"I just want to say thank you. . . . For saving us." My sister said as she sat down beside me by the campfire.  "We. . . Thought it was a noble thing to do. . . Turning ourselves in.  But the king. . . . " she trailed off.

"Don't thank me, it was Harken's idea." I said, staying humble.

"Ant. . . If she decides to stay with your party, please look out for her.  She is a good kid, and we both know there are so many mistakes a slayer can make out here." Abby said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"And what will you do?" I asked, staring into the fire.

"I will join you again. . . If you'll have me.  I don't regret most of my time as a kingdom slayer, but I see now that we were only ever sacrifices to be thrown away at a moments notice.  Any self worth we had was fabricated over generations, but we never really made a serious impact.  And here you are. . . My scrawny little brother and his gang of misfits. Out on the front line taking on the biggest and baddest and actually shifting the tide and making a difference. I'm proud of you Ant.  Both you and Jacob."

I said nothing, just letting her words sink in.  It meant a lot.  I didn't always get along with her, but she also didn't just go around handing out compliments either, so this was a special moment.

"And them?" I asked finally, glancing toward the other two kingdom slayers, who were talking with Harley at the dinner table.

"Olivia is good to go.  I'm not her superior anymore so I can't force her to fight, but I think she would join. . . . Jag. . . He. . That day at the mine. Being so helpless against that woman. . . Something broke in him.  I don't honestly think that he will even be here in the morning, let alone willing to fight when the time comes. " she said, pity in her voice.


She was correct.  In the morning Jag was gone, his sleeping roll packed up and there was no sign of him.  We all began to pack when suddenly Peter, who had rode ahead to scout, came riding back into camp, though it should have been much longer to his return.  His face was paler than I had ever seen it.

"We have a problem." Was all he said.


He wasn't wrong.  As we stared out of the treeline on the edge of the massive clearing that used to be a battle field for humans, we definitely had a problem.  A tall, skinny, raven-haired problem.

"It was supposed to be Florence!" Harley said half defensively, half panicked.

"Well, this changes everything." Peter said, worry in his voice as well.  "The ambush was also supposed to take place in a city.  Even with far superior numbers, she could just easily outrun us here.  Not to mention the fact that she knows most of us!  That means Ant, myself, Abby and the other on and possibly even Malakai are off the table for going out there.  Hell, depending on how sharp Juliette is, she may have been able to accurately describe every one of us from that battle we had with her."

"I wouldn't count on her being too bright.  You know how blondes are!" I replied, cracking a grin.

Both Henrietta and Harley scowled daggers at me.


"We can handle it!" Harley said, trying to sound courageous.

"I don't know. . . I don't like this." Peter replied, before walking away.

A half hour later we had a plan and were in position.  Jacob, Henrietta, Malakai and Harley would go to meet Leonara.  My sister and Olivia would be in the unlocked cage, with their swords hidden on the roof of it. When the moment was right, they would all attack, shredding any and all opposition.  If the initial attack didn't kill her, the rest of us would come to their aid and finish the job.

At least that was the idea anyway.  In reality, Leonara had picked the perfect place to put us at the ultimate disadvantage.  She had picked one of the 5 ancient battlefields in the human realm.  Nicknamed the chute, because in the center on the west side was a massive hill where the massive trees had been cleared to get weapons of war on to the field.  It was a massive 5 mile by 10 mile flat, open, expanse with no cover for slayers too hide behind or underneath and nothing to impede a giants movement.  

 It was worst case scenario for us.


We wished the party good luck, and got to the tree tops to watch.  I observed Leonara and her guards, waiting to see their reaction to noticing us.  Jacob in the lead, he passed the edge of the trees and-

What was that? 

I could have sworn I saw Jacob flinch and almost collapse as he walked out of the trees. . . . Th-there it was again.  Henrietta and Harley almost buckled as well, followed by Malakai pulling the cage.  It seemed so familiar some how. . . 

Still they pressed on down the single solitary path that passed through the battlefield.  By now, Leonara had noticed them, waiting patiently for them to approach, her two male guards to her left and right, but well behind her.  It was an odd sight to behold, as she stood head and shoulders taller than them.

30 minutes later the party had finally made it the 2.5 miles to the midway of the chute.


[ Jacob stopped 150 feet in front of her.]

