Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains (34 page)

If she hoped to save him, she
would have to kill the dwarves quickly. If she didn't, the situation would
spiral further out of control. Once the dwarves realized they were under
attack, they would utilize the delver as a shield or simply demand her
surrender by threatening to kill him. She knew that was not Strog's order, but
if she only managed to wound the dwarves, they would disregard such
instructions in an instant.

She moved up as close as she dared
and readied three arrows. She had watched the motions of each dwarf during
their procession. She knew when and where to strike. She fired the arrows in
quick succession, each time aiming for the neck above the chest plate. Two
found their mark and the dwarves crumpled to the ground. The third also would
have reached its target, but fate intervened.

The arrow flew strait and true,
but the dwarf decided to scratch an itch at just the right instant for him and
the very worst moment for Holli. As the dwarf twisted and lifted his shoulder,
his chest plate rose up just enough to protect the vulnerable spot. The arrow
shattered on impact, and only managed to knock the dwarf off balance.

Holli drew another arrow, but the
dwarf had dropped into a defensive crouch. He used his helmet, his chest plate,
and the surrounding rocks to completely cover his body. He placed his heavy
gauntlets over his face and peered through the slits between his fingers. His
dwarf vision cut through the darkness of the tunnel and quickly spied the
outline of the elf. Her shadow spell began to fade, and he identified his foe.

"You'll die for that,"
he warned in a muffled voice through his hands.

"Not by you," Holli
responded. "Move your hands for one instant and you'll have an arrow in
your face."

"Fah, I can wait like this
for days. A goblin patrol will find us before that happens."

"Then they die next."

"And when they don't report
back? The horde will come down this tunnel. Do you have enough arrows for them
all?"

She didn't. With time running out
and a stalemate unacceptable, Holli stepped closer to the dwarf. An arrow
remained nocked in her bow and the string drawn.

"That's it," the dwarf
laughed, "come closer."

Holli knew that was exactly what
the dwarf wanted, but there was little else she could do. If she retreated,
Ryson was dead. If she waited, they would both be dead.

She stepped as close to the dwarf
as possible while remaining out of his short armed reach. She was hoping to
goad him into a mistake, but he refused to move. If he lunged, she would have
her shot, but he remained crouched and low to the ground. He showed monumental
patience, surprising for a dwarf.

By closing the gap between them,
however, Holli ultimately obtained a clear line of fire to another vulnerable
area. The side of the dwarf's calf just above his boot was no longer protected
by the surrounding rock. All Holli had to do was step slightly to the left and
release the bowstring. The strike would create a serious wound, probably
cripple the dwarf for life, but it wouldn't be enough. An arrow plunged into
the dwarf's leg would be painful but not fatal, and he was sure to
counterattack instantly.

Watching the elf closely, the
dwarf remained as still as the rocks. He knew his legs were vulnerable, if the
elf took the right angle, but he had plans of his own. He could try to
reposition himself, but he would risk losing his balance. He resigned himself
to the exposure and forced the elf to make the ultimate decision.

Time quickly became a factor, and
Holli had committed herself. If she turned, the dwarf would leap for her. If
she tried to back away, she would only be deserting Ryson to certain death. The
leg was her only option, but she knew how the dwarf would respond. She crafted
her own plan to protect Ryson and ensure her own survival. What would follow
would be disturbing, but all the choices had been made. She stepped to the
side, released the bowstring and let the arrow fly.

The shaft cut through the air and
the razor sharp tip found its mark. The arrow head plunged deep into the
dwarf's flesh. The damage was extensive, but not enough to alter the dwarf's
plans or to keep Holli from enacting hers.

Ignoring the pain, the dwarf used
all of the strength of his uninjured leg to propel himself into Holli's
midsection. The elf only held a bow, and once he had her in his grip, he would
tear her apart. He barreled into her just as he hoped and felt her fall back
from the momentum of his lunge. He expected her to strike down with her bow and
perhaps attempt to pry him away using the weapon as a lever. Such a tactic
would be useless, but to his surprise, she simply tossed the bow aside.

