Giant thief ttoed-1

by David Tallerman

  The rice fields began to peter out towards noon. We'd travelled mostly across the flat until then, with the road always within sight of the Casto Mara, flowing bloated and sluggish on our right. As we drew closer to the region called the Hunch, that wide offshoot of hillside that splits the whole eastern portion of the Castoval in two, the river began to drop out of sight. It would only be for a moment at first, when it was obscured by a turn; but the periods soon became longer, as our path took us further inland or the waters disappeared into a stretch of gully.

  I was glad to reach the Hunch. A man riding by on a giant was the kind of thing the locals would pick up on, however much they feigned disinterest, and there hadn't been a speck of cover amongst the paddies. While the lower slopes of the Hunch weren't much better, there were dips and rises on the top that would hide us. The more the day wore on, the more I was convinced we were in need of hiding.

  The camp had been out of sight all morning thanks to a low mound just beyond its southernmost boundary. It came back into view as we started up the fringe of the Hunch, flecks of black and occasional colour in the far distance shifting like an ant nest. About a third of the way between the camp and us, a column was threading along the white surface of the road. I estimated a hundred men on horseback. It seemed incredible that they would be after us. The obvious and sensible course would have been to send an officer and at most a dozen fast riders. Saltlick and his brethren might have been formidable in the confines of the battle, but out in the open we'd be helpless to archers. One well-placed shot — through my head, say — would settle any fight. To commit any more men than that made no sense. They'd travel more slowly, and if they kept together they'd be easier to evade.

  Perhaps that column was heading south for some other purpose, then. Yet that didn't make much sense either. It was too many men for an envoy, and far too few to stand a chance against any decent-sized town, even one that had committed most of their defenders to the morning's battle.

  Still, those troops were there for some reason, they were heading our way, and they weren't taking their time. The sooner we got higher up the Hunch and gained some decent cover the better.

  There was, however, another more immediate consideration — and that was the severely bruised state of my arse. I'd taken to sitting backwards, with one leg slung down Saltlick's back and the other stretched behind his neck, my right arm bent behind to hold the pole, my left tangled in the netting, and my torso twisted round so I could see ahead. It had practical benefits, that I hadn't fallen off being the most obvious, but it was far from comfortable. I ached through every inch of my body, my fingers and toes throbbed with the pain of hanging on. My backside, though, had suffered worst. I'd convinced myself through mile after mile that it couldn't get any worse. My rump had been pounded into mince and that was that. For mile after mile, I'd been proved wrong.

  Finally, I called through gritted teeth, "Stop, Saltlick! Stop while there's still a chance I'll walk again someday."

  We were perhaps a third of the way up the Hunch, and the road was gently inclining. The fields of the lowlands had given way to small rock outcroppings, ragged bushes, and the occasional wiry tree jutting out from the red earth. The sun was at its apex and viciously hot, having burned away most of the morning's cloud over the last few hours. I was drenched in sweat, and Saltlick reeked, something like a horse but worse.

  I cursed myself for not acquiring some supplies during our escape; a couple of skins of water, perhaps even some food. It wouldn't have been difficult. Saltlick could probably have dragged a whole cart without much loss of pace.

  I eased myself down onto a ledge of rock beside the road, whimpering as my bruises made contact. I glanced at the column, which was now about half way between the camp and the beginning of the Hunch. It was still a fair distance, but I swore they'd closed the gap slightly over the last hour. It would have to be a short break.

  "Have a rest, Saltlick," I said. "We've a long way to go yet."

  The giant grunted, marched over to one of the small trees, and snapped off a branch. He stripped the leaves with one ham-sized fist and crammed them into his mouth.

  "Hey, don't eat that!"

  He looked at me quizzically.

  "That won't make you sick? Eating leaves?"

  "Good," he said, through a half-chewed mouthful.

  "Well all right, you enjoy it then," I said, a little peevishly. Saltlick wasn't about to starve, even if I was. At least I didn't have to worry about finding giantsized portions of food. I still intended to ditch him once I was certain we were in the clear, but in the meantime, I couldn't have him dropping dead beneath me.

