Read Online Three Kings (Book 3) by Jeremy Laszlo - Free Book Online Page A

another was getting easier. Oddly, this body felt cold, and so, following his newfound instincts, he stalked out of the building to round its walls to the nearest of the village’s fires.
    Standing downwind of the monstrous blaze, he was blasted by heat as his body’s temperature began to climb. Looking around he noted that several trolls witnessed his presence, but all continued about their tasks. Winter was coming, and so high in the mountains it was likely that more snow would begin falling soon. There was much to be done.
    Shaking his head, Gnak extracted himself from the troll’s line of thoughts. He had other things to worry about. It was a long and slow process, with so many years of memories stored in the king’s head, but over the next hours Gnak discovered what he needed to do.
    If the troll statues surrounding the giant prism had not been enough evidence, Gnak’s newfound memories showed him that trolls were efficient in cutting and carving stone when the need arose. If winter was coming, they would need a source of heat to keep them warm so they could work at a reasonable pace. He knew just the place to start, and how to get them working.
    Seeking more memories to use to his advantage, it took Gnak little time to find a better path down the mountains. It seemed the king of trolls was familiar with nearly every nook and cranny upon the mountainside, a fact that Gnak could easily put to use. It was time to act.
    Pulling a horn from his belt, which was his only clothing, the king of trolls pressed the horn to his lips and blew. A deep resounding note echoed off the mountain faces to bound back upon itself again and again, as all the trolls ceased what they were doing and all turned in his direction. Slowly, to Gnak’s way of thinking, the trolls all began to move in his direction. He could not wait for all of them. Some would take hours to return from their hunts. Only some would have to be told of what he planned, they would see to it that his orders were spread among the people. Gnak liked the way trolls worked. Simple was good.
    Night was again upon them as Gnak, in the king’s body, felt he had enough of his people gathered to issue his orders. Though several hundred had gathered around him, none talked or moved, each conserving their energy for whatever task their king required. Using the king’s memories to his advantage, he addressed them in a way that would be familiar to them, making gestures the king was known to make.
    “My people, a great and terrible thing has happened to us this day. As most of you surely know by now, an orc was brought to our home and with him he bore a message,” Gnak began, enjoying the ease of the words. “The orc is the new leader of his nation, and he is sworn to a god who has shown him a vision. I believe his words to be true; however, before I could act on his words he fell ill. I see now that it is up to me to return him home as you would want the orcs to do the same for me if the roles were reversed. I will go to the orcs and return to them their king. I will meet with their clan leaders and discuss our future. With winter coming we have tasks that we perform year after year to ensure our survival, but this year will be different. A sign from the gods has been given and there are new tasks that need to be completed. There is little time. We must hurry or else risk insulting the gods and those who would be our allies in this endeavor.”
    On Gnak went, describing that which he wanted the trolls to do. It seemed simple enough to translate what he saw in his vision of the city into words for the trolls to follow, and when he was done all ended just as he hoped. There were no questions. There were no cries of anger over the changes he was making. There was simple and unquestioning obedience. What he was asking for would be difficult and would require a lot of work from the trolls, but it would make life easier in the coming months.
    His orders given, Gnak turned and left