She gives me a worried look that I’m sure I mirror. I have no idea what kind of trick this is, messing with distance and space, but it’s disorienting. I would have stopped further back and come up with a plan if we had the chance.
Despite my worries about what might happen next, I grab Odette’s arm and drag her into the shadows. She eyes me, the dagger still brandished in her hand, and it’s not a moment too soon that we disappear.
The square, which turns out to be a dark brown, seemingly single-room building, has a large green door that’s thrown open with so much force, I can almost feel the wind hitting us in the shadows. Instead of risking hopping again and ending up somewhere else, we wait silently in the darkness.
This is the biggest dwelling I’ve ever seen. I’m just over six feet, and it’s got to be at least ten of me. The monster that steps out of the front door triggers a memory, and I stumble back.
Odette grabs my arm, mouth dropping as she tries to understand what she’s seeing. We can’t talk here, but it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s a moment I can’t forget.
Wrapping my arm around her so we aren’t separated, we shift in the shadows to get a better look. The giant peers in our direction just before I move, and I’m not entirely sure whether it can see us or not.
The same pulling feeling happens again, and we’re ripped out of the light. Despite having Odette pressed to my side, I almost lose her in the tumble. For the first time since Midas struck me with gold, I feel like I’m losing control of my power.
We fall out of the shadows, slamming into the clouds. It’s like we didn’t move at all, the hazy clouds coming into focus when I can open my eyes.
“What was that?” Odette hisses, sitting up beside me. She’s looking around, and I realize she dropped the dagger somewhere along the way. At least she didn’t stab either of us. “What just happened?”
Sighing, I force myself to get up. I dropped my scythe, but its home is the shadows. Anytime it falls away from me, itdisappears into the darkness. Flexing my fingers, I call it back to me, just in case.
Well, at least my weapon hasn’t betrayed me even if my magic is fickle. Shaking my head, I eye Odette. She’s still on the ground, looking mystified. “That giant,” I begin before my voice falters.
“It had to have been the one who dropped the club,” she continues for me, crossing her arms. There’s still no dagger in sight. “I mean, did you see the size? I’ve never seen something that massive. How is it even up here?”
My eyes meet hers, and she stops babbling for a moment. As the seconds drag on, she tilts her head. “What?”
“I’ve seen it before,” I tell her, the memory burning in the back of my mind. “The day Ray’s father died.”
“What?”
But that isn’t the memory I focus on. Instead, I think of Dahlia days ago, prior to contacting Lucius or Ban, the solemn look in her eyes.
“We’re going up the beanstalk,” I tell her, stopping at the doorway to the office. There’s no desk in here yet, and all the traveler's stories she’s collected over the years are gone. “It’s getting too dangerous. We cannot wait anymore.”
Dahlia looks up from the only chair in the room. There’s some paper she’s been taking notes on about the building process, and things she needs to complete, but everything within arms reach is a crumpled-up ball. The rest of the papers are further away, near the wall. There’s a plan to get decor in here and the main room first, then begin the process of adding to everywhere else.
She’s trying to get the dwelling furnished so they can accept guests again. Some travelers have stopped in and stayed anyway, sleeping on hay and eating the things Ray’s siblingshave hunted. The only room that’s been furnished at all is Tom’s, so Rapunzel can keep her eye on him and ensure he’s settled. It’s a downstairs space while they work on the upper levels, but the first bedroom finished is going to be his so he can be more comfortable.
But he’s fading.
With each passing day, he looks less and less like himself. This morning, I could see a white halo around his body, which isn’t a good sign. His soul is ready to go, even if his body is holding on. So long as the family pleads for Rapunzel’s help, and Tom is unable to speak for himself, she’ll keep him alive because that’s what the family wants.
“Those beans were never meant to be planted,” Dahlia says quietly, ignoring what I’ve told her. “Going up there… we have no idea what you will find. If you take Rapunzel from my Tom, he will surely die.”
“Rapunzel’s staying,” I say immediately. “Odette’s agreed to come with me so we can look. Do you know what’s up there, Dahlia?”
I watch her as she stands. Her hair has become much more gray since the tavern burned down. She looks like she’s aged years in weeks. She moves toward me until she can grip my arm. “I have no idea. Just the stories Jacob told.”
“Jacob liked to investigate rumors and myths,” I say carefully. “Did he have a story about some old beans? You kept them all these years.”
She turns her eyes up to me, dull green gems that have lost their shine for life. All of Ray’s family has reacted in different ways to Tom’s failing health, but Dahlia is suffering the most. “He said when the north changed tides, that the giants would seek refuge elsewhere. When they are no longer bound to the ice, they will find a home anew.”
I should have asked Ban about the north changing tides years ago, but to be honest, it was the least of my worries. Dahlia began to cry after that, and I’ve so rarely seen her cry, I didn’t know what to make of it. But if it’s something to do with the north or ice, that’s Ban’s territory.
“The giant,” I say, Odette’s exclamation still hanging in the air. “The one Ray says threw his father into the sky. I didn’t get a good look at it. I was out wandering with Ban and Lucius while Ray hunted with his father and Tom. We heard the monster and felt the ground shake. We could see his form past the treetops, but his upper body and head were impossible to spot with the clouds. It disappeared into Sherwood, and we never saw it again.”
Odette is quiet for many moments. “When Ray told me that story, I thought maybe the ending was driven by grief. You really saw something throw his father?”
“I saw something large enough,” I reply carefully. “I didn’t actuallyseehim get thrown anywhere. Thomas and Ray were with him deeper in the woods. I thought it was a delusion they made up to cope with the trauma. There was never a body, but lots of people die and we never find their remains.”
