by J B Cantwell
I might’ve expected, then, to have been found by Phalen or the Wicks, or even those disgusting, slimy creatures from the mountaintop where the bull had stood guard.
But nothing in this journey was expected.
I walked for many hours before I realized I was being followed. Just as stealth wasn't my expertise, whoever was tracking me didn't show much stealth, either. I slowed, increased the brightness of the staff, and turned around.
There was nothing. Nobody was out there.
Then, I heard a rustling from a nearby bush, one of the few that hadn’t turned to dust.
"Who's there?" I called as bravely as I could.
Nothing.
"Come out!" I tried again.
I aimed the staff in the direction of the bush and unleashed a jolt of power that was strong enough to take down part of the rock wall on the other side.
"Argh!" and I heard someone swear. "Okay, okay. I'll come out. I just didn't want to scare you."
Scare me? Who did this guy think he was dealing with?
But I soon found that it wasn't so much him dealing with me as the other way around, for the man that approached me was no man at all.
A giant.
When he was about ten feet away, I yelled, "Stop!"
"I told you…" he said.
"You just stay where you are."
My hands shook, but I held the staff as steadily as I could, aiming it right at his heart.
He was no Keeper, but he was enormous, twelve feet tall at least.
My chest seized up, and my breathing became shallow.
"It is okay, young miss," he said. “I’m not here to hurt you."
"Then why are you here?" I asked.
"Well, I've been following you for some time."
"What do you want with me?" I asked.
I didn't know about giants. Tales about them were hard to come by, as so few people had ever seen them before. I seemed to remember that they were vicious creatures, that they took delight in crushing humans between their gigantic hands.
"Well," he said. "I suppose I could ask you the same question. Why are you here in these mountains? And why are you trespassing on our land?"
I took a couple of steps back. Trespassing? That thought had never occurred to me, the idea that anybody would ever want to live in these mountains at all. And yet here was a man, a giant man, who did.
"I… I'm sorry," I said. I'm just passing through. I've been through battle, and I got lost.”
While our conversation so far had been relatively friendly, I didn’t lower the staff. He looked at it, then looked into my eyes, and I could tell he was nervous, too.
"Lower your staff. Maybe I can help you."
Help me?
I did not lower my staff.
He looked at it again, then took a few steps back.
"Fine," he said. "Shall I get the others?"
"The others?" I asked.
"There are fifty of us, and every one of us wants to know who you are and why you’re here."
Fifty.
I lowered the staff, but I kept it at the ready.
He tentatively approached but stopped within a few feet of me.
I looked up at him, and he was so tall I could barely see past his chin. He knelt down to see me more closely, or maybe to let me see him. Either way, it was unexpected.
"You bring magic here," he said.
"Yes," I said. "Is that a problem?"
"Only for some. Us giants tend to be frightened of those with… abilities." He smiled. "The older folks in particular. Some of us, though, are curious. We've seen the Flyers; they've been active of late."
"You mean the Wicks?"
"Is that what you call them?"
"Yes. What do you call slimy creatures?" I asked.
"You mean the ones who run their wet hands across your skin? We call those Creepers. Do you have a name for them as well?"
I shook my head and lowered the staff even further. I was starting to feel a little more comfortable. I seemed I’d found someone with whom I could get my questions answered.
"What else will I find in these mountains?"
He sighed and looked around.
"Let's just say I think you should come with me. My sisters and brothers aren’t so forgiving as I am. If you are to cross paths with them, they won’t be so interested in you, and you’ll be more likely to get attacked."
Now it was me taking a few steps back, and I raised the staff again.
He put his hands up. "No, no. That's not what I meant."
"Then say what you mean.”
"You don't understand,” he said. “These are our lands. We’re charged to protect them. Until now, we’ve warred with anyone who comes across our path, especially those with magic."
"But why?"
He raised his eyebrows, and for a moment, I thought he might laugh. But he took another glance at the staff and stood up straight.
"I guess the answer to that question lies with you," he said. "Whom have you met so far in these mountains? Flyers, yes. Creepers, yes. And now me. Anybody else?"
I took a deep breath, trying to think straight. Of course, there had been others—one in particular.
"Phalen."
"Ah, yes. So you see, you have answered your own question. Unfortunately, with Phalen, we’re powerless. Our only gift is camouflage. We happen to be very good at it.
Suddenly, I wanted to know everything about this man, this place.
"Did you ever meet Bevyn?" I asked.
"No, I don't know him. Is he a friend of yours?"
I nodded. "Yes. He was Phalen's brother."
"Was?" he asked.
"Phalen killed him. Bevyn had been the one good thing that had come from Torin. He taught me all he knew about magic."
"If it’s training you are seeking, you may find some help here. There’s one among our numbers who has used magic in the past, though she’s never been able to re-create the spells she’s been successful at. Most of the giants are frightened of her, and she lives on the outskirts of our group. Duna is her name. If you like, I can take you to her."
