When Goblins Rage (Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

grip.
    Drunk on the kill, the elf swivelled to check for sign she'd been detected. Heart pounding in her ears and a killer's grin forming wildly. Saw nothing through the trees but shadows.
    Heard no sudden shouts.
    She sucked a hard breath, and let it free with a soft whistle of relief blending with satisfaction.
    Knelt beside the body and tugged the blade loose with a sickeningly wet crunch of bone and meat.
    Smell of piss and blood still steaming in the air, the elf turned away from the corpse and headed quickly toward the sound of voices. Felt an insatiable curiosity overriding the curdling fear in her guts as she approached the edge of the treeline.
    She saw the flicker of fires through the brush. Cookfires preparing the first meals of the day. The smell of meat made her stomach clench.
    Inching forward, the elf licked her lips. Wondered if it might be possible to sneak closer. To steal food.
    Hunger made her marrow ache.
    She reached out slowly and pushed a few dry limbs aside, catching her first glimpse of those who had made camp.
    More Caspiellans. Dressed in the drab grey uniforms of Leibersland. Grey Jackets, then. Fanatical and utterly devoted to spreading the word of their god through the land.
    And to killing those they deemed Tainted.
    Tainted simply for not being human.
    Tainted like her.
    She could see fifty or so of them. Maybe more. But certainly not less. Some worked at pulling down tents. Others attended the fires.
    A few patrolled the edges of the camp, and the rest looked to be resting still. Waiting their turn to take up tasks. Oiling bright blades.
    Their faces were mostly young, though a few grizzled elders littered the pack. At first glance, they appeared orderly and well-trained. But as she watched, she noticed a few signs of irregularity which puzzled her.
    Such as scruffy uniforms and mismatched boots.
    Not what she'd learned to expect from Grey Jackets, who normally had a reputation for working beyond enemy lines. For going where they shouldn't.
    Also, there should be more sentries. More defences.
    Given they were in the Deadlands and so close to the Bloods, they should have been more cautious. They hadn't dug ditches. No stakes or blockades. Nothing which was normal routine for a Grey Jacket force.
    It was too easy. As if they didn't care at all who might see them, or attack in the middle of the night.
    She wondered at the confidence of the men.
    Yet despite their slightly ragtag appearance, the elf still felt sweat trickle down her armpits and soak into her undershirt. She imagined that at any second, the entire ocean of soldiers would pause what they were doing and their heads would slowly turn to where she was hiding.
    “Shit,” she breathed, suddenly feeling the need to run away. There were too many of them. Some had bows, and she could easily imagine the thud of their arrows piercing her flesh.
    Nysta squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she contemplated just how dangerous her position was. And how reckless she had been in getting even this close. Then she opened her eyes and started backing away.
    Carefully.
    Had moved maybe two or three metres before she heard a rustle of undergrowth and froze. Her belly roiled in fear as she heard a boot press hard into the earth somewhere behind her. Couldn't tell if whoever was there could see her or not.
    A trickle of frozen air crept across her body.
    Another cool press of boot to earth, crunching a crisp patch of snow.
    Soft curse.
    And the elf, certain she'd been spotted, moved.
    Looking for Love snickered from her hand, the broad blade aimed straight at the startled head looming out of the shadows between the trees. He gave a yelp and twisted back, faster than most humans. The blade shot past his jaw, snaked between his long hair, and buried itself in the folds between two tree limbs clawing at the sky.  
    “Fuck,” she spat. Rolled forward as the soldier yanked a slender sword from his scabbard. The steel shimmered in the grey