Until he left the treetops behind, the giant’s mop of unruly brown and orange hair blended seamlessly with the leaves, as did the solid brown clothes he wore. The man was easily a hundred feet tall.
Lexi glanced wildly at the other trees and held her breath as she waited for more of them to move. Nothing else stirred as the birds continued to sing, and the only thing rustling the leaves was the breeze.
The giant exhaled a breath; it blew back strands of hair that had straggled free of her braid. She saw no maliciousness in his brown eye, but his mouth set into a grim, flat line.
However, it wasn’t furious they were here. She was sure he would have stepped on them if that were the case, but he also wasn’t happy to see them.
“You have no place here, King Colburn,” the giant said in a surprisingly soft voice for his massive size.
“And who are you?” Cole demanded.
“I am Gibborim, and you have no place here.”
“We’re here to recruit help against the Lord,” Cole replied.
“I know why you’re here; we all suspected you’d come, so I’ve been waiting in the woods for you, but you have no place in our realm. You must know that.”
“Andyoumust know the Lord is turning on all the realms. He doesn’t belong on the throne, and the woman standing beside me is the last arach and rightful ruler of Dragonia.”
The giant’s eye flicked to her, and he gave a subtle nod. “By now, I think almost everyone has heard of the last arach. You’ve become a thing of legends, little one.”
Normally, thelittleonecomment would have irritated her, but shewaslittle compared to this man. Besides, she wasn’t about to pick a fight with someone who could splat her with their hand.
“They should probably make some new legends then,” she said.
A corner of the giant’s mouth twitched toward a smile before flattening again. “One can hope you live up to those legends.”
“Why would you want that if you’re not going to help us?” she asked.
“The Lord has our queen. We will stand behind him while she is his captive.”
This revelation astounded Lexi. “How did he capture her?”
“We are giants, but we are not infallible. The Lord lured our king and queen to Dragonia under false pretenses. They have not returned since.”
* * *
Cole recalledthe giant’s head mounted to the wall in the Lord’s solar. “Your king is dead.”
Gibborim’s eye closed and remained that way for a few heartbeats before he opened it again. “That is what we’ve heard.”
“I have seen the head; the Lord killed him,” Cole said. “And hewillkill your queen.”
“Yes, if we go against him. Which is why we will not do so.”
“He’ll kill her no matter what.”
“No, he won’t. Unlike the rulers in many other realms, our king and queen are beloved here. We’ll do anything for them, including fight for a man who would see the realms destroyed. You should leave, King Colburn.”
“Why not turn us in?” Cole inquired.
“It’s not you who I seek to protect.” His eye went to Lexi. “I wish my queen to be safe, and I will go to war against you to ensure her life, but I also won’t take out the only one who could save us from the Lord’s wrath. Go now, before I change my mind.”
Cole took Lexi’s hand as he spoke to the giant. “Aren’t you concerned about what will happen if we win if you stand against us?”
“Aren’t you concerned I’ll kill you now if you threaten me?”
“No, I’m not.”
