A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings #1) - Kevin Hearne Page 0,61

opportunity to address my desire to be anything but a hunter.

Well, that’s not true; I could bring it up at any time. But my thinking is that if I bring it up as they’re going to hunt, they won’t be able to discuss it for long. They’ll have to go after the prey before it escapes, and that will be my escape. Besides, I still have to think of what else I want to be. Maybe I could go to the university in Ar Balesh—or almost anywhere else—and find something worthy of study. I’m beginning to think that hunting for a livelihood will be more difficult than hunting on the plains.

What’s changed for the better is that I won’t have to hear about choosing a bride anymore. Over breakfast this morning Uncle Navir was talking about my cousin Favoush getting married soon, and inevitably his eyes slid over to me and a grin spread across his face. “What about you, Abhi?” he said. “When will you pick out a woman?”

“Never,” I blurted out in front of everyone. “I’m sakhret.”

It wasn’t the way I’d planned to tell them, but their reaction wasn’t what I expected either. A great cry went up from everyone around the campfire, not in outrage or shock but in appreciation and with many congratulatory slaps on the back for my uncle. Everyone was smiling but me. I didn’t understand what was happening until people started handing my uncle money.

“Wait,” I said. “Did he just win something?”

“We’ve had a standing wager for a year now,” Father answered, smiling for the first time in days. “We had to get you to admit you’re sakhret without directly asking you.”

“What? You mean you knew?”

“We’ve known a long time, Abhi,” Mother said, and she stepped around the campfire to embrace me and kiss my cheek. “We were just waiting for you to tell us.” As soon as she released me, Uncle Navir crushed me in his arms to thank me for ending the suspense and filling his purse while I was at it.

I was happy for Uncle Navir and grateful beyond words that my family loved me unconditionally. It should be a gift freely given to all, a thing taken for granted, but I knew many sakhret never felt such acceptance. Quite the opposite. And that made it so much harder for me to tell them that I never wished to hunt again, to reject their way of life and a large part of their identity when they had already given their blessing to a large part of mine.

But the day would come, and it would come soon. We would find the kherns, and when that happened, I would wager my family had never thought to place another wager on my refusal to pick up a spear.

—

“What happened next to Abhi and his family will take up the majority of our time tomorrow,” Fintan said. “And I assure you that none of them would have bet on it happening.”

A groan accompanied the creak of the door when Elynea returned from her first day of work. She had a hand on her back and a wince of pain crinkling her brow.

“That bad, eh?”

With her free hand she pulled out a small leather bag and shook it. Coins made music inside, and she managed a tiny smile. “Not that bad.”

“Good. Save it all. Eventually you’ll be able to get your own place somewhere.”

“I think there’s a mariner waiting for you outside,” Elynea said.

“What?” I peeked through the window, and sure enough, there was a blue and white uniform. Maybe he wasn’t there for me specifically but rather was a security detail. He was smiling and nodding at passersby on the street. “I’ll go see what he wants. It’s time for me to go anyway.”

I gathered my paper, quill, and ink pot and left Elynea in the kitchen with her kids, making them lunch from a few staples I had ventured out to get that morning. The mariner was indeed waiting for me.

“Master Dervan, good day. I’m to escort you to the bard.”

“No need. I already know my way to the Siren’s Call.”

“He’s not there. He was moved to a safer location last night.”

That stopped me. “Safer location?”

“I don’t have many details, unfortunately, but I’m sure he can fill you in.” He pointed in the opposite direction we would have taken to the Siren’s Call. “This way if you’re ready.”

“Absolutely. Lead on.”

The benefit of living in a city blessed by the Fourth Kenning is that