A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings Book 1)

by Kevin Hearne

  “What are you looking for?” I asked.

  “A cheek raptor,” he replied, then smiled. “Found one. Look over there.”

  He pointed, and I saw a cheek raptor take to the sky.

  “Give me a few moments,” he said, “and I’ll see if we can get that journal.”

  Picturing what Melishev Lohmet looked like that day—a gold and sky-blue tunic over armor with a significant rectangular outline in the right-hand pocket draped over the thigh—Abhi sent that image to the cheek raptor so that he could spot his target. And he felt in turn what the raptor felt: flying high, searching, spying Melishev so easily among all the drab colors, then spiraling, diving, cries of alarm before the sweet tearing, the clutching, the escape, and wails of regret behind. Finding the man who wanted it, opening the feet, letting it go, circling back to the roost—

  The viceroy’s journal dropped near Abhi’s horse, and he dismounted to fetch it. He flipped through the latter pages until he found the one Melishev had been writing on the day Abhi came to Hashan Khek. There were some scribbled notes about his demands and then, on the next page, a written reminder: “Kill the Khose boy at first opportunity.”

  Abhi read that aloud to me then said, “Well, that’s all I need to know.” He tossed the journal to me. “Here,” he said. “New stories for you.”

  We rode north together, glad to be shut of the Godsteeth for a good long while.

  The bard grinned at the audience, and many of them grinned back at him. “That’s how I became the traveling companion of the world’s first plaguebringer. We will hear plenty more from Abhi in days ahead, though for obvious reasons I will have no more of the viceroy’s personal reflections to share. Meanwhile, as Abhi and I made our way north, Gondel Vedd and Ponder Tann arrived here in Pelemyn for a brief while. Gondel found out some rather startling news, and I assure you ahead of time that I have permission to share it.”

  The Wellspring of Pelemyn was so humid that one could almost feel clouds parting as one walked through the vapor. To be charitable, I supposed no one ever felt like their skin was drying out, but taking a deep breath of air was impossible without inhaling a good measure of sea salt in the bargain. Thank goodness it was quite cool or else it would have been unbearable.

  Soon after my arrival in the city and the return of Culland du Raffert’s journal to his superior, Second Könstad Tallynd du Böll, she brought me the documents she’d seized at Hillegöm. The Brynts had been unable to make sense of them, but I immediately recognized the Eculan language. As with translating Zanata Sedam, there were words here and there that escaped me, but they were not enough to keep the basic meaning out of reach, and the Eculans had not bothered to use a code.

  My discoveries warranted a meeting with Pelenaut Röllend and his Lung, Föstyr, as well as their chief military officer, Könstad du Lallend. The Lung started with a minimum of formality.

  “Scholar, thank you for your work. Please share what you’ve found.”

  I handed over a copy of the documents translated into Brynt to him, which he immediately passed to the pelenaut. “What the Second Könstad stole was the Eculan invasion plans, much of which you already know because it happened. But what you did not know is that they sent two additional fleets in search of the Seven-Year Ship. One landed at the Mistmaiden Isles, and one went to some ill-defined place in the Northern Yawn.”

  Könstad du Lallend swiveled his head to the right. “That means they could still be out there.”

  “We’ll check the Mistmaiden Isles,” the pelenaut said. “Actually, I’d like you to do that tomorrow, Tallynd, very carefully, if you would not mind.”

  “Of course,” she replied.

  “But I’m sure the wraiths took care of them for us or we would have heard from them by now. The other army worries me more. A force that size could conceivably make its way south through the Gravewood, and we have Fornyd repopulated and some new settlers on their way to Festwyf.”

  “There was nothing about which side of the Poet’s Range the army may have landed on?” Föstyr asked me. “Are they north of us or north of Rael or even Ghurana Nent?”

  “They were unsure of their final destination. They were looking for some landmark along the coast, the sort of thing where they would know it when they saw it.”

  “What sort of landmark?”

  “It’s never described, only named in their language as the ‘Nest of Man-Eaters.’ I’ve translated it as ‘Kraken’s Nest’ since that is what the Eculans typically mean when they say ‘man-eater,’ though it could also refer to bladefins or longarms. I have no idea, unfortunately, what that might look like, nor have I ever heard of such a landmark along the northern coast.”

