Ravs Are Rarely Wrong: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol III Page 28

  “Thank you for listening. We will leave in the morning because there are others that need to be informed as well. If you send any help to Lerramorre, ask for Taran. He’s my brother. Good night.”

  Justin and Lucy left the council members who immediately started arguing again. Lucy wondered if the sturdy looking table would survive a council brawl. Reddick stopped them at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Will any Dwarves be welcome?” he asked.

  “All are welcome to help fight. Ask for Taran,” reiterated Justin. “Kinda, Dwather, and a few others are already there.”

  “That army almost looks ready to move. I thought I saw advance scouts leaving. How long do we have?”

  “Once the main army starts to move, about a month before they reach Lerramorre.”

  Reddick nodded and walked out of the inn. No matter what the council chose to do or not to do, Lucy was sure Reddick would let more Dwarves know what was occurring. It may or may not lead to immediate physical help for the armies gathering at Lerramorre, but awareness couldn’t hurt.

  “Again, better than I expected,” said Justin when they were back in their room. “I was sure we wouldn’t see anyone until tomorrow.”

  “I guess it helps when you pick the inn with the best dark beer,” replied Lucy mischievously.

  “Good dark beer is hard to resist,” smiled Justin in return.

  “We leave in the morning?” asked Lucy.

  “I think we have to,” said Justin. “Reddick noted what the ministers overlooked. Advanced scouts were moving out. I think we are running out of time. At least the Giants are close. They get along reasonably well with the Dwarves. The troublesome part is they are less centralized, more tribal. Finding Giants is harder than it sounds. They live in areas of tall trees and large rock formations. They use massive rocks to build small cave-like areas for shelter. They tend to keep bees and herd animals native to the land like buffalo or elk. They can run faster than the animals they raise so they never bother with pens or fences. Someone always keeps watch for predators, but no one is as still as a Giant when they want to be despite their size. From the air, it all looks natural. Unless you see a Giant moving, or one is using a fire to cook, it is hard to pick out a settlement in the wilderness.

  “The Giants have an area where they all meet four times a year. They discuss problems and joys among the tribes, propose ideas, trade, and have fun. People from other lands are welcome to arrive on the second day of festivities to trade for their honey, smoked meat, and leather goods. Unfortunately this is not one of the times they gather together, so there is no point in even checking there.

  “Even if we do find them quickly, many of them are passive with only a few warrior protectors to a tribe. The tribes that are more warlike are also the least likely ones to listen to us. I don’t know how many we will be able to meet with before we need to check on Kinda. We will have to weigh the possible contribution of Giants against the time it takes to track down and convince them.”

  “Everything is about choices. Let’s just hope our choices are the right ones.”

  Chapter 40

  The next morning, Justin and Lucy thanked the innkeeper. After a filling breakfast of porridge, of course.

  “This is the best inn I’ve ever stayed in,” said Lucy. “Everything was clean, comfortable, and the food was worth the travel.”

  “Thank you,” replied the innkeeper. “I appreciate you bringing the council, too. It was good for business.”

  “Your beer brought the council,” laughed Justin. “Superb beer creates and maintains good business. We’ll be back.”

  Lucy thought the innkeeper blushed, but it was hard to tell under the beard. Lucy would definitely be back, if she had the chance. Justin and Lucy walked through town, over the bridge and about a mile or two away before melting into their kestrel forms and flying off in search of Giants. Lucy was starting to feel a sense of urgency about their mission. The Shadow Weaver army was ready to move and once it started, they had about a month. How long would it take the Dwarves to make a decision? How long to mobilize their army and travel? She hoped they would find the Giants quickly. How much longer could they spend rounding up support? Even with Kinda’s traps, they would probably need to be involved with finding other ways to slow down the army. They didn’t have a plan for that yet.

  It took them an entire day to locate even one tribe. Justin spotted the first Giant. She was washing laundry in the river. They landed nearby, melted back into their normal forms and walked out of the woods. They didn’t want to startle her, but Lucy wondered if she would even see them as a threat. The Giant looked young, but Lucy didn’t have much experience to go on. She looked to be between ten and twelve feet tall with long blond hair tied back with a strip of leather. She had bright blue eyes and rosy cheeks with a dimple in her chin. Her trousers were rolled up to keep them out of the water as she worked; her yellow tunic was belted at the waist.

  “Greetings,” said Justin.

  The Giant nodded but did not stop working.

  “We are here to warn you of an army coming from the mists. Who would we talk to about that?”

  “My Ma is the leader of this tribe,” she said. “She is that way,” the Giant motioned northeast with her head.

  “Thank you,” said Lucy with a friendly smile. The girl smiled back. Lucy was surprised by how her face transformed when she did, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.

  They walked northeast until they came to another Giant. Lucy could see the family resemblance between the Giant woman standing before them and the girl doing laundry. She was closer to fifteen feet tall, more voluptuous than the girl had been, with blond hair braided around her head like a crown. She wore trousers and an orange tunic with birds embroidered on it. She was smoking a pipe.

  “Greetings,” said Justin.

