“Perhaps this wasn’t the best decision,” she thought to herself with doubt as she looked down to the ground below.
**********
Mouchard knelt down to examine the footprints, and he gazed at the forest that surrounded him.
“Where is she?” he asked himself, and he waited quietly as the stillness in the wood smothered him. “The birds and beasts make no sounds. She must be near.”
When he rose to his feet, a twig snapped beneath his boot, and Mouchard’s heart raced with adrenaline. It would have been a shame if he had revealed himself so carelessly. With a start he whirled around in desperation to catch a glimpse of any other movement in the nearby forest. There was none, and he swallowed once as his heart rate calmed and returned to normal. Out of the corner of his eye, he did manage to catch sight of what he had been looking for: activity. He kept quiet and deathly still as he waited to see what was moving in the forest. A head popped out of the leaves, and he realized that he had been spooked needlessly by a monkey. The simian climbed the tree slowly, and the furry little beast disappeared into the upper canopy. With a bound, the primate leaped to the next tree where it nearly slid off into oblivion as it wrapped its legs around the limb and climbed upward to the next limb. Then it repeated the leaping from that tree to the next and so on until it disappeared over the ridge.
“Monkeys,” he mumbled to himself as he shook his head. Carefully Mouchard crept along the foot prints, and when he reached the tree where he had spotted the monkey, the trail disappeared. Kneeling down on all fours, he hunted the woodland floor for the next set of prints, but he could not find any. “Where did she go? Did she circle back?” he asked himself as he turned around and followed the foot prints back out the way he had come.
**********
Beni smiled at her ingenuity as she strolled through the forest, and when she had reached the next hilltop, she studied the giant castle that stood before her. It was much older and much darker than she had remembered, and a dread filled her heart as she returned to her home. Placing Crush onto the ground, she set him loose to begin his quest within the castle.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me, Beni?” Crush asked the giantess.
“No, I think it would be unwise,” she said as she backed away into the darkness of the brush. “My sister would notice me, and there would be trouble for us both. As it is, you should be able to sneak inside with my help,” she insisted as she handed a trinket to Crush. The item was formed of gold with a black orb at one end and a pinpoint at the other, and it appeared to be an earring of some sort. “Keep this with you. When you reach the prison, speak into the jewel and the prison doors will all open. It was a safety feature that we worked out in case there was an emergency inside of the castle.”
“Weird,” Crush replied as he looked at his reflection in the orb. “I’ll never get used to this magic stuff,” he said as he looked back up at Beni. “Anything else I should know?”
“Yes. Don’t get caught,” she instructed.
“Yeah, I’ll try not to let you down.” Then Crush gave the dragon’s tooth to Beni in exchange. “Keep this for me. If I don’t return, please take the tooth to the mines and give it to the dwarf, Sean. He’ll know what to do with it.”
“Have no fear. You will be back,” Beni countered as she placed the tooth into her pocket. “Now get moving.”
**********
The sky was a clear purple, and the wind felt cool and fresh as it passed over the many scales of his belly. With a flap of his mighty wings, the dragon passed over the shoreline of the river, where far below him, an unseen group of giants emerged from the long swim across the channel. They were dripping wet with freshwater as they heard the roar of the fearsome beast echo across the top surface of the water, and Captain Colere discerned that some treachery was at work. He had been led astray by Mouchard somehow, and as the first line of the giant’s defense between the river and the forest, he had failed in his duties. The castle now lay vulnerable to the dragon’s terrible wrath, and thanks to Mouchard, he and his men had a river positioned between themselves and the forest. Colere had been only a child trapped in the basement of the castle when the dragon had burned the fortress to the ground, and a chill traveled up his spine as the ferocious wyvern thundered across the sky.
Chapter 3
*
Prisoner Redemption
*
Beni climbed the vines that hung along the outside of the castle, and she placed Crush upon the upper ledge of the curtain wall. Scaling back down and hiding within the edge of the forest, she left the DAM field agent to his task of freeing the slaves. Crush climbed over the top of the wall, and with his claws extended from his fingertips, he scrambled down the inside wall to the ground below. Within the walls of the castle where he stood, there was a row of hedges that decorated the perimeter, and he found himself cleverly hidden between the hedges and the wall. Beyond the hedges, there was an open field that separated him from the castle’s keep. There were guards posted along the outside of the keep where the prisoners were confined in the cells of the upper floors, and he reasoned that he would have to sprint across the open yard to the massive wooden door at ground level in order to enter. He also needed to find an easy means of escape through the outer walls if the prisoners were to have a decent chance of escaping to freedom out into the forest. Scanning the surroundings, Crush noted the presence of a set of unguarded wooden double doors along the outer wall of the castle, and he raced over behind the hedges to get a better look at the possibility of using the doors as an exit for the prisoners. When he had reached the doorway, he found that one of the doors was cracked open toward the outside of the castle, and voices permeated from the inside out. The outer perimeter of the castle was obviously guarded, and he had hoped that he would be able to lead the prisoners through the doors without being detected. It seemed now that everything he had planned was extremely risky, but he knew that fretting over the obstacles would only slow him down. If he could keep this exit door open, the prisoners would at least have a means of getting out of the castle walls. On the ground next to the wall, he found a large stone that he could use to keep the door propped open. He picked up the boulder and jammed it into the seam between the molding of the doorway and the hinges, and then he slunk back along the wall toward the keep. With a hurried sprint, he bolted across the open grounds, hoping that no one would see him as he went. There was a guard in charge of the keep, and he had his back turned to Crush as he whistled a tune.
