Free Crown Thief by David Tallerman Page B

the many advantages Mounteban possessed in holding Altapasaeda, that might prove most telling in the long term. With the bridge unavailable and the docks closed to traffic, the rest of southern Castoval would soon grind to a halt. Already the river was almost empty of boats, just as the road was clear of wagons.
      Our only alternative was to head north-west on this bank and ford the Casto Mara where we could, then travel on through the forest of Paen Acha. Even that would have been simple enough until recently, but the ferry at Casta Canto had fallen victim to our dramatic flight south, and I couldn't imagine they'd returned it to working order in a mere few days.
      I had a feeling no one had pointed this out to Alvantes. I was looking forward to the look on his face when he found out. Even if anything that thwarted his plans thwarted mine as well, it would still be entertaining.
      However, I soon discovered he had more pressing issues on his mind than our travel plans. We were barely an hour out of Altapasaeda when Alvantes drew his horse alongside mine. "You remember the giant stronghold?" he asked.
      I tried to hide my surprise at so unexpected a question. "I'm not sure I'd call it a stronghold."
      "I was barely conscious. You saw far more of it than I did."
      "It's a nice place. Are you considering a holiday?"
      He ignored me. "You met other giants there."
      "Plenty of them."
      Alvantes nodded towards Saltlick, who was lumbering a few paces ahead, his relaxed gait more than sufficient to keep pace with our horses. "Tell me. Are they all like him?"
      "Not all. Most of the ones I met were female."
      Alvantes frowned. "I mean, are they all so… passive? So submissive?"
      "I didn't have to break up any fights while I was there, if that's what you mean. What are you driving at?" But I didn't really need to ask. Alvantes had been thinking about the giants waiting ahead. He'd been tormenting himself over his mistress Altapasaeda, currently trolloping herself with another man. Then he'd brought those thoughts together and realised he had the start of an idea.
      It wasn't an idea I much liked. The giants had already been abducted once, already forced into violence by Moaradrid. You didn't need to be an expert in giantish culture to realise it ran against everything in their nature. "Yes," I said, "they were all like Saltlick. More so, if anything. The place was a haven of tranquillity. You'd have hated it."
      Alvantes eyed me coldly, as though trying to weigh the truth of what I'd said. "Maybe they've just never found the right cause," he observed finally.
      Before I could point out that liberating a bunch of spoilt Altapasaedans was probably the least right cause imaginable for giantkind, he spurred his horse forward in a clatter of hooves.
      I glared after him, my already doubtful mood entirely soured by the exchange. Casting about for something that might cheer me up, I remembered the pain medicine I'd bought in the Suburbs. I drew it from my pocket, made a brief attempt to read the spidery writing on the label, then gave up and downed the lot in one sharp gulp.
      Its taste brought back vivid memories of my time in the sewers. However, if its flavour was beyond repellent, its effects soon began to make up for it. It slowly dawned on me that the countless agonies that filled me from head to toe were being replaced by a mild but pleasant tingling. Everything around me had acquired a golden tinge, which shimmered whenever I moved my eyes. It was interesting enough that I began to rock my head from side to side, curious as to what speeds and angles would produce the most vivid results.
      "You should take your medicine," I called to Alvantes. "It's good stuff."
      He didn't even bother to look back. "Some of us need to be alert."
      "There's nothing to be alert to. If you can't be alert to something, you might as well enjoy not being alert to nothing." This made perfect sense