All Spell Breaks Loose by Lisa Shearin Read Free Book Online Page B

just terror; it was recognition. The goblin saw me and knew who I was, and for those two blinks, he’d been scared pissless. The way my day had been going, it was nice to be appreciated, even if it was for a power I didn’t have anymore, or at least not right now, when I could really use it.
    Two Khrynsani were moving on Tam, and Mychael’s sudden sunlight didn’t stop their forward momentum. I couldn’t throw a knife that far, and even if I could, I’d probably just hit them in the head with the pommel.
    Rocks were much easier.
    We were in a cave, so rocks were plentiful. No one was charging me, so I scooped up a fist-sized rock, and chucked it hard at the head of the Khrynsani closest to Tam. It took him in the temple, and he went down like the rock that’d hit him.
    Unfortunately, some of the Khrynsani had been a little faster than their brothers in adjusting to the light, and I became the center of a lot of unwanted attention.
    They recognized me, too.
    Damn.
    Judging from the number of Khrynsani readying spells and mouthing incantations, Sarad Nukpana had told them that I was to be the guest of honor. Flattered, I did not feel.
    All the rocks in that cave weren’t going to save my bacon.
    But a volley of bolts to the Khrynsani’s backs did.
    I didn’t know how many Khrynsani were in that cave,but the newcomers had put a dead-on-target bolt in each and every one.
    They were hooded and cloaked, but I caught a glimpse here and there of gray skin. Goblins. The Khrynsani were dead, but the newcomers had reloaded and held their crossbows at the ready.
    At us.
    One goblin stepped out in front of the others. Tall and rangy from what I could tell. He stared straight at Tam, then turned his hooded face toward me.
    “Nice throwing arm,” he said.
    I flexed my hand around the rock I still held. “I stay in practice. You never know who you’re going to meet.” I tossed a rock casually in one hand, and spoke without taking my eyes off the goblin. “Tam, he seems to know you. Who have we just met?”
    “My brother,” Tam said, his eyes never leaving the robed figure.
    I damned near dropped the rock on my foot. “Your
what
?”
    “His brother, Mistress Benares.” The goblin raised his crossbow and leveled it at Tam. “Welcome home.”

Chapter 4
     
    Brother?
    I had questions tumbling all over themselves to get out. Like why hadn’t Tam told me he had a brother, to how did that brother know we were going to be here, and the biggie—what the hell was he doing aiming a crossbow at Tam?
    Phaelan had been on the receiving end of some less-than-warm receptions by a few of his siblings before, but none had gone as far as contemplating murder (at least not openly), which looked like exactly what Tam’s brother was doing. He’d seen Tam, identified Tam as his brother, and still had the business end of a crossbow aimed at him. Though with growing up together anywhere near the goblin court, who knew what kind of brotherly resentments this guy had? Just our luck it’d be the seething, bottled-up variety.
    The rock in my hand had this guy’s name on it—whatever it was—if he brought that bow up to his shoulder. When it came to talking sense into his brother, I hoped Tam knew what he was doing.
    Tam held up a hand to stop any of us who might be thinking what I was thinking, namely bounce a rock or spell off this guy’s hooded head. Tam’s other hand dropped to where he kept his favorite throwing dagger. That confirmed there wasn’t going to be a hug of brotherly welcome in the immediate future. Other than that, Tam didn’t move; I thought it prudent to follow his lead. None of the goblins were moving, either. Their weapons weren’t aimed at us, but they weren’t lowered, either, though the same was true for us. Distrust was just as contagious as betrayal today.
    There were ten goblins that I could see, with a couple probably standing watch outside the cave mouth. They were armed and armored in a mismatched kind of