The tightness I had been feeling in my chest loosened. If he was offering to take me to see one of his tribe, it seemed less likely that his desire was to kill me. Briefly, I considered what a giant might eat in this place, but I knew if I ran, they would be after me in a flash. The only thing I could do was keep my staff firmly in my grasp and hope that I wasn’t a target.
Suddenly, three more giants materialized from the rock that surrounded us. I stepped back, terrified, then turned to run, fear taking over my mind.
But I should’ve known better. Two more giants walked from the rock, and one of them grabbed me by my pack, knocking me to the ground.
"Sloan, be careful with her," the first giant said. "She doesn't want to hurt us."
I still struggled, desperate to get away. Seeing one giant was alarming enough, but four was a few too many. I could feel the staff leaving my hands as one of them pulled at it. I tightened my grip and put every ounce of power I had into that piece of wood, making it too hot for any but me to carry it. The man released it and blew on his fingers, trying to remove the burns his grip had caused him.
“Now, hold on,” the first giant said. “There’s no need for that. We don't even know your name.”
But I didn't get a chance to give it to him, for a moment later one of the strangers knocked me on the head, and I fell to the ground, unconscious.
I woke up sometime later in a place that was highly unexpected. A soft blanket was wrapped around me, and somebody had put a cool cloth over my forehead where I'd been hit. The light in the room was flickering, a candle or two nearby.
"Ah, you are awake," somebody said. It was a woman, though her voice was deep. “I’m Nia. I’ll go fetch Kaelin. Don't go anywhere. Can I trust you?"
I looked up at her, and her size was alarming. Her massive hand took the cool cloth from my head and turned it over, placing it back down
again.
I nodded, noticing that my staff was no longer at my side. I felt into my belt and realized that my knives were gone as well. I wasn’t defenseless, though. I’d lived my whole life without weapons, and I’d made it through all right. As she left the room, I quietly lit my hands, just checking that my power hadn’t miraculously disappeared.
I sat up, but as soon as I did, the whole world around me started to spin, and I thought I might be sick. I laid back down again, rolling over to my side, realizing that someone had put a pillow beneath my head as well.
Maybe they weren't planning to eat me after all.
It was then that I realized how tall the ceilings were in this room. Tall enough for a giant and overwhelming for a human. It may have been a great cathedral in some other place. It reminded me of the castle back home, of the tall room at the top of the tower where Zahn kept court.
The woman entered the room again, this time followed by two other giants. The first was the one I’d met in the valley. He smiled in greeting.
"I'm sorry about your head," he said. "We had little choice."
The second man who entered didn't seem sorry at all. His face was grave, and though I worried about him, I suddenly realized how stupid I was to think that they would eat me. He was their leader, and surely a group of fifty giants subsisted on more than just the occasional traveler.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"I'm just passing through," I said.
“And what is your destination?”
I paused, not sure if I should tell him. But then, of course, I was essentially their prisoner, and living so deep within these mountains meant they’d probably never even heard of Torin.
"I'm from a kingdom called Eagleview," I said. "My name is Bree. I’m trying to make it to Brista to join with an army there against Torin.”
The man bristled, and I realized he must know of Torin.
"I am Arte," he said. "We are the Ezvar tribe. And this is Kaelin and Nia. I am charged with protecting our clan. We do not allow magic."
I looked up at Kaelin, and he shrugged his shoulders, smiling. But I remembered what he’d told me before about the woman who had magic. Wouldn't they bring me to her?
"That's not what I heard, but that will be fine," I said. "I only mean to leave these mountains, and I have no fight with you. Though I might ask that you not attack me again." I lifted my hand up to my aching head, but when I touched it, I found it was sore, and I put my hand back down again.
"Yeah," Kaelin said. "Some of the others aren’t as patient as I am."
"Well, you might have considered that knocking me out resulted in you getting your answers much more slowly," I said. "Where are my knives and staff?"
"They are put away for the time being," Arte said, irritated. "Kaelin here tells me that you have had dealings with Phalen and that you know of another of Torin's sons."
"Bevyn," I said. "He was… good."
"Nothing about Torin is good," he said.
"Well, he was. He taught me for many weeks about magic and about how I could use my own to fight his father."
Arte frowned, then turned to Kaelin. "What shall we do with her?"
It wasn't Kaelin to speak, but the woman, Nia.
"You've done a number on her head," she said. "It will take a couple of days for her to heal enough to be ready to travel." She looked down at me and winked.
Arte huffed.
"I want her gone," he said. "She cannot stay among us. We have rules."
"What about Duna?" Kaelin asked. "She can stay with her until she's better. We can at least offer her that much after what we did to her."
I appreciated this, and I couldn't help but be curious about how these people lived in such a place. And why.
"I would like to stay with Duna," I said. "Kaelin tells me she has magic, too."
Arte turned and glared at Kaelin, and I worried I had caused trouble for him later on. But he didn't show any fear. A slight smile played around the edges of his mouth, and it calmed me to know that he wasn’t scared for my safety.
"Shall we take her over?" Kaelin asked.
"I don't think she should be moved," Nia said.
"Then we’ll bring her here," Kaelin said.
Arte grumbled to himself, then crossed his great arms.
