by J B Cantwell
"You have a gift," I said. "Not many people in the world can do what you can do."
She was twirling around my staff. She was clumsy with it but not hopeless.
"This thing is impossible," she said angrily.
"We just need to get you one that's your size."
I hoped it would be possible for her to channel her magic through just about anything like I could. A staff. A knife. Maybe even a wand. In fact, sparks were coming from the staff right then, and I was beginning to worry as she started blasting things around the room.
I held out my hands, stepping in front of her and narrowly missing a beam of power she was shooting from the staff.
"I think that's enough with that," I said. "Do you have something bigger we can work with?"
She was still waving the thing around as if it were a valueless object, untouched by magic. It occurred to me then that perhaps it was just a stick.
Torin didn't make just sticks.
"Give that to me now," I said. When she didn't respond, I lit my hands on fire; that got her attention.
Her eyes were wide, but she relented with a grimace.
"When are you going to teach me how to do that?"
"I don't know how to teach you this. I'm barely taught, myself."
Not for the first time, I found myself thinking about Zahn. About how he had denied me so many years ago and then chased me from the kingdom. If only I'd been taught by him, I might've been able to teach Duna now. But my magic had never been truly controlled, not by me or anyone else.
I snatched the staff away from her when she got distracted, and she reached out for it again with a grunt. Then, she put her hands on her hips like an insolent child. Her face had a look of disdain at my taking away her new toy.
"Flip over that chair," I said, pointing.
"The chair?"
"Yes."
I was surprised when she didn't ask why, though maybe she was on to me.
"Now break off one of the legs," I said.
She grimaced even more, but she did as I said. A moment later, she held one of the legs of the largest chair in her hand. Immediately, she pointed it at the rock wall that made up the back of her cabin, and she blasted it easily.
I let out a breath of relief, knowing that I didn't have to give her back the staff.
"Now, practice. Try to hit the same point again and again using just your mind and the wand."
She paused, looking at the stick in her hand.
"A wand?"
"A wand is simply a vehicle for your magic, a way to concentrate it in one place."
I held up my hands, and without even lighting them, I was able to send a jolt through the air. My blast was strong enough to back her up by a few steps and rattle the dishes in the cabinet.
"That kind of magic is difficult to control," I said. I picked up the staff and held it, pointing it in the same direction she had been. "But when you aim for the target with something like a stick or a wand, it concentrates the power."
I let go of a blast of magic, and it flew through the staff, hitting the wall at a precise point, cracking it.
Duna looked surprised.
"Sure," she said. "You can do that with the staff. But what about a plain piece of wood?"
I reached out for the stick from the chair. She looked at it doubtfully but then passed it over to me. I did the same thing with the stick that I had with the staff, aiming at that same spot on the wall and letting a burst of power fly.
It didn’t hit the exact spot, but it was close. I handed her back the wand, for that was what it was now, a magical instrument.
Suddenly, she looked like a young child on her birthday receiving the one thing she’d wanted above all others. I wondered if anybody even celebrated birthdays anymore in this place. Or anyplace.
"I think we should go speak with Arte now," I said. "We’ll have more time to practice later. But I have questions, and I suspect he alone can answer them."
"I expect it would be good if we were to keep our weapons here," she said. "It's almost time for dinner, and it won't do for us to show up with magical… instruments."
I nodded. Practicing this magic with her reminded me that I was not powerless without my tools.
"Will he allow us to question him?" I asked.
"No, he probably won't. He likes the feeling of being in charge, and that includes being the holder of all ancient wisdom."
"What if he were to die? That doesn't seem like such a great plan without him letting anybody else know."
"You're telling me," she said, putting her new wand back under the chair.
Just in case someone came looking.
"Where can I hide this?" I asked, holding up the staff.
She snatched up the staff and my knives, which were tiny in her hands, and put them high above in a cupboard that even a tall giant might have had trouble accessing. I imagined myself trying to crawl to the top to obtain my items, a feat that seemed impossible before I reminded myself about how I’d been scaling granite walls without much effort at all.
I wasn't happy about leaving them behind, but I understood why I needed to do it.
"Come on, girl. Let's go to the party." She held out her hand, and I gripped onto it. But this time, I didn't feel like a child. I’d been the teacher that night, and somehow that changed everything.
As we walked out the door, I realized I’d finally started to relax, something I hadn't felt for a very long time. I had a sorceress giant on my side. How many people could say that?
I didn't feel like running anymore, and somewhere in the back of my mind, a tiny kernel of courage was starting to grow once more. Maybe, just maybe, I could fight.
Chapter 12
I was glad I had Duna to protect me because even with my magic, the giants were intimidating. I didn't understand why Duna had been cast out because of her abilities. It seemed to me that it could only help her tribe.
I wondered if there were others among the group who had powers but kept them quiet. Duna was an outcast, after all, and though her cabin was comfortable, I had noted that it was significantly less pleasant than Nia's had been. Why was she punished when she had so much to offer?
