Thurmond's Saga by Robert John MacKenzie

Author:Robert John MacKenzie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: N/A
Publisher: Bublish, Inc.
Published: 2020-06-12T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The Goblins and the Shadow

Torgul went first. He could see quite effectively in almost total darkness, so it was logical for him to lead the way. Goblins could be flagrantly stupid in so many ways, but they could also demonstrate great ingenuity when it came to devising death traps to safeguard their lairs. The dwarf kept a wary eye open. He knew of more than one luckless adventurer who had lost all after plummeting into a concealed pit of spikes.

Within a short span, the cave mouth narrowed to a tunnel about as wide as a tall man could spread his arms. And there they found the trap, a small, flat, seemingly harmless stone lying in the middle of their path. The dwarf recognized it at once—a solitary stone placed in the middle of an otherwise bare tunnel floor, where an unwary passerby would almost certainly kick it. Torgul gestured for the others to step carefully around it. Whatever it triggered would be unpleasant.

Their way angled steeply downward as the tunnel twisted into the depths of the hill. They could all smell goblins now, thick and foul, and it was getting steadily more difficult to see as they progressed away from the entrance. Thurmond was thinking of lighting a torch when Torgul held up his hand in a signal to wait. He disappeared around a bend but was back in a moment.

“We’re in luck. The walls ahead are covered with steg. That’s going to make things easier.”

Thurmond turned to Roscoe.

“What’s steg?”

The old adventurer silenced him with a quick shake of his head. Moving again, the party rounded the bend, and Thurmond got his answer. The tunnel walls were matted with a thick layer of moss or mold that emitted a soft luminescence. The light was dim but sufficient enough that he could make out the shadowy shapes of his companions. Torgul could see perfectly.

Most importantly, the glow of the moss would allow them to proceed without the necessity of a lighted torch. Sarah was relieved. She had no idea whether their cloak of invisibility would cover the light of a torch. If not, it would surely reveal their presence to the inhabitants of the cavern complex.

Torgul made a gathering gesture with both hands, signaling that the party should draw close together. He spoke in a low tone, scarcely above a whisper.

“Something ain’t right about this. There shoulda been a stronger guard at the gate, not just a handful of drunk idiots. And there should be goblins comin’ and goin’ along this passage. And we should be able to hear ’em screechin’ away in that horrible language of theirs. And other sounds too. But instead it’s all quiet and empty. Somethin’ ain’t right here.”

Roscoe responded.

“I was just thinkin’ the same thing, so I was. It’s plain to see that the goblin army ain’t at home at the moment. They’re off on some errand of mischief, bringin’ woe to some poor, undeservin’ souls. It’s providence for us, most certainly it is. But

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