"You must be the representatives from the king.  I've been awaiting your arrival.  What do I call you?" Leonara asked, politely.

"Indeed we are" said Jacob, bowing his head.  The others followed suit. "My name is Alexander Hammersford." He said, without hesitation.

There was a brief moment of silence as they looked each other.  Harley shivered  under the scrutiny of Leonara's gaze. She was. . . Enormous!  The descriptions didn't do her any justice.  Some of the giants she had fought with Ant would only be stomach height on her. . . 

Unconsciously, Harken's hand moved to her axe handle.

"Easy." Came the voice of Malakai behind her.

She loosened her grip.

"I won't waste too much of your time.  Can I take a look at the fugitives please?" Leonara asked, again very politely as she pointed to the cage.  "If all is well, then we'll be on way and there will be peace again between us."

"By all means." Jacob replied, motioning the way with his arm. 

"Thank you." Leo answered, closing the distance between them in 3 steps. 

The humongous woman reached down, palming the cage with one hand and lifted it to her face.  Instinctively, Olivia recoiled from the giant icy blue eye taking her in.  Abigail was more stoic.  She held on to the thick bars for stability but didn't give Leonara the satisfaction of any more than that.

Leo held the cage for a moment, before placing it back on its wheels and walking back to her original position.

"Hmm. . . . I see there are only two fugitives here?  You'll forgive me. . . This was originally my sister's treaty and she asked me to stand in her stead at the last moment, but I was sure she said "three fugitives". " Leonara stated, acting slightly confused and deferring to Jacob.

"We had an unfortunate. . . . Incident early in on the journey here.  We did debate it, but ultimately figured that a smelly corpse was not something we wanted to present to such royalty." Jacob explained, not missing a beat.

"Oh wow!  That is unfortunate. . . But I'm  sure we can still come to some sort of agreement.  That also means that I can let-" Leonara began, reaching into a pocket on her skirt. "-my little friend here go as well" she finished, as she fished a human sized man out of her pocket,dangling him, his cloak wadded up in her fist.  He was unmoving and looked like he had been beaten severely.

"And who might that be?" Jacob asked, with no reaction so to speak.

"I was hoping that you would known him." Leo answered, optimism in her voice.  "We found him wandering along the road in the middle of the night." She added, reading Jacob.

"Dangerous times to be roaming out here alone." Was the answer he gave her, smooth as ice.

"Dangerous times indeed" Leonara agreed, as the two titans of acting expertly exchanged blows.  "But lucky for him, he is in the clear now!  You don't know him, so obviously he can't be involved with you or your party!" She said, excitment in her voice as she bent at the waist and extended her arm to place the man on the ground, but pulled back at the last moment.

"Although. . . . He did say some things that are troubling me. . ." Leonara said, worry in her voice as she brought the man up to her face, studying him with the same practiced worry in her eyes as well, before her gaze again shifted to Jacob and in the same distance any softness was gone and her eyes could freeze fire. 

"Speak your troubles!" Jacob goaded, unfazed. 


"Well, he too spoke of a party of giant slayers. Protecting precious cargo no less!  Only this party was not so fortunate as your own. . . . All but one, wiped out.  Executed like dogs in the street by bandits. . . Marauders if you will.  They stole the cargo, which was to be a gift for all of humanity!" Leonara explained, spinning the yarn like a practiced storyteller.  "He barely managed to escape them with his life, fleeing in terror from what these marauders planned to do next!

Jacob just stared at the giantess before him, cocking his head to the side as he scratched an it on his chin.

"So this. . . . Half-dead man, had ALL that to say, did he?" Was how he chose to counter, though he felt the moment beginning to slip out of his control.

"He did! But he wasn't just a master weaver of tales, but also a great soothsayer!  He predicted this moment would happen. He predicted that slayers. . . Not matching the detailed description I had been given by the king himself would present themselves to me.  And these slayers would not be here to achieve peace, but to carry out an assassination!" Leonara exclaimed, finally laying all her cards out on the table.

"Thats-" Jacob began

"And now here you are, not matching the description given to me, but also perfectly matching the description that this man gave me of the slayers this man claimed would come to kill me!" She shouted, shaking Jag violently, before tossing him to the ground in disgust.  He plummeted 75 feet down and out a good 50 feet, landing flat on his front and coming to an immediate halt, face down..  he never budged from that spot and it was unclear if he was even still alive. 


