The Path of Giants

by B. T. Narro

  Michael watched her go, then picked up his mug and gulped down the last of its contents. After a wipe of his sleeve, he joined me toward the back of the group.

  “Jon, how have you been!”

  We shared a quick embrace with a couple of slaps to each other’s backs. “Good, and yourself?”

  “Very good. Well, very bored. So, Reuben and Charlie, did Jon heal you guys up nicely?”

  “Yes, he did,” Charlie answered. “Why were you drinking? Have all the thieves been captured?”

  Michael laughed scornfully. “Hell, no. They seem to be multiplying. It probably has something to do with the absence of you guys. Jon, it’s been a long time!”

  “Aye, it’s really good to see you. What’s it been like here?”

  “I can’t complain. What am I talking about? Of course I can. I don’t think we’re ever getting out of this city. Oh, and Gourfist seemed to come alive for a short time. So there’s that.”

  “Jon fought him back!” Charlie said. “You should have seen him.”

  “What?” Michael stopped as we were following the girls down the hall. He faced me. “That’s true?”

  “It is,” Reuben answered for me. “He took two spears, jumped off the castle wall, and stood up to Gourfist long enough for Souriff to arrive. Then she took Gourfist off in a chase.”

  Michael didn’t seem to believe it as he waited for me to answer.

  “I had some help,” I said modestly. “The king’s archers, and Aliana with them. And Hadley was right there in the fray with me near the end.” I pointed at her walking ahead of us. She was behind Aliana and Kataleya but stopped as she clearly heard us talking about her. She gave one look back, then turned around again and disappeared behind the curtain.

  “That girl helped fight Gourfist?” Michael asked, his tone commenting on her appearance.

  “She’s a witch, a dteria user! Even if she doesn’t look it,” Reuben answered with some disdain. I gave him a hard stare. He let out a sigh when he noticed it, then continued. “But she did help, and I do think she’s loyal. At least she’s loyal to Jon and herself. I can’t say she’ll stand up for the rest of us.”

  “I think she would,” Charlie said. “She’s very brave. I never would have gotten that close to Gourfist. She blinded him with a curse using his own feather.”

  “I think she also used the blood of Valinox,” I said, remembering her pouring out the vial.

  “Wait, wait, wait!” Michael said with his hands up. “How the hell did she have the blood of Valinox?”

  “Because she bit him on his neck earlier, sucked out some of his blood, then spat it into a vial,” I answered.

  I knew I should elaborate, but I was getting too much amusement out of Michael’s bewildered look. Also, what I was about to say next would ruin the fun.

  “He attacked me with Eden. We were returning to the castle at the end of my trip when she drove a dagger into my back.”

  Michael shared a few choice words about Eden, but then he interrupted himself. “Wait, so you and this witch fought off Valinox and Eden?”

  “We did.”

  “Where was Kataleya?”

  “There’s so much we have to catch up on,” I realized aloud. “Should we follow the others?”

  “Well, no, because they’re going down into the basement and Leon’s there. He’s going to put us to work. We’ve had a bit of a break recently—a needed one. I’m not ready for it to end. Besides, Leon’s even worse here than in the castle. I’m pretty sure he hates the city more than I do. He can be such a turd some—”

  I cleared my throat loudly as I saw Leon parting the curtain. I was certain he had heard most of what Michael was saying.

  “Michael, get over here!” yelled Leon.

  “Oh damn.” Michael squeezed through the rest of us to be at the back. “You guys go first.”

  It was just a short walk down the hallway. Michael made a motion as if he was ushering us.

  “Look who I found,” he said. “They wanted to stay and have a drink, but I told them—”

  “Cut the shit.” Leon pointed at the downward staircase as he held the curtain open. “Go. And keep your mouth shut, Michael. There’s a lot to discuss.”