  Pelenaut Röllend turned to the Lung and said, “Dervan du Alöbar is an historian. Ask him if he remembers ever hearing of it.”

  “There’s more. The Eculans have a contact here in Pelemyn.”

  Silence, widened eyes, and then the Lung said: “A traitor?”

  “I assume so. A contact by the single name of Vjeko.”

  “This never leaves the room,” the pelenaut said, making eye contact with each of us in turn. “You tell no one. I mean no one, Föstyr.”

  “Understood.”

  Pelenaut Röllend tapped the copy of the report I’d given him. “Gondel, do you know where I can find mention of Vjeko in here?”

  “Page ten, I believe.”

  He began to flip through the papers. “Any other contacts listed besides him?”

  “No.”

  “Exactly how were they to contact him?”

  “That’s not mentioned, unfortunately.”

  “Very well. Thank you, Gondel. We’re very grateful for your assistance, and I’m going to take some time to absorb this. You’ll remain in Pelemyn for a few days at least in case I have questions?”

  “Both Ponder and I are at your disposal until duty calls us elsewhere,” I said. “We’ll be staying at the Kaurian embassy.”

  Ponder had no difficulty with the decision; the handsome lad had many admirers already. For my part, I longed to return home to Maron and call my duty done: no one would question it except for me. If I returned now, I would always wonder if I could have done something more to save lives and to prevent Kauria from ever suffering the way Brynlön has. So I determined to stay and wrote Maron a love letter instead so that he would know that yes, I was still driven, still consumed by my work, but I was thinking of him, too, and though I might seem lost, one day I would be found again in his arms.

  The mood is justifiably dark and bleak here, and I can see the pelenaut straining to see a way through for his people. In addition to what I’ve seen with my own eyes—the slaughter at Möllerud and Göfyrd, the loss of so many families like Kallindra du Paskre’s—I’ve since learned that it was just as bad in the north.

  Amid so much ruin I prayed that Reinei would, in some near future, gasp a labored breath of peace.

  Continued in volume two, A Blight of Blackwings

  This is the latest table according to Fintan, the Raelech bard. By looking at the three colored stones on a Raelech’s Jereh band, one can tell immediately a person’s status and profession. The left stone always identifies the goddess or other affiliation, and the middle stone indicates rank; the right-hand stone will signal one’s profession or status when combined with the left affiliation stone. A Jereh band that reads brown, purple, and white, therefore, would indicate that the wearer is affiliated with the Goddess Dinae as a master healer. A journeyman tanner would wear yellow, blue, and brown; an apprentice hunter would wear red, brown, and evergreen, and so on. Visitors must also wear cheaper, temporary bands, the first stone usually green (foreign) or white (unskilled, at least in Raelech eyes). Relationship status is indicated with the metal of the band: bronze means single, gold means married.

  AFFILIATION (LEFT STONE):

  (RUBY) RED: Hall of the Warrior Goddess Raena (usually called the Huntress)

  (SARD) BROWN: Hall of the Earth God
dess Dinae

  (CITRINE) YELLOW: Hall of the Poet Goddess Kaelin

  (MALACHITE) EVERGREEN: Foreign National

  (OBSIDIAN) BLACK: Criminal

  (ONYX) WHITE: Triune Council/Ward of the Triune

  RANK (MIDDLE STONE):

  (SARD) BROWN: Apprentice

  (SAPPHIRE) BLUE: Journeyman/Laborer

  (AMETHYST) PURPLE: Master

  (JADE) APPLE GREEN: Protected by the Goddess (Raelechs from ages nine to twelve)

  (OBSIDIAN) BLACK: To be determined/Probationary Status/Stripped of Rank/Foreign skill

  (ONYX) WHITE: Unskilled/Tradeless/Raelech children up to age nine

  PROFESSIONS (RIGHT STONE) ACCORDING TO AFFILIATION, ALWAYS SUBJECT TO CHANGE/EXPANSION:

  COLOR/STONE RAENA DINAE

  Red/Ruby Soldier Farmer

  Brown/Sard Constable Miner

  Yellow/Citrine Temblor Shepherd/Cowherd/etc.

