Page 36 of Greed of Giants
A lingering question bloomed in my mind as we fled. How did Jasper know we were going to run? How did he shift so quickly? It was almost as though he could read minds, a silent communication. Was that possible?
I mulled over those thoughts as we fled the burning fields. Oddly similar to leaving Vold and leaving the forest. Would we leave everything burning behind us?
18
Killian
Ismelled the water in the air before we reached the village.
It was larger than the last one, a spiral crescent of buildings curving along a riverbank, a wide bridge arching across it. I studied it, surprised by the lack of creativity. Where was the spiraling architecture? The gargoyles carved above doorways? The music floating from fountains? The vibrant colors bleeding from every wall?
There was nothing.
If anything, it was drab, basic, leeched of color and creativity. Ilaris had mentioned we were in remote lands, far from the city she called home. But did the people take no pride in what they had built with their own hands? Did they not both worship and work the lands?
We passed ramshackle buildings, some collapsed in on themselves, and a distinct stench cut through the air—ripe and unsavory, like dung and unwashed bodies. This was where they lived.
A flash of blue caught my attention, the one bright color in a sea of grays, browns, and blacks. The streets were cobblestones, with gaps in some places, grass poking out of others. Horse-drawn carriages passed, bustling with life. The riot of voices that rose was like a swarm of bees humming inside my skull, the language rough, garbled. I pressed my hands into fists, forcing myself to stay calm when something about this place set a hot coal of anger in my chest.
Ilaris slid off Jasper and pointed toward a sign. “This way to the train station. It’s busy here.” She paused, her gaze lingering on my bare arms. “Do we need to find a less crowded route?”
The unspoken fear pressed between us. “You are concerned someone will press up against me and get burned.” I kept my voice even. “Singed at most, I will not light anyone on fire. They might feel pain if they draw too near, nothing more.”
She nodded, already scanning the crowd. “That won’t be too bad. The train station will have maps. I will need to know which direction we’re headed so I can buy the right tickets. Will you be able to determine it from a map? Much has changed since . . .”
“I sense the direction. My kingdom lay in the center, the four lesser kingdoms surrounding it. The Verdant Maw lies to the southwest. The Frost Mountains to the north. The Sky Kingdom is to the northeast, and the watery depths to the east. It’s possible the locations have shifted. I wasn’t expecting to be on an island. There might be other surprises we will overcome as we reach each location.”
Ilaris nodded, but her eyes had gone glassy.
“What’s wrong?”
She pressed her lips together. “I think someone is following us.”
I went still, thinking of the Guardians. They might have a network. It was possible the warnings had rippled outward, following our trail—which only made everything complicated. “Who?”
“A woman dressed in blue. I thought . . . I can’t be certain I just saw her, but I did see her at the inn this morning. Twice. It could be nothing, but it feels like something.”
“Then we stay cautious. Don’t ignore what you feel.”
A smile quirked on her lips. “I try not to,” she admitted, voice low.
Playing with the meaning of my words and turning them back on me.
“Follow me,” she said, then limped off.
I couldn’t help the way my eyes tracked her movements, the glint of that armor, the way her hips swung from side to side. Like a song leading me onward.
The train station was close to the river, shining tracks arching over the water on a separate bridge. When I saw the train itself, I understood the concept at once. I’d seen plans written out, drawings of a similar creation—powered not by beast or brute strength but by steam. It seemed an unnecessary invention in a world threaded with magic. But breathing in the rotten air, I grasped the need for speed, to escape far and fast.
Ilaris bought tickets to the far south while I watched the people come and go.
Old. Young. Mortals hadn’t changed much. Some weretall and healthy, hale and beautiful, others bent over, stooped, as though they carried the weight of the world on their shoulders. Watching them move eased some of the burden I’d been carrying, and another, darker thought stole in.
Were they worth saving?
Originally, my people had fought against the Unmaking to save ourselves, to save our civilization, our race. Yet we lost it all. Saving the humans was another thought entirely, and some of that anger, that vengeance I’d tucked away sprouted. Smoke rolled off my arms before I could quash it. What was the point? Everyone I loved and cared about was dead. I’d fight to bring them back, but if I couldn’t? Let the world burn.
“Killian?”
