by Jerry Hart
“He didn’t get Rewan,” Astrid said. “That’s why Cormac killed him.”
“And Rewan was the leader of that clan,” Victor said. “If they killed him to serve Nalke, there may be no hope of rehabilitation.”
“I agree,” Rockne said. “We may end up having to wipe them out.”
“How can you decide that?” I asked. “Why not leave them to the other giant clans?”
“There are no other clans on the island; they’re spread throughout the world. Heaven help us if Nalke’s gotten to them as well.”
“So you’ll kill them too?” I asked. It killed me arguing with my friend, especially since I understood, for the most part, where he was coming from.
“How about you come with us,” Rockne said to me. “We will try to reason with them.”
I wanted to say no, but I also wanted to see if there was anything I could do to keep anyone else from dying.
Chapter 22: Under the Ice
Before we left, Rockne called Virgil in to watch over the gatehouse. I told Rockne the shield failed, but he claimed it would be fine now. I didn’t know what he meant by that, and I didn’t trust that it would “be fine now,” but I followed anyway. Taleeno met us near the rubble that had stopped Cormac earlier. He had a squad of fellow Dargons, all dressed in black uniforms and weapons that looked like guns mixed with bats. All of their faces were colored completely yellow this time.
“We can handle it from here, Taleeno,” Victor said as we approached.
“Nonsense. This offense occurred on my island. I will see justice done.”
“What if something happens to you? Aneela would inherit the throne. Do you think she’s ready for that responsibility?”
“Aneela is strong and wise. If something happens to me down there, she will be ready to rule in my place. But I am going.”
“Spoken like a true leader,” Rockne said with a grin.
Then he turned to the rubble and waved his hands around. The boulders shot away, clearing the path. We followed it to the valley with the cherry-blossom trees and the frozen lake. Rewan’s body was still there, his blood staining the snow around him.
“Poor Rewan,” Rockne said sadly. “He would have been a powerful ally.”
“How do we get down there?” I asked.
“Leave that to me.” Rockne stood in the center of the lake and then began to slowly lower. “Each of you do as I do. You will be lowered safely into the giants’ realm.”
His head disappeared beneath the ice right after he finished telling us what to do. Victor followed him, and then Taleeno and his men. I was last.
It was like riding an icy elevator. I couldn’t move my body as I went through the ice, but I could breathe normally. This only lasted ten seconds, and when I was through I was astounded by what I saw.
I was in a world covered in ice, and it looked nearly as big as the island above. I saw hills of snow and trees of ice, even a waterfall, though it was frozen. There were large white houses that reminded me of igloos scattered about on the hills.
I looked down and saw my ice elevator was just that; I was standing on a round chunk of ice that appeared to be lowered by magic, because I didn’t see it attached to anything. The “sky” was just rock and ice, hundreds of feet above us. Light sources were reflected off of specially placed crystals throughout this world. It was spectacular. I took a picture of it with my cell phone just before the elevator touched down on the snowy ground.
“Are you all right, Josh?” Victor asked, grabbing his axe in his hands.
“I’m fine.”
The twenty of us stood on top of the hill, looking around for any threats. Behind us, at least a mile away, was a giant, dark ice wall. I guessed that was the end of the giants’ world.
“Why do they live down here?” I asked no one in particular.
“Our giant brethren were born beneath the ice,” Taleeno replied. “We’ve tried to get them to join us above ground, but they insisted on staying where they are most comfortable. Some venture out; they used to have to do so through that ice wall behind us, but Rockne created the lift system for them.”
“Which I will be closing if things go south for us,” Rockne added.
We started down the hill, toward a bridge that crossed a dark-blue stream. Well, it was a stream to the giants but a river to us. This river was not frozen, however, and appeared to be hot. I saw steam rising from it. The bridge, of course, was massive, and took a minute to cross. When we did, we were greeted by a group of giants.
They did not look happy.
One of them, the new leader I guessed, said something in the giant language.
“Yes,” Taleeno replied, “I’m afraid Rewan and his son are dead. Cormac killed his father and attacked my people. It seems Nalke’s influence has tainted this island.”
The giant replied.
“It is for me to decide who is guilty and who isn’t. Cormac attacked with a horde of giants. I wouldn’t have guessed so many would be loyal to the enemy. I’m afraid I can’t trust the rest of you until Nalke is stopped. There’s no telling who among you he managed to turn against us.”
The leader looked back at the other giants behind him. There were at least seven I could see. Some had short hair, and I guessed they were women; the men had no hair.
“I hate to do this,” Taleeno went on, “but it is my right, as leader of Dargo, to detain you beneath the ice until Nalke is defeated.”
The giants didn’t like the sound of that at all. They all grunted and beat the ground with their massive fists. Some of the houses trembled.
Rockne stepped forward. “If I may, Taleeno, I might just have a way to ferret out any deceivers among the giants.”
“How?” Taleeno raised an eyebrow.
