The Path of Giants

by B. T. Narro

  THE PATH OF GIANTS

  By B.T. Narro

  Jon Oklar:

  Book 3

  Copyright 2020 by B.T. Narro

  Cover and Map by Beatriz Rare

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is coincidental. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the copyright holder.

  CHAPTER ONE

  If I saw Eden again, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. There were people who had been caught aiding Valinox, like Aliana’s father, but he and our other prisoners all claimed the same thing. They said they had no other choice. Once Valinox came to them, they could either obey his requests or deny him and end up dead by the hands of his other followers. I might’ve believed Eden had no choice like these men, except for one thing. After she had nearly killed Remi by jamming a knife into her friend’s neck…after she thought Remi to be dead…she still had not returned or even sent a messenger to try to explain her behavior. It was as if she didn’t care what we thought of her anymore.

  In the month that passed since then, my anger burned a little less hot each day. Now I no longer thought of Eden as a target for revenge. I just needed to stop her from helping Valinox. If that meant killing her, so be it. Surely, Valinox had something planned with her, but what was taking him so long to act?

  All of us had remained in the castle for some time after the incident, training hard. I had made great progress lifting myself with dvinia. I could now pick myself up high enough that there was no way to land without a broken bone. But that was only if I didn’t catch myself on the way down, which I did, admittedly, mess up sometimes.

  I could always heal my broken bones, though I never would get used to the pain.

  With each day that passed, I could feel all of us relaxing a little more. It should’ve been the opposite. We should’ve been more vigilant, more worried about what Valinox would do, but it was hard to continuously prepare for the unknown. It took a toll on me. On all of us, I was sure.

  I had to accept, eventually, that there was nothing I could do now except train and wait for Valinox to strike. Unless, of course, the king told me of his plan and needed my help, but that had not been the case.

  But then, a few weeks ago, the king informed us that he was making us responsible for a number of tasks. They would take all of us sorcerers outside of the castle for a while.

  I had worried what might happen to the king without us there with him. He had a whole mess of guards to watch over not only the capital, but the walls of the castle as well. However, none of them were sorcerers. None of them were like the seven of us he was sending away—and that seven didn’t include our instructors, Leon and Jennava, who the king was also sending away on a task.

  But the king promised me that he and his castle would not be in danger. His scouts and spies would catch a group of dark mages planning to strike, if that was the case. There was nothing else to worry about. Valinox could not kill anyone directly. The demigod of dvinia, Souriff, had confirmed it. It was for the same reason that Souriff couldn’t kill any of our enemies. Like Valinox, she was afraid not only of waking Gourfist but of retribution from their father. They had taken an oath not to kill, and even Valinox had kept to it so far.

  It was Souriff who had almost violated the oath. She would’ve killed Cason if Valinox hadn’t stopped her. She reasoned that their father wanted this because Cason was to be executed before Valinox had saved him.

  There was no way of knowing if Souriff was right about any of this, but I was glad we didn’t have to find out. The krepps had come to help Souriff and me while we fought Cason and Valinox. They had finished off Cason and rid us of all the trouble the dark mage might’ve caused had Valinox taken him to safety.

  Souriff had visited the castle one other time since Eden’s betrayal, answering many of our questions about Rohaer and the other demigods. According to her, every demigod healed naturally much faster than a mortal did. Only Souriff had the capability of casting the same healing spell that I was able to cast—the same one Cason had used many times to keep himself alive before the krepps had finally slain him. Souriff had also explained that demigods could be killed, not by sickness or old age, but with a well-placed blade or arrow to their head or heart. Kataleya asked Souriff if any demigods had been killed before. From the look Souriff had given to the floor, it seemed like one or more might’ve perished, but she chose not to answer.

  I had asked Kataleya later if she was referring to a specific demigod with her question, only to find out that there were many rumors about other demigods who had once lived. But Kataleya had never heard evidence that backed up any of the rumors. She hadn’t seemed interested in sharing the baseless rumors, and I hadn’t been particularly interested in hearing them. So we left it at that.

  I had kept my promise to Kataleya and not pursued her further in any romantic fashion. It had become easier to let go of her each day, though I still found myself longing for her as I lay awake some nights, when sleep eluded me.

  The krepps had gone back to their home in Hammashar soon after arriving in Dorrinthal. They said they would return for another trade. The king seemed to be very happy with how the first trade in history had gone between humans and krepps, though I wasn’t informed as to what exactly had been traded with the savage creatures. All the king told us was that preparations needed to be made before any of us would be informed.

  My task that sent me out of the castle was different than everyone else’s. Given my ability to heal, and especially given the king’s need for coin, I had spent the last few weeks visiting cities and towns all around Lycast. I offered my healing services to everyone free of charge, though it was also my mission to prepare people to give coin to the tax collectors who were to come soon after me. My healing of their injuries and sickness had no relation to the taxes they would have to pay; this I made clear. The amount they paid was purely based on what they had to give. The massive amount of coin Valinox had taken from the castle had not been recovered. This was the beginning of the collection of a crisis tax.

