In their little den, they were safe, reasonably protected from the eye of whatever great beast was coming. Others, however, could not claim such luck. Overhead, the pounding of hundreds of panicked footsteps against solid stone rang out, infusing the ground with a quake so violent as to scatter all senses–Hearing was sight–sight was touch. It was madness. It was a stampede.

Trenton could barely keep hold of himself as giants, by the dozens, leapt over them, some tripping over each other and sliding along the ground, others taking their chances with drops too far for even them to survive, and others still managing to keep their footing as they wound their way along paths too thin to travel.

Then, like the raging heart of the storm, it was upon them, a shadow overhead which blotted out the sky, its wings driving the air around them to a wild tempo. It cried out, a bellowing roar which tore through the particulates kicked up amidst the giants’ din. Even without presence, the sound alone was enough to strike fear, true fear, into all that heard it, an irrational feeling drowning out all others.

In front of them, the giant quivered, frozen tears silently streaming down either side of its face; Evai, etiolated, passed out, Trenton jumping forward to catch her just as she fell; Millie was wide eyed, looking skyward, half fearful, half wondrous; Raligoth said nothing, preferring to let the situation play out and ask questions later; Karfice stood stock still, single hand hovering hesitantly in the air as if to intervene in some fashion; Sodrue looked tense, his marvelous eyes parsing through the madness to see what danger truly befell them; and Wimbleton looked calm, left arm loosely slung over the blade hung at his waist, deathly eyes glancing over the giants terrified form.

“Be ready,” Wimbleton whispered, pointing directly at Karfice without even looking.

“Ready for wh-” Karfice started, suddenly interrupted by the dazzling blue light of an inferno building overhead.

Instantly, Karfice swung his arm over his head, loosing a massive swoop of ice which crystallized overhead, protecting them from the initial blast. At the same time, Sodrue threw his arms to either side, a translucent green aura falling over the area. Trenton could figure the giants overhead were probably screaming, begging for their lives as they burned to death in the dragon's furious torrent, but he couldn’t hear a word. No, all he heard was the sizzle of evaporating ice, and all he saw were the stray licks of fire creeping over either edge of Karfice’s hastily constructed roof. Even as far down as they were, in such a small crevice as they were, they were still handily within the line of fire. Were it not for Sodrue’s barrier stopping encroaching fire as if stuck in time, they would’ve been incarcerated in moments.

Beyond their magical barriers, the dragon easily bathed the ground in pure fire. Even at the distance he held, some 100 or so feet from the flames directly, it was scorching, bringing the water within his body to near boil nigh instantaneously. In a way, it reminded him of Yuleye’s fire, only far less concentrated. This wasn’t a targeted attack, it was the means to eradicate, plunge all life from within whatever stray corner they may dwell no matter the collateral.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the fire ceased, cool night air rushing back in to fight against the sudden temperature increase, a sensation cooling to the skin once Trenton’s eyes no longer felt. The beating of wings slowly faded into the distance, replaced with an eerie silence unbefitting of the chaos which had, moments prior, engulfed them.

Slowly, Karfice eased his body, walking over to Trenton, the light long gone from his eyes, “...Thalian,” he said, stopping just before the boy and locking eyes. “I’ll be in my tent if you need me.”

“Karfice,” Trenton called out, a little twinge dragging at his mind, a thought which had been bugging him for a while. Karfice was clearly no weakling, a warrior just the same as any of them. The feats he’d accomplished surpassed even Trenton in grandeur. And yet, in all this time, he’d refused to even once levy his blade against another. It wasn’t inexperience and it certainly wasn’t apprehension, it was caution…but why?

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Hm?” Karfice stopped.

“How’d you really get scarred?”

Karfice looked back at him over his shoulder, one pale eye gleaming in the moonlight, “...bad blood…goodnight,” he said, dipping into his tent without another word.

“-running from it. Do you know why it's after the giants?” Sodrue asked.

Wimbleton and Sodrue stood before the giant still cowering, knees to chest, in the periphery of their little camp. It shook its head, eyes still occasionally darting to glance overhead.

