Flashback ( PDFDrive )

FIFTY
WELL, IF IT ISN’T OUR mighty princess—cowering with a bunch of
worthless goblins!” the tallest ogre of the four said as he circled the
force field that Ro, Sandor, Grizel, Lovise, and Woltzer were currently
trapped in. “Seems fitting, doesn’t it?”
The other three ogres grunted and jeered.
They each wore spiked metal diapers, spiked shin guards, and
spiked forearm bracers—but the ogre harassing Ro had two swords
instead of one, both strapped across his massive back in crisscrossed
sheaths. Swirls of tattoos decorated his chest, and his head had a thin
shock of slicked white hair.
Ro studied her painted claws, not bothering to look at him as she
said, “I don’t know, Cadfael. It seems much more fitting that you let
the Neverseen call for you like you’re their little pet. Do you do tricks
for them if they toss you a treat? Is that what today is?”
Cadfael raised one of his eyebrows—which was pierced with four
silver spikes. “You want to talk about pets? I hear you spend your days
serving at the heels of some scrawny, worthless brat.” He glanced over
his shoulder at Sophie and her friends. “It’s the one in the middle, isn’t
it? He keeps glaring at me.” He swaggered over, and Sophie found
herself feeling grateful for the force fields around them when Cadfael
stepped right in front of Keefe. “Oh yeah, it’s definitely this one. Look
at the way his little hands are all curled up like he wants to punch me.”