#handheldtiny

Gritting his teeth, Garrick tore his eyes away from the slitted eyes of the splasher and tugged his hook free from the zipper securing him to the human. The uneven steps threatened to throw him off balance, but he was as sure footed as they came and spun on his heel, foot grinding into the coarse fabric of the pack and jumped. 

Launched forward and to the side, he threw his hook and tugged it taut as it caught the brim of the hat. Suspended in mid-air only for a moment, Garrick glanced over his shoulder and glimpsed the vacant features of the human currently ensnared by the creature. The Borrower’s heart seized as he passed directly in front of the human’s face, knowing full well he was in their direct line of sight; at least, he would be if they weren’t completely at the mercy of the creature luring them into the water. 

Not now! Just swipe and jump. Get away. Drop in the water once the eyes are clear. 

Garrick saw the odd yellow-green cloud over the human’s eyes and knew this was his one shot. Just as he swung back from the momentum of his leap forward, his feet planted on the human’s cheek while the rest of his body lunged forward on the line. Garrick swiped wildly as his heart pounded continuously like a war drum warning him away from his current circumstance. 

Missed. 

The leaves barely left a draft on the human’s forehead. 

Come on! 

Garrick could see the human was up to their waist now. Dark tendrils were starting to snake down by their ankles. He was nearly out of time. He threw himself backward and forward again. With his momentum, he lunged forward once more, practically throwing himself toward the human’s face. 

This time, he snagged a handful of the human’s hair, which lined their face in short cut bangs, and grasped the bridge of their nose between his knees, rope tucked under his armpit. Leaves tight in his hand, he pressed his full weight into the leaves and dragged it across the human’s forehead. The smear of blood and oil from the mint leaf created an uneven arc as Garrick’s arm swiped across his body. 

Time slowed for that brief moment. Garrick looked over the top of his leg as he remained perched awkwardly on the human’s nose at the human’s enormous eye. The glaze cleared, the yellow-green fading like the colors of dawn from the early morning, and was followed by one slow blink and then several rapid ones. The brow Garrick was currently stabilized on furrowed and the nose scrunched, nearly bucking him off of the appendage. 

A guttural sucking sound raised the hair on Garrick’s neck as an audible splash disturbed the water behind him. The tendrils retracted, the creature retreating into the murky depths, leaving defeated and hungry as it rightfully should. Garrick exhaled audibly, tension in his shoulders releasing, and reached backward into his pack to pull out some cattail fluff just for good measure when the consequences of his actions literally stared him in the face. There was little doubt that the human was no longer under the spell of the splasher, and that put him in a precarious position as he was literally perched on the human’s nose. 

Eyes blown wide open and crossed to stare directly at him, Garrick imagined he and the human shared the same expression - mouths agape and rigidity returning to their bodies as each stared into the others’ eyes to the best of their abilities. All thought vaporized. Instinct abandoned him as the Borrower felt entranced by immense blue-green eyes. 

He’d encountered many beasts and creatures, but only in this moment did Garrick fully realize the gravity of what he’d done. 

“Wha-.... UGH!” The human flinched and began backing out of the water, threatening to knock Garrick loose. 

Shoot! Move, you idiot! 

Garrick’s muscles pulled taut like that of a bow as he fumbled the rope and threw himself backward, pushing off of the human’s cheeks by the base of their nose. Recognition dawned on the human’s features as Garrick was now sure he was in clear, unblurred view. His legs snaked around the line and he began to slide down. Each motion was planned and calculated. Sliding down the rope. Flipping into the water. Diving down into the murk so the human couldn’t find him. Making his way through the cattails and vanishing into the forest as the human scoured the ground for him. 

He made it three inches down the line as the momentum carried him back away from the human’s face only to crash into an outstretched hand. 

The fingers crested into his peripheral vision. His spine collided and fit into the crevasse of the human’s palm. No sound escaped. Not even a gasp of surprise eeked out of him. It all happened too fast. Like the snap of a mousetrap, the fingers closed around Garrick’s body, instantly restraining him. Arms pinned to his front as he continued to cling to the rope and face currently smashed by the pad of a finger, the Borrower realized in that lightning fast moment that he’d been caught by the one thing he was actually terrified of out here. 

The only thing free was his feet, which he attempted to maneuver into kicking the base of the human’s palm. He only managed to struggle feebly while the hand that contained him whirled around, churning his stomach worse than a free fall from a tall branch in a tree. The sound of the human wading through the water was the least of his concerns, but try as he might, Garrick couldn’t wiggle free. The sploosh of the water turned into sopping steps, the squelch of the moist banks giving way under the human’s feet. His heart beat fervently as he steeled himself. 

Calm down. 

Breathe. 

It felt impossible with the pad of the human’s finger nearly smothering him. The heat of the hand around him was sweltering. The unfair size of the human appendage flexed imperceptibly for a human, but sent Garrick’s mind reeling. 

Oh F-! They’re going to crush me! This is it. I knew better. I knew better and I did it anyway. What was I thinking?! 

The hand relaxed as the human jostled around. Garrick couldn’t even begin to guess what was going on in the human’s mind as he was held aloft. 

Calm down. You need to get out of here. You can do this. It’s just a human… just… a human. I’ve faced scarier. I’ve seen worse! But… have I? No. Don’t think about that right now. I can get out of this. I just have to clear my mind. Focus on the task at hand. Focus on getting away, whatever it takes. 

His mantra flooded his thoughts. 

What is mine stays with me. What is not, passes by me. Hear the truth, not the echo. If the forest calls, I do not answer. If the forest calls, I do not answer. Listen to the wind, not the whispers.

His struggles calmed. Garrick forced muffled breath after muffled breath. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. The moment he could see, he’d be able to make a better plan. Until then, resistance and effort was futile. He relaxed, body practically falling limp as he embraced the unknown. 

The Borrower didn’t fight or dare move as the fingers flexed again, the sounds of the squelching now becoming more subtle. Garrick resisted the urge to flinch as he felt something prod at his exposed feet. He didn’t even fight as the rope in his hands was tugged free as he remained constricted within those fleshy columns that dwarfed him. 

You’ve been seen. You’re caught. Might as well go for the trifecta, especially if it gets me out of this. 

There was an immense jostling followed by something that sounded like a nervous exhalation. 

That’s the sound of bracing if I’ve ever heard one. Garrick calmed his breathing and steeled himself, taking his own breath to brace what was about to happen. 

The top three fingers eased their grasp on his body, keeping his legs locked in place, unfurling like a morning glory, timid and slow. Based on his position, he knew he had been laid on his back or in somewhat of a horizontal position. The mix of cold shadow and bright light told him they were in a shaded area, but they hadn’t gone far from the edge of the water. The Borrower had mere moments to acclimate to his new surroundings now that he’d been carried to someplace new. Eyes squinted shut. One breath. 

Open.

Garrick opened his eyes, jaw stiffened, as his vision was nearly consumed by the features of the human. It took all his willpower to tear his eyes away from those blue-green eyes that could’ve held him in place with a glance. Eyes darting away, Garrick felt a spark of ease. He recognized the canopy of trees and the scent that lingered of moss and stagnant water. There were some hollows nearby he’d used to hide in seasons passed which he could use again if he could make it to the ground. 

The movement of the human’s other hand caught his attention. Much like how a cat would pick up the slightest movement from a flittering bird or stealthed mouse, the Borrower’s innate apprehension to human hands locked onto the human’s free hand lifting up by his midsection before freezing and quickly retracting to cover her mouth. 

Her. She… oh great. 

Garrick could see it clearly now that the hat was off of her head. The cut of the hair. The softer features no longer consumed with vacancy inflicted by some creature. The subtle bumps across her chest no longer hidden beneath the backpack straps. He’d been warned all his life about humans, young boys to be precise, but he’d always thought that girls, specifically young adult women, were far more dangerous. They were prone to sensitivities and maternal instincts; and that went for his kind as well as humans. 

Now knowing he was in the clutches of one gave the Borrower no comfort. 

Her mouth began moving, and immediately Garrick felt himself bristling.

“Hey… hey there… little guy.” The woman’s voice admittedly was soft and not shattering his eardrums, but in that curious, cooing tone. The initial panic nearly vaporized entirely while Garrick stared into the woman’s features and was replaced with mild annoyance. 

Why is she talking to me like a child? I’m pretty sure I’m older than her. 

His exhale came out in an irritated puff and, as weird as the sensation was to place his hands onto hers, he pushed himself upright now that it was only his legs being restrained. Looking up into her features, Garrick felt his fear subsiding. The thought of all the creatures and monsters he’d faced being ten times more intimidating than this woman crossed his mind, and he realized his terror came not from the human, but the simple fact that humans didn’t follow the same rules as the monsters he’d studied for most of his life. 

Garrick knew how to fight, ward, and avoid everything in these woods except for humans, hence their power over him. 

Calm down. Why’re you freaking out? I’ve faced worse, and they couldn’t understand me. This one can. I can’t talk to the others. If she’s smart, she’ll listen and that’ll be that. Worst case… well… I doubt she’s got anything in that bag that can keep me contained for long. 

I can do this. 

“What… no…. W-who… are you?” she asked cautiously. Her hand flexed slightly while lifting him up to be more eye-level with her. 

Garrick, taking the gamble of a lifetime, met her gaze with determined defiance as he wriggled and failed to pull his legs free from her encompassing grip. 

“Someone who just saved your enormous hide. Now, would you mind letting me go? I’m not a stress ball, doll, toy, or pet and I don’t like being coddled like one.” He hoped the human wouldn’t lash out, but recognized that he was still in a precarious situation. That said, he was never one to sugar coat anything and wasn’t about to rearrange who he was just because he was in a pinch. If something bad was going to happen, he was going out as himself. 

He’d made that decision a long time ago. 

He instantly picked up on the surprise and mild offence in the woman’s expression as she looked at him incredulously. Her jaw slackened, fingers loosened ever so slightly but didn’t relinquish their grip on his legs. To emphasize his point, Garrick tugged at his legs again in a vain attempt to free himself. 

“I… excuse me?” she asked. 

“You heard me. Let. Me. Go. I’ll even say please as a courtesy. You humans like that sort of thing.” Garrick’s heart would’ve given away his nervousness if this human could see the way it was pounding faster and faster like some kind of fleeing animal. He was barely able to keep his voice forceful and level. The human, to his dismay, ignored his demand as her eyes inventoried his body, examining him as if to memorize every detail. 

“You… talk,” she breathed. “And you’re so… human.” 

Garrick rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure it looks like that to you, now will you please…”

“How’d you get out here?” she interrupted. Garrick thought for a moment that she might be in some kind of trance still, but she wasn’t exhibiting any other symptoms - meaning this was just a human being a human. Frustrated, Garrick reached up and began rubbing his temples, mouth open to speak, when the girl shook her head as if to shake away a thought, looked around the forest where she’d leaned against a nearby tree, and she continued. “I… uh… sorry. Wait. Why… why were you on my face? And why was I in the water? Did… did you do that?” 

Garrick let the silence sit while looking up into her curious features, hands still pressed against his temples, as he asked. “Oh, you’re talking to me now? Listening to what I have to say?”

“Okay, okay. No need to get snarky. I…” the woman began to retort. 

“Really? That’s a relief,” scoffed Garrick, interrupting her. “If you’re listening to me, then have the decency to honor my request and let… me… go.” 

The woman’s jaw clenched defiantly, and Garrick swore he felt her fingers tighten around his legs. Still, he held firm and didn’t dare to break his gaze away. Silence embracing them as each stared down the other, it was the woman who broke first. 

“How do I know you’re not just going to run off?” she asked skeptically. 

“You don’t, and it is not up to you whether I stay or go,” stated Garrick. 

She stared at the little man in her hand, who couldn’t’ve been taller than four or so inches, and considered her options. 

She remembered the woods, but not the ones that were around her. She remembered walking with the others through the trees when she broke line of sight with them, hearing something. Something distant? Something close? A doorway? A set of stairs? 

The whole thing was a blur. 

The only thing she really remembered clearly was this tiny man perched on the bridge of her nose before slipping off and falling. She’d caught him and found herself in water. Now he seemed annoyed and not the least bit grateful. 

Who was he? 

Where did he come from? 

Now thinking about the paths before her, she had a decision to make. 

This little guy could maybe handle himself; but also how could he? He was so small. It was too dangerous to have him running around, and she had an empty section in her bag where he could cool off and be safe. 

She could also guarantee this little guy wouldn’t run away. She wanted - needed - answers. Even if he was a snarky, sarcastic thorn, he seemed to be aware and knowledgeable. She had some string and could easily slip it around his ankles or midsection. She had him pinned, and what could he really do? He certainly didn’t seem trustworthy and was obviously eager to flee. 

Or she could listen to him and hope beyond hope that he didn’t vanish into the forest and that he actually stayed not only to answer her questions, but also to help. She was out here for a reason, and she wasn’t leaving - couldn’t leave - without finding the answers. 

| ~ What should she do? ~ |

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous

The sun on the horizon began to slowly illuminate the sky in golds and pinks that he often saw in the springtime flowers. Galen knew he needed to return soon, but wanted just another minute to seek out anything he might’ve overlooked in treks past. He balanced on logs past the trails and over the two smaller gullies he’d found when he was just a boy. 

As he walked, his eyes wandered in between the gaps of the trees as he glimpsed the warding stones. Like soldiers in vigil, the stones stood at the border of their town, protecting them from the shadows and evils that once haunted them. It wasn’t too long ago when monsters hunted the humans of his town and the towns of the lands beyond. He’d grown up with the stories of these creatures and what happened when they ravaged the land and those who walked upon it. 

Thankfully, Galen had never known a time when the Colossus hadn’t been protectors of the land. He shuddered to think what kind of life he might’ve known if those arcane giants hadn’t torn through the veil of their own world to come here, declaring themselves guardians of the humans as they beat back the monstrosities. 

Nothing is free though. Their protection for The Choosing. 

He wasn’t sure when, but Galen found himself standing at the base of one of those tall warding stones. The faint green-gray glow of the stones was a gentle reminder of that continued protection - the continued rule - over the domain. The stones, to him, always seemed to have strange, hollow faces, and he stared into them now as he wondered what events would unfold during The Choosing come the next day. 

Galen sighed and turned to leave when something caught his eye that made his eyes gleam excitedly. There, by the base of the stone at the border, were two plants well-known to him - emberleaf and silverroot, both rare and only found beyond the border in the Fields of Ar’Noir because they could only grow where beast’s blood had been spilled. Approaching these plants as if they were timid creatures, he knelt and quietly harvested the plants, tenderly wrapping the roots and still living plants in a cloth he dampened with his waterskin, silently hoping he could manage a successful relocation of these precarious plants. He looked out to the shadows beyond and, for a moment, swore he saw some hulking figure looking back at him, leaving him with the sensation that it was time for him to go. 

Items in tow, Galen turned back to the forest and began the journey back, retracing his steps as the light of the day began to wake the world. One path led to the next and then to the next. Soon, the man found himself on the familiar herding paths that overlooked his home on North Hollow. 

The simple structure nestled among the few trees near the town and among the flowers and herbs Galen had cultivated carefully. It was a stable building held together by the beauty of vines and roots. It was a home he’d known all his life, and he intended to keep it that way. 

Galen had just managed to crest over the threshold of the home through the quieter of the two doors into the kitchen when he heard a scream rip through the herb scented air. It was a shriek he was all too familiar with, but it still raised alarm as he charged forward and ascended the ladder into the loft where his and his ward’s bunk were tucked. 

The teen shivered in her bed, curled in on her side from under the quilt he’d placed on her, as Galen crouchwalked past the low ceiling and knelt beside her, calloused hands grasping her shoulders as he gently shook her awake. 

“Lira. Lira. Sshhhh it’s okay. It’s okay.” He watched her eyes flicker open as they darted around, searching for some unseen entity that was undoubtedly an element of her torment. Her head whipped around, eyes wide as they met his, as she sat up and instinctually curled into Galen’s shoulders that dwarfed her slender frame. Her dark hair, dampened with sweat, clung to the back of her neck as she steadied her breathing, face nestled in the leathers that absorbed the scents that Galen carried with him. 

“I-it… it was awful, Galen,” she breathed. 

“Another nightmare?” he asked, feeling the nod she gave into his shoulder. He sighed and held her tighter. “They’re getting more frequent.” 

Lira pulled away from his shoulder, heart no longer pounding like some primitive wardrum, and looked up into her guardian’s calming features. She could see he had been out already gathering herbs, the chill still lingering on his leathers and on the tips of his fingers that rested on her shoulder. The images of her dream flashed in her mind, but shrugged them off as she gazed at him. 

“I know that look,” he said. “Want to talk about it?” 

She shook her head and mumbled, “No, not right now.” 

Galen nodded and smiled tenderly, the cycle a familiar one, before leaning away, resting on his haunches just beside her cot. “Want some tea?” She nodded quietly, a clear signal for him to leave her be for the present. His leg clacked into place as he descended the ladder and began heating a kettle and grinding the necessary herbs. 

He’d barely set their humble table when three heavy knocks rattled the front door. Lira’s head peeked down from the loft as Galen approached and cracked the door a few inches before, shoulders relaxing, allowed the guest to enter. 

“Morning,” greeted Tibs, a friend and neighbor to Galen, who clapped his friend on the shoulder as the door was shut behind him. 

“And to you. Here for pickup?” asked Galen, stepping back toward his kitchen a few paces away. 

“You know it, and any other brews you might have to help ward off this nasty cough going through the town,” Tibs nodded, eyes glancing about perceiving the small home. “And… uh… do you have anything that might… mask scents?” 

Confusion quirked Galen’s brow as he reached over on a shelf on the wall and began collecting bottles and vials from it, a curious look in his eyes as he looked at his friend. 

“Mask… scents? Tibs, what are you up to?” asked Galen, pouch now filled with brews and remedies he’d spent hours creating. 

Tibs’ eyes darted to the door and then momentarily up toward Lira before looking back at his friend. Galen had seen this man concoct odd stunts and puckish mischief all his life, but only now did he detect a hint of fear as he asked for clarification on this odd request. Tibs cleared his throat and leaned forward as if speaking quietly and low would keep the sound from carrying in this humble home. 

“There have been some odd things happening on the border. I’m sure you heard of it. More attacks. More creature sightings. Monsters worse than anything that’s been seen in generations,” said Tibs. “And… you know… with The Choosing tomorrow, I’m hoping…”

Galen’s chuckles cut off his friend as he shook his head disbelievingly. 

“Tibs, you know the whole scent thing with the Colossus is a myth, right?” interrupted Galen. “And yes, I have heard of the reports.” 

“You don’t believe what they’re saying? About more rifts opening? The monsters?” 

“Oh I do,” Galen acknowledged, bag hoisted in his hands as he held it out for his friend. “But I doubt anything I have would do any good. Coin on the table.” 

Tibs fished into a side pouch and placed a small bag of coins onto the table as he muttered, “You’ve been wrong before. Please?” 

Galen observed his friend skeptically, the oddness of his politeness striking him as odd, as an idea popped into his head. Holding up one finger, he rummaged through his cabinets and through the racks of drying herbs until he found the two he was looking for. He spent several minutes grinding the two together before scraping them into a spare jar he had drying by the sink. 

“Alright. No promises that this will work, but it’s something.”

“Oh, heavens bless you,” Tibs cheered. “Truly a life saver. Now, I have to get back before Reilah has my head.” He slung the pack over his shoulder and paused at the door, looking back at his friend. “Good morrow, and may fortune favor you.”

“And you,” Galen replied, knowing full well his friend referred to The Choosing. 

Once more alone with his ward, Galen sat down heavily in his chair, the stump aching subtly, as Lira joined him at the table. Her fingers wrapped around the cup filled with the freshly brewed tea, knees pressed to her chest. She looked small, smaller than Galen had seen since she first came to live with him nine years ago. 

He said nothing, knowing her quirks and that any attempt at prying would have the teen retreat despite years together. He scratched at the scruff along his jaw as Lira sipped her tea, looking up at him after nearly an hour. 

“Is it true? The monsters getting close?” 

“I’ve heard reports of such,” nodded Galen. “More than usual, but it happens sometimes.” He paused and watched her reaction keenly. Her mouth opened and closed, but she looked toward the door as another shadow appeared from beneath the door. The temptation to ask lingered like a cloud, but Galen withheld his questions to answer the door once more. 

For the next few hours, Galen attended to neighbors and friends requiring brews and bottles of herbs until the day was practically spent. Quietly, Lira assisted, keeping whatever thoughts private, until the sun sank low and the two curled into their separate bunks. Only in the quiet of night did Lira speak up.

“Galen?”

“Yes.”

“I’m… I’m worried about tomorrow.”

Galen turned toward his ward, seeing only her back as she faced the wall, as he asked, “Why?” 

“My… my dream. I saw it - the monsters… and eyes. Large, piercing eyes.”

Galen, something stirring in him, leaned over and gave Lira’s bunk a nudge. “Hey, it was just a dream. Okay? And don’t worry about tomorrow. It’s the whole town, and only a select few from that are meant to walk before The Choosing. Okay? We’re going to be alright. I won’t let anything happen to you.” 

Silence was the response. 

“You believe me, right?” asked Galen. 

“Yes, always. I just…” Lira sighed. “Nevermind. Get some sleep, Galen.” 

The answer wasn’t a satisfying one, but one Galen hoped to receive clarity for in the morning. It wouldn’t be the first time Lira needed the night to contemplate her words. Keeping his eyes fixed on her as his vision grew darker, he remembered the solemn promise he’d made to his friend and repeated it as he drifted out of consciousness. 

“I’ll keep her safe. I swear it.”

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Realizing how it sounded and noticing Lira looking up at him, features beginning to sink in guilt and deep pain. She looked heartbroken, borderline betrayed and in pain. “I mean, she is… but… she isn’t. Her father was my best friend. I took her in after he passed. So, she is my daughter… now.” Heart racing, Galen found himself sinking to his knees, Lira inching forward and curling into him as she’d done all her life, obviously relieved. 

This, however, gave Serida pause. Realization blended with curiosity. 

“So, you’re unrelated?” asked Serida, brow quirked in surprise. 

“Yes, M’Lady.” Galen, arm around Lira, absent mindedly began pinching his left arm again, wincing at the already bruised area he’d created the day before in desperation to wake from this strange dream. The woman hummed, surprised, before returning her attention to her journal, scratching with the quill some altered version of what she’d just written. 

“Alright then. Honestly taken a bit by surprise by that, but it’s irrelevant at the moment. I assume you’d like those answers now? Yes?” asked Serida. She paused for a beat to observe their reaction of stunned silence before continuing. “I’ll take your silence as confirmation. 

“It honestly has been occurring for generations, though this is the first time I’ve managed to witness it. Myself and a few others from allied houses have tasked ourselves with finding humans who are arcanely gifted and sheltering them, at least for the time being. The intent is to better hone your skills and prepare you to return to your respective homes to act as the new guardians. To be honest, I wasn’t optimistic about the town and those part of The Choosing until I saw your reaction to my sigils.

“I digress. Somewh-”

“I… sorry…” Galen interrupted. “My reaction? To what? Sigils?” 

“Yes, sigils. The wood was replaced and stained by our craft masters and sent to your town in preparation for The Choosing. Before they were sent, I was sure to inscribe some identifying sigils into the wood that would alert me if any arcanely blessed crossed over them,” explained Serida. Galen’s memories flashed before his eyes as he remembered walking across the stage and seeing those strange, fresh carvings in the freshly stained wood. He’d attributed them to being a feature that was always there - something ceremonial. 

“You… put them there? But.. a-anyone would’ve seen them. They glowed for crying out loud,” argued Galen. “Lira, you noticed them too, didn’t you?” Lira nodded, but it only seemed to affirm Serida’s previous point. Serida shook her head and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“No, not just anyone would’ve seen them because of how I inscribed them. Only those capable of seeing them - those with the sight and ability to detect magic - would’ve been able to see it; that and I felt the sigil burn as you both passed by them. There’s no denying it, Galen.” Serida’s tone was matter-of-fact. Not quite detached, but obviously eager to continue and therefore dismissive of his denial. 

It did nothing to quell Galen’s disbelief. 

“But… I don’t know spells. No sigils. I can’t… summon things as you did just now. Neither can Lira. Y-you… you have to be mistaken,” Galen countered. 

“Well, no one naturally knows spells and sigils. Even those during the Awakening didn’t have words and names for what they were experiencing.” At this, Serida’s teal eyes gleamed, connecting with Galen’s gaze in a way that felt like she was staring through him at something he couldn’t see. “This is what you’re going through; at least, I have reason to believe that’s the case.” She noticed the disbelieving stare from the human man. “Still don’t believe me? Let me ask you then, Galen, how did you lose your leg?” 

Galen stiffened instantly, muscles pulling taut as if he were hit with an intense cold turning him into stone. It wasn’t something he talked about, and those who knew already didn’t discuss it. Even Lira had only asked once years ago when she was very young and when she was learning about him after he took her in as his own. Galen had only given Lira the basics instead of the vicious attack it truly was, all those who witnessed the aftermath surprised that he was alive. The blatant disregard for such a personal story made the man bristle. 

Before he could respond, Serida asked, “It was an attack, yes? One of the creatures came after you? A monster? Why were you attacked? Have you ever wondered that?” 

He bristled and shook his head. “No. No, I haven’t. You know why? Because there is no reason. They attack and slaughter because that’s what they do. I put myself in a dangerous situation to help others and it happened. It was a spontaneous encounter. Random chance and bad luck.” 

“No, Galen. They don’t do spontaneous. They don’t do random. Each attack serves a purpose, just as my taking you and your ward under my care serves a purpose. Those monsters seek out arcane imprints. They seek out people like you because they need to absorb your essence to stay alive.” It didn’t sound real. How could it be? 

Galen started shaking his head disbelievingly. He tore his eyes away, focusing instead on Lira, whose gaze was completely transfixed on the Colossus in front of them, continued to shake as she asked, “Is… is that true? Is that w-why my mom… my dad…” Lira’s voice trailed off, focus shifting to Galen’s mechanical right leg. 

“If they were attacked by the beasts, then yes. My condolences.” Serida bowed her head reverently, an acknowledgement for the loss and pain Lira endured. 

“If… that’s the case… why not tell everyone? Why not warn others?” Galen demanded. 