Rockne got closer and whispered just loud enough for me to hear, “I can cast a spell on them that monitors their emotions. It’s a trick Champagne taught me. I’ll then ask them if they are loyal to Nalke. If they lie, their bodies will glow slightly.”
“You and your spells.” Taleeno chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. “Fine, wizard, do it. It won’t harm them, will it?”
“Not at all, Your Highness.” He said the title sarcastically.
The two turned back to the giants. Rockne waved his hands subtly in front of himself, his fingertips glowing. The giants didn’t seem to notice.
“My gentle giants,” he said after his spell-casting was complete, “I have only one question for you that will help us determine how to handle this delicate situation: Are any of you loyal to Nalke?”
All seven giants replied at once.
Then they all started glowing orange.
The giants were startled by this reaction. They got violent, pounding the ground again. And then they charged.
Taleeno’s men got in front of us and began shooting some kind of energy from their bats. The shots were so loud and appeared to actually hurt the giants. They were repelled by the blasts, but not for long. Victor grabbed me and pulled me away from the fight, toward the bridge.
“Get on the other side and stay there,” he commanded before rejoining the fight.
I started to cross the large bridge when a lone giant jumped over the Dargons and landed behind me. The bridge cracked and I fell into the river. The current was really strong. I couldn’t get out. I tried grabbing onto the snowy ground on either side but couldn’t get a hold of anything.
The current carried me around the town, away from the fight. I didn’t know where I was going but I doubted I would end up back at the bridge. My question was answered a moment later.
Ahead of me was some kind of big, loud mechanism made of spinning crystals. It reminded me of a sink’s garbage disposal. I tried again to get out but couldn’t. I was headed straight for my death.
And then I was scooped out of the blue water by a giant hand. She laid me down on a snowy street. I stared up at her, waiting to be squashed or something, but she simply looked at me, her short hair falling over her
eyes.
“Thank you,” I managed, not sure if it was the right thing to do. Had the giant saved me, or was she planning to kill me herself instead of leaving me to that machine?
I didn’t get a chance to find out because she was blasted by some kind of fireball. She burned to death before my eyes.
I looked to the person who saved me and saw Rockne with anger in his eyes. I’d never seen anyone as mad as he looked at that moment. He returned to the fight behind him. The battle only lasted a few more minutes and by the end the other six giants were dead, as well as half of Taleeno’s task force.
And Taleeno himself.
Chapter 23: A New Leader
The entire island of Dargo gathered in the palace’s courtyard hours later to crown Aneela queen. I stood among the islanders, feeling like an intruder. I could see Aneela at the top of the grand staircase, wearing a white gown with a very elaborate gold necklace. I’d never seen her in such an outfit, and by the look on her face, she wasn’t used to dressing like this.
A man approached her with a silver crown that rested on a yellow pillow. He stopped next to her as a woman joined them, took the crown, and placed it on Aneela’s head.
Aneela was now queen of Dargo. And she did not look happy.
Her face looked like it was made of stone, and it seemed she was holding back her emotions. I guessed she’d cried a lot before the ceremony, or was preparing to do so afterward. I felt so sorry for her and wanted to console her, but considering what happened hours earlier, figured security would be tight around the new queen.
I was only thirty feet away, if I guessed correctly, and for a second we locked eyes. I might have imagined it, but she seemed relieved to see me. Then that hard look returned and she stared at her subjects gathered around me.
“As queen of Dargo,” she called clearly, “I promise to rule with integrity and heart, to obey the laws of the land, and to never abuse the power granted upon me.”
It was a short speech, and Aneela must have memorized it a long time ago, awaiting the day she would have to say it. I couldn’t imagine how she felt, having all this responsibility thrown at her.
Her father was dead.
Ernie was dead.
The Belles were dead.
Though there was nothing I could have done for Taleeno, I felt responsible for Ernie’s death. My presence at the gatehouse did nothing to strengthen the barrier around the Village, like it was supposed to, and I had the chance to save my co-worker and friend in Rockne’s backyard. Instead, I hid in the tree house like a coward.
As the crowd cleared out of the courtyard, I made a decision: I was going to leave Dargo and never return.
Chapter 24: I Discover Something About Myself
It had been two weeks since I left Dargo without saying good-bye to anyone. Well, I told Rockne so he could fill my vacant spot. I decided to find a job off the island and forget my time in Dargo. So much had happened and I knew I’d never truly forget, but I could move on. I would miss Rockne, Aneela, Champagne, Victor and Astrid, but I just didn’t feel safe there anymore.
Rockne was sad to see me go, but he understood. He said he’d keep my visitation rights open if I ever wanted to return, but I doubted I ever would. It was good to know that I could go back without fear of melting the way Tack did, though.
I still had the necklace that protected me from Nalke, but I rarely wore it. I didn’t expect him to bother me anymore, especially if he knew I no longer worked on the island. Estevan and I hung out a lot more, and I could tell he was happy I no longer had that job. He knew it was the same job that killed his grandpa, even though I never confirmed it, but we chose never to talk about it again. He’d made peace with it, partly because he had no proof. Otherwise, the police would be all over it.
