his stomach still grumbling. No one ever said 'no' to him.
Well, thought Liam, let me be the first then. He lifted his chin and stared at Purdun, defiance in his chest. 'I do have a choice. I can choose to say no. I can choose death over betrayal.'
The smug smile on Purdun's lips disappeared, replaced by the mixed, tight-jawed look of frustration and anger.
Samira's hands slipped from Liam's arm. The sudden absence of her touch was saddening. With her there, standing beside him, he had strength, the power to fight back.
'Please don't do that,' she said, her lip quivering. 'I don't think I could stand to lose both of you.'
In his mind, Liam conjured his image of Ryder-the last moment they had spent together. His older brother lay dying on the ground. His last words played in his head: 'Look after Samira. Tell her I love her.'
Liam looked down at Samira. There were times when he'd seen her be as tough as bulette hide. Then there were other times. This was one of those.
He closed his eyes. He could clearly see Ryder, looking at him expectantly. He gritted his teeth and shook his head. 'Fine,' he said. 'I'll do it.'
Chapter 12
Ryder reached the top of the enormous stairs and turned around to look out over the plain. The sun was already beginning to set, but from here he could still see far to the west, deep into the Giant's Plain. He thought he could see the point at which the caravan had been ambushed, but he couldn't be sure. From this height, one copse of trees was indistinguishable from every other, and the rolling plain looked as flat as a blacksmith's anvil.
Behind him, a long stretch of pathway led up to the huge broken stone archway of Fairhaven. Battered pillars carved to look like gaunt, muscular humans carrying huge rocks or spears lined the path on both sides. They were nearly twice Ryder's height, and their deep, inset eyes stared straight ahead, unconcerned and uninterested in anything happening below their knees. Nearly half of them were smashed beyond recognition. Of those still standing, many looked as if they might topple over at any moment. By the dour looks on the faces of those remaining, Ryder assumed this wasn't a very happy place when it was originally occupied.
At the end of the path, carved right out of the dark gray stone of the mountain itself, stood a grand palace. By Ryder's estimation, its walls rose straight up over eight times the height of a man. Behind that, the top of a spiral tower jutted up even higher. From the plain below, the tower probably looked like one of the jagged, natural peaks of the mountain. Up close though, Ryder could see that some artisan had spent much time carving ornate designs all along its surface.
The walls themselves were covered with paintings. They were hard to see at first. Large bits of rock had been chipped away by what Ryder guessed had been a siege some time ago. On what remained, the brighter colors had faded from time and exposure to the elements, so the images blended in with the speckled mountain rock. As Ryder got closer, he could make out shapes and scenes. They appeared to be paintings of giants. The paintings depicted giants hurling rocks at one another or sitting in drum circles around the nighttime fire. In one particularly ruined image, Ryder even thought he could make out the image of a giant painting upon the wall-a self-portrait of the artist.
Ryder and Nazeem followed Giselle and the rest of the caravan under the archway at the end of the path and through what must have at one time been a huge wooden door guarding the entrance to the palace. All that remained were a few smashed wooden planks and two sets of huge rusty metal hinges.
Ryder leaned over to Nazeem. 'What sort of creatures do you think could have caved in the walls of such a place?'
Nazeem shrugged. 'Demons? Dragons?'
'Dwarves,' corrected Giselle.
'Dwarves?' Ryder could hardly believe it. 'But they are so small.'
Giselle looked at Ryder, a sly look on her face. 'You are bigger than me,' she said. 'Do you think that makes me less mighty?'
Ryder thought about it for a moment. 'Well, yes,' he said nodding.
Giselle cocked her head to the side. 'Really?'
Ryder realized his faux pas. 'Though,' he stammered, trying to cover for himself, 'I suppose there are exceptions.'
'Exceptions?' Giselle put her hands on her hips and looked him up and down.
Ryder shrugged. 'Well, all I mean is, were I not so beaten up, I would have an advantage over you in a fight.'
'If you think so,' said Giselle, smiling, 'then perhaps you should prove it.'
Nazeem chuckled. 'I believe you have just been challenged, my friend.'
Ryder blushed. 'I… I didn't-'
'Don't worry.' Giselle nodded and touched his arm. 'I'll wait until you are fully healed before I beat you again.' She added her laughter to Nazeem's.
Ryder just shrugged, not knowing any other way to pull his foot out of his mouth.
'The dwarves have always had a particular hatred for the giants. But despite your lack of tact, your point does have relevance here,' continued Giselle as they walked into the bustling open courtyard behind the wall. The brown-robed Broken Spear busied themselves with many different tasks. Fires were being lit. Wounded were being tended to. And on the walls above, sentries climbed atop huge stone blocks that gave them a view of the path and the plains beyond.
'You see,' continued Giselle, 'the giants were involved in another battle when the dwarves arrived at Fairhaven. They had already taken many casualties, and were not prepared to take on two foes at once. They fought until they realized all was lost, then they fled to the Underdark.'
'The Underdark? I thought only the drow dwelt there,' said Ryder.
Giselle shook her head. 'There are many creatures who make their home below the surface of the world. The giants founded a new village there. It's called Cairnheim. It is said that there are passages to it scattered all over the Giant's Run Mountains.' Giselle stopped walking when they reached the base of the tower.
There was a long pause, then Giselle clapped her hands. 'And that concludes our history lesson for today. Please forgive me if I prattle on. I get excited about the past. Anyway,' she stepped past the two men, 'I'm sure you are both very tired.' She looked up into the sky. 'It will be getting dark soon. Find yourself a place to rest. There will be a feast tonight, to celebrate the great haul we made.' She looked at them both. 'And to welcome our new friends. Until then, be at ease. I have much work to do, but I will make sure to have a healer come take a look at your wounds.'
With that, Giselle turned and walked away into the busy center of the courtyard. Ryder watched her go.
'I think she likes you, my friend,' said Nazeem.
Ryder felt his heart race. 'What?' He shook his head. 'I didn't get that impression at all.' The thought of this powerful woman being attracted to him did sort of excite him. He might have let himself enjoy it a bit more if it weren't for the guilt he felt over Samira.
'You know,' replied Nazeem, 'for a man with two good eyes, you see very little.'
Ryder shook his head at the smiling Chultan. 'I see what I choose to see.'
'My point exactly.'
As Giselle disappeared into the crowd, Ryder turned away and headed for a pile of straw under a canvas lean-to. He lay down on it, letting his aching body rest for the first time in what seemed like his entire life.
'Doesn't matter what she thinks anyway,' he said as he settled in. 'We'll be leaving soon.'
That night there was a terrific feast and celebration. The tales of the battle grew longer. The foes they fought grew larger, and the heroic deeds grew more frequent. Ryder sat near the fire speaking with Nazeem, eating fresh meat off the bone.
