Against the Giants

15

Icy wind shrilled, blowing snow and ice crystals around them.The sky seemed to be night-dark, but it was hard to tell with so much wind and snow. Agya huddled in on herself, teeth chattering. Lhors, who had enjoyed snowfalls in his village as a boy, stared in horror at the blizzard. His face felt frozen in just the few moments they’d been here. He dragged the thickwoolen scarf up over his nose and mouth and peered at a tree maybe four paces away-the only thing he could see besides blowing white. The branches were soladen that he could barely make out that it was a tree.

Khlened tapped his shoulder. “Stay clear of trees!” heshouted in order to be heard over the gale. “Tree like that hides pockets underth’ branches. Means you step in the wrong place, you could fall far enough tobreak your neck!”

The barbarian turned to Vlandar. “We can’t stay out in this!Even a Fist won’t stay in th’ open, and the rest of ye-you’ll freeze in notime!” He peered around, then walked past the warrior and eased down between twoice-coated boulders. He was back in moments. “’Tis no true shelter, but there’snext to no wind back there. Get close t’each other. Me’n Bleryn’ll find someplace better.”

“If not, we can dig snow tunnel,” the dwarf said. Agya stared at him inhorror and Bleryn chuckled. “Surprising, how warm it is in a snow tunnel. Nowind.”

“Go,” Vlandar ordered tersely.

“Do not go down,” Nemis said. “The giants’ hold is down. Andbe careful.”

“Careful, huh?” Khlened snorted. “Man can’t spend treasure if’e’s dead, eh?”

With that, he was gone, following Bleryn. They were lost to sight before they’d gone ten paces, and their footprints were already fillingin.

Vlandar led the way down between the boulders and back as far as he could. Lhors sighed faintly. The wind dropped away almost entirely in this rough shelter, and while the snow beyond the stones was deep, it only came to his ankles here.

Rowan left her sister to keep their wounded companion close under her cloak, while she and Lhors helped Malowan compact a high ridge of snow on three sides to block what little wind still came at them.

“Everyone, get as close together as you can,” the paladinordered. “Watch each other. None of us must fall asleep here.” He settled downnext to Agya, and the girl gratefully burrowed into his fur-lined cloak.

After making sure everyone was settled, Vlandar asked, “Nemis, where are we?”

“Near the entrance to the Rift, a major hold of frost giants,”the mage replied. His teeth chattered. “I shortened that chain by a link so wewould not appear inside the Rift itself.”

“Well thought, but we’ll talk later,” Vlandar said. “Listenand watch, for now.”

Even bundled close between Rowan and Vlandar, Lhors felt half-frozen, and the noise of the storm frightened him. Anyone could be out there, and they wouldn’tknow until too late. But would giants be out in such a storm as this? He doubted it, but then again, he had no experience with frost giants. They were used to weather such as this.

Fortunately, Khlened was back while the youth could still feel his fingers and toes.

“Found a cave,” he announced, visibly pleased with himself.“Slopes uphill, low entry, high ceiling inside. Better, some beast ’r ’notherpacked in trees, p’raps to make a nest. Bleryn stayed t’build a fire.”

“Beast?” Agya demanded. All Lhors could see of her was hereyes peering out from Malowan’s cloak. They were wide and scared.

“Is it safe for fire?” Vlandar asked.

“No creature of late, we checked. Wood’s dry enough t’won’tsmoke, and th’ ceiling will keep it off us and still inside. But no fire’s moredeadly in such a storm than th’ chance beasts or giants’ll smell th’ smoke wherenone should be.” The barbarian shrugged. “Way th’ winds are, who could tellwhere it came from anyway?”

“If yon fella says fire, can we go to it now?” Agya demanded.“P-p-please?”

“Lass is right,” Khlened told Vlandar.

Vlandar nodded. “Of course. Lead, we’ll follow.”

“Stay alert, best you can,” Malowan warned. “I also knowcold. It would be easy for one of us to fall by the way and be lost. Watch out for each other. Do not worry about guards. I made a search just now, and I can assure you that there are none outside the Rift in this storm-certainly none upon this ledge.”

“Are you always so cheerful?” Maera demanded waspishly.

“Call him sensible,” Rowan suggested. “Let us go.”

To Lhors’ surprise, she laid a gloved hand on Vlandar’sshoulder. “You were wounded earlier. I know how magic healing works. You cravesleep after. Maera, if you can manage Florimund, I will stay with Vlandar.”

