by Rex Hazelton
Halfway through the apportioned meal, Jeaf heard loud scuffling coming from the path. Quickly putting his food away, he swallowed the last of what was left in his mouth. Ah ha! Now we'll see who's following us, friend or foe, he thought.
Quietly sliding behind the gnarled tree trunk, the young Woodswane tried to calm himself so that his breathing wouldn't be heard.
Scruff! Thwamp! The scuffling noise repeated itself, much closer this time.
Jeaf felt his heart beating faster, but this had little effect on his breathing for his mother taught him techniques she learned in the School of the Candle, those that enabled him to control both muscle and nerve. Closing his eyes, he slowly inhaled air through his nostrils. In time, his heart's beating fell in step with his lung's methodical cadence and his eyes reopened to see a small fir tree, bordering the trail, quaking as if it had been struck by something huge. While this happened, two large stones came rolling down the path, chased by several smaller ones that looked like children hurrying to catch up with their parents.
“Burns it wi'fires!” A deep resonating howl erupted into the air.
Jeaf, not certain if he had heard a voice or a large beast growling, impatiently waited for the angry stranger to arrive. The dreadful silence following the outburst made the young Woodswane wonder if his position had somehow been compromised. But before he had time to do anything about his fears, the voice's owner appeared from behind a stand of fir trees that had been hiding him from sight. I can't believe it! The young Woodswane's eyes grew wide as he beheld, to his utter astonishment, only the second giant he had ever seen in the nineteen summers he had been alive.
The behemoth wasn't nearly as big as the one he remembered seeing at the Eyrie of the Eagle, but he was nevertheless large: he appeared to be half again taller than Jeaf, and must have weighed more than three times his weight; a round olive-complected face held thick features in place; long black hair, woven into a score of heavy braids, bounced upon shoulders as big as anvils; patch work clothing, quilt like in appearance, covered its huge body; long, bare arms, hairier than any he had ever seen before, displayed massive muscles rippling as they rhythmically swayed in sync with its long stride. But of all that the young Woodswane's eyes beheld, a huge metal-studded club, hanging from a thick leather belt strapped around the giant's waist, concerned him the most, more than even the behemoth's immense girth. It was a weapon that looked like it could bash down a door, or a wall of stone for that matter.
Limping along, the giant eyed the rocks that had caused him pain and uttered another curse. “Darn stones!” he growled.
Yet, as strange as it may seem, if it weren't for the formidable weapon he carried, and if he wasn't so imposing in size, Jeaf thought he might feel pity for the giant. Something in his voice solicited this unexpected response. The creature's clothes, making him look like a vagabond, a pitiful disheveled wanderer, only added to the young Woodswane's compassionate impulse. But not wanting to be duped by the giant's vagrant appearance, Jeaf soberly warned himself that the insane can be as dangerous as any cold-blooded highwayman.
In due course, long after the giant passed by, the young Woodswane abandoned his safe perch and stood at the base of the tree pondering what he had just seen. Am I being followed, or, is it just a coincidence that this giant has chosen to travel on the same trail, on the same day, and in the same direction as me? Concern gripped the youth, when he recalled how earlier that morning he had spied something big moving in the forest outside his home.
Could it be? Looking at the leather sheath, that held a treasure of inestimable value, the young Woodswane wondered who else knew about his mission and the gift he carried. Realizing he had no other choice but to continue down the path, if he were to get to his destination on time, Jeaf determined to go on, but with the utmost caution. Reaching out with his Powers of Intuition, probing the regions ahead, the young Woodswane was surprised to sense an unexpected and threatening presence, one that felt like the stampeding flames of an onrushing brush fire. Not close, it was farther away, beyond the giant, Jeaf guessed, but close enough to be concerned about. The urge to turn back home was only held at bay by the importance of his mission. I must continue on despite of the warnings I feel!
Memories of tales he had heard about the misdeeds that giants were fond of perpetrating only intensified his wariness. Recalling that his father created Talon, the sword that was responsible for beheading Bulgar, the champion of the Cragmar giants, Jeaf took solace in the fact that he was carrying a greater sword. Unsheathing the masterfully-crafted weapon, the young Woodswane admired its artistry. Touching the edge of the blade, he felt comforted by its sharpness. If my life is threatened, I will use the strength of the star's blood that winds its way through this sword to defend myself, he somberly promised himself.
