Once Upon Another Time, page 4
A few waved back, and a warm feeling spread through Lena’s chest. It’d taken her twelve years to get to the ritual, but it was finally going to pay off, and she was going to have actual giant friends!
Her village surrounded the enormous castle of the giant king, which was the destination of several giant villages from around the clouds. From this height, Lena could actually make out the patched holes where supposedly humans had climbed enormous bean plants to steal from the last giant king, but Lena figured those were just tall tales.
What kind of bean plant grew this high off the ground? No, the only way up would have been by mountain, and the closest one was miles away. But most unbelievable of all was how the story ended, with the giant king, Ferdinand the Enormous, chasing a human thief down to the ground, only to be defeated.
Defeated by a human.
A tiny human about as big as the sole of the giant’s boot.
Nope, there was no way. And besides, most of the humans in the village below had no idea there were giants living above them, except for Mrs. Hubbard and the Last Knight, of course, both of whom Lena had shared her secret with.
King Denir, Ferdinand’s younger brother, told the story of his brother’s death by humans often enough at gatherings that even Lena had managed to hear it, both by listening secretly at her usual size and on the rare occasions she wore the Growth Ring and was allowed out in public. King Denir used the story to go on and on about what horrible, thieving, murderous creatures humans were.
But considering Lena had met more than a few humans, and found them friendly and non-murderous, she couldn’t believe the story had any truth to it, no matter how often King Denir told it.
As they reached the back of the line of giants leading into the castle, Lena’s mother pulled her to the side of the path and out of earshot of the assembling giants. Her father noticed too late to stop and got swept inside the castle’s gate along with the rest of the mob, waving helplessly back at them.
“Okay, what are you planning?” her mother asked, giving Lena a long stare.
Lena’s heart began racing. “Nothing!” she said quickly. “I’m just really excited to be coming to the ritual for the first time!”
“There’s something up, I know it,” her mother said, looking even more suspicious now. “Well, either way, you’re staying at the back of the castle’s great hall with me, and you are not to participate in the ritual, no matter what.”
Instead of racing, her heart almost stopped at this. “What? But that’s the whole point of coming! I’m old enough, and was invited!”
“I don’t care,” her mother said. “The Spark is pure magic, and if you touch it, who knows how it would mess with your Growth Ring. You might change back to your regular size. We can’t take that chance.”
Lena’s eyes widened as she couldn’t believe what was happening. “You’ve told me that the Spark is healing magic, and it keeps giants healthy and living for centuries. It wouldn’t affect my ring!”
“I’m not willing to take that chance,” her mother said, crossing her arms. “You’re here to see the ritual, nothing more.” Seeing the horror on Lena’s face, she sighed. “And when we go home, I’ll make your favorite pumpkin pancakes, okay? If you’re good.”
Lena could feel her face begin to heat up, and she bit the inside of her mouth. All her waiting, all her dreams of getting to live like a normal giant, and now her mother was going to stop her, right before it all happened? “This isn’t right!” she said finally. “Why do you keep trying to hide me?”
A few nearby giants looked over as Lena’s voice got louder, and her mother waved at them, then turned back to Lena, her own face now red as well. “This is for your safety, young lady,” she growled. “Why can’t you see that?”
“It’s not for my safety,” Lena said, glaring at her mother. “It’s because you’re embarrassed. Embarrassed that I’m not normal!”
Her mother drew back like she’d just been slapped, then narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that,” she hissed. “But we’re going to have a very long talk when we get home. And no pumpkin pancakes!”
“You think I care about pancakes?” Lena said, practically yelling now, and more giants turned to look. “Make your rules—I don’t even care anymore. I’m not a coward. Real giants face what they’re afraid of and stomp it right into the ground! Giants fight to show their might! I’m going to participate in the ritual, touch the Spark, and get my name like every other giant my age. And if you try to stop me, you’ll just have to explain to the whole castle why! So let’s see who’s actually afraid here.”
And with that, she turned and slipped past the line into the castle, where the crowd was so thick she managed to leave her mother behind, uselessly calling Lena’s name.
“Hey, I saw you cut the line!” an older giant shouted as she went.
She pushed him lightly out of the way, knocking him into the nearby castle wall hard enough to shake it, and the other giants immediately made room for Lena, her face burning like the sun. How could her mother be so cruel? This was all she’d wanted since she could remember, just being a normal, regular giant. And to take it away when it was all so close? What kind of monster did that?
This is for your safety, she heard her mother’s voice say in her mind. But that was ridiculous. What possible danger would the other giants be, no matter what they found out? She was one of them, not some dangerous human, no matter how much she might look like one!
The farther she went into the castle, the less she could hear her mother calling her name, and soon she decided her mother must have given up and followed. But that didn’t matter. She’d find her father somewhere in the great hall, the only room big enough to contain the giants from several villages. And there he was, saving two seats near the back, one for her and the other for her mother, who still hadn’t managed to make her way in yet.
“I thought I lost you two,” her dad said, then looked back over his shoulder and realized it was only Lena standing there. “Where’s your mom?”