  Water would still be an issue. Even if he had the stomach of an ox, he was bound to need watering like any creature. That meant finding a village, assuming we couldn't divert back towards the river.

  I didn't want to think about that right then, though. My mouth was drier than the rock I sat on and it was only getting hotter. I slipped the pouch out of its pocket instead. I hefted it in my hand, enjoying its weight. I took to toying with the drawstring, easing it apart by fractions, watching for glints from inside. Then, bored with tormenting myself, I opened it all the way and gazed again at its contents. A sigh parted my lips. I thought for a moment I might actually cry.

  The pouch contained three things: a few onyx coins and a half-dozen coppers, enough money to buy a good horse or a week's hard drinking; a rock, dull brown striped with red, the size and shape of a flattened goose egg; and the biggest ruby I had ever seen.

  The reason I wanted to cry was that it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on and I knew I couldn't keep it. The most valuable haul of my life, worth more than all the others put together, and it was practically worthless. No fence in the Castoval would give me a hundredth of its value, especially if they had the faintest inkling where I'd acquired it. It was too valuable to risk keeping on my person for long. Common sense demanded I get rid of it, and the sooner the better.

  Just thinking about it made my heart want to break.

  I drew the pouch shut, replaced it, and turned my attention back to Saltlick, who was still absorbed in feeding from the now almost naked tree. My initial estimate of his height — the same as two tall men — had been about right. His proportions were basically human, though his arms were longer, and they and his legs were stockier. He was splendidly ugly: his head was very round, with a wide rectangular jaw, large oval eyes, and an almost comically small nose. His skin was pale, faintly grey, and he was mostly hairless, with only a few feathery tufts sprouting from the dome of his skull. There was something appealing in his expression that I hadn't really noticed before, a certain good-natured idiocy. I wondered again what Moaradrid could possibly have done to convince such formidable yet docile creatures to fight his battles for him. It was hard to imagine anything that could be used to manipulate a whole mob of giants.

  "Saltlick," I said, "how are you feeling?"

  He gave an exaggerated nod. "Good."

  "You think you can run some more?"

  "Run all day." An entire tree's worth of leaves clearly constituted a decent lunch for a giant.

  "Well, I'm starting to consider surrendering for a cup of water. We should get going."

  • • • •

  I mainly occupied myself through the long afternoon by searching for a more comfortable position on Saltlick's broad shoulder. I tried kneeling, squatting, sitting forward with my legs dangling over his chest, and even — briefly and almost disastrously — standing. Nothing met with any success. I still hurt more with each jogged step.

  In between bouts of wriggling, I tried to divert myself in more productive ways. I noted how the scenery of the Hunch became more rocky and wild as we travelled nearer the summit. I listened for any sound of nearby water, though if there was any it was drowned by Saltlick's drumming feet. Primarily, my attention was absorbed by the distant figures creeping along the road behind us.

  I lost sight of them when they
reached the base of the Hunch. I was certain by then that they were gaining on us. I'd been able at the last to make out details I was sure had been invisible before. Even if they weren't concerned with us, that was bound to change if they'd seen us or heard any hint of a giant wandering loose through the countryside. What if I ditched Saltlick, and put as much distance between him and me as possible? The plan had some appeal, until I envisaged myself trying to evade a hundred armed horsemen alone and on foot. No, until I found an alternate mode of transport the giant was my safest bet. The fact that he was also a beacon for my enemies was something I'd just have to accept.

  We broke the brow of the Hunch before sunset. It was highest there on its north side, and I could see most of the plateau stretched before me. It was a drab expanse of browned grass, more scrub trees and wilting bushes, broken by long scars of exposed white rock, with occasionally a cactus standing sentinel over some patch of stony earth. To the east, it sloped to higher ground, and eventually to the mountains. The view ahead continued at a slight decline for a few miles, before the abrupt drop of the south slope back toward the floor of the Castoval.

