"Murderer!"

Nicodemus sighed at the goblin. It pointed its long bony finger at Erudessa and bared its teeth. It must have strayed from its pack and gotten lost. Goblins weren't known for their intelligence.

She drew her knives. "Get lost."

Nicodemus held up his hand, stopping her. He addressed the goblin. "What do you want?"

It growled, a low gurgle in its throat. It sounded like it was about to cough up phlegm. "Peace."

Nicodemus looked back at Erudessa, motioning for her to sheathe her weapons. "Are you alone?"

"Am the only goblin here," it said. "Kill me not. Want peace. Kill not mine tribe."

"Why were you attacking Syrcrie?" Erudessa demanded.

"Humans kill goblins," it said. "You attack us. We fight back."

"Do you know anything of the spiders?" the shapeshifter asked. "The giant ones."

The goblin scrunched up its round green face. "Spiders. Eight legs. Big. black. Ugly. Them?" It looked up at him and he nodded. "Went that way." It pointed in the direction where the tracks led. "Big group. Need help to fight."

"Are the goblins fighting them?"

"Spiders are evil. They kill goblins."

Nicodemus bit his lip. "Could you lead us to them? They are our enemies as well."

The goblin bared its yellow fangs. "Kill not goblins."

"You don't want us to kill goblins?" Nicodemus looked at Erudessa, then turned back to the goblin. "If you promise that the goblins won't kill us, we won't attack them. After the battle, I want you to promise peace between humans and goblins."

It nodded eagerly, its big eyes bright. "No war. Swear it." It hopped twice and gestured for them to follow. "This way!"

Erudessa scowled at Nicodemus. "Why are you trusting this creature?" she hissed.

"You did kill its tribe," he replied. "All it wants is peace. And it knows where the spiders are."

"It's following the tracks, just like we are," she stated. "It could be leading us to a trap."

Nicodemus looked at the goblin as it bounced along in front of them. It waved its skinny arms as it jumped and flapped its bat-like ears. "Dessa, I don't think it will lead us to a trap."

She whirled around to face him. "Don't. Call. Me. Dessa."

He hid a smile. "All right. Dessa," he added under his breath. She narrowed her eyes at him, but kept walking. He watched the goblin hop and jump ahead of them. This goblin didn't seem very old.

"Do you have a name?" he called to it. It turned around and looked up at him.

"Flemming," it said. It turned back around and kept jumping.

Erudessa wrinkled her nose. "Phlegm?"

Nicodemus smiled faintly. "Flem." She rolled her eyes.

~*~

Aaron spurred his horse faster. He needed to catch up with whatever Jerad was tracking. Hopefully Erudessa and the shifter were following as well. He could make his death look like an accident in the heat of battle. Three shots, then death. That's how he'd do it. He would take out that bloody shifter, wiping out all memory of Zyron's death. He could get away with it. He had for thirteen years. The shifter had been a child when he witnessed the murder, when Aaron had beaten him into secrecy. He had grown up without telling anyone. He would die that way too.

The wind whipped Aaron's cloak around, jerking it against his neck. He unfastened it and held the cloak in front of him. It would only slow him down. He needed speed, needed to catch up with whatever he had sent Jerad to track.

The prints stabbed into the dirt gave him no hint of what he followed, but he didn't care. All he cared about was killing that bloody shapeshifter.

His horse panted and he slowed. No point in killing his horse on the way there. He patted its neck, the hair damp with sweat. He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. Off in the distance he could barely make out the forms of four people. Jerad, Simon, Mason, Luke. They were following the same tracks. Good. He was going in the right direction. He looked around and spied another person with a horse. He rode closer. The red hair clearly marked her as Erudessa. And Erudessa hadn't left with a horse.

A grin spread over his face and he spurred his horse in her direction.