The Goblin Gate Read Online Free PDF Page A

Jeriah must have been unconscious for hours. He was surprised the bandits could elude an armed troop this long. Though the stranger wasn’t wearing the sunsguard red tabard, or any other kind of uniform.
    “You were awake to hear that?” The man poured Jeriah a tin mug of healing tea. “Keep sipping on this. I didn’t think you were conscious when I first showed up. In fact, if I hadn’t heard them say otherwise I’d have thought you were dead! But as for my troop…you’re looking at it.”
    Jeriah stared. “You’re telling me that you drove off those bandits? There were five of them! And you’re not—” He stopped, fearing to insult the old man, but the stranger was smiling.
    “No, I’m not a knight. Or even a fighter, unless I have to be. I just fired a couple of crossbow bolts into the trees beside them, and started shouting for the rest of ‘the troop’ to come to my aid. And using that for a hand warmer won’t do a thing for your headache.” He gestured to the mug.
    “They fell for that trick?” Jeriah wanted to laugh, but his head was throbbing. He took a cautious sip. Not too hot, and although his stomach complained, the tea stayed down.
    “Why not?” the stranger asked comfortably. “They’d finished stripping you and were having a demonish time with the mare, so they were ready to give up.”
    “It was lucky you came along at the right moment.”
    “Ah…not exactly. I waited till I thought they’d be willing to leave before I tried it.”
    “You waited? You just sat there and watched them rob me?”
    Jeriah started to sit up, but a pulse of pain in his head sent him back to the pillow in a hurry. The stranger’s ruse no longer seemed funny.
    “Timing is important in these things. And there were five of them. Speaking of timing, I’d give that tea a few more minutes to work before you get lively.”
    “You may be right about that.” Jeriah still didn’t care for thestranger’s tactics, but there was no point arguing. “Besides, the smith in Brackenlee warned me there were bandits in the area. But I didn’t believe him, so I wasn’t paying enough attention.” Which meant part of this was his own fault.
    “I must admit,” said the man, “I was surprised to see ’em myself. In the Southlands, that’s something else, but this far north…” He shook his head. “What’s the Realm coming to?”
    A wisp of memory tickled Jeriah’s aching brain.
    “They were going to steal Glory.”
    “Aye, but they didn’t,” said the stranger soothingly. “You’ve no need to worry.”
    “No, it’s not…” Jeriah pressed his hands to his head, trying to force the memory through. “They said something about a demon mare….”
    “I’m not surprised. She put up quite a fight.”
    “No.” Jeriah gulped down the last of the tea, hoping it would help his head. “It was something else about demons. White demons.”
    A frown creased the man’s brow. “White demons. Isn’t that what Southlanders call the barbarians?”
    Five ragged men, all with black hair. Had they also had the swarthy skin of Southlanders? Jeriah couldn’t remember.
    “Seemed to me,” said the stranger, “that they were speaking with a bit of an accent. Wasn’t one I placed, but my territory’s here in the Northlands.”
    Had the men been speaking with a Southland accent?Jeriah couldn’t remember. “What would Southlander bandits be doing this far north?”
    “I haven’t heard of them spreading up this far, but…” The stranger picked up one of his pots and refilled Jeriah’s cup. “Do you know about the surprise attack the barbarians made on the border last month?”
    “I heard something about it.” Jeriah blew on the tea, then sipped. Both his stomach and his head were beginning to settle.
    “It was after our army had withdrawn for the summer,” the man continued. “Being desert folk, the barbarians had never attacked in the hot season before. Thousands of Southlanders were driven out of