I stare at the distance ahead of us, the sea of desert stretching for miles and miles. Is it a good idea to run, then risk being stuck here at night? Should we go back and redo our plan, then consider a boat to the Northern Tip? But one more day means more time for the Witch King to get stronger, perhaps even to escape his prison. We might not have one more day. I’m about to combust with desperation.
And shame, even if it’s not my fault. I don’t want to let Astra down. Let everyone down.
“I’ll run,” I say, surprising myself with my decision. “There will be no time to get back, but I’ll go north and try my luck at the sea. You two can wait or go back.”
“I’ll run with you,” Ferer says.
“No need. It will be easier if I don’t have to worry about anyone else getting hurt.”
The two knights exchange a look as if trying to come up with another solution or else decide if they agree with my suggestion.
“Wait,” Nelsin says.
I click my tongue, annoyed that I’m even entertaining this treasonous fae. “If the giants decide to help, they can catch me further north.”
“No.” Nelsin shakes his head, his top ears flapping with the movement. “They avoid this area, and further north, even worse.”
I huff. “Yeah. I’ve noticed that.”
Each second debating is a wasted second. I turn away from them and bolt. I know I won’t be able to keep this speed, but I want to get rid of my anger, my anxiety, want to give a distance between me and the cat-eared fae. While it might not be his fault that the giants didn’t show up, I trusted his knowledge, trusted that he was acting as their emissary. And then maybe it was my fault for being so dim. Trust Nelsin! I want to reach out to past Marlak and smack his head. Maybe then it will work properly.
My boots hit the arid, hard ground as my breathing gets heavier. I’ll need to push my limits if I want to reach the Witch King long nightfall, and yet I need to make sure I won’t get there too exhausted to fight.
The sound of steps to my right catches my attention. I stop and see a giant approaching me. As my chest sags with relief, something grabs me from the left side. A huge hand. The giantplaces me on his shoulder and runs back south to meet Nelsin and Ferer, who are surrounded by ten more giants.
The blond fae is gesticulating, grunting, and talking.
When we approach them, the largest giant turns and points at me.
“Broke deal!” he yells. “Broke deal.”
“No broke,” Nelsin says. “Bad magic difficult to stop. He working.”
Nelsin keeps arguing in overly simplified sentences, claiming that I’m about to stop thebad magic. I’m not sure that counts as speaking Giant. I mean, I could also speak like that. But to be fair, Nelsin also grunts. I’m not sure if that’s for emphasis and style or part of their language.
From what I understand, the giants are quite upset, and some of them are blaming me. For a moment, I fear that they’ll put me in some kind of prison, but it’s true that they need help. They need the Witch King dead more than anything right now, so it makes sense that they’ll help me.
In the end, they agree to help me go faster to the north, not all the way to where the Witch King is, but most of the way. They’ll even wait for me and help me go back at night, if necessary. In return, they want Ferer to stay as an additional hostage. As much as Nelsin protests, there’s no way to sway the giants. Perhaps on another day I would try to negotiate better terms, but right now every second is precious, so both Ferer and I agree with their terms.
Soon I’m on a giant’s shoulders, running across the shadow lands desert at least ten times faster than my own legs would take me
Begrudgingly, I’m forced to admit that Nelsin had the right idea and the right plan.
There’s hope. I’ll make it.
Today will be the Witch King’s last day.
RENEL
As much as I chased it, sleep evaded me. I’ve been awake since the early hours before dawn, early enough to hear my brother leaving. How can I find any rest when my mind is so disturbed, when my heart is crunched by the weight of my guilt?
Tarlia gave her life for me—and I couldn’t stop her. And now she’s in the heart of danger while I’m here. My patience is gone, and I’ll no longer make excuses for myself. I have to do something, and the only reason I’m not gone yet is that I don’t want to be chased like a fugitive, don’t want anyone thinking I’ll betray them.
I’m pacing back and forth in the kitchen when I finally hear steps in the hallway. Too light to be Azur, or maybe I don’t know how to recognize him anymore.
Ziven walks into the kitchen and smiles at me. “Hey, there.”
I spare him a quick glance. “Good morning.”