  I had gone down these stairs once before when Jennava had taken me into the basement of this place and told me of our enemies coming from Rohaer. The basement now, however, was very different than I remembered, much more hospitable. There were a number of lamps in the bright room as well as an assortment of chairs and tables. I didn’t remember there being so many shelves along the walls, all packed with various things like books, herbs, scrolls, and even a couple of small weapons like falchions and stilettos. It was nice to see Jennava, as I met her smiling countenance with my gaze, but it was even nicer to see Remi as she approached me with a huge grin.

  She looked a little different. I didn’t know what it was, exactly, but she seemed older. She had small, dark eyes that reflected her reserved personality. She had an elegant nose, long and thin, a delicate centerpiece to her face. She had a small mouth and rosy cheeks against pale skin. Her hair was light brown, almost red. It always appeared unkempt yet beautiful. Right now it was twisted up and hung somewhat in front of her forehead. A wild lock came down and framed one side of her face, bouncing as she walked up to me. The rest of her hair was frizzy as it fell down behind her.

  “Jon, it’s good to see you!” she said as she gave me a hug. The way she spoke with assurance was a contrast to her old self. I couldn’t remember the last time she’d initiated a conversation with me, let alone an embrace. “Did you visit Granlo?” she asked before our hug had come to an end, before I could even tell her it was good to see her as well.

  “I did, and I have to tell you—”

  “It can wait,” Leon interrupted. I noticed the king’s letter in his hand, the seal broken. “His Majesty wants me to keep something from all of you. However, Jennava and I think that he isn’t aware of how much all of you have grown up since you’ve been recruited, so there’s no reason to keep anything like this from you anymore. But first you have to prove you can pay attention.”

  None of us said a word.

  “Good,” Leon said as he put the unsealed envelope on the table. “About that later. The thieves have been busy after laming Aliana, Reuben, and Charlie. They stole a cow from the farmer up the street. The one with a lisp. What’s his name again?” he asked Jennava. “Lispy?”

  She stared at him as if he was making a joke that did not amuse her. “It’s Jacob,” she told him, deadpan. “It’s not even close to Lispy, which isn’t even a name.”

  “Jacob? No, that’s not right. Anyway, whatever his name is said a red-haired kid with freckles was involved with the thieves. The child was distracting him, asking for help to find his mother. We need to find this child. It could be a lead.”

  “The last lead we followed led us straight into a trap,” Reuben said. “This could be another.”

  “Doesn’t matter. It’s all we have right now unless some of the thieves we captured and put in the king’s dungeon start talking to his interrogators. By the way, they’ve also been continuing to steal from the woodsmen, and the woodsmen are becoming rightfully pissed off about it. They want more of the king’s men here. They’re losing hope in us. I don’t like that. We need to change it. The king purchases much of his lumber from them.”

  “What can we do?” Aliana asked.

  “Jennava?” he prompted.

  “Why me? You’re the one who promised them we would recover what was taken. I never would’ve promised such a thing.”

  “You’re not the one who has to deal with them.”

  “No, but I do deal with the blacksmith, and he isn’t faring any better,” Jennava said. “He says the thieves have been poking around at night as if they know he’s expecting a delivery of raw iron soon. He doesn’t know how they know, unless someone along the chain from the iron to him is talking. He wants all the thieves taken care of before
he’ll help us with anything, and he’s more important than the woodsmen.”

  “The king needs wood, Jenna! Shieldwalls will be the primary strategy of defense for the new army, and those men in training are going to need some shields—because they sure as hell aren’t all getting metal ones. The woodsmen guild is thinking of going elsewhere and giving up on their agreement.”

  “The king needs Jerald’s hot forge as well. There’s no melting Valaer steel without it.”

  “Can’t work the forge without the woodsmen. They’re bringing in coal as well. So we’d better find this red-haired boy. I want everyone out asking about him and searching the city until nightfall. You can hear about the king’s letter after.”

  Michael said, “I’ll take the cushion district.”

  Remi scoffed. “You only say that because the brothel’s there.”

  “Hey,” Michael said seriously. “Those women know things.”

