by Tara West
After releasing a deep and steadying breath, Dianna said, “And where would they go, when the rest of the world is turning to ice?”
“The plight of humans is not my problem,” the king said with a sneer. “I’ve said my piece. Keep your dragons away.”
“Let me handle this,” Simeon said to her. “I will convince him to relinquish the stone.”
She nodded. She needed his persuasive skills now more than ever. Simeon cleared his throat to speak, but Zier pushed in front of them.
“So this is why our gardens grow in abundance and why you denied my family entrance into Aya-Shay?” Zier shook his fist at the king.
Oh, no! She didn’t wish to encourage the dwarves to turn on their king. “Zier, wait.”
“Zier Wanderson!” the king boomed, his eyes darkening to coal. “You will show your king reverence, and you will not speak unless directed, or you and your family can find shelter elsewhere!”
Zier rolled up his sleeves, baring his fists at the king. “As a village elder and a council member, I should’ve been told about the stone. You’ve no right to keep such secrets from us.”
“That’s it!” The king’s skin flushed purple. “Zier, your family is no longer welcome at Aya-Shay’s hold.” He waved his staff at the crowd. “None of you worthless humans are either.”
“You can’t send them away,” Dianna cried. “They will freeze to death.”
King Furbald shook his head. “Your fire-breathing nuisance can keep them warm. Go now, all of you, before I unleash the arrows and cannons.”
Borg made a startling sound before pressing his lips together. His limbs shook and his eyes glossed over, until finally the dam of tears broke and he started bawling. King Furbald struck him on the ear, the thwack sounding twice as loud as the last time.
“Owie!” the giant cried, trying to angle his head away from the king.
The king rolled his eyes to the heavens. “Calm yourself, you big, stupid broot.”
Her heart fell. King Furbald didn’t deserve such a sweet son.
“Borg no want fwiends to die.” Borg stomped a foot so hard that Dianna stumbled into Simeon.
“Shut up!” The king smacked his son a third time. “We’re finished here. Take me back inside.”
Borg frowned. “Da not nice.” He plucked the king off his shoulder and set him on the ground beside his feet. Leaning over, he wagged a finger in Furbald’s face. “Da no hit Borg no more.” He wiped his eyes and moved over to Dianna.
Simeon pushed her to the ground when the giant’s dirty foot soared over them.
“You worthless piece of troll dung.” The king stomped up and down like a toddler, crying for a sweet. “Get back here!”
The throng of onlookers stepped back when Borg sat down on his rear, crossing his legs. “No!” He pounded the ground with a fist. “Borg stay wif fwiends.”
The giant Gorpat stomped up to Borg with her father riding on her shoulder. The girl giant leaned over and laid a hand on Borg’s shoulder. “Borg okay?”
“Gorpat!” the king demanded. “Leave that broot and carry me inside.”
Grim crossed his arms, frowning down at his king. “You will not give commands to my child.”
“Fine!” Furbald threw up his hands. “Then the lot of you traitors can perish. You are all hereby banished.” He stormed off, only to trip over a root and land face-first in the dirt. He pulled himself up, cursing his “stupid broot of an ungrateful son” and marched back to the fortress of Aya-Shay.
Simeon jutted a foot forward. “I should go after him. I can make him change his mind.”
“For how long?” Zier asked. “He will only change his mind later and declare war after realizing he’d been tricked.”
Dianna felt as if the weight of the world was pressing down on her as she watched Furbald go. If the king refused to relinquish the stone, a bloody and brutal war with the dwarves was inevitable. How many of them would side with Zier and Grim, and how many would side with the mad king? The last thing she wanted to do was divide the dwarves, but what other options did she have? She needed that stone.
Chapter Twenty-Four
After the dwarves sent several warning arrows into the hold, the refugees fled south. They ended up on a beach between Aya-Shay and Siren’s Cove. It made many of the refugees nervous to be so near the demon fish. Dianna wouldn’t put it past the voracious vixens to try an attack, so she gathered volunteers with ear muffs and spears to keep watch along the shore. Tan’yi’na and Lydra flew up and down the shoreline to scare off any lingering sirens.
