A spear struck the giant's body with a solid thud, but the giant did not slow; the thick spear looked no more than a tavern dart protruding from its hide. The second spear grazed the giant's thigh and caused barely a flinch.
The giant threw another rock and picked up yet another. These fell short as well. The giant took a step closer to the water before hurling his next.
There was a seemingly eternal pause as the crews reloaded. The giant hurled two more rocks that caused no more damage than a splashing of water before the stone-throwers were ready to fire. These two stones again missed the giant and struck above the opening to the lair. Again, rocks and boulders slid from the hill, carrying other debris with them, partially obstructing the entrance.
The giant roared in frustration as his throws continued to fail, even though the ships were within the ring of timbers that had always meant certain victory for him. His mind wrestled with the puzzle as two spears thunked into his chest.
The giant took a rock in each hand and waded into the ocean, closer to the ships and farther from the piles of rocks, farther from the safety of his cave.
A catapult stone clipped the giant's head, staggering him, and the rock he threw landed just paces away from Kelsey's ship, soaking her with spray. The stone from the other catapult slammed again into the hillside, loosening more dirt and stone.
"All on the giant," Kelsey shouted, the salty taste in her mouth and her sodden clothes a reminder of how close the giant was getting. She did not want to lose any men on this voyage. Even one would be failure. "All on the giant!"
The giant was up to its knees in the ocean now, with one rock remaining before he would have to go back for more. His last had fallen short, but another colossal stride would bring him into range.
The stone-throwers were just beginning to reload; the spear-hurlers almost ready.
The rock left the giant's hand as the spears launched.
"Abandon ship!" Kelsey shouted as the rock arced toward her vessel.
The sound of thudding spears and men splashing overboard reached Kelsey's ears, but she saw none of it as she leapt to the bottom of the ship and wrapped her arms around a crossbeam.
She looked up to see the rock strike the figurehead and tear the carved image of her face from the stem-post. Then the ship rolled sideways with a terrible crack and threw her into the ocean.
She swallowed salty water as the ocean swallowed her, blanketing her in a cold black embrace. She clamped her lips together to retain what little air she had in her lungs. Roiling bubbles of creamy green foam swirled in front of her eyes. She flailed her arms and legs and swam in the direction she thought must be up -- it was difficult to tell for certain in the swirling maelstrom that surrounded her.
Strong hands hefted Kelsey out of the water. "Drowning in waist-high water," her uncle's familiar voice scolded. "And you call yourself a sailor!"
Kelsey coughed water from her lungs and stood up on the sandbar. A maddened roar shattered her illusion that the battle was over.
Unarmed, the giant retreated back to the beach. But it must have realized that the ships were beyond range even though they were within the ring of rotting timbers, for it bypassed the piles of stones and clawed at the debris blocking the cave's entrance. The catapults from the remaining ship struck the giant steadily and unerringly. It was clear that it would not break through into the safety of its lair before the catapults finished him.
Mullen coughed out a tired laugh. "So that was your plan, then? Throw about a few rotten timbers and hope the giant didn't figure out that we weren't really within its range, cut off its escape and then hope for the best? You're right, Lass, it was a simple plan."
Kelsey looked about for floating bodies before answering. Finding none, she took heart. "Simple, yes -- but effective."
Mullen blew out his soggy mustache. "So tell me: what was the flaw in the giant that you mentioned earlier, the weakness that you said would be its downfall?"
"Why, arrogance of course," Kelsey answered. "The giant had never been defeated, believed that it never could be defeated as long as a ship was within its range."
"Arrogance, aye," Mullen nodded. "That is certainly something you should know about. But tell me, Kelsey, what would you have done if your plan had failed?"
Kelsey did not answer, but watched in silence as the broken figurehead carved in her image was carried farther and farther out to sea.
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About the author:
Mark Finnemore lives in California with his beautiful wife Panji, who helped him learn that even the rockiest road can lead to a happy ending. Mark is currently working on a novel entitled "Love & Taxes", which he hopes will one day be not only finished, but published and found at your local book store as well.
Mark has a story included in an upcoming "young adult" anthology entitled Spirited, which is donating all proceeds to 826 National, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 - 18 with their writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.
Visit Mark at www.mythic-picnic.com or www.genre-trash.com or www.love-and-taxes.com for more information.
The Giant's Graveyard Page 2
