A dozen feet before her, a pair of goblins labored noisily, one of them breaking small sticks from the trees and tossing them back to its ugly com-panion, who was hard at work with a small stick and bow, trying to start a fire. Brynn and Juraviel had overheard a pair of the creatures a short way back, and Juraviel understood enough of the guttural language to relay to Brynn that the goblins were planning to set great fires to flush out easy kills.
Brynn paused as she considered that conversation, for she had argued against JuraviePs clear implication that the goblin plans proved his point about the creatures' temperament. Humans hunted, after all - the To-gai were particularly adept at it. Perhaps this was only a difference in method. Lying there, Brynn understood how weak her argument had been. The amount of kindling that was being piled and the sheer joy on the face of the goblin who intended to set the blaze told her that this was about much more than a simple hunt for food.
Still...
Juraviel had given Brynn his sword for this unpleasant business, though in her hands it was no more than a large and slender dagger. That would work better than her staff or bow for now, though, for this had to be done quickly and quietly. Especially quietly.
She continued forward another couple of feet, then a bit more. She could hear the creatures clearly, could smell them. With mud streaked about her face, and leaves and twigs strapped to her clothing, Brynn understood logi-cally that she was somewhat camouflaged, but still she could hardly believe that the goblins hadn't taken note of her yet!
The one bent over trying to start the fire yelped suddenly and started to stand. Its companion, closer to Brynn, looked to regard it, smiling stupidly, apparently thinking that the fire was starting to catch.
But there were only wisps of smoke, then the goblin, halfway upright, yelped again, and then again, and its companion's expression shifted to curiosity.
And then Brynn was behind it, her hand coming around to clamp over its mouth, her dagger, Juraviel's silverel sword, driving deep into the creature's back, just to the side of the backbone, sinking deep to reach for the goblin's heart. Brynn felt that keenly - so very keenly! She felt the flesh tearing, the varying pressures as the dagger slid through, and then felt an almost electri-cal shock, as if she had touched the very essence of the creature's life force, the point of the weapon acting as a channel to let that life force flow freely from the goblin's body.
The other goblin yelped again and fell over. Then it yelped - or tried to - yet again, and clutched at its throat.
The goblin in her arms went limp and she eased it to the ground, think-ing that she should go and finish the other. It was a forced thought, though, for all that Brynn wanted to do at that horrible moment was fall to her knees and scream out in protest. She growled those feelings away and steadied herself for the necessary task at hand, pulling free the bloodied sword and considering her next kill. Belli'mar Juraviel was at the other gob-lin before her, though, standing over the creature, his small bow drawn back fully.
He put another arrow into the squirming^gdblin, then another. And then a third, and the creature seemed as if it would not die!
The next arrow drove through the side of its head. It gave a sudden, vi-cious spasm, and the light went out of the goblin's eyes.
It was all Brynn could manage to keepjteafs flowing from her eyes, to keep from crying out in horror and revulsion, and pain.
So much pain.
Was this why she had trained as a ranger? Or was ?ranger" even the proper word? Was it, perhaps, merely a cover for the true intention of her training, the true title she should drape across her shoulders: assassin?
"Come, and quickly," Juraviel said to her, drawing her back from her in-ner conflict. Hardly thinking, she followed the elf along the circuitous route, until they happened upon another goblin, out collecting kindling.
It was dead before it even knew they were there.
The perimeter was secured then, and so the pair focused their attention on the encampment itself, where a band of more than a half dozen of the creatures milled about and sat around the smoldering embers of the previ-ous night's fire. They had a large,