3.
"I wish your hands would draw something other than death, old friend." The old man was bald, wrinkled, and ancient looking, clad in robes that Toby had only ever seen in drawings of ancient Buddhist monks and the like. He spread his hands, smiling sadly at her in response to the voice that had come that was not hers.
"We both knew this day would come. When the visitor comes, you know what we both must do..." He lowered his hands, his face etched with deep lines of sadness.
"You don't understand!" A young woman's voice cut through the air from behind her and she whipped around, finding herself face to face with a tall, dark-haired, storm-eyed woman, her face wrinkled with fury and fear. "The orb keeps the water at bay - it keeps us all safe. If you take it, you're destroying everything!"
"No, I wouldn't-" Toby protested. Then it wasn't the young woman standing in front of her, but Theo, a gash across his forehead and blood running down the right side of his face. She clutched at his wrist, desperate to keep him from going, desperate to keep him there with her. With a strength that she knew she couldn't match, he pulled free from her grasp, turning to his side. "It's up to us," he said to the figure at his side and reached out one hand.
Then he was gone.
"THEO!"
She sat up so quickly she nearly slammed her forehead into Thane's nose; only the hands he had on her cheeks kept him safe and pain-free. Her breath rasped, ragged and insubstantial, in her chest, not doing anything to calm the panicked racing of her heart. It was thudding so loudly in her ears that it took her several minutes to realize that the reason Thane's lips kept moving was that he was talking to her. Fighting to focus on his lips, to hear above the crazed cadence of her insides, she gripped his wrists with her hands, finally catching the words he was speaking.
"-'s all right. You're dreaming. That's all it is, a bad dream."
Toby's eyes darted past Thane to find the other three dragons watching her, varying degrees of pity etched on their faces. It seemed like ever since she'd been given the title of Storyteller she'd seen that look far too often.
"Fine," she finally managed, releasing Thane's wrists and managing to sit up of her own accord. "I'm fine."
Thane looked as if he was going to question it, but the look she shot him caused the question to die on his lips. Instead he simply nodded once and withdrew his hands, assuming a more business-like demeanor. "It's time you get up and going. He's awake." He gestured towards the clearing just barely visible beyond the obscuring scrub. Through the branches, Toby could see hints of movement and realized that the Giant must be moving about.
Glad for the subject change, especially since it wasn't revolving around her or her slowly increasing 'crazy' status, she got to her feet, brushing her pants off. "Has anyone approached him yet?"
"Edolie and Edlyn are entertaining him. He's quite..." Thane cast about for an appropriate word even as he handed the leather-encased Tome to Toby. When the brunette hesitated visibly, his eyes narrowed at her, only continuing when she finally reached out and took it from him. "... engaged by the idea of two tiny beings who look exactly alike."
Great. A Giant that's never seen twins. This is going to go well, Toby thought viciously as she pulled the satchel on. "All right, let's do this."
Thane nodded once, turning and heading through the sparsely-leafed bushes and out into the open space beyond. Toby hurried to keep up with him. The last thing she needed was to be fixed with another one of those looks of his; they made her squirm inside and out.
Edolie and Edlyn were perched on the very tree trunk that the Giant had been just recently using as a pillow, the red-haired form of Devon hovering protectively in the shadow of the roots to one side. The Giant himself was crouched in front of the green-haired dragon twins, squinting one eye then the other as he inspected them. He was easily two stories tall, but unlike the last Giant that Toby had encountered, was weaponless and armorless. Instead, he wore what looked quite suspiciously like a collection of various animal pelts strapped around his midsection and torso, a large sack containing an odd collection of items sitting to one side of the tree.
"He's smaller than Ryme," Toby said under her breath to Thane. The dark-haired dragon nodded once.
"Ryme was a Frost Giant. This one's just a regular run of the mill wandering Giant. Probably just woke up and doesn't even realize that things are vastly different from what they used to be," Thane replied, moving in a big arc around the Giant meant to avoid scaring the Giant, as much as Toby could tell.
"Any ideas as to how to get the shiny rock from him?" Craning her head, Toby could see an odd shifting light cast on one side of the sack. The tail must be in with the rest of his collection. It seemed so close and yet far too far away to simply grab and dash off with. Especially considering how close it was to the Giant's foot. Ryme had been stupid, but certainly not slow.
"Ask nicely?" Thane suggested. It was Toby's turn to shoot him a look. Any sharp-tongued response she might have come up with was lost when the Giant shifted abruptly, turning and leaning over to peer at them.
"Who's YOU?"
"Friends," Edolie called, clapping her hands for added effect.
"New friends for you as well," offered Edlyn. The Giant sat back into his crouch again, thick, three-fingered hands on his tree trunk-thick legs, considering. The action made his furrowed brow deepen even more until Toby wondered how any light reached his tiny, squinting eyes.
"Rumb like friends..." he said slowly, ponderifically.
"We're very nice friends," Toby volunteered, slowly stepping to the side and moving until she was standing closer to Edolie and Edlyn. This close to a Giant she wanted her back-up as close as possible. There was no telling what might set him off into a child-like temper tantrum and it was far too early for Toby to worry about fighting a Giant. She was pretty sure it was a personal rule: no fighting Giants before breakfast, or something.
"See? They're both very nice. We think you'll love having so many wonderful new friends, right?" The twin closest to Toby beamed angelically up at the thick-browed face above her and Toby felt a wash of surprise at the twin's acting ability.
"Okay," was Rumb's simple, happy response.
Toby seized the opportunity. "Great! You know what we could do, to show just how good of friends we all are now? We could trade gifts!"
"Gifts?" The Giant perked up. "Rumb like gifts!"
