I Will Be the Greatest Knight

Before Henry went into the cave, his eyes searched the men still with him, and when his gaze landed upon Irene, she offered him a nod. It seemed to be enough for him to press on.

Was he seeking her approval? He had told her he would rely on her while they went into the mountains because of her experience up there before, but she felt suddenly burdened.

When it came to herself, she tended to push past fear and lean into the thrill of the fight so that she could prevail, but when it came to someone else, she suddenly felt guilty. What if the Duke was harmed? It was of the knights' many responsibilities to ensure that he remained guarded.

However, she ducked into the cave after him and knew that it was suddenly no longer a choice. They needed to follow him so that he had someone watching his back.

The Commander stopped inside the cave when there was still enough light to get his needed supplies: cloth, stick, lard, and flint so that a spark could light the cloth and be fed for a while by lard.

"Shall we?" he asked the others who had already unsheathed their swords while waiting for the Commander to press on.

"Yes, sir," Irene was the first to answer, deciding that even if she was feeling cautious because of the importance of this man to their duchy, she needed to be confident in her decision. It caused the others to follow suit. Her rank carried weight, and she was learning that more and more as they spent time in an organized manner and close to the Duke's Tower.

The Commander seemed pleased at this. He nodded before he took to the path that would lead them down and into the darkness.

For a long while, all that they heard were their footsteps shuffling, and they began to wonder if they would ever reach the bottom of the cavern. It was starting to feel claustrophobic, but was it in their heads or was the air actually getting thicker?

Even though they didn't see a monster, Irene still refused to relax. The grip on her sword remained firm, and her eyes diligently scanned ahead as they moved slowly around corners or crept further and further into darkness. She had never been more grateful for the pathetically low light of a torch. However, it was enough to ensure they wouldn't be snuck up on.

Irene's instincts were correct when the stench of goblins hit her nose and she grimaced in disgust. They were practically rotting while what they deemed to be alive. Their habits were disgusting, and if they touched you, they often left behind a bit of filth.

"The scent…" Bren uttered from behind Irene.

However, the woman turned and held a gloved finger to her lips. The cave was getting curvier, and she would prefer not to give them a warning that there were humans there. It wasn't out of the realm of possibilities that goblins occasionally used fire, so a light coming into their space would be less alarming to them than a voice from a human.

It was just as expected as they made it around another curve, and the knights suddenly stopped. If Irene were a bit less diligent, she would have run directly into the Commander's pack.

The path had widened, but the cost of the lack of the claustrophobic feeling was that the wider space was densely packed with wiry goblins huddling together. The weather was already too harsh for them. They rarely wore much clothing unless they stole it off of their victims, and usually that was merely armor.

Irene felt herself begin to hold her breath as the goblins stared at the knights and the knights stared back.

But it was a scream from one of the larger goblins that caused the monsters to begin scrambling to find whichever weapons were convenient. Some were so thick-skulled they even began to grab bones to use as clubs.

Since Irene and the Commander were in the front, they both rushed deeper into the cave.

"Stay towards the outside!" Henry shouted to the others. "Ensure that none escape!"

Without needing to be ordered, Irene began her slicing down of any goblin she could get her hands on. Killing them in the most uncouth and brutal of ways wasn't beyond her in that moment. It was all about making sure not a single one was left standing and giving the humans in the duchy a better outcome when the warm weather came.

Irene and Henry were soon pressed towards the wall, and the Commander dropped the torch when a club hit his non-dominant arm. A grunt escaped his lips, and he clenched his teeth but was soon attacking once more.

The torch would certainly burn out during the scuffle, but as long as the goblins were dead, it wouldn't matter because they could find their way back out.

This urgency struck Irene as she read the situation, and she pushed herself away from the wall so that she could be a more effective predator in killing the creatures.

However, time seemed to slow down from the moment the knight heard the ceiling above her begin to crack. A yelp escaped her lips, and all she knew for a moment was that she was being forced to the ground.

When her body unceremoniously hit the rocky floor and she seemed to be facing the ceiling, Irene's arms went over her head after her sword flew from her hands.

The most intimidating and chaotic moment of her life suddenly came to a standstill.

The red-haired knight was certain she was still alive, but there was pitch black darkness all around her. She lifted her head and saw nothing. The goblin stench was no longer. She could feel dust on her face and covering her hair.

As she tried to shift, she realized she couldn't move at all. Rocks settled further over one of her legs with a heavy crunch.

Tears sprang at the corners of her eyes, realizing she was completely and totally helpless. It was not a feeling she wished upon her worst enemy.

She wanted to seek out the others, but her voice wouldn't come.

She felt all alone until something touched her face.