Page 56

Marin

The giant was terrifying even in his sleep.

With knuckles the size of boulders, his hands lay slack against the stone, twitching like he dreamt of tearing flesh from bone.

Jagged black nails curved like talons that glinted in the torchlight.

His chest rose and fell in a slow, rasping rhythm; the muscles in his chest ridged like slabs of coarse rock.

A broad, crooked nose and sharp cheekbones framed thin, cracked lips that parted with each breath to reveal yellowed, pointy teeth. His snores echoed into the vaulted ceilings, the exhales thick with heat and the sticky stench of decay.

He slept on a bed of bones and vines, skulls like rotting pumpkins scattered around the raised platform. The pit severed the chamber in two, cobblestone tiles jutting over the ledge that emptied into the void. It stretched at least fifty feet across, spanned by the decrepit rope bridge.

Spears of colored light filtered in through massive stained glass windows depicting scenes of carnage.

On the other side of the pit stood the arched doorway that led to the treasure room.

It looked so easy, just steps away—the treasure beyond like a siren’s lure urging unsuspecting hunters across the bridge.

A chill wrapped around my spine. There really was no other way across. The walls were smooth like polished marble, and the pit itself was deep, the rock slippery from spouts of steam belching from below. No way to climb down and then back up the other side.

My fingers curled around Gavin’s compass as I tried to ground myself and focus on the mission. But the prickle of dread just made me feel sick.

Gavin stood next to me, his hand resting on the small of my back. His gaze hadn’t left the giant as if he was learning it, counting its breaths, and searching for a weakness that wasn’t there.

The sparks of hope that had flared to life inside me from Gavin’s confession were burning out, leaving behind ash. I looked up at him, desperate to keep the last spark lit. But when our gazes collided, a sob burned behind my ribs.

He knew we were going to die too.

But the corner of his mouth edged up like we were playing another game. He brushed the damp tendrils of hair from my face, fingers tracing the curve of my cheek.

My breath hitched against the pressure squeezing my chest. We can go back. I begged him with my eyes, promising to go with him this time.

But he shook his head, his palm pressing lightly against the base of my throat where my breath still passed smoothly. A few days from now, when my curse finally claimed me, it wouldn’t.

I stepped into him and wrapped my arms around his back. Resting my head against his heart, I anchored myself in its steady beat, a stark contrast to the staccato drum of mine. His chin bumped the top of my head, his lips planting a kiss into my hair.

Everything in silence. Like we were miming our last moments. The bridge waited. Sometimes death was patient when it knew it had already won .

I wished for one more story. One more night by the campfire, our faces bathed in its glow, the stars twinkling overhead. A story with a happy ending—giants slain and love conquers all.

Like a myth.

But some myths were real. Like this one.

I blinked; the sting of tears, blurring the floor, a blend of dark gray and brilliant green.

Green.

Swiping away the wetness clinging to my lashes, I peered at the floor and the patches of moss that had formed in the grooves of the stone. It spread into the shadowed corners of the chamber, growing thicker the closer it got to the steaming pit.

This was the same type of moss that had saved me when I fell, cushioning me in its thick, muted swath. It had swallowed my footsteps, made me sound invisible.

My heart cracked against my ribs. The innkeeper's warning whispered in my mind. You can’t defeat the giant. No one can. But the treasure belongs to those who walk where others dare not.

Who would dare to walk past the giant? I studied the platform. There was room, maybe four feet of width, from the edge to the tip of his nose. It was a ridiculous idea. The bridge was certain death, and this was certain death with a front row view of the giant's teeth.

But what other choice did we have?

I squeezed Gavin’s shoulders, then pressed my index finger to my temple. His brow creased, but he nodded. Palm flat against his chest, I signaled him to wait as I slipped from his arms and bent to remove my boots.

With careful steps, I crept toward the thickest section of moss and used my dagger to cut four narrow strips about the width of our soles. Then I sliced through the strings of vine climbing the chamber wall.

Slow and sure, I secured the moss to the bottom of my boots with the vines, knotting them tightly. My first step was a faint hush; the second, soundless.

Gavin’s boots were next. Going up on my toes, I pressed my lips to his ear, my voice the softest whisper.

“Follow me.”

Always. He mouthed the response, and my heart pinched in my chest. Thank the treasure gods for the first rule of Gavin Blackwood.

The moss concealed our footsteps as we edged toward the giant’s platform. His hoarse breaths were even, eyes closed. But his teeth were bared as if he smiled in his sleep, waiting to see if we dared to take the first step.

First rule of sneaking past a giant: hold your breath.

