Annallya listened to her mother drone on in fascination. It had been over a hundred years since Thylara had lost land from another city, back during the Phelronic Wars. Since then, they had made no attempt to recapture any of their lost cities. To bear witness to a plan that may not only reclaim their lost lands, but add new ones never before possessed by their empire was breathtaking. It was like watching history unfold before her eyes. Her mother rattled on, sharing facts and figures that she had no doubt spent days memorizing for this very meeting. The assembled generals and captains listened on in hushed silence, eager to learn as much as they could. It was long since overdue for Thylara to show her neighboring enemies what it was she was capable of. The Queen more than anyone, paid special attention to what it was that her long time friend narrated. When Mistress Rhaolin had finished outlining her strategy, the Queen spoke up.

“You have thought over this quite thoroughly,” Queen Phelonous noted. “Yet this is the first I am hearing of this information. You came by it recently?”

“I did, your Majesty.” her mother affirmed. “My networks delivered this to me just last night. I had spent the morning considering how to approach such knowledge, as well as developing a working strategy.”

“In one morning.” the Queen repeated dryly. “I would tell you that I am impressed, if you had not spent most of your days as advisor making quick work of such information.”

Mistress Rhaolin gave her friend a knowing smile that came only from a deep rooted history shared by the two grown women. She accepted the compliment with a bow of her head. The Queen continued.

“However, I fear that this information may come too quickly on the heels of another matter of importance. One that you already know of and had best be shared with the rest of the room.”

“Of course, your Majesty.”

The Queen nodded, then gestured to a guard. “Send for the guest waiting in the throne room, and have her join us.”

The guard snapped a salute and went off to complete her errand. She returned a minute later in the company of a new individual. She stood at about 90 ft tall, and was dressed in an all too familiar uniform. Annallya’s stomach turned to water.

“You’re Majesty, and assembled members of this war council,” The Catcher addressed. The very same Catcher that Annallya had fought in the forest two nights ago. “Thylara has been infiltrated.”

*************************************************************************************

Gaelin had no time to stop and think, his body sprang into motion through sheer instinct of survival. The table he was on was the largest of the three, holding all thirty of the human cages on its surface. At each opposite end of the table was a separate, smaller table, which held several hot oil lamps, about half of which were currently lit. The tables were pushed together so that Gaelin was able to run straight across their surfaces. He ducked behind one of the unlit lamps on top of the table to his left, the same table he prayed all of his fellow humans were hiding under.

As soon as the door had begun to open, Andrill took immediate charge of the men and women around him. He silently ushered them beneath the same table that Gaelin had chosen to hide on, without actually knowing where his friend was. The room was not very small, with no windows, leaving it very dim, despite the few tiny flames that threw dancing shadows all over the walls. Together, all of the little humans threw themselves down to the floor, and hugged the wall in a desperate attempt to hide among the shadows on the ground. The scraping of the door against the ground echoed throughout the room as a Titan guard entered. She was a relatively shorter Titan than Andrill had seen. Possibly a tad shorter than Mistress Rhaolin, who was dwarfed by her own daughter. Her arms, however, showed off the slight definition of a woman who worked with sword and shield every day. Her hair was raven dark, complimenting the coppery tone of her skin. Her details were difficult to make out in the dimly lit room, not that anyone was very keen on memorizing them.

The guard strode briskly into the room. “Worry not, little pets.” she announced in an impatient tone. “I am merely here because all rooms must be searched for potential intruders. Simply-”

She stopped in mid sentence with a gasp. In two quick strides the guard crossed the room to the center table. Gaelin hazzard a tiny glimpse around the lamp he was hiding behind. The Titan was searching frantically over each of the cages, scanning them for any sign of a prisoner. It was a frightening sight, witnessing such an immense figure so close to him, and in such a distressed state. Lifting cages large enough to hold three full grown humans with one hand each. Gaelin had very little time to think of a plan. Everyone else was on the ground and had not yet been noticed by the giantess, that much he knew. He had no idea if they were at all well hidden, though. If she for a second tore her eyes from the table top, she might notice them on the ground, where there was nowhere for them to escape to. So he had to keep her attention on the tables.

