by Bill Albert
“If only I could remember back that far,” his friend Roerick said rolling his eyes. Like Harlan he had very little hair left but was much taller and thinner.
“Don’t remind me,” Harlan said with a yawn. “It was much easier staying up late in getting up early when we were younger.”
“Yes, when we were younger,” Roerick laughed. “Back when we believed everything we were told.”
“Like the 8-foot fish you saw in Tazzer Creek.”
“That was the truth!”
“Never. An 8-foot-long fish couldn’t fit in Tazzer Creek. The water was barely a foot deep, you couldn’t get through,” Harlan said and shook his head.
“It must have been the Newt Gerard Creek then,” Roerick added after a pause.
“That I can believe,” Harlan said and nodded.
The rumble of their laughter caught the attention of most of the crowd.
“We’ve seen lots of things come and go in over 80 years,” Roerick said.
“We sure have,” Harlan agreed. Think the strangest thing of all is what happened to that young girl today. A prisoner of the Giant Lords at a Royal execution just vanishes. What does that tell you?”
“It tells me some of those suspicions I’ve had about the Giant Lords might be true. Those things I’m sure we both felt but rarely talk about,” Roerick said suddenly serious.
“You felt that way since you first heard about that one girl saving the Third Minister on Festival Day,” Harlan leaned over and whispered.
“No, it was before that.”
“I was an agent for the Giant Lords for 36 years,” Harlan said sadly. “There was a time undertaken you in for questioning, maybe even treason, when I heard that talk.”
“Arrest me,” Roerick said putting his hands together and offering them to his best friend.
“I damn should, too,” he winked at his best friend. “No, I’m too old to arrest people he smiled. I’m also too old to believe that the Giant Lords are all good, either. Too many friends die, too many good people treated badly, to believe it’s that simple.”
“Since we believe that we should believe some elves are good then, but I don’t.”
Despite their best intentions there was a gasp from a few of the 20 or so people who had huddled around them and listening to the old gentlemen talk.
“Yes,” Harlan nodded slowly. “But we know that’s not true.”
“I can’t argue with you on that. Still, could this be it? After 200 years could this be the end of the Giant Lords?”
“Two years ago, both of us would’ve said Starpoint mountain would be here forever. I suppose I should have expected this,” Harlan said. “Evil elves, good Giant Lords, and the mountain lasting forever. We been proven wrong on at least one of them. Possibly two.”
“Are you sure which one was the second?”
There was a pause between them and the 30 people who had steadily gathered around them were surprised that they also weren’t sure.
“What about the secret we’ve kept for so long?” Roerick asked worriedly.
“That when we will take to our graves,” Harlan said looking deep into Roerick’s eyes.
As the two men sat silently watching the fire there was a heated conversation going on just a bit too far off for their 80 plus year old ears to hear.
“I don’t think she did it,” Roddy, a female dwarf said. “None of it, the assassination, the escape, none of it.”
“Oh, come on!” Lennar, a human male glared at her. “You were there the day of the assassination of King Paleth! You stood there next to me inside! You saw her on the wall!”
“I saw somebody, a redhaired woman who fit her description, that doesn’t mean it was her.”
“So, what do you think it was?” He asked forcing himself to stay calm.
“A shifter,” Roddy defended herself. “It could have been a shifter.”
“Of course, I should’ve known,” Lennar said dripping with sarcasm. “Maybe it was a team,” he laughed. “A shifter who was working with a fairy area”
“Now you’re just being rude,” Roddy said. “There are no fairies anymore.”
“I’m just saying we saw her do it, lots of people did, and the Giant Lords declared her Fugitive Kind and ordered her to be executed for. There! She’s guilty!”
“Maybe the Giant Lords are wrong!”
Out of instinct Lennar’s hand went for the hilt of his sword. He started to draw it, held at halfway out for a few seconds, then slid it back into the sheath but kept his grip tight.
“That is treason,” he said. “The Giant Lords are our leaders and they have protected us for 200 years and always will.”
“Yeah, I learned that chant in school to. I didn’t believe it then and I don’t believe it now.”
Shaking with anger Lennar looked around and realized they were attracting attention. “Let’s move away from the fire,” he suggested with clenched teeth. “Let’s cool off some.”
Roddy nodded and they quickly walked away from the fire. When they were far enough that they cannot be heard or seen Lennar faced her angrily.
“I will not stand there and let you talk treason against the Giant Lords.”
“It’s not treason to want the truth.”
“They’ve given us the truth. She is guilty and deserves to die!”
“Oh, come on! There something going on here. The Giant Lords know about it and want to keep it quiet.”
“No, I refuse to believe that,” Lennar shook his head which was covered in sweat.
“Okay, okay, okay. Let’s say that she did assassinate King Paleth, let’s just say it. What are the chances? What was the plan? This woman that no one ever heard of suddenly shows up in the middle of a road and saves the Third Minister. She’s famous. She’s a hero, but no one had ever heard of her before or knows anything about her. And she disappears? She is gone for a few months and suddenly she’s back. Then, as soon as she arrives, she manages to get into the kingdom, and she murders the King. She gets captured and sentenced to die but manages to escape at the last second? Could one person do that by herself?”