  “Go with him, Aliana,” Leon said. “Search the brothel.”

  “What do you mean search the brothel?” she asked.

  “I mean search it. Thoroughly!”

  She looked back at him in disbelief. “You want me to go through all the rooms…where the guests are?”

  “Just the ones where you sense more than three people. The thieves could be meeting there.”

  “We’ve already questioned the brothel workers,” Jennava said. “They don’t know where the thieves are hiding.”

  “Koluk is not as big as the capital. Someone has to know something, which means someone is lying. Aliana can only be in one place at a time, and she hasn’t searched the brothel.”

  “What if there’s another trap?” Aliana asked.

  “Then I will defend you,” Michael said honorably.

  Aliana looked at Leon, who glanced over the group of us.

  “Better take Reuben,” Leon said as his glance fell on the noble.

  Was this really how my peers had been spending their days in Koluk? Questioning and searching, and falling prey to traps? No wonder everyone seemed so bitter.

  “I’d rather not be seen entering a brothel,” Reuben complained. “Why not Jon?”

  “Because Jon is going to pay the blacksmith a visit and offer his services as a guard for the night. Would you rather do that, Reuben?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Who’s going with Jon?” Kataleya asked.

  Leon put his hand on his chin.

  “I volunteer,” Kataleya said.

  That drew looks from everyone. I’m sure they were all wondering if something had happened between us while we were away.

  “Except neither of you knows how to get there,” Leon said.

  “I’ve heard it’s just outside the western side of the city,” Kataleya countered.

  “It’s still better if someone goes with Jon who knows the city. Safer that way,” Leon said.

  “I’ll go,” Remi volunteered.

  “That’s fine. Charlie, take Hadley and Kataleya around the city. Show them what’s important. But take a goddamn dagger this time like I told you before!”

  “I really don’t want to carry a weapon,” he whined.

  “I don’t care!” Leon lifted up his pant leg and pulled a dagger out from the holster on his leg. “What about you, witch?”

  “Excuse me?”

  I figured she and Leon had been introduced while the rest of us had stayed back and spoken with Michael, but I wondered who had introduced her and what they had said.

  “You look about as useful as a zit,” Leon complained. “I need to know what kind of safety you can offer to these two sorcerers in a pinch.”

  “Have there been any ambushes before?”

  “Of course! Don’t you understand what’s going on here? The Thieves’ Guild will do anything to control not only the city but every guild here, and our sole purpose is to get rid of them.”

  “If they would do anything to control the city, then why haven’t any of you been killed?” Hadley questioned.

  That drew a silence to the room.

  “What do you think you know?” Leon asked with a hinting tone.

  “I know the Thieves’ Guild was the most powerful group in Koluk until Cason made his home here. There still have to be many of them around, and if most of them have eluded you all this time, then it seems to me that they are more aware of you than you are of them. I’m guessing you know this, and that’s why you don’t care to change meeting spots. This tavern has been your home here for a while now because you can’t expect to hide from or surprise your enemies. It’s not worth the trouble of trying.”

  She paused, lifting her eyebrows in question.

  “Get to your point,” Leon said with a roll of his hand. “We’re losing daylight.”

  “Earlier, I heard Aliana express the opinion that the Thieves’ Guild has refrained from killing,” Hadley continued. “After everything else I’ve heard about them, I have to agree. They are known for their archery. They could’ve shot you down in the street as soon as you started asking around about them.”

  “Your point,” Leon growled. “Get to it.”

  “They are also known for their honor,” she said, not showing any fear of Leon. “I’m sure Cason offered to recruit them, and yet they fought against him. They clearly want all of you to remain alive because they want you to win this war against Rohaer. They just want you out of Koluk, and they are prepared to do anything short of killing you to get what they want. That includes the worst thing of all, waiting in hiding until you give up.”