“She’s too embarrassed by me,” Lena said, her eyes locked on King Denir, an older giant who managed to look imposing, in spite of his shorter height, by standing on a platform above them all. He wore an elaborate cape and clothes, far richer than any other giant’s, and looked impatient as he waited at the front of the great hall for everyone to be seated. The Spark itself shone in a tiny, human-sized bowl on a pedestal next to the Sparktender, a giant named Creel, himself dressed in long, flowing gray robes. “She’s hiding in the back, not sure if she’ll make it.”
“What a joker, your mom,” her dad said, barely listening.
Lena glanced behind her and spotted the top of her mother’s hair above the crowd. She’d find her way to their seats before the ritual started, which meant she’d be able to stop Lena from going through with her plan. Lena turned back forward, frantically looking for another seat, only to see an open one right in the front row.
Perfect.
“Be right back,” she told her dad, then stood up.
“Okay, but don’t take long,” he said. “The ritual’s about to start!”
She just grinned at him, then left to grab the last seat in the front. Soon she’d be an official member of the village, and everyone would know exactly who she was. Finally, her parents would learn there was nothing to worry about.
And would Lena love to see the look on her mother’s face when that happened.
CHAPTER 8
The Faceless stared at Jin in silence, or so he assumed, since he wasn’t sure if they could even speak or not. Either way, they weren’t answering his question about the Cursed City. Unless pointing their swords was their answer, he supposed.
“We don’t really need those, do we?” Jin asked, reaching out to push one of the swords away. “We all work for the Golden King—”
The moment he touched the blade, though, he screamed in pain and immediately yanked his hand back as his body abruptly felt weak. His knees began to buckle, and little spots began exploding before his eyes. What was going on? No earthly weapon should be able to hurt him, not his true self. What kind of magic did these things have?
“You are not human,” one of the Faceless said, its voice an echoing chorus, as if the empty armor reflected it over and over. A skittering noise like insects erupted as each of the Faceless moved closer, and Jin quickly put up his hands in surrender.
“No, I’m not!” he said, watching the nearest sword nervously. “But I’m on your side! The Golden King, he told me to come here. And you answer to him too… right?”
The Faceless didn’t respond and just moved in closer, forcing Jin to flinch away from the blades. He tried to reach out with his senses to figure out what these weapons were and how they could do… whatever it was that they’d done to him, but somehow his innate magic just seemed to disappear when he turned it on their swords.
Hey, cosmic knowledge, what is going on here? he shouted in his head.
Oh, interesting! the reply came, making Jin wince. Whenever the cosmic knowledge found something interesting or fascinating, it always seemed to end badly for him. Those swords are made of shadow magic. Don’t touch one.
Don’t touch one? Jin screamed at the voice. I might not have a choice in the matter! Is that really the best information you have for me?
Shadow magic grows in power by absorbing regular, natural magic. You know, the stuff you’re made of.
Oh great! Jin shouted in his mind, then turned back to the Faceless. “Really, I’m just looking for the Last Knight. I’m supposed to capture him. That’s probably what you’re here to do too, right? All of us under orders from the Golden King?”
The Faceless closest to him leaned in. “We do seek the Last Knight and the Cursed City,” he said, that same, echoing voice even creepier up close. It was almost like the armor was full of creatures, all speaking at the same time. Except from the empty helmet, that didn’t exactly make sense either. Were they spirits as well, like Jin? “But we have been told nothing of you, genie. If you cannot prove the Golden King sent you, we will follow our standard orders concerning nonhuman creatures.”
Standard orders? The Golden King had banned all the elves, dwarfs, and other magical creatures, claiming they were a danger to ordinary humans. Did that mean he’d sent his Faceless armies after them? Just when Jin thought the king couldn’t get any worse, he went and did something like that. “I can prove I work for him! What do you want to know? I was the one who won him the chancellorship! Ask me anything!”
The skittering noises came back as the Faceless straightened up. “What is the Golden King’s true name? Only his trusted servants are allowed such information.”
Right, his name! Jin almost laughed in relief. His name. The Golden King’s name. The one he’d introduced himself to Jin with, before he started calling himself the Golden King, back before winning the chancellorship.
His name. His name.
Jin sighed deeply, wanting to punch something. How could he have forgotten the king’s name?
Because you were barely paying attention and didn’t really care, the cosmic knowledge provided helpfully.
Okay, that’s on me. So tell me his name, then! You must know it.
That’s right, I do, the knowledge said. But that’s no way for you to learn a lesson.
Jin growled in frustration, only to freeze as the swords pushed in closer. “Sorry, just going through my memories of when we first met!” he said quickly. “I definitely remember it starting with a D.”
The skittering noise returned, and the Faceless all drew their swords back, ready to strike. “That is incorrect.”
“No, wait!” Jin said, holding his hands up to protect himself, not that it’d make any difference. “I know he said it was D something. Dis! He called himself Dis!”
The Faceless looked at one another, then attacked, driving their swords toward him.