  Southeast, in the distance, I could just make out Muena Palaiya. I hadn't given much thought to a goal, but Muena Palaiya, the nearest large town, was a definite possibility. I had friends there. Well, one anyway, and though I was dubious about how much help I could expect from him, it was an option at least. Those seemed to be getting scarcer as the day wore on.

  Anyway, we wouldn't be reaching Muena Palaiya that night. Nearer, there were any number of small villages dotted about, their cream-coloured walls glowing amber in the early evening sun, standing out brightly against the parched landscape. I couldn't expect any charity there. Past indiscretions would earn me a beating on sight in one or two of them. But nor could I go on much longer without food and water.

  "Saltlick, do you see that village?" I pointed out the nearest.

  He angled his neck to follow my finger and grunted in accord.

  "Head towards it. There should be a fork coming up on the left."

  Sure enough, barely a mile had passed before the road split. The way we'd been on continued along the western brink of the Hunch, offering a view of the Casto Mara tumbling below. The other branch curved inward, towards the mountains. Saltlick followed my instructions. We trekked for a while through wild scenery of jagged rocks and short, knotty trees. The sun was a crimson mound spilling behind the horizon. As the last light began to fade, we turned a corner between short cliffs of flaking orange mud and found ourselves on the edge of the village.

  It was a miserable, dilapidated place. A dozen straw-roofed shacks of whitewashed stone were gathered around a small square. Most had wattle shelters for stores and animals tacked onto their sides, each looking as if it would collapse in a strong breeze. The square had been paved once, but the slabs were broken and irregular now, and a few had been pillaged to shore up holes in the buildings.

  I didn't much care. The place had one thing going for it, and that made up for all its failings combined: an uncovered well sat in the centre of the dusty plaza.

  There was a bench outside one of the larger houses. An elderly man in off-white trousers and shirt sat on it, a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his face, a pipe clenched in his teeth. He squinted at us with tiny black eyes from amidst a haze of bluish smoke.

  "My name is Easie Damasco, and this is my companion Saltlick," I called. "Good evening."

  "Could be." His voice was faint and wheezy, his tone noncommittal. If the arrival of a giant in his village alarmed him, he was hiding it well.

  "It is, for both of us. You can provide us with supper, while we have sufficient coin to pay you for it. Our first priority is refreshment from your well. I'll follow that with whatever food you can spare, while some dried grass or hay would be adequate for my companion, so long as the quantity is ample."

  Half a dozen doors crept open as I spoke, revealing faces peeking out. All of them were either very old or very young; the rest of the populace probably passed their evenings in some nearby village advantaged with a tavern. The children peered in astonishment at Saltlick, and whispered and giggled to each other. Their decrepit guardians stared suspiciously at me. There was a long hush when I finished. Finally, one of the villagers stepped out. He looked inordinately ancient. Though he was bald except for a few grey wisps, his lip was distinguished by grand moustaches hanging below his collar, died black and waxed to a luxurious sheen.

  "Welcome to the village of Reb Panza. Sadly, your stay must be a brief one. We are hopelessly poor, and not equipped for generosity."

  A murmur of agreement rose from the doorways.

  I whispered in Saltlick's ear. He squatted, and I swung to the ground, and then regretted the acrobatics when all of my bruises complained at once. I started towards the moustachioed patriarch, trying not to limp too noticeably.

  "Perhaps you misunderstood? I have more than sufficient funds to pay."

  "Yet these days — when we hear talk of war to the north, which tomorrow may be war on our doorsteps — what is worth more, coin or food?"

  "A nonsensical question. Name a price, and we'll have a basis for discussion." My stomach was rumbling ferociously. My mouth was dry as a picked bone. I was in no mood for haggling or sophistry. Unfortunately, for me, both were popular local pastimes. "Tell me what you'd consider a reasonable price for two loaves of bread and some meat or fish, water, and a cartload of grass. We can start with that and consider sundries later."

