by Andi Van
There was no answer, though. Whogs had clearly already headed back downstairs, and Jorget wasn’t sure how the giant had managed to do so as quietly as he had. If he could figure out how Whogs did it, it might be a handy skill to have. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. That wasn’t the time to think about it. He had to find out who’d come all the way to a village full of giants to see him. He dressed as quickly as possible and flung open the door, only to let out a yelp when he was greeted by a large wolf. He slammed the door shut immediately, and listened for half a second. There were no growls, no threats. Perplexed, he opened the door a crack to see the wolf looking back, head tilted in what Jorget was positive was confusion. When he opened the door a little farther, the wolf panted happily, his tail thumping against the floor. “What the—”
“I see you’ve found Daro.”
Jorget looked up to see a tall, dark-haired girl leaning against the wall opposite his door. She was dressed in the loose trousers that had become popular with the girls lately and an oddly plain shirt, and she wore a wide choker around her neck. He’d never met her before, and had no idea what she was doing there. “Um… I’m fairly sure he found me.”
The girl chuckled. “He does that. He likes to meet new people.” She moved away from the wall and crouched next to the wolf, wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face against the canine’s neck. “Don’t you? You’re such a good boy.”
Jorget stood there, frozen in confusion, as the girl treated a wild animal like a domesticated dog. He supposed he should consider it one of many odd things he’d witnessed in the last few days.
The girl looked up at him and appeared to remember that she wasn’t alone. She cleared her throat and stood abruptly, smoothing her trousers down briskly. “Come on,” she said. “We’re keeping my brother waiting.”
“But who is your brother?” Jorget asked, a little louder than intended. “Can you please tell me what’s going on?”
“There’s no need to shout,” she said with a frown. “Come on.”
Without bothering to wait for a reply, the girl turned and headed for the stairs. The wolf stood and chased after her.
“I hate being left in the dark like this,” he called after her. The girl simply threw him a wave over her shoulder and didn’t bother to look back. With a growl, Jorget followed her down the stairs, not caring if he was stomping a little. When he reached the bottom, he came to a sudden stop, surprised to see who was waiting there.
“Oh, there you are,” the redheaded elf said with a smile. “We didn’t wake you, did we?”
“Tasis?” Jorget asked. “But you said tomorrow… Inafain….”
“We had some favorable winds. And possibly a little help from an interfering dragon.” Tasis’s smile widened to a grin, and as it had before, it practically lit up his face. The effect was even stronger in person, and Jorget wondered how it didn’t blind him. “So we’re earlier than we expected to be, and thought we’d take the opportunity to meet you here instead.”
“Safer than heading to Inafain early,” the girl muttered.
“My sister, Zaree,” Tasis explained when Jorget looked at her in confusion. “She hasn’t forgiven the villagers for the way they treated me, and I can’t blame her for that.”
“How they treated you?” Zaree’s voice gained volume with every word, and Jorget was pretty sure she’d quite literally burst into flame if she got any angrier. “That bastard Teril tried to kill you. He picked you up by the neck and tried to choke you to death. The only reason we managed to get away is because K’yerin caught him off guard. And those worthless shit-eating goat fuckers just watched!”
“Shit-eating goat fuckers?” Jorget wasn’t sure if he should laugh or if he should be worried for the girl’s sanity. “Well, that’s certainly an image I didn’t need in my head.”
“I’m telling Reikos,” Tasis said, not bothering to hide his laughter. “I’m telling him you used the phrase ‘shit-eating goat fuckers.’ He’ll laugh for weeks.”
“Tell him, and I swear to the Maker I will shave your head,” Zaree screeched.
“Is she always like this?” Jorget asked Tasis under his breath.
“She’s a little protective,” Tasis allowed. “It’s ‘a little’ protective about as much as the Western Sea is a small body of water. Whatever you do, don’t tell her you mistook me for a girl. It was an honest mistake, but Zaree will be feeding you pieces of yourself if she finds out.”
