A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings #1) - Kevin Hearne Page 0,252

crouched, but the horses could be seen above it. Before that crew took a good look around to the east, I dismounted and asked the horses to lie down for a few minutes so that I could think in safety.

“Murr. Can you smell the large people near here? I mean, do they have a specific smell?”

The bloodcat tipped his snout into the air, and his nostrils flared as he took in a few deep breaths. Then he looked at me and tossed his chin in a nod.

“Can you smell any of them closer to us than they are?” He checked again and nodded. “Where? I mean, in which direction? Can you point with one of your paws?”

He turned south to face the Godsteeth and lifted his right front paw in that direction. I rose somewhat from my crouch so that I could peek over the grass. A hundred or so lengths away, the plains gave way to hills that rose to mountains, and they were covered in shorter grasses, shrubs, and grand moss pine trees. Tans and browns and some leafy greens mostly, so the gray and white movement among it all caught my eyes.

Two Hathrim houndsmen on patrol, returning to the city at a leisurely walk. Unbelievable to see a predator that size—the hounds alone were the size of kherns! I couldn’t tell whether the armored giants astride them were lavaborn, but either way they posed a challenge. I’d have no chance against them without my own kenning. Now that I’d seen the hounds with my own eyes, I reached out with my kenning to see if I could locate them. They weren’t native to Ghurana Nent, so I wanted to make sure it would work, and it did. I sensed the hounds, felt their barely contained ferocity, and knew that I could use it to my advantage. I suggested to the hounds that the lavaborn with the fiery skull was extraordinarily delicious but only one of them could get there first, and they took off at top speed, much to the surprise of their riders. One of them held on, though just barely, and the other toppled from his saddle onto the ground, axe and all.

The houndsman who managed to stay mounted yanked hard on the reins, but his hound fought it, twisting and shaking its head from side to side and then spinning in a circle to try to reach the rider on its back. That was certainly entertaining, but I wanted to see what happened with the free hound. It had descended from the trees and charged full speed through the grass toward the working giants next to the city walls. Kalaad, what power there! But it was not a stealthy charge. The Hathrim outside turned and saw it coming and raised the alarm, and one bearded giant stepped forward to meet the charge. He was not armored, but he did have one of those huge axes, and he set it aflame, demonstrating that he was lavaborn also. Though the lavaborn were supposed to be my targets, it would not end well for the hound and I told it to stop and forget it; none of those giants were tasty after all.

In fact, he should sit down until his rider could catch up, and I told the other hound to calm down as well. I knew that those hounds most likely would be involved in the battle later, but I could muster no more anger toward them than I could toward the horse that bore the man who shot Madhep. Let the king’s army worry about them: I hadn’t been sent to hunt hounds, only giants blessed with the First Kenning. But what could the Sixth Kenning do against fire? I knew of no fireproof animals.

The giant who’d fallen off his mount groaned audibly and clambered to his feet. He said some things that I assumed were curses and began to jog after his hound, his heavy footsteps crashing through the underbrush. The more competent rider was berating his hound in an angry tone while the lavaborn was standing in place, ready to defend the workers should either hound resume its charge. He was a valid target.

I searched the area with my new senses, hoping a solution might present itself. High up in a grand moss pine perhaps three or four ranks up from where they were clearing trees, a hive of moss hornets reminded me of something Hanima once said: if anybody gave her cause,