Holli knew the dwarf would leap
for her the moment her arrow was released. She also knew there was nothing she
could do to escape his grip. The tunnel was too narrow for her to dodge the
inevitable attack, and once the dwarf had his hands on her, he was too powerful
to dislodge. If she was to live, there was but one thing to do.

Just as the dwarf struck into her
stomach, she released her hold on her bow and allowed the force of the attack
to press her back against the tunnel wall. She buried the dwarf's face in her
midsection as she leaned over the top of him and draped her upper body down his
back. With both hands, she took hold of the arrow shaft still lodged in the
dwarf's leg. Whispering strange words, she focused a deadly spell upon the
arrow and reanimated the once living wood.

Emerald energy fused into the
fibers, and the long arrow became flexible. The shaft twisted and turned like a
root snaking through the soil. Still connected to the razor sharp head, the
arrow sunk deeper and deeper into dwarf flesh. The shaft turned the point
upwards as it wriggled its way behind the knee and up into its victim's thigh.
The feathers at the end of the arrow disappeared completely into the now gaping
wound at the calf.

The dwarf erupted with pain. His
eyes opened wide and he screamed in agony. He no longer cared about the elf,
and he released her as he sprung to open space. He took hold of his leg, but
there was nothing to grab beyond the wound itself. The arrow was now totally
embedded inside of him and still working its way upward with relentless motion.

Once the arrow broke through the
leg and into the dwarf's torso, his life was near an end. He wished it would be
quick, but it was only marginally so. He felt his insides being sliced to
ribbons, and only when the arrow finally reached its target—the heart—did the
dwarf collapse.

Ryson had remained silent. He was
completely helpless, wrapped in chains, so he felt it best not to distract the
elf. As he watched the dwarf take his last breath, the delver could hold his
voice no longer.

"That was horrible,"
Ryson gasped.

"Yes, it was."

Holli said nothing else on the
matter. She felt no honor in casting the spell. Instead, she turned to her
objectives as there was still much to be done. She stepped over to Ryson and
took hold of the two locks that held the chains in place around his body. She
closed her eyes and focused her last remaining emerald energy on releasing his
bonds. Once the locks snapped open, she pulled them free and helped Ryson
unwind from the heavy chains.

She let him rise slowly, but only
after a brief moment, it was time to move again.

"We can not go back to Sterling
and there are goblins ahead of us, but there has to be other passages in these
tunnels. We will go forward as quickly as we can. We need to find a surface
access. If we are blocked by any goblins, I will dispatch them."

She spoke with the authority of an
elf guard charged with reaching safety. There would be no argument about her
tactics or her decisions. The situation had become dire, and they both knew it.
She took the lead, moved with elf speed, and expected Ryson to follow without
hesitation.

He did, but his delver curiosity forced
him to ask the obvious question.

"What happened to you?"

"Not now. I will explain it
all when we reach safety."

She said nothing more. The path
was dark, but not entirely. Light reflected strategically through all dwarf
tunnels. She kept her focus on their path and the goblins ahead. Within
moments, she was forced to stop.

"There are goblins just
ahead," she whispered. "Can you tell me exactly how many?"

It was hard to distinguish them by
scent, but Ryson could hear their not so subtle movements. They were careless
in the tunnels, believing they were safe.

"Only two."

Holli took two arrows from her
quiver and gave a stern warning to the delver.

"No arguments. Do not
interfere."

Ryson fought back the hesitancy in
taking a life, any life, even a goblin life, and focused on the bitter truth.
The goblins were going to kill thousands of innocents. They might have been the
pawns of Strog Grandhammer's plan, but they were willing participants. The
first assault had not yet taken place, but the invasion had already started.
They were at war, and so, he said nothing.

Holli stalked forward with an elf
guard's skill. The goblins never knew she was in the tunnel until they heard
the bowstring release. By then, it was too late. Two arrows streaked through
the tunnel, and the goblins were no longer a threat.