Upon reaching the outer wall of the keep, he hid behind a downspout and waited for the giant guard to stroll by. Crush was surprised at how lackadaisical the security of the prison appeared to be, and he reasoned that the giants were only concerned with other giants and that they must believe that no human would ever want to break into the giant’s castle anyway.
“I guess breaking into a giant’s castle is crazy,” he thought to himself as he snuck up on the sentry who guarded the prison entrance. The watchman had a key ring suspended from around his belt, and there did not appear to be any reason for him to be concerned with opening the door. “Now what?” Crush asked himself as he hid behind the giant guard’s boots.
**********
Beni stood back with her arms folded within the shade of the forest, and she tapped her fingers nervously on her forearm as she waited for Crush to complete his deed. If he were able to break into the prison keep, he would use the earring to release the prisoners, and chaos would ensue. She pictured the results within her head, the humans scrambling about senselessly and Crush waving his arms to get their attention and trying to lead them in a line out of the castle walls. She did not doubt Crush’s bravery or intelligence, but it was a silly plan in her opinion, one doomed to failure, and she knew deep inside that if she did not intervene, the humans would be captured or killed within minutes of their release. Crush’s valiant efforts would be wasted, and all because
Beni had been selfish with her own safety.
“It was Crush’s actions that led to your release from the pendant. It was Crush’s gift of a four-leaf clover that brought my memory back, too,” she argued with herself. She realized that he needed her help to finish his calling, and Beni furled her eyebrows and straightened her arms by her side. With a renewed purpose, she would march right into the castle and help the only friend that she had in this world to achieve his goals. She raised one foot to step out into the light when an arm reached around her neck, and she felt the cold tip of a blade resting upon her kidney. The hot breath of the assailant issued across her ear, and she knew that she had been caught.
“Those are interesting tricks you can perform, princess,” the familiar voice spoke. “I have a few of my own, and I would hate to have to use them on such a beautiful lady. So don’t tempt me,” Mouchard threatened as he led her out into the daylight. Step by step, he forced her toward the castle, and though she had resolved to go in and help Crush, she wanted to enter again under her own rules and certainly not under coercion. With the knife digging into her back and the arm around her throat, Beni found it difficult to resist the compulsion.
“What do you intend to do with me?” she asked as they moved closer to the castle.
“With you? Nothing. I made a promise to your sister that I would bring you back, and so I have,” he answered and kept the pressure on her to carry on.
“Did you notice that I came back here even without your intimidation, Mouchard? I will be sure to tell my sister as much. She will love to hear about how I escaped your feeble clutches,” Beni added. “I am not so sure that you will want to be around when Queen Dowager hears the tale, though.”
“You tricked me once before, princess. Don’t forget that I was there when you were captured the first time by your sister. This time will be no different,” he argued, though the tension in his grip had changed ever so slightly.
“Really? What will you do when the dragon returns, hmm? Will you release me then?”
“The dragon is trapped within Scalus Mountain as he has been for many years,” Mouchard countered nervously for he knew there was power in her words.
“I saw the dragon myself, and he was not bound within the cave. He was there of his own choosing, and now he has been angered, tempted to leave the confines of the mountain. The beast will come, and he will burn us all to the ground,” she warned.
“Let us keep our thoughts on the problem at hand. My only concern is to deliver you to your sister, and this business of dragons can wait,” he reasoned as they neared the double front doors where an armed guard stood by with a spear in hand. “You there! Guard! Open the door for Mouchard!” he ordered.
The guard was focused on standing at attention, and he angled his head toward the two approaching giants. This was what he saw. Queen Dowager stood before him wearing a gown of jewels that flowed from her shoulders to her knees. A dirty, hairy arm was wrapped around her neck, and a river vagrant stood behind her, holding his queen captive. On alert, the castle guard lowered his spear toward them and crouched in a defensive position as Mouchard and Beni slowed to a sudden halt.
“Guard! What are you doing?! Let us through!” Mouchard shouted.
“Let her go, you tramp!” the castle guard swore as he lunged at them. With the ease of a skilled combatant, the guard snaked the dull end of the spear between Mouchard and Beni and pried them apart. The battle was on then as the guard stood between Mouchard and Beni, and the sentry motioned for Beni to flee to safety within the castle walls. Beni heeded his advice and fled between the cracked doors to look back only once to see the guard poke Mouchard in the belly with the dull end of the spear. She slammed the door closed as she ran inside the castle, but the unseen rock in the molding forced the door to creak open again. The giantess found herself exposed in the open field between the outer wall and the keep, and she quickly scanned the area for the field agent, but Crush was nowhere in sight. Pressed for time, she ran toward the guard that stood patiently before the prison doors, and when she arrived, she bowed down in respect before asking the guard for entry. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Crush come out from behind a downspout that was mounted to the wall.
