A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings #1) - Kevin Hearne Page 0,137

as we marched along the coast, defending ourselves against occasional attacks from creatures of the plains. Despite our numbers and weapons, we lost a few people to grass pumas and a small flock of cheek raptors that typically preyed on herds of ruminants and thought an army looked a lot like a herd. They dive directly at one’s face, their talons designed to puncture and tear, scoop out gobbets of tender cheek meat, and fly away, leaving you to die and feed the scavengers of the plains. They killed three conscripted soldiers that way—ones who weren’t wearing helmets—and then more died because a panicked volley of arrows to bring down the raptors wound up falling on the army. Others died of flesh eels burrowing into their bodies in the night.

“I fully understand why the Nentians like to stay inside their walls now,” I commented, which earned me an appreciative grunt from Tarrech.

But eventually we saw walls rise from the horizon at the foothills of the mountains, and there were docks for the Hathrim fleet and glass boats deployed to intercept anyone approaching.

When Numa spied a patrol of houndsmen that obviously had spotted us, she snatched a flag of parley and ran to catch them. She had no fear of them; she could run faster than the hounds with her kenning. We saw her greet them and speak briefly.

“I told them,” she said upon her return, “that Rael’s delegation is traveling with but separate from the Nentian army and we wish to speak first. I requested a parley outside the walls and guaranteed their safety.”

Tactician Ghuyedai was not pleased with her initiative when he demanded to know what she’d done.

“You should have consulted me first,” he growled. “This is a Nentian matter on Nentian soil.”

“I remind the general that we are accompanying him in friendship but are not subject to his orders,” Numa said, refusing to apologize.

“You should not have made any guarantees in my name.”

“I made the guarantee in my name. And we will guarantee the safety of any who come to parley with us, Tactician.”

He ground his teeth and turned his back on her, calling for his junior officers. Presumably one of them would be going to parley for him.

The parley occurred an hour later, the three of us and one of Ghuyedai’s junior tacticians on one side and two Hathrim women on the other. The tactician sat astride an armored horse, and we stood on foot at parade rest. Numa was in the middle, I on her left and Tarrech on her right.

One of the Hathrim women was visibly shorter than the other but had shaved her head bald and set it on fire. She was introduced as La Mastik, High Priestess of Thurik’s Flame. The taller one radiated confidence and wore a smirk of condescension the entire time.

“I am Hearth Sefir of Baghra Khek, betrothed of Hearthfire Gorin Mogen. I speak for him.”

Ghuyedai’s tactician introduced himself as Nasreghur and said without art and with more than a little aggressiveness, “You have invaded Nentian lands, and we demand your immediate relocation to Hathrir.”

The hearth blinked, but her smirk remained. If anything, it widened. “I would not call it an invasion. We have no wish to conquer, and since you have marched all this way, you’re aware that we are quite some distance from any Nentian city. We are refugees who had no place else to go after the eruption of Mount Thayil and still have no place else to go. The ash cloud from Mount Thayil pollutes and sickens all of Hathrir right now. We sent spokesmen to Hashan Khek to explain and to ask for desperately needed food weeks ago, but we haven’t heard back.”

“We received that request and sent food immediately but have not heard back from our viceroy’s representative. Are you keeping Dhingra and his men prisoner?”

“I have no idea of whom you speak. We have received no word from Hashan Khek until this moment, much less food.”

It was most likely a lie but a smooth one. The tactician would need a moment to think of an adequate response, so I cleared my throat and introduced myself. Numa and Tarrech followed my lead. I noticed that Sefir’s eyes flicked to our Jereh bands, visually confirming what we said aloud by checking our stones.

Numa spoke for us after that. “I notice that you have erected walls quickly with the help of Raelech stonecutters. Our information indicates that they are still in your camp. Is this true?”

“It