They toiled back into the open and followed Khlened. Lhors gasped and his eyes teared as the wind sliced through his cloak and makeshift face mask. He freed a hand to drag his hood down to his nose before yanking the cloak back snug around him and squeezing his hands into his armpits where they might thaw.

Moments later, his feet scraped on bare stone, and the wind was gone again, replaced by flickering ruddy light. He blinked and shoved the hood back. Khlened’s cave was bigger than their last haven. The youth movedinside, making room so Rowan could come in with Vlandar. The entry was a low, only slightly taller than Lhors and no wider than he could reach. Wolves might use such a den, but giants couldn’t. Mal or Nemis could keep wolves out, he wascertain. But he forgot all that as his eyes touched on the fire.

The dwarf sat cross-legged on a ledge of yellowish stone, his axe embedded in a thick branch just behind him. Fire, Lhors thought with longing and moved toward it.

“We had the luck,” Bleryn was saying as the youth came near.“Ledge is riddled wit’ caves, but we found this and all this wood on our fourthtry.”

“Luck indeed,” Vlandar said. Rowan was getting the warriorsettled on a blanket where he could get warm, his back against the rock wall. The man looked tired and old at the moment, but the ranger caught Lhors attention, sent her eyes sidelong, and nodded. He is just tired because he was hurt, she means. Lhors hoped, but he couldn’t ask while Rowan was hovering overVlandar.

“No beast tracks in this cave, no gnawed bones, no scat-fresh or dry.”

“Scat?” Agya asked. She sounded even more tired than Vlandar.She leaned gratefully forward to warm her hands at the fire. Malowan wrapped his spare blanket around her.

Rowan laughed. “Food goes in, scat comes out.” The girlmanaged a faint grin in response. “Speaking of food, I can make a passable soupor stew.”

Lhors sighed. “Hot food. It sounds wonderful.” He dragged hispack from under his cloak. “Take anything you need. I can’t remember when I lastate.”

“Still growing, are you?” Rowan replied cheerfully. She wassorting through her own bag and hauled out an odd-looking bit of metal. “One ofyou fill this with snow for me to melt for soup water. It will take several trips, I fear.”

Khlened took the thing and shook it. To Lhors’ surprise, theflat piece opened into a tin pail made of overlapping segments, complete with handle. “My task,” the barbarian said. “Done this most of m’ life.”

Maera eased Florimund down flat and covered him with her spare blanket, then dug a similar item from her own pack: a small pot of blackened metal, the base forged to a low tripod. Rowan extended it with a snap of her wrists, then began rummaging through the pile of food the others had set out for her. She separated things, putting aside packets of cracker-bread and dried fruit, then rummaged through two bags of dried beans. She took the canvas bag Vlandar gave her and scooped out several handfuls of dried vegetables, then pulled a bundle of herb-packets from a side pocket on her pack. She plucked a fat brown onion from the braid of them that Khlened carried and tossed two sticks of jerky into the pot. Over all, she poured the first batch of melted snow.

The stew took some time to cook, but the apple and spiced hot water that Rowan prepared kept Lhors comfortable. Gran had known that trick, and so had his father. The flavor of fruit seemed to soothe his mind as well. He turned to Vlandar to see if the man needed another cup, but the warrior had fallen asleep.

By now, the cave was almost warm. Even Agya was moving around and had shed the spare blanket. Vlandar was awake again by the time Rowan pulled the pot from the ashes, and Gerikh had fed more logs onto the fire twice. They all felt like friends, Lhors thought, but a snowstorm and an unexpected hot meal could do that for people.

Even Maera seemed to feel it-or maybe she was very hungryherself. “We’ll want real bread with that, sister. The cracker-stuff we may needlater.” She broke out a packet of flour and leavening, swept leaves from a flatrock, then began working water into the dry stuff. Lhors watched as the half-elf kneaded the brownish mess, tore it into strips and deftly braided and shaped it into a round loaf that she shoved it into the ashes.

Rowan tested the soup and nodded. “Cups or bowls, everyone,”she announced, then dipped them into the pot and handed them around. Maera brushed ash from her crusty loaf and broke it into equal shares.

Lhors blew on his soup to cool it, sipped cautiously, then stared at Rowan over the rim. “You said passable! It’s-” He couldn’t find theproper word and contented himself instead with draining his cup, then swabbing the last drops up with Maera’s bread.

Rowan laughed and refilled the cup, then handed him part of her bread. “No, take it,” she assured him. “Such praise deserves reward, and anear-grown man needs his food.”