"Get ready. ." Malakai whispered in Harley's ear.

"Well I. . . We. . . " Jacob stammered. "your highness. . . Please."


Three. .two. .one

All at once, all hell broke loose. . . 


Or at least it should have.


The slayers DID draw their weapons.  They DID summon a flurry of prayers to cut the giantess and her guards to ribbons. The giants were even maybe even momentarily caught off guard.The problem was what it amounted to.


Nothing more than the humbling sounds of swords and an axe whiffing nothing but air as the strange feeling in their souls rose up and made perfect sense now.  Genuine bewilderment plastered on all 4 visible faces as their prayers failed them for the first time in their entire lives.  There was a painfully long pause where nobody said anything or even moved.

"Now. . . Would be a really good time to run." Leonara said, her voice eerily calm.  

As the realization that they were completely helpless and exposed hit everyone, they didn't need to be told twice.  Immediately they turned and bolted for the tree row they had come from as Leonara gave chase.

Her first footfall landed directly on Jag, his body disappearing beneath her boot sole with a modest crunch.  It wasn't apparent if he had been alive a minute ago, but he was definitely dead now as Leonara stepped off of him, revealing the gruesome pancake below.  She took another exaggerated, heavy step, and another, this one kicking the cage aside just as Olivia and Abby managed to escape. It tumbled away, the wooden wheels and frame splintering.


She was right on their heels but after a moment, it was clear that she was only playing with them, cat and mouse style.  She could easily catch them but thought it more entertaining to watch them scramble in fear for 2.5 miles on foot.  It was made even more humorous by the fact that her footsteps were so concussive that when they were off time, the slayers were actually bumped off of their feet, stumbling and constantly losing their balance as they scrambled for safety.


This continued as the distance to the trees closed.  She was just about in range now, but she was not to be underestimated.  The information she had literally squeezed out of Jag had been correct so far so she knew that there had to be a few more slayers hiding somewhere.  Likely Ant and by the description, a former pet of hers: Peter. 

Her assumption was correct as suddenly a prayer screamed from the trees but just like her sister, she quick drew her sword, spun, and ejected the prayer up into the sky.  She waited, but nothing more happened as the last slayer disappeared into the trees.


"That's right! Scurry off into the trees like the little mice you are! The same as last time.  Just know. . . I'm coming for you this time.  This was actually a mission for peace, but I do enjoy the hunt." Leonara said, before turning and walking back toward her guards.

That should have been the end of it.  We should have regrouped with Monty and Darius, and planned our next move. . . . 

That isn't what happened.

I was on my way down the tree, when I spotted Malakai walking back out into the field after Leonara.

It took me a moment to even fathom it, let alone respond as I jumped the 40 feet to the ground and ran to the edge of the field.  I could feel the strange pull of Leonara's special prayer.  The same one that had been at Juliette's cabin at the mine. 

"Malakai!" I shouted, multiple times but he just ignored as he picked up his pace to catch the giantess.

"Hey!" He shouted, and Leonara stopped walking, only turning her head to look over her shoulder at him.

"Send your sister my condolences!" Malakai said with a toothy grin, his sword resting on his shoulder.

This had her attention now and she turned fully around, towering a mile over Malakai as she stepped up to him, mere yards between them.  Malakai had to crane his neck all the way back to even regard her.

"I apologize.  If I had been a little more accurate, I could have killed that poor girl! Maybe managed to save her the shame of not being able to walk anymore!" Malakai continued, grinning from ear to ear.

Leonara just stared down at him.  She didn't reply, but she clenched her fists, the first genuine show of emotion since they had arrived.

That was all the opening Malakai needed as he grabbed his sword by the hilt, and hurled it like a spear at her face.  His previous comment had actually struck a nerve, because although she saw it coming and reacted, moving her head, the projectile grazed her cheek and cut off a few strands of her hair as it sailed by and off into the distance.

Malakai stood his ground, waiting, but none of us were ready for what happened next. . . 

Quicker than I had ever seen a giant move, Leonara lashed out with a vicious stomp that threatened to crack the very earth.