Drawing a traditional arrow from his quiver, Gaelin set it to his bow, and took aim. He had to time this correctly with her shifting line of sight. Just as her head started to turn away from his position, he let fly his projectile. The arrow glided through the air, arching downwards slightly, and hit its mark  perfectly: the glass vial of oil in one of the hot oil lamps on the opposite table. There was a slight crash as a relatively small hole was punctured through the glass. The guard’s head swiveled in the direction of the sound of broken glass. As the oil gushed out of the glass vial, the light flickered until, without a source of fuel to keep it going, it was extinguished. The tiny archer wasted no time, a plan haphazardly forming in his mind as he let another arrow fly. Just as before, this one struck the oil vial of another lamp, eliminating one more light. Gaelin, however, did not stand still long enough to witness his handiwork. As soon as the arrow had left his bow, he took off in a crouched rush towards the middle table which held the cages. Sliding behind one of the cages furthest in the back, he laid down flat on his stomach, refusing to so much as twitch.

His instincts seemed to have saved him yet again, for as soon as the Titan guard saw the second lamp go out, she turned completely around, to inspect the table Gaelin had just been hiding on. Leaning in closer, she cast a scrutinizing gaze over every lamp there. His black leather coat against the dark wooden table, hidden behind several layers of metal bars, was enough to keep him camouflaged from the giantess. Only now he had lost his clear shot at the lamps on the farthest table. Left with little other choice, Gaelin slowly raised himself up to a crouch, and notched another arrow. He took aim, and sent another haft sailing at the lamp closest to the Titan. He hit his mark, not a terribly great feat considering how big of a target each glass vial was. The guard’s full attention fell upon the newly broken lamp, and Gaelin froze in place. Any movement he made while she was facing in his direction would surely give him away. He had to trust in his coat and the darkness of the room to keep him hidden. Suddenly the guard sprung for the lamp on the furthest side of the table, snatching it up. She dashed for the door as quickly as possible, and slammed it shut. With the lamp in hand, the Titan turned back towards the tables, walking slowly over to them.

“I know that you are still here little insects,” she called out to the room. “There is no where for you to hide, and I will find you. Should you reveal yourselves now, your punishment will be moderate. Otherwise . . .”

Rather than finish her sentence, the guard merely stomped her foot, allowing the sound to echo across the walls. The tiny humans cowering on the floor remained frozen in place. From where he crouched, Andrill could feel the body of the woman next to him tremble from the sound of the stomp. The woman, overcome by fear for her life, began to rise, meaning to give herself in. She was prevented when a strong hand clamped itself on her shoulder, and kept her from standing up. With her vision now adjusted to the dark, the woman was able to look into the determined eyes of Andrill.

“Trust in my friend. He’ll get us out of this.” he whispered. With a hesitant nod, the woman slowly sat back down. Andrill cast that same look over the rest of the group, challenging anyone else to stand up and give them away, before sitting back down himself. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he had heard glass shatter a few times, and knew that she was being distracted, so Gaelin must be up to something. Hopefully, something that wouldn’t get everyone killed.

Gaelin, for his part, had managed to break the vial of another lamp on the table closest to him, while the Titan had gone for the door. The table furthest away from him, to his right, still contained three burning lamps. When the guard had finished sealing the door, and began her speech, he used the noise to cover the sound of him ripping three strips of cloth from his shirt. With only seven arrows left in his quiver, Gaelin needed to make these next few shots count. Not at all an easy task, considering how much more difficult aiming became each time a lamp went out. Selecting four arrows from his quiver, he quickly tied each strip of cloth to an arrowhead, before holding them in the same hand that gripped his bow. The fourth arrow, he notched, and aimed. This would be a difficult shot to make, and he had a very small window. Standing up just behind the cage, Gaelin judged the distance between himself and his target at a glance, drew back his bow, and allowed his gut instincts to aim for him. As soon as the arrow left the bow, the swordsman knew exactly where it was going to hit.

