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

about this girl you have never met.”

So that was coming through? Damn. “My mind is not twisted. I just think she could be valuable to us.”

Kataleya seemed to be in thought as she put her knuckle over her mouth with her head down. “I’ll see what I can do, but do not expect the results you want. My father is not someone who changes his mind easily.”

“Then perhaps it’s best if he doesn’t know.”

Kataleya went to look out for anyone listening in the hall. She seemed satisfied when she came back.

“I’ll see if I can get it for you if you promise not to do anything rash.”

“I promise. Get it tonight, if possible. Before I sleep.”

“I will.” She bit her lip.

“It’s going to be fine,” I assured her.

“It’s not that,” she said. “There’s something else I’m not looking forward to telling you.”

I was past being surprised by anything she could say. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

“No, it’s really not.”

“All right, you’re starting to worry me,” I admitted.

She nodded. “It’s about Koluk and my father.” Kataleya had a gloomy look. I was really starting to get nervous.

“What is it?” I asked.

“My father…was part of the reason the king did not send me to Koluk with the rest of the sorcerers. That city is very dangerous, even with all the dark mages gone who were loyal to Cason. My father always says the most dangerous criminal is the one with little left to lose, and that is the exact type of man Koluk has attracted for years now.”

“I’m sure everyone will be fine,” I said, mostly to alleviate Kataleya’s worry, as I couldn’t be sure if it was true. “We’ll be seeing them soon enough at the castle.”

She looked down. “I might not be going back.”

“What?”

She nodded. “This is what I’ve had the most trouble telling you. I might not be returning to the castle.”

It took the air out of my lungs. I almost couldn’t believe that this was a real possibility, but she was serious.

It’s not just a possibility. It’s likely, I realized as I looked into her eyes.

“What about Rohaer?” I asked.

“My father doesn’t condone me continuing to fight in a war.”

“What about what you condone?” I asked with anger.

She didn’t answer.

I continued, “Would you really be able to stop? I wouldn’t, no matter who asked me to.”

She nodded. “I do know that, Jon. It’s one of the things I like about you, but I’m not like you. I’m scared.”

“You don’t think I feel fear?”

A line formed across her forehead.

“I’m terrified of our enemies,” I revealed. “I have so much fear that we might lose this fight against Rohaer that I’m willing to chase a witch halfway across Lycast if it means we might be able to use her. I have so much fear that I’m close to suggesting that you do stop fighting, just to make sure you are not killed, but then I remind myself what I’m fighting for—what all of us are fighting for. If Rohaer wins, then so does Valinox. So does dteria. I’ve seen firsthand what it does to people. I was nearly murdered by a man who killed someone from his own family. Remi was almost killed by Eden. More of us could have been murdered as well if she’d gotten away with it.”

“I know what you’re saying is true, but there’s more to it than that.” She spoke softly, hardly looking up at me.

“What do you think will happen to Lycast if we lose against Rohaer?”

“No one knows for certain.”

“The hell you don’t. Lycast will become a place where those with dteria prey on those without. It was already happening in Lycast before our king took control. I know you know this. Even after Nykal came to power, as we weeded out the dark mages, many people died while others lost everything to criminals.”

“Jon, we could die in this war. None of us knew what we were getting into when we first met at the castle.”

“Not even the king knew for certain what kind of danger we would face. Whether or not we were prepared is no excuse for discontinuing. The way I see it, yes, I might die fighting against Rohaer. But I’d rather die fighting than live in a world where we’ve lost, and I could’ve done something.”

Kataleya had her head tilted as she stared into my eyes. Soon she began to nod. “You’re right. I’m letting fear change my mind. My father was the one who told me that we should never let fear make our decisions for us. I hope he’ll understand when I tell him that I’m going back with you.”

It irked me to hear her admit that her father still might not understand. If he was the one who gave her this lesson about fear, shouldn’t he understand better than anyone?

Nevertheless, I was glad to hear she’d changed her mind.

Part of me wished Rohaer’s troops would just come already and we could finally put an end to this, but I knew our kingdom was not ready yet. We would surely lose. That was the reason the demigod Failina was keeping the one road between the territories covered in a snowstorm. But according to her sister, Souriff, she wouldn’t be able to keep this up long past winter. We might only have a couple months left.

I was suddenly very eager to finish my task here. I gave Kataleya a long look. She was beautiful and smart, and so many other things I valued, but I didn’t feel like there was room in my heart to hold feelings for her any longer. I couldn’t deal with it. It was time to finally let her go completely.

I had a feeling that with all the distractions that would soon show up in my life, this wouldn’t be too hard.

“I think the feast should be ready,” she commented.

I smiled.

CHAPTER FIVE

I ate with just Kataleya and her mother. I spent most of the meal speaking with Kataleya about our experiences in the