  “It’s not often we get little people in these parts. We see traders at festival time. What can I do for you?” she asked kindly, taking a draw on the pipe. She sat down on a nearby rock so as to be closer to their eye level.

  “We are here to warn you. There is an army forming on the other side of the mists, led by Shadow Weavers.”

  “The mists are far away from here,” she said, not even blinking at the news.

  “They are,” acknowledged Justin.

  “You are looking for warriors to aid in your fight.”

  “It is everyone’s fight.”

  “No, not everyone is meant to fight,” she corrected, blowing a smoke ring.

  “Those who do not fight will most likely fall to the army of nightmares.”

  “That is still their choice to make.”

  “It is.”

  “I understand humans are more vulnerable. They are weaker; their lives are shorter. What would Shadow Weavers want with Giants? They will come here, much weakened after battling you. They will wish to conquer, but no army will meet them. What will they do then? Are we worth hunting down? Not to them. They will murder some as an example and to assert their authority. Then, they will leave. They will move on across the plains to the deserts. They will find more people to fight there. We are Giants. We are part of the land. We will endure.”

  The Giant explained all this calmly, without fear, but with a sense of inevitability.

  “That may be,” began Justin diplomatically, “but what if you and your daughter are the ones who die?”

  “Then we will be dead,” she said practically. She smiled a sad smile and puffed on her pipe. “You came looking for intimidating warriors to help you fight, and you found me. How disappointing for you.”

  “We have to try.”

  “Yes, I see you think you must. I would let you talk to my tribe, but we are not warriors. The few who have those abilities would not go with you. There are only three. One has a broken arm, one’s wife is due to give birth, and the third is too young. She is still in training. Keep traveling north little people. You may find what you seek. I wish you luck.”

&
nbsp; “Thank you,” replied Justin politely, though Lucy could sense his disappointment.

  Lucy and Justin walked back into the trees and changed into kestrels. They flew north looking for more warlike Giants. Lucy had to admit her first conversations with Giants on Kinowenn were not what she was expecting. She also wondered if more aggressive Giants would be more inclined to help them or to eat them.

  They flew for two more days. That was all the time they were willing to expend. Lucy wasn’t sure if she was feeling a little bit of slack to the leash attached to the army or if it was her paranoid imagination. They knew the advance scouts had left the main force, they could see that when they showed the Giants the army. The last time they checked, instead of milling around, it was forming into ranks. How long before the main army marched? How quickly could they move?

  Each day they met with different tribes of Giants. Each tribe had members willing to listen. Many wanted to see what Lucy was willing to show. Most believed what Lucy had to show was true. Lucy liked not having to argue the validity of what she was showing. It was difficult, however, to accept that seeing wasn’t enough. Some of the Giants, like the first, didn’t worry about an army of nightmares. They were fatalistic in their viewpoints and believed what would be would be. Many were concerned on some level and some wanted to participate. Not all Giants were passive. The warlike ones weren’t sure if they would be welcome by a human army. Some of them had little to do with humans and wanted to keep it that way. After three days, none of the tribes had actually pledged any assistance. Justin kept giving them Taran’s name and suggesting they come soon, if they were coming. One of the predominately male, warlike tribes looked interested in participating, but Lucy wasn’t sure which side they were more attracted to join. That made her apprehensive.

  “Do you think any will come?” asked Lucy as they walked away from the latest tribe.

  “I don’t know. If you can convince one Giant to fight on your side, they can be worth an army on their own. When battle rage overtakes them, they are almost unstoppable. You saw the damage they were able to do against Lerramorre. I still wonder how Fredamonn was able to recruit the ones they had.”

  “We can guess Fredamonn had some outside influence from the Shadow Weavers. Perhaps they encouraged the Giants. Or, perhaps the ones that fought were outcasts. Maybe we could find some,” suggested Lucy.

  “We could try. Is it worth the time?”

  “It’s not like we travel slowly,” commented Lucy. “I think we should fly over to the mountains and check on Kinda’s status. We can stop by Lerramorre and survey the troops. Then, if there is still time, we can fly back here and search for outcasts. I don’t think there will be time though.”

  “I agree,” said Justin. He kissed her.

  “I wish we could have done more.”

  “I wish I could tell you otherwise, but get used to that feeling. It’s the fate of being someone who cares and has power. We might get lucky and a few will show up by word of mouth. The tribes don’t all gather at this time of the year, but they don’t live in complete isolation from each other either.”

  Lucy sighed, smiled, and kissed him. They melted into their kestrel forms and flew west into the setting sun.

  Chapter 41

  Justin and Lucy flew as fast and as far as they could. They stopped near a pond to take a break and let Lucy scry for Kinda. After Lucy melted back into human form, she voiced something that had been bothering her.

  “Should we be stopping at Taran’s cabin? Should we make a quick appearance at the school to let Eric and Quinn know what’s going on? They did ask us to keep them informed.”

  “Don’t worry. I sent them a note through Philip.”

  “A note? What did you write? ‘Dear Mom, don’t worry. We survived the mists and found out Shadow Weavers are planning an invasion. We are gathering an army. See you for dinner at the next solstice.’”

