The Monster's Caress - S.E. Smith Page 0,18

the Queen replied.

“Regardless, we must follow it,” Nali said.

The Goblin Queen shook her head. “It would be too dangerous, Empress, even for one as powerful as you. I will show you where the tunnel opens above ground. We will seal the pipe here at this end. Water will soon flood the tunnels. If the alien survives the wards and doesn’t drown, it will only be a matter of time before it emerges at the other end,” she replied.

“Thank you,” Nali murmured. She looked at the row of dead goblin soldiers.

“We will take care of our dead, Empress,” said the Goblin Queen.

Nali shook her head. “This is something I must do to ensure that no part of the alien remains,” she murmured.

Asahi turned as Nali walked past him. A low hum rose from the crowd of goblins, and he realized that they were singing. The melody was soothing, and the words sounded strange and ancient.

The song’s power surged as Nali stepped up to the first goblin and murmured. Startled, Asahi parted his lips and gasped when the goblin’s body dissolved. Tiny specks of glowing, colorful lights rose and swirled in the air before they came together, forming into a bright red crystal. She moved down the line, spending time over each goblin. The Queen and several other goblins silently followed Nali, collecting the crystal remains of their brethren.

When she finally completed her sad task, she turned and faced the crowd. A strange tightness formed again in Asahi’s chest as he studied Nali. Her face was composed, but he could see the intense sadness in her eyes. One by one, the goblins holding the crystals walked through the entrance and onto the bridge.

Asahi looked down when he felt a slight tap on his finger. The winged lion nodded in Nali’s direction. He frowned at the small, gold creature.

“Go stand beside the Empress. She could use a little support,” the winged lion compassionately suggested.

Asahi looked up and stared into Nali’s eyes. She looked back at him over the goblins’ heads. He walked over to her, and she gave him a wan smile of gratitude.

“To the heart of the goblins,” the Goblin Queen called out.

“To the heart of the goblins!” the crowd of goblins intoned.

The singing began again. They watched as the goblins dropped the shimmering stones containing the remains of their fallen comrades, one by one, over the side of the bridge. The melody faded as the last of the crystals tumbled into the river of lava below.

“Seal the drainage,” the Goblin Queen ordered her goblins as she faced Asahi and Nali. “Now, I will show you how to get to the surface,” she added with a hard glitter of bloodlust not quite concealed in her eyes.

Chapter 6

“I can almost hear your thoughts,” Nali mused, looking at Asahi under her eyelashes.

“My thoughts are that loud?” he teased.

She softly chuckled. “Just a little,” she playfully retorted.

They had been walking through miles of endless tunnels for hours. The amount of skill it must have taken to make this maze was astounding. He could spend weeks just studying the artistic designs carved into some of the passages alone. But it was the engineering and the ingenious intricacies of the tunnels that boggled his mind.

They stepped through another narrow, arched opening into a large, circular domed cavern. It was like the others—filled with many tunnel entrances. Only one correct passage would lead them out of the tunnels—eventually. All the others would lead to a dead end or circle back into a tunnel they had already traveled through. Without the map the Goblin Queen had given them, they would have been down here for weeks, months, or even years if they had the resources.

“Which way?” Asahi asked.

Nali lifted her hand and murmured the Goblin Queen’s spell. A shimmering map outlined with glowing green threads appeared in the air. He stood behind her and studied the map. He noted a darker green line that was pulsing. The line flowed into the tunnel right next to the one they had just exited.

He steadied her when she quickly turned around to follow the line, unaware that he was standing so close to her. His gaze dropped to her parted lips before slowly lifting back up to her beautiful, Goldstone-flecked eyes. He was two inches taller than she was, and with his head bowed, their lips were almost touching.

She held his forearms, raised her head, and unexpectedly pressed her lips against his. An intense emotion flooded his consciousness, and he tightened his