A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings #1) - Kevin Hearne Page 0,162

after picking a fight with the Mynstad!” he said, grinning at me and then wincing once he got a better look. “Damn. She popped you good.”

“She did indeed. And yes, it hurts. But I feel better anyway.”

“Hmm.” Tallynd and her kids shut the door and cut off their accumulated noise, leaving us alone in the house. Rölly followed me into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. I placed the board of meat, cheese, and bread in front of him and poured him a cup of tea. “So tell me what brought that on, if you would.”

“Sarena. Frustrated that we still don’t know who killed her.”

“But you figured out why she was killed.”

“No, not specifically. Just something that the Wraith had her do, no doubt.”

“Any number of somethings, yes.”

“Why do we even need someone like him? Haven’t we been at peace with our neighbors for our entire lives?”

“Yes. But peace is something you enjoy in its season, knowing that someday it will shrivel and die. And now war is here. It will pass, too. History is full of one season or another; you know this. But how long war will last is often determined by people like the Wraith. I’m glad we had him and his network around, lurking in the dark. I inherited him, you know. From the last four elected pelenauts. He’s been festering all this time.”

“Ugh. You mean he’s literally festering?”

“Let us say he has significant physical handicaps. The mind is keen, though. He didn’t realize the bard’s story would be so provocative at first, but now he’s fully engaged in that and thinking ahead.”

“I’ve noticed. Are you worried about Fintan’s report of you when he returns home?”

Pelenaut Röllend shook his head. “More worried about us surviving the next few months. Fintan can tell all the nasty stories about me he wants so long as we’re still here.”

“You always did have your priorities straight. Well, I haven’t much to report. Fintan said he didn’t steal the Nentian viceroy’s private thoughts from the Tower of Kalaad or anyplace in Hashan Khek, though somebody else did steal them, and he assures us that the full story of how he came by them will be revealed in the days ahead.”

The pelenaut took a deep breath. “Delays upon delays. No solid information. Perhaps it is innocuous and innocent. And perhaps it is dust the Earth Shapers throw in our eyes to keep us from seeing the kick they deliver to our guts. I’m tired of trusting and hoping for the best, Dervan. Soon we will know for ourselves.”

“Know what?”

“How big the Raelech army is, for one thing. And hopefully much more than that. Something about the temblor leading them would be nice. I have opened the taps, and we’ll see what washes out.”

We ate in silence for a moment, and I began to feel guilty. Sausage and cheese like this were exceedingly rare at this point. Tallynd deserved it, no doubt, but so did everyone else struggling to survive right now.

“How are we doing, Rölly?”

He sipped his tea before answering. “Not so bad at the moment, considering. But we’re projecting serious shortages in the coming weeks. You don’t shrug off losing the harvests and trade routes from so many cities even if your population is greatly reduced. And the closing of the Granite Tunnel slowed down our trade with Rael, of course. But we’re reopening the schools to let the parents work a bit more during the day, giving everyone some structure and a sense of normality. I’m going to suggest tomorrow that Fornyd and the other river cities might be ready for repopulation.”

“How are they ready? They’re still mass graves.”

“Not as bad as you’d think. I’ve had the river traders working on it, floating barges of bodies downriver to the ocean, and of course all the hygienists I recalled have been working on the wells and sanitation systems.”

“What hygienists?”

“All of them from around the world. We needed them here, so I recalled them a few months ago to serve their country and sent most of them north, but also a few down to Göfyrd and Gönerled. We need to clean those cities up sometime, and that time is now. And we shouldn’t have everyone here in case the Raelechs have other goals in mind than their stated ones. We need to spread out again. And there might be enough to salvage from the surrounding areas to help a few hardy souls get through this next winter. They might be far