Ruth and the King of the Giants: A Seven Kingdoms Tale 5 (The Seven Kingdoms) Read online

  Do not engage, Ruth, she told herself. You have a long flight ahead. DO NOT ENGAGE.

  She knew that was a futile admonition, though. She relaxed her fingers on the pen, picked up her drink, and took a sip, her decision made. She already knew his name and more about his business than he’d like her to know, but more information was always a good thing.

  Ruth studied him more closely. The suit and Italian shoes that he was wearing were expensive, but the Rolex watch on his wrist was a fake. He would have realized it if he had read the misspelling on the brand name inside the crystal – Rolex should have one ‘L’ not two. He also had the smell of alcohol on his breath before he ever took a sip of the drink that was delivered to him, which told her that he had been enjoying the First Class Lounge pre-flight.

  “Why, bless your little heart, Mr.…,” Ruth began with a saccharine smile.

  “James Hornet, but you can call me Jim, sweetheart,” Jim replied with a self-assured smile.

  “James Hornet….” Ruth tilted her head and looked at him with a feigned thoughtful expression. “You wouldn’t happen to be the James Hornet of Hornet Communications? Didn’t your company neglect to report a billion-dollar deal with a Taiwanese company with ties to China? That was quite an accounting error! It garnered you a ten million dollar fine and an investigation from the Department of Justice. I believe I read in the Financial Times that the deal in question ultimately fell through, but gosh, Hornet Communications would have been stuck with owing a total of, let me guess…” She tapped her pen for a second. “Twenty-five million, four hundred thirty-two dollars, and sixty-four cents? It would be rounded to the nearest dollar, of course. Fines, penalties, and legal fees really do add up, don’t they? You aren’t that James Hornet, are you?” she asked with an innocent smile.

  The man paled and shook his head. “No… I… How could you…?” he sputtered, looking down at the file in front of her.

  Ruth gave her best impression of the shark from Jaws about to devour the poor unsuspecting swimmer in the opening scene.

  Never go swimming at night in shark infested waters and never piss off an accountant, she thought.

  “I’m Ruth Hallbrook. I was the forensic auditor on your case last year for the Department of Justice – so thank you kindly for your concern, but I can balance a checking account just fine, Mr. Hornet. In fact, you could say ‘right down to the last penny’,” Ruth replied, watching the man grow even paler.

  “My apologies, ma’am,” he said stiffly.

  God, I hope he doesn’t have a heart attack. I do not want to have to sit next to a dead guy for the next seven hours, she thought.

  “Excuse me. I need to go to the bathroom,” he angrily muttered, his face flushed with color.

  Ruth stood up and stepped to the side as Jim clumsily exited his seat. She sat down and picked up her folder. It wasn’t long until she noticed Jim emphatically speaking to another flight attendant. Amusement and relief swept through her when they both glanced at her before the woman motioned toward the back of the plane. Jim nodded and hurried to the curtained area.

  “Your dinner,” the flight attendant proffered.

  “Thank you,” Ruth politely responded, ignoring the flight attendant when she tried to inconspicuously sniff Ruth as she leaned in and deposited the dinner on the tray.

  “I’m a forensic accountant. I conducted the audit on his company. You can probably guess it didn’t go very well for him,” she murmured with a tired smile.

  “Ah,” the flight attendant responded with an apologetic look.

  “Works every time,” Ruth murmured.

  “I hope you enjoy the rest of your flight, ma’am,” the flight attendant replied with a grin.

  “I’m sure I will – now,” she answered.

  Her stomach growled as the scent of the chicken and vegetables hit her. She placed the file on the seat next to her, and slowly enjoyed her meal, her mind going back over everything she knew.

  Everything will be alright, Ruth. You won’t lose the only family you have left in the world, the only person who can put up with your sarcastic mouth. He’s just…having a midlife crisis, that’s all. Mike will open the door and have a container of his special spaghetti sauce and homemade ranch dressing waiting for you.

  Seven hours later, she looked through the window as the plane landed at Portland International Airport in Oregon. The knot in her stomach had grown the closer she got to the west coast.