Florimund still slept, but Lhors thought seemed Vlandar almost normal thanks to the warm meal. “All right,” the warrior said mildly. “Ifeared we might somehow wind up here, even before we left Cryllor. The frost giants have raided the Yeomanry before now, and Keoland too.”

Maera snorted. “The rangers of Keoland have long suspected analliance between frost and hill giants.”

Vlandar shrugged. “Now we are certain of it. You may haveoverheard me talking to Nemis and Mal back in that locked chamber. We found proof that Nosnra is now under orders to attack Keoland hill villages. We found a written command from the chief of the frost giants along with the chain that brought us here. Who knows how long Nosnra has used that chain to come here to report his successes or failures and receive new orders?”

“Wait,” Khlened said. “Frost giants are behind allthis? They haven’t the brains for it!”

“They are not in charge,” Nemis said quietly. It was thefirst time he’d spoken in hours. “They are also under orders… fromelsewhere.”

“Oh? And where’d that be?” the barbarian demanded.

The mage shrugged gloomily.

“I hope to learn that information here in the Rift,” Vlandarsaid, “And that is all I think we can hope to learn here. Mal, have youthat scroll?”

The paladin fished out the clear tube he’d found in thewoodpile and held it up. At Vlandar’s gesture, he handed it to the mage. “Nemisspeaks and reads many languages, including Giantish. That is written in Giantish, though not by a giant. Nemis tells me the one who penned the scroll is unlikely to be here and I believe him. In short, I see the Rift as a passage to another place, not a destination in itself. We must all listen to Nemis and Malowan-and Mal, I hope you both will prepare for tomorrow by choosing spellsthat help us remain unseen and unheard, but just as importantly, spells that will locate devices like that chain.”

Khlened said, “So we look beyond th’ Rift ’cause it isn’t afrost giant in charge? Suits me fine. I left Fist-lands ’cause cold like this isnasty. No sane man’d stand it, if ’e didn’t have to.”

Bleryn put in. “I dislike cold. Never want to see a whitebear again.”

“Bear?” That, predictably, was Agya. “How’d y’see ’em throughall this white stuff?”

“I can sense them,” Malowan assured her, “but Khlened isright-and so is Bleryn. We’re here because the alternative was dying in theSteading’s dungeons, but this is not much better because the cold will kill usif the frost giants and their allies do not.”

Vlandar nodded as he got to his feet. “Nosnra knows by knowthat we were in his secret room and that we stole his chain. If he has any other such device to transport messages or himself, the Rift may already be preparing for us.”

“If deer had wings, the wolves would starve,” Maera repliedsarcastically.

“And if the rangers stay alert, no tree will fall,” Vlandarretorted-almost as sharply, to Lhors’ surprise. He smiled suddenly. “Apologies,ranger. Stay alert, but I know you all will. Do not be led astray. We seek a quick way from these frozen heights, either back to Keoland or on to find the master who ordered the attacks on Keoland.”

Lhors started as the name bit into his mind.

Vlandar’s hand gripped his shoulder. “Yes, we can return toKeoland with what we know, and I am certain the king will reward us. But what matters wealth if we see the chance to wipe out a dire enemy-and we hesitate?”

“If the conditions and the numbers are against us…” Maeracountered. “But I agree, warrior. Turn your back on such an enemy, allow her togrow stronger-”

“Her?” Nemis said sharply.

The ranger smiled at him, but the smile did not reach her eyes. “He, they, us, you, them, another, whichever. If there is a chance todefeat such a one-yes, I am of your mind, Vlandar.”

Khlened spat. “More sneaking? Never met a frost giant asdeserved t’live! Kill ’em and be done!”

“I side with the Fist,” Bleryn said flatly. “Happens myfolk-their shades’ll curse me forever, did I not kill every bastard son of ’em Icould.”

Silence. Vlandar and Malowan waited. Khlened and Bleryn stared back challengingly.

“Remember who leads this party,” Vlandar finally said.“Remember I may know things you do not, about this place and about our goal.Still, I will not stop you from killing giants-but only if you will swear to methat you will not act recklessly. You will not draw attention to us, you will not get us killed, and”-he added sharply as dwarf and barbarian grinned at eachother-“you will both pledge to keep a close eye on the less winter-hardy of us.We do no good if we die here of cold, and frozen heroes cannot spend treasure. Also, ten of us have a better chance of winning through than two crazed fighters who have no one to back them.”

“A point,” Bleryn said promptly, and drew Khlened aside sothey could talk.

