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

the king could really afford them in addition to his army in training.

Kataleya excused herself soon after, presumably to speak to the king about the theory that had kept her up just last night, though it felt like a week ago. The nobles of her family, as well as the Chespars, might be waiting for their chance to kill Nykal and take the throne. This, on top of everything else the king had to deal with, solidified how glad I felt that I wasn’t in the king’s position. I would be there for him, no matter what it took, but right now I was having a needed break.

Other than Kataleya, all of us remained in our seats even though we had finished eating a while ago. Some of us expressed worries, others made jokes, but all of us seemed to enjoy the brief time off. I was sure I wasn’t the only one who knew that training would begin again tomorrow as we awaited news from Souriff. I figured she had reached Failina by now and might have even taken her sister to safety. The demigods could make the long distance between the kingdoms in probably the amount of time it took us to ride from Koluk to the castle, just a few hours.

It had been a surprise to find out that Eslenda couldn’t heal even though her mana was within range of the necessary notes: lF, F, and uF. That meant that Souriff was the only one still alive who could heal like I could, since Cason had been killed and Leon couldn’t reach uF.

I had always figured that anyone with the range to cast a specific spell would be able to learn that spell eventually, but I was beginning to doubt that. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to create an illusion like Eslenda could, even though it was in my range of mana. Unlike with dvinia, I struggled with ordia. Using it just didn’t feel natural. My Identify spell still wasn’t strong enough to pick out Valinox’s illusion. I wasn’t sure it ever would be.

I was more intent on learning how to fly like Souriff, Valinox, and apparently Failina could do. Every time I trained with dvinia, I got a little stronger. It didn’t seem like I was anywhere close to my limit, because the speed at which I improved had not slowed but had gone up over time.

It was night outside when Leon approached our table. “Charlie,” he said sourly. “We’re going to Koluk to see the blacksmith. I’ve got some Valaer steel I’m taking with us. Get ready to go. I’ll drag you out of here in half an hour even if you’re not.”

“Koluk, now!?” Charlie complained. “But—”

“You’re the only one who can melt metal. We have to make sure it can be done as soon as possible.”

Charlie suddenly looked very tired as he sluggishly got up from the bench. “But it’s late. I was hoping to sleep soon.”

“You think you have it bad? I’m the one who’s going to have to light our way there with a constant use of mana.” He did look quite tired as he studied Charlie. “Why aren’t you moving? Are you ready now?”

He sighed. “I suppose so.”

We wished Charlie well as they walked off, which seemed to offend Leon as he looked back.

“What about me?”

Most of us grumbled some form of, “You, too, Leon.”

It wasn’t long after that we finally left the dining hall and headed to our apartments. I was tired, ready to retire for the night. I had hoped the king would let us know what measures he was taking to ensure Valinox didn’t bring an assassin into the castle under the cloak of invisibility. But I knew the king was very busy, and it was so very late. Perhaps he figured that Valinox was still in Rohaer, clearing the mountains of Failina and Souriff.

As I was settling into bed, there was a soft knock on my door. My heart stirred at the thought of it being Hadley, but that was just wishful thinking.

However, I opened the door to see her standing there. “Hey,” I said, offering a warm smile.

“Why, hello.” She beat my grin with a dazzling one of her own. “I have something for you. May I come in?”

“Sure.”

She entered my room. I wasn’t sure if I should shut the door or not. There were no sounds in the hall. It had been a very long day. I figured most of my peers were already asleep. Except for poor Charlie, I remembered. And poor Leon, I tacked on as I imagined him scolding me for not thinking of him.

I shut the door. “Did they give you a new room now that Eden has returned?” I asked.

She stood near my hearth. It was a cold night, but it was warm near my fire. She was bundled up in a loose robe. I had a number of thoughts about her body that I wasn’t too proud of, as I remembered how her curves had looked in Koluk before she’d changed for the trip back. But more than that, I remembered the feeling of her unbuttoning my shirt and the sparks it had sent through my chest.

“Yes, it’s the one farthest down the hall,” she replied. “I’m glad things have worked out with Eden, but I was somewhat looking forward to using many of the ingredients she’d left behind. Now I’m going to have to pay for many of them and find the others in the forest myself.”

“I hope you’re not planning on going alone. It’s not safe.”

“Yes, and that brings me to the point of my visit.” She pulled a black stone out of her pocket. My mana warned me to stay away from it. The shade of black was dark, rich, as if whatever it held inside was dense.

The feeling it gave me reminded me of how I’d felt watching Hadley draw the corrupted essences out of the corpses on the battlefield. It had been