"One day," he said. "Then, she goes."
Kaelin smiled again, but he was careful not to laugh. I reflected on my good luck at having met such a gentle giant first, at least gentler than his friends had been.
I wondered what Arte's experience with Torin had been. But he’d had enough of this meeting. He turned to Kaelin. "I hold you responsible for her. If anything happens, it will be your head."
Kaelin tried to keep a stern look on his face as he nodded to his leader, but he wasn't very good at it.
Arte shook his head and uncrossed his arms, gripping the bottom rung on the huge bed frame. "Remember yourself," he said to me. "We will tolerate no magic here."
He couldn't have been clearer, and though I was comfortable, more comfortable than I’d been since being back home, I dared not argue.
Arte left the room, slamming the door behind him. Finally, Kaelin let out his laughter, a few short barks, before he was able to compose himself again.
I couldn't imagine what he thought was so funny, but then he told me.
"Don't mind him,” he said. "He’s older than me, but only by a few years."
"A few hundred years," Nia said.
He shrugged. "Still, I know him better than most."
"So, I'm not quite sure if I should curse you or thank you," I said.
"Ahh, but you promised not to do magic."
"Sometimes I slip," I said.
He kept his good humor and walked over to the bed, bending over to whisper in my ear.
"I won't tell if you don't."
There was little else I could do but agree. "Will I get my things back?" I asked.
"Eventually."
"Kaelin, get out of here," Nia said. "She needs time to heal. You're not helping."
I couldn't deny that she was right, and I was feeling more and more tired with every moment that passed. Everything just felt so overwhelming. I couldn't tell if it was the size of everyone or the lump on my head; either way, Nia was right. I needed rest.
"I shall leave you then," Kaelin said. "But I’ll send Duna to see you later today."
I rolled onto my back and was grateful when Nia replaced the cloth with another, cooler one. I had many questions, but they would have to wait until my head stopped throbbing. And so, despite the danger, I let myself fall into sleep.
"Wake up, girl!"
The woman’s voice was loud, and I gripped my head.
She sighed. I didn't even open my eyes, but a moment later, I felt a cold hand on my forehead, and warm magic flowed between us.
My eyes shot open, and I felt amazed, never having expected to meet someone else who could do what I could. My pain was gone in an instant, and I sat up in the bed.
"Are you her? Duna?"
"That I am," she said.
She had seated herself on the floor, which was thoughtful considering her great size. Unlike Kaelin, though, she was grumpy. Almost as grumpy as Arte. I wondered if magic were really the only reason she lived on the outskirts of the giants.
"So, what can you do?" she asked.
I was still marveling at how quickly the pain had gone away. I wondered why they hadn't brought her here immediately upon my arrival. Maybe Arte had needed to decide whether or not to keep me alive.
"I can do what you can do," I said. "I can heal."
Her eyebrows raised, then she smirked. "So she says."
She took a small sharp knife from her bag, and before I could tell her to stop, she had sliced open her hand, thick blood seeping out of the cut. She wiped the knife on her pants, storing it once more, then stuck her hand in my face.
"Do it, then," she said.
She was crazy, I was certain, but I had littl
e choice. I put my tiny hands upon her palm, lit them with fire, and poured a jolt of my healing into her. It felt different than using my magic on a human. Her body seemed oddly thick, and it took me a few moments to push my magic beneath the skin of her palm. But when I pulled away, only a slight scar remained.
"Hmph," she said. "Well, I suppose I should say thank you, but then you didn't thank me."
"I guess we're square," I said.
She frowned, surely not have been expecting attitude from a small human like me.
"Well, I suppose it's time for us to leave Nia to her more important work." She looked up at Nia. "Need anything?"
Nia grimaced, and it was clear that the two did not like each other. "Thank you for the healing," she said.
"Wouldn't have needed it if it weren't for those fools you have protecting our borders."
"It's not my…"
"Whatever you say, Nia." She looked at me again. "Well? Let's go already. I've got questions."
"Me too," I said, though I knew it would be difficult for me to demand answers from someone such as her. I didn't know how deep her magic ran within her, but if she was able to heal, chances were she was pretty powerful.
I moved to the side of the bed and found my boots at the foot of it. The bed was so high up off the floor I had to jump down to reach them.
"Where's my pack?" I asked.
"Oh, the genius Arte has probably had it taken far from you. He's not used to magic, is he, Nia?"
"Enough with you," she said in return.
Duna leaned in, pretending to whisper. "She's his daughter, you see."
"They shouldn't have brought you here," Nia said. Then she turned to me, and her tone was a little less abrupt. "If you are well, you should go. This one will find somewhere for you to sleep until it's time for you to leave."
Looking up at her made me feel like a very young child.
"Thank you," I said. It felt inadequate. She had been the one caring for me, but Duna had been the one to do the healing. It was hard to say who’d done more.
"It was no trouble," she said. "I expect I'll see you at dinner tonight."
I almost laughed, for this line made me nervous.
Don't be an idiot.
I turned to go, and as Duna stood up to her full height, I took a deep breath.