5

I pushed Maren behind me and turned to face the creatures.

They swarmed through the entrance, their ranks growing thicker by the second. I stepped forward and swung my sword, hacking an arm off the nearest goblin. It shrieked and grabbed at the stump, trying vainly to stop the bleeding. I kicked him out of the way and struck another one in the neck. My sword got stuck, but I jerked it free just in time to block a rusty sword from impaling me.

I parried the blade to the side, sending the goblin’s arm out wide, then planted my foot on his chest and kicked him backward while using the momentum to push myself away from more swinging blades. A goblin with a mace came at me, screaming murder. I ducked low and jabbed the tip of my sword into its knee. The creature crashed into my shoulder, dropping his weapon and flipping over my back. It landed hard on the ground behind me. I grabbed the fallen mace and came up quickly, swinging the weapon in an underhanded fashion.

It connected with another goblin’s jaw, cracking its head back with a loud snap. The goblin collapsed, tripping up two others. They tumbled to the ground at my feet, and I swiftly plunged my sword into their backs, one at a time. Another goblin rushed at me, swinging its sword wildly. I blocked the strike, the goblin’s rusty blade glancing off my cross-guard, and launched a counter-attack with the mace. The weapon collided with the side of the goblin’s head, resulting in a crunch that made me flinch.

In the back of my mind, I wondered why Maren hadn’t cast any spells. Perhaps she had, and I just hadn’t noticed. I pushed the thought away and tried to jerk the mace back, but it was pulled from my grasp as the dead goblin fell. The others held back, none of them willing to engage me. My sword lessons at the Citadel had paid off. I was breathing heavily, but I still had plenty of strength. It was doubtful I could cut our way out of here, but Maren could obliterate them all with a single spell.

I changed hands, tossing the sword to my other hand, then ran my right hand along my pants, wiping the sweat off. It was in that moment three goblins swiftly ran at me. I grabbed the hilt of my sword with both hands and swung as hard as I could. The first one went down as I severed its head from its body. I struck the second one, but my blade bounced off its pauldron and tremors ran along my arm. I leaped backward as the third one tried to jab me with a spear, and I managed to twist my sword around and chop the iron tip off.

One of the goblins shouted, their voice booming over the noise. The crowd of goblins parted, revealing one of the chieftains. He snarled something and took a step toward me. I raised my sword and leveled it at him. The goblin looked at the blade, then repeated what he’d said. I stared at him blankly. Did he expect me to surr—

Maren screamed.

I whirled around. Two goblins had grabbed her arms. She struggled against them, but more joined the fray and they subdued her, knocking her down. I raised my sword, but a piercing noise filled the air, sending a sharp pain through my head. I dropped my sword and covered my ears, but it didn’t help. The sound reverberated through every part of my being, forcing me to my knees.

And then a host of goblins overcame me. They punched and kicked me, but surprisingly didn’t stab me. Their blows hurt, but the piercing noise was worse. Finally, blessedly, the sound faded. The goblins jerked me to my feet and bound my arms behind my back. I looked for Maren and saw they had tied her up as well. The goblins forced us into the corner, and they went about clearing the bodies from the tent. Once their work was done, they left us alone. I looked at Maren.

“Are you hurt?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“That’s good. I still can’t reach Sion. It must be that blasted sorcerer’s magic again.”

“I don’t think it is,” Maren said softly.

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure, but … I think something is happening to magic. At first, I thought it was just me. When I cast certain spells, they don’t always work. And if they do, they quickly fail.”

I thought back to when we’d battled the basilisk. Maren had used a containment spell on the creature, but it had fizzled out. I shook my head.

“No, that can’t be it. There’s one thing connecting Tiradale and this place, and it’s the sorcerer. It has to be that flute he’s got.”

“Eldwin.” Maren turned her head toward me. “I noticed it first at the Citadel a few weeks ago. When we went to Tiradale, it was worse, but it started before that.”

I didn’t believe it. She had to be wrong. Perhaps she was just focusing too hard and overthinking things. How could something be wrong with magic? If there was a problem, surely Sion would … No, I thought. I considered her illness in Tiradale, the void in our bond now. Could it be true?

“Have you spoken to Anesko about it?”

“No.”

“You should. If there truly is something happening with magic, I’m sure he’s aware of it.”

“Unless we find a way out of here, I don’t think it’s going to matter,” Maren said.