  Blue/Sapphire Archer Fisherfolk

  Purple/Amethyst Navigator Laborer

  Orange/Fire Opal Army Officer Miller

  Green/Malachite Hunter Forester

  White/Onyx Enforcer Healer

  Black/Obsidian

  Dark Blue/Sodalite Naval Officer Herbalist

  Violet/Charoite Architect Dyemaker

  Apple/Jade Scout

  Green/Emerald Mercenary Gardener

  Sepia/Smoky Quartz Juggernaut Stonecutter

  Light Blue/Chalcedony Sailor

  Mother of Pearl Courier Brewer/Distiller

  Pink/Rose Quartz Jurist (Lawyer) Sexitrist

  Gold/Tourmaline Engineer Beekeeper

  Grey/Howlite Siege Crew

  Silver/Quartz Jailer

  Turquoise Bailiff

  Mauve/Rhodolite Garnet Clergy Clergy

  Please note that some terms are catchalls: Hospitality, for example, includes a multitude of professions, from bartenders and innkeeps to household employees of all kinds. Almost all professions involved in food production are given a ruby in Kaelin’s Hall, but curiously (at least to me) is the inclusion of Brewers and Distillers in Dinae’s Hall. Fintan’s explanation for this is a Raelech legend in which Dinae supposedly outdrank her sisters one fine Felech evening three thousand years ago, and thus became the patron goddess of hopheads everywhere. —Dervan

  KAELIN FOREIGN CRIMINAL TRIUNE

  Chefs, Butchers, Bakers Mercenary Colaiste Master

  Tanner Lawyer Magistrate

  Bard Diplomat Diplomat

  Potter Herald Jereh Fraud, Other Fraud Herald

  Hospitality Laborer Laborer

  Merchant Merchant Thief Coiner/Banker

  Woodcraft Despoiler

  Papermaker Student Student

  Murderer

  Chandler Official of State Smuggler Adviser

  Glasswork Fence Teamster

  Armorer Head of State Tax Official

  Weaver Hygienist

  Mason Clave Poobah

  Blacksmith Tradesman Stevedore

  Dancer/Acrobat/Artisan Council Member

  Thespian Organized Crime

  Jereh/Gemcraft Scholar Scholar

  Tailor Tourist Poison/Drug Offenses Harbor Master

  Cobbler Violent Crimes Postal Service

  Clerk/Printer Clerk Conspiracist Clerk

  Clergy Clergy

  Though Ghurana Nent insists on a different timekeeping system for their internal use, the Six Nations otherwise use the Kaurian Calendar. It begins on the day of the Spring Equinox and ends on the last day of winter. It uses eight-day weeks: ten months have four weeks, but months six and twelve have three, for a total of 368 days. A few days are usually subtracted from the last week of the year to ensure that the Spring Equinox falls on Bloom 1, which means in practical terms that Thaw is often only twenty-one to twenty-two days long. Bloodmoon 1 is usually the day after Autumn Equinox.

  The Giant Wars began in the winter of 3041 with the eruption of Mount Thayil and the destruction of Harthrad, followed closely by the du Paskre Encounter and the capture of Saviič in the east.

  SPRING SEASON

  Bloom (32) Rainfall (32) Foaling (32) (96 days)

  SUMMER SEASON

  Sunlight (32) Bounty (32) Harvest (24) (88 days)

  AUTUMN SEASON

  Bloodmoon (32) Amber (32) Barebranch (32) (96 days)

  WINTER SEASON

  Frost (32) Snowfall (32) Thaw (21) (85 days)

  DAYS OF THE WEEK

  Kaurian Language

  Deller, Soller, Tamiller, Keiller, Shaller, Feiller, Beiller, Reiller

  Raelech Language

  Delech, Solech, Tamech, Kelech, Shalech, Felech, Belech, Ranech

  I’ve had the Raelech bard in my head a long time—longer than the Iron Druid, in fact. The idea of nightly, serial storytelling has fascinated me ever since I learned that this was something Homer might have done in ancient Greece, and it took me about ten years to figure out how to simulate that experience in a novel. It could not have been done without the following:

  1. My wife’s constant belief that I could pull this off. Thank you, Kimberly.

  2. My editor’s keen insights and tremendous patience while I figured things out. Thank you, Tricia.

  3. My good friend Alan O’Bryan, who read extremely early versions of the story, provided feedback, and helped think through the Raelech Jereh system. Thank you, Alan.

