By midday, the Hunters wound through broken farmland. Hilda's heavy boots crunched leaves as Squad Four marched on, all eyes alert. Liam walked next to the pack horse, the morning's brightness replaced by grim determination. Tomlin walked beside him, spear resting across his shoulders. The fields around them bore scars of attack: fences in splinters, crops trampled, smoke curling from charred stubble.
Lina scanned the ruined farmstead ahead and shook her head. "Looks like goblins hit here," she said quietly. Tattered banners and splintered wood lay about the homestead. "They're getting bolder."
Fendril strode ahead in silence, sword at the ready. Jassa flinched at every snapping twig, moving nervously along the edges. Only Hilda remained as a silent wall at their rear. The air smelled of ash and fear.
Suddenly Jassa pointed off the road. "Smoke!" The squad swung toward a pluming column rising over shattered ground. A blackened wagon lay on its side up ahead, its wood charred to cinders.
Among the wreckage were scraps of leather and a half-burnt hunting bow. A broken helm glinted in the soot.
"Scouts were here," Sir Merek said, voice low. He stooped to examine a singed map pinned beneath the wagon wheel, stained with something dark. "Red ink," he muttered. "We'll bring this to Brana. She needs to know."
"Foul play," Tomlin said softly. He glanced at Liam. "No stray fires here. Someone led those goblins."
Liam nodded, eyes narrowing. "Stay sharp," Merek ordered. They gathered their gear and pressed on, tension climbing.
For a moment the only sound was measured breathing and the crunch of gravel. The squad fell into a tight formation, weapons at the ready.
Without warning, a rough snarl shattered the silence.
"Ambush!" Liam roared, drawing his sword.
Eight goblins sprang from the tree line, teeth bared and axes raised. Liam's Eye of the Abyss flared violet, giving him uncanny clarity in the chaos. He counted their shapes and shouted directions.
Lina loosed two arrows before most of them even saw the Hunters. Both goblins crumpled with surprised shrieks. Hilda charged forward, axe swinging. Her blow cleaved a goblin in half just as it lunged at Fendril.
Tomlin grinned and braced. He let fly his own spear with all his might. It flew straight and true, impaling the largest goblin through its skull. The creature collapsed, snorting its last breath.
Merek darted into the fray, blade flashing. A goblin was about to gut Fendril; Merek skewered it through the shoulder. The beast gurgled in surprise as it dropped its dagger.
One goblin jabbed a jerky spear at Jassa, grazing her arm. Jassa cried out and stumbled back. Lina spun, loosed another arrow, and the goblin fell screaming. Liam slipped past two snarling attackers and swept his sword up under another goblin's ribs, spilling dark blood.
In seconds it was over. The remaining goblins fell one by one to Liam's and Hilda's swings. Silence returned instantly.
Liam panted, watching the forest grow still again. The road was littered with goblin corpses. Dark red blood pooled in the dirt. Hilda wiped her blade on a fallen goblin's tunic.
Sir Merek re-sheathed his sword and checked the squad. "Injured?" he asked.
"Just a scratch," Hilda replied, spitting dirt from her mouth.
Jassa was shaken but not wounded. "I—I'm fine," she whimpered.
Tomlin flexed his arm where the goblin's spear had grazed it. Only a shallow gash showed. He gave a shaky laugh. "Goblin stew didn't taste half bad."
Lina chuckled, shaking out her bow. "Careful, Tomlin. Don't hit us next time!"
Tomlin saluted with a grin. "I'll try to miss you both."
Liam took a deep breath and surveyed the aftermath. These goblins hadn't fought like mindless scavengers. They had attacked in waves, covering each other's flanks, even waited as if taking turns. One goblin barked a guttural command at the others before it died. In the confusion, Liam had easily picked it off.
Too easy, he realized. The gut-churning ease of it.
He looked at their fallen bodies. Coordination in goblin ranks was unheard-of. The thought chilled him. The Eye of the Abyss had warned him something was at play.
Liam's jaw furrowed. "Who's training these fiends?" he wondered as he sheathed his sword.
As the squad continued down the road, Liam kept his eyes on the shadowy tree line, unsettled. Something had changed. He would be ready when he found out what.