Broc had to find out what exactly was going on within these walls, but first he would make sure he’d get to know Kelly a bit more. His own instincts weren’t usually so bad either, no matter what Teaq thought. Surely, if the human had any ill intent, he would have picked up on it by now.
“Regardless of what you and Rhea have come up with together, the transition is going ahead as planned. I expect that arrangements are made so that I may announce my intended union with Kelly Chaslain of West Hythe by the next full moon.”
Teaq shook his head. “As you wish, but I—”
“It’s not up for discussion,” Broc interrupted. “You heard the Elders. The events foretold in the prophecy cannot be stopped, so there’s no point in trying. We will, however, prepare ourselves for the next great war. Build up our armory. Strengthen our castle walls. Test the war horns on all the Isles.”
He turned to address the Elders. “If there is anything in our records to help us fight the Sea Folk… I don’t have to tell you how helpful that would be.”
“Yes, my king,” the Elders spoke in unison. “We will read on it.”
Broc finally turned to face Yorrick, who had stood by in silence, watching the entire argument with a pained expression on his face. It seemed obvious that this situation had been spearheaded by Teaq and Rhea, and Yorrick was just an innocent bystander, so Broc diverted his attention away from him again.
“And as we’re preparing for a possible siege, I would suggest you, Teaq, take a group of our best hunters to the mainland to gather supplies. The Reaping Feast is continuing regardless, but it would be unwise to be left without any reserves after.”
Chapter Nine
"Let's go," Rhea snapped, and signaled towards the guards to open the large gate. The huge wood and metal structure creaked into action, and soon they were able to walk out of the castle and onto the bridge.
Kelly was glad to have the woolen cloak, because the island was still being battered by freezing winds. Rhea, who was just wearing a short dress with a similar leather breastplate, didn't seem to mind the weather at all, and marched straight down the path carved out between the rocky mountain faces, heading towards the harbor hidden in between the cliffs.
Nobody could ever guess this was here, Kelly thought as she looked around. All one would be able to make out from the sea was the angular facade of the fortified castle, but the color of it matched the surrounding rocks so perfectly that it would be difficult for any human to distinguish from afar. The harbor was so completely surrounded by cliffs and spiky rocks, not only was it extremely well hidden, it would also be quite treacherous to sail in and out of.
"Are these all the ships or are there more?" Kelly asked, but immediately regretted it when Rhea gave her a foul look.
"What do you know of combat? Broc asked me to assess you, because any woman of Black Isle must be able to defend herself in battle." Rhea folded her arms as she waited for her answer.
This was a surprise. So they weren’t exploring the island at all, but Kelly was meant to fight?
"Not much. On the mainland, women don't fight."
Rhea scoffed and shook her head slowly, the disgust evident on her face.
"That does not surprise me. No problem, I'm supposed to teach you, follow me." Rhea turned around as quickly as she had initially stopped for her brief interrogation.
Kelly just did her best, trying to keep up with the leggy female giant as she marched up the slight incline leading around the harbor, towards a door set into the mountainous rock.
"Wait here," Rhea barked, as she took a key from a little pouch on her belt and removed the lock from the heavy, weather damaged door.
Kelly observed her as she disappeared into the dark cavern beyond the door, reappearing shortly with two rather large sword-shaped pieces of wood as well as two metal weapons of a similar shape and size.
Mother, help me. Kelly eyed the weapons glumly but tried not to let her apprehensions show. These were a lot bigger and heavier looking than the sticks she and Ferris had play-fought with when they were younger. At the time she had been able to keep up with most of the village boys in similar sparring games, but Rhea was a much more intimidating opponent.
"Follow me," Rhea said, marching back down the path, around the harbor, and up some winding stone steps leading higher up into the mountainous center of the island.
They hiked for a while, at least an hour at what was a brisk pace for Kelly, with not a word said between the two of them.
How long would this go on for? How would she have energy to spar with Rhea after such a long hike?
By the end of it, they reached some kind of plateau, only partially screened off from the land below by low shrubs and the occasional tree that had clung on to the otherwise rocky ground. The landscape lower down was also mainly stony, except for a few patches of greenery which surrounded a couple of small huts that clung to the hillside. After seeing nothing but black stone ever since arriving on the island, Kelly felt a surge of excitement at the small glimpse of familiarity ahead of her. Although slightly different in style, the huts looked vaguely similar to the farm buildings used in her village.
Other than that, there was nothing of note in the landscape that Kelly could see. Just more sharp looking rocks and peaks, and just a small patch of pine trees lower down towards the shore. The waters surrounding the island looked as hostile and untamed as the sea in front of the castle, and spiky rocks stuck out of the surface all around the perimeter. There was no way one could swim to the mainland from here; anyone stupid enough to try would be smashed to death against one of those cliffs.
After a few moments catching her breath, Kelly noticed that Rhea had been staring at her.
"It's quite different from the mainland, isn't it?" Rhea asked.
"A bit."
"You know before your people turned on us, we didn't have to live in this miserable place." Rhea's bitterness shone through in her tone, as she almost spat out her words.
