An Outsiders tale Part III

An outsiders Tale Part III

Violet arrived at her cache and  quickly emptied it of the two bundles of arrows one for her long bow and one of short bow arrows originally for Perkal but  for the company she hoped had taken advantage of the  diversion and struck the goblins a blow or two. Violet also took the caches supply of food mostly preserves and the sort of hard black bread that almost never goes off but which no one who was not fairly desperate would eat willingly one of the precious potions of healing Perkal had made and some other useful items though not so much as she was going to be impeded by the load.

So equipped Violet set off back to the goblin camp what would other wise have been for her a pleasant afternoons hike under other circumstances. It would even been pleasant under the current circumstances had she Perkal along for company  and he was dead on the high pass and though Violet had long ago suppressed any feeling  that suggested  they would  ever be more than comrades in arms she realised that she missed him, more than the many others she had lost in the long war against the Kalamarian slavers, she had waged.  Dragging her thoughts away form the subject Violet turned he thoughts to how best to deal with the goblins single handed if need be.

As she approached the camp from the south she carefully reconnoitred the lower perimeter and quickly noted the lack of goblin or other activity for that matter. Then Violet decided her plan off attack first moving across to the base of the slope below the lower eye cave. Under cover of the perimeter trees and under brush.  Then after a quick look round to make sure that any goblin in the watch tower had not seen her approach. That done she scrambled up the exposed slope to the lower eye cave taking cover inside the shadows of its entrance.  Moving a few steps further into the cave Violet noticed the crude lattice blocking further progress and the sleeping forms of three goblins right at the back. Violet reached out and touched the binding of the lattice and unleashed her god’s power, the lattice unbound itself silently. Sufficiently to allow Violet to slip through unheard. Violet drew her dagger and cautiously advanced on the gently snoring goblins and one by one they ceased to snore.

Beyond them Violet spotted the way on a narrow tunnel low so she would have to crouch to pass thought it. She unstrung her great bow and holding it at her side spear wise in her left hand slipped down the twisting tunnel dagger still drawn.  At the end of the tunnel it opened into a larger cave but the view was blocked by a frame holding a drying cow hide. Even in the dark Violet recognised the animal one of the Hidden Dells best milkers, Violet grew grimmer even more so as she found that this first tanning frame concealed several others all adorned with the drying hides of Hidden Dell prime live stock.