Holli turned and waved Ryson to
follow. She raced further up the passage sensing greater light and fresher air.
Reaching a crossed path, she turned to the delver.

"Which way to open
ground?"

Ryson sniffed the air and pointed
to the elf's right.

"That way. Not far."

They raced ahead and soon reached
the foot of a steep incline. They both could see the light at the end of the
passage ahead and felt warmer air brush across their skin. Holli stopped and
issued one last command.

"We should still be in the
hills and the entrance will more than likely be hidden in a heavily wooded
section. There
will
be guards,
definitely dwarves. Perhaps goblins as well, but that is doubtful. Fighting
them at this point is not the best course of action. We will race out of the
tunnel and take to the trees. We will use speed and surprise. Escape and
avoiding conflict is now our priority."

Ryson nodded in approval.

"I'm going to lead. Once in
the trees, I will head west, at least two hilltops away. When we clear the
second hilltop, use your senses and find a secure spot. Inform me of where we
should go. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Holli then remembered the dwarves
had taken the delver's war blades.

"You are unarmed. It is time
to take back your sword."

Ryson looked past Holli to the
light ahead, nearly ignoring her, but ultimately responded by refusing.

"Not yet," he said.

"This is not the time to
argue."

Ryson still would not look at the
elf.

"You're right, it's not. We
have to get going."

Holli wanted to remove the sword
from her own back and place it in the delver's hands, but she wondered if he
would just drop it where he stood. Something was keeping him from reclaiming
the sword, but debating the issue in the narrow pass would only lead to a larger
predicament. She gave in reluctantly, mostly because conflict was no longer
part of her plan. She didn't want either one of them to use a weapon, and
allowing the delver to move unencumbered was a benefit she could not ignore.
She placed her bow over her shoulder, checked her gear, and took one heavy
breath.

"Very well, are you
ready?"

"Yes."

"Now," she said, and she
bolted with an elf's speed up the last leg of the access tunnel.

Ryson followed close behind. Holli
was faster than any other human Ryson ever encountered, but he could match her
speed with marginal effort. He stayed close, but allowed enough room for her to
maneuver once they broke through the entrance. He did not wish to crash into
her if she slowed to make a quick turn.

Holli broke into the light and
swiveled her head to take in her entire surroundings. She spotted two dwarves
at opposite sides of the tunnel entrance, but their attention was focused on
the woods surrounding the cave, not what was coming out. The opening sat within
the cover of several trees, and the elf scampered up the closest one without
slowing down. Her climb was so fluid it almost appeared as if she simply ran up
the trunk.

Once in the branches, she knew
they were out of dwarf reach but not yet entirely safe. An angry dwarf could
drop a fully mature oak with one swipe of an axe. She would not give them the
opportunity. She didn't have to gaze at the sun to gain her directional
perspective—she already knew by the shadows at the cave opening. She darted
westward across branches, ignoring the shouts of the bewildered dwarves.

Ryson climbed up the same tree as
Holli and maintained his distance from the fleeing elf. He allowed her to
choose the path as he drank in his surroundings. He saw the dwarves at the
tunnel, heard a few more behind them around the curve of a hill, but sensed
nothing ahead of them. Holli had picked the right direction.

Once they passed the second
hilltop, Ryson pointed to a cluster of heavy pines.

"Over there!"

Holli liked what she saw and made
a direct path to the spruce trees. She moved deep into the center of the
cluster and stopped in the middle of heavy branches.

"This will do," she
exclaimed, and then turned to Ryson.

"How close is the nearest
dwarf?"

"Well behind us, just a few
paces from the cave. They didn't chase us for long."

Pleased with the report, Holli
turned to other factors.

"Are you injured?"

"A little late in asking,
aren't you?"

"It would not have mattered
in the tunnels. Injured or not, you had to move. Now, do you have injuries I am
unaware of or not?"