The Giant's response encouraged Toby enough to step forward, fishing in her pockets. There wasn't much, but her fingers found the smooth plastic wrapper of a snack she'd never gotten around to eating. Pulling out the chocolate cupcakes, she held it out for Rumb to see. "Look, I've got something really yummy here. It's a chocolate cupcake - they're really special and hard to get." Rumb perked up with interest, eyeing the small treat in Toby's hands curiously, so the brunette plunged ahead. "I'm your friend, so I'd be willing to trade with you for it... for maybe a shiny rock. Do you have any shiny rocks?"
Rumb looked at his bag, then back at Toby. "Yes..." he answered slowly, uncertainly.
"Great! You like having friends, right? So you should trade me your shiny rock for the cupcakes and prove just how good of a friend you are." Toby could hear her voice getting tinny with nervousness, her palms slick with sweat. She was all too aware of just how thinly her luck was spread in this venture, a thought that was almost immediately followed by gratitude for the reassuring presence of Thane at her back.
"That's such a great idea, Toby," Edolie gushed.
"Oh yes. Only a good friend would trade cupcakes for a shiny rock. I wish I had a rock I could trade for those cupcakes..." Edlyn even deflated slightly in sadness, causing her twin to reach out and comfort her with a light pat to the shoulder.
The Giant looked between them and Toby, considering. Finally he reached into his bag, rummaging around until he withdrew a fist-sized chunk of rock that was slowly shifting with every rainbow color imaginable. Toby's heart raced with the promise of victory and she stepped forward again, cupcakes clutched high and visible in her fist.
She extended her other hand. "That's perfect! Just give it to me, and I'll give you these really yummy cupcakes, okay?"
Rumb moved as if to do just that and Toby took another eager step forward. Almost immediately she realized her mistake as a frown crossed the giant's face and he snatched his hands back. "Wait..." he began, anger coloring his voice. "You trading bad with Rumb. You give Rumb something small and something that go away quick for the prettiest, shineist rock Rumb ever find. Rumb no think this is good deal for him."
"No, no, you're getting a great deal," Toby pushed, feeling her stomach falling inside of her. They'd been so close, so very close...!
"No!" Rumb bellowed, a noise that set birds in every nearby tree alight in response. Toby swallowed - hard. "NO give rock! Keep rock! No make Rumb's head spin with big words! NOT good friends, no no NO!"
"We're sorry," Thane stepped next to Toby's side, his hand on her shoulder. She began to protest, but his grip on her was suddenly painful enough to make her immediately shut her mouth once more. "We didn't mean to make Rumb mad. Don't worry, you won't get a bad trade, okay?"
Rumb seemed appeased, even if only temporarily, but before Toby could judge any further, Thane was pulling her backwards. She resisted for a moment before finally turning to him. With a flick of his fingers, he summoned Devon and the twins over as well.
"We need a different tactic. The last thing we need is to try and fight an angry giant for it. Giants are stupid, but they're no pushovers when it comes to getting them mad." The ebon-eyed dragon looked between the four of them seriously, his voice low enough that there was no chance that Rumb would overhear them and subsequently over-react.
Toby shoved the cupcakes back in her pocket. "Do we have anything else to trade for it?"
"Given enough time and energy, one of us could shift something suitable... However, it would take far longer than the Giant's patience would last," Edolie replied in her sweet, even-toned voice. Turning her green and gold eyes to her twin, Edlyn nodded in agreement.
"A different course of action is advisable."
"Like what? Wait for him to fall asleep again and nab it? We have no idea where he'll head next nor when he'll decide to slow down enough to nap," Devon hissed, folding her arms over her chest as she glared daggers at the Giant.
"Come on. He's an oversized child with a pea-sized brain. There has to be some way we can outsmart him," Toby replied, shaking her head. "I mean, we're the ones that the entire world is counting on. If we can't outsmart a Giant, there's something seriously wrong with us."
"I don't know, sometimes the simplest logic is the most difficult to argue with," the black-haired young man observed, regarding Toby with a faintly arched eyebrow. The twins nodded in agreement and Toby was suddenly annoyed with all of them.
"Come on, seriously? Let's just think of a way to convince him that... I don't know, that real friends give each other shiny rocks or something. Isn't there a way that you could breathe fire on a rock and make it all sparkly?"
"Again - it would require an amount of time greater than the Giant's probable limits of patience," Edolie stated, shrugging one shoulder.
"Well then we'll have Devon teleport back to Avalon and get-"
"Oh that is it." The red-haired dragon surged to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury. "Stand here and argue. I've got this."
Before they could stop her, she strode across the grass and towards the Giant, who was still crouched in the middle of the clearing. Thane groaned and buried his hands in his face. The twins simply looked amused. Toby gripped Thane's arm. "What is she doing? Thane. Thane, what is she doing she's going to make him mad...!"
"Hey! You!"
Devon stopped in front of the Giant, hands on her hips, head tossed imperiously back in order to stare at the Giant down her shapely nose. Rumb looked over his shoulder before realizing that she meant him, then pointed at himself. "Rumb?" he questioned, as if to make sense.
"Yeah. Rumb. C'mere, Rumb, I've got something to tell you." Devon raised one hand, gesturing for the Giant to come closer. Rumb hesitated, but then leaned down slightly towards her. "Closer. It's a secret, so I've got to whisper it."
Rumb's face lit up in craggy delight. "Rumb like secrets!"
"Great, wonderful. Get down here so I can tell you it."
Still grinning oafishly, the Giant shifted onto his knees (it being the only real way he could lean that far down) and lowered his head towards Devon, an expectant ear tilted her way. The dragon watched for a moