The Giant Among Us by Troy Denning Read Free Book Online

third village, the earl had sent a frantic messenger begging the queen for a contingent of her best troops. She had complied immediately, yet now the man blamed her because his castle was about to be sieged. To the scout, such ingratitude spoke volumes about the fellow’s character. The earl would bear watching in the days to come.
    “Perhaps you should try to escape tonight, Your Majesty,” suggested Cuthbert. “Before more giants arrive.”
    “Are you that much of a coward?” Tavis snapped. “Would you turn your own queen out to fight three tribes of giants?”
    The color drained from the earl’s face. He backed away from Tavis, as though he feared the firbolg would hurl him off his own keep. “That’s n-not what I in-meant” he stammered. “But tonight’s your best chance to escape. By tomorrow, well be s-surrounded.”
    “We’re surrounded now,” Tavis growled.
    “Almost certainly,” agreed Arlien. He pointed at the giants in Basil’s mirror. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t be sitting there. I’d say Tavis’s grasp of the situation is absolute.”
    “Then we should shut the gate,” suggested Avner.
    “Don’t say such things, boy!” Tavis scolded. “Don’t even think them!”
    “Why not?” the youth pressed. “The giants aren’t bothering the serfs. It’s Brianna they want.”
    Brianna laid a gentle hand on Avner’s shoulder. “Your idea has merit, but if we lock the serfs out of the castle, the giants will turn Lake Cuthbert red with their blood.”
    The queen looked across the dark waters, staring at the mountains in the distance. Their summits marked the southern boundary of Cuthbert Fief, and, save for a single narrow pass, their steep flanks formed an impassable wall of stone and ice.
    “Our only hope lies outside the fief, I fear,” Brianna said, turning back to the others. Tavis, you’ll have to sneak over the mountains and fetch the rest of my army.”
    “But I’m your bodyguard!” the scout objected. “I can’t leave without you.”
    “Well, you certainly can’t leave with me,” Brianna countered. “I’m not stealthy enough to sneak past all those giants. Besides, our only hope of saving Cuthbert Castle is speed, and you’ll move faster alone.”
    “But if the giants storm the castle, you could be captured,” the scout objected. “I wouldn’t be here.”
    He didn’t need to say why he needed to be present. They all knew what he was to do if the giants captured the queen.
    That’s a chance we’ll have to take.” Brianna stared into the scout’s eyes with a look of utter trust. “But you’ll be back long before that comes to pass-and if I’m wrong, I have every confidence that you’ll track me down and put your golden arrow to good use.”
    Tavis shook his head. “My place is at your side.”
    “Not right now.” Brianna looked up at Basil. “Why don’t you and the others see what’s on the other side of the keep?”
    The verbeeg frowned in confusion. “I’m sure we’ll find nothing but more-“
    Avner grabbed the hem of the runecaster’s cloak. “Come along, Basil. It won’t hurt to check.”
    The youth pulled the verbeeg toward the far wall, with Cuthbert and Arlien following close behind.
    Once the others were gone, Tavis said, “You know I can’t leave your side, Brianna.”
    “Why not?” A mocking smile crossed the queen’s lips. “Are you afraid to leave me alone with Arlien?”
    Tavis knew better than to deny the charge. Like all firbolgs, he found it all but impossible to lie. The strain of uttering false words would cause his voice to crack, he would break out in a cold sweat, and his guilty conscious would not let him sleep for a week.
    “My reluctance is due to more than Arlien,” he said. His voice almost cracked. “If the giants capture you, tracking them down may not be as easy as you think. And I’ve never loosed an arrow against someone I love. My aim might not be true.”
    Brianna took his hand and squeezed it. “Your