I inhaled through my nose, holding the air tight in my chest as I slipped past his massive feet. Immediately, to my right was the pit, an endless void. The skulls watched, their sunken eye sockets following my progress.

Another step. The next one was wider as I avoided a tangle of vines. Gavin followed a few paces behind, his body nimble even in the narrow path.

The giant’s finger twitched, a spasm that sent fear spiraling through my veins.

Every muscle in my body locked up.

My breath burned behind my rib cage. I let it spill from my lips, slow, then I inhaled a lungful of air, the hot, damp draft coiling like a snake inside my throat.

I couldn’t move. The giant’s eyelids fluttered like bat wings. Adrenaline spiked my pulse, the ground tilting with a dizzy twirl.

Gavin’s fingers brushed mine. His lips moved on a silent word: Breathe.

My vision blurred in and out, but I focused on the bones, counting them with each step. One femur. Two clavicles. Three ribs. Four—

A pebble rolled under my boot, twisting my ankle. I tripped, the splintered bones rushing up to meet my face. I braced myself and barely trapped my scream inside my throat. But I jolted to a stop, Gavin’s hands twisted in my belt.

His wild eyes met mine.

The giant still slept.

A bead of sweat dripped from my chin, landing with a wet splash on a cracked skull. Gavin’s grip loosened as I steadied myself.

We’d reached the giant’s shoulders. Almost there. Steam hissed from the pit. The torches flickered shadows over the giant’s leathery skin.

I took another step. Then two more.

A grunt pierced the silence. The giant shifted, bones cracking beneath him.

Ice skittered up my spine as I ducked and stumbled forward.

A monstrous hand cratered between us, choking the air with dust. The giant’s fingers unfurled toward the edge.

His talons jerked like razors carving through stone.

Gavin was stuck on the other side, his path blocked.

My eyes watered from the dust, my throat closing around the thick air. Panic clawed its way up my back. Gavin was trapped. The giant’s talons hung inches from the ledge with no way for him to crawl over.

Gavin angled his head toward the far end of the platform, telling me to go.

Not happening. My fists clenched on my hips.

His lips twitched at my defiance, but his gaze cut to the ledge, studying the stone rim. No! Not that way! My stomach dropped as he crouched, stretching his hand around the platform’s thin edge, then lowered himself over the side.

Fingertips digging into the ledge, he dangled in thin air. I slid to my knees, shaking my head, pulse pounding in my throat. Hand-over-hand, he inched past the giant’s fingers, shoulders straining, breath steady but labored.

The giant’s hand flipped, shuddering the platform. Dust scattered into Gavin’s eyes. My breath stalled. His fingers slipped closer to the edge, knuckles white.

Steam spat from the chasm, turning the stone slick. Heat blasted, searing the air. A sharp breath tore from Gavin’s chest as he stretched for the next hold, but his fingers skidded over wet stone.

His grip failed. His body swung over the abyss. One hand still clung to the ledge.

A whimper lodged in my throat as I watched, helpless.

Gavin’s fingers scrambled for purchase, nails digging into the rock. His gaze locked with mine, sheer will keeping him from falling. His arms shook, the last of his strength slipping. He swung a hand up, scraping for a hold—missed.

I lunged. Inches from the giant’s fingers, I seized his wrist, yanking with everything I had. Fear wrenched my heart. Gavin caught the ledge, muscles trembling. Teeth clenched, he swung a leg up, his boot braced against the edge, and pulled himself over.

I grabbed him, anchoring him to me. His chest heaved against mine. My arms wrapped around his neck, burying his ragged breaths against my shoulder so the giant wouldn’t hear. Gavin’s heart hammered, his skin damp. I held him tighter, willing the shaking in my limbs to stop.

His lips curved into a crooked smile against my neck. The wretch. He’d scared me to death. If my curse didn’t take me, my nightmares would.

When our breathing slowed, I untangled my arms from around him and narrowed my eyes, promising retribution. He didn’t flinch. His gaze promised something else entirely. Heat flickered low in my stomach, my resolve melting like candle wax.

Gavin better live through this if he’s going to make eye promises like that, flirting with me in front of the giant.

Pressing a finger to my lips, I pushed back to my feet. The giant huffed a sleepy wheeze, the air shuffling the bones beneath him.

Time to move.

A few more steps took us to the other side of the platform. I stepped off the ledge and onto the dirty cobblestones. The rope bridge swayed lazily over the pit, almost forlorn. The giant snored.

Bones, the bridge, and the beast, we left them behind, slipping silently into the shadowed tunnel that led to the treasure room.

The shard was almost in my grasp. Freedom from my curse, and Gavin’s death-defying promise curled a wicked smile across my lips.

Time to collect my prize.