“Because,” sighed the woman as she leaned back in her immense chair. “Some of the other houses are doing the same thing and catching wind of the allied houses harboring humans as wards and arcanists in training could very well start a civil war if we misstep. It’s bureaucratic nonsense which prevents our interference with the other noble houses and their so-called ‘balance of power’ which too many of them cherish.” 

Few words stitched together sounded more haunting than Serida’s last statement. 

War? Among the Colossus? Some of the other houses are doing the same thing? Same thing as w-... the… monsters? 

The old stories and rumors, now given new life, churned Galen’s stomach. Muddled and overwhelmed, Galen’s ears began ringing. The nausea coated the back of his throat with bile, a sickening gurgle. It smattered the roof of his mouth as he coughed, which made his body lurch involuntarily. Lira, too, looked appalled, though Galen caught a glimpse of something in the air around her that alluded to her lack of surprise. 

“But, why? Why now?” asked Galen softly. 

The Lady Serida sighed and folded her arms across her chest, first hint of melancholy etching its way onto her lips. “Why are the other Colossus houses allowing their people to consume humans like the monsters we protected you from? Why the increased creature attacks? Why not tell? Because the Colossus are waning. Our power is fading, and myself and a few others are attempting to usher in a new era while others desperately cling to their authority. And I can’t do that without your help. Both of you.” 

Something the Lady Serida had said while in the other room came to the forefront of the man’s mind. In between deep breaths and daring to swallow the bile coating his throat, Galen asked, “You said skills? ‘I have tasks for you as well…. Your skills haven’t been lost on me…. So… like her, you were unaware of what you were doing.’ That’s… the magic, but what were we doing? I-is that why Lira was in here?” He looked down at the teen he’d sworn to protect. “What was she having you do?” 

Lira grasped a fist full of Galen’s cloak and inhaled, slow and deep, before responding quietly. “I… I don’t really understand it. S-sh-she called it portents?” Serida nodded, obviously having caught Lira’s tiny voice. 

“Meditation on portents,” she added. “But excellent recollection.” 

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” The stress must’ve been evident in his voice because Serida wasted no time explaining, not that it offered the reassurance or deescalation Galen hoped for. 

“Lira is a precognit, Galen. A clairvoyant. Albeit a young one and untrained, but gifted even by Colossus standards.” 

Galen’s memory flashed again, reminding Galen of a thousand little instances of luck. Staying inside and keeping him from going to the forest the day of some particularly nasty storms. Catching things without looking. Avoiding areas of the woods. Even the previous morning. 

“You… were so apprehensive… the morning of The Choosing.” Galen’s voice broke on every few words. “You… saw it?” 

Piercing eyes. 

Lira shied away, averting her face to prevent looking at him, but nodded. 

“But… then… I… I don’t… I mean, I’m not…” 

“No, you’re not a precognit, but something just as useful. No, much like your title in your village, you’re an alchemist. Your profession as an apothecary was the giveaway and I doubt you would’ve noticed anything out of the ordinary when brewing your concoctions,” stated Serida. 

“No… that’s… just…”

“Good herb picking?” Serida guessed with a shake of her head. “No. Something not only drew you to the optimal herbs, Galen, but your work with the individual components made your remedies potent - magic. It was the tell I was looking for when I asked to come along for The Choosing.” 

An alchemist? My work as an apothecary… was me performing… magic? 

It was altogether becoming too much. Galen’s head was swimming. Vision began to form pinpoints. 

Is… everything I thought wrong? Is nothing what it seems? 

“Galen? Galen!”

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous

“Lira?” The hair on the back of his neck raised and a shiver shocked his system. The more reasonable part of him knew she was probably hiding or exploring around their new home, but the more paternal side of him began to slowly dread the silence, filling in the gaps to his detriment, like a stream filling a blocked pond. 

“Lira, are you here?” 

He pushed himself onto his feet and began moving through the halls, a franticness beginning to set in the longer he searched for his ward. “Lira!” Galen called. His heart skipped like a skipping stone on water as he failed to spot her. “Lira!” Galen scoured the other bedrooms, the reading nooks, and nearly burst into the kitchen, nerves beginning to constrict his chest, when something caught his attention. 

A scent of roasted meat. It wafted through the air along with the sound of clinking eating utensils. What made it worse was that it wasn’t from where Galen was standing in the kitchen - it was coming from beyond the walls, outside. The macabre stories of other Colossus and what they did to their chosen humans flashed in his mind. Fear for his well-being vaporized in an instant and yet multiplied for Lira as he darted to the window and spotted Serida at her desk, and based on the scene in front of him Galen suspected she was eating something. 

Instantly, his gut hollowed as he charged outside onto the terrace, scanning both for Lira and any signs for where she might’ve gone. He was so distracted that he nearly tumbled over the trunk which they’d left untouched from the day before. The sound of him clattering against the trunk, mechanical leg whirring at the impact, pulled focus onto him, which he realized the moment he looked over his shoulder and met a cool, teal gaze. She smiled at Galen politely before returning to her meal. 

“Good morning, Galen,” she greeted while wiping the edge of her knife against her fork, both of which were longer than Galen’s body. “Did you sleep well?” 

“Where’s Lira?” It wasn’t meant to be rude or dismissive, but pleasantries came second to Lira’s safety. It was painstaking watching Serida quietly chew her food as he waited in suspense. 

“Generally,” began Serida as she set down her utensils and wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin which could’ve covered four family dining tables back home. “We return a ‘good morning’ with something of the kind. And you didn’t answer my question.” 

“You didn’t answer mine! Where is she?” His blood felt like it was beginning to burn his skin. Serida’s jaw slowly stiffened while she looked at the human man, curious and taken aback at his boldness. 

It was a standoff, if such a thing could exist between a human and a Colossus. Maintaining eye-contact with such an impossibly immense figure wasn’t something Galen had practiced nor had experience doing. Still, his stubbornness overrode his wariness of consequences for acting in such direct defiance. 

He was also well aware that outright hostility and stupidity would get him nowhere. The man forced himself to swallow his pride and remember his manners. It wasn’t for him. It was for Lira. 

“Good morning,” he said stiffly, jaw etched with frustration. “Thank you for asking. I slept well. And you?” Each word was forced through teeth that wanted to remain clenched. He attempted to breathe normally despite the feeling of constriction across his chest. 

It was clear that the Lady Serida was calculating and cold, but now particular and petty were on the list too. Thankfully the moment passed and the woman’s face, harshly stern, eased. 

“As did I. Thank you for asking.” She slowly cut into her meal. “To answer your question, Lira is fine. She’s safe. I have her meditating in the other room.”

“Meditating?”

“A technique that focuses on breathing and mindful awareness. It’s meant to enhance your senses, clarity, a-”

“Yes, I know what meditation… is.” Galen didn’t mean to interrupt and cut himself off before appearing more disrespectful than he already suspected he was being. Again, for Lira’s sake, he adjusted his language. “Apologies, M’Lady. I… should’ve asked why instead.” 

“For peace and quiet. Can’t interrupt her needlessly. Not when I need her,” replied Serida, nodding curtly once in acknowledgement of Galen’s statement before taking the next bite of her meal. The casual tone didn’t override Galen’s fears. They intensified them. Like being dragged down the side of a snowy hill, all was slippery, only making him slide faster from one dangerous thought to the next. 

“Need her? What for? M… M’Lady, she… Lira is just a child. P… P-please. Whatever you need her for, I’m certain I can…”

“Oh, I have tasks for you as well, Galen of North Hollow. Your skills haven’t been lost on me.” Serida’s interruption left him numb. Cold. Stunned into silence and his keeper knew it. Skills? What skills? Serida’s teal blue eyes gleamed, years of secret study, knowledge coveted after hard earned years, while reading the few lines on the human man’s face. “So… like her, you were unaware of what you were doing. Fascinating.” 

Fragmented questions reflected and refracted off one another as if imitating a mirror suspended in water. Galen couldn’t put together a coherent thought to save his life. 

Skills haven’t been l-...

But… what does that have to do with…?

And Lira? Meditating? When did she…?

What is this woman talking…? 

And how…? 

The Lady Serida placed her utensils onto the tray beside her before wiping her mouth casually, then pushed herself back from the desk in one fluid motion. Believing she was about to leave, Galen willed a half-hearted, “wait,” but wasn’t sure if he was relieved or wary when Serida reached over and held her hand flush with the terrace. Galen realized a moment after it happened that he’d looked from the Colossus’s face and then to her hand multiple times in rapid succession as if he wasn’t aware of what she was asking of him. 

What felt like an hour was only a few seconds as Lady Serida gestured to her hand with a nod. “I promise, Galen, no harm shall come to you while I am present, which is more than I can say for other the other families.” 

Her words hit hard, as if a stone had dropped into his stomach; but the hint of confirmation only solidified Galen’s need to assure his ward’s safety. 

“My safety doesn’t matter, but Lira’s does. Can you offer the same assurance for her?” asked Galen. Serida nodded with the first hint of warm reassurance he’d seen from her, emboldening him to ask. “Is… that where you’re taking me now? To Lira?” 

“Naturally,” Serida sighed. “Based on both of your confusion, it makes more sense to explain everything once. Now, shall we?” 

She said it with such ease. Like it was so simple. Hop over the balustrade onto a hand to be carried to some other location. Galen silently admitted that interrupting the Colossus woman seemed more intimidating than being carried at the time, but now confronted with the choice, he found himself hesitating. It wasn’t the first time, but being only the second wasn’t reassuring. 

She hasn’t hurt us. Galen reminded himself as that familiar memory helped guide his first footstep. I’ve trusted up until this point, and little else can be done now. Another step. The old familiarity of his mechanical leg clinking on the stone beneath him reminded him of the power they possessed and of their mercy, good will toward their kind with nothing in return. She’s going to give us answers. That’s what matters, and Lira’s safety. 

He stepped onto the uneven surface with his good leg, stabilizing himself, before swinging the other leg over the balustrade. Like before, there was a distinct give to the living limb beneath him. Standing on living flesh, the support beneath being bone, sent chills up Galen’s spine. It made his nerves scream in protest, and bringing himself down to a crouch to not topple over was all he could do to compromise with his instincts. While his heart raced, he slowly inhaled through his nose and out through his mouth. 

“On we go,” said Serida, which was the only warning he received as she pulled her hand away from the terrace and began making her way across the room toward a door he hadn’t seen before by the balcony. Like before, her steps were smooth and brisk. He didn’t jostle an inch as they crossed the space, a distance that would’ve taken Galen an hour to cross on his own, before gingerly opening the door and stepping over the threshold. 

The difference between the two spaces was staggering. The bedroom where they just were was illuminated by the open windows leading out to the balcony, the warmth of the sun casting its light across the water and through the leaves, giving the room a blue-green glow. Sheer curtains reflected the light across the cool stone. The scent on the wind was warm and faintly salty from the water’s mist. 

The room they stepped into opposed it in nearly every way. The one window looked to be arcanely dimmed, fragments of light seeping through the faint shimmering that looked like the surface of a pond in the early morning hours. Proportionally, it was the size of a large closet or wardrobe. There was only one small desk with shelves above and beside it. If Galen was grateful for anything, it was the smell, which immediately reminded him of the home they left the day before. It was of herbs and living, growing things. Spices and drying leaves, roots and earth. 

This fondness of familiarity was instantly countered when Galen spotted a water filled basin on the desk, a series of glowing sigils below it, and a figure floating on the surface of the water. 

His heart dropped into his stomach, eyes locked onto Lira floating on the surface of the basin. She was unmoving. So unnaturally still that he couldn’t even see a ripple in the water where she rested. He didn’t know if she was breathing - it didn’t look like it - and the way she was splayed was unlike anything he’d seen her do. 

“LIRA!” The shriek rose up in his throat and erupted out of him before he could stop himself. The hand beneath him curled in an attempt to block his view, Serida beginning to turn away. “I… wait! Please! I’m sorry, M’Lady. I… please! She can’t swim!”

“Sshhh…” Serida raised her unoccupied hand to her lips, pressing a single finger against them, while staring intently at Galen. “I will wake her. Please, if you would, refrain from shouting.” Her breath was low and even. If he didn’t know better, the tone was one of warning. “Temper yourself.” 

Serida approached the desk again and, with one additional warning look in her illuminated teal eyes, rested the hand where Galen was crouched onto the table, allowing him to step off. Eagerly, he watched the Colossus woman begin to trace symbols in the air just to the side of the basin, each a brilliant teal that lingered in the air as if drawn by fire. His heart began racing faster with each passing moment. He swore he saw Serida smile out of the corner of her mouth before flicking her wrist, condensing the writing into a thin flame before snuffing it like a candle. 

She then reached toward the bowl and submerged her hand under the water, words muttered under her breath, and fished her fingers under Lira’s body. Until that point, there were no ripples along the surface. It had been completely undisturbed. The moment her fingers made contact with Lira’s back and began to lift, Lira sprung to life - jolted in fact. Like how she startled awake after a bad dream, Lira attempted to sit bolt upright and immediately began to sink into the water. The teen would’ve submerged if not for Serida’s fingers just beneath her. The teen scrambled up onto the awaiting fingers, curling into them while shivering, as Serida lifted her hand from the water and placed Lira, a sopping mess, next to Galen. 