A great deal of time passed by and Jeaf had not seen or heard anything more from the giant. Only two deer and a snarling badger had been spotted as he walked along. But when the evening shadows began to stretch across the land, the sound of breaking branches reached up from behind, causing the hair on the back of Jeaf's neck to stand up as he cursed. By the Fires of Darkness, the giant must have hidden and let me pass by!
Imagining the kind of foul motive that would breed such behavior, Jeaf began running down the path, hurrying through the heavy forest and away from the hulking creature. Visions of a huge metal-studded club, flying out of the darkening shadows to crush his bones, put wings on his boots. Raised a Woodswane, he continued to run even after night set in, a thing those of his kind were experienced in doing, running until he was satisfied the giant couldn't possibly follow.
Content with the thought that his next move would not be noticed by the menacing stranger, Jeaf turned off of the footpath and moved deep into the forest. Once he felt that he was far enough away from the trail so that he could safely light a campfire, but still close enough to easily relocate the path in the morning, he stopped and began gathering wood.When the fire was finally kindled, a small one whose flickering light was easily absorbed by the surrounding wall of pine trees, Jeaf set his attention to finishing the trail mix he had been eating that afternoon.
Watching the tiny flames licking the dead branches, Jeaf's brow furrowed and his right fist clenched and unclenched mimicking a beating heart. All the while, his mind chewed on troubling thoughts, wondering what evil the giant intended to do. Could he be an assassin sent to do Koyer's biding, a foul bounty hunter hoping to gain a handful of gold coins in exchange for the hide of a Fane J'Shrym, or just an ordinary thief?
After finishing the leftovers from his noon meal, Jeaf pulled out several of his mother's cakes and a skin filled with spiced water, one that was, by this time, nearly empty. Drinking the refreshing liquid, he made plans to fill the skin first thing in the morning. Enjoying the delicious cakes, hoping to gain some comfort, Jeaf tried to turn his mind away from his disconcerting thoughts and picture what his parents might be doing now. Immersed in the memories of hearth and home, the young Woodswane felt he could almost hear his father exhaling his aromatic pipe tobacco. Then to his amazement, he heard it again, then again and again, until he finally realized that he wasn't imagining the noise. Peering into the darkness, laying heavily beneath the eaves of the surrounding trees, Jeaf finally caught sight of the source of the sounds he had been hearing. It was the ragamuffin giant!
Huffing as he panted, the huge moonlit stranger was busy catching his breath.
Muscles tensed as Jeaf stood. Withdrawing his sword, he waited for what would happen next!
Looking intently at the armed Woodswane, the giant leaned forward resting his hands on his knees. Lifting one of his basket-sized fists, with the index finger extended upward, the giant appeared to be asking the young man not to do anything until he had fully caught his breath.
That's an odd thing for a thief to do, Jeaf thought.
Finally, the giant broke the silence by saying, “There you are! You're a slippery one… d'ya know that?”
> “There are many things I know. But I don't know why you're following me?” Jeaf hastily replied.
Moving closer to the campfire, the perturbed giant brought himself into focus. “Well, m'little friend, that's things I wasn't s'posed t'tell ya bout.” Then without being invited to do so, the unwelcome stranger sat down. Hugging his knees, the behemoth was still nearly as tall as the young Woodswane.
Surprised by the casual way the giant approached him, Jeaf let his Powers of Intuition reach out and try to unravel the mystery, but all he could feel was a sense of determination, or maybe it was stubbornness, emanating from the huge vagabond.
“What do you mean you weren't supposed to tell me?”
Pulling on a handful of long braids, the giant appeared to be punishing himself for some misstep. “I'm one a tha Forest Peoples.” The giant's shoulders slumped as he mumbled. “They're tha ones that says I shouldn't tell ya.”
Jeaf probed further. “Forest People! I've met Forest People before, but I've never known any to be giants.”
“Well, you're almost right about that, seeings there's only three a m'kind who considers themselves t'be Forest Peoples.” The glow cast by the makeshift campfire reflected off the giant's face, revealing eyes that looked troubled. “Y'see, tha Forest Peoples aren't Forest Peoples cause we've tha same daddies or mommies. No, we're Forest Peoples cus we've tha same hearts, tha same souls... D'you understand? …No ones born t'it. You've got t'choose it.”
