“Much of our plan relies on surprising the giants. That remains possible.”
“But this feels like a bad omen, doesn’t it?”
I exhaled, unable to deny her words as I’d been thinking the exact same thing.
Chapter 23
ISOLDE
My fingers trailed through the white fur of my cloak as I studied the defile cutting between two towering mountains. Fates, it was so narrow.
As the sun sank in the west, Lord Balik had signaled for those of us who were airborne to descend so that we would not be spotted before our ground forces. Those same forces who would soon have to walk two-by-two through a craggy pathway that led straight into a valley full of hostile frost giants.
“There has to be a better way,” Thyra said to the crowd of royals, lords, and soldiers gathered together.
She too wore a white cloak, light armor, and fighting leathers. Though we’d had little time to prepare for the journey, Lady Balik had pulled us aside and made sure we knew how important it was to look the part of leaders in battle.
As I’d created garments for royal and noble vampires most of my life, I knew that fact all too well. Although the vampires were often engaged in a different type of battle, the concept was the same. With Lady Balik’s assistance, Thyra and I had quickly acquired new combat attire.
Thyra pointed to the defile I’d been assessing. “Trickling into a valley crawling with hostile frost giants is asking to be torn apart one by one.”
King Tholin’s letter claimed there were around fifty giants lying in wait. According to others, that was about as large as their tribes got, save for larger gatherings during equinox celebrations. These giants were also unique in that they had already killed several dwarves and were waiting to pick off more. To eat them, no less.
“The only other route would take the ground forces two more days to access,” Lord Balik replied. “This defile is narrow but very short. Horses can run through it in a matter of minutes.”
“We can’t make them wait.” Princess Bavirra’s hands landed on her wide hips. “I won’t hear of it.”
“No,” Prince Thordur echoed. “We have to risk trickling into the valley. We’ll just have to move quickly to get the layout of the valley before the light is completely gone. And of course we’re relying heavily on those in the air to prolong a distraction.”
“Humor someone who has never seen a frost giant.” I held up a hand. “Let alone fought one. What do we have to be on the alert for?”
Vale answered. “Their thick skin can repel magic for a long while—until something penetrates, then they’re more susceptible to subsequent attacks. Sometimes attacks will even rebound off their skin. And a very rare giant will have magic of their own, but we don’t have a way to tell who has powers and who doesn’t.”
“That’s usually only older giants, and even then one in a thousand,” Luccan added. “But truth be told, it’s difficult to tell which are the oldest. A lot of them have white or gray hair and living in the elements makes them look weathered.”
Sian cleared his throat. “Weapons like arrows or blades can hurt them, but it takes averydeep cut. Or repeated injuries, which we’re unlikely to get unless we overrun them.”
“What about arrows to sensitive areas?” Thyra asked. “Noses and eyes? Or the face in general?”
“Anywhere on the face will hurt a lot,” Vale answered. “But unless you hit themveryhard in a delicate spot or slice open a vital blood vessel, they’ll live.”
“And we want that?” Thantrel asked. “We’ll have a sizable head start during a retreat because they can’t possibly slip through that defile, but if they’re alive, they can leave the valley. Dead frost giants can’t chase us through the woods.”
Silence shrouded our group. We knew killing giants was a possibility, but the entire tribe? I didn’t think it sat right with anyone. After all, they were still fae, like us. And while they’d committed the unspeakable act of cannibalism everyone suspected they’d only done so to survive a horrific stretch of winter.
“Kill only when necessary. Otherwise, knock them out. A powerful blow to their temples will do the trick. We’ll have to leave that to the fae with wings,” Vale said, and the other seasoned warriors in the circle murmured their agreement. “As for the possibility of them chasing us, well, we might have to deal with that, but that seems unlikely. Giants don’t like to approach cities.”
A few more questions were asked and answered, until finally, we were ready to move out.
Vale caught my hand before I made it a single step. “Fly safe.”
“And you watch out for yourself and our friends on the ground.” I stood on tiptoe to kiss him. He had been in more battles than he could remember, but only a handful were against frost giants.
Still, my mate did not appear scared or worried, and I took his confidence to heart as I mounted Arava. The mare twisted to look at me, and a wave of reassuring warmth filled my chest.
Not far away, the healers were setting up a working camp. We’d lost a few horses in the direwolf attack and needed every mount for the soldiers. As a result, Rynni would be the only healer to join the fighters, but in her dragon form. As she had only one or two good fire blasts a day, and she wasn’t a trained fighter, Rynni would attack when she could do so without risk. Her primary objective was to search for the injured and transport them back over the mountain separating us from the healers.
Halladora approached, her expression wary as she took in Arava. “Are you sure you want me to come with you?”