So as quickly as possible, he drew another arrow and tried again.

Sure enough, the first arrow missed his target entirely, however it did manage to make a bit of noise as it landed. Once his second arrow hit it’s mark, the guard rushed over towards the source of the noise: the oil lamp on the table furthest away from where Gaelin stood. The second she made her move towards that lamp, Gaelin sprinted for the table closest to him. Taking the three arrows in his right as he ran across the table top, he dipped each head in the oil that had poured out from the broken lamps. He never stopped running until he had reach the last lamp that remained lit on his table. But the Titan, alerted by the sound of his boots hitting the wood, stood back up and swept her gaze across the entire room. She was a bit too late, however. Gaelin had already stuck the arrowheads in the burning flame of the final lamp. The oil soaked strips of cloth they were wrapped in ignited at once. Notching one, Gaelin sent a flaming shaft arching towards the table opposite of him. The Titan noticed the tiny flying arrow too late. Her night vision had been ruined from holding a lit lamp so close to her face, so that she could barely see the tiny ball of fire flying just beyond the scope of her vision in the dark. The arrow touched down in a pool of oil.

*************************************************************************************

“And she managed to overpower you?” the Queen asked.

The Titan Catcher bowed her head in confirmation, and shame. “She did, your Majesty. Although my opponent was a formidable warrior, I still submit myself for punishment for failing to stop her.”

Despite the gravity of the situation before her, Annallya could barely surpress a grin of satisfaction. Skilled at the blade she may not be, however, her training in unarmed combat and natural temper seemed to have given her an edge. The element of surprise probably contributed as well.

Or perhaps it was because Gaelin had been in danger.

“There will be no punishment.” the Queen declared. “If she did appear out of nowhere as you say, perhaps she approached you while small. What is important at the moment is knowing as much as we can of the situation. Please continue with your story Ferwa.”

The Catcher, Ferwa, bowed her head again and saluted. “I thank you, your Majesty. She forced me to shrink myself down, only to knock me out when I had become small enough.”

Mistress Rhaolin spoke up next. “At what point did you arrive at the conclusion that the village had been infiltrated.” Though she already knew the answer, the question was more for the benefit of everyone else in the room. This matter had already been brought to the Queen and her advisor’s attention yesterday in private.

“When I awoke the next day, I was inside the city.” she told them.

A blanket of silence fell over the gathering of military leaders and royalty. The implications of her answer were at once understood, and very troubling to say the least. Captain Desmensi spoke next.

“Your Majesty, have any of the guards at the gates been questioned over suspect individuals arriving at late hours that night?”

The Queen nodded. “According to the testimony of several guards, no one had entered or left the city at that time, other than Ferwa herself. This can only lead us to conclude that the infiltrator had slipped in while the guards were changing shifts. Or perhaps they know of a different method of entering the city. Either possibility leads us to conclude that the infiltrator has a competent knowledge of our city’s inner workings, and they can enter and leave at will.”

“They are also a skilled fighter.” Mistress Rhaolin pointed out. The compliments continued to give Annallya the most confusing sensation of pride, and abject horror.

“Taking this all into consideration,” her mother continued. “It is not unlikely that this individual could be a spy, sent by another kingdom to destabilize us as a power.”

By now Annallya was surprised that she was not breaking out into a cold sweat. The most powerful military leaders in the city, as well as the Queen, and her own mother all thought that she was an enemy spy! She had no idea whether she wanted to burst into fits of laughter or tears.

The Queen turned to her friend and advisor. “What measures do you think we should take concerning this possibility?”

Mistress Rhaolin remained silent for a few moments. Just as she appeared to be on the verge of speaking her mind, a loud banging came from the only door to the room. At once the guards leapt to attention, with the two closest to the door being the ones to open it. When the door opened, they were faced by a third guard, one who was visibly out of breath.