Vlandar turned to the rest of the company. “I will setwatches by twos tonight. We dare not let the fire go out.”

In the end, he chose himself and Malowan for the first, Maera and Gerikh for the second, Lhors and Rowan for the third, Bleryn and Nemis after, leaving Khlened as most winter-wise of them all to build up the fire and set a pot of hot gruel to soaking.

“What of me then?” Agya demanded sharply.

“Sleep and plenty of it,” the warrior replied. “We will needyou alert tomorrow.”

Lhors wondered when she didn’t argue. Perhaps the cold hadsapped her temper. One good thing about this place then, he thought as he wrapped up in his cloak across the fire from her.

Rowan settled close enough to the youth, he could have touched her. “Maera?” she said quietly. “Florimund ate and he’s sleeping, but heis restless.”

“Do you wonder at that?” Maera asked sourly.

Lhors eased his eyes open a little. The sour twin-as he hadcome to think of her-managed a thin smile. “Rowan, I told you I will stay withhim and wake him from his bad dreams. I said he would be my task.”

“Of course,” Rowan murmured.

Maera got up and left, leaving the cave silent.

“Lhors?” Rowan asked quietly.

He hadn’t been asleep, and of course, she knew that. His facefelt hot. “Yes?”

Rowan laughed, deep in her throat. “When we share watchlater, pay attention to my sister and her charge, will you? She’ll know if I do,and it will make her angry.”

“Whatever you ask,” he said.

Rowan laughed again and patted his stubbly cheek. “Don’tpromise such a thing. It’s dangerous.” Her face suddenly turned more serious. “Ido not trust Florimund. I can’t say why. Maera does, but she chooses her martyrswith her heart. I do not.”

Lhors frowned. “I think I see. She believes whatever he hastold her, but you are afraid there may be something, um, behind the words?”

“Just so,” Rowan replied gravely.

“But he was a prisoner of the giants, and they-”

“Tortured him?” Rowan finished for him. “Yes. Still, I havelearned by hard experience to trust my distrust, if you see what I mean. Thank you, Lhors.” She gained her feet gracefully and went to shake out herblankets.

Lhors sighed faintly, then eased onto one elbow and looked around. Khlened and Bleryn seemed to be asleep-at least one of them was snoring.Gerikh huddled almost on top of the firepit, while Agya was only visible as a tuft of ruddy hair poking out of a pile of blankets. The paladin lay close by, wrapped only in his cloak. Nemis bent over his spellbook. The last vision Lhors had before he fell asleep was of the mage, a blanket draped casually over his shoulders, his lips moving soundlessly as he turned the pages.

Watch followed watch, and outside the sky grew slowlylight-briefly very bright indeed as the sun speared through heavy cloud. Butgloom returned at once. The wind died down, but never for long. The shriek of harsh air storming the stones outside made sleep hard to come by, but the fire kept the immediate stone floor warm, and each of the watches brought in pots of snow to keep two pots steaming, one of plain water, the other one of Maera’steas. During the last watch, Nemis stirred up a large pot of gruel, then sought his blankets while Khlened kept the fire going.

By the time Vlandar was awake, Khlened was pacing, eager to be off. “We need t’find entry-”

“Already found,” Nemis said. He sounded half-asleep andseemed to be having trouble getting his gruel from his clay cup to his mouth. “Ihave the map of the Rift-both levels-that was hidden in Nosnra’s secret roomwith the chain.”

To Lhors’ surprise-and Nemis’ visible displeasure-Vlandarsent Khlened and Bleryn out to scout the area. Vlandar must have been aware of the mage’s mood. After the two had vanished in the still-swirling snow, he said,“Nemis, this is not mistrust. I know you have the map, and you have searched asfar as your magic can reach. But those two are used to action. Give them a little now, and they may be easier to control later. Who knows? They may actually find something your spell did not.”

Nemis actually smiled. “Now you throw young Agya’s words atme, but you are right, of course. They know this kind of country, and I do not.”He settled next to the fire and opened his book. “This also gives me a littletime to find more useful spells.”

“Both of us,” Malowan said as he sought a quiet corner tocommune with his god.

“Thank you,” Vlandar said. “Nemis, if I may have the map-andRowan, I know rangers are usually good at maps. Come help me with this one, will you?”

Lhors hesitated, empty mug in hand, but both ranger and warrior beckoned for him to join them over the map. I know nothing of such things, the youth thought. He sighed quietly. But I suppose I can learn.