“Miss, can I help you?” the prison guard asked with a smile. Beni could not be sure if her magic worked on him or not, and since they were rushed for time, she did not care.
“Yes, please. I was sent to select a set of slaves to prepare for transport,” she said off the top of her head. She was hoping to distract the guard in any way that she could so that Crush could sneak by. The guard appeared to be quite puzzled by the announcement of a slave transfer, and he retained his place between her and the door.
“Normally, we are not allowed to let anyone inside without Queen Dowager’s permission,” he said as he stood resolute. “Do you have any papers to authenticate your request?”
“No, I do not. Queen Dowager herself arranged for the preparation time with the warden. The papers should be waiting within his office, if you will please escort me inside to confirm,” she explained as she gently touched his arm. The guard looked down at her fingertips with a grin, and he reached down to his belt to retrieve the keys. Apparently, he trusted her enough not to risk angering Queen Dowager, and he returned a friendly smile.
“I can let you in, but I am required to stand watch at my post at all times. You will have to proceed alone to the warden’s office,” he said confidently as he flipped through the key ring to find the correct one. He held the key to the light, and when he was certain of his choice, he inserted the key into the lock and turned the tumblers. With a click, the door jarred loose, and the guard pulled the handle outward to let Beni pass. Again she touched his arm to linger by his side for a moment, and the guard felt goose bumps travel up his arm at her touch. Unbeknownst to him, Crush passed through the doorway and disappeared into the corridor of the keep while the guard was distracted by Beni’s attentive display.
“If it would not be too much to ask, could you please leave the door unlocked for me upon my return?” she requested of the guard as she gently stroked his forearm. Overcome with an unusual physical chemistry, the guard simply nodded his agreement, and Beni passed through the doorway to follow Crush into the prison. Turning back toward the unlocked door, she experienced a pang of guilt at her deception, and she hoped that the guard would not have to pay a terrible price by falling for her treachery. There was nothing she could do for it, so she swallowed her guilt and went about the task at hand.
Crush had arrived at the prison corridor which contained the holding cells for the humans, and he had drawn the earring out when Beni finally arrived. With a brush of his hand, he rubbed the rounded jewel of the earring, and a sound wave burst from the ornament as he held it up by the metal pin. The spell was cast from the jewel, and one by one, each floor of caged doors in the prison clicked open. Prisoners poured out of their holding rooms into the greater room, and they stared blankly at their liberators.
“To freedom!” Beni cried as she pumped her fist into the air. The result was baffling to both Beni and Crush. Instead of rushing toward the exit, the prisoners seemed confused by the announcement from the giantess, and they milled about as if they distrusted her words.
“You are free!” Crush shouted as he strode out into the center of the great room. “Unless you would like to be captured and delivered to the mountain, follow me to your freedom!” he exclaimed and marched out of the chamber and into the hallway toward the open exit. Some, but not all, of the people fell in behind the strange cat-man, and Beni headed to the exit to open the door for them. With a kick of her boot, she thrust the prison door open and knocked the guard off balance, sending him face first into the ground. With a merciful blow from the butt of Mouchard’s sword to the back of his head, she finished the job of rendering the guard unconscious, and led by Crush, the prisoners spilled out into the courtyard like a ferocious a
rmy of ants.
“I hope this buys you the excuse you will need,” Beni said as she patted the stunned prison guard on the back before heading for the double doors of the outer wall. There were so many prisoners covering the grounds of the courtyard that she had to skirt the outer edges to keep from stepping on anyone. Crush led the crowd to the outer wall, and they poured through the gap in the double doors until a bottleneck of humans formed on one side of the doors. The crowds then parted for Beni as she leaned on the door and forced it fully open. On the other side, the guard of the outer wall was shackling Mouchard face first on the ground when the crowd burst through, and Beni used her telepathy on the guard to paint a more appropriate picture for him. In his mind, Queen Dowager was holding the door open and blowing him a kiss.
“Stranger things have happened,” Beni thought to herself about the deception as the last of the crowd pushed through the outer wall. With a whistle and a song, she called for some help from her friends in the forest, and two malcoons arrived on the scene very shortly afterward. Handing Crush the precious dragon’s tooth, she picked him up and placed him on the back of the beast. “Take care of these people, Crush. They depend on you. The malcoons will carry you back to the front entrance of the mountain.”
“How will they know the way?” Crush asked.
“I have shown them,” Beni replied, and then she lifted handfuls of people at a time onto the backs of the beasts until she had cleared the ground of prisoners. Upon finishing, she blew Crush a kiss and tapped the beasts upon the rump, and the malcoons started off into the forest toward the mountain in the distance. They trotted off around the far wall of the castle at a brisk pace, and Crush looked back one last time to wave goodbye to Beni. There had not been time for an ample parting of ways, and Crush wished he could have had a chance to express his gratitude. As he waved his hand at Beni, he spotted another giant woman sneaking up behind her. The malcoons disappeared behind the corner of the wall before the scene revealed itself to him, but he sensed that Beni may have a real fight on her hands before the adventure came to a close.