The Goblin Bride (Beneath Sands Book 1)

died in such a way. And selfishly of herself, how she did not deserve to have her life ended because she had been so foolish as to try and fix things that could not be fixed.
 Eventually her air ran out. The creature’s hands dropped and Jane had a moment to notice something liquid running out of its ears before she watched muscles bunching to leap onto her.
 It never had the chance.
 There was a spray of liquid that made Jane close her eyes. As she frantically wiped it away, she could hear the strange whooping garble of the creature. It sounded like creatures she could hear sometimes on the sands at night. High pitched and stuttering, the call made her heart clench for some unknown reason. The pained cry ended just as soon as it began.
 When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to find Simon standing before her. He placed a foot against the creature, pulling his pick axe out of its head. He flashed her a feral grin.
 “Told ya I’d be ready for it.”
Her knees were weak with shock and fear. “Where did it come from?” The whisper seemed to echo in her head.
“Same thing happened last time. Someone leaves and they move in. They like to have someone left to tell others, I think.”
 A flash of anger made her turn red, though the watery blood on her face might have made it difficult to see. She shoved herself away from the wall and tried to stand on knees that shook.
 “Was I just some kind of bait then?” She asked angrily. “Did you think that you could leave me here and that thing would suddenly appear? I never pegged you as heartless.”
 “Ah, laddie. My light went out. Ye were just the lucky one that it wanted.”
 Blood dripped from his pickaxe and Jane couldn’t stop staring at it. He was changed in her eyes now, a killer. It didn’t matter that the creature at their feet wasn’t human. It looked human enough as it lay crumbled beneath the big man she had come to trust.
 Simon knelt onto his haunches, pushing the goblin over onto its back with the handle of the axe. It wore some kind of strange loincloth and a beaded necklace around its throat. Jane flashed her helmet light onto it to look herself, feeling strangely guilty for poking and prodding at something that they had killed. She had never been a hunter, could never have done this to something herself.
 “Ugly bugger ain’t it.” Simon said quietly.
 He lifted the necklace with a finger, gently tugging until it unlatched. The beads seemed handmade, glittering in the dim lights they had. “That looks like one of the quartz stones I saw once.” Jane murmured. “I’ve never seen them so smooth before though.”
 They were unparalleled in beauty. Here in the mines, they only gathered the raw materials. Everyone rushed to see the new stones that had been unearthed, but none of them had seen the end product of it. These stones were perfectly round, so gently buffed that it must have been done with a loving hand. How such a creature like this had found such a priceless piece, she would never know. Only those in the City would have such a thing.
 “What were you doing that it snuck up on you?”
 She wanted to leave this place. She didn’t want to be down in this tomb with monsters from the depths. Jane wanted to go back up to the surface where everything was dry and painfully heated. She wanted the sand beneath her feet and the sun on her face. Her stomach rolled as she looked back at the creature that Simon had killed. A wave of panic made her take a few steps back, her wounded back pressing once more against the sharp stones.
 “I found a gemstone.” She whispered. Even that soft statement could be easily heard as it echoed in the tunnel around them. She heard the booted footsteps of others, shouting that made both Simon and her freeze.
 “We’re fine boys! Lad tripped is all!” He answered quickly before turning back to her. “A gemstone?”
 She nodded softly, turning to point at the stone with colors that swirled in its depths. For a moment both of their eyes were caught on the stone that seemed to glow from its very core. Jane flashed her headlight on it once more so that Simon could see the true beauty of the gem that caught her attention so forcefully.
 A movement from deeper into the tunnel made her squint. They had not yet begun to expand that part of the tunnel yet, though it was still wide enough for a man to walk through with his shoulders pressed against the stone. The light made her squint, unable to make out any shapes in the darkness. It must be a trick of the eyes. Adrenaline still causing her to flinch at shadows.
 She gasped at the wide barreled chest that squeezed out from the tunnel in front of them. Her breath seemed to wheeze out of her in fear. Long white hair was braided back from his face, strands tucked tight to his head to mimic a mohawk she had once seen a young man in the camp try. Muscles roped across his frame, strength radiating so powerfully from the creature that she was certain he could have killed her if he wished. Those pitch black eyes locked on her. She could see him so vividly that she watched his ribs expand as he took in a deep breath.
 Jane didn’t have time to scream when he reached out for her. He snatched at her head first, the hat holding her hair falling prisoner to him quickly. She took the opportunity to flash her light in his eyes, holding the helmet up to try and blind him. Simon was yelling behind her, pulling her towards the end of the tunnel.
 For a moment she wondered if she should be feeling more fear than she was. Numb, adrenaline pumping,