  The moment the captain announced that cell phones could be used, she turned off airplane mode on her phone and impatiently waited for it to connect to the nearest cell tower. Her fingers trembled as she dialed her brother’s number.

  “This is Detective Mike Hallbrook. I’m either on another call or unable to take your call at the moment. Please leave a message and I’ll get back with you.”

  “I’m sorry, the mailbox you are trying to reach is full,” the automated voice replied after the beep.

  Ruth took in a deep breath and looked out the window. Well, Mike always said that she had been born with a triple-dose of tenaciousness. He was about to find out she’d been born with a hell of a lot more than that!

  “You, baby brother, have just been put on your big sister’s shit list,” she muttered under her breath, sliding her heels back on and gathering her personal belongings. “Ready or not, here I come!”

  Chapter One

  Present Day:

  Seven Kingdoms: Isle of the Giants

  “What has you so riled up?” Gant asked with a huge grin.

  Koorgan shook his head and kept walking. As Gant followed him, his boots against the hard stone floors sounded like a herd of Nali’s Hippogriffs charging down the hallway.

  “Do you always walk this loud?” he growled.

  Gant chuckled. “You’ve been doing paperwork again, haven’t you?” he asked.

  Koorgan winced when his friend, chief advisor, and Captain of the Guard slapped him on his shoulder. He resisted the urge to throw Gant out the window. The only reason he didn’t was because there would more than likely be more paperwork involved in dealing with the cost of the replacement and repair to the window, and Gant would probably demand a few days off as compensation.

  “Ashure sent another one of his contracts – and this one was especially… annoying,” he replied with a sigh. He’d practically thrown Ashure’s latest diplomat out and told the man to not come back. If Ashure wanted to do business with the Isle of Giants, he’d better start offering better deals. At this point, Koorgan was about ready to go stomp the arrogant pirate flat.

  “Why don’t you hire someone to take over the mundane stuff?” Gant suggested.

  Koorgan stopped and turned to face Gant. “Don’t you think I’ve tried? That damn pirate seduces every woman I’ve assigned – and before you ask, he didn’t stop even when I put Agatha in charge! The woman has to be pushing five hundred years! She is a cyclops for crying out loud! If I put a man in charge, they are either too intimidated by Ashure or seduced by the jingle of gold. I would ban him if we didn’t need his wares so badly. Negotiating so much with him is a steep price to pay for closing our borders,” Koorgan grumbled. “I am starting to wonder if I would rather have dealt with the evil spreading through the kingdoms. Between that, the blight, the accounting, the inventory, the contracts, and dealing with other diplomats… I feel like I’m suffocating here. I hate it, Gant,” Koorgan admitted.

  Koorgan immediately felt bad for unloading on his confidant. Advising a king was no easy job, and Koorgan tried not to impose on Gant unnecessarily, afraid someday their friendship would break under the strain. He ran his hand down his face before dropping it to his side.

  Gant gazed back at him with a serious expression. “I understand… and you know, your upcoming nuptials will help solve at least one of those problems. Perhaps we should speak of…?” Gant gingerly asked.

  Koorgan shot Gant a hostile glare. “No,” he growled, turning and starting to walk again.

&nbsp
; “You do understand that it helps to have a woman – or man if that is what you want – already picked out before you contemplate marrying them, don’t you?” Gant called out from behind him.

  “Shut up, Gant! You are not helping me,” Koorgan retorted.

  Koorgan kept walking. He needed to get out for a while to clear his head. The guards standing by the main doors hurried to open them when they saw the dark scowl on his face. He swept through the doors and was down the steps by the time Gant caught up with him again.

  “What was so annoying about Ashure’s contract?” Gant inquired, keeping pace with him.

  “He offered to find me a bride in exchange for a ton of trees and three barrels of my finest brandy,” Koorgan replied.

  Gant looked at him in surprise. “That doesn’t sound like a bad offer. It would fulfill the requirements,” he said.

  Koorgan scowled. “I don’t wish to allow anyone – much less that damn pirate – to pick out who I will take as my bride,” he snapped.