  We were at war with Rohaer, and their king, Frederick Garlin. We needed coin to fight them. The people had to understand this. We couldn’t let Rohaer take over Lycast. Dteria would run rampant.

  Most everyone I had spoken to so far about this seemed to be cautiously cooperative. I hoped the tax collectors coming after me wouldn’t have too hard of a time.

  Kataleya was actually supposed to go with me to each town. I had really looked forward to spending time alone with her. I would keep to my promise not to pursue her, but I knew she saw me in a certain way. If she was to initiate something, I certainly wouldn’t refuse her.

  But then I found out that Kataleya had suggested to the king that she visit each town a couple days ahead of me on our route around Lycast. She convinced him that it was better this way.

  Her task was to provide each town with an abundance of water, as we were having a dry winter in most parts around the capital. She convinced the king that by going ahead of me, she could spread the word that a healer would be coming soon after her. Everyone who required healing would then be ready for me by the time I arrived. A place would be designated, a system set. I wouldn’t need to go around the town gathering everyone, potentially missing someone in dire need of my service.

  I knew she came up with this suggestion because she didn’t want to be alone with me for a prolonged period of time. I confronted her about this, reminding her that I’d promised I wouldn’t pursue her.

  “It’s not you making an advance on me that I’m worried about,” she told me. “It’s the other way arou
nd.”

  Kataleya Yorn still planned to marry this Trevor something-or-other, a man from a noble family. That relationship would provide great power to the Yorns, but what really twisted my heart was that she liked him, in addition to all of that.

  After she had gone so far as to persuade the king to allow her to go ahead of me, I had finally decided it was time to completely let go of Kataleya. There was not a single scenario I could think of that would end with us together, so it was better to avoid the pain.

  I had been traveling, alone, for weeks now and had begun circling back toward the capital. There were only a few other places to visit. I did have to admit to myself that Kataleya’s plan worked out well. It would’ve been difficult to find everyone who needed treatment if she hadn’t prepared the townspeople before my arrival.

  It was lonely on the road with just my horse. Sometimes I found myself itching for some kind of action, like encountering a couple of thieves who thought they could take advantage of me. I knew it was foolish to wish for anything dangerous, but I couldn’t help it. It felt like a long time since I had used either sword or sorcery on anyone, and I knew there were people deserving out there.

  The people I met in each town I visited had been very kind to me. I had even received a number of marriage propositions, most from fathers of unwed girls. It was surprising at first, but then I reminded myself that I was a sorcerer of the king, a healer, and presumed to be rich. I had earned a fair amount of coin from the king, but I was nowhere near as rich as, say, Trevor.

  I always let down these fathers easy, explaining that I was in no position to marry at this time and that it was nothing personal about their family or the girl specifically, as some were inclined to take offense. I had been offered a number of gifts as well in exchange for my healing, all of which I refused as politely as I could. I did take up a few people on their offer of food and lodging, however, and I had enjoyed a variety of dishes and seen many places I never would’ve seen if it wasn’t for this task. For that, I was thankful.

  Nearing the end of this long trip, I was currently looking forward to only two things. Returning to the castle, for one. But before that, I would visit Livea, the city of Kataleya’s family where her father was lord. I expected I would stay in Kataleya’s mansion and meet her family. I knew I shouldn’t get my hopes up. In fact, I had promised myself I wouldn’t. But I couldn’t help looking forward to seeing her again and learning about where she grew up.

  There was just one small town to visit first, Granlo. It was the hometown of Remi, our fire mage who Eden would’ve killed if Aliana hadn’t sensed the people on the roof and woken us all up…and if I hadn’t healed Remi in time. A few seconds later and Remi surely would’ve died. It was this thought that reignited my anger toward Eden every time I remembered.

  Remi had heard I would be visiting Granlo, among many other places. She had knocked on the door to my room one night before all of us had left the castle. I was a little surprised to see her. I had barely spoken to Remi when it was just the two of us, but she had spent weeks before smiling at me. I figured it was just her way of showing gratitude for me helping save her life. I noticed the same smile for Aliana, who was the first one onto the roof soon after Remi’s neck had been impaled with Eden’s dagger.

  Remi’s visit to my room had been brief. She’d told me she wanted me to check on Gerald Ryler, the man her parents had forced her to marry and the reason she had fled Granlo and changed her name from Veronica. She wanted me to find out if Gerald had remarried. She said it was uncommon in Granlo for anyone Gerald’s age to be unmarried, and she worried about his new wife’s safety.

  I promised her I would try to find out what I could, but that was about all I could do. The king had strictly told me not to interfere with issues of law. I was traveling alone, and trying to impose the law was dangerous without proper support. I thought it was good advice, but if I saw something unjust happening in front of me, I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to stop myself from stepping in. Fortunately, that had not been the case anywhere.

  Remi understood. She just wanted information.