Kelly reminded herself of Bree's words, that Rhea wasn't a bad person. That was why Rhea was angry, she felt the humans had taken her home away, no matter how long ago.
"We lived in peace, and then your King Edrick came over the No Man's Range to the south and burnt down our villages in order to take the mainland for himself."
King Edrick, Kelly had heard of him in some of the ancient tales. The village elders had spoken of him like a great and fearsome warrior, who had banished all evil from the northern lands, making them a safe place for mankind to live.
"I didn't know…" Kelly stammered, not wanting to upset the female fighter beside her, especially while she was carrying all those weapons.
"Oh, it is true. That swine came and tricked us before he murdered our children and raped our women. At the same time the Sea Folk attacked from the water and we were overrun. The only way we could survive was by coming here."
"And the treaty?" Kelly asked. The treaty that everyone in the villages on the mainland was so disapproving of, the one that meant sacrificing a young girl—Kelly in this case—to keep the peace.
"That. That came after. The elders of the Hythe approached our king at the time, Nerys, one winter many years ago. They proposed an exchange, they'd choose one of their kin every eight years as an offering to our clan, in exchange for protection from the dangers that lie further out to sea." Rhea stared darkly at the waters that lay beyond the shoreline.
"I don't know why he ever agreed to it. He should have insisted on a safe haven for our people on the mainland, rather than fight to protect the cowards who put us here. Instead he accepted their terms."
Kelly was taken aback by Rhea's story. The events of the Great War between humans and giants had been a popular tale to tell at the occasional village feast. Only in the version of her childhood, King Edrick was a hero, and the giants were a fearsome evil needing to be wiped from this earth. The proper story she knew did not feature any enemy from the seas beyond the Black Isles. And the so-called Sea Folk, pe
ople who lived underneath the seas, were rejected as myth by most, including her father.
But what did she know. She’d only been on this island for a couple of days.
And before that, Kelly herself had been wondering if even the giants were only a myth. After all, no one in her village had ever seen a live giant before and lived to tell the tale.
Could it be that there are other strange beings out there? Right now, looking at the strange landscape surrounding her, flanked by a six and a half foot tall woman, it seemed entirely plausible.
"Enough talk. Let's start what we came here to do." Rhea turned to face Kelly, and threw a wooden stick in her direction, which Kelly caught surprisingly easily, before putting the real swords down on a flat rock beside her.
"You're holding it wrong."
Kelly looked at the positioning of Rhea's hands and tried to copy her. She was somewhat in shock that they were actually going to fight. She wasn’t ready.
"Better, now come at me and try to stab me with it," Rhea ordered.
Hesitating for a moment, Kelly tried to tighten her grip on the rough wood, but a few splinters cut painfully into her palm. "It's broken," she protested.
“It’s broken,” Rhea copied Kelly’s tone and let out a loud, disingenuous laugh. "Try telling your enemy that in the middle of a battle."
When am I ever going to be in a battle with anyone? Kelly thought.
Rather than wait for Kelly to make a move, Rhea charged in her direction with her wooden sword held high up in the air. Kelly instinctively stepped aside, dodging Rhea's attack, then indeed tried to stab her, only to have her stick swatted away and out of her hand, clattering onto the ground several feet away from the two women.
Kelly was shaking and sweat broke through her cold skin.
"Now do it again."
Although the walk up the mountainside and back down again had tired her out quite a bit, Kelly rubbed her wrist, which ached from the impact of Rhea’s disarming blow, and picked up her practice sword again.
Mother, give me strength!
She did not last much longer in the second round. Or the third, or fourth.
Throughout the practice session with Rhea, Kelly felt in conflict with herself and her upbringing. This wasn’t the game she had played with Ferris when they were young.
If her father could see what she was doing, learning how to properly fight with a sword, he would drop dead of shock. At the same time, she understood that this was the way things were in this new world. Perhaps if she tried her best to grasp at least the basics of the training Rhea was trying to give her, Broc would be proud of her.
That was her main motivator now.
Only yesterday she might have considered how this training might help her escape this place. Now, she kept on catching herself wondering what it would be like to become Broc’s bride.
In a very short two days, Kelly had completely changed her outlook.
After numerous rounds, during which Rhea managed to knock the wooden stick out of Kelly’s hand every single time, they paused for a while. They sat down on the flatter rocks towards the edge of the plateau on which they stood and rested in silence. Despite the winds still battering the island from seemingly all sides, Kelly felt warm enough to remove her cloak.
Kelly remembered some of the things Broc had told her. About how hard life on these islands was. Seeing the scenery out here drove things home for her.
How did one feed so many hungry giants, when there was no land here suitable for farming?
Except for some seagulls circling the skies, Kelly hadn’t seen a single animal on the way over here. No sheep; not even any chickens or rabbits.
And yet at the feast, they’d enjoyed a wealth of foods. They didn’t trade with the mainland, except for the Reaping. And if these so-called Sea Folk kept on attacking them, they probably didn’t trade with them either.