  Gant grabbed his arm and stopped him. Koorgan reluctantly turned to face his friend. He impatiently shrugged his arm free.

  “You know what will happen if you don’t find someone, Koorgan,” Gant warned.

  Koorgan felt the weight of his responsibility bearing down on his broad shoulders. Yes, he knew. The Kingdom of the Giants would be no more.

  The Rule – the governing force set forth by the Goddess herself – stated that for the giants to find harmony, their leaders must find a mate who completed them by their two hundred and thirty-fifth year. If he or she did not, the last of the mushrooms that gave them their magic would die. The giants would be reduced to mere mortals, unable to defend themselves against the other kingdoms. Already a mushroom blight was spreading through their kingdom.

  “The mushrooms have been disappearing faster than we can grow them, and the ones already harvested have begun to turn to ash,” Koorgan said grimly.

  Gant nodded. “I wish it were otherwise, my friend. Leading the search has been…a discouraging exercise,” he told Koorgan.

  “I still have a few more weeks before I need to make a decision. I’m going out for a little while,” he said.

  Gant looked doubtful before he nodded. “I ordered the new members of the guard to meet me in the courtyard for training, but if you can give me a few minutes to arrange for Edmond to take over, I’ll ride with you,” he said.

  Koorgan shook his head. “No, keep your training session. I’ll be back within the hour. I’m just going for a short ride. I need the time alone to clear my head,” he said.

  “If you are sure. Please stay close to the palace this time. Your short rides tend to leave me with ulcers. You have to remember, I’ve known you our entire lives. You have a bit of a knack for getting yourself into trouble,” Gant replied, his forehead creased and his smile strained.

  Koorgan chuckled. “There is no need to worry, my friend. We are no longer boys. I can take care of myself. I won’t go far or be gone long. Besides, Genisus needs to stretch his legs. There isn’t another steed in the Kingdom that can keep up with him. A few times around the field will be good for him,” he replied, resting his hand on Gant’s shoulder and squeezing it in reassurance. He knew Gant was as worried about him as he was about the kingdom. Koorgan wouldn’t let his people down – even if it necessitated making a deal with a pirate.

  The worst thing about the Rule was that he was required to choose a bride who was not from the Isle of the Giants. That limited his choices to a dragon, a mermaid, a witch, an Elemental, a pirate, or a monster – and there were a few problems with each of those options. The relationships between the Isle of Giants and the other Kingdoms were cordial, but there wasn’t much trust shared.

  He had resigned himself to the fact that his wife would likely be a spy for whichever Kingdom he picked, and he had looked for someone he could stand to share to his life with, he really had, but…it wasn’t like the aftermath of war was conducive to this sort of thing. The Isle of Magic was the most recent kingdom to have been devastated by the Sea Witch’s treachery, but every kingdom was affected, and had been for a long time. He felt tired just thinking about it.

  “Your mount is ready, Your Majesty,” the stable boy said, holding the reins to a large steed who was pawing at the ground.

  “Thank you,” Koorgan replied.

  Koorgan ran his hand along Genisus’s muzzle before caressing the huge battle steed’s jaw. The thick, coarse hair shimmered under his touch. He took the reins from the stable boy, gripped the saddle, and swung himself onto the stallion’s back. The stable boy stumbled back when Genisus rose up on his hind legs, pawing the air, and tossed his head.

  “Easy, boy. I know it has been a while since we’ve enjoyed a good ride. How about we remedy that?” Koorgan chuckled.

  The stallion nodded his head vigorously in agreement. Koorgan’s eyes glittered with excitement. He leaned forward and tapped his heels into Genisus’s side.

  The stallion bolted, the power in the huge body surging them forward with a flurry of flying dirt. Koorgan’s laugh filled the air.

  “Clear the gates!” a guard yelled.

  The guards at the gate quickly ran to help those entering and exiting the palace clear a path. Koorgan raised a hand in thanks as Genisus and he flashed by. Residents of the Isle of Giants turned with smiles on their face as he raced by them.

  Their trusting smiles added more weight to his shoulders. When Koorgan turned Genisus toward the vast forests, the stallion’s muscles gathered and his hooves dug deeper into the soft soil beneath the grass as if Nali’s monsters were nipping at their heels.