They built three large bonfires and roasted fish Gorpat harvested with her net. Dianna preferred the ocean breeze and the fresh smell of the sea to the hold anyway. She especially loved the feel of the wet sand between her toes. She saw to it that no one went hungry that night, but she couldn’t take care of them all forever. She had to leave soon to save her brother and defeat her mother.
Dianna, Simeon, Zier, Grim, Ryne, and Alec gathered around a smaller fire and debated the best means for retrieving the stone. Ryne wanted to attack with brute force, using Tan’yi’na and Lydra to burn and tear down the walls of Aya-Shay. Alec and Simeon suggested using Simeon’s persuasion to convince Furbald to stand down while they took the stone. Grim and Zier thought they could rally their cousins to turn on the king, saying there had been dissention among the dwarves for a while. Apparently, as the king’s second cousin, Grim was next in line to the throne. Law stated that giants couldn’t hold royal titles, so Borg could not be king. Dianna thought it best, as Borg didn’t seem mature enough to rule a city.
She thought Grim would make a fine king, especially as he’d agreed to let Dianna have the stone. Apparently the dwarves already had hundreds of years of canned fruits and vegetables and would not starve anytime soon. Kyan’s stone had indeed been a blessing, but it was time she reunited with her daughters and helped Dianna defeat the witch who’d reduced her to a rock.
“I don’t think your persuasion will work,” Grim said to Simeon. “We dwarves are a stubborn lot.”
“I see.” Simeon looked solemnly at Grim. “Cluck like a chicken.”
Simeon’s command was so strong and deep, Dianna fought the urge to start clucking and pecking the dirt.
Grim, however, jerked his head back and forth while kicking up his heels and clucking.
Simeon flashed a broad smile. “Now brood like a broot.”
Grim let out a low, dark wail, flapping his arms and walking around the campfire.
She had to bite back her laughter, grateful that Des wasn’t there, for he’d tease the dwarf for sure.
“Okay, you may return to normal,” Simeon said and sipped from his palma fruit shell.
Grim returned to his position by the fire, his cheeks as bright as the fire’s flames. “Very well, sand dweller,” he grumbled. “Methinks your plan may work.”
Ryne made a snorting sound. “Of course he’s persuasive.” He waved at Dianna with a scowl. “Look what he did to her.”
Simeon shot him a glare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ryne pouted. “You’ve tricked her into loving you with your persuasive magic.”
“No, I didn’t.” Simeon threw the empty shell into the fire, then rolled up his sleeves. “I care too much for her to trick her. I wanted her to decide on her own.”
Ryne laughed. “Yeah, right.”
Not again. She had hoped the two would form some sort of truce after she picked Simeon. “It’s true, Ryne.” She laced her arm through Simeon’s, not just because she wanted to be near him, but she was afraid he’d race around the fire and start pummeling the obnoxious ice man. “I want to be with him.”
Ryne shook his head, snickering. “You only think you do because he tricked you.”
Simeon slipped away from her so fast, she’d no time to catch him.
“You know what, Ryne?” he hollered. “I still owe you a punch to the face.”
Ryne was prepared for Simeon when
the sand dweller plowed face-first into his chest.
She screamed when they fell to the ground in a tangled heap, rolling dangerously close to the fire. Simeon quickly got the upper hand, getting in a few bone-cracking punches before Borg pulled them apart.
“Friends no fight.” Borg frowned at them as they each punched the air.
“Fine!” Simeon yelled. “I won’t hit him.”
Then he flashed a smile so wicked, she held her breath, dreading what was to come.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, Simeon hollered to Ryne. “Punch yourself in the face.”
Ryne let out a roar before banging his fists against his head.
“Simeon, stop!” she cried.
“Very well.” He heaved an overly-dramatic sigh. “Stop punching yourself, Ryne.”
When Borg set them both down, Dianna turned away from Simeon when he tried to comfort her. She hadn’t even realized she was shaking until she raised her palm in an effort to push him away.