“Has something happened?” asked the second guard.

“There is a fire in the palace!” the out of breath guard announced to everyone in the room. “I know not the whole story. Only that this was no accident. Someone has started a fire.”

The Queen took charge immediately with all of the skill of a practiced leader. “Ladies, I am afraid that we must halt this meeting for another time. Everyone had best to return to their chambers under escort until an explanation can be found.”

With a salute, each general and Captain exited the chamber, with Annallya, Thoren, and their mothers being the last to leave.

“Do you believe that we are under attack?” Thoren whispered to her friend.

Under attack from an idiot, she thought before speaking. “I do not know. However, I dislike being sent to my room while the rest of the palace is on the prowl for a spy.”

“You will stay where you are told to stay, Annallya.” her mother ordered from behind her. “We have no way of knowing if this is some attack or assassination attempt. And I am not about to send you off to search the palace when an assassin could be about.”

“But mother-” she began.

“Enough.” her mother interrupted, silencing her. “You will be made aware of the situation when I see fit. For now, you and Thoren will be confined to your rooms, with at least two guards on standby outside of your doors.”

“I- . . . yes mother.” she begrudgingly conceded. Or at least, that is how she hoped that she sounded. After all, it would be quite out of character for her to willingly accept being sent to her room, while something interesting was taking place in the palace. The truth of the matter was, she needed to get to her room as soon as possible.

Gaelin you sun-forsaken fool! You had better know what you are doing!

*************************************************************************************

What Gaelin didn’t know at the time that he had shot the arrow, was exactly how big of a pool of oil he had created earlier. As soon as the tiny flame of the arrow landed on the oil soaked surface of the opposite table, it instantly transformed into a raging fire. One that dwarfed any forest fire he had before witnessed. Suddenly, the Titan’s attention was as far from him as could be. With another opportunity in front of him, Gaelin lit another arrow on fire, this time launching it at a different pool of oil on the same table. If the fire had looked big before from his perspective, it had now doubled in size, forcing the guard to back away from the intensity of the heat. The third and final arrow, he used on his own table, igniting both right before her eyes. With the flames billowing higher, the Titan panicked. She raced for the doors, practically tackling them open, before slamming them shut.

“Fetch water!” he managed to hear from outside of the doors. They didn’t have very long.

Slinging his bow back over his shoulder, Gaelin instead drew his sword, and made a mad dash for the corner of the table.

“Andrill!” he called out. “Head for the doors! We have minutes!”

Reaching the corner of the table, Gaelin slowed down enough to allow himself to gently step off of the edge. Turning towards the table, as he dropped, Gaelin stabbed his blade into the the wooden table leg. The blade sunk into the grainy wood as easily as if it were cloth. Much like cloth, the wood slowed his descent enough that, when he touched down a few seconds later, he was completely unfazed. The same could not be said of Andrill and the thirty other humans at the bottom of the table, gazing at him with mouths wide open. Andrill in particular looked heavily upon the sword as he drew it out of the wooden leg.

“What under the Sun and Stars is that?” he asked.

“Just a sword, Andrill.”

Andrill cast a skeptical look over it. “Swords don’t do that.”

“This one does.” was all Gaelin said as he sheathed it. “Now come on! To the door!”

At his urging, the crowd sprinted at once for the same door that the two men originally climbed down from. The nails sticking through from the otherside provided a perfect ladder for the little humans to use. They needed no coaxing, as one by one, everyone began to make their way up the improvised ladder rungs. At Gaelin’s orders, Andrill went first so as to lead everyone else across the rope ladder, while he himself remained on the ground until the last captive made it up. Once Gaelin was able to climb the ladder, he made it up just in time to witness the last few people crossing the rope bridge. When it came time for his turn Gaelin removed the arrow from the door, swung on the rope, and climbed his way up. Now that he had his grappling arrow and rope back, he took over leading their band of escapees through the palace halls, atop the wooden ceiling beams. Despite being out of sight, it was not at all an easy trip. All along the halls beneath them, Titan guards ran amok in all directions. None of the humans could afford to speak at all, lest they draw attention to themselves. In addition, Gaelin didn’t exactly have a map of the palace, only a general idea of where her room was.

