced, barely audible as she muttered, “Fire Blast.”

An orb of flame shimmered, then leapt from the tip of Cora’s staff to streak toward one of the thin windows on the keep, and Joy flinched as a blast of fire ripped through the room and out the arrow slit. The apis quickly ran to help Stella, who barely dodged as the goblin viciously bit at her arm, pressing it back with her shield. Brianna darted through the doors while howls of alarm began echoing through the keep.

“Sorry!” Joy gasped out, rushing up behind the goblin as she spoke, taking a breath and hissing out, “Penetrating Strike!”

Her rapier glowed as Joy wondered just what she was saying she was sorry for, but it really didn’t matter. She thrust the rapier

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