The Path of Giants, B.T. Narro [the speed reading book .TXT] 📗

“Something with Remi?” I asked.

“Yes. I’m afraid of telling her that I could never curse the man she wanted me to curse. He was too far away by the time she brought his hair. I believe it might be better if she doesn’t know the limitations of cursing and thinks that it is still in effect, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable lying to her. What do you think?”

So Remi almost died getting ingredients for a curse to Hadley, and Hadley couldn’t even curse the man who had violated her.

“I think you should tell her the truth. Just try to pick the right time.” I paused. “Maybe after we deal with Eden.”

Hadley poked her head out and over at the group, then ducked back to hide beside me. We didn’t need to be huddled so close together, but neither of us seemed to want to move away. It was a little bit of a shock, however, when she rested her hands on my folded legs.

“Is Eden going to be forgiven for her crimes?” she asked.

“I have no idea.”

“I saw her. She’s powerful. If she is not going to betray us again, then she should be allowed back in our ranks.”

“Yes, I agree.”

It was a little surprising to have Hadley using the words “us” and “our” to describe our group. She hadn’t known “us” for very long, but I was glad she saw herself as one of us, even if I was still getting used to it.

“There’s something else I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I said.

“Yes?”

“That other curse you used…the one against the archers. It was done with the essence of Kataleya’s father?”

“Yes.”

“A while ago, Charlie mentioned something about using the essence of a corrupted man to create a curse that disrupted mana.”

Her dark eyebrows lifted. “How could Charlie know of such a curse if he’s not a witch?”

“I think because he spends most of his free time trying to learn about mana.”

“But there’s not much to discover about curses, at least here in Lycast.”

“I believe he also discussed it at length with Barrett.”

“Oh, that makes more sense. Barrett is very knowledgeable. He vouched for me before the king. I owe him my thanks, and…” She held my eyes in her gaze as she paused. “I owe you even more, Jon. I don’t know what I did to gain your trust so early on, but you did the same thing to me.”

“What do you mean?”

She turned her hands over, resting her palms around my knee. “I mean I felt that I could trust you after our first conversation through my callstone. My mana felt something from your mana that put me at ease. I’m not sure if I’ll ever understand how it works, but it was like my mana knew you would keep me safe so long as I did the same for you.”

I nodded, but it wasn’t just trust that I felt when my mana communicated with hers. There had been a strong attraction that I had been fighting even before seeing her in person.

I still was, except I didn’t want to anymore.

I could almost feel that she wanted me, in some fashion, maybe just a touch to her hands that she rested so comfortably on my legs. Or maybe something more. I hoped for the latter.

But it could all be in my head. She didn’t know me very well, either. Perhaps she just felt an attraction and didn’t want a relationship, like Kataleya early on.

I felt confused. I needed some advice, and there was only one person who I thought could give me the right answer. Unfortunately, he’d passed away.

“Jon, Hadley,” Leon called to us. “It’s over.”

Hadley didn’t move for a moment as she looked at me, but then she lifted her hands up. We climbed out of our hiding spot. Souriff seemed to have recovered, just bloodstains on her clothing remained as she stood next to the same tree as Eslenda.

“I can feel that Gourfist has gone back to sleep,” Souriff announced as we gathered around her. “His brief visits are troubling for a reason different than you might expect; I will explain why. When Airinold first became Gourfist, he was immortal, as far as we could tell. His power over dteria allowed him to do many things, even control the creatures of Curdith Forest. Airinold had created dteria in a way that he shared power with the magical art, and much of that power remained in dteria, even as he lost hold of it to Valinox. It no longer empowers him at the same strength as it used to. This is the problem, because as soon as Valinox realizes that Gourfist is not the same threat he once was, Valinox will no longer be afraid of him. I used to believe that he was also scared of breaking the oath we made before our father. However….”

Souriff gestured at Eden. “This one explained that he killed many fae in Fyrren when he knew Gourfist couldn’t reach him. He clearly doesn’t believe Basael will punish him for killing mortals, and yet he left me alive when he could’ve killed me. This leads me to believe that he is still unwilling to murder his siblings, but even that might change if he becomes more desperate or believes he can get away with it without punishment. He is becoming more powerful every day. Right now he thinks it’s only a matter of time before he wins this war. I don’t want to see what might happen if he starts to doubt that.”

“What about you?” Leon asked. “Does this mean you’re not afraid of Basael, either?”

“I am. I believe our father is watching. I wouldn’t dare displease him.”

“But Valinox almost killed Eden,” Michael said. “And he did kill a bunch of fae, and I don’t see some powerful deity coming down from the heavens to smite him.”

“Valinox’s time will come, whether by my hand or my father’s. There might be time to discuss this later,