Page 59 of Mountain of Mirrors and Starlight
And other shapes in the distance started to move.
“Scatter!”Minerva commanded.
The dwarves split, Beau with them, but Aislinn remained, pinned in place.
Even as the giant moved.
Even as it roared.
Even as it ran.
No thoughts came, only dim and paralysing fear. Stark, shapeless. Crushing.
A hand wrapped around her arm and yanked her into the trees, shoving her against a trunk so hard the breath in her lungs leapt.
“Are you all right?”
Caer.
Somehow, Aislinn found her voice. “Cass was killed by a giant.”
Caer paused. “Your friend.”
“Yes.”
His jaw tightened. “Then you know how to kill these things.”
Aislinn’s resolve strengthened. “Yes,” she agreed.And I know I’m not going to let them kill us.
Caer lifted his sword. “Tell me what to do.”
Aislinn ducked as a splintered tree came soaring overhead, dragging Caer to the floor with her. The other two giants had reached the glade now, tearing up the oaks, roots and all, using them to clear the rest of the forest. The dwarves had divided, separating between the three of them, the wargis circling them too, yapping and biting. One let out a painful whimper as a trunk struck its back.
Beau stood away from the others, hands splayed, vines twisted at his command, wrapping around the legs of one of the giants. His assault paused at the sound of the wargi, eyes darting in its direction.
“Beau!” Aislinn hissed. “Stay focused!”
Beau nodded, his throat trembling.
Aislinn turned to Caer. “They’re resistant to most magic, and their flesh is too thick for our weapons to do much damage—except at their weak points. Namely, the base of their necks.”
“Necks,” Caer muttered. “How are we reaching those… that winged cape of yours doesn’t actually allow you to fly, right?”
Aislinn half snorted. “No,” she said, “but keep the one Beau’s working on distracted, and I’ll find a way.”
“Understood,” Caer said. He fixed her with a look, mouth half open, like he wanted to say something else—and then disappeared.
Aislinn didn’t waste a second. She vaulted towards the giant, skidding across the ground, avoiding another massive swing. She flipped onto vines behind it, and Beau—seeing what she was doing—lifted the roots at her command, allowing her to scramble through the air up to its neck.
A slash wouldn’t be enough. She grabbed hold of the back of its collar with her left hand and moved to plunge her blade at the base of its spine.
An enormous hand reached over to grab her. Its, or another’s, she couldn’t tell. She swung back down, dodging beefy fingers, as a rain of bolts skewered the sky, hitting the hand and embedding itself in the giant’s back.
It roared, grappling for the bolts, but Aislinn seized one and used it to springboard onto the hand and scurry back to the base of its neck.
This time, nothing stopped her.
This time, she struck true.
