A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings #1) - Kevin Hearne Page 0,274

to me then said, “Well, that’s all I need to know.” He tossed the journal to me. “Here,” he said. “New stories for you.”

We rode north together, glad to be shut of the Godsteeth for a good long while.

—

The bard grinned at the audience, and many of them grinned back at him. “That’s how I became the traveling companion of the world’s first plaguebringer. We will hear plenty more from Abhi in days ahead, though for obvious reasons I will have no more of the viceroy’s personal reflections to share. Meanwhile, as Abhi and I made our way north, Gondel Vedd and Ponder Tann arrived here in Pelemyn for a brief while. Gondel found out some rather startling news, and I assure you ahead of time that I have permission to share it.”

The Wellspring of Pelemyn was so humid that one could almost feel clouds parting as one walked through the vapor. To be charitable, I supposed no one ever felt like their skin was drying out, but taking a deep breath of air was impossible without inhaling a good measure of sea salt in the bargain. Thank goodness it was quite cool or else it would have been unbearable.

Soon after my arrival in the city and the return of Culland du Raffert’s journal to his superior, Second Könstad Tallynd du Böll, she brought me the documents she’d seized at Hillegöm. The Brynts had been unable to make sense of them, but I immediately recognized the Eculan language. As with translating Zanata Sedam, there were words here and there that escaped me, but they were not enough to keep the basic meaning out of reach, and the Eculans had not bothered to use a code.

My discoveries warranted a meeting with Pelenaut Röllend and his Lung, Föstyr, as well as their chief military officer, Könstad du Lallend. The Lung started with a minimum of formality.

“Scholar, thank you for your work. Please share what you’ve found.”

I handed over a copy of the documents translated into Brynt to him, which he immediately passed to the pelenaut. “What the Second Könstad stole was the Eculan invasion plans, much of which you already know because it happened. But what you did not know is that they sent two additional fleets in search of the Seven-Year Ship. One landed at the Mistmaiden Isles, and one went to some ill-defined place in the Northern Yawn.”

Könstad du Lallend swiveled his head to the right. “That means they could still be out there.”

“We’ll check the Mistmaiden Isles,” the pelenaut said. “Actually, I’d like you to do that tomorrow, Tallynd, very carefully, if you would not mind.”

“Of course,” she replied.

“But I’m sure the wraiths took care of them for us or we would have heard from them by now. The other army worries me more. A force that size could conceivably make its way south through the Gravewood, and we have Fornyd repopulated and some new settlers on their way to Festwyf.”

“There was nothing about which side of the Poet’s Range the army may have landed on?” Föstyr asked me. “Are they north of us or north of Rael or even Ghurana Nent?”

“They were unsure of their final destination. They were looking for some landmark along the coast, the sort of thing where they would know it when they saw it.”

“What sort of landmark?”

“It’s never described, only named in their language as the ‘Nest of Man-Eaters.’ I’ve translated it as ‘Kraken’s Nest’ since that is what the Eculans typically mean when they say ‘man-eater,’ though it could also refer to bladefins or longarms. I have no idea, unfortunately, what that might look like, nor have I ever heard of such a landmark along the northern coast.”

Pelenaut Röllend turned to the Lung and said, “Dervan du Alöbar is an historian. Ask him if he remembers ever hearing of it.”

“There’s more. The Eculans have a contact here in Pelemyn.”

Silence, widened eyes, and then the Lung said: “A traitor?”

“I assume so. A contact by the single name of Vjeko.”

“This never leaves the room,” the pelenaut said, making eye contact with each of us in turn. “You tell no one. I mean no one, Föstyr.”

“Understood.”

Pelenaut Röllend tapped the copy of the report I’d given him. “Gondel, do you know where I can find mention of Vjeko in here?”

“Page ten, I believe.”

He began to flip through the papers. “Any other contacts listed besides him?”

“No.”

“Exactly how were they to contact him?”

“That’s not mentioned, unfortunately.”

“Very well. Thank you, Gondel. We’re very grateful for your assistance, and I’m going to take some time to absorb this. You’ll remain in Pelemyn for a few days at least in case I have questions?”

“Both Ponder and I are at your disposal until duty calls us elsewhere,” I said. “We’ll be staying at the Kaurian embassy.”

Ponder had no difficulty with the decision; the handsome lad had many admirers already. For my part, I longed to return home to Maron and call my duty done: no one would question it except for me. If I returned now, I would always wonder if I could have done something more to save lives and to prevent Kauria from ever suffering the way Brynlön has. So I determined to stay and wrote Maron a love letter instead so that he would know that yes, I was still driven, still consumed by my work, but I was thinking of him, too, and though I might seem lost, one day I would be found again in his arms.

The mood is justifiably dark and bleak here, and I can see the pelenaut straining to see a way through for his people. In addition to what I’ve seen with my own eyes—the slaughter at Möllerud and Göfyrd, the loss of so many families like Kallindra du Paskre’s—I’ve since learned that it was just as bad in the north.

Amid so much ruin I prayed that Reinei would, in some near future, gasp a labored breath of peace.