“No, he’s never been so aggressive before. Thalian is the protector. He’s meant to guard the mountains. But now…he’s gone mad hunting down any giant he can possibly find. I’m not sure what to do anymore. If I stay in the mountains, I die. If I leave, I die. There’s nowhere to go,” the giant said, its deep voice filling the night with a gentle buzz.

“Nuvarian would probably get you killed, but you could try to make it to the Balvian range,” Wimbleton remarked, tapping his chin. “You probably won’t make it, but you could try.”

“It’s not like you have much else of a choice,” Trenton butted in, moving to stand within their little huddle, Millie and Evai helping each other to a tent behind them, granting them absolute peace. “Take the chance at life or guarantee your death here.”

“Do you have any allies to accompany you? Few creatures would hunt a giant, but fewer still would hunt a pack of ‘em,” Raligoth said.

“No, I don’t. We’ve all been driven into corners fending for our lives. If any remain, I wouldn’t be able to fin-,” the giant said.

“There’s a couple some miles south of here hiding in an underpass. Better go quick ‘fore they leave,” Wimbleton said.

“Wait, but…”

“Oh, would you look at that? You, wasting time. I’m sure the dragon’ll be doing a double sweep if you stay here much longer,” Wimbleton shooed him off, waving his hand dismissively at the giant, who quickly picked himself up as best as he could, squeezing back through the opening to their camp and sprinting off into the distance, vaguely south bound, without regard for whatever dangers may be lurking.

“Was that true?” Raligoth said, creasing his brow.

“More or less. He’ll figure it out. Now, off to bed, all of you. I’ve work to see to,” Wimbleton said, settling back in at his desk, quill in hand.

One by one, they slowly scattered, meandering back into their respective tents with little more than simple pleasantries. Trenton set Raligoth down on the edge of the desk as he went, leaving him in Wimbleton's care for the night. It had been a long, long day, and they were all, rightfully, tired. Even Trenton’s energy waned with the falling of the crescent moon, an unusual slump added to his otherwise pristine form. Trenton settled into his thick bedspread, taking comfort from both the heat of Millie, snuggled close at his side, and the heating runes Walibeld had woven into their gear. But as Trenton tried to rest, he found himself without sleep, tossing and turning as the night dragged ever on.

Some hours later, he awoke, slowly sitting up and rubbing his bleary eyes. Millie still slept soundly at his side, undisturbed by his rising. Carefully, he slipped out of the blankets, grabbing a shawl from the floor and stepping outside of the tent. Maybe a nice breath of fresh air would calm him.

It was still night out, cold, but manageable with his many layers of bundled clothing. He was lucky, too. The wind had died down some hour prior, leaving them in peace, silence, the slightest breeze flittering snow into the air. In the center of their camp, sitting just before a blazing fire that Trenton was certain wasn’t there before, was Wimbleton, still scribbling away at a mountain of papers adorning his desk. Neither he nor Raligoth said a word as Trenton approached the hearth. Instead, Wimbleton simply nodded vaguely off to his left.

They’d moved all about the encampment earlier to settle themselves, but it was some hours since then. And since Wimbleton was still the whole time, a new layer of fresh snow had settled in over their previous scuttling, blanketing the ground in white as if it had never been disturbed in the first place. All except one stray path, a trail of heavy footsteps disturbing the fresh coat, leading off into the darkness.

Trenton looked down at Wimbleton, but if he noticed, he made no indication of it. Steadily, Trenton made his way alongside the footsteps, following them out of their camp, over hills, crags, down cliff sides, and finally, up to a peak overlooking a great expanse of the beautiful mountain scape. Standing there, bandages trailing in the wind from his neck, was Leo. He glanced back at Trenton, fiery eyes and hair shining with a brilliance Trenton never knew before. Only now, there was a hint of sorrow as well, a reservation gleaming in the young boy's eyes. And almost certainly, a new hint of gold, the slightest shift in hue almost imperceptible to the eye.

“Hey,” Leo said, his voice calm, smooth.