So where had all the meat come from?
Her curiosity was sparked yet again, but looking at Rhea’s grim expression, Kelly kept her questions to herself. Perhaps she’d get the chance to ask Broc about all this.
If indeed she was going to stay here, she might as well understand this place and its people better.
Chapter Ten
They ate, they drank, they made merry. The second night of the Reaping feast had gone by much like the first.
Broc admired the way Kelly carried herself. She was adjusting.
Even the long day of training with Rhea hadn’t dampened her spirits.
“Everything is fine, isn’t it? I mean, you are fine?” Broc had asked her when he first saw her, just to reassure himself. A day alone with Rhea… that could have gone any number of ways.
She had smiled and placed her hand on his briefly.
“I am,” she’d said, before elaborating in a more playful tone. “Better now to be sitting here with you.”
Now, as he looked down on her, naked and fast asleep in his bed, he could see that perhaps she had underplayed things a little.
She’d had a hard day. These marks on her arms and legs hadn’t been there before. Red grazes covered her lower arms and her knees, down to her shins. They weren’t deep, but they stood out starkly against her ivory skin.
His kind healed so fast, he’d never seen anything like it before. It stung, to see her this way.
Although she’d shown the same enthusiasm, the same passion as the night before, her touch had changed. She wasn’t as free in her movements. Had she been in pain?
He would ask her, except he didn’t have the heart to wake her up. She so very clearly needed the rest.
If Teaq and Rhea’s plan had gone too far, there would be repercussions.
Everyone on the island had undergone a certain amount of combat training. But this was different. Kelly was to be his queen.
He’d fight to the death to keep her from harm. She would never have to pick up a sword in battle herself; he would make sure of it.
As he continued to observe her, how innocently she lay there, he couldn’t help but wonder about the things Teaq and the Elders had said during the Council meeting. Surely he was the one keeping secrets in this room, not Kelly.
This prophecy the Elders had dug up; either it was simply a misinterpretation, or there was someone else; some other outsider whom they all ought to worry about.
It certainly couldn’t be Kelly. Not his queen.
She stirred and turned onto her side, moaning softly in the process.
“What is it, my darling?” Broc whispered.
He sat down beside her and gently rested his hand on her bare shoulder.
She sighed.
“Mother. Why have you forsaken me?” Kelly demanded.
Broc frowned. Her eyes remained closed. A dream, perhaps? Or a memory.
“Nobody has forsaken you. You’re not alone.”
Despite his attempt to comfort her, she grew more restless, turning onto her back again and shaking her head vigorously.
“I don’t understand. Why did have to you leave us?”
Clearly there was something eating away at her. Broc regretted not asking Kelly about her past and her family some more. That might have afforded him some insights now.
Broc lay down beside her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her body against his.
This seemed to help. Kelly’s breaths became deeper and more regular. Her formerly tense expression relaxed.
“You’re safe now,” Broc whispered in her ear.
“Mhmm.”
“Sleep on.” He rested his head on the pillow beside hers.
This was how they remained, side by side, until shortly before dawn. Broc gathered her up in a sheet, ever careful not to wake her, and carried her back to her own room. He paused for a moment, watching as she settled into her new position.
He couldn’t explain it. How Kelly had awoken all these feelings in him.
It was his duty as king to take care of all his subjects, obviously. And as his future queen, Kelly h
eld a special position. But this wasn’t about duty. It was about instinct.
Remembering the scars on her otherwise flawless skin, Broc balled his fists.
He wouldn’t stand idly by as Rhea and Teaq conspired to make Kelly’s life unnecessarily difficult.
But his responsibilities took him away from her most of the day. He needed an ally. Someone he could trust to be truthful with him, but who could move around the island unnoticed.
As he closed the heavy door to Kelly’s room as quietly as he could, a shadow in the corner of his eye attracted his attention. Her scent was unmistakably familiar.
“Bree?” Broc called out.
The young woman appeared from around the corner. Her head bowed as a sign of respect. She’d always been a bit timid around him, but he trusted her. That was why he had assigned her to take care of Kelly during the transition. She was a born protector.
Who better to help him with his latest problem?
“There’s something we must discuss,” Broc started.
Bree raised her head and met his gaze. “Anything, my king.”
“It’s about Kelly…”
At the mention of her name, Bree’s eyes lit up. It was obvious that the woman had developed a certain fondness for his future bride. Broc smiled. Bree was the perfect ally indeed.
“I would like you to make sure that nothing untoward happens to her. The training with Rhea is fine and well, but Rhea has never trained a human before. Their bodies… they work differently from ours.”
Bree eyes darted back at Kelly’s room, then lingered on him again. “She’s fragile.”
“She heals more slowly,” Broc clarified.
“You’d like me to accompany them. Watch over her.”
Broc nodded. “But it cannot be obvious. Use your powers. Stay out of sight.”
Bree opened her mouth as if to protest, but kept quiet when another dark figure approached the two of them in the corridor.
“Up so early?” Teaq asked.
“There is much to do,” Broc said.
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