Why had I been?
I wondered if Arte would answer my questions or simply cast me out.
Duna led me through the dark back toward the fire pit. Alongside us, many curious giants were on their way to their evening discussion and meal. I shrunk back, suddenly worried about being so close to so many huge people. Duna had told me that it took a lot to kill a giant. I wondered if the same was true with magic. It had taken me considerable energy to heal Duna's hand earlier that day. I tried to imagine sending a bolt of flames from my staff into Arte's chest.
Don't think that way.
I was getting ahead of myself.
"Don't show fear," Duna said. She looked around nervously, which concerned me. Maybe she thought I would be in the same sort of danger as she was, cast out because of my gift.
I wished I had my staff. But if I was attacked, simple flames would have to do.
She found a place for us to sit, which was noticeably far away from the other giants. It was sad; they really did seem to hate her. The idea of bringing her on my journey was starting to seem like a good one. We were both cast out of our homes. That might’ve be enough to make us allies.
She helped me up onto the bench, and though it was quite large, it barely held the two of us together. It was a seat meant for one.
"Why are we around the fire pit?" I asked quietly. "Is this where you always sit?"
"Only when there's something important going on," she said.
"Are you talking about me?"
"You're a trespasser, and you're new to us. They'll have questions."
"Don't they want you to light the fire?" I asked.
"That remains to be seen."
As the gyvu was passed around the circle, I noticed several of the giants staring at me. Apparently, the story about my capture had
gotten around. One giant turned and handed Duna one of the big flowers from the fields.
"And you think this will be enough for the two of us?" she asked nastily.
The man who had handed her the flower sighed, and when the bowl came back around for everybody to grab another, he was sure to hand her one.
"That's the right choice, Doyle," Duna said. "After what I did for you last week."
Doyle stared back at her, glaring, but he didn't argue.
"Hmph," Duna said. She leaned over and put her big lips close to my ear. "He's just one of many who use my services. If Arte knew, it would be over for the both of us."
Doyle turned back around, his back to us as he waited patiently for Arte to start the speech of the evening. A couple of other giants who’d been staring turned back as well, and I was glad not to be the target of their glares. Some were curious, that was without doubt. But more seemed fearful, even angry.
Where I came from, fear was just as dangerous as hatred.
It wasn’t a good situation for me to find myself in, and I wondered what might’ve happened to me had I’d continued my efforts to cross through the mountains to Brista. I didn't feel safe among these creatures, men and women, you could call them. There were just so many of them, and so big.
I remembered, though, that just thirty minutes earlier, Duna had taken the stick from that chair and blasted a hole in the wall with it. We were not defenseless.
As the crowd quieted down, I noticed Kaelin coming to the meeting late and pushing aside the two giants in front of us, essentially stealing their seats. He turned.
"How are you?" he whispered.
I shrugged. I wasn't any worse, that was for sure. But I was a bundle of nerves, even with magic to defend myself.
A moment later, Arte walked to the center of the circle, just in front of the fire pit.
"Do you want me to light it?" Duna asked. She had a knowing look on her face. She knew that nobody else in their tribe could light the fire like she could.
Arte sighed, irritated. "If you must," he said, and he took a few steps away from the pit, almost as if her mere presence near to him was disgusting.
Duna smiled wickedly, then got up from our spot and walked closer to Arte. I noticed that she was taller than him, a fact that was no doubt irritating to him. This was a weakness he must've felt. But I knew enough of life to understand that a hero can be of any size, any tribe. This was a lesson he didn't seem to have yet learned.
Duna strolled up to the fire pit, knelt down beside it, and with a simple glance, the fire was alight. There was no fuel, no wood, and yet the flames grew higher, enough to warm everyone in the group. When she turned to walk back to me, she shoved Arte, causing him to nearly fall. A couple of giants laughed.
Arte looked as angry as ever.
"We are here tonight to question our visitor who calls herself Bree," he said to the group, silencing them. "She brings magic to this village, and we all know how dangerous that can be."
"Tell 'em why," Duna said loudly. "This girl here doesn't know our story."
Arte glared, but then, seeing his many followers nodding in favor of hearing the story, he relented.
"I was young when it happened," he said. "But I still remember what it was like when that man with magic came to our village. Back then, the sun shone brightly every day, and we welcomed him, a stranger, into our homes. This, obviously, was a mistake."
I noticed that Arte looked nervous, but I couldn't figure out why. Was it simply that I was among his people? Or was there something else?
"That man destroyed our Keeper, a gazelle who had kept us in grain and fruit for many thousands of years. This man took aim at the gazelle with his staff and brought her down until she was nothing but a pile of rubble at our feet."
He turned to look at me, then. He grimaced, probably thinking about how I could do terrible magical things to hurt his leadership.
