Against the Giants Read Online Free PDF Page B

them knew my father, Lhors thought
wistfully. But he felt suddenly shy. He wouldn’t know what to say to such men,
and likely they’d ignore him.
    There were two guards at the broad step leading to the main
door—a massive, bronze reinforced slab of wood that stood open. Lhors swallowed
past a very dry throat and walked up to them. The guards drew two swords each
and stepped to block his way.
    “Name, affiliation, and business,” one of them snapped.
    “Affiliation—that means what village you’re from,” the second
added with an unpleasant grin.
    “Be polite, Efoyan,” the first chided, but he was grinning,
too.
    Efoyan simpered. Lhors blinked. He hadn’t expected their kind
in the lord’s employ—young men who were full of themselves and what little power
their duties gave them. Well, the trick was to keep his irritation in check. If
they couldn’t get him angry, they’d give over.
    “I am Lhors, son of Lharis,” he said, “of the village Upper
Haven to the north. I bring the Lord Mebree word of danger.”
    “‘Son of Lharis’, indeed!” Efoyan smirked. “Imagine, Doneghal!
Here’s a peasant who believes he can name his sire!”
    Lhors decided to let the insult pass. He would never receive
an audience with the lord by quarreling with guards. He waited. Doneghal finally
waved him to continue. “Some nights ago,” Lhors said, proud that his voice did
not tremble at the memory, “Upper Haven fought giants—”
    Both men broke into spluttering laughter, again silencing
him. “Giants?” Doneghal jeered. “There are no giants in Keoland!”
    “What? Did you attack the brutes with torches and scythes, or
merely feed them bad village stew and ale?” Efoyan snickered.
    Lhors set his jaw and grimly plunged on. “We did fight. My
father was once a guard here in this very city, and he trained us boys.”
    “Oh, it gets better. His father a Cryllor guard, yet! And
he’s trained himself!” Both men laughed harshly, then Efoyan drew himself
upright. “Go away, boy. It’s a clever tale but we’ve heard many better.”
    “Giants indeed,” Doneghal snorted, narrowed eyes fixed on
Lhors, who suddenly realized what a picture he must present after three days of
hunting in the hills followed by Upper Haven’s final, bloody night, and then
days of journey on short rations with no time or place to properly bathe.
    “You, boy,” Efoyan said, “I know what you are. You’re a
grubby little market thief trying to get in to steal something or catch a
glimpse of the king and win a bet with your fellow grubby thieves, aren’t you?
Well, it won’t work! Not while we’re on guard!”
    Lhors stared at him. “Steal?” he managed. The guards seemed
to find this wildly funny.
    Efoyan swallowed laughter. “Look, peasant. If there really were giants about, we’d know it, see? The Lord Mebree’s steward would’ve
sent orders for us to pass anyone who could tell him about giants.”
    “Yes, he would,” Doneghal added. “Because, if anyone was to
be told, it would be us, d’ye see? Because we two are the ones who’d have to
know it was all right for you to be inside, wouldn’t we?”
    “But we haven’t been told one gods’ blessed word about
giants. So you see what that means, don’t you? Means you’re lying to us, doesn’t
it?”
    “Lying!” Doneghal finished triumphantly. “So! Just you be
off, right now! You aren’t getting into the keep, not today or any day soon! Not
with a stupid tale like that!”
    “Your pardon, sirs,” Lhors broke in sharply, “but Upper Haven is in the
foothills well to the north of here—many days’ ride. Until our village was
attacked, no one around there had seen giants, so I must warn the lord or get a
message to him—”
    “You grow boring,” Efoyan said flatly. He set his spear
against the wall and gave Lhors a shove. Lhors fought for balance, managing to
right himself as the guards stalked toward him.
    “Boring,” Doneghal echoed and tossed