  “Something like that,” answered Justin with a shrug.

  “Someday, she will randomly appear and she is not going to be happy with you,” warned Lucy.

  Justin sighed, “No, she’s not, but at least she knows what’s happening. That was what they asked for. They wanted us to let them know what we discovered. We’ve done that. I haven’t heard anything back so she can’t be that upset or concerned.”

  “Unless she really is coming here in person,” suggested Lucy.

  “I sincerely hope not,” intoned Justin running his fingers through his hair. “Now, would you be so kind as to find out where our Dwarven booby trap addict is?”

  Lucy smiled and walked closer to the pond. A picture of Kinda appeared almost immediately. Lucy moved the view out and east until they could figure out the relation to their own location in the mountains.

  “We should probably fly in and land directly next to Kinda,” Justin suggested. “She is hard working and creative. Half the mountain could be booby trapped by now. We don’t want to set anything off accidently. We have better things to do than die in one of Kinda’s traps.”

  “That Dwarven friend of hers looked pretty fired up about the idea of snares as well. I’m glad they are on our side and they can exercise their creative tendencies constructively.”

  Lucy waited for Justin to respond, but he didn’t. If he wasn’t listening, that meant he had something else more important on his mind. She looked at him inquisitively. He wasn’t moving. At all. His mouth hung open like he was beginning to say something. His eyes weren’t blinking. His body was at an awkward mid-motion pose. Now, Lucy was worried. She immediately strengthened her shields. She always kept minor shields up, but she had even stronger shields for battle. What was going on? She wanted to walk over to Justin and try to unfreeze him, but she thought it was better to scan the surrounding forest for threats. Helping Justin would distract her, making her vulnerable. She sensed him before she saw him. There was a definite intensity to her left.

  “Come out, Rav. I know you’re there,” called Lucy.

  “Hello, Lucy,” he greeted her politely.

  His lithe form strolled out of the forest and into view. He held his hands up in a defensive motion, as if he didn’t mean her any harm. Lucy gave him a skeptical look with a glance in Justin’s direction. The Rav shrugged and offered a half smile.

  “He’s fine,” he said. “I needed to talk to you. You keep blinking in and out of availability. I certainly wasn’t going to chase you all over Giant territory. I have better things to do with my time. This seemed the best opportunity to steal a minute. I’ll unfreeze him when we’re done.”

  “Why not unfreeze him now? Would it hurt for him to hear our conversation?”

  “Not particularly, but it will be quicker and easier without him. I don’t think he and I will get on too well. Do you want me to be concise or get sidetracked trading insults with your friend?”

  “You could try to get along,” said Lucy. She ignored that he pointedly used the word ‘friend’ instead of lover or boyfriend. She was sure he had used that word to push her buttons. Arguing her relationship status with the Rav seemed like a moot point.

  “It would be a waste of time to no avail. We both want the same thing though for different reasons. I get the impression you prefer to keep our interactions short. If you desire a prolonged interlude, I can unfreeze him.”

  “Is everything you say antagonistic?”

  He shrugged and smiled.

  “Why are you here?” asked Lucy with a sigh.

  “For you.”

  “Yes, we’ve been through this before. I’m not yours. I’m not going with you. You’ll have to find a way to do what needs to be done without me.”

  “What are you doing when you disappear?” he asked curiously.

  “Nothing that concerns you,” replied Lucy.

  “Everything you do concerns me,” he said with a knowing smile, letting his intensity wash over her again.

  “No, it doesn’t,” Lucy maintained stubbornly. If he didn’t know she could change into a
bird, she saw no reason to enlighten him. “Get to the point.”

  “I need you.”

  “You can’t possibly be the only Rav in the area. Find one to help you. I can’t possibly be the only candidate; find someone else to seduce and train.”

  “I’d prefer to maintain my aura of mystery and power, but to be honest, Ravs are a dying breed. There aren’t as many of us as there needs to be to thwart every evil plot. I can’t reach the closest one, which means something must have happened to her. So, you might not be a Rav, but you are the next best thing to one in the area. Thanks to your training with Ishalla and my additional tutelage, you know as much as some Ravs and are already stronger than others. You have more training than any other candidates around and are personally invested in the outcome. I can’t think of a better person to turn to.”

  “You make the situation sound bleak.”

  “It is,” he said. “I thought you were aware of the state of affairs.”

  “I am aware of the circumstances. That’s why we’re trying to build an army.”

  “I admire your enthusiasm but not your plan. You’ve seen what’s coming. You can’t possibly think what you’re doing is enough,” his voice dripped condescension.

  “I’m not that naïve, but I have to start somewhere,” argued Lucy.

  “What are you going to do after that? Have you and lover boy ironed out the details? Are you going to lead the army throwing fireballs at creatures from the darkness until you pass out from exhaustion? Then what? They’ll keep coming. There are more of them than you think. You can view them in a pond, but it doesn’t compare to the reality of the army. It doesn’t do justice to the fear they embody, the terror they inspire, the perverse pleasure they take in killing, or the vastness of their numbers.”