After twenty minutes of wandering the halls, the group was beginning to believe that they had gotten well and truly lost. Until, after crossing another hallway, Gaelin heard the very familiar sound of babbling. At once he lead the group in that direction.

*************************************************************************************

With little else to occupy her time, Annallya paced back and forth around her room, talking to herself, as it was her only sense of company. She had managed to convince the guards that it would be best if they remained outside of the door to her house, as that would be the only point for an assailant to enter in. The guards had insisted on searching every room of the house first, including her bedroom. The good news was that Gaelin had not returned yet, so there was nothing for them to find. The bad news was that that meant he was still loose about the palace, doing the Stars know what. It only gave her more to worry over. As was typical of Annallya, she mediated her worrying by ranting.

“The man had the audacity to believe that he could go ranting and raving about a palace full of Titans. And he claims that my head is too full of tall tales of heroes and adventures? His head is bigger than any Titan I’ve ever met. And that is saying something considering how small he is.” she went off. “I swear, thank the Sun above that there are no male Titans in the world. Otherwise this entire continent would have sunken into the sea ages ago under the weight of their egos.”

“I’m happy to know my students all have such faith in me,” came an all too familiar voice.

Annallya snapped back into focus at once. “Gaelin!” she whispered. Scanning the room, the Titan could not make any sign of the little human, or anyone besides herself. “Where are you?”

“Dead and among the Stars now. Honestly, it’s not so bad up here.”

“W-what?” she asked. Looking up to where she thought she was hearing his voice from, Annallya’s eyes widened when they locked onto Gaelin, standing on one of the wooden beams of her ceiling, surrounded by about thirty other humans. Even from up there, Annallya could see the man grin.

“Plus I managed to die in company, so it could be worse. How’s your evening been?”

At first Annallya was not sure how to feel. After the near panic that came over her during the war council, in addition to the relief of not being caught, she was cycling through at least five different emotions at once. Eventually she placed a hand over her face, and rubbed at her eyes. “I feel as if I am not going to live down my remarks any time soon.”

“The night is young, princess, and we could all still die together.” he assured her. “Now if you wouldn’t mind grabbing a pillow so that we could all get down.”

With a sigh, followed by a chuckle, Annallya grabbed a pillow. In no time, thirty-two humans were all gathered on her desk, thanking the Titan profusely for her help in freeing them.

“Sun and Stars bless you Mistress,” Jess Wedrin sobbed. “You kept your promise. Thank you, thank you.”

Annallya smiled warmly down at the little men and women before her. “Please Jess, I have a name and it is not Mistress.”

Jess chuckled and curtsied. “Thank you Annallya.”

“Thank my friends, Gaelin and Andrill. They risked everything to save you all.”

To that the crowd agreed, going off on individual tangents over how they felt that Gaelin had tricked the Titan guard back in the disciplinary room. Each account made him sound far more heroic than he had any right to claim. While they embellished stories of both his bravery, and their own, Gaelin stood far off to the side, removed from everyone else, and observing the crowd from afar. With her bird’s eye view of the desk, Annallya took special note of this. It was typical of him, to remain as unnoticed as possible. For some reason of whatever, the man would fight to the death to avoid any kind of attention. She was on the verge of saying something, when Andrill approached him. The two men said nothing to each other, as one approached the other. The merely stood there, facing each other, as if a fight were about to break out at any second. Then, Gaelin extended his hand, and Andrill accepted it with a fierce grip. At once, the two friends embrace each other in a hug, that left Andrill on the verge of weeping. Annallya did not have to speak in order to understand what was happening between them, as well as the rest of the humans.

After many months, many years in some cases, of captivity, they were finally free.