The front door opened as Zaree continued her tirade, and another elf stepped inside. Jorget recognized him as Kelwin, Tasis’s… well, he wasn’t sure what to refer to him as. Maybe he could ask Tasis later and not insult the man or make an idiot of himself. “What on earth did you say to her?” Kelwin asked as he put a hand over Zaree’s mouth.
“Ask her what she called the residents of Inafain,” Tasis said.
Kelwin moved his hand and raised an eyebrow at Zaree. “Well?”
Zaree let out a heavy sigh. “I might have referred to them as shit-eating goat fuckers.”
Kelwin let out a surprised bark of laughter. “Maker’s sake, Zar. Some of the things that come out of your mouth.” He thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “It’s true, though.”
“See? So tell him he doesn’t need to tell Reikos about it.”
“Oh,” Kelwin said in understanding. “Tas, quit teasing your sister.”
Tasis let out a snort. “Sure thing, Dad.”
Kelwin looked at Jorget then and smiled, offering him a hand. “You’re Jorget, right? I think I recognize you. It’s good to finally meet you in person.”
“You too,” Jorget said, shaking the elf’s hand. He looked around, realizing someone was missing. “Where’s the weird purple cat?”
This time it was Zaree who started laughing, and Jorget felt his face heat up as he realized he’d managed to put his foot in his mouth. Again.
“He’s out playing with the kids,” Tasis said, seeming to not be the least bit concerned that Jorget had referred to his familiar as “the weird purple cat.” “They adore him, and he always has too much energy after he’s been stuck on a boat for a few days. You’ll meet him later.”
Jorget nodded, then narrowed his eyes as Zaree’s earlier words sank in. “Wait. Someone tried to kill you and the bystanders just watched?”
“Wow, you’re a little behind in the conversation,” Zaree noted.
“Be nice,” Tasis scolded, frowning at his sister. “I’m guessing Jorget has so much going on in his brain that it takes a while for things to get sorted sometimes, that’s all. I get like that too, you know.”
Zaree had the good grace to look embarrassed, and she shot Jorget a conciliatory look. “Sorry.”
“But to answer your question, yeah,” Tasis continued. “They don’t like anyone who’s not human. They put up with us when my mother was alive because she was a talented midwife and we lived outside of town. I already had one strike against me simply by circumstance of birth. When they found out my interest didn’t lie with the village girls…. Well, let’s say I’m lucky they didn’t burn me at the stake.”
“Can I ask you something?” Jorget asked. “And I’m probably going to screw up and sound insulting, but I promise I don’t mean to.”
Tasis chuckled. “It’s okay, you can ask.”
“Why aren’t you interested in girls?”
Zaree let out a noise that sounded kind of like a growl, and Tasis held up a hand to stop her. “He’s asking honestly,” he told her. He tilted his head and stared at Jorget in silence. After a few moments, it started to make Jorget uncomfortable, and he was about to speak when Tasis asked him something he didn’t expect. “Why do you like girls?”
“What?” Jorget asked. “I don’t know, I just always—” He stopped, realization dawning on him. “Oh. Ooh. I get it.”
Tasis grinned at his sister. “See? I told you he simply didn’t understand.”
“Fine,” Zaree said, leveling a glare at Jorget th
at made him wonder if he needed to start running for his life. “I’ll let him live. For now.”
Tasis shook his head and gave his sister an exasperated look before turning his attention back to Jorget. “Let’s take a walk. I think we need to have a talk.”
“But….”
“It’s okay,” Kelwin assured him. “It’s nothing bad. Go and let him say what he needs to say, and we’ll help get breakfast on the table before you get back.”
Jorget bit his lip and looked at Tasis, who gave him a reassuring smile. “Well… okay,” he said, still hesitant. He had no idea what Tasis wanted to talk to him about, but for some reason he had the feeling it was going to throw him for a loop. Regardless, he followed Tasis outside, walking in silence next to the elf as they wandered through the village. There were only a few people—and Jorget did think of them as just “people” now, no longer separating them from humans simply because they were giants—out and about, but it was early yet. Tasis waved to most of them, calling them by name when he did, and Jorget saw that what he’d been told was true. Tasis was indeed a friend to the giants.