Witnessing this was surreal, but Galen couldn’t afford to ponder the oddity of how quickly Lira had gone with this stranger, let alone a giant. He rushed to the teen’s side, peeling off his cloak which he’d failed to remove from the day before, and quickly wrapped Lira in it. Numbly, she accepted the warmth of the leather, but her eyes were distant. As if stunned, Lira stayed resting on her bent knees and propped up by her arm while the other kept the cloak in place. Galen crouched in front of her, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Serida was quickly drawing strange symbols in the air just over the water as she stared intently into the basin, eyes searching the surface and tracking some unseen thing as if watching a darting fish. 

Turning his attention back to Lira, he cupped her face in his calloused hands and searched her features for some semblance of acknowledgement. “Lira? Lira? You’re okay. Can you hear me? Please, say something. Did she do something to you?” Galen took care to keep his voice low, uncertain if it was futile to disguise his apprehension and distrust. 

Slowly, as if truly waking, Lira blinked and looked into Galen’s eyes, expression unreadable as the complexity of emotions blended into one another. Concern. Curiosity. Fear. Excitement. A fragment of shame maybe. The moment she truly saw him, meeting his eyes, did tears begin to well up. 

“G… Galen? I… I-I-I-I’m sorry. I… I… I wanted to… Th-there are q-q-questions… questions I have… I wanted to protect you a-and…”

“Shh… it’s okay. You’re okay,” Galen soothed, grasping her shoulder with one hand and wiping the tears away with the other. “Lira, you don’t have to protect me. I’m the one who needs to be protecting you; but I can’t do that if you go wandering off. Lira, I mean… what possessed you to just get up and leave? Go with her without telling me?” Guilt riddled the girl’s face. “And questions? What questions?” 

Lira stared up into Galen’s dark eyes and then glanced to Serida. “S-she said she could help get answers.” 

“I daresay so,” Serida stated after tearing her eyes away from the water’s surface. It was clear in an instant that she had been able to hear everything they were saying and wasn’t bashful about revealing so. “Especially now. Thank you.” There was a shimmer in her fingers, an opalescent gleam that materialized an immense, fluffy towel unlike anything Galen or Lira had seen before. She set the towel beside Lira and Galen, tucking the corner into Lira’s arms with her ring finger as she leaned back into her seat, teal gaze dancing with an eagerness Galen recognized as he’d had the same look when discovering something new, accomplishing something he didn’t know was possible. 

While Lira wrestled herself onto the towel, wrapping it around her midsection while keeping Galen’s cloak on her shoulders, Galen stood and turned his eyes to the still glowing sigils under the basin of water, then faced Serida. 

“What answers? What is going on? You talk about skills and us being unaware. Unaware of what?” Galen’s voice carried in the small room, making him feel louder, bigger, than he’d ever felt in his life. 

Serida’s next words offered the explanation he could never have predicted. 

“That you two are blessed by the arcane.”

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous

“Yes, Galen?” Serida’s hand shifted beneath the two of them as she lifted her hand up while keeping her arm extended, keeping Galen and Lira from being shoved next to her face to respond. Now at eye-level, Galen had to force his throat clear prior to daring to speak again. 

“I erm…” Only now did Galen look into the piercing, almond shaped eyes and realize the color was the same teal on the Amdir family banners. Taken aback momentarily, Galen felt compelled to look away; that is, until he felt Lira tuck further against his side, practically engulfed in his cloak, and steeled himself. Bowing as properly as he could manage without losing his balance, Galen asked, “M’Lady, before we begin, c-could…” Galen’s throat constricted, fumbling the word. He ensured to speak slowly and clearly to not repeat the same mistake. “Could Lira and I get settled? Take a moment to… collect ourselves?” 

“Your formality is flattering, but unnecessary,” Serida replied without hesitation. “As for retiring for the time being, that is precisely what was intended. We’ll have time to converse later. I wanted to explain some of the features of where you’ll be staying before attending some important meetings. Shall we?” 

She waited, to Galen’s surprise, until receiving a timid nod from Lira, who peaked out from her guardian’s cloak and was imitating his bow. Serida crossed the room with ease and placed her hand onto an expansive second-floor terrace that arced out from the main structure, clearly meant for this purpose. Galen and Lira quickly stepped off onto solid ground, relieved, while Serida placed their trunk of all their packed belongings near the entrance. They turned instinctually toward the Colossus as she began explaining elements of the home which sounded fantastical and unlike anything they had in their world. 

“Now, a few things to note. Water here is enchanted to warm or chill based on the pipe you turn. Left is hot. Right is cold. You’re free to go into any of the rooms in your new abode, but attempting to descend the table is ill-advised, especially without notification as you might be crushed,” stated Serida. “The interior is furnished and there are some standard clothing items. We shall discuss wardrobe options when I return. If there’s anything you require, please don’t hesitate to inform me. Do either of you write?” 

Galen and Lira both nodded. 

“Excellent. If I’m not present and you require something, there’s a parchment scroll by the right side of every door. Write it down and tear it from the parchment. It will be sent to my lady in waiting instantly via arcane spell and she’ll attend to what you require if I’m not available. Please use that sparingly, however, as you fall under my jurisdiction. Any questions?” 

“No, M’Lady Serida,” replied Galen. Those piercing teal eyes flicked between the two humans as they remained where they’d been placed before she nodded curtly. 

“Very well. I shall return with sustenance in a few hours. Your pantry is stocked should you so desire, though I’d prefer we have our next few meals together as I’d like to get to know the both of you. Until then.” Serida offered a polite head nod, which Galen and Lira returned with a bow, as she whisked herself out of the room, parchments and quill in tow, leaving the two of them alone once more. 

Now that they were by themselves, Lira completely collapsed to her knees, shoulders crumpling like an overwatered plant. She withered into herself as the disbelief finally began settling over Galen, who staggered to their trunk and sat down heavily. It didn’t feel real. How could it be real - how could he feel this way - when he was so numb? His hand reached up involuntarily and began repeatedly pinching his left forearm, some prayer inside hoping this was all just a dream. 

His thoughts, few and far between, lacked coherence. One moment, his mind focused on the possibility of escape and hiding from the Colossus, but it was quickly dismissed as he realized the futility and potential consequences of that action. They’d been given no reason to be afraid; at least, not entirely. The next moment, Galen contemplated conversation with Lady Serida for one reason only - protect Lira. 

Lira.

Galen leaned over, elbows resting on top of his knees as they bounced nervously, as his hands rubbed against his hands against his bearded jawline before resting, clasped, in front of his lips. Eyes remained distant as the flashing memory from earlier on that platform played in his mind again. It wasn’t just eerie. It was unnerving. It unsettled the guardian to his core as he heard Lira and Serida’s voice uttering the same words in tandem. 

How did she know? 

He felt the cold sweat on his brow make contact with the tips of his fingers as a single bead dripped along his temple. The skipping thoughts that were darting across the churning waters of his mind slowed to the one thing he could control now. Galen noticed Lira sitting, defeated, and felt the question rise in his throat knowing full well he was breaking the one thing he’d always promised himself - not to press and let her come to him. 

“Lira.” The way she flinched at her name, shying away, meant she knew where this was going. The teen continued to keep her head down, a look that didn’t quite fit her. Galen had always seen life from this child. Though quiet more often than not, it was a rare occasion for her to be so quiet for so long, especially in what Galen could only describe as apprehension. Fear. 

“Lira, I… know I always promised to not… press you… on things you feel. Not until you’re ready.” Galen saw Lira shivering harder. He leaned forward, knowing that it would do little good with them being several feet from one another. It still seemed to have an effect on Lira, however, while she continued to dodge Galen’s attempt to catch her eye. He continued. “After everything that happened with your father and you coming to live with me, I… have always ensured to hold true to this.

“Lira, you’re not in trouble, but I want… need… to know how you knew what Lady Serida was going to say.” Galen was met with silence except for Lira’s stifled sniffles. The sound of her tears hitting the stone beneath her was all Galen could discern as he listened and waited with quickly fading patience. “Lira, please. This is important.” Galen pushed himself to his feet and began pacing a few steps one way and then the next as he took in the structure meant to accommodate them. Some sense of urgency began to clench the man’s chest. 

“I don’t know why this is happening. I don’t know why we were chosen. I don’t believe the Amdir as a whole mean us harm, or Lady Serida for that matter, but… Lira… I need to know everything if I’m going to keep us safe,” urged Galen. He stepped in front of her, his subtle shadow eclipsing her, before kneeling before his ward. “Look at me. If you know something, you need to tell me.” He caught her chin with a curled index finger, but she could not meet his gaze. 

She remained quiet. 

Knowing this was a futile endeavor, Galen sighed, frustration tensing the back of his throat, before pushing himself to his feet, knee on his mechanical leg catching, before managing to rise to his full height. Seeing nothing else to do, Galen turned his efforts onto exploring the structure looming beside them. 

Their new home. 

Galen’s surprise at the ease of opening such an immense door escaped in an audible “huh” as he stepped inside the first room, door pushing to the side as if weightless. Instantly, he felt his jaw slacken as he saw the interior. It mirrored the main hall of the Amdir home, a grand archway culminating in a pointed dome over the first tiled room. Even the furniture mimicked the interior with the vine-like tables and chairs. 

Astonished, Galen realized his jaw had slackened while taking in the extravagant scene. To the left was a kitchen easily double the size of Galen’s home in the town. The stairway beyond led to who knew what; most likely bedrooms if Galen had to guess. A Library filled to the brim with books, spines neatly organized, sat to the right. Writing desks made of gorgeous, dark wood with the same vine pattern found elsewhere in the home sat in the corners of the room. The elegance and effort was overshadowed by the tiny, detailed elements, which offered the essence of comfort and welcome, but coldly. It was as if someone who didn’t know Galen’s personal preferences took initiative and decorated his home in a way only they saw fit without asking Galen or Lira for that matter. 

Walking through the space felt like traversing a dream. Every detail felt too perfect. Every turn led to some new space. Each moment, the hope of waking presented itself; only to be spoiled with the harsh reality that this was indeed their new life. 

There’s enough to do here for our lifetimes and then some. Reading. Writing. I wonder if I’ll be able to garden. Is the soil here the same or different than it is back home? Will I be around long enough to find out? 

Galen ventured up the stairs and indeed found a few bedrooms, four poster beds with curtains and lavish covers which felt like how clouds looked in the sky. Never had Galen’s calloused hands touched something so fine. Disbelievingly, he hesitated before turning around and sitting down onto the bed, sinking into the mattress as a boot would to soft mud. The fear of smudging the covers was completely secondary as Galen felt his body momentarily relax against the comfort of the cushion below him. 

His eyelids drooped. The excitement of earlier overwhelmed him and, soon after, Galen realized he was prone on the bed staring at the ceiling drifting off to sleep. The apothecary was only vaguely aware of Lira entering the room he was in, only noticing as the bed shifted as she curled into his side. 

Sweet dreams for the both of us. 

We might need them. 

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Lira hated everything about the past day. Really, the whole past week if she was being honest. The ceremony. Traveling here with the Colossus. What she hated more than anything, however, was the fact that Galen had been pulled into this whole mess too. He’d always been so kind and warm to her. Always understanding and caring. Generous. Thoughtful. Anyone who didn’t know them would’ve guessed he was her father or a much older brother. 

That’s just the way it was, and Lira didn’t want it any other way. 

Did she miss her parents? Naturally; but that’s hard to do when you don’t remember them very well. If she was being honest, thinking of a parent figure only led her to think of Galen. 

It made this whole thing so much worse. 

I should’ve tried harder. 

I should’ve pretended to be sick. 

Maybe then we wouldn’t’ve have been chosen by the giants. 

I could’ve convinced him. I could’ve done a lot of things to keep us from going. 

Lira curled against Galen’s side, relishing in the warmth of his body and the softness of the bed beneath them, smell of drying herbs and leather from Galen’s clothes grounding the teen. She grasped onto his coat and pressed her face into the fabric while wishing it would lull her back to sleep. 

It was as she closed her eyes, however, that she noticed a new sound that wasn’t Galen’s soft snores as he remained peacefully asleep. Scratching? The sound of rustling parchment? Lira’s curiosity pricked the back of her mind, compelling her to sit upright and scan the room of stone and adorned with vines and Amdir family colors. She followed the lines of the vines around the room to the windows. She could see the books on the shelves beside the clear panels of glass. She could see the reflection of the setting sun in the mirror on the other side of the room, colors streaked across the sky in aurora-like colors. More importantly, she could see the Lady Serida at her writing desk just outside the room where they slept. 

A shiver shot up Lira’s spine and felt the instinctual urge to shy away when some part of her resisted. 

You have questions…

And… you dragged Galen into this. 

You owe it to him. 

He’s always protected you. 

You need to do the same for him. 

Lira fixed her eyes on the door and then back to the window, the Colossus unaware of the fact she was being watched, and slid off of the bed. The bed left a clear imprint of where she was lying, the outline of her shoulder and side clearly visible in the dirt smudges left behind. Galen’s subtle shift as his side was exposed to the air rather than Lyra’s warmth brought the teen to a standstill. He didn’t wake, leaving Lira conflicted, before she focused on her resolve and exited the room with the same quiet precision Galen had taught her when moving through the forest. 

Her fingers began tingling as her heart fluttered and flipped, leaving a sense of nausea. Each step felt heavy, just like when she’d crossed that stage during The Choosing earlier that day. 

