The serpent eyes were empty as it stared around. The glamour marched over to it proudly, still under the favour of non-interference.

  The goblin child was still under his arm as well as the egg. He placed the egg in front of the serpent.

  “I assume this answers the prayer?” he asked.

  The serpent blinked and the remaining eggs left Anna to appear before the serpent.

  “She prayed for vengeance too,” the empty said.

  “Which was the more important prayer?”

  “The children. A noble creature. I should honour her death. Yes, she deserves it, it’s right.” The empty was losing focus, its ability to hold in place was already barely holding on.

  The glamour began to tremble in front of it and her stepped back with a grimace.

  “Honour what you can, then get what you want,” he said. He marched away with the goblin toward the elf. Ratface squirmed but she couldn’t move.

  The Lady looked down at possessed serpent.

  “More interesting things. This group of trial takers really were a wonder,” she said.

  The empty, no, the goddess inside of the empty stared back at her.

  “Trespasser. Shouldn’t be here. Can’t be here,” it hissed.

  “Trespass? I was invited here.”

  “Rescinded,” the goddess spat. Her head whipped at the Lady and ripped into her hand. The Lady screamed in pain and pulled back.

  The pressure she’d had evaporated and Ratface could move. She pushed herself off the ground and ran towards the elf. She didn’t have a plan other than getting her goblin.

  In the background, the Lady was grappling with the empty as it twisted in her grasp. She wasn’t winning but nor was she losing. A situation that left everyone else on the field free to move. Including the storm serpent.

  It screeched, but Ratface didn’t miss how it struggled back into the sky. This time when it tried to call a storm it was a much smaller affair. Right, the empty ate away at mana. Right now she may be the only person here who was used to the feeling.

  It also meant the glamour was vulnerable. She could see it walking over to the elf but it was slowing down. The direct exposure to the goddess had eaten away at it.

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  The elf was busy as well. Mathilde had seen his trick and immediately continued to fight him. A mistake. Without the surprise the elf was no longer on the backfoot and he was strong. Mathilde’s armour wasn’t working as well in the area and without the extra strength the elf was steadily pushing her back.

  Ratface took this all in quickly and asked herself what she could do right now that would tilt things more in her favour. She couldn’t attack the glamour, its goblin form a continued barrier for her, so she needed to slow down the elf instead.

  She pulled out her crossbow and took aim at the elf. She didn’t stop running and the elf was in close quarters with Mathilde. It made it a difficult shot.

  Ratface fired, the other girl was wearing armour she’d probably be fine.

  The shot fired perfectly, and the elf had to stop to parry it out of the sky with his hands. A move that was only really possible for an elf. Ratface stumbled a little when the bolt hit him and her stomach felt sick but she pushed through.

  The distraction was enough to allow Mathilde to gain momentum back in her fight and the elf was being pushed back.

  Ratface glanced at the glamour it had watched the battle carefully and paused when the elf started losing. It let Ratface catch up and she grabbed onto the goblin slung under his arm. He tightened his grip and smiled.

  “What’s your plan now? Are you going to fight me for him?” he said. He grinned, knowing that she could Ratface grinned right back.

  “I just have to wait.” She pulled a little harder on the kid and the two of them struggled. In the background, the empty vessel screamed. Its power washed over them and the glamour let go of her goblin as he stumbled under it.

  Ratface didn’t stay to gloat and instead sprinted off with her goblin. A difficult thing to do given they were close in size and he was struggling against her.

  “What are you doing, stop fighting me,” she said.

  “You’re taking me away from an elf, he’ll take me back to my people,” the kid said.

  “He’s trying to keep you from them. Why would you trust an elf?”

  “What a random squire is better? The same sort of person who stuck me here?”

  Ratface glanced back. The glamour was far enough back that she could stop for a second. He was having to take a wide circle to avoid the empty’s aura which bit into him.

  She set the struggling goblin down and pulled off her helmet. The kid’s eyes widened.

  “Ratface?”

  “You didn’t really think I’d leave you all alone, did you? My mum would be furious.”

  “But you’re with the squires,” they said. They looked at her with suspicion and her heart broke all over again. When she’d been lost, she’d found people who would take care of her, met up with other goblins that were different but happy to see her. Her faith in others had been rewarded. What must it have been like for them, who had been captured and imprisoned after seeing their village die.

  “It was the only way to get to you,” she said.

  She gently grabbed their shoulder and pulled them in. they didn’t struggle and instead wrapped her in a hug. They were holding her tightly, but she noticed how their arms trembled. Rage boiled in her stomach. They’d let them get so weak here. They were just a kid, why didn’t they take better care of them? Except she knew exactly why.

  She tried to keep the anger out of her voice when she talked to him.

  “Okay we’re going to get out of here. We just need to keep away from that elf.”

  A quick survey of the battlefield showed the glamour prowling just outside the vicinity of the empty’s aura. He was much more susceptible to it that Kryssa was. It did have the unfortunate consequence of forcing Ratface to keep close to the mad goddess. Her eyes fell on Anna who was watching the Lady and the empty fight with clear despair. She frowned, had the girl know about the goblin being trapped? Ratface put her helmet back on. Well either way she had to use the girl to get out of here.

  She just hoped she wouldn’t see a goblin and immediately attack.