“ ‘My name is Dis,’ he said!” Jin shouted, leaping backward. His foot slammed against a rock, sending him tumbling to the ground, where he quickly covered his face with his arms, hoping that if he did have his magic stolen, at least it wouldn’t be painful. “Or maybe without the ‘name’ part? My-Dis? Was that it?”
The nearest shadow blade stopped just inches from Jin’s face. After a moment to make sure they really weren’t going to drain his magic, Jin dropped his arms again to find the Faceless returning their horrible death swords to their scabbards.
“His name is Midas,” the closest one said. “You appear to have his trust. And a poor memory.”
Jin almost wanted to cry, he was so happy. “That’s so true! I have the worst memory in the world. But you’re totally right, it was Midas.”
Lucky guess, the cosmic knowledge said.
Oh, like you were such a help.
“Well, now that we’re all allies,” Jin said, standing up and dusting himself off, “what say we go find this Cursed City and this Last Knight person, so the king doesn’t turn us all into gold statues?”
All of the Faceless turned away now, except the one that had been addressing him. “There is an old, deep magical spell protecting the Cursed City,” the Faceless said. “Only those with no ill intent toward its inhabitants can find it. All others will be turned away, without even realizing it.”
Jin’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh really? So you’d be walking toward it, then find yourself back in the place you started, that kind of thing?”
“We have searched for the Cursed City for days, yet are no closer to reaching it,” the Faceless told him, and Jin almost felt sorry for the creepy, insect-sounding creatures. Almost.
“I bet I can find it!” Jin said, nodding confidently. “After all, I don’t have any ill intent. Not toward anyone. Not toward you walking horrors, or the annoying, arrogant humans that seem to cover this world like some kind of fungus, no one. It shouldn’t affect me at all.” He started walking down the closest path, only to stop. “Is this the way?”
The Faceless lifted a hand and pointed in the opposite direction.
“Right,” Jin said, and strode off down the path the Faceless had pointed out.
A few moments later, he found himself back in the clearing, the Faceless looking at him expectantly.
“Huh,” he said, frowning. “Maybe I have more ill will than I thought! This might be a problem.”
CHAPTER 9
Welcome, everyone,” King Denir the Raging declared, a sparkling ring of gold around his head and a luxurious cape of purple covering up the rest of his finery. He spread out his arms toward the assembled townsfolk in the grand hall. “Welcome to our sacred Ritual of the Spark, where the children of our villages will take their first steps toward adult gianthood! Please make room for all, if you can.”
Lena rubbed her sweaty hands on her pants and glanced back to see if her mom had made it any farther in. She saw two teenage giants sit down next to her father in the seats he’d been holding for Lena and her mom. Her dad started to say something, then just shrugged. Apparently her mother was going to be stuck in the back. This was working out almost too well.
“Let us begin,” the king said, and gestured for the Sparktender, Creel the Wise, who stepped forward, nodding at the assembled giants. He picked up the bowl that held the Spark and raised it high.
“My friends,” Creel said, looking up at the Spark. “We giants were entrusted with the Spark of Life many centuries ago, to protect it and its healing powers from those who would use its magic for evil—”
“Humans, in other words,” the king said, a disgusted look on his face.
“And to use it to ensure our good health,” Creel continued, lowering the Spark and holding it in front of his chest. “The Ritual of the Spark was established when we lost King Denir’s brother—”
“Murdered by those filthy earthbound creatures!” the king said, spit flying from his mouth.
“To unify the various giant tribes within the clouds,” Creel finished. “As the Spark represents the fire of life within us, it is only right that its power heals and renews us, giving giants the long life we currently enjoy.”
“And signifies the burning hate we have for the thieving humans,” the king said, and Lena heard Creel sigh quietly. He glanced down at her with a sad frown, then looked away quickly, making Lena nervous. Did Creel… know?
But he was the one who’d sent out the invitations. If he had a problem with her real size, why ask her to come to the ritual?
“And so, as our children will one day become the elders in our tribe, let us welcome them now and grant them the same responsibility we share, to protect and cherish the Spark, the symbol of our power,” Creel said, then smiled at the crowd. “After which, I understand there will be plenty of food and celebration, so let’s do this quickly and get to the fun part.”
The crowd laughed. “Now,” Creel said, “would the children of appropriate age please step forward?”
He moved aside to make room as the other twelve-year-olds began to line up. Sitting so close, Lena managed to snag the first place in line and couldn’t help but grin nervously at Creel as she waited.
As the line formed, Lena heard her name called out in a whisper from somewhere in the back. She turned and threw a quick look over her shoulder to find her mother gesturing at her frantically, shaking her head violently. But Lena just smiled in return, knowing there wasn’t much her mother could do to stop her at this point, barring making a huge scene.
“And so, the time of the ritual is here,” Creel said, nodding at her to step forward. “Children of the clouds, please touch the Spark’s flame, and let it burn any sickness or ill health from your body. And then I shall bestow upon each of you the true name that will—”
“Hold, please, Sparktender,” the king said, and Creel froze, then bit his lip, slowly turning to look at Denir. Lena did the same and found that the king had locked eyes on her, and not in a friendly, inviting sort of way. In fact, he was glaring at her with such hatred that she felt her knees start to buckle.