  Several hours later, Koorgan pulled Genisus to a halt. The stallion was nervously prancing and Koorgan could feel a shiver of tension run through the horse’s body. He reached forward and patted the stallion’s neck while he scanned the area.

  Following the tracks of a wild boar, he had turned down a seldomly used trail that became narrower and narrower until it was barely more than a footpath. Koorgan had decided bringing back a boar would cheer him up and maybe help Gant not be so upset about the fact that he had traveled a bit farther afield than he had originally planned. Now, he wasn’t so sure that going hunting alone was such a good idea.

  The trees grew thick and tall here. Little sunlight broke through the high canopy above them. Tall ferns bordered the muddy path. Genisus nervously shook his head and tried to back up. The sound of a snapping branch had Koorgan turning the stallion to face their unseen companion. Genisus released a loud neigh and rose up a little on his hind legs.

  “What is it, boy?” Koorgan quietly murmured, his hand moving toward the crossbow attached to the side of his saddle. He had just grasped the weapon when a loud crashing sound came from behind him along with a savage snarl.

  Genisus jumped and kicked out as a thickly muscled creature with long, razor-sharp tusks charged from the ferns. The stallion’s massive shod hooves connected with the Razor boar’s head.

  Koorgan loudly swore when he saw four more following behind the first boar. He swung the crossbow around, fitted an arrow, and fired.

  The arrow struck the right shoulder of the boar and bounced off. The boars had thick hides. Unless he could get a direct hit to a vulnerable place, the arrows would only enrage them further.

  Genisus bucked as two more came at them from the front. Koorgan kicked his heels into the stallion’s side, dropping the reins as he fought to fit another arrow.

  Genisus vaulted over the boars blocking their path. Koorgan twisted in the saddle and took aim. Behind him, he could see the boar that Genisus had struck lying dead, his skull crushed from the powerful kick he had received. Unfortunately, that still left six more boars.

  Koorgan fired a shot and watched his arrow strike true, piercing the boar’s skull between its eyes. He didn’t wait to watch it stumble and fall. He turned to load another arrow, then ducked, his eyes wide as Genisus passed under a low hanging branch.

  In his haste to ke
ep his seat, he bent forward, and the crossbow caught on a low hanging dead branch. The crossbow was ripped from his hands. Koorgan bowed his head to look under his arm, and saw the weapon swinging back and forth. There would be no retrieving it. One of the boars attacked the weapon, snapping the wooden crossbow stock with its massive jaws.

  Turning his attention back to the path ahead, he pulled his sword from its scabbard, and slashed backwards when a boar leaped up to grab his arm. The blade caught the beast between his two front legs and split open its chest.

  Genisus swerved when another boar came up on his right side, and rammed the boar, crushing it against the trunk of a tree. Koorgan heard the satisfying crunch of bones.

  The path ahead of them curved to the left. On the right side was an incline of boulders. Koorgan gripped his sword and leaned in as Genisus started to round the sharp curve.

  A vicious snarl split the air as they drew even with the rocks and Koorgan jerked around, bringing his sword up as the beast leaped at him.

  Genisus whinnied loudly, stumbled, then kicked out at one of the Razor boars behind them who was trying to bite his hind leg. The combination threw Koorgan off balance.

  His sword drove deep into the chest of the Razor boar, but the weight and momentum of the beast knocked him out of the saddle. He landed on his back in the ferns, his long sword still impaling the Razor boar.

  Genisus had disappeared along the path with one of the Razor boars still chasing him. Koorgan rolled to his feet, and tugged on his sword, but it was firmly embedded in the boar’s spine. He placed his foot on the body to get better leverage, and heard a branch snapping not more than a couple of yards from him.

  Twisting around, he found himself face to face with the largest of the Razor boars. His eyes locked on the beady red eyes of the boar as it pawed the ground and rocked its head from side to side. Koorgan’s fingers tightened on the handle of his sword, his foot braced on the body of the smaller boar as he slowly removed his weapon from its spine.