A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings #1) - Kevin Hearne Page 0,117

are plenty of desperate people who would jump at the chance to improve their lives. Can you just wait a few hours? You’ll be safe, right?”

I couldn’t say no to him. If he came back with people, fine. If not, that was fine, too. I had much more to learn about my blessing, and my vague idea was to follow the river downstream all the way to Batana Mar Din before trying to recruit anyone.

“Tell them they need to bring six days’ food and water.”

Tamhan laughed and shook his head. “You really don’t know. A lot of people in this city aren’t sure where they’re going to find their supper. But I’ll bring along plenty of chaktu jerky. I know a guy.” He winked at me. “And besides, if this kenning works like the others, they won’t all need six days’ worth, will they?”

Looking down at Murr and remembering what it had felt like to be attacked by his nest, I said, “No, they won’t.”

—

While I waited for Tamhan’s return, I worked on a personal project. I wrapped two fingerlengths of sticks in cotton batting and covered both sides in leather and sewed them together, forming a small padded pillow with wooden ribs inside. The leather on the top was boiled hard, and the scrap on the bottom was soft and pliable. I rested this on my left shoulder and began to experiment with different ways to affix one of my sister’s belts to the bottom of the pad and strap it on my body. I cut two slits in the bottom of the pad, and that allowed me to string the belt through it. By looping it underneath my left armpit, I was able to buckle the belt on the front side of my shoulder.

“Hey, Eep,” I said. “Look what I just made. You can perch on my shoulder without scratching me now. Want to try it?”

She cocked her head at it in several different angles, checking it out before flapping over from the lip of the cart to give it a try. Her talons definitely exerted a pressure on my shoulder but didn’t pierce my skin.

“Not bad, is it? You like the view?”

“Eep.” She nodded to make sure I knew I had done well.

“Excellent. So what do you say, Murr? Ready for that belly rub?”

The bloodcat, who’d been watching all this with bemusement, shook his head.

—

Tamhan’s natural charm worked well. He returned with thirty-two Seekers after only a couple of hours. They were mostly our age give or take a year, poor and clearly used to missing meals, the third or fourth children of large families if I had to guess or perhaps without parents at all. Theirs were the mouths that didn’t get fed all that often. Their hair was tangled and dull, and patches of skin bore visible signs of dirt. What they considered clothing was that which provided them modesty and little else. Some were barefoot.

With Murr and Eep’s help I convinced them that the Sixth Kenning was real and recounted my discovery of it and the decision to give up hunting beforehand.

“I’m not sure whether it’s required to forswear killing animals before you seek the kenning, but it might help,” I said. I also emphasized that I wasn’t sure of the full range of my powers yet. But I knew that I could live in harmony with the animals of the plains and that that spelled a different life not only for me but for all Nentians if enough people became blessed.

“What’s the success rate, sir?” a boy asked; he was perhaps only fifteen years old. His name was Madhep.

“A hundred percent so far, since I’m the first one,” I said. “I honestly don’t know. It could be near fifty-fifty like the Fornish, or much better odds like in Rael, or lower like in Hathrir, Brynlön, and Kauria. You’re risking your life for sure—let’s be clear about that. It’s no small risk, but I can’t tell you exactly how big or small of a risk it is.”

“Doesn’t really matter how small the chances are,” a girl said. “At least it’s a chance. I have no chance of living to see twenty if I keep going the way I’m going. Better to go out with some hope, I’m thinking.”

Grunts of assent met this declaration, and all thirty-two of them followed me south. We weren’t speedy, but we traveled faster than my family’s wagon. The Seekers had almost nothing in the way of burdens, and my