“Why are you angry with me? Was I not to defend our honor?”
“You took it too far, Simeon,” she said. “How do we stand a chance against Madhea when we’re fighting each other?”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” His shoulders fell, and he looked at her with big, sad eyes. “Do you forgive me?”
His pout was so adorable, she almost felt compelled to forgive him. Almost.
“No, I don’t.” She crossed her arms and held her ground. “And you can stop using your persuasion on me. I know when you’re doing it.”
“Hush!” Zier hissed, cupping an ear. “Do you hear that?”
Grim frowned, then knelt beside his cousin, placing an ear to the ground. He abruptly shot up. “Sounds like giants.”
She dug her bare toes into the sand and felt the grains vibrate. “Could the king have sent them after us?”
“I doubt it.” Zier shook his head. “He needs them to protect the stone.”
Grim held up a silencing hand, still listening. “This doesn’t sound like just a few giants.”
“Brace yourselves!” Zier stepped back, reaching for his hatchet. “A giant army approaches!”
The contents of Dianna’s meager fish dinner threatened to make a reappearance. If a giant army was indeed approaching, a dwarf and his hatchet would be no match for them.
“The fires!” Grim raced down the beach, wildly waving his arms. “Put out the fires!”
Fear iced her limbs, and she watched with a feeling of detached dread as Borg and Gorpat poured sand over the flames. Grim held a finger to his lips and led the refugees into the shadows of the forest. The ground shook with such violent tremors, she could scarcely walk.
Lydra! Tan’yi’na! she called. I need you!
The dragons circled overhead, then landed none too gracefully, kicking up a plume of sand.
Dianna gagged as she ran to the dragons. “Giants are coming!”
We know, little witch. Tan’yi’na’s jowls hung down in a deep frown. We were coming to warn you.
Simeon climbed on Tan’yi’na’s back and Dianna mounted Lydra. The dragons leapt into the sky, soaring into the clouds. Lydra flew northeast, just past Siren’s Cove.
That’s when she saw them, dozens of giants flattening trees with massive clubs, and they were all headed to Aya-Shay.
Elements save the dwarves.
AFTER USING TOO MUCH time and energy feeding Ariette broth and healing her emaciated body, Madhea then forced her to drink a sleeping potion while she designed a crude heptacircle around her daughter’s bed. Madhea threw a spark at the seven-pointed star, instantly igniting it, then she fluttered to a chair and impatiently tapped her foot, waiting for Ariette to waken.
After an interminable amount of time, Ariette shot up in bed. “My sisters!” she cried. “Kia!”
Madhea stood, wings drooping. “Your sisters are well,” she said, careful not to step past the burning edge of the star. “Kia is resting in her chamber.”
Ariette blinked at her mother. “Why is there a heptacircle around my bed?”
“You know why,” she scoffed. “I can’t trust you not to attack me.”
“What happened to your face?” Ariette pointed at her mother with a shaky finger.
She broke eye contact with Ariette, staring at the intricately carved headboard behind her. She had had it crafted for her once-favorite daughter over a hundred years ago, back when her army numbered several thousand soldiers and riches poured into her ice palace on a daily basis. “I don’t know.”
“Liar.”
She had to bite her tongue to keep from swearing. “You are the Elemental with the most powerful healing magic. If you erase the scars, I’ll set all of your sisters free.” She’d set them free by killing them, but they’d be free.
Ariette frowned, throwing out her arms in a gesture of surrender. “I cannot heal you from inside this circle.”
“I know.” She moved closer, until her toe was nearly touching the point’s searing flame. “Swear a blood oath that you won’t harm me, and I’ll remove it.”
Ariette crossed her arms, smiling smugly at her mother. “I’m not swearing to anything. You swear a blood oath that you will free my sisters, and then you will step down and let us rule in your stead. Only then will I try to heal your scars.”
“I knew it!” She thrust a fist into the air, then screamed when the fire singed her toe. “You’ve planned to overthrow me all along.”