He didn’t feel so confident some time later after the scoutscame back. The writing on the map was nothing but oddly shaped marks to his eyes, and all he was certain of was that this Rift was vast, cold, and consisted of two levels with guards everywhere.

Bleryn muttered into his beard as he settled close to the fire. “Fell,” he said briefly.

“No surprise t’me,” Khlened retorted. “’Tis hellish slickeverywhere.” He turned to talk to Vlandar. “We saw a path into th’ Rift. Therewas rutted ice from huge prints, nasty place. No guards outside as we could see.”

Bleryn snorted. “Tell ’em about yeti,” he said.

Khlened rolled his eyes. “Y’ didn’t expect ’em, place like this? Was twogoing that way.” He pointed where Lhors thought north might be. “Yeti tracks allover up here. Nasty creatures love it here. We also say one roamin frost giant wi’ two wolves on his heels. Mind now, wolves ain’t bugbears! Th’ wolves canhear and smell all too well, and a pack of ’em is bad news. And yeti. Even theFists avoid yeti.”

“I can agree with that,” Malowan said mildly. He looked overat Agya, who was drawing on thick, oversized mitts Lhors thought must be the paladins. “Agya,” the man said, “remember that I can keep you safe from them.”

“Yessir, I know it,” she replied and managed a smile, butLhors could see her eyes were worried, and the hands under the mitts trembled.

“We will leave as soon as we can,” Vlandar said. “But all ofyou, make sure you are clad as best you can be and that your weapons are to hand. There will be guards at or near this entry. Our goal is to get through this place before cold can kill any of us, and we first and foremost seek the key-whatever it is-that will guide us beyond the Rift. Leave the fire to dieout. We’ll want the warmth to the very last.”

He turned as Maera touched his arm. She was holding up a very pale Florimund. “Warrior, he recalls something I thought you should know.”

“Tell him, yes,” Florimund whispered. “Such cold, the screechof wind. This-I think I was-was first brought here when I was-was taken, youknow. I recall giants wrapped to the eyes in thick furs and a white-furred brute like a hairy man. Tunnels of ice and such cold…” He licked pale lips, andhis eyes kindled. “I was not afraid, only angry they dared lay hands on me!” Heglanced sidelong at Maera, who patted his shoulder. “Still, they eat our kind.Frost giants. But there was another, a giant called Nosnra. They gave me to him, and Nosnra’s guards hauled me over to a double circle of chain. I do notremember anything after that-except dark and pain.” He choked and buried hisface in long-fingered hands.

Maera she stroked his hair. “You are safe, cousin,” shemurmured. “Rowan and I will protect you until you are strong enough to do battleagain.”

“Battle. Yes.” Florimund stirred under her hands. “Yes Iwill. I will wreak death among these… oh gods, cousin, I am so very weak! Andthe cold wakens each wound the torturers inflicted. No, I will not speak of it!”

Maera spoke urgently against his ear, then drew him away.

Vlandar glanced at Lhors, who frowned at his hands. He came over to sit beside him and whispered, “Lhors?”

“Sir?”

“I know Rowan spoke to you after some tiff with her sisterlast night-over Florimund. What did you think of all that, just now?”

His father had asked such questions this last year, over game trails, Lhors remembered. “Sir, the fellow was locked in that cell, but whocould have known we would be down there?”

“Yes,” Vlandar said gravely. “He truly was a prisoner.Still…?” He looked a question.

Lhors shrugged. “Rowan worries. She told me so-because Maeratrusts him too much. I understand they are kin, if only because they are half-elves, but my own cousin from New Market was not my friend, and I would never have trusted him.”

“I agree,” the warrior said. “Sensible youth.” He looked upas Gerikh and the dwarf came over.

“Uh, sir? This Rift…” the engineer began apologetically.

“Thing is,” Bleryn added, “We know it. Him ’cause of ’istrade, and I’m from cold near as bad as this. Both of us should be able t’ spottraps before they get any of us.”

Vlandar nodded. “Good point. One of you up front and one atthe rear. Your choice.”

The paladin broke in. “But whoever goes ahead with Malowanmust accept Agya.”

“Agya-the girl-child?” the dwarf asked.

“She’s Mal’s ward, once a street-thief. Ask Khlened. She can smell thingsmost of us wouldn’t.”

“That keeper and his ape,” the barbarian agreed.

Vlandar nodded again. “A spell might hide wolves or yeti. Agya’s nose willwarn us anyway.”

“Like it,” the dwarf said. “Me for the front.”

“Done,” Vlandar said and swung his pack over his shoulder.