Puzzled by the giant's words, the young Woodswane inquired, “You're saying the Forest People don't bear children?”
“No, m'curious cat. Forest Peoples has childrens. I'll not say differently. But I'll also say, most of us had t'choose t'be one a tha Forest Peoples.”
“What do you mean?” Jeaf still he kept a firm grip on his sword.
“Well y'see, all tha Forest Peoples got somethin in commons.” Sadness seemed to sweep over the giant as he dropped his chin to his chest. “We all know Koyer's evils up close; some come t'know it by Schmar's hands; others were taught our lessons by one a his childrens, and we hates what we learned! So, we chose t'be Forest Peoples.”
“Who's Schmar?” The picture of the stampeding brush fire rudely reasserted itself into Jeaf's Powers of Intuition. Still, he felt this wasn't coming from the giant. Though the fire was swiftly approaching, he felt it was not close. Instead, all he could feel coming from the huge stranger was sadness, a sadness that swept into Jeaf's mind crafting shapes of shadowy figures brutally beating the young giant in a cavern like dungeon, one bathed in dull orange light.
By the Fires of Darkness, what was that? But before Jeaf could fully examine the scene, the huge ragamuffin's mood changed shutting the door that had been opened to the secret place hidden in his mind. Only a token of what couldn't be seen remained. A feeling- cold as ice and sharp as broken glass- cut through the young Woodswane's bowels, clawing at his organs, telling him things worse than a cruel beating had taken place.
“Y'know, m'curious cat,” Oblivious to the fact that the young Woodswane had tapped into his memories, the stranger continued speaking. “I'm not s'posed t'talk ta you bout things, not now anyways, or maybe never, who knows?” The giant lifted his arms up off of his knees and, spreading them wide, shrugged his massive shoulders to emphasize his point.
“Well than, can you at least tell me why you're following me?” the young Woodswane asked.
Casually sniffing the air, the giant replied, “Sure!” After lowering his arms, he added, “I've been sent t'protects you.”
Startled by this response, Jeaf struggled to understand the strategy the giant was employing. If he were a thief, he thought, why hasn't he already attacked? By the looks of the huge club he was carrying, stealth seemed unnecessary. So, Jeaf asked, “Who sent you?”
“Like I said, tha Forest Peoples.”
“But why would they be interested in my safety?” Surely, this must be some kind of trick to get me to lower my guard, the young Woodswane reasoned.
“Cause your father asks for our help.”
“My Father!” the young Woodswane blurted out.
“Yeah, he's tha one tha tells us you're going t'deliver a sword he made for tha Eagle King's fiftieth summer's celebrations.”
Jeaf's muscles tightened. Ah ha! I'm right! This fellows after the sword.
“But...” the giant added, “that's not why I'm sent. I'm sent t'protect you from Koyer's White Guards who are try'n t'finds out if your father is Fane J'Shryms. Aryl thinks he could catch winds a your trips. So, he asks us t'help.” The giant's voice softened as he added, “Jeaf, your father's a great man, a man tha Forest Peoples respects and trusts like few others.” The giant paused to give the young man time to ponder his words.
This giant knows I have the sword, he knows my name, and he knows my father is Fane J'Shrym! How can this be, unless he's telling the truth?
“Have you any further proof of your good intentions?” After a moment's reflection, Jeaf submitted another question
Scratching his head, the giant shrugged and added, “Did your father tell ya t'be careful not t'go trippin over any bears?”
“Yes, he did!”
“Well, I'm tha bear he's talkin bout. Let me introduce myself.” The giant smiled an odd half-cocked smile. “My name's Beryl. My friends calls me Bear.” The giant stuck out his huge hand and offered it to the young Woodswane who refused to accept it.
“Not yet, my ragamuffin giant. Let's talk some more before we get to formalities.” Knowing that Bear could easily pull his arm out of its socket, Jeaf choose the pathway of caution.
Lowering his eyes to examine himself, the giant howled out, “Ragamuffins, y'say!? Oh, I sees! M'curious cat has bits of a tart in him.” Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he added, “Well, I can't think of a good insult t'hits you with right now, but I will.. you'll sees.” Laughing aloud and slapping his knee, Bear shook his head in utter delight, sending his braids flying about like so many knotted ropes.
