Read The Ogre's Pact for Free Online

firbolg blood’s so important, how could Tavis lie to us about him?”
    Morten scowled, unable to offer an explanation.
    “I know how.” Brianna said. “He learned from the humans he grew up with. And when he joined the border patrol, he learned to do worse things.”
    Morten shook his head. “No. Tavis was trained by Runolf Saemon, and I hear Runolf’s a good man,” he said. “The king relies on him.”
    “My father relies on all his soldiers. That doesn’t mean he trusts them,” Brianna countered. “As for Runolf, I don’t know what to make of him. He seemed to be avoiding me.”
    “He was nervous,” Morten replied. “Like most men when they meet you for the first time.”
    “Perhaps, or maybe he was nervous because he knew Tavis to be a thief.” The words left Brianna with a queasy, empty feeling in her stomach, but the princess had learned long ago to trust her mind over her emotions. “There are plenty of humans who think little enough of stealing to look the other way when their friend is the thief.”
    Morten considered this for a time, then shrugged. “You’d know better than me,” he said. “But if you’re so worried about the orphans, why leave them with Tavis in the first place?”
    “Because Tavis Burdun has slain frost giants with that bow of his,” Brianna replied. “And getting ourselves killed would not save the children.”
    Morten’s eyes flashed in indignation. “I’m every bit that runt’s match,” he growled. “I’d cleave his skull in a blow.”
    Brianna grimaced at the image of her bodyguard’s huge sword slicing through the scout’s brain. “A moment ago, you were defending Tavis,” the princess observed. “Now you’re ready to split his head?”
    “All I said was I could,” Morten said, his petulant tone betraying his injured pride. “There’s a difference.”
    “I didn’t mean to insult your fighting skills.” It was as close to an apology as Brianna would utter. “But whoever won, it would do the children no good to witness the combat. Tavis is the only father they know, and the sight of him killing or being killed would be a heavy burden for such young hearts.”
    “Dobbin Manor has fifty men. Not even Tavis would fight so many.” Morten said. “Why not demand the earl’s help?”
    “Because I don’t want the lord mayor as a husband,” the princess explained. “And it’d be just like the ruthless swine to keep the children hostage until I married him.”
    “How could he do that?” Morten demanded, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. “That would violate the law!”
    Brianna rolled her eyes at the firbolg’s naivete. “Earls know many paths around the law,” the princess said. “Which is why we must hurry. The only way to ensure the children’s safety is to send a company of father’s guards back before anyone-whether it be Tavis or Karl Dobbin-can take them from the inn.”
    With that, the princess urged her mount forward.
    Morten caught Blizzard by the inane. The horse swung her head around with teeth bared, but the firbolg stiffened his arm and held her steady. The marc’s mouth snapped shut two feet shy of his throat. She whinnied in anger and tried to jerk free of her captor’s grasp, but even Blizzard was not strong enough to overpower the bodyguard.
    “I can’t let you enter the wood until I’ve had a look.” Morten said. “If you can’t wait, we’ll just have to go back.”
    “Then make your search quick,” Brianna snapped. “If you let Tavis disappear with those children, I’ll replace you with a fomorian. He might not fight well, but he’d be better company.”
    Morten chuckled at the ludicrous threat. Fomorians were the most hideous and, wicked of all giant-kin, with deformed bodies and twisted, evil personalities. Comparing one to a firbolg was like comparing a turkey buzzard to an eagle, although they had descended from the same species, at heart the two were as different as could be.
    “I’ll hunt the