Has it really only been a day? Lira wondered. 

Her shoes scraped against the ground, the sound easily masked by the sound of quill against parchment. The moments passed in increasingly slow increments. Perception slowed. Thoughts sped up until questions and ideas blurred together until they were nothing more than a high pitched hum. Lira didn’t realize she was lingering by the door on the second-floor terrace watching Lady Serida until the Colossus paused her writing and turned her eyes to the house she’d gifted to the two humans. Her gaze quickly found Lira by the door and the Colossus offered a polite smile as she placed her quill back into a slot beside an inkwell that was as tall as Lira. 

“Good evening. I’m assuming you slept well?” asked Lady Serida, positioning herself sideways in her seat at her desk to face Lira. It was such an unnerving feeling as the thought of the Colossus peering in through the window to spot them unconscious on the bed. Lira’s hesitation, however, prompted a follow-up statement. “I passed by and noticed you two through the window. Apologies. That must be a… novel… sensation for you two. Is Galen still asleep?” 

Be strong, Lira. 

For Galen. 

Lira took the opportunity to step beyond the threshold of the entryway and approached their trunk tentatively, using it to sit before timidly nodding. 

“Yes, m’lady,” Lira replied. 

Serida’s brow raised. Surprised or impressed, Lira wasn’t sure. “And you’ve ventured onto the terrace without him? Why? To seek an audience with me?” 

Lira’s heart hammered harder - louder. Her mouth was parched. The price for a clean glass of water couldn’t have been too high for the teen as she stared up into Serida’s face. Words failed her, leaving her with nodding as her only option. Again, a quirk of the brow left Lira unsure of what the Colossus was feeling. 

“Really? I’m intrigued.” The woman sighed and leaned back in her seat, pose relaxing and mind obviously distracted momentarily. “Let me guess, you have questions? Why you? Why Galen? Why make a show at The Choosing?” 

Lira nodded, stunned at the straightforwardness and also grateful she didn’t have to bring it up directly. 

“Before I answer your questions, allow me to ask you a few of mine.” Serida laid her hands in her lap, one folded onto the other, and asked, “How long did you see it?” 

Confusion crept over Lira. She shook her head and shifted awkwardly on the trunk she was sitting on. “S-see? See what?” 

“You know what.” Serida’s cool, calculated tone was slow and deliberate. “The Choosing. How long did you know you and Galen were going to be chosen by me?” All at once, Lira felt like she had been doused in frigid water. Her eyes widened. She was sure she’d paled. The cold sensation poured over her, making her sit upright. What made it worse was that Lira’s reaction wasn’t lost on those piercing eyes of the Colossus, who smiled knowingly in that same way that made the teen feel uneasy. 

She… know? 

How? 

How did she know? 

Did she use her magic on me? 

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, the simple motion taking all of her concentration to do, before Lira attempted to shake her head. 

“I… I-I-I-I d-didn’t.” 

“No? Because your reaction is telling me otherwise,” stated Serida. Lira’s core began to tremble. Like an avalanche, the nervous shake traveled up Lira’s spine and into her shoulders. She didn’t know if there would be repercussions for her attempt at deception. “You’re shaking. Scared?” 

Salty tears burned at the corners of Lira’s eyes as the shaking allowed her control enough to nod. 

“Of me? It’s natural, but unnecessary. I’m the least of your concerns - believe me. Care to tell me what you saw? Maybe elaborate on it a bit?” pried Serida. When Lira was unable to respond, Serida took the opportunity to continue. “You saw them, didn’t you? Monsters and beasts, all tearing through the rifts from their domain to yours. Flames engulfing your home, that sweet little cottage at the edge of the wood. My eyes meeting yours. The stars vanishing one by one in the sky, whispers trailing off as they beg you for help. Galen in one of their jaws being torn apa-...”

“Stop it!” Lira shrieked. Her hands were clasping her ears as tears gushed from her eyes. As each thing was listed, Lira could picture it as clearly as if it were before her. Hollow eyes. Bloodied claws. The gnashing of teeth. Burning flames and Galen’s cries for help, a man who, to Lira, had never shown weakness. 

Silence enveloped them. All was quiet, save for Lira’s sobs. Minutes passed as, finally, Serida strained her ears to hear, “Stop… stop… please…” as Lira whimpered repeatedly. The child’s chest heaved as her futile attempts to calm herself finally proved successful. 

“H-h-ho…”

“How did I know?” interrupted Serida. Lira watched as the Colossus woman leaned forward, her field of vision eclipsed entirely by Serida’s face, as she replied, “I didn’t know. I saw. I’ve seen the same things for quite some time. Now, the next question you’re going to ask is ‘how,’ right? How was I having the same dreams? More importantly, how were you having these dreams? It shouldn’t be possible, right?” 

Lira felt her head swirling. Her insides churned. What little she had for breakfast was long gone, so hunger and sick began making her insides clench. It was a new kind of uneasy that settled over her, and Galen wasn’t here to help make sense of the world. 

“Is… i-i-i-is it… real? W-what I saw?” Lira asked. 

“Sometimes,” replied Lady Serida, the singular word resonating hollowly in the air. “Depends on a few things, naturally; however, I’m rarely wrong, and you and I have seen similarly.” Lira’s head hung limply as the Colossus’s words hung around her, clinging to her like forest burrs. “Do you know how it might be possible?” Lira shook her head numbly at Serida’s question. Her mind was occupied with more concerning things like her guardian and his safety. 

Galen. I brought him into this. I kept this from him. 

“I-I-I… I d-don’t kn-know. I d-don’t know-w how. I j-jus-st want…” The image of Galen’s panicked, terrified face as someone  - some faceless Colossus - ground their teeth into his torso, blood spewing from his mouth, as the light left his eyes. Lira’s cheeks burned, but not from embarrassment - from determination. 

All her life, Galen had done everything to protect her. 

He’d taken her in when she had no one. 

He taught her everything he knew. 

Provided for her. 

Teased like a brother and guided like a father as if she were his own. 

She knew what she wanted - needed - to do. 

“Just want… what?” Serida asked. 

Lira felt the tears which were rolling down her cheeks slow as she stiffened her jaw and looked up into the piercing teal eyes of the second born of the Amdir with her own dark ones. It was a surprising moment for both parties, but Lira’s determined voice was able to clearly respond. 

“I want to protect Galen, no matter what.” Lira pushed herself up off of the trunk and shakily advanced a few timid steps. It was such a surprise that even Serida leaned back away from the terrace as the teen stepped forward toward her. “Please… can you help me? I… I can’t lose him too.” 

The Lady Serida considered the teen for several long moments before asking, “What would you be willing to do? To keep him safe.” 

“Anything.” Serida had barely finished her question before Lira responded. 

Something felt eerie about the way Serida smiled. There was a curious eagerness of a hungry mind obviously pressing its will onto the situation. Lira hated that look, but she meant what she said. 

Anything. 

“Very well. Then, when you’re ready, let’s get started.” Lira watched as the Amdir woman’s hand peeked over the edge of the terrace, an obvious invitation for Lira to accompany her. Lira began shaking again, each step generating a new level of fear she thought she’d never face again. 

Galen… forgive me.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous

Rennic curled in on himself as a kind of whimper escaped him. This young adult continued to struggle with coping through this as he buried his head in his hands, shoulders visibly shaking. Galen tore his eyes away from the young man, unable to find the words to console him. Instead, he turned his eyes to the light as it flared before them and watched his world vanish in a nebulous flash. His entire body tingled, as if falling from a great height. Warm and cold blended in his bones. A shudder seized him, and Lira flinched as the same undoubtedly happened to her. His wince was involuntary, but as the glimmering sparks dissipated from his eyes, Galen saw an entirely new land before him. 

Through the gaps in the carrier they were in, Galen could see sprawling mountains mixed with pools of glittering water. These immense gorges stretched high into the sky and carved labyrinth-like paths out of the earth, only visible from this place high above the ground. The scents were sweet and fresh, but charged with something more - something Galen couldn’t explain. Waterfalls misted through the air, creating transparent prisms of light and color. Immense birds, large enough for a human to ride, soared overhead, diving down toward the surface of a lake that sparkled like morning dew on a spider’s web. Lira stirred against Galen and gasped as she peered at the world beyond their carrier. 

“Galen,” she breathed, eyes filled with numerous, churning emotions. 

“I know.” Galen reached up and scratched the back of his neck and followed his bearded jawline, index finger resting against his lips as his mind sifted through what he knew about locations he’d heard about and had seen. Ambient noise filled the space between the humans while staring out at the strange land before them. 

Where in the world are we? Is this place in our world? Or is it theirs? wondered Galen. It wasn’t without reason. This place was stunning, unlike anything Galen had witnessed in his years of exploration, but little could be enjoyed at the moment as Rennic’s voice cut through the silence. 

“What do you think they’ll do to us?” Rennic’s tone was foreboding. Ominous. Something Galen wanted to banish from his mind with every fiber of his being. The young man kept his eyes averted, turning away from the windows and the world they found themselves in. Galen gave the man a stern look, which held no sway over the following lines of questioning. “You’ve heard the stories, right? What the other Colossus families do to those they’ve chosen?” 

“I’m not familiar.” It was a lie, and evidently an obvious one at the look of incredulity he received. He had heard stories — too many — about what certain giants did with their chosen. The Gurst tormented them through cruel trials. The Bael were rumored to gift their Chosen to the warriors who had performed well to do with what they pleased. The Tharn, allegedly, consumed theirs. And the Amdir… though they were known to be measured, merciful, and fair, some descendants were not innocent.

“Who will they be like?” pressed Rennic. 

“They will be like the Amdir, measured and merciful. They have always been fair,” stated Galen. 

“Fair? Taking us was fair?” spat Rennic bitterly. 

“After letting the others return to their homes and families, yes,” countered Galen. “Nothing is free, boy; it just so happens that it was our turn to pay.” His mechanical leg bounced involuntarily, betraying his own nerves. 

Rennic, seeing this, questioned further. “But why us? For years, they’ve selected their Chosen and given them back to their families. Why now? Why us?” 

In a look only Galen would know, he noticed Lira’s eyes dart to him before turning back to the outdoors, hinting she was keeping something close. 

More secrets. More questions. 

“We’ll have the opportunity to ask sooner than later,” muttered Galen. “Fretting about it now and holding malice against them won’t serve you well. The Colossus have protected us for generations when there was no reason to. They’ve made countless sacrifices. We have no right to presume we are owed protection. Sulk and process as you see fit, but know asking questions now serves no purpose.” 

“You’re saying you’re not afraid? For yourself? For her?” snapped Rennic, head snapping a gesture toward Lira at Galen’s side. Bristling, the child’s guardian sat up, jaw locked and eyes burning, which made Rennic shrink back into the teal and cream cushions. His leg no longer shook and rattled as an eerie still came over him. Sitting up and forward, he ensured Rennic was looking into his eyes before Galen uttered a word. 

“My fear has no bearing on what I’m willing to do to protect her. I have to trust that the Amdir benevolence extends to the present. Pray that it does. They’ve saved my life and have stood sentinel for generations. There’s no reason to believe otherwise now,” growled Galen. Some part of his mind was completely committed, unable to bear malice or resentment toward those who had saved his life. Another much quieter part of his mind, however, possessed its doubts. What he understood of the Amdir had been thrown out the window. Yes, one of them had helped him so long ago; however, he’d also been taken. 

Was this because of me? Is this because of… back then? 

A debt they’ve come to collect? 

Have I roped Lira into this? 

Lira’s soft gasp garnered his attention immediately, gaze following hers as he spotted what she’d seen. Beyond the cliffs and along the edge of the gorge they’d been carried by was an immense lagoon, a mountain emerging from the waters and coarse sands came into view. Unlike the other cliffsides and ranges they’d passed by, this one glimmered with the windows and panels it was covered in. 

It wasn’t a mountain - it was the Amdir home. 

Unfathomably large trees clung to the rocks all the way up the mountainside jutting out and around the windows and arched doorways. Long, thin openings woven together and made of braided branches covered the surface and undoubtedly led further into the heart of the mountain. Banners of teal and cream blended with the flowers and leaves along balconies and buttresses  that towered above the Colossus holding rock and stone at bay while shielding courtyards and open spaces. 

Like a cathedral carved into the mountainside in the cities far to the east, the feeling of this place was regal and uncompromising. It was truly a place meant for giants, leaving Galen feeling smaller than he’d ever had in his life. The grand gates swung open with an audible friction as the stone doors parted ways for the Amdir family. Attending servants scurried underfoot at the arrival of the head of the Amdir, and the commotion put the humans in a state of unease. 

Lira, who had stood to peer outside the secured window, was once again at Galen’s side. The carriage they were within was jostled as the guard holding them stepped to the side and placed them on a table at the center of the grand hall, a place that mirrored the grandeur of the exterior while keeping a cool air as this place resided in the mountainside. Galen’s chest felt compressed, air struggling to fill his lungs, while he watched the Amdir family pull over to the side, quiet words obviously being exchanged between them; and, undoubtedly, about them if those sideways glances had anything to say about it. 

Galen, hoping to hear their whispers, stood and approached the open windows, straining his ears to hear something - anything - that might hint at their fates. 

“-ing both of them was bold of you Serida, especially if you’re wrong,” stated Velmor softly. 

