The Path of Giants by B.T. Narro (year 7 reading list .TXT) 📗

I was a little surprised when Eslenda said she would be returning with us, but her reasoning made sense. With Souriff taking Failina to safety, Rohaer’s troops would no longer need to skulk through the forest to get to us. It wasn’t as imperative to watch it at all times. But more than that, it seemed that Eslenda just needed a rest. I’d never seen her this sluggish, shoulders slumped as she fell behind during our return to Koluk. Most of us looked at the recent battle like a victory. We held confidence we could stand against Rohaer. She probably didn’t share our enthusiasm.

We stopped for a short break in Koluk. We all needed food. Many of us required a bath and a change of clothing, and we had to gather our belongings. We also had to spread the word about what happened in the forest and inform the people that the Thieves’ Guild would now be responsible for stopping crime in the city. At least I thought we did. Jennava advised against it, however. She didn’t want to give the guilds of Koluk a chance to organize a rebellion while we took Syrah to the castle to meet the king. If he agreed to put her in charge, she would return to Koluk with Barrett, and the harbinger would swear-in Syrah’s thieves publicly. In front of Koluk’s citizens, the thieves would all sign a magical contract vowing to keep the city safe. Hopefully that would keep order.

I had to stop thinking about them as thieves. They would be constables soon. I reminded myself that most of the constables in the capital had been corrupt before Nykal had promoted Byron Lawson to head guard of the city. Now the capital was one of the safest places in Lycast. I had hope Koluk would follow in its footsteps. Much of that, however, depended on Syrah and her leadership skills. I still knew hardly anything about her, except that she had fought with us. I was glad I wasn’t the one who had to make the decision to trust her, because I still held some suspicions.

Leon paid the owner of Groovewater some coin for the damage we and Valinox had caused. It looked as if the owner had already forgiven us, however, because soon after he’d heard about our victory—the Thieves’ Guild fighting alongside us—he had a small feast prepared in our honor.

I didn’t know why, but the feast reminded me of Grufaeragar and the krepps. I wondered if I might see him and his kin again soon. Perhaps he had even visited the castle during the short time we had been here in Koluk. He could be there right now. I didn’t know the king’s plan, whether he wanted to use the krepps in this war, or he didn’t want to take the risk. They were powerful creatures but volatile, aggressive, and disorderly. Much of their obedience depended on how much they liked us and how much they hated Rohaer. I knew Grufaeragar sympathized with our cause, but I wasn’t sure about the other krepps.

It reminded me that there was much about the king’s plan I still didn’t know. I had little idea how many troops were in training. I wondered if many of these troops were loyal to the Yorns and the Chespars, who could be plotting to overthrow Nykal when this was over. What about the soldiers themselves? Could they be loyal to these noble families no matter if they went against the king’s orders? It didn’t seem likely, but perhaps that didn’t matter. Perhaps all that did was whether the commanders and officers of this army were ready to turn on Nykal.

The king was in no way perfect, but I would back him until the end because I trusted that he wanted what was best for not just his family but for the people of Lycast. He had thrust himself into the leadership role of a corrupted kingdom at war, and now had nothing but a broken bank and the backing of untrustworthy nobles. He’d made some mistakes, which worried me. I didn’t know how many more mistakes could be made if we were still going to win this, but there was no one better for the task. No one else would’ve entrusted eight young sorcerers with the defense of the capital and the elimination of corruption. Another man would’ve taxed the people heavily and poured all of their coin into building an army, but the people of Lycast had already been taxed heavily by the last king. Nykal knew that. He sought other methods to bring order to the capital first and then the surrounding cities and towns, and he had done a damn fine job of it with what little power he had.

The threat of Rohaer could almost be considered a blessing, I was realizing. Without it, the Yorns, the Chespars, and who knows how many other noble families would’ve taken a shot at the crown. At least now we were safe from rebellion because no one wanted to be king until the war was over. I wondered if this was how Nykal had come to lead the rebellion in the first place, because no one else wanted the job. I had always figured that he’d had the most amount of coin, the largest army, or the most support from the people, and that was the reason he was now a king. But perhaps it was something much simpler than that. Perhaps he had been the only noble brave enough to put a target on his head for the greater good.

The late king, Oquin Calloum, had needed to go at all costs. He was a spreader of dteria, a sycophant of Valinox. It was Leon who had killed Oquin Calloum after the king freed Leon and demanded he fight against the army closing in on the castle walls. This was more than a year ago, but less than