“M'friend,” the giant's smile left his face as he added, “Let me end our misunderstandings. I also know you carry a candle you're s'posed t'gives ta Illumanor.”
“How do you know that? You're telling me things that I myself only learned about last night! What magic do you possess? Are you able to read minds?”
A sly look crossed the giant's face as he said, “Oh, if I only has magics! I'd pull out all tha splinters that pierces tha hearts a tha Forest Peoples and usher in Parms Warl!” Lifting his hands high above his head, Bear shouted toward the stars. “Come! Parms Warl! Come!”
As the feeling of static electricity brushed up against Jeaf's flesh, the young Woodswane looked at the tree trunk arms reaching towards the heavens and thought, This giant's words possess a magic he's either trying to hide, or is unaware of. But in either case, I feel no evil in it.
Then, slowly lowering his massive hands, Bear spoke as the fleeting enchantment dissipated. “No, m'curious cat! I've no magic excepts that which comes from hopes. Tha only reasons why I know about tha candle is cause your mother tells me about it early this mornin... Y'see, I arrived last night and camps out in tha forests near your house.”
Looking at Jeaf, who was rubbing his chin in recognition of this fact, the giant added, “Sure, I'm tha one you saw in tha woods. Elamor calls me hours before tha sun rises and gives me instructions. It was then she told me bout tha candles. How I know you and your father are Fane J'Shryms, well, tha Forest Peoples knows this before you was born. See, we're tha guardians and servants a tha Fane J'Shryms. Though, I s'pose Aryl'll say it's tha other ways around.”
“If this is true, as it now appears, why did you hide yourself?”
“Well, m'curious cat, it's as I say. You wasn't s'posed ta find out bout me, excepts if unforeseen circumstances arises, and, by tha guts of a sand worm, you runnin away like you was a mountains goat is unforeseen, as far as I figures. Y'see, your mother says you was t'be left alone so you can make some kind of decisions.” The giant stopped s
peaking as suddenly as someone quits chewing a mouth full of food once they've bitten into a bone. “I guess that's all I'll tells you for now.”
Bear, pretending to examine his hand as he lifted it in Jeaf's direction, repeated his earlier words. “M'names Beryl, but m'friends calls me Bear.”
Casting aside any lingering doubts, the young Woodswane stood and stretched out his own hand. Seeing it engulfed in the giant's huge paw, he asked, “And what can I call you, my ragamuffin giant?”
Jeaf's words tickled the giant's funny bone, making him laugh once more. “You… you can calls m'Bear.”
Settling back on the ground, the young Woodswane began finishing the cakes his mother made for him.
Moving closer to the tiny fire, the giant pulled out a huge cake of his own. After filling his mouth with sweet bread, Bear mumbled, “Your mother sure cooks good. D'you know that?”
Jeaf was surprised to see that Bear and he were indeed eating the same food; the only difference being, the giant's cakes were much larger than his own.
Continuing to mumble as huge crumbs feel on his lap, Bear said, “As times pass, memories a m'own mother grows dimmer and dimmer.” Lifting his thick eyebrows as he looked across the campfire, the giant added, “I envys you Jeaf. You already has what I wants most. T'have tha loves a your parents… makes you a rich man.”
“You didn't know your parents well?”
Awkwardly clearing his throat, Bear replied, “No. I was taken from thems when I was but a infants.” The giant's lip curled in disgust as he continued. “And I wasn't able ta'finds them since.”
“How were you separated?”
“Schmar's fires-blasted childrens kidnaps me and takes m'off t'tha Cave of Forgetfulnesses! I was held captive for many long winters, livin in tha nightmares Schmar and his monsters of a wife, Arachnamor, creates.” As Bear spoke, a menacing glow began to fill his eyes. “There, I was covered in Schmar's biles a forgetfulnesses, stinkin slimes tha tries t'rid me a tha giants' ways. Others of m'kinds was there, too. I think tha blasted fool was tryn t'turn us inta warriors who'd fights for him.” Eyes, now scalding with fury, fixed their gaze on Jeaf as he declared, “Y'know, he and Koyer- may their noses get smashed n'never heal- are preparin for wars. But giants are a hard bunch t'breaks. Most a m'kinds died before they was turned by Schmar's evils; tha rest escapes, once we got big enough t'fight our ways out a tha fire-blasted cave. That's when tha Forest Peoples finds us. And we've been with thems ever since.”
