Delver Magic: Book 06 - Pure Choice Read Online Free Page A

faster than the beast's limited mind could fathom and it
appeared uncertain of its security. It did not charge the delver, but its
agitation grew as it realized it stood trapped between a grouping of soldiers
and the armed invader.
    Ryson did not wish to antagonize
the beast, but he knew the situation turned critical. If he allowed the rogue's
uncertainty to swell, it might make the wrong choice and create an unhealthy
situation for them all. He wanted the creature to move out into the open
street, not further back into the alley. He worried the corporal might order an
immediate attack if he saw the monster charge backward. With all of them
gathered in such close quarters, the chances of an unnecessary injury to any
one of them would expand greatly.
    With another decisive flash of
motion, Ryson sprung forward. He swung his blade with force, but it never
touched the river rogue. Instead, he used the speed of his movements to add
power to his swing. He knocked the waste barrels over and sent them rolling out
into the street. He created a clear path for the rogue to escape and then
shouted a command to the soldiers waiting just outside the alley.
    "Back up! Give it room to
come out!"
    Every soldier quickly acknowledged
the order, except for the corporal who hesitated, but even he complied as he
saw the wisdom in the strategy.
    The quick strike to its cover
startled the rogue. It initially prepared to fight off its attacker. As the
delver shouted words it could not understand, it readied its claws to slash at
Ryson's throat. It never found the opportunity as its intended victim sprung
out of reach far too quickly.
    With the barrels rolling out the
front of the alley, the river rogue peered over its shoulder to see the
soldiers backing away. Moving surprisingly fast and with determination to
escape, the beast bounded after the barrels, extricating itself from the alley.
    The rogue almost found a path to
freedom. Seeing the guards give way, it remained behind the still rolling
barrels. When the containers slowed to a near halt, it leapt over them before
the soldiers could close ranks. The monster saw a clear lane down the open
street and moved with haste to find new refuge.
    Breaking from the alley, Ryson
took a path around the soldiers and simply rushed to a spot beyond the monster
and blocked the once clear path of retreat. Still holding the Sword of Decree,
he never stopped moving. He used his great speed to add to the dazzling glow of
the enchanted blade that he twirled about in his hand.
    The swerving, flashing light
confused the beast, and the rogue lost any sight of escape. Its uncertainty
brought it to a complete halt.
    The soldiers did not delay. They
had the rogue on open ground and momentarily disoriented. They threw the iron
net over the creature and circled about it to wrap and entangle the monster.
With the heavy iron chains draped about the rogue's arms and legs, the guards
pulled tight at the net's edges to bind the creature within the folds of the
mesh. With one coordinated tug, they succeeded in dislodging the rogue from its
feet and rendering it completely bound and helpless.
    "That's one, at least two
more to go," the delver acknowledged with a smile. He thanked the guards
and then dashed away, lighting up the darkness with his enchanted sword like a
shooting star darting over the empty streets.

 
 

Chapter 2

 
    "More on the wall," the
goblin scout relayed to the taller and significantly bulkier goblin named
Okyiq.
    Okyiq had taken command of over
two hundred goblins in Dark Spruce
Forest. He did so in a very short
amount of time with a force of will and the threat of physical punishment. He
ordered those same goblins to prepare for a raid of Burbon. He directed them
out of the trees and to the hills that covered the grounds just beyond the
town's southwestern wall.
    The large goblin didn't like
planning and preparation—it was not a natural instinct—but he discovered that
threats weren't the only way