Madhea was not prepared for Ariette’s humiliating look of pity. “You’ve become mad with power. You have imprisoned and starved your own children. You need to step down.”
“So you can steal my throne from me! So you can take Markus as your lover!” Now that the boy hunter had finally fallen in love with her, she refused to relinquish her position. Those power-hungry traitors wouldn’t think twice about taking him for themselves.
“The boy hunter is here? Oh, Mother. What have you done?”
The judgment in her daughter’s eyes was more than she could bear. She turned her back on her child, her spine rigid. “I will not abide your censure. He loves me, and I love him.”
“What dark magic did you use to force him to love you? ’Tis probably why your face is scarred. All the healing magic in the world will not erase the ugliness from your soul.”
Her hands flew to her face. That couldn’t be why. She hadn’t used dark magic to secure Markus’s love. ’Twas a simple potion she’d used thousands of times with no ill effects. Kia had woven the dark spell to turn Markus against his family. It was Kia who’d been cursed. Her youthful beauty was no more. No, these vines had been caused by a more sinister magic. Dianna had cast a spell on her. ‘Twas the only explanation.
Madhea spun around with a curse. “So you can’t help me then? Fine. I will find another way.” She buzzed angrily to the door.
“Mother, if there is any chance of halting this blackening of your soul,” Ariette said to her back, “you must reverse the dark magic you used on the boy hunter and free your daughters. Stop this madness.”
After she slammed the door to her child’s room, she decided the next time she looked upon her traitorous daughter, Ariette’s face would be twisted from the agonizing throes of a brutal death.
WHERE TO NOW, LITTLE witch?
“We need to warn the dwarves.” Dianna said to Tan’yi’na, the icy wind deflecting off Lydra’s wings whipping her hair into a tangle.
Why not let the giants take care of Furbald for us? Tan’yi’na asked.
“Because,” she said, “innocent dwarves will suffer.”
She beckoned Lydra to turn, and they headed west toward Aya-Shay. The massive wall came into view. As they flew over the city, she was shocked to see it was larger than she’d imagined. The garden in the center of town took up far more space than the narrow rows of stone cottages lining the inside of the wall. There was so much foliage, she could imagine Lydra getting lost there.
As she peered down at the cobblestone streets, a horn so
unded and the lights suddenly went dark, as if a giant had blown out all flames that lit the city. The kingdom became eerily quiet. Did they already know the giants were coming? Mayhap they’d felt the vibrations, too, even though the giants still had to pass Siren’s Cove.
They must be preparing for battle, Sindri said. The question is, which one? It’s not safe here, Dianna.
Her sisters voiced their agreement.
She hadn’t thought of that. Mayhap the king was preparing for the dragons to attack in order for her to steal the stone.
Her priority was the safety of her people. She remembered the giants’ superior sense of smell. What if they detoured to the beach and decided on a snack?
“Turn, girl,” she called to Lydra. “We need to return to the refugees.”
Lydra grunted her understanding and spun a slow and graceful circle. Dianna heard a sharp thwack.
Her dragon shuddered and cried out, dipping to one side.
“Lydra!” Dianna cried.
The ice dragon faltered, then tumbled head over tail. Dianna’s head spun as she clung to a spiky scale, the wind tossing her about like a leaf in a wind storm.
Lydra! Tan’yi’na boomed. Straighten your wings!
The ice dragon grunted, then straightened, but it was too late. They were barreling straight toward the dwarves’ garden. Lydra landed with a crash, and Dianna flew off her back, careening through the air with a terrified scream.
Use your magic, Sindri commanded.
She threw out her hands, flinging ropes of magic at a giant pod hanging from a leafy plant. The ropes caught, and she swung from the pod like a troll hanging from a vine. After the rope slowly lowered her to the ground, she hurried to her dragon, praying she wasn’t too late.
We sense our mother is near! Sindri squealed. She is buried in the soil.
“I will search for her, Sindri,” she answered. “After we heal Lydra.”
She found Lydra with her snout planted in the dirt. Tan’yi’na was beside her, nudging her wing and making worried sounds. Over here, little witch.
