Immortality - Gain

Beneath the overhanging lip of the fountain, Jodah clung to the inside wall of the basin. The turgid water was higher than his chin, and he had to tip his head back in order to breath. Muck seemed to crawl over his legs and ankles, and the ice-cold water tingled against his flesh. He was already losing the sensation in his toes, and considering what might be in the water, that was for the best. The one who’s voice Jodah heard first, the apparent leader, was speaking again. “Yeah, yeah,” he bellowed, “we’ll be ready for ’em, just like dah last time!” And there were more cheers.

Beneath the rim, Jodah hoped that they would move on, camp in some other part of the city or just move away from here. The cold, clammy feeling was creeping up his legs as the water stole the warmth from him. His wounded leg, which had earlier seemed to be on fire, now felt as if it had daggers made of ice jammed into the wound. The cold reached his loins and stomach. He wondered if he was turning blue. He tried to shift slightly from his crouch but was rewarded with a painful set of needles along both legs.

He shifted again, then halted entirely, stopping himself from even breathing. There was a shadow on the water in front of him. Something was directly above him, sitting on the rim itself. The shadow wavered in the churning waters of the fountain, but he was sure that it had mule shaped ears on either side of its pointed head and a heavy, underslung jaw.

“Whaddaya doing?” came a voice from nearby.

“Thursty,” said the shadow about Jodah. “I wanna drink.” And with that the goblin muzzle leaned down directly over Jodah’s hiding place to sip from the fountain.

Jodah took a deep breath; and slid beneath the greenish water, hoping he could hold his breath until the goblin was done.

(...)

The two padded away, taking the other goblins with them. The fountain remained unguarded for a moment, the only sound being the thunder of the water from the lion’s mouth.

Then Jodah broke the surface, spitting and gagging. He had remained underwater until his lungs had nearly burst and still inhaled a fair amount of the particulate-laden waters. Now he sputtered and coughed, aware that any goblin within ten yards of him would be able to kill him like a kitten.

Jodah inhaled again, deeply, and coughed again, but there were no goblins around to hear. He wiped the muck and algae from his face and looked around. He was alone again in the central plaza.

Slowly he pulled himself out of the ice-cold water. He would have to find shelter and then escape the city. No, escape the city center first, then make a fire—dry himself off. His magic was good for that, at least.

He felt chilled to the bone as he staggered out of the square, heading the direction that the goblins had originally come from. Only later, once he had built a fire in one of the outlying buildings and dried off, did he realize that his leg no longer hurt and the wound had closed up entirely.

***

The Gathering Dark, Chapter 4