The next thing I remembered was Henrietta screaming in terror.  It all seemed to happen in slow motion.  Leonara lifting her boot and Malakai nowhere to be seen, presumably in the crater made by the massive sole, as the ground around it had been pushed up to accommodate it.  Leonara stood for what seemed like an eternity, her piercing eyes trained on the flattened man before her.  It felt like I was stuck on my knees, unable to stand and forced, powerless, to do anything to this giant before me. 

Finally Leonara's eyes shifted to the treeline, perhaps expecting retaliation.  She found none, and with that she turned and continued to walk back to where the guards had finished packing up.  She paused only briefly to collect the cage, which was made of slayer steel and incredibly valuable, and Malakai's sword, which she tucked into a pouch on her hip.

That should have been the end.  We should have retreated into trees, waited for her to leave, and then layed Malakai to rest, proper.  But that isn't what happen. . . . Instead, something I could have never predicted occurred.

Just as Leonara and her guards began to head toward the chute, a nasty wind howled through the field, which was fortune for her, because the arrow shot at her only a second before was taken off course and instead found it's mark in the chest of the guard to her left.  He groaned, sliding off of his horse and crashing to the ground.

"Ambush!" Leonara shouted as 3 orange skinned giants rode out from the tall trees on the west side of the field, bows drawn. 

She and the other guard turned and rode north, trying to put distance between them, but they were quickly overtaken as an arrow flew over her shoulder.   Her horse slid to a stop as her path was cut off by one of the riders.  She tried to turn around, but a 2nd rider was there to surround them.  A moment later, the 3rd rider lept from his horse, tackling Leonara off of her own horse and to the ground, knocking the wind out of her and covering her in scrapes and knicks.

The guard clanged swords with the man in front of him as they rode and tried to out maneuver each other.  Leonara rolled back and forth with her attacker before using her superior size to get on top of him, punching him twice in the face before he threw her off to the side as she fought to catch her breath.She rolled, as they both drew their swords, the man's a short blade commonly used by giants of the western tribes.

By now the other man had dismounted and drew his weapon as well, a large dagger.  They squared off with Leonara, utilizing a wide spread.  She held her sword in front of her with two hands, ready to wield it for power rather than speed as she breathed deeply.  She knew she had them both beat in terms speed anyway despite her size.  The man with the sword made the first move coming at her with a wild vertical swing.  

Leo blocked it, sliding to her left as they shifted positions.  The man with the dagger hung back, knowing he was no match in terms of range. Her visible eye bore through them both as she waited for either to make a move.  Again, the man with the sword attacked, this time horizontally.  Again Leonara blocked, stopping his blade while pointing the tip of her sword down to the ground and freeing up her left hand, punching him hard in the face. 

He staggered back, his guard broken and Leonara saw her opening, lopping his head off with a single, clean, diagonal swing of her sword. His body fell straight back and flat on his back. 

She shook the blood from her sword, then turned her attention to the man with the dagger, this time tip down and in her left hand. The man stepped to his right his grip light on the dagger as they began to circle.  Leo's face was perfectly calm.  This was her element and where she felt most alive.

As they circled, the man found what he was looking for.  A patch of dirt in the grass.  He dug his foot in, kicking dirt in Leonara's face to create an opening as he charged in.  It may have worked, but it was a tactic that Leo herself often used, and she turned her head enough to avoid getting dirt in her eyes.  It did get the man inside the range of her sword, but she caught his wrist above his head in her free hand as he went to stab her.

He strained against her, but her height and strength advantage were sizable and she was easily keeping his hand from pushing even an inch closer.  This in turn created an opening as Leonara reared her head back and headbutted the smaller man.

His legs buckled and he was pounded to his knees like a stake, his wrist still being held in her hand.  Blood trickled down his forehead and into his eyes.  Leonara wasted no time, squeezing his wrist.  He screamed and his grip loosened, dropping the dagger.

The man was completely defenseless now but it didn't much matter.  A brutal knee to the face busted him up and put him flat on his back.  He stared up at the clouds one last time, before Leo plunged her sword through his chest.


She rested her head on the hilt of her sword, saying a quick, quiet word of prayer to the gods, before looking up to see that the guard had also defeated his foe, but had taken heavy damage.  
She stared at the two dead giants before her.  Their lineage was obvious, but them being here now was what was troubling her.