"We were lucky, and the man didn't realize that the pool beneath the gazelle lived on. He couldn't have known, and we didn't know, either, for quite some time. We were on the verge of starvation when it was finally discovered. But it was too late; that man had already cursed our skies, bringing an age of darkness upon us. It's because of this that we do not allow magic in our tribe."
Duna laughed loudly, though she was the only one who did. I realized that, being an outcast as she was, there was freedom in her position. She may have been hated, cast out, and forced to live in a place much meaner than those of her cohorts, but she could speak her mind. Not everyone in this tribe could do so, it seemed. Her services were needed, and even though Arte couldn't pin down those who visited with her, he seemed to understand this.
"I see you're feeling better," Arte said to me. "You will leave our numbers tomorrow. Do you have anything to say?"
I was put on the spot. What did I have to say?
"I'd like to stay longer," I said. "I think I can help you. I know things about what's coming."
"We are not ignorant," he snapped. "We have seen the Flyers in the distance, undoubtedly brought into our homes by you."
At this, Duna stood up. "You’re a fool like your brother was before you," she said. "You would have us hide rather than fight the evil we can all see is coming."
"And what evil is that?" he asked.
"I thought you weren't ignorant," she said, not answering his question. "So tell us, what is your plan? To hide? Because it seems like the last time we were faced with such a situation, we did nothing. And look where that got us."
"Sit down, Duna." He was really angry now. Being called out as a coward in front of his entire tribe would surely not be tolerated.
"This little one, this girl, knows more about what’s going on out in the world than you do," Duna said. "I advise you to question her and listen to what she has to say. She’s told me about the book she carries with her, and it is damning evidence that war is headed our way."
"Let the girl speak," someone said from across the fire pit.
Kaelin turned around and nodded his head at me. "Go on, get up there."
Duna helped me to my feet, though it wasn’t what I wanted. Instead of approaching Arte, though, I stood upon the seat so that I could be seen by the giants.
"Why are you here?" Arte asked.
"I was just passing through," I said. "I had no intention of trespassing on your land. You aren't listed on the map I carry, so I didn't know that you even existed."
"Tell us all, where are you trying to get to?" Kaelin asked.
"I was on my way out of these mountains when you, yourself, caught me."
“But where are you bound now?" Arte asked.
"My original destination. Brista. I've been told there’s an army amassing there waiting for a leader to join them. I, apparently, am that leader."
Several giants laughed, and I could see why they would. To them, I was just a tiny human, a simple girl who could be crushed beneath their feet should they so desire.
I didn't think it was funny, though.
"Coming here was not in my original plan. I've seen much hardship in recent days, and I simply chose a direction and began walking. I became lost.”
"So you are telling us that is your plan? To go to war?“ Arte asked.
I took a deep breath because I knew that what I was about to say would sound insane.
"I can use all the help I can get. Duna has already pledged to travel by my side."
"You're planning to travel with that witch?" someone from the other side of the pit called out.
"Some of us would take that witch over you," Kaelin said. "And no matter what you say, everybody knows that half the people in this tribe have used her services at one point or another."
Duna laughed, then whispered loudly in my ear, "Including my dear friend, Arte.”
"So it appears that none of us are new to magic," I said. "But the magic we now face, and I mean all of us, is deadly. That man you spoke of, the one who scorched the sky, is Torin. Not unlike y
ou, he’s been alive for millennia. Two of his sons walk our world to do his bidding. I have met one of them in recent days, and it was not without altercation. His third son, Bevyn, was a good man. He was cut from a different cloth than his brothers. He helped me. He trained me."
"Humans cannot be trusted," Arte said, cutting me off. "There is no doubt about that. Without fail, every time a human has walked through our lands, heartache and murder has come along with them. We will not follow you into battle."
Kaelin was the one to stand up next.
"I'll join her," he said. "I, for one, would welcome a clear sky, whether these mountains are healed or whether we travel someplace else. I'm tired of living in the dark."
Several giants nodded their heads.
I knew I'd have a hard time finding my way out of these mountains without help. Just as Torin was kept out of them, I was trapped within.
"I have a map," I said. "There are still many Keepers who dot these lands. Have you met them?"
Arte grumbled. But he seemed unwilling to answer the question.
"Why have you stayed here all this time?" I asked.
"This is our home," Arte said. "We stay here because it is safe, away from the drama of humans."
"This place isn't so safe as you say," Duna said. "Our skies are littered with Flyers, and our feet slithered across by Creepers. And we all know of the great monster within the mountain. The Howler."
I looked around the room and saw that many faces had turned fearful.
"What's a Howler?" I asked.
Duna stood, her great height towering over me. "Our existence isn't as simple as Arte would have you believe. Creepers are easy, Flyers harder, but the Howler, he is virtually impossible to banish."
"Is that why you hide?"
"We do not hide," Arte said testily. "We camouflage. We blend in with the surroundings in order to keep our tribe a secret."