“I’m not,” replied Serida, his daughter. “I know…” Her voice tapered off. “And you know the oth-…” 

“We have no proof of that,” Velmor said, harsher so his voice carried clearly. 

“Because they’re making sure it d-...” countered Velmor’s daughter, piercing eyes gleaming with the arcane. Uneasy silence settled among them before the father looked tiredly at his son. 

“And you? With him?” 

Eranth, arms folded, acknowledged his sister with a look before muttering something about “curious” among other things which Galen couldn’t discern. He might not have heard the words, but the furrowing of Velmor Amdir’s brow churned the man’s gut uneasily. Like the sensation of moving through that arcane door, a chill began filling Galen’s bones, heart beating quicker with each passing moment. He felt a chilled bead of sweat on his brow. 

It did nothing to settle the churning in his gut as the father quietly excused himself and the children turned their attention to the container where all three humans waited with baited breath. In swift strides, they closed the distance, Serida arriving first, and flicked the latch on the exterior from closed to open. The way the metal clanged on the outside felt like the toll of a bell, signaling what was to come. Galen wasn’t even aware that he’d retreated from the door until his back hit the opposite wall. 

The door, flooded with light, swung open, the silhouette of hands barely discernable just outside. Galen held his breath, waiting for the next move. Was this an experiment? See who was bold enough to venture out first? Or was it a test to see who would be obedient and remain until summoned? 

Galen felt Lira’s gentle presence against his side, fingers snaking into the loops on his belt where he usually placed his leather packs and containers for herbs. It was instinct that brought his arm and cloak around her as his fingers clasped her left shoulder. The muffled whimpers of their fellow human was the only sound for several long minutes before the Amdir son, Eranth, spoke. 

“Rennic, would you come out, please?” The timbre of the giant’s voice alluded to a genteel individual, but it did nothing to convince the human to depart from the perceived safety of the metal around them. One minute. Four. 

“Eranth, I doubt he’ll come through gentle coaxing,” Serida stated quietly in a voice Galen was barely able to discern. 

“As if your approach would be more successful,” Eranth hissed. 

“Challenge accepted,” Serida retorted. Her voice, clear as a bell on a serene morning. “Galen. Lira. As Chosen, I invoke the right to summon your presence. Please disembark the vessel and fulfill the oaths of your forebearers.” 

It wasn’t a spell. It wasn’t a command. Galen suspected that it would feel different and that there would be no choice to disobey. As he lived and breathed, nothing was forcing him to leave the carriage. Still, the force of presence in her voice compelled Galen to move forward. He looked down to Lira, whose eyes were locked onto the doorway, gaze distant. 

We are going to be okay. We may have been taken, but nothing can be done about that now. What can be done is protecting Lira. Now isn’t the time for that conversation though. I don’t want to risk consequence so soon into this… 

“We’ll be alright,” Galen reassured while hearing his own uncertainty in his voice. That first step with his mechanical leg felt like moving a mountain, weight keeping his foot firmly planted, until the mechanism scraped against the floor. Lira’s subtle tug away from the door nearly anchored him to the spot, but it was merely a rightful hesitation before she matched his pace step for step. 

They passed over the threshold into the light, vision adjusting quickly to reveal the interior of the Amdir home. The same cascading archways they’d seen from the exterior induced a sense of vertigo on the interior. Everything in this place was meant for being far larger than themselves, and standing on a foyer table emphasized that point. Teal and cream banners clung to the ceiling and buttresses down branching hallways which Galen had no hope of navigating. 

Give me a forest anyday. 

Scanning the area, Galen found his vision drawn by the movement of the Colossus woman in front of them. His neck craned upward, jaw locking in place, when met with her piercing gaze. 

Piercing… I’ve… heard that before… recently. 

The smile Serida offered was polite, but cold. It was made in acknowledgement of power and courtesy rather than genuine joy. Galen wasn’t sure which one was more unnerving in his mind - joy or courtesy. 

“Well then. There you are.” Her evaluative eyes locked on like some kind of predator as she concentrated on Galen, then to Lira where they lingered for several painful moments before flicking back to Galen. “Let’s handle formalities elsewhere. In the meantime,” Serida reached over and retrieved the chest that belonged to the pair of them before, casually, placing her hand flush with the edge of the table. “We should retire to my quarters.” 

Galen, who had watched the hand’s shadow engulf them, felt his mouth dry as though filled with cotton. His heart was in his throat and his breath was somewhere between his mouth and lungs. Attempting to force a swallow was useless. Moving was even more futile. Palms suddenly sweaty. Knees threatened to knock together at any moment. There were only a few times in Galen’s life where his mortality seized him by the throat and pinned him against his will, and he’d lost his leg. 

This was one of those times. 

“Ah, I see,” Serida sighed. “Feeling in need of reassurance? Guarantee that you and your child won’t be harmed? I can only promise that you are under my protection while here and that any actions taken elsewhere places your fate into your own hands. Now, please get onto mine. We have things to discuss and I’m sure you have questions.” 

Her tone bordered on flippant, but Galen heard her words and heard the truth in them. Using Lira as his grounding anchor, he squeezed her shoulder and ensured his cloak was still around her as he guided both of them to the edge of the table. The table fell away to reveal the floor far below, giving the illusion they were on a cliff’s edge. What was more unnerving was the number of details Galen was able to notice as they approached the Colossus’s hand. 

A freckle on the edge by her pinkie finger. 

Each and every crease and crevasse that constructed her prints. 

The minute chip in the nail on the index finger as it involuntarily flexed with the other fingers that lay before them. 

“Galen.” Lira’s small voice was barely above a whisper. Was she shaking? Or was Galen? Did she speak to reassure? Or to plead? 

“I know.” He breathed in return as, bracing, he dared to take the first step. That breathless moment as his foot crested over the edge of the table and stepped down onto the pliable substance lingered, compounding second after second. It was pure instinct that led his mechanical limb out first, unwilling to sacrifice the remaining leg should things go awry. Stabilizing himself on the surface was like attempting to walk on the swollen moss fields to the south of their home. The surface was uneven, but also solid. It moved, yet feeling the substance beneath said there was something there giving it structure. 

He guided his other leg down and secured his footing before assisting Lira, whose features were locked in a hard to read expression, which was saying something as Galen had learned her quirks like the back of his hand. Stepping cautiously to the center, he ignored the way the fingers curled upward and the jostle of the limb beneath them as it drew away from the solid surface of the table before Serida turned and took her first step away. It was surprising. 

Practically gliding through the halls, Galen imagined being carried by a Colossus to be more unsteady, thinking they’d be thrown from their feet in an instant. A flashbulb memory filled his mind. Blood everywhere. Pain. Glowing eyes and the sensation of restraint followed by some uneven surface shifting beneath him. The words - a promise of return - never fulfilled as rescue came sooner than expected. Immense eyes and fragments of cloth wrapped around a stub filled with pain as he was cradled by something with a warmth of its own. 

Perhaps… they’re more careful and aware than I gave them credit. They were careful before. 

Rooms passed by in the blink of an eye. Galen fought the urge to vomit as nausea churned his stomach and to ensure he remembered every pathway and turn if the worst should present itself. One left. Long hallway. Right and right. Sigils on a tapestry that stretched from towering ceiling to floor, rippling over the wall like an immense waterfall which would be a good place to hide if need arose. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to look away from the glowing marks he couldn’t begin to understand. Questions formed. 

How did they manage to get fabric to shimmer and shine like that? 

Was it a product of their magic? 

Why were they glowing? 

Were they… moving?

A sudden left interrupted his train of thought as they entered one of the rooms whose doors were closed. Serida strode in with ease and shut the door behind her, turning the latch with a soft clicking sound, as she entered her room. 

It was one of the rooms that faced the lagoon and the distant cliffs and mountains. Her quarters were bathed in a blue-green light that gave the sensation that the foliage was actively creeping into the room. Shelves of books inlaid into the walls of stone and were stuffed with parchments and books. An immense bed that easily would’ve covered Galen’s home village was set into the stone on the far side of the wall. 

These things combined, however, did not unsettle Galen in the slightest, unlike the makeshift castle set up beside the desk. The imagery alone mirrored the home of the Colossus and the Amdir home, but scaled perfectly for a human to reside comfortably within it. It looked as though it belonged to toys - dolls - and Galen’s mind wandered to their purpose - why he and Lira were here. 

She’s not thinking we’re… dolls… to be played with… is she? Surely not. She’s… too old for something like that, right? Or is this some kind of convenience? Someplace for us to live? Or merely a cage? 

Galen couldn’t be sure, but Serida’s next words chilled him to the bone and tempted his imagination to do its worst. 

“Now… let’s get started.”

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous

The words were ones he’d heard somewhere once when he was a child and had taken them to heart. When lost, he would retreat to the woods. When in need of wisdom, he would venture into the comfort of the verdant walls. After he’d lost his leg, he found peace and purpose among the flowers and moss and herbs and mushrooms of the shade. When choosing to take Lisa in as his own, he’d brought her into the forest. 

It was all gone. 

His mind. 

His home. 

His soul. 

All now belonged to the Colossus, who had provided selfless protection and gave him the opportunity to live such a life to find his purpose, his soul, in the first place. Everyone had to pay, and this time it was his turn; but why did it have to be Lira too? 

“Galen!” His mind sluggishly registered his name as he, Lira, and the other man were guided to The Stone Yard to be prepared for departure. Their names would be carved in remembrance and where they would be given to the Colossus. The man focused as he heard his name again, louder and clearer now as they were quickly ushered through the crowd, which was slowly dispersing. “Galen!” 

A familiar face emerged from the blending masses, revealing his good friend and the one who would be quick enough to assist Galen in this dire moment. 

“Tibs!” Galen pushed to the side, testing the boundaries the marshals had set as he grasped his friend’s hand. 

“Galen, I… I don’t have words,” Tibs managed as he walked beside them, the marshals giving him harsh looks as they attempted to maintain a clear boundary to prevent The Chosen from escaping into the crowd. The momentary thought that he’d never see his friend again was something he had seconds to dwell on as he hurriedly limped along to keep pace with the brisk marshal pace. 

“Nor do I, friend, but we don’t have long.” Galen had half-heartedly packed their valuable belongings by the door, believing he and Lira would be home before lunch. It was part of The Choosing to pack whatever you deemed necessary the night before so that, if chosen, no time would be wasted in lengthy goodbyes, reminiscing over memories, and collecting unnecessary items. There were so many things he needed to be by the door for the marshals to collect that he couldn’t begin to list them all, instead settling on what was absolutely critical. 

“Tibs, listen to me. All of the books above the sink - pack them. Put them into the trunk by the door as well as the kettle, all of the hanging herbs, and all the clothes and blankets you can muster. All of the brews belong to someone. Make sure they get there, okay? Swear it!” Galen heard the strain in his voice, but dared not clear it away. It might speed his friend along if he was being honest. 

“Of course. Anything. What else?” 

“Lira’s books in the loft. Don’t hit your head. And there are th-three massive jars of ground herbs. I need those, and my mortar and pestle.” 

My life’s work. Will it even matter if I bring those things with us? 

“I will. I’ll be back before you’re off. I swear!” Tibs tore his hand away and pushed through the crowd toward Galen’s home. It felt like fulfilling the wish of a dying man, but it didn’t matter to Galen. The forefront of his mind was preoccupied with muddling through the rapid sequence of events with no hope of truly processing them until they were already surrendered to the Colossus Amdir family. All sensation was numbed, like trying to see through murky water. Galen barely registered Lina at his side as she slowly cut off circulation to his fingers, grip constricting his forearm. 

The path wound to the left and the right. It was a familiar track which Galen would take Lira on when they went into town. It was easier on his leg after a long day on his feet. Distant memories that only happened a few days before. 

So much happening. Where do I even start? 

The blur of motion that followed was staggering. Their names were inscribed in stone, living immortally among the other names of those Chosen by the other Colossus families. It was surreal, like looking at his own headstone alongside Lira. Words were spoken on their behalf about Galen’s services to the town as an apothecary and brew master as well as his generosity in taking in an orphan. They talked about Lira’s love of books and even slipped her a few texts she had wanted for her birthday which Galen had been saving for over the past months. 

If they had any other family than who was present, they would’ve come to wish them farewell. Instead, they witnessed Rennic break down beside his brothers, all older, as they spat and huffed that it wasn’t fair and that it should be them and not their youngest brother. It wasn’t until they were pulling the brothers away from one another that Tibs returned, melancholy grin on his face. 

Eagerly, he approached and hugged his friend. Galen leaned into it, some part of his mind registering that the normalcy of seeing others his size was going to be a rare thing. 

How long will we even last among the Colossus? Galen shook the foreboding thought away and focused on his friend. 

“Did you get everything?” 

“And then some,” Tibs replied, carefully pulling off the pack Galen used to gather herbs and slipped it over Galen’s shoulder. “Managed to get some of your other little projects in there, so don’t jostle if you can help it.” Galen’s eyes stung as he stared at his neighbor and friend. 

“Tibs, I… th-.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’ve helped more times than I can hope to count. I know what you’ve done for me and for this place. I don’t know who’ll dare to replace you,” Tibs feigned a grin, but both of them could see the jest fell short. Galen sighed and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. 

“Just… look after the place for me. Yeah? ‘Til we get back?” 