  Leon opened his mouth, but Hadley put up her hands. “My point is,” she said, “that I don’t think they are aware of everything we are aware of, and everything might change if they were. An army from Rohaer moves toward Koluk. This army has Valinox’s support, as well as two traitors who know much about this area and about all of you: Eden and Endell.” She pointed at the unsealed envelope on the table from the king. “So I can only assume that in that letter, the king has told you of your best strategy for this situation. What I don’t understand is why you are sending all of us out rather than admitting what it is, like you said you would in the beginning.”

  Leon seemed confused, then angry as he glared at Aliana. “Where did you say you found this witch?”

  “I said Jon met her in Kataleya’s city. They spoke through some sort of gemstone that he picked up in Remi’s hometown.”

  “All right…whatever the hell that means,” Leon commented. “All I want to know is that you’re all sure we can trust her?”

  Aliana nodded. “We all do.”

  Leon started laughing, to my surprise. “Where the hell did you come from, girl?” he asked Hadley. “You speak like a noble but a little different.”

  “I’m from Rohaer. My parents are close with the king.”

  “Airinold’s taint, you must’ve performed curses for King Frederick Garlin!”

  She nodded. “For two years. Then I ran away.”

  I had a flashback to the nightmare I’d shared with her.

  “She’s a good person,” Remi said. “I’ve known her for a long time. She would never curse anyone unless they deserved it.”

  “Well, Hadley,” Leon said. “To answer your question, I’m sending everyone off because I still don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do, all right? The king doesn’t know Koluk as well as he thinks he does, and Jennava and I need to do some talking. So all of you are going to make good use of yourselves, and if you can’t follow that order then we have a problem. Do we have a problem, Miss Rohaer?”

  “Only if you keep calling me that.”

  He chuckled. “Get out of here,” he told us playfully. “You’ll find out what the king,” he pointed a thumb at Hadley, “and this one are suggesting when you return.”

  That meant Remi and I weren’t going to know anything until tomorrow morning, as I still had little idea what Hadley was getting at. I did know one thing. I was even more impressed with her than I had been before.

&n
bsp; “One last thing,” Leon said, stopping all of us. “If Gourfist comes back, everyone is to take cover until he leaves.”

  “Jon fought him off!” Charlie said. “Did the girls tell you yet? We were just telling Michael upstairs.”

  “What are you talking about, Charlie?” Leon said.

  Charlie's arms moved about as he spoke. "Gourfist flew down and started destroying buildings and killing people. The king told us not to do anything because it would only provoke Gourfist into staying longer, but Jon couldn’t just stand there. He took two spears from the guards nearby, dashed out of the keep, and jumped off the wall to face Gourfist head on! The king had no choice but to call for the archers to prepare as Jon fought the beast. Gourfist tried to attack Jon with his talons, but Jon held the spears up to defend himself every time. Gourfist couldn’t get through for a while, hurting himself every time he tried, but eventually he did! And he nearly tore Jon in half, but Hadley was running across the courtyard all this time to help. I couldn’t believe it. It was a good thing she made it outside the wall when she did. She took a feather from the ground—many had come off of Gourfist during his fight with Jon—and she cursed the massive beast. He went blind! There were clouds in front of his eyes. Jon flew up and drove a spear into Gourfist’s head, but he couldn’t seem to get it deep enough to kill the beast. Suddenly, everything seemed grim when Jon was out of spears, but Souriff landed in front of him. She said, ‘Looking for me, brother?’ Then she took off, and Gourfist chased her back over Curdith Forest until we couldn’t see either of them anymore. It was like the tales of legends.”

  I was a little surprised no one had interrupted Charlie’s regaling, but it was even more shocking to see an expression on Leon’s face I wasn’t sure I had seen before. His green eyes were wide. His square jaw hung open. He seemed, not just surprised, but scared from what he’d just heard.

  “Airinold’s taint, Jon. Even I wouldn’t pick a fight with Gourfist. You know that beast cannot die, right?”

  I was glad I hadn’t heard that before going out to face him. “We had just watched him destroy homes and viciously kill a child,” I said. “I didn’t think I had much of a choice. I had to do something.”