The Goblin Gate Read Online Free PDF

their homes, all in one night, with no chance to take stock, or seed, or tools. They’ve nothing to start over with, and not much to lose. And they’re the lucky ones! The only reason the barbarians take prisoners is so the meat won’t spoil before they’re ready to eat it.”
    Jeriah shuddered. In the army they said that a quick death by your own knife was better than capture by barbarians.
    “Aye.” The old man’s face was sober. “It’s bad. And if the lawlessness is spreading this far, soon no road in the Realm will be safe!”
    “This one certainly wasn’t,” Jeriah said bitterly. “And I can’t afford…” He didn’t mind losing his silver. It was the delay that mattered.
    “They were still cutting the packs off your saddle when I arrived,” said the stranger, misunderstanding that unfinishedsentence. “So anything you had on the horses you still have. I’m afraid what you carried is gone.”
    Jeriah glanced down at himself for the first time. He was dressed in an unfamiliar homespun tunic, worn to softness. He looked around but saw no sign of his belt, boots, or sword. Or purse. “My sword’s the worst loss.”
    “Do you need money? I can lend you a bit to get on with.”
    “Could I sell you some spare tack instead?” Jeriah asked. “I didn’t have much money left. At least now I won’t have to tell Father that I spent the rest. How did you catch Glory? She doesn’t let strangers handle her.”
    “It took a while, but once the gray fellow came back and she saw he trusted me, she decided I was all right.”
    “But he’s trained the same way. He shouldn’t have trusted you either!” Jeriah’s eyes darted around—tin pots, tin cups and spoons. The big pack. Was it possible…
    “Ah, but he and I had met before.” The man nodded, confirming of Jeriah’s dawning suspicion. “Yes, I’m Todder Yon. I understand you’ve been looking for me.”
    It couldn’t be a coincidence. “How…? What…? Were you following me?” Jeriah demanded. His head was throbbing again.
    “Aye. After hearing in three different towns that a young knight was trying to track me down, I got curious. So I came after you. What do you want of me, Jeriah Rovan? Not”—his eyes strayed to Fiddle—“that I can’t guess.”
    The wrinkled face held nothing but kindness and sorrow, but Jeriah was suddenly aware that he had no sword, and his right arm was all but useless. If he had intended harm, he’d have been helpless to pursue it. A chill of wariness brushed him. This man was no fool.
    “I need you to help me get in touch with some goblins.” Jeriah rose carefully to his knees, leaning forward, though the movement made his whole bruised body ache. “I need their help. It’s a matter of life and death.”
    “Lad, the goblins aren’t dealing with humans these days. I hope it’s not really a matter of life and death, because if it is, you’ve got a problem.”
    Jeriah clutched his throbbing head in both hands. How to persuade this man?
    The tinker sighed. “Lie down. You getting sick won’t save anyone.”
    Jeriah stiffened his spine and remained upright. The tinker’s expression was quietly unyielding, but he’d been kind to Jeriah. Surely if he knew the truth…Would he want the truth? Maybe enough to trade for it?
    “You were a friend of hers, weren’t you? The sorceress?”
    “Mistress Makenna? The one who’s been condemned to death? And whose accomplices they might hang too, just on principle? Certainly not.”
    Jeriah gritted his teeth. “All right. If you had been her friend. Or if you were her enemy. Or even if you only traded gossip in the villages around here, would the truth aboutwhat happened to her be worth something to you?”
    “I’ve heard rumors in half a dozen towns that she and her goblins have vanished,” the tinker admitted. “Half a dozen different rumors.”
    “I saw them disappear with my own eyes.”
    The tinker snorted. “And how did that come about? If you’re