Tibs managed a nod, avoiding the obvious out loud but clearly thinking it - they weren’t coming back. 

“See you soon then,” Tibs stated. 

“Same.” Galen extended his hand and shook firmly, clinging to the sense of normalcy it brought. 

“And you, missy, look after the hobbler over here, okay?” said Tibs as Lira clutched the books to her chest. 

“I will.” She sounded so small that Tibs had to ask her to repeat herself before he picked up on her response. 

Just like that, the marshals led the others away and herded Galen, Lira, and Rennic up the path. 

The path itself was one solid stone, enchanted to never age and to never break with the growth of plants beside it. A long, arching bridge that tapered off into another platform that could overlook the town and the fields beyond. If it weren’t so harsh on his leg after a long day in the forest or brewing, Galen liked bringing Lira up to the peak to look down at the land below. It was one of his favorite places in town because it seemed like a place one could simply leap off and begin to fly. It was easily forty feet in the air and was next to a cliffside overlooking the wilds below and beyond. 

It was foreboding now. Ominous. A shadow overtaking a future he couldn’t begin to describe. Each clack and creak of his leg kept time, measuring the seconds they had left in their home. There was too much to take in. The smell of the breeze. The beams of light breaking through the clouds. The way the trees looked like mossy water running over creek stones. 

Now, a metal box sat on the end of the platform he’d grown up on, a coffin for the living to be taken off to the land of the Colossus. Their belongings were already affixed to the back, and the Amdir family stood a short distance off, talking in hushed voices amongst themselves. 

Lira’s tender fingers snaked in between Galen’s fingers, almost startling him as his mind was elsewhere. A once comforting motion that now belonged to someone Galen had a million questions for. 

Not now. 

Not here. 

He curled his fingers around hers and kept his eyes locked onto the box, afraid that looking away would somehow destroy the nerve he’d worked up to maintain his composition. The marshals lined the outside, offering hollow words of comfort and thanks before holding the door open and ushering them inside the metal carrier. 

One last look was all Galen allowed himself before ducking inside the carriage, sealing himself away for whatever fate had in store for them next. The interior, to his surprise, was far less ominous than he was anticipating. The exterior resembled a prison, a sentence where the occupants paid with their lives. The interior, however, was well cushioned with fabrics representing the Amdir household, which consisted of creams and teals. Sitting on them felt heavenly, as if he’d never truly rested before. If not for the circumstances, this momentary rest would have been pleasant for Galen. Lira also took a moment outside before scampering in and curling against Galen’s side, face pressed into the leathers he always wore. 

Rennic attempted to resist, if only for a moment, before being shoved inside and the door locked firmly behind him. Rennic sulked in the corner of the carriage, visibly trembling as one of the Amdir guards approached the carriage and asked if The Chosen were prepared. Commands given. Salutes provided. 

The immense jostle of being picked up inside of the carrier flipped Galen’s stomach, body chilling as if hit by a winter wind, as he spotted fingers cresting just barely over the edge of the carrier. The jostle of each footstep felt like being inside a thundercloud, rumbling from all around, as the guard approached the Amdir family all too soon. Their strange arcane words filled the air and, like how they’d arrived, a tear in the air appeared at the tips of their fingers as each individual stepped through. Those fateful words returned to Galen as they approached the gate, Lira tucked firmly against him. 

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” 

He could only hope now that it is what he would find on the other side.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous

It’s just like any other day, Galen told himself. You will go to the main square with all the others. Names will be called. Those called will go up. They’ll be called again, and then they’ll be allowed to return. One may be brought back, but I doubt it. It’s the Amdir family this year, and they don’t take us humans. Amdir giants don’t like long ceremonies either. They think it’s wasteful. We’ll be back before the kettle is done boiling. 

The soft padding of feet told him Lira had come down from their loft. Her appearance was still disheveled, which was expected, but there was something else too that Galen noticed at a glance. Lira looked tired, faint darkness lining her eyes, and he wondered whether her nightmares or nerves for The Choosing were to blame. It wasn’t the first Choosing where Lira felt apprehensive, and she did seem a bit off these past few days. He’d asked her about her unease in years past, but the youth could only describe it as “a feeling.” 

He elected not to pry. Galen knew Lira well enough to understand she’d come to him when she’d found the words. In the meantime, there were still herbs to grind and brews to complete, and so he continued his work as Lira poured herself a cup of tea. The teen curled in on herself as she wedged herself onto the window ledge, eyes cast to the forest. 

“Galen?” her voice sounded small after nearly an hour of remaining completely motionless, eyes fixed on the trees through the window. “Is… there any way to skip The Choosing today?” 

The question took him off-guard. “Pardon?” 

“Skip? You know? Feign illness or something?” Lira brought the chilled cup to her lips, the only heat remaining coming from her hands clasped around the edge. She was still refusing to meet his gaze. 

Galen thought for a moment about what Lira was actually asking, eyes skeptical. “Does this have to do with your dreams recently?” The teen’s silence felt like confirmation enough. He stepped up to the counter beside the window and continued his work, glancing at her every few spins of his pestle against the mortar. “To answer your question, no. There’s nothing that can be done. Attendance is mandatory, but there’s nothing to worry about. Today is like any other day.” 

The subtle scrench of Lira’s brow and how she averted her eyes meant she was avoiding something. It felt like the air was tense around her, as if she was radiating a chill from her body. Galen reached out and grasped her shoulder and nearly drew back as he felt how cold Lira was to the touch through the callouses on his fingers. Concern crept over him. He instinctively reached for a blanket, but paused mid-step as the toll of the hollow bells radiated from the town square. 

It was a call. 

A summoning. 

He turned back to his ward and, in that fraction of a moment, saw fear in Lira’s eyes. 

Upper lip stiffened and jaw locked, Galen approached Lira and knelt, the mechanical knee catching on the way down and striking the ground with a hollow *clunk*. His hands found hers and a smile turned up the sides of his lips. She met his eyes for the first time that entire morning and, like the sun to snow, the chill began fading from her body, giving way to the warmth of his hands and his smile. Galen could feel a distinct difference in the youth. 

“Lira, I promise everything is going to be fine. Okay? I swear it. And if anything should happen, I’ll protect you. Nothing’s going to happen to you as long as I’m around. Believe me?” 

Lira nodded timidly, almost with uncertainty, as she echoed the words from the night before. “Yes, always.” 

Pulling on clothes fitting the chill in the air, both Lira and Galen stepped outside as the shadows of their neighbors began to pass in front of their door. The air, tense with somberness, was only disturbed by the movement of the passing people. All wore travelers' cloaks and even possessed packs hiding on their shoulders, undoubtedly fearing the worst and hoping for the best. Galen wondered if he should’ve done the same, but banished the thought as soon as it arose. 

We’ll be back soon enough. 

Lira’s fingers clasped around his while keeping pace, a silent shadow observing the others around her. His leg, aching from exertion the day before, further pronounced his limp as he walked beside friends and neighbors, many of them with hollow or worried faces. Tibs and only a handful of others appeared unbothered by the events set before them. 

The masses followed along the road leading from dirt to cobblestone streets, the homes now constructed of rock and stone, brick and mortar rather than wood and clay chinking the gaps. Galen paused only for a moment before the ground continued to slope to cast his view on the town. He could see fragments of the lake and the way it seamlessly accepted the forest by its banks. He watched the smoke peter out as fires were extinguished or left to fizzle and fade in preparation for The Choosing. 

All around, whispers of years past filled the air like a morning fog, light and obscuring, bringing with it a sense of unease. Rumors of the families who took humans in the past lingered like a foul odor. Fear and unease were tangible. Parents held their children close. Old and young were ushered into the main square, but all eyes, regardless of age and clarity, remained transfixed on the field where the Colossus would appear. Approaching now, Galen had to admit that something did feel off in the air. 

Charged. 

Uneasy, more than he’d experienced in years prior. 

Galen felt Lira’s hand grasping his with a vice-like strength, a subtle tremble threatening to shake his arm too. He squeezed gently and caught her eye as he leaned forward. Wordlessly, he smiled and her anxious features softened, but only for a moment. He wanted to reassure her further. Tell her everything would be okay. That they’d be home before the kettle cooled by the fire. 

But the wind changed. 

As if the earth itself was breathing in, air began to pull inward toward the field. It was a subtle draw like a coastal tide pushing and pulling the water around it. Tense. Charged. The wind sprung to life as it coalesced, swirling and sparking as the harnessed arcane energy pulled apart the air as easily as splitting the seam on a torn cloth. The air opened and crackled at the edges, swirling with a nebulous cloud around it. The seam that split stretched to the sky, grazing clouds from the perspective of all those below, and from that seam figures began to emerge. 

Immense and human-like in their own appearance, the Colossus materialized before the gathering crowd. One. Two. Five. Seven figures stepped out of the arcane cloud as the sigils of magic began to fade, closing the tear they had created to arrive in Galen’s home town. Seeing them in their refined robes that glistened like silver and streaks of lightning was surreal, but not as much as seeing how many were in attendance on this day. 

Seven. 

The most I’ve seen is four, and that’s been years ago. Galen felt the crowd pressing in from behind him and so moved with the crowd, though suddenly feeling an odd reluctance in his own feet. He wasn’t sure if it was feeling Lira’s apprehension or the number of Colossus in attendance for today’s Choosing, but something odd settled in his stomach that was heavy and cold like a stone from the creek in the woods, making him wonder if this was the same unease that Lira was feeling. 

The authorities and other peace keepers lined the streets, all hoping to keep the peace but knowing that this position of power held no sway over who would be called for presentation. Finally in position, Galen readjusted onto his unaching leg, the opportunity to clearly see the Colossus in attendance. 

They could’ve passed for immense statues, easily fifty feet or more tall, except for the subtle turns of their head and the flicks of their eyes across the faces of the crowd. Four, obviously, were part of the guard. Most likely vassal house members summoned for protection, as if the Colossus needed additional protection for a ceremony among humans. Their helms gleamed in the overcast light and their weapons, short swords on their sides and a spear in their hand, shield affixed to their forearms, presented a more formal entourage than in years past. 

Something’s different. Galen looked to the three robed individuals and recognized the older Colossus man as the head of the Amdir family, Velmor Amdir. The creases on his face looked carefully etched, each placed for a reason or purpose. Silver lined his pulled back hair along his ears and the crown of his head, though elements of his hair still clung to the blond-brown it once was. Galen had seen him in previous Choosing ceremonies when it was the Amdir family’s turn, though this commanding, quiet giant seemed to have a strange air about him which unsettled the man. 

The other two, at least in Galen’s eyes, were clearly related to Velmor Amdir. They shared his blond-brown hair, almond shaped eyes, and set jaw. Each stood at his side like senteries, wordless and calculating, and further bolstered the sensation that something was different about today. The one guessed to be the elder of the two, a son, was on Velmor’s right while the younger, a daughter, was to his left. Both close in age and looked to be in their early to mid-twenties if Galen were to guess. Something about the daughter’s eyes, however, felt more penetrative than pensive like her father. 

Without word or gesture, the crowd was brought to silence and the head of the Amdir house spoke, voice gentle but resounding like distant thunder. 

“People of the valley. I am Velmor Amdir, High Lord of the House Amdir, First Seat of the Mountain Council, Warden of the High Holds, and the Unbroken Stone-Oath. Greetings. Salutations to all those in attendance with us today.” He and his children bowed, and the crowd responded in kind. A pause subtly acknowledged the fact that The Choosing was a mandatory event while also expressing gratitude for their submissive attendance. A statement allowing recognition of sentience and free will as well as the reason why subservience was preferred, even with the inherent risks of The Choosing. He straightened to his full height once more and continued the ceremony. 

Lira flinched as she listened to the words, prompting her guardian to draw her closer. 

“Don’t listen to the sound—listen to the meaning. The Colossus speak loud, but that doesn’t make them cruel.” She nodded, but her small fingers dug into his sleeve. Their attention was pulled once more to the High Lord of the House Amdir. 

“Generations ago from afar, using our arcane eyes, we saw your people were being ravaged by beasts unfitting this land and took it upon ourselves to keep such creatures at bay. Guardians. Warriors. Mages. Saviors. Names generations before have given us. In gratitude, your predecessors instated The Choosing, an offering of payment with the lives that were saved so many years ago. Our lives for yours and a favor returned in kind. You’ve been gathered here today, as tradition dictates, for The Choosing, where a select few will be called for, seen, and brought forth for us to decide your fates. The sanctity and fairness of this ceremony symbolizes how, at any moment, everything can be lost, but in that everything can be gained. 

“Marshals, do you have the names of those selected?” 

“We do, Lord Amdir,” replied the head marshal, Brun. In his clearest voice, he stepped up onto the platform and unfurled the scroll, breaking the seal of the town council. “Would the following individuals please step forward and walk across the platform and stand to the side of the platform once you cross.” 

All held their breath as the first names were called. 

Tomas from Brakenford.

Elin from Southmere. 

Kessa from Briarwatch. 

Hadrin from Brakenford. 

Orric from the High Barrows. 

Name after name, person after person, each made their way through the crowd and maneuvered to the stage where they walked across when the marshals signaled to do so. Two marshals had to escort themselves across the platform as did one of the council members, another sign all were subject to The Choosing. 