“She could,” Lennar said.
“No, she couldn’t, she would need some help but who could help her? Only other Giant Lords could make that work.”
“Don’t you dare!” He growled at her “Giant Lords would never hurt other giants.”
“But if they are as powerful and as mighty is you say that no one else could have done it. She had to have help from a Giant Lord.”
Lennar could no longer control his anger and he ended her betrayal by plunging his sword through her chest and slicing her heart in half. He looked away as her eyes went blank and her body went limp. Gently he laid her on the ground and closer eyes. Then he gave his lover one last kiss before the long walk home.
***
Two hobgoblin militia members quietly made their way from campfire to campfire. They would go close enough to see what was happening and be seen by the campers but never actually get involved. They had spent a great deal of time listening to young halfling girl talk loudly about the events of the day. They had some concerns about her, some of her comments border on treason, but there were several reasons they stayed clear.
One was that their orders were very strict and concise. Their orders were to make their presence known but not to get involved unless they were confronted directly.
The second was that they were very aware that, despite their skills as fighters, a dozen angry citizens were best kept away from. Most likely they could take out enough of them to force the rest to retreat but it would be a bloody mess, and no one would benefit from it.
The third and most important reason was there had been some uncomfortable truths in what she was saying.
“I just realized who that was,” Fortem said.
“Who was she?” Fidem asked.
“That girl that was going through the crowd before the execution saying how innocent the condemned was. I think her name
is Aliala.”
“Yes, I must agree with you,” Fidem said. “It most likely was her. It fits the description and what she was saying sounds familiar.”
“Familiar with what she said before?”
“Yes, of course,” Fidem said quickly. “I’m sure there is nothing to back her up. Just the rantings of a confused girl.”
“Keep walking,” Fortem said and they marched on to the nearest campfire.
“Have you noticed the difference with these groups? The way they act when we come by?” Fidem asked.
“Nothing unusual,” Fortem said not looking at him.
Fidem kept walking and worked hard to fight the confusion inside. The hobgoblin militia had always been treated respectfully my overwhelming majority of the public. Normally, they were met with respectful nods and polite smiles, but he had noticed a distinct difference. The members of the public kept looking at them but only if you would not and no one would smile. It wasn’t hostility that he picked up from them but its distinct distrust.
Dwarves averaged a foot taller than hobgoblins and humans were usually 2 to 3 foot taller, but this was the first time Fidem had felt small.
***
Penn was big even by giant standards. At 8’8” tall he towered over many of his fellow Giants. In addition to his height he was constantly exercising working to improve his physique and as a result he was incredibly muscular. So, chiseled and firm were his arms and legs it was often commented that even tree trunks were jealous of him.
His strength, presence, and ability to intimidate almost anyone who wasn’t a giant, and many who were, had helped him rise quickly amongst the Giant Lords and his position as Keeper of the Gate was well respected. He was the final say on the main gates just outside of Spring Field and no one, not even the Council of Ministers nor the Giant Lords king himself, could go through the gate without Pen’s permission.
Immediately following the prisoner’s disappearance from the execution table, he had ordered everyone inside the protective wall and all doors closed. The three-story high execution stage had been left in place outside. He had placed for guards on top of the four-story high wall to keep an eye on its and make sure no one tried to mount it. They were armed and ready to fight without notice.
Ninety percent of the hobgoblin militia station in Spring Field were sweeping the city looking for the condemned. The remaining 10% had been ordered out into the land to encourage those waiting by campfires to leave. He had been disturbed to learn that they were not going and expected something bad was imminent.
It was unusual that Pen, despite his responsibilities, would have trouble sleeping but on this night eluded him. He had laid in his bed secured in a very private room inside the wall since just after sundown. He had considered the events of the day and prepared himself for what tomorrow will bring.
He checked the blades of both his gigantic swords to make sure they were clean and sharp. He took a few practice swings to make sure the balance was right in smiled at the feel of it.
He wasn’t worried about anything happening outside the walls. The Giant Lords were well protected from the riffraff outside and his guards above could be any of them away if necessary.
It was what had happened inside the walls that bothered him as he continued to take more practice swings with his swords. He had overheard two of the guards assigned him debating what had happened during the execution. One of them, who had, until this day showed incredible dedication and loyalty to his job, had suggested that perhaps there had been things going on that the Council of Ministers were lot letting anyone else know.
What if they had their own secrets they wanted to keep?
Penn had interrupted at that point and brought the argument to an end. One of the Giants was now at his post on the wall watching for intruders. The other giant had been stripped of his rank and belongings and shackled into one of the underground cells.
Penn decided it would be a good time to get a confession from the prisoner and carefully return the swords to their sheaths.
