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Magenta eyes twinkled. “How do you feel about scaling the exterior of that majestic castle until we reach its top tower?”
Bad idea,her mind told her, especially since she was probably worse at hiking and scaling stuff…heights.
“Scaling how?” she asked cautiously.
“Magic.” He held out a hand, where his fingers shimmered slightly. “Or you can let me hold you and I can scale it for both of us. Let’s just say protective shields aren’t my only specialty.”
It was crazy how that look of mischief made her already want to nod her head, knowing he wouldn’t lie to her about skills and had already proven that with his repeated protection. Emerald hesitated for a few seconds. Then she clasped his offered hand.
“I’m…not a very good climber. Not without magic. Most of my skills are dependent on magic.”
The confession had him perusing her, but there was no judgment. He smiled. “Then you should hold on to me. Tightly, if you want. I don’t mind.”
Were they still talking about the climb? She wasn’t sure. Was he flirting with her? She was half sure of it, especially when his expression challenged her to flirt back. The heady feeling told her she wasn’t irritated by it anymore, which bewildered her and made her want to just…respond. Instead, Emerald bit her tongue and maintained her cool tone.
“I’m sure there’s no need for all that caution. I won’t slip.”
Unfazed, he nodded and let go of her hand first, taking the electric charge with him. She watched his back as he made progress across the field, then stood up to follow him—
The ground shook again and the boulder in front of her crumbled. Then realization slammed that it was moving, not crumbling, before a rocky hand snatched her and encumbered her in darkness.
She braced for the pain and for death to take her swiftly. Then she made a sound when the hand just tightened into a fist, trapping her as the rest of the boulder—giant—started its walk toward the castle.
Emerald tried to push with all her might. She thrashed next, a futile attempt as there was no space to even navigate around inside the fist. When all physical exertion failed, she finally resorted to her magic, thinking up how to use it before she just tried to blast it off her hands. Shock petered inside her when the first shot didn’t budge the giant. The next few attempts confirmed a suspicion that had never been in the books, leaving her numb as she stopped blasting.
“Rick?” she tried, then called out louder, trying to see through the gaps of the fingers first. But there was none. “Rick!”
The lack of response had her wondering if he had been taken, too, but there was no way to confirm. Instead, it was minutes of being locked in that fist and swung around repeatedly until her head was spinning, forcing her to stop shouting and focus on herself.
She tried magic once more, then a second series of pushing. When the dizziness heightened to an unbearable degree, she stopped altogether and tried to be as still as possible, sick to her stomach and fighting the urge to throw up. It felt like the trek was endless. And then it wasn’t, as a door was slammed open and more doors creaked before she was released from the grasp and shaken to the ground.
Emerald fell on her butt, biting back a groan when it smarted. She scrambled to her feet, ready to run until she noted the iron bars surrounding her. A peek down confirmed that she wasn’t on steady ground either, the floor seemingly so far below and adding confusion to her already spinning mind. She willed herself to calm down, then took stock of her surroundings when the need to vomit abated.
She was in a cage, one resembling a birdcage, and connected to the ceiling via chains. More cages littered that ceiling, empty except for bones in some. The lack of a stench told her those bones weren’t fresh, but…
“Holy shit,” she whispered, then was reminded of Rick. Where was he?
Fear froze her at the thought of him dead before shuffling footsteps caught her attention. She peeked down once more, her mouth dropping open when she zoned in on the giant entering the room. This one was female and still partially rocky, but already shedding off most of it to reveal skin and a figure like the first one. The female giant hauled a cauldron inside the room, already filled with water. Neither made a sound as if the castle absorbed all the lumbering weight. The giant took a basket out and tossed mounds of regular-sized spices in it before lighting a fire below it.
Holy shit,her mind repeated as the water steamed and the giant stirred the spices. The giant hummed in contentment. Panic bloomed and had Emerald gripping the iron bars.
“I’m not delicious,” she called out. “I’m not meaty and juicy either, so I don’t think cooking me in that cauldron is a good idea.”
She thought she saw the stirring slow down, but it resumed its pace before she could confirm. The giant didn’t respond.
“Hello?” she tried again. Then she straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. “Okay, let’s try this again. You don’t seem to understand, so I would like to make it clearer. I’m not like them.”
Silence.
“These…bones in these cages, who were alive like me once, were probably trying to take advantage of you. Maybe they were stealing your treasure or invading your home, but that’s the last thing I want to do. I’m just passing by and have no intentions whatsoever for you and your kind. Harming you or trespassing isnotwhat I’m here for.”
Silence.
“I can be an ally if that’s what you want. We can come to an agreement wherein I can be of service to you for a limited time in exchange for my release. I have a knack for that. Cooking me and eating me just seems…futile for the likes of me.”
Silence.
“Let’s talk about it. Aren’t you even going to ask what I am?”
