BAYN
“You’ll bemy guard from now on,” Saldrea declared, poking me in the chest. She was livid, pacing and ranting. I hadn’t been here long, but I assumed she’d been up all night. I’d woken when I’d felt a massive surge of earth magic. When I’d investigated, I’d found the front of the library destroyed by giant stone spikes. It had to be Saldrea’s work. She was the only one powerful enough in earth magic to create such raw destruction. I’d wondered what had caused her to go on such a rampage. Now I knew.
Ever since I’d been summoned, Saldrea hadn’t stopped talking about some woman named Izzy and how much of a half-breed whore she was. I got the impression Saldrea’s two previous guards, a dragon and a seraph, had helped this other woman and betrayed Saldrea. I couldn’t help my vicious joy at that, even if I couldn’t show it.
I hated Saldrea. I wanted nothing more than to test my skills and power as a titan against hers. Every fiber of my being called for me to destroy her… and her insane mother. But I couldn’t, not as long as Saldrea held my sister captive. I had no love for my parents; they’d betrayed titan ideals a hundred years ago when they’d sided with Valnea and helped her overthrow the elven monarchy. Yet my sister was innocent, still young, and had nothing to do with this conflict. But that hadn’t stopped my parents from handing her over to Valnea and Saldrea as a way to control me.
My parents’ weakness, their willingness to yield to Valnea, only showed how far we titans had fallen. We’d once been a proud race, strong in our convictions, having shaped our bodies over generations to become the giants we were, no longer recognizable as the elves we’d once been. We and our minions had once outnumbered the elves five to one, but that didn’t account for all the other races the elves had enslaved and brought under their sway. Had it just been us and the elves, we might have crushed those who’d once oppressed us, suppressed us. But all our strength hadn’t been enough against the full might of Seial, and Urval, and Elysial, which the elves had summoned to fight in the last war. Titans now were a hollow shell of what we’d once been, and my parents had only further demonstrated how far we’d fallen. I alone was the last of the true, proud titans, and yet here I was, forced to serve this petty elven princess.
“And you’d better make sure no one gets close, I don’t get so much as a scratch,” Saldrea ranted. “Or I’ll torture your sister to death then revive her and do it all over again.”
How my parents could have allied with this woman and her mother — both raving lunatics — I didn’t know. Saldrea’s threats weren’t idle. She sent me videos on my phone every few days of her tormenting my sister… just for fun, to remind me to do my part and play the role she and her mother had designed for me.
Up till today, I’d been tasked with making friends and showing all the races here at the academy that titans were harmless and wished for peace. The goal of the deceptionwas simple: ease the fears of all races so they’d welcome more titans into society. Then, once we were established, we’d attack from within and kill most of the elves and their allies.
That’s how insane Valnea was. She hated titans, but she hated and feared her own kind even more. From what I’d gathered, during my few encounters with the queen regent, she assumed everyone was out to destroy her. This belief most likely came from the notion that all other elves were like her: willing to betray everyone and crush their enemies. Her plan was simple, if completely mad: cull the elves. Her kind had flourished over the millenniums since the elves had defeated the titans and driven my kind into the barren lands. The elves had all the allies, all the fertile lands, all the assets and advantages, so they’d lived well and prospered. But to Valnea, that meant enemies everywhere. She desired nothing more than to exterminate her own kind, reduce them to a level she could control.
And what would the titans get for all of this? Valnea promised new lands and a place of power in the new government. My parents believed her, blind to the truth. Valnea would never share power. She’d betray us and we’d be culled as well, easy targets, our numbers greatly reduced after a war with the elves.
But there was nothing I could do, so long as my sister remained Saldrea’s prisoner, held in some secret location, far from prying eyes. I had feelers out. The few titans here on campus were all loyal to me. When they weren’t playing the role of friendly visitors, they were using their earth magic to seek through the ground and buildings for any hidden places where my sister might be. I’d find her eventually, free her, then kill Saldrea, even if I died in the attempt. Ihonestly didn’t know if my earth magic was as strong as hers.
Saldrea slapped me. It turned my head but did little harm. We titans were as strong and tough as elves.
“Were you listening to me!” Saldrea shrieked.
I hadn’t been, no. She’d been ranting for so long I’d tuned it out.
“Apologies,” I said, voice tight. “I am now.”
“Lower your physical defenses so I can hurt you,” she demanded.
“No.”
She blinked, taken aback. I wondered how long it had been since anyone had said no to her.
“If I can’t hurt you, I’ll hurt your sister,” Saldrea hissed.
I ground my teeth.
“Do you really think it wise to threaten the man you’ve tasked with protecting you? Did you do that to your dragon and seraph? Did it work? Did they stay with you?” That hit home. She flinched, fury in her gaze. “I’m guessing not. So here’s some advice, you keeping me in line with threats to my sister when I was your lackey was one thing, but now… what if I let an attack slip through, a fatal one? Then you’d be dead and my sister and I would be free. So perhaps, treat me with a modicum of respect and see if that gets you further than threats and violence.”
Saldrea was practically frothing at the mouth, but some of what I’d said seemed to get through her thick elven skull.
“I said, follow me,” she hissed at me, barely able to form words.
I nodded and when she turned, I followed.
Since even Saldrea’s little crew of groupies couldn’t know of her mother’s plans, she always spoke to me and theother titans in private. Now we joined Saldrea’s cronies, who were happily plotting ways to crush Saldrea’s enemies.
“We’ve got the perfect plan!” Hana, the sylph, said as Saldrea arrived. I’d studied up on all of Saldrea’s friends and allies: their powers and how dangerous each was. Hana was one to keep an eye on, because of her mental attacks, and her ability to take what she wished from your mind.
“Please enlighten me, I could use some good news!” Saldrea growled at her supposed friend.
“Dominion!” Hana breathed. “We challenge Izzy to a game of dominion.”
Saldrea blinked. “How does that get rid of her?” she shot back so viciously Hana recoiled.
Neyalim provided more of an explanation. “It’s a way to draw her out,” the undine said, voice measured, clearly wary of Saldrea’s temper. “We put it out that Izzy is a half-blood and must be exiled and give some insane reward for anyone who finds her and brings her to us, dead or alive.”