***
Kellis left the Council chamber just as the sun was completely above the horizon. She had kept quiet and hidden during the night and had covered a great deal of territory.
She told the First Minister of incidents she has seen going from campfire to campfire. She informed him of the doubts that the two elderly male humans were having after all of their years of service. She talked about the young couple, a human male and a dwarven female who had argued heatedly about the Giant Lords before disappearing into the night. There were other stories she had heard during her travels, for some time following Aliala, that were not much different from those. There was a steady stream of anger and distrust rising both in and outside the gates. The story that she heard on the way back, of the giant prisoner who’d been killed trying to escape, had confirmed what the First Minister had expected.
He did not need the burning sun to see what this day would bring. He knew that the events of this day would decide the next hundred years in the Land of Starpoint. What he did not know was whether the Giant Lords would be part of it or not.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: THE LONG CLIMB
Gallif pulled her sword from the guard stomach after he collapsed to the ground. He wasn’t dead yet, but she could see by his wounds he would be soon.
***
“The Third Minister has declared a special council meeting this afternoon. There’s also been an increase in activity around his office, considerably more visitors than usual. The guard captains and warriors that leave his office immediately call their troops to assembly then disappear,” Mekon reported.
“Disappear to where?” Gallif asked.
“Locked down rooms for private meetings. Afterwards they start steadily working their way to an armory.”
“What about the other ministers?”
“The Second Minister and the Sixth Minister have also been very active. Slowly the rest of them have been contacting the personal guards, assistance, agents, and whoever they trust.”
“What of the First Minister?” Cokinis asked.
“Nothing unusual from him. What small staff he has haven’t change their routines in any way.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Tuttrup said. “Even after the fall of Starpoint Mountain there was very little change in his office. That’s one of the reasons I don’t trust him that much.”
“Have you heard anything?” Gallif asked Rosario.
Rosario had just entered the room and no one else had been aware she was there. The others quickly turned to greet her but were stopped by the distressed look on her face.
“I spoke with a friend who, like me was assigned to assist the Healers. She said there was some commotion late last night but, even though a Healer was called, none of the assistants were allowed to go. From what she could hear, and from what she saw this morning, she believes there was a guard killed last night. According to the bits of information she got a giant had been taken prisoner yesterday and was killed trying to escape.”
Gallif closer eyes and shuddered. Luvin shook his head and put a hand on Gallif shoulder.
Mekon and Tuttrup gasped in shock and looked at each other in astonishment while Cokinis and Claman each said a quick prayer.
“We can’t wait anymore,” Mekon said and they all look to him. There is only one way to prevent this from getting worse. If there is fighting brewing out amongst the Giants, it won’t stop on when he gets to the wall.”
“We don’t really have any other choice then, do we? Gallif asked them all was in surprise when she got no answer. “When will the Council of Ministers meet?” she asked Mekon.
“Three hours.”
“Three-hour should give us plenty of time to get where we need to be.”
“Yes, Mekon nodded. “I will have my agents ready and into position.”
“I will have all the Healers, Casters, and others I can round up waiting for the signal,” Cokinis said.
“There is one thi
ng you must guarantee me first,” Tuttrup said and they all looked in surprise. “We must agree that, despite all of the firepower we may have, and how short tempers will get, that one goal is to prevent a war, not start it. Wherever possible we will avoid confrontation and when finished let the Council of Ministers decide.”
“Agreed,” Gallif spoke first and the rest followed one by one.
***
“Explain to me why we have to go this way, again,” Rosario said lodging herself between two supporting timbers.
“Because it’s the only sure way will be able to get up to the tower,” Luvin responded as he always did. “Are you afraid of the dark?”
“No, not dark,” she said looking up and down the complex network of spikes and braces they were climbing. “It’s the spiders, rats and other things that live in the darkness scare me,” she said and started to climb again.
“After you’ve dealt with necressen, regular spiders are really that big of a thing anymore.”
“Necressen?”
“Giant spiders that only feed on the dead.”
“No,” Rosario exclaimed as she felt a strand from a spider web brush against her cheek.
“Don’t worry,” Gallif assured her. “There’s not enough room for the adults in here. Maybe if you beg ones, but they’ll just feast of the dead rats they find.” Those too dark to see it she knew Luvin was smiling just as much as she was.
“Oh, shipped,” Rosario exclaimed.
The towers and other official buildings of the Giant Lords had a very unique design. At regular intervals on the walls there were spikes and supporters protruding out 2 feet. On the ends of these a second wall had been added for protection so any outside attackers would have difficulty getting in. The original architects had also specifically chosen to make them too small for any Giants to climb up inside. Luckily, they had never considered the possibility that anyone as small as a human would want to climb them.
The climb was slow and difficult. Needing their hands to climb they could carry no torches with them and there were very few cracks in the walls. The timbers were covered with dust after decades of negligence, but they were still firm, and they were able to step from each piece to the next while holding onto the layer above. The result was a very long and tedious staircase.