  The night Remi had stumbled across Valinox leaving a callring for Eden, she was returning to the castle after a visit to a witch’s house. Remi had left a gold coin with the witch and a hair of the man who’d abused her. According to what the witch had told Remi, a single hair was all the witch needed to make the man impotent. I didn’t know if the spell was permanent, but Remi made it sound like it could be. The witch was that powerful.

  The king had begun to investigate the witch the day after. Remi claimed the witch was friendly, good-natured, and smart. She was only an enemy to those who broke the laws and were not punished accordingly.

  It didn’t take long for news to spread around the castle that the witch had fled the city soon after the king had begun investigating her. I didn’t know exactly what the witch had witnessed or possibly heard that led her to leave, but she had taken just about everything from her house with her. She clearly wasn’t planning on coming back.

  Considering all of this, I wondered what Remi planned to do if she found out that her ex-husband was now tormenting another girl. There was no witch around who could curse this man, so did Remi plan on visiting her hometown at some point and exacting her own revenge? Considering how powerful she had become with fire, the thought made me a little nervous. My fears were exacerbated when she refused to answer me when I questioned her about it.

  But Remi was practically my age, just one year younger, at seventeen. I eventually decided that I trusted her and agreed I would inform her of whatever I found out.

  I was disappointed when I’d heard that the witch had escaped the capital. I had a description of her from Remi that I gave to the sheriff of each town, hoping for some information that might lead to her location. According to Remi, she didn’t look like what you might think a witch looks like. She was short, beautiful with an innocent face, though she did have dark hair and usually carried around unsavory ingredients.

  Remi had told me that if Hadley, the witch, knew that we planned to use her services rather than imprison her, she probably would at least speak with me. But I had spoken with the king privately before leaving, asking him what his intentions were if I managed to capture and bring back this witch of Remi’s. He had told me that her loyalty would need to be tested somehow, but that Remi was right. We could use her so long as we trusted her, though he wasn’t sure that would be the case.

  Normally, none of us wanted anything to do with dteria, and that’s how curses were made. It was the king’s desperation that led him to this decision.

  I was a little surprised to find out from Remi that Hadley wasn’t older than us. She was eighteen and had been friends with Remi for over a year. I found myself more and more curious about Hadley the more I thought about her. The only person who I knew could curse, besides Valinox, was Eden, but she had most likely been trained by the demigod himself. So how did this witch come to be so powerful? Had she worked with Valinox? If so, trusting her would be very difficult. I hadn’t thought to ask this of Remi before I left on my trip. It was one of several questions that came to mind that made me a little worried about finding Hadley.

  A few of the sheriffs had recognized a girl fitting her description passing through their town, though she never stayed for more than a day. I didn’t know if she was headed somewhere specifically or just running aimlessly, but I hoped she didn’t plan to go to Rohaer. She would most likely be accepted there, and she probably knew this.

  The sun was setting as I approached Granlo. I decided it would be better to make camp outside the city than ride in and try to find a place to sleep with no daylight left. This way I would have time to practice as well. I looked forward to lifting myself with dvinia. It was an endless thrill to soar high into the air. It almost felt like I was flying. One day I wouldn’t need so much concentration, and I could actually enjoy it.

  Not yet, however. I always felt a great deal of
stress when it came time to land, and for good reason. Sometimes my ankle began to hurt even before I picked myself up, the memory of many breaks at the forefront of my thoughts.

  There was a major difference between wrapping the dvinia around my waist like a thin belt versus extending the dvinia to enclose most of my torso and hips. I could hold myself much easier the more dvinia I wrapped around my body. The energy knew I wanted it to grab my target—in this case, me—just by my adding the note G to the usual spell.

  Leon wasn’t the best teacher, but he had a way of helping us find ways to learn on our own, even if he was an ass about it at times. I also had to thank Charlie for so many recent discoveries about what each individual note could do. It was through experiments designed by Charlie that I learned that adding notes of G to my spell told my mana I wanted it to grab my target.

  Charlie still wanted me to find out what notes of A did, but there were no known spells that used any notes of A. I would have to compose a spell of three octaves of A just to test it, and I was not familiar with the feeling of any octave of A. Perhaps when I had more time I would, not that I had any idea when that would be.

  It had become an uncomplicated feat to lift myself slowly when I had dvinia wrapped around my arms and torso. But the strain of hoisting my whole self into the air was just like physically picking someone up and holding them in the air. But in this case, there were no adjustments I could perform to make the process easier, like changing my posture or positioning. There was no difference in how I used the muscle of my mind as I lifted myself higher and higher. It was just one clean motion. Up I went.

  It was always tempting to put my full strength into it and soar into the air, but just like trying to throw another person into the air as high as I could using my arms and body, I was likely to overexert myself and sacrifice precision for power.

  Each day, I found that I could go higher and higher, and today was no exception. I had dismounted and tied my horse to a tree. It wasn’t the tallest tree, but it wasn’t small, either. Soon I found myself high enough to see over the top of it.