When they reached the edge of the village near the road he’d taken the day before, Tasis took a seat on a boulder and motioned for Jorget to do the same. They sat in silence for some time, before Tasis said something completely unexpected.
“I’m not special, you know.”
Jorget started. “What are you talking about?”
“The last time we spoke, you mentioned that you saw me as being on a bit of a pedestal at one point,” Tasis said. “But I’m not that special. I’m some mixed-heritage kid who was overly sheltered by his mother who’s been trying to find his footing since being made an orphan. I’m not all that different from you.”
Jorget couldn’t believe his ears. All the things Tasis had done, and he didn’t think he was special? “You resurrected the guild,” he pointed out.
“So you’ve pointed out. As I’ve said before, I was the vehicle for it,” Tasis corrected. “No more, no less. The majority of the work was done by a spell cast a millennium ago. I was the power source for it to do its job. And then I had those troublemakers decide on their own that I was going to lead.” Tasis rubbed his face and let out a heavy sigh. “I have no idea what I’m doing, and I’m afraid I’m going to get all of us killed with my naivety. I’m the least qualified person to lead a revolt against insanity.”
Jorget dearly wanted to know who the troublemakers Tasis referred to were, but that wasn’t the time or place to ask. He felt a little smug that he’d managed to figure that out before actually asking. “Well, they probably had their reasons,” Jorget said with a shrug. “And honestly I feel a little better going into this knowing that you’re only… well, I was going to say ‘only human,’ but that doesn’t work in this case. You’re not infallible or perfect.”
“Maker, no,” Tasis said, a horrified look on his face. “I’m not even in the same kingdom as perfect. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“But you’re surrounded by people who do.” And maybe that was enough, when he thought about it. “I’d rather follow someone wise enough to listen to the people around him than someone who thinks he knows everything. Isn’t that what being a leader’s about? Being able to find the best solution for the people who are counting on him from all of the information provided? You don’t have to know everything, you just have to be able to listen.”
Tasis stared at him, the same piercing stare he’d given earlier that Jorget felt might see right into his soul. He shifted uncomfortably, and Tasis smiled. “You may be right.” He turned his gaze back to the village and let out a sigh. “The chief told me you came to the same conclusion that we did, that Archai wants to destroy the world.”
“It makes no sense,” Jorget practically yelled, feeling the frustration gripping at him again. “I spent most of the night trying to figure out why he’d want that, but I can’t think of any situation in which he might gain something.”
Tasis narrowed his eyes in thought, but he didn’t look away from the village. “If he’s truly insane, he wouldn’t need to gain something. He’d be doing it because he wanted to, not caring about the fact that it would mean his end as well.”
Jorget hadn’t even considered that, and he could feel the blood drain from his face as the implications dawned on him. “That’s….”
“Terrifying?” Tasis suggested with a grim smile. “A madman with too much power and a vendetta against an entire group of people simply because they’re different becomes worse than a villain when he also has the ability to destroy the world.”
“I still think he has a reason, however illogical, behind it,” Jorget insisted, leaning closer to Tasis to make his point. “For all we know, the royal family could belong to some bizarre cult that forces them to swear a blood oath against magic users. Whatever his reason is, if we figure it out, we have the means to stop him. Or at least a weapon to use against him.” He paused, and something slid into place in his thoughts. “What exactly is this thing the king wants found, to use against us?”
“Us?” Tasis asked with a grin. “You’re in, then?”
“Can you teach me to actually use the magic? So I don’t end up doing stupid things with it, like getting stuck to the ceiling. Again.”
Tasis started to laugh hard.
“What?” Jorget said, sounding affronted.
“You tried levitation!” Tasis chortled. “I ended up hanging on to the railing of the library’s second floor for dear life until I convinced Rin to tell me how to make it stop.”
