The Dragon Lords: Fool's Gold by Hollins Jon

Author:Hollins, Jon [Hollins, Jon]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Fiction / Action & Adventure
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2016-07-18T16:00:00+00:00

37

Rabble-Rousing

It was being, Balur thought, a good day to die. It was being an even better day, though, for other people to do it.

He strode easily down the road, feeling the weight of his war hammer bounce against his back. The autumn sun was high above him, the fresh smell of Athril’s Lake was in the air, and the promise of violence was before him.

The only grit in the oyster of his life was the crowd of three hundred peasants marching at his back. They kicked up dust. They muttered to themselves. And they detracted considerably from the clean smell blowing off the lake.

He looked over at Quirk. “I am knowing that Will is the mastermind, and all,” he said, “but are you thinking that we could be doing all of this without this lot?” He jerked his head back in the direction of the followers.

Quirk didn’t exactly grimace, but she didn’t exactly smile either. “I’m not sure,” she said, “that we get a say.”

Balur grunted. He did not like that answer. “Will has been gaining power,” he said, “very quickly, and without experience. Perhaps we should not be respecting his opinion.” It was perhaps more than he should share with Quirk. Not that he had many others to share the insight with. And Quirk struck him as the practical sort, especially after what she had done in Mattrax’s cave.

“I’m honestly not sure,” she said, “that Will gets much of a say either. You know as well as I that he’d rather be rid of the crowd.”

Not for the first time in his life, Balur wished he had an eyebrow to arch. What Quirk said was true. It was just not a very comforting fact.

Quirk seemed to get the idea anyway. “If they listen to anyone,” she said, “they seem to listen to Firkin.”

Balur chewed on that. “But Will is going to Firkin,” he said, “and is telling him what to do. And then Firkin is being doing what Will asked him to do.” Command, whether direct or by proxy, was command as far as Balur was concerned.

“Just because what Will wants and what Firkin wants are the same thing,” said Quirk, “doesn’t mean that Firkin is doing it because it’s what Will wants.” She let that sink in before adding the kicker. “The question is, what does Firkin want?”

Balur was liking that even less. Quirk was making it sound like a problem that could not be solved simply through the application of a flat metal surface to a curved bone one. Though perhaps if the curved bone surface happened to be beneath the skin of Firkin’s forehead…

On the other hand, that would mess with Will’s plan, and messing with Will’s plan had not been entirely beneficial the last time around. In fact, Firkin not following Will’s plan was largely what had led them to the point of having followers to be concerned about. So perhaps a little creative thinking on his part was not what the situation required at this moment.

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