  The patriarch stood thinking about this for a particularly long time, with his chin nestled on one fist and the other hand stroking his moustaches. While I didn't dare hurry him, I could have gladly throttled him for the delay. I glanced anxiously over my shoulder. There was nothing to see but Saltlick, who had sat down with the children gathered around him. One had bravely clambered up his leg to perch on his knee. I sighed, and turned back.

  Thankfully, the patriarch picked that moment to complete his rumination. "Perhaps, just perhaps, we may be able to accommodate you."

  "Excellent news."

  "You must understand that we are starving ourselves, and also, that our well is nearly dry. Who knows what will happen when it's exhausted? Here on the Hunch even hay isn't easy to come by."

  "You have my sympathies."

  "Thank you. Taking all of these factors into account, we can't help but sell our goods at unusual prices. That said, a sum of three onyxes doesn't seem unreasonable."

  I confess my mouth gaped a little. The patriarch's house was barely worth three onyxes. Even as a starting offer, it was outrageous, and it would leave me with only five coins. Nevertheless, I didn't have time to barter — or for that matter, intend to pay if I could help it. "Done!" I exclaimed.

  This time it was his jaw that dropped.

  The bargaining concluded, I was escorted to the well and gratefully guzzled cup after cup, until I was afraid that water would dribble from my ears. I called Saltlick over and he came with an escort of laughing children clutching his legs and jumping to grab at his loincloth. They watched in awe while he downed three brimming buckets full, then wiped his hand across his lips and burped happily. After that, he was led to a lean-to filled with dried grass, and I was directed to the old pipe-smoker's bench. He moved aside grudgingly to share it with me.

  The sweet smoke smelled faintly of lavender, and made me drowsy. By the time my food was brought out, I was starting to nod. The aroma of warm, fresh bread roused me instantly. I looked up to see an old woman hobbling from a nearby doorway, a wooden platter clasped in hands so arthritic that I was terrified she'd drop it. She succeeded with steady determination and moments later the platter was perched beside me. As well as the bread, there was a pot of greasy rice mixed with olives and scraps of meat, and a small hunk of goat's cheese.

  I'd planned to save half for the next day, but hunger took over and I ate in a stupor, stuffing food into my mouth and hardly tasting it, oblivious to everything. I had only
a third of a loaf left by the time reality reasserted itself. Ruefully, I dropped it into one of the pockets inside my cloak. If I wasn't full, at least I no longer felt like my stomach was trying to devour the rest of my organs.

  I stood, stepped out into the square, glanced to the north — and froze. On the high edge of the Hunch, half-visible between trees, a pinprick line of fires burned. They could only be torches. Our pursuers had made up a huge distance. Something about those steady, bobbing flames made cold sweat bead across my whole body.

  "Saltlick," I called, forcing my voice down to a steady pitch, "it's time we were moving on."

  Saltlick, having made considerable inroads into the grass, now sat beside the shelter, the gaggle of children still clambering noisily around and over him. He could have snapped any one of them in half with the wave of a hand, yet they were perfectly unafraid and trusting. I realised how much my perceptions had been coloured by seeing the giants fight that morning. I remembered the one holding a horse and its stricken rider in the air, about to cast them to the ground, and shuddered. They hadn't seemed so placid then.

  Saltlick looked up. When I barked his name again, he stood and lumbered over. I tried to motion northward with my head, but I couldn't tell whether he understood.

  Before I could say anything, the patriarch darted over, with a surprising turn of speed. "So, both satisfied? It's a shame to leave so soon, and in the dark, with mountain lions, bandits, and worse abroad. We could provide lodgings at reasonable rates, and perhaps a barn for your friend."

  "A gracious offer. Sadly we have far to go, and time is precious."

  "Well then. The price is three onyxes, agreed fair and square."

  I wondered how quickly I could get onto Saltlick's shoulder, and if he would leave when I ordered him to. Perhaps he would even take the villagers' side over mine. None of them was in any shape to pose much resistance, but there was something unsavoury in the idea of trampling our way through a barricade of old people and children. I pulled out Moaradrid's purse and opened the drawstring with a resigned sigh.