Chapter 5: Battle mounds

Two weeks later I gave Silver a kiss goodbye and slapped Gilbert’s shoulder, “Good luck with the children.”

We left all the worg pelts with them to use on the floors. We walked north through the forest wearing long white rabbit fur cloaks. I was a little surprised Aveline was returning with me but I was not going to complain. She had walked the pattern in Green Heart everyday and seemed to have more poise and grace.

They had been a little surprised when I walked the pattern and stayed inside and with the ghostly image. During the two weeks we learned that not only were orcs raiding into the Green Heart but a few dark brother raiding parties. I had not told anyone that I could still see and feel the lines to the other elf stones.

I was following one now, the feel was green. It was a week before I paused and caught Aveline and looked around. I lifted my bow as I shrugged my pack off and Aveline hissed, “Goblins.”

They came out of the bushes and rushed towards us as I put an arrow into one. They were short and a greenish color with large bat like ears. Their mouths were very large with sharp pointed teeth. The snow was not deep so they were moving rapidly. I killed four before I tossed my bow and pulled the two short swords.

I cut across to kill one as I stepped forward into the pattern. I was mostly flicking the blades out in stabs or piercing lunges to sink the swords into the almost mindless goblins. My steps went back and forth as Aveline moved behind me in a scissor like dance. I cut the throat of one while stabbing another in the stomach and ripping it out.

I moved towards Aveline as the last few seemed to crowd her. She whirled and her swords kept lashing out until the last goblin fell. I looked around before kneeling to clean my swords, “They were hunting.”

She nodded as she knelt to clean her swords. I stood and went to get my bow and pack, “We sleep in trees.”

She sighed, “To bad, you are a good bed warmer.”

I grinned as I put the pack on and started walking. She joined me and we moved carefully until we stopped for dinner and then we moved again to find a tree to climb and sleep in. During the night another large band of goblins went passed. I frowned as we watched, if goblins were in these numbers I hoped the elves would be aware and moving this way.

As the sun began to rise another band went past headed in the direction we would be going. We climbed down and followed in the wide path they left. We would be leaving the Green Heart later that day for the wide elven highlands. That was a place called the Battle mounds, during the first millennium a great battle had been fought here.

There had been so many dead they had been piled together in earth and stone mounds. Since that time other battles have been fought almost every millennium and the mounds had grown in number. We walked out of the forest and started across the ancient battle grounds before entering the snow swept area between the rows of mounds.

The ground was trampled and covered with thousands of tracks coming and going into the Green Heart. We were in the middle of the mounds when I heard the goblins. I looked around before shrugging out of my pack. There was nowhere to hide or run so I nocked an arrow and got ready. It was not long before the goblins appeared and yelled as they rushed towards us.

I put my arrows into the chest of those in the led and so did Aveline. I finally threw my bow and pulled the short swords as I stepped into the pattern. I cut across into the throat of one while stabbing another and ripping its guts out. I stepped and slashed or stabbed and flicked a sword out to slap an arrow away.

I continued to follow the pattern as three dark brothers joined the goblins. I knocked another arrow away and killed another goblin as two more bands attacked. The first dark brother to reach me blocked my sword and stabbed through the pattern and I barely knocked it down. The point went into my right thigh and I slashed across as I changed the pattern.

I lunged out but the dark brother brushed it aside and his other short sword slammed into my arm. If I had not been wearing star silver scale sleeves it would have taken my arm. I shifted as I growled and slashed across to the left and then the right before lunging. I was not following the pattern and the dark brother had managed to block the first two strikes.

He missed the lunge and the point of my right sword slipped into his neck before I ripped it out and to the side. I stepped into the pattern as I ignored the pain to cut the throats of two goblins before another of the other dark brothers attacked. Again I slashed and my sword was blocked before he stabbed, I knocked it away before slashing out.

I followed it with the other as I stepped out of the pattern and his eyes widened. I lunged with my right sword and the blade slipped into his gut before I ripped it out the side. I moved after the third who had been closing with Aveline. He turned to push his way out and screamed as the claws of a goblin ripped his stomach open and others pulled him down.

I slashed out and stabbed another goblin while stepping back into the pattern. The dark brothers had taught me a lesson and if I survived I would make a change. I slid around Aveline and began to circle her as she continued to move and kill the goblins. I sliced and stabbed as I became a counter to her and it became a living rhythm until the last dozen turned to flee.

I watched before kneeling and cleaning my weapons, “Rabid things.”