“You….” Jorget looked at him, bewildered. It took a few seconds for what Tasis had said to sink in, but when it did, Jorget found himself laughing as hard. The mental image of Tasis, the legendary—or soon to be legendary, Jorget supposed—guild master, defender of justice, hanging on to a railing so he didn’t end up on the ceiling was hilarious, and admittedly made him feel a tiny bit better about his own gaffe.
When they’d collected themselves a little, Tasis wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes, letting out another snicker as he did. “So, yeah, I can’t personally teach you how to do many things, but at some point, I’m sure one of the others can. Hopefully they’ll teach me too. Because dammit, I hate walking up and down all those steps.” He took another deep, calming breath, and nodded. “Yes. You’ll be able to learn how to use your magic.”
“Then I’m in,” Jorget said. “Honestly, I hate the king. He’s a monster that needs to be stopped. I may be clueless, and bad at staying out of trouble, and so clumsy I’m amazed I haven’t gotten myself killed yet, but I can’t keep sitting in one place not doing anything.”
“I think you and I are going to get along fine,” Tasis said warmly. “Now, to answer the question you asked before we got sidetracked, none of us are quite sure what the weapon is. Vashk is worried. I think he has an idea what it might be, but he won’t say.”
Jorget racked his memory trying to place the name, then remembered it was the name of the dragon guarding the part of the ocean the guild resided in. If a dragon was worried about the weapon, a much less powerful human should probably be terrified. “Do you happen to know exactly which mountain you’re supposed to be searching?” he asked, a feeling of dread welling up inside as more pieces started to slide together.
“Yes,” Tasis said with a nod. “It’s the mountain that the giant youth climb to prove their adulthood.”
“There’s an enormous talking bird at the top of that mountain,” Jorget said slowly. “What if that bird is guarding the weapon?”
“Can’t be,” Tasis said, though he didn’t look convinced. “Brolt once told me that the bird appeared only a year or so prior to the destruction of the guild, but the giants have been climbing the mountain since long before he was born. Why would it only have needed to be protected a millennium ago?”
“Because someone found something they shouldn’t have,” Jorget answered immediately, feeling surer of his theory as he spoke. “What if
the giants’ traditional climb was originally to keep an eye on what was hidden in the mountain, but the purpose has been lost over time? What if that bird was a familiar, like your cat? Emlynn told me the bird talks to them in their head, like… Rin?” He looked to Tasis for confirmation that he’d remembered the purple feline’s name correctly, and continued when he got a nod. “What if a mage and their familiar stumbled upon it, and they stayed because they felt it was their duty to stay there and keep watch? What if, as their end neared, the mage ordered their familiar to stay? Would a familiar do that?”
“If it was important enough, yes,” Tasis confirmed. “And in that case, this whole thing has become that much more urgent. What you’ve suggested may involve a whole lot of ‘what if,’ but it also makes sense. Either the supposed weapon was being protected from mankind, or mankind was being protected from the weapon. Neither option leaves me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.” He slid from the boulder he’d been perched on, landing neatly on his feet. “Come on. The others need to hear about this, and we need to see if Brolt knows anything that might confirm or disprove your theory.”
Chapter 7
“I CAN’T believe you brought an entire cart,” Jorget said for what was probably the tenth time. They’d said goodbye to the giants that morning, and Jorget had expected they’d be taking Arin’s horse back to trade for the maddeningly slow donkey. Instead, he’d been shown to an uncovered horse-drawn cart with just enough room to fit two elves, two humans, and a short giant and was told that Arin would pick up his horse himself in a few days.
“You could walk,” Zaree told him, not kidding in the least. The girl was not happy, that was clear, but Jorget didn’t think it had to do with him.
“Zar, calm down,” Tasis said from the front, where he sat with Kelwin, who was driving the two horses pulling them along. “Jorget, I apologize for my sister’s crappy attitude. And like I said, it was a simple thing to do with a Gyrn ship at our disposal, and infinitely more comfortable this way since we’re familiar with the route.”