To be honest, I almost told him everything. I didn’t work on the island anymore and didn’t care what happened. Being attacked by a melting man and watching a friend having his back snapped by a giant had that affect on you.
Christy and her husband got back together and decided it was time they lived alone. Not having a job definitely hurt my ability to pay rent, so I decided to move out. Luckily my parents lived down the street.
It only took two days to move in, and I was glad I lived light. Most of my possessions consisted of books and Blu-rays, many of which I’d sold off since quitting my job. Most of my books were on my phone, anyway (thanks to ebooks), and I spent a lot of time reading them. I even managed to finish that book I’d spent a year on. I felt more relaxed than I had in months. I kept Palar’s Revenge, even though it did nothing but remind me of the island where I bought it.
Whenever I got too relaxed, though, I wondered why the giants were able to enter the Village so easily. Why had the barrier failed? It was supposed to be stronger with me there, right? With a human there, I reminded myself.
I set down my phone, forgetting the book I’d been reading. “I’m human, right?” I asked myself.
A knock on my door startled me. I told whoever it was to come in. My mom opened the door and smiled at me.
“How are you doing, honey?”
“Good.”
She closed the door behind her and sat at the foot of the bed. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you told me, about the tornado.”
“About dying and coming back to life?” I guessed. She closed her eyes and nodded. I felt bad for phrasing it so bluntly.
“I wish you’d told your father and me sooner, but I’m so happy you’re okay. I know you’re probably wondering what happened that day.”
“You mean why I came back and that other kid died?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I sat up straighter. “Do you know something about that?”
She nodded again. “There’s something I never told you, about your birth. When I was pregnant with you, I was also pregnant with another baby.”
That hit me hard. I couldn’t speak, and I felt my jaw drop. “I was supposed to be a twin?”
“Yes.”
I tried to think of something to say. I had more questions, but they all came to mind at the same time. “What…happened?”
She sighed. “Your sister died before she could be born.”
“How?” I heard myself whisper. I already knew the answer.
“Well, honey, you were so weak and the doctor thought we would lose you. Then, suddenly, you started getting better and your sister got weaker. And then…”
“I killed her,” I finished.
“No, not at all!”
“That’s what happened!” I said forcefully. “I drained her the same way I drained that guy after the tornado. What am I?”
Mom shook her head, tears in her eyes. “It’s my fault. It’s something passed down every second generation. You inherited it from your grandfather.”
“Inherited what?”
“You’re…an incubus.”
My jaw dropped again. “An incubus.”
“Well, some form of incubus. You have the ability to drain the life force from people. You don’t have any control of it, and can only do so when your life is in danger.”
“I’m not human,” I finally managed to say.
“You are human!” she yelled. Then she covered her mouth in shame. “You’re my baby, and there’s nothing wrong with you.”
“Mom, I’m nineteen. You don’t have to protect me. I killed my sister and that guy. I couldn’t control it, but that doesn’t make it okay. Is there any way to stop doing this?”
“Not that I know of, honey.”
The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” I said and quickly left the room. I had to get away from my mom for a second. She’d kept this secret from me all these years. I was mad. If I’d known sooner, I would’ve tried not to drain anyone’s life force. That poor guy would still be alive. I’d had no right to take his life.
I answered the front door and was shocked to see Shae standing there. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her. “What are you doing
here?” I asked a little heatedly.
“I heard about what happened on the island. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine. Where have you been?”
She grinned. “Do you really care?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.” Man, I was pissed and having trouble controlling it. I felt like I should be better than this, but it was difficult.
“Well,” she said, “I’ve been spending time with someone I shouldn’t. Someone you’ve spoken to a few times as well.”
I tilted my head. “Nalke?”
“Yes.”
Chapter 25: Shae’s Secret
I closed the front door and sat down on a bench on the porch. Shae followed. I didn’t want to talk to her about Nalke inside, where Mom could hear. Dad was at work, so I didn’t have to worry about him.
“What’s been happening?” I asked, curious and worried.
“I returned to the island shortly after the giants attacked. I’m so sorry about Ernie.”
My heart thumped painfully at the memory, but I nodded. “Why were you with Nalke? He’s the one who killed Ernie and Taleeno.”
She shook her head. “That’s not true—Nalke had nothing to do with that. It’s all a lie, Josh. Nalke is being set up.”
“Set up?” The bombshell Mom dropped on me was almost forgotten.
“A few weeks ago, Nalke abducted me and took me to his realm. I thought he was going to kill me, but instead we talked.”
“About what?” I asked, annoyed with all the dramatic pauses.
“About how Rockne is trying to kill him and take his place as the nature demon.”
“That’s old news. Even I knew that was Rockne’s plan.”
“But what you don’t know is that, all this time, Rockne has been secretly planning to turn Dargo against Nalke in order to gain its support. Rockne made the giants attack, not Nalke.”
My eyes grew wide. “That I did not know. Do you have proof?”
“I was with Nalke when the attack went down. We watched.”
