The Houndsman by Pal J

Author:Pal, J
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2021-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

26

“What’s the saying?” Winona asked, furrowing her eyebrows and staring at the fire. “That’s right! I know it’s like beating a dead horse, but you should talk to the villagers again.”

No one had attacked the fort during the night, and Flint wanted to enjoy his breakfast in peace, but Winona started on the subject again. He understood her concern, but it annoyed him that she wouldn’t just leave the matter alone.

“I’ve been thinking about it, Flint, and if the hill giant sensed magic flaring in the fort, others would have too. If the word gets around and they bump into a scouting party, things might get dangerous. Brownies can converse with hill giants, you know, and they sing for wine or spirits.”

“You’re not changing my mind, Winona,” Flint said, finishing his porridge.

“What about the shadows you spotted yesterday? I caught a glimpse of them too. The iron keeps me from casting magic through my hands and feet, but my eyes are still much more powerful than yours.”

“Don’t say that in Twylip’s earshot,” Flint commented, chuckling. “She’ll blindfold you with iron.”

“That girl is paranoid.”

“Well, you came here planning to trespass on her home ground. Can you blame her for not trusting you?”

Winona didn’t answer. Adam watched them talk, shoveling porridge into his mouth. He and Twylip had heard the rock thrown the day before but had mistaken it for Flint taking down an unstable building. When he told them the truth of what happened, Adam’s face had paled. Twylip explained that they had heard terrifying tales of giants but had never seen them in the village. Nothing dared brave the steep cliffs of Lea’s Slumber. There were almost-vertical drops, and it was too smooth for handholds. The mountains beyond were just as bleak.

It gave the villagers their security, and they liked to believe threats like giants only existed in bedtime stories. When faced with the matter, neither Twylip nor Adam knew how to react. It urged them to help Flint complete his quests quicker. Besides the hope of usable skill stones, they too wanted to discover the [City Planning Table]’s purpose and abilities.

After breakfast, Maya and Bjorn returned to the wall. Since they still had plenty of meat, the dogs didn’t need to go hunting, and Adam no longer needed help by the inner defenses either. Flint felt bad about Maya hanging around alone as well. He hoped as a pair, they’d keep each other company. Seeing two monstrous canines on the walls would hopefully deter invaders too. Bjorn was almost as big as a fae-touched wolf now, after all. Maya didn’t have the same height or width, but she was still larger than most dogs. Flint hoped that together they posed an imposing-enough threat.

Adam parted ways with Flint and Winona at the dig site. Digging began as soon as the prisoner was secure. Flint went across the pass first, digging a two-foot-deep depression the size of the moat. One side of the slope was taller than the other, of course, so before going deeper, he started on the bridge.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.