  Many thanks to you for reading, and I hope you’ll return for the rest of the bard’s tales.

  extras

  www.orbitbooks.net

  about the author

  Kevin Hearne lives with his wife, son, and doggies in Colorado. He hugs trees, rocks out to heavy metal, and will happily geek out over comics with you. He also thinks tacos are a pretty nifty idea.

  kevinhearne.com

  Facebook.com/authorkevin

  Twitter: @KevinHearne

  Find out more about Kevin Hearne and other Orbit authors by registering for the free monthly newslettter at www.orbitbooks.net

  interview

  When did you first come up with the idea for A Plague of Giants?

  About ten years ago! I had a first draft written before I wrote my urban fantasy series, in fact. It was both huge and hugely awful. Thankfully I learned quite a bit while writing the Iron Druid Chronicles. When I came back to Plague, I scrapped almost the entirety of the first draft, keeping only twelve lines and the world itself. That was 250K words I kissed goodbye, but I really like the twelve lines I kept.

  Did you need to approach the writing of this book in a very different way to writing the Iron Druid Chronicles?

  Absolutely. Epic fantasy is significantly different from urban fantasy to begin with, and since I have eleven first-person points of view that also jump back and forth a bit in time, trying to organize that in Word would have driven me insane. I used Scrivener to compose this, since it allows one to create folders for each chapter and then those folders can be easily rearranged with a click and drag, whereas moving things around in Word requires a lot of scrolling, highlighting, copying, and pasting.

  What was your inspiration behind using a bard as the framing device for a much larger tale?

  That came from my desire to render in prose the experience of an audience listening to a bard like Homer performing the Iliad or Odyssey a chapter at a time. Those old epics were the popular culture of the ancient world, and the closest thing we have now is binge-watching a series on Netflix, which is somehow a comedown. We’ve lost something magical since we let bards pass into obsolescence, and I wanted to recapture a smidgen of that if I could.

  The magic system you’ve come up with is very original. What were the challenges of creating this system?

  The challenge to creating any magic system is maintaining internal consistency. The challenge of presenting that system is how much to reveal and when, and in this case, we have narrators who possess only one kenning or none at all, so there is never an opportunity for someone to explain everything—not that you would ever want that. And kenni
ngs are at once simple but mysterious: tremendous power available to all at tremendous risk and cost, but no one is sure why such power is available, or how it came to be there apart from vague assertions that the gods must be responsible. Discovering that, along with the precise nature of the Seventh Kenning, will occupy part of the narrative of the next two books.

  If you were to seek a kenning, which one would you go for?

  Oh, egad! I think I’d be too afraid to be a Seeker; I rather like my chances of staying alive without risking that. But if I did seek one, I suppose I’d go for the Second Kenning and dive into Bryn’s Lung. There’s a whole lot of fun to be had in the water.

  Is there a character you most identify with in this book? Who was your favourite to write?

  I probably identify most with Olet Kanek, daughter of the giant Hearthfire Winthir Kanek. She is a minor character in the first book but a major point-of-view character in the second. She’d like to see her generation follow a different path than their parents have and I feel that quite strongly myself. I think you see that in current US culture and around the world as well—we frequently see articles about how Millennials are not conforming to the values of the Baby Boomer generation or even Generation X, and every time I see such an article I think, “Good on them.” But the greatest joy for me to write was the voice of Nel Kit ben Sah, the greensleeve who loves her forest so much. There’s a lightness and poetry infused in her language that made her headspace a treat to inhabit.

  What can we expect from the next Seven Kennings novel?

  A Blight of Blackwings will pick up where A Plague of Giants leaves off, for while some crises have been dealt with there are bigger ones coming. You will see new narrators (such as Olet, mentioned above), the world’s reaction to the new power risen in the west, and a rather frightening demonstration of the Seventh Kenning.