"Do you recognize them, your highness?" The guard asked, confused as he held  gash on his stomach.

"Not by name or face, no.  But the marks on their necks say it all.  They were slaves from the mining operation. And they were using the weapons we were producing there!"  That day, Antony Lockwood and his companions set some free.  Knowing they couldn't well stay in the giant realm, they must have made their way here." Leonara explained.  "This was about as perfect for them as it was for me against the slayers."

"Do you think there will be more?" The guard questioned, scanning the tree row along the west side.
"I wouldn't doubt it.  It's really not what I need right now.  I have those slayers right where I want them, and all it would take is some desperate fool to screw everything up." Leonara said, as she put her sword away.
Two hours later, they finished burying their comrade, and mounted up, deciding it best to head northwest in case any more assailants were waiting for them.


They pressed on for the rest of the day, wanting to outpace what the slayers could ride in a few days time, before they finally made camp.  Leonara took the time to nurse the man's wound by the fire.

"Hold still!. . . . You've lost a good amount of blood." She said, as  She finished wrapping him tightly before going to work with a wet cloth, cleaning the smaller wounds and scratches. "How did you even manage to get this cut up?  I'm the one who got tackled!" She exclaimed as she kept finding new wounds.

The man just sat in silence, mildly enjoying the attention as the princess fussed over him.  He stole as gaze upon her as she worked, her own body still in need of attention.  For one of the rare occasions he had seen, her hair was completely out of her face and both eyes were visible.

"What?" She asked, feeling self conscious.

"Nothing. . . It's just. . . Such a stark contrast.  Seeing you on the battlefield, scrambling through the dirt and going toe to toe with grown men. . . Then here you are, patching me up." The man said, sheepishly.

"Ughh!  Contrary to popular belief, I don't cause death and destruction EVERYWHERE I go!" Leo exclaimed, crossing her eyes to show how dumb that notion was.  "I do what I have to do to survive, but I AM nice if you are a part of our kingdom."


"Well. . . . Thank you for this." The man said, as he just looked into the campfire.

"Alright. . . This is going to feel. . . . Strange.  Hold still." Leonara said, as she held her hands a few inches over his wound, closing her eyes.

For a brief time nothing happened.

"Your highness?. . ." The man asked, awkwardly.

"Shut up!  I need to concentrate!" She replied, her voice sassy.

A moment later, blue light emitted from her hands, and the gash began to close and heal itself.

The man's eyes got wide, but he didn't dare speak until she was finished, leaving barely a scar.

"Your highness! Was that?" He exclaimed, unable to believe his eyes.

"Yes.  It was a prayer. . . . Like THEY use." She confirmed, wiping sweat from her hands, and covering the man with a cloth. 

"How. . . When?" He babbled.

"It's a long story.  It's not what you think though.  I can't use it for attacks or anything.  Only healing and only on others.  Those wretched gods granted me power no giant has ever had, then purposely stuck me with the opposite of what I wanted.  Although it did help me to save my sister's life, so for that I am thankful." Leonara said, humbly.

The man just stared at her in amazement.

"Would you stop looking at me like that!  You're making it weird. . ." She complained, turning away cutely.

"I'm sorry, your highness!  It's just that I've never seen anything like that!" The man admitted, yawning.

"Well. . . Whatever.  You need your rest.  Lay down and I'll keep watch tonight." Leonara said, poking the fire with a stick.

"Your highness, I'm supposed to be YOUR guard, not vice versa." He tried to argue. 

"How about we watch each other's backs, hmm? I'm taking first shift!  Now lay down!" Leonara explained, like she was talking to an annoying child.  

He only nodded, laying down on his cot with a groan.  





*
When we were sure that they were gone, we emerged from the trees and set about laying our own dead to rest.  Nobody spoke as we placed wooden cross markers on both Malakai and Jag's graves.  The silence continued on for the rest of the day and into the night until Peter came back from scouting, reporting that he found 4 large obelisks, one at each corner of field.  He wasn't able to destroy them, but getting them out of line with each other was able to break the effect.  Even knowing this, it was still a troubling thought. 

While Juliette had been more than formidable, a legend in her own right. . . . Leonara was on another level.  Still she needed to be dealt with, and this time there would be no escaping us.