Page 23 of Greed of Giants
The man paused, glanced at me, then back at the shore. “I didn’t see your boat. Did you arrive this morning?”
“Yesterday.”
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Then, “Yes, I could use a hand with the fish. I came to see Ilaris, the Scholar. You might have seen her?”
“She came to study the ruins?”
The man nodded. “I’m Harlan, one of the few bold enough to come here. Pardon me, I did not intend to come off as rude, but you surprised me. I haven’t seen you in these parts before. You’re not from Stonehaven.”
The name was unfamiliar. “No, it’s been a while since I’ve been to these parts.”
“Then perhaps you’d be interested in a tour?”
“Actually, I’m more interested in getting back to the mainland.”
“Then I’ll take you when I leave.”
I nodded. Conversation was never hard, nor was getting what I wanted from people. Not much had changed.
“Have you had breakfast?” Harlan asked.
“Not yet.”
“Join me on the beach. I’m partial to building a fire out here. Food always tastes best outdoors.”
A truth I agreed with.
We gathered driftwood, and when his back was turned I sparked a flame, coaxing the fire into life. He didn’t question it as he built a spit for the fish, then passed me a knife. We sat on rocks, skinning and gutting the fish, talking as we worked.
“I grew up around these parts,” Harlan said. “Still do a bit of everything: fishing, woodworking, the odd jobs. I like coming out here. It’s quiet. The wildness is still in thewoods, the ancient spirit lingering in the bones of the earth. I think it’s because of the ruins, but most people are spooked. They believe in curses, would rather not speak about it, much less pass through the mist to come here. So I’m surprised you’re here. Why?”
I laid the clean fish on rocks, so Harlan could skewer them over the fire. Ironic how the truth struck me in ways that Harlan would never understand. “I guard that which should not be opened, and find a way to ensure what is done cannot be undone.”
Harlan shrugged. “Sounds like a riddle to me. You might be interested in the ruins then. I was planning on taking the scholar there, unless she found her way there yesterday. I’m sure she has questions.”
I avoided talking about Ilaris. It wasn’t my concern, and she could speak for herself. So I asked another question instead. “What is your interest in the giants?”
“I’d say it’s more intellectual. They were before our time, yet they accomplished feats humans never have. Or at least the evidence is still there. They lived longer lives, were smarter, faster, better. I suppose I’m curious what wisdom I might glean from the past, what treasure might be uncovered.”
Treasure. It always came back to finding what should remain buried. Taking what didn’t belong. “And the fact that the giants’ greed led to the Great Sundering doesn’t frighten you?”
“So you’ve heard that story too. I was wondering. There is a fear.” He tapped his heart. “A deep respect. That’s why I walk and look, but I don’t prod too deeply. There was one man who came, another scholar. He tried to do somedigging, searching for the lost treasure of that age, gold, silver, precious stones. But something spooked him, scared him off.”
Interesting. Ilaris hadn’t told me this. “What did he find?”
“He never said.” Harlan’s gaze shifted away, first to the fire, then to the mist. “Just came back with glazed eyes, looking old and withered. Can’t say I know what happened to him, but I keep the huts up on the shore. His was clean, bare, except for the fireplace. There was an unusual amount of ash. I assumed he burned all his notes. Ilaris hadn’t heard of him, and she’s a scholar too. Although I’m not sure how many of them there are, or if they all know each other, like we do in my village.”
Harlan’s words drew me into a musing silence. I watched the dance of flames, thinking of glazed eyes, withered skin, burned notes. The man had seen something in the ruins. I knew what he’d found. The question was whether he’d found it by accident or whether it had found him.
I waited for Harlan to fill the silence, but he, too, seemed comfortable without words as he handed me the first cooked fish. It melted on my tongue. Food cooked over a fire carried a certain char, an earthiness to it that tasted better than anything else. The flavors were simple, but it was enough.
“Are there other places in the world, similar to this place?”
Harlan’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? Ancient ruins? Forgotten cities? I’m sure there are plenty of those, but Scholar Ilaris would know best.”
The ghost of her lips touching mine haunted me. I’d been too distracted to question her properly, a mistake I’d quickly remedy. Time was shorter than I’d hoped. If the barriers were falling here, they’d be falling elsewhere. If my brethren woke without me there to guide them, to remind them of what we’d sworn, the answer was only chaos. Warmth surged through me as fire tried to burst free. I quelled my dark urges. Let them come. My focus should be peace, yet part of me wanted war. Chaos. To let them burn.
Something flickered at the edge of my vision. Jasper, dashing toward the waves. And then, Ilaris herself, as though just by thinking her name, I’d summoned her.