Galen began to feel the tension easing in his shoulders as the names were beginning to come to an end when he heard it. 

“Galen of North Hollow.” 

The blood in his veins froze, locking him stiff into position. He felt the eyes of his friends and neighbors turn to him, isolating him as they distanced themselves from him; all except Lira, who clung to his side harder. Disbelief numbed him. A tremble started in his core. Sound was distant until Lira’s voice broke through the feeling of freefall seizing Galen. It was a strangled, desperate sound as her knees buckled. 

“Galen! No!” 

Panic began to set in. Instinctively, Galen grasped Lira’s shoulder a little tighter and pulled her close before fumbling for her other shoulder to spin her to face him. He caught his paling features in the reflection of her eyes, something he hated to see as he recognized his own fear staring back at him. The guardian forced a smile he couldn’t feel as he caught Lira’s eyes. 

“Lira, shhh. Sshhhh… it’s okay. It’s all right. Listen to me.” Tears were streaming down Lira’s cheeks, eyes unable to contain their emotion. She was shaking her head over repeatedly as if she could change the name by doing so. 

“Y-you said… you said th-they wouldn’t c-call you,” she choked out. “You s-s-said…”

“I know,” Galen interrupted. Other names were still being called out from the platform. Galen could see two marshals approaching where others had parted, revealing him kneeling down in front of his ward desperately trying to calm her. His eyes flicked to anyone nearby who may take up the mantle to help him, but none came. Gazes quickly averted in an effort to distance themselves, as if simply looking at him would have their names be called next. Galen forced Lira to look at him as his hands and voice shook, smile still etched on his face. “Lira, it’s going to be okay. I just have to walk across th-”

“Lira of North Hollow.” 

Time kept them suspended, each holding the other’s gaze as the information processed in real time. 

Both.

Both of them had been called. 

And now the marshals were at their sides, hands gently touching their shoulders and guiding them to the platform with the others. Galen’s heart shattered. Head bowed in momentary defeat, Galen’s knee squeaked harshly and he had to catch himself to keep from collapsing completely. Words - one of Galen’s talents - failed to form anything meaningful as the two of them were guided toward the wooden platform. Thought, like mist, came and went in swirls, obfuscating the path to something meaningful to say or do. 

At the base of the platform, which seemed immense and towering like the Colossus themselves, Galen forced aside his disbelief and sent the prayer he had in his mind out for Lira to hear. 

“Lira, we will be fine. We just have to walk across the platform. It doesn’t mean they’ve chosen us. They won’t. Stay close to me, and don’t look at them. We’ll cross together. Okay?” reassured Galen. They ascended the stairs, reaching platform after platform until practically flush with the rooftops. The marshals looked at the pair sympathetically as they gestured for Galen and Lira to cross. 

“Stay close to me,” he hissed, grasping Lira’s shoulder. He looked out across the platform, the end almost extending far beyond what was possible, while his heart hammered with increasing intensity. 

Exaggerate your steps. Make your limp obvious. They won’t want a cripple with a young child. Galen coached himself silently. He allowed himself one measured inhalation before daring that first heavy step. His mechanical leg clacked loudly at his command as he exaggerated each step, pulling Lira beside him. Perhaps it was the adrenaline or the fact he’d never been up here before, but Galen’s eyes, already keen, seemed enhanced in this moment. 

The recently stained wood and replaced boards to honor the Colossus and the ceremony. 

The terrified, silent faces of the others who were selected for The Choosing on the other side of the platform. 

Some strange, fresh carvings in the wood which Galen hadn’t noticed until now, not that he’d ever had reason to ascend the platform of The Choosing before this moment. 

Cloak draped over himself and her, the two of them paused on the halfway point just for a moment before hurriedly scampering off toward the others, who seemed to total fifty in all. That impossibly long distance stretched far beyond what was possible until, finally, they reached the end with the others. Lira, saying nothing, curled immediately into Galen’s side, arms wrapped firmly around his midsection. 

Only now did Galen, heart still racing, dare to sneak a glance up toward the Colossus, which filled him with instant regret as his eyes met the Amdir daughter’s gaze. It was hypnotic and unnerving having such immense eyes focus on him. Was it coincidence? Or purposeful? He didn’t know. He didn’t want to know. It felt shameful, but Galen quickly averted his stare to the remaining five who were crossing the platform. 

Why am I afraid? There are others. This is part of the process - The Choosing. The first humans considered it an honor. Why am I afraid? These are the Amdir! They don’t keep the humans they select in The Choosing. 

Galen listened to the others as they prayed or muttered their thanks or dreads into the air before them. The whispering white noise was eerie, but not as much as Lira’s mutters which Galen only heard as the marshals approached the selected to read off the official names of The Chosen. 

“This can’t be… it’s not possible.” Lira’s panic was evident as she gazed up at him, but there was something more. “Galen… I… I have to tell you something.” 

“Those selected for The Choosing, if your name is called, you have been Chosen. When that happens, please step forward and move to the center of the platform,” called the head marshal. 

Galen’s focus, torn, switched from the marshals to Lira. “What is it? Lira, we’re going t-.”

“To be chosen. We’re going to be chosen.” Lira’s interruption raised the hair on the back of Galen’s neck, but he attempted to shrug off the feeling. 

“Lira, you don’t know that. W-.”

“But I… I do,” Lira whimpered. “Galen, I… I want you to believe me. I need you to. Please! We need to leave.” He hated seeing such panic in Lira. Flashes of her tormented by her nightmares filled Galen’s mind. But what could he do? She looked scared. Not just scared - terrified, as if the monsters in her dreams were looming over them. 

Are they? 

“Nalia from North Hollow. Tomas from Brackenford. Orric from the High Barrows. Rennic from Westbarrow. Selena from the High Barrows. Galen of North Hollow. Lira of North Hollow.” 

Galen’s mouth parched instantaneously as his name was called, but it didn’t compare to the sinking in his gut as he heard the name of his ward after his own. More than that - disbelief. How did Lira know? Did she know? Or was it her own apprehension that accidentally predicted this moment. Galen had no time to ask as he and the others were ushered onto the main stage. In years prior, Galen had always felt his heart go out to the people on the podium whose names were called for The Choosing. 

He hoped their hearts were with him and Lira now. 

They don’t keep humans. The Amdir don’t keep humans. Someone’s name needed to be called and it was just our turn. They won’t keep us. They won’t. No matter what, I’m staying with Lira. If… if I’m chosen…

No.

I won’t be. 

We won’t be. 

“Galen?” He looked down at Lira’s tear streaked cheeks. “I’m sorry. I… I d-didn’t think it…” 

“People of the valley. You stand in the shadow of your past and in the traditions born from it.” Lira flinched at the gentle, thunderous voice of Velmor Amdir which broke the silence looming over the crowd. The Colossus’s eyes drifted across the masses gathered and then fell to the seven who stood on the podium in front of them. “For generations, the Amdir have taken only what necessity demanded. We have never destroyed without cause. We have honored life, holding it in the highest regards. These traditions remain because of our code and our promise - to protect and guard your people - and so The Choosing has endured.” 

Velmor looked to the three humans standing just beside Galen and Lira, making eye-contact deliberately before continuing. “Of those selected for The Choosing, know you are here because I hold to the tradition of my forefathers. Nalia from North Hollow. Tomas from Brackenford. Orric from the High Barrows. You three were selected by me, and by me you are returned to your homes and families, for payment is not required for fairness and good deeds. A good deed done in search of reward is motivated by selfishness, and I refuse to stoop to such levels.” 

Nalia, Tomas, and Orric were guided back to the others as they wept and thanked the Colossus for their mercy. Now only Rennic, Selena, Galen, and Lira stood on the platform which was quickly vacating. Galen swallowed hard as he felt Lira’s hands clutching his own as if he were some kind of lifeline keeping her from drifting out to sea; not that he felt like the strong anchor he always tried to be. 

The unease and how quickly the numbers dwindled gave a haunting realism to Lira’s words. Was it possible that the Amdir family would actually keep the four of them? Surely not. They would be returned just as the other three had been. 

Please. Show mercy. Let Lira go if no one else. 

Then the son, standing to his father’s right, spoke. His timbre mimicked that of his father, though softer and simultaneously more calculating than what Galen would have guessed for the young Colossus man. 

“People of the valley. I am Eranth Amdir, Heir of House Amdir, Keeper of the Amdir Banners, The Young Hammer, and Hand of the Stonefathers. This is my first attendance to The Choosing, and I am honored to stand before you in hopes of one day taking up the mantle,” he began, glancing briefly at the four remaining humans before directing his attention back to the gathered masses. “The Amdir have been fair through years of service, though I feel compelled to address that fairness is not the same as softness - weakness. Perceptions of weakness lead to decay and can lead to the breakdown of our societies. As a strong house among the Colossus, it is my belief that mercy and strength go hand in hand.”

Eranth pointed to the older woman standing beside Galen, a column-like finger stretching out and nearly casting the platform in shadow. She trembled and clasped her hands, which only hinted at her middle age. “I return you, Selena from the High Barrows, to your family.” He pointed to the man, who Galen thought might’ve been about Eranth’s age. “Rennic from Westbarrow, I conscript you into service for the Amdir family, where you will assist and serve until dismissed.” 

Shaken, Galen heard an inhuman cry erupt from Rennic as he collapsed to his knees, head cradled in his hands. The marshals were at his side in an instant like shadows, each muttering their apologies and astonished remarks as they both comforted their fellow human and lifted him to the other side of the platform to be prepared for departure. Murmurs of surprise and unease rippled through the crowd as well, creating a swell of noise that ended with all eyes on Galen and his ward. 

It felt unprecedented, and yet all had seen this happen in previous Choosings. The shock undoubtedly came from the mere fact that an Amdir, for the first time in generations, had elected to take someone who was chosen. Other families had done this regularly, but only now did something feel different. 

Galen heard Lira’s words once more. 

We’re going to be chosen. 

Galen? I’m sorry. I… I d-didn’t think it…

What didn’t she think? 

Why was she crying? 

Fear alone? 

Or something else. 

As Galen waited with baited breath, he heard something that sent a chill up his spine, but it wasn’t from the Colossus Amdir daughter standing in front of him. 

It was Lira. 

“People of the valley. I am Serida Amdir, Second-Born of the House Amdir, Lady of the Line, Keeper of the Fourth Hall, Speaker for the Rites, Arcanist of the Unmeasured, and Witness of the Folk.” The words spilled out of the teen in a hushed whisper that only Galen could discern, but he heard every word nonetheless. His heart rate quickened, unclear as to where this was coming from and unable to read Lira’s features as she kept her head down, eyes locked onto the carved sigils Galen had noticed when they first crossed the platform. It wasn’t unsettling to him. Lira had an active imagination and was able to remember things she’d heard after only a single time. 

What unnerved him was hearing the Amdir daughter speak the same words moments later. 

“People of the valley. I am Serida Amdir, Second-Born of the House Amdir, Lady of the Line, Keeper of the Fourth Hall, Speaker for the Rites, Arcanist of the Unmeasured, and Witness of the Folk.” 

The tone and inflection was identical, leaving Galen speechless. Lira continued to shake like a leaf, gaze averted, as she continued to speak softly, mirroring word for word what Serida said as she addressed the crowd. 

“This too is my first Choosing, and such a ceremony is indeed an honor to witness, let alone participate in. It is a humbling position and knowing the power of a name truly shows us how vast this world and the others are. I acknowledge my father’s reminder: the house of Amdir has shown fairness, restraint, and mercy. We are a strong house among the Colossus and must serve as an example to the other houses. I also acknowledge my brother’s sentiments: complacency and weakness are not acceptable when such dangerous foes are constantly testing our boundaries.” 

It was an eerie echo as Serida and Lira spoke in tandem, Galen’s ward only speaking loud enough for him to hear as Serida addressed the gathered crowd. Nausea churned his insides as the man looked disbelievingly from his ward to the Colossus standing in front of them. 

How is she doing this? They’re talking in tandem! How does she know what the Lady Serida is going to say? 

“But…”

“But…”

“Life is not fair.” 

“Life is not fair,” stated the Amdir daughter just after Lira whispered the words. Galen forced himself to appear calm as his insides flipped within him. 

“Lira, how are you doing that?” he breathed, words which seemed to make Lira shrink into herself and silence any further echo. 

“Sacrifice is necessary to protect and provide for others. We have all made sacrifices, some with their lives and others with their means and abilities. For reasons that are my own, I conscript Galen of North Hollow and Lira of North Hollow in my service and the service of the Amdir family where you will assist and serve until dismissed.” 

The world seemed to tilt. Galen’s legs nearly buckled as Lysa collapsed fully into him, sobbing uncontrollably. “No—no—no!” she cried, her voice cracking. The distinct murmur of surprise rippled throughout the crowd, hints of disapproval and worry in their voices. 

“Who’s going to run the shop?”

“First year and the children are taking three? It’s not a sign of things to come, is it?” 

“Poor girl. Off to serve the Colossus.” 

“They usually don’t take one so young. Galen, maybe; but little Lira?” 

Any thought, hope, or prayer Galen had of this being some shared nightmare vaporized as did his desire for someone - anyone - to intervene and prevent their departure. Questions muddled his mind. The surreal moments had stitched together forming the tapestry of what was to come. 

Had this truly happened? 

More importantly, what was next?

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous