Free Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines Page A

your banter,” Barius said. “Brother, can your arts release us from this prison?”
    Ryslind took a deep breath. “Give me a moment. Magic requires a clear head, and mine still spins.”
    While they waited, Riana walked over to Jig. She studied him with obvious distaste, but when she spoke, her voice was quiet, even respectful. “Thanks.”
    “Eh?” Jig blinked, unsure what she meant. He was still a bit dazed by everything that had happened. Worse yet, he had the nagging sense he had forgotten something. The worms were all dead, but still. . . .
    “For knocking me out of the way back there.”
    “Oh. I saw a carrion-worm catch a rat like that once.” He sighed. Giblet the rat had been a good pet. To this day, he suspected that Porak had deliberately turned Giblet loose by the worm’s nest.
    He scowled. Something about pets . . . oh no.
    “Smudge!”
    He ran at Darnak and tried to pull the lantern away. The dwarf swatted him with his free hand. “Here now, what’s this?”
    “My fire-spider’s in there.”
    “What?” Darnak held the lantern higher and peered inside. “Ha. So he is. So that’s how you were lighting this thing.”
    Very gently, he set the lantern on the ground and slid the glass back. Smudge scurried out, apparently unharmed. He raced away from the lantern like he was fleeing Straum himself. Halfway to the far wall, he stopped and rubbed his legs together, one pair at a time.
    “Probably trying to clean off the lantern oil,” Jig said. He knelt and held out one hand for the spider.
    Smudge glanced at him. Then, very deliberately, he turned away and continued to groom himself.
    “I am ready,” Ryslind announced. He had taken another coil of rope from Darnak’s pack. As the others watched, he sprinkled a bit of blue powder on the rope and began to chant. One end of the rope rose, reminding Jig of the way the carrion-worms had reared up to attack. The rope climbed steadily higher until it reached the ceiling.
    “I don’t suppose that magic rope of yours can punch through the trapdoor?” Darnak asked.
    Ryslind frowned. “Do not disturb my focus. I need to channel more power.” His voice was deeper than usual. His brow wrinkled, and the end of the rope curled into a tight ball. Ryslind’s eyes flashed red, and the rope slammed against the trapdoor.
    A shower of dust fell from the ceiling, making Jig’s eyes water. Ryslind said the word again, this time with a wave of his hand for emphasis.
    On the third try, a large square of rock swung down. Jig leaped back, afraid the stone would crash onto their heads. But it scraped to a halt, spraying them all with another layer of dirt and grit.
    “Quickly,” Ryslind ordered. “The longer I hold it open, the more it drains me.”
    Barius was already climbing. Darnak sent Riana up next, then looked back at Jig. “Your turn, goblin.”
    “My name is Jig,” he grumbled. Climbing out of the pit was difficult. Jig had never been strong, and his hands and arms weren’t used to this sort of work. But he eventually reached the top. Barius, who had reached down to help Riana out of the pit, didn’t even look at Jig as he struggled to hook his ankle over the edge. Darnak followed a minute later, and then Ryslind, pulling the rope up behind him.
    Stone grated loudly as the trapdoor sealed itself. Jig sat on the floor, trying to catch his breath, when he noticed Smudge clinging to his leg.
    “Decided to forgive me after all, then?” Or maybe the spider had simply decided that coming with Jig was better than being left alone in the pit. It didn’t matter. Jig felt better for Smudge’s company. At least, he felt better until he spotted the hobgoblins coming down the corridor.
     
    This was the first time Jig had really seen the adventurers in battle. During that first attack, he had been too busy hiding to watch much of the fight. He only saw the end, when Darnak and Barius beat the last few goblins. And the fight in the pit would have been too