The Goblin Warrior (Beneath Sands Book 2) Emma Hamm (important of reading books .TXT) 📖

the many than the one. Surely if it was as intelligent as she thought it was, it would understand.

Her heels clacked hard against the whitewashed stone as she followed the man. The hidden corridors were as familiar to her as the well worn streets of the City.

The Doctor didn’t want anyone to know that they were testing on animals. They weren’t supposed to be testing at all. The people of the City had so much faith in him that they thought he pulled miracle cures out of his ass every month or so.

But these creatures were beautiful things. Powerful snakes longer than she was tall would be diminished to pools of scales on the ground. Birds with plumage of every color would slowly molt and die before her eyes. Not to mention the myriad of lizards, snakes, and bright beetles that would drop multi-colored shells onto her floor.

Catherine had tried to convince him once that bringing in anything other than a mammal was not useful to her. Human treatments could not be found in the likes of cold blooded creatures.

The Doctor had been very explicit that he wasn’t interested in her opinions. Her job was to become a yes woman. She did what he told her, when he told her, and then wonderful things would happen.

Somehow he was right. They had managed to discover many new treatments out of the skin of the lizards. The crushed beetles could cure many stomach ailments. There were plenty of good things that were out there in the sands just waiting for someone to find them.

That didn’t mean that Catherine wanted to be that person.

“I’ve got a surprise for ya, little lady.” The man said in front of her. He was rubbing his hands as he danced down the stairwell.

“I don’t pay you for surprises.” She replied. “We ask you to bring the same creatures every single time because those are the ones we need for our experiments. Anything else will be terminated and you will not be paid for it.”

“I think you’ll like this one.” He said with confidence.

The tone made her nervous. The last time he had done that, she had walked into a room full of wolves. They had been terrified and snapped at anything that came close to them.

Though Catherine thought they would be useful, the Doctor had disagreed. They had all been put down immediately and the man had been sent away. She had thought they were going to have to find a new smuggler. He had been so upset that such magnificent creatures hadn’t been paid for.

Catherine had also been upset that such beautiful creatures had been wasted. They had the soulful eyes of a creature that had emotions. She had met the gaze of one before it had been terminated and had felt it reach into her soul. The slaughter was still the worst memory she had of this place.

Finally they reached the end of the landing and the man paused for effect in front of the hatch before them.

“Now I want to warn you, this is likely a creature no one on this side of the sands has captured the likes of.”

“If I have to call the Doctor, I will.” She snapped.

“No no. Ye won’t have to at all. It’s a new creature, certainly. But I think with the sway ye have over the old man… Well ye might be able to pull a few strings, eh?”

“I have no hold over the Doctor. Open the hatch, smuggler.”

Catherine had never given the man a name other than that. She didn’t want to think of him as anything other than the letch that he was. If he had a family or even friends, that meant that he was something more than what she saw. Catherine didn’t want him to be.

He spun the heavy wheel on the hatch and swung it open with a flamboyant gesture.

She had expected more cages. She had expected the loud symphony of sound that would blast her ears as it always did whenever he brought in a new shipment. She had expected the creatures to be screaming at her to let them go. To ease their pain. To end their suffering.

Instead, what she saw before her nearly sent her to her knees.

A great beast stood in the center of the hollowed out tunnel. It was not a new species by far, she had seen it’s ilk before. Smooth fur the color of sand rose in a line upon its back as the great cat growled at the men around it. Abnormally large paws made it silent as it paced what little distance it was capable of.

Catherine had to admit, it was larger than the others she had seen. The beast had to weigh at least seven hundred pounds. Scars decorated its sides as though someone had taken a razor and shaved harsh lines into the fur for style.

The tusks were unfamiliar to her, however. Large ivory tusks extended from the top of its mouth and curved downwards in sharp lines. This was not the same species of Sandcat she had seen before.

“What is that?” She whispered.

The man beside her shrugged. “Not rightly sure. Found the thing wandering in the sands. Took a lot to bring it in, but managed to.”

Catherine didn’t know what to say. She had never seen this species so large in her life.

The man nudged her with his shoulder. “So what do ye say, lass? Ye gonna talk to the Doctor for me?”

“No.” She said quietly, though she did side step so that he wouldn’t be able to touch her again. “I’ll take it.”

“Ye?” He asked in surprise.

One of her delicate eyebrows arched, and in that moment she was the terrifying rich woman that she wanted to appear. “Yes. But the Doctor cannot know, so please come back tomorrow night so that I can pay you.”

“Nah.” He said quietly. “I don’t do that sort of business. Paid upon delivery.”

“The Doctor will kill this on sight. The creature is far too dangerous