A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings #1) - Kevin Hearne Page 0,221

will. Under a contract that is permitted under the articles of the Beast Callers clave, which we will take the time to draft and sign right now.”

There was no hint of amusement or even patience in the viceroy’s voice as he pointed a finger at me. “I’m not drafting anything for a boy who’s done nothing yet for his people. You can work for me now—as a paid mercenary—or you can fight me. And if you fight me, you will spend yourself to old age and early death. That’s how these kennings work, right?”

“More or less,” I admitted while simultaneously asking the spiders and assorted other insects and small creatures to move along the walls behind the crossbowmen. They were all looking up at us, not down at their feet. And the viceroy’s sudden ultimatum told me all I needed to know about his true character. He was arbitrary and stubborn like my father and like that cavalry captain. “But I’m not trying to fight you. I’m trying to help you even as you help me. I can fight these giants under a clave contract. And then you and I and the other Beast Callers can usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for Hashan Khek. We both win.”

The viceroy pressed his lips together and shook his head in regret. “I like it better when I win the way I want to and don’t have some hunter brat thinking airy lovey-dovey Kaurian peace will spread over the world if we just be nice to animals.”

That confirmed he wouldn’t be negotiating in good faith. He’d be ordering those crossbowmen to act against me soon, so I commanded the bugs to crawl up the crossbowmen and chamberlain and bite at will. I had the wheelmouth crawl up the viceroy’s chair and then his armored back. Khaghesh was the first to scream and start slapping at his clothes, followed shortly by all the crossbowmen, who dropped their weapons in an attempt to crush the bugs chewing them up.

“Don’t move, Viceroy,” I said as he gripped the arms of his chair as a prelude to lunging out of it. “There’s a wheelmouth at your neck, and he will bite at my command.”

Melishev sneered at me. “I think I’d know if a wheelmouth was crawling on me.”

“Not through all that armor of yours. Turn your head, very slowly, and look at your left shoulder. Don’t jump or try to brush him off. It won’t end well.”

Melishev Lohmet swiveled his head to the left and saw the gaping serrated circle of a wheelmouth’s jaws facing him. That left eye muscle jumped so much that the eye simply closed and stayed that way. For the first time, I saw fear in his face rather than barely restrained malice or amusement. And because I had caused that and witnessed it, he would forever be my enemy.

“Dismiss your soldiers and your chamberlain. I’ll call off the bugs.” I did exactly that, except for the wheelmouth. I asked him to stay precisely where he was, ready to strike. Melishev ordered everyone out, and I added, “Leave those crossbows on the ground.” They would depart with some painful bites and a lingering sense of horror but nothing worse.

“We’ll be waiting for you outside,” Khaghesh promised me, and I was sure they would. Once we had privacy, I leaned forward and told Melishev to look at me, not the wheelmouth.

“I’m not advocating airy lovey-dovey Kaurian peace, Viceroy. This hunter brat can be ruthless, too. I can kill you right now without spending myself at all and deal with your replacement. Or I can wipe out every single soldier in the city and simply take over. As I said earlier—I’m not sure you were listening—if I wanted to take your power, I would have taken it already. Are you listening now, and do you understand?”

“Yes to both.”

“That’s good. Because I came to you in a peaceful manner, and you were the one who decided to flex on me, giving me a stupid either-or decision to make. When you push me like that, I push back hard. Just ask the very dead cavalry of Khul Bashab. So now let me give you an ultimatum: either you write up a legal and valid Beast Callers clave charter right now and then a contract for me to fight the Hathrim or I will have the wheelmouth bore into your twitchy left eye there. What’s it going to be?”

“The charter and contract,” the viceroy said.

“Excellent.