The Path of Giants by B.T. Narro (best novels to read .txt) 📕

long as you and the others agree to serve the king and the people of Koluk,” Jennava said, “then I imagine his majesty will be happy to present this reward for your service. But hear me when I tell you and yours that the fighting will be tough. Rohaer’s troops have Endell Gesh and Valinox with them. They’ve had plenty of time to prepare traps, and they have our prisoners with them. At the mere sight of us, they might attempt to kill our sorcerers, who are very important to us. We must save them. Do you and your members understand this?”

“Of course we do. No one knows traps better than us. We’ll have your sorcerers back before supper.”

The rest of us didn’t seem to be so sure, however. I made my way toward the demigod.

“Souriff, there’s nothing stopping Valinox from ordering the deaths of our sorcerers—our friends – as soon as he sees us coming. If anyone could do something about this, it would be you.”

“He won’t order the death of anyone. We took an oath in front of our father that we would not kill. And ordering the death of a prisoner is basically the same as killing.”

“What if he’s no longer afraid of Basael?” I asked. Everyone around us quieted as they listened. “It’s pretty clear to me that he has been pushing his limits as much as he thinks he can get away with,” I continued. “He carried someone through the air and set her down behind me the last time I saw him, and this person attempted to kill me. Before that, he threw me into the air while wishing me dead. It doesn’t seem as if Basael has done anything to him yet. Only Gourfist awoke, but ordering the death of my friends would do nothing to awaken Gourfist again, and Valinox knows this.”

It frightened me that she didn’t answer, her lips pursing as if she thought I might be right when I had hoped I was wrong.

“He believes he can win without breaking his vows,” Souriff said. “Therefore, he won’t order the death of anyone. If that changes, then we have to be afraid.”

I hated to disagree with the demigod, but I did. “I apologize, Souriff, but I think you might be wrong. He has probably already told Endell Gesh to give the order to have them killed. It would happen as soon as he saw us coming.” I pointed to the sky. “He could be watching us right now, invisible.”

Souriff looked up. “No, I would feel if he was using the kind of power necessary to hold himself in the air nearby.”

“Still—” I began.

“I will not forfeit my life for a few human sorcerers, or this war will be lost. I will find Valinox and stand against him when it is time. That is all you will get from me.”

I had spoken with Souriff during my training before leaving to travel across Lycast. She had given up the better part of an hour to work with me on my dvinia, though she did so with great annoyance. She had been more impatient than Leon, always speaking to me as if I might prove to be a waste of her time. I didn’t know if living for centuries made every demigod so irritable, or if it was just Souriff and Valinox, but I found myself wishing that this was a war purely fought between humankind.

“It’s time to plan,” Syrah said.

I let go of my annoyance as my fear returned. With Souriff’s selfishness, we needed some way to free our sorcerers during our ambush, or I would never see them alive again.

The plan had better be good.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Eden had almost made it to Koluk, but she had barely slept in the last two days. She’d eaten one enormous meal, when the large cat she rode upon had found a kill that he could not finish. He had slept while Eden made a fire to cook the leftovers, but that was some time ago. Now she was hungry again.

She would’ve taken the time for a bath had any of her numerous pets led her to a river, but little streams and shallow ponds seemed to be the source of water for most creatures in Curdith Forest.

Right now Eden was filthy, her dark hair matted against her head, but she was close to Koluk. She had seen the city in the distance as she came through the trees on the back of a cantar. That was when she had finally gotten off and said goodbye to her pet. She had walked through the forest the rest of the way to be where she was now, just a couple miles away.

She had more control on her own feet, and her legs needed a good stretch, anyway. She had a feeling she might be running sometime soon, depending on what she saw when she finally came across Valinox again.

She didn’t know exactly what she would do in Koluk. It wasn’t as if she had any coin on her. She liked to think she might find one of her friends, like Ali, and turn herself in. But she was scared. They might kill her before she could explain herself, for what she did to Remi.

Eden was furious that Valinox had left her to die. Maybe she could figure out where her friends were staying in Koluk and leave a note, apologizing. She could give them time before she showed herself to them.

It might not do any good.

Maybe the only way she would live through this war was to continue to offer support to Valinox. Could she really live with herself if she did this, though? It was different when he used to stick to his promises, when he made the war seem like it would take a matter of weeks. He had been wrong, and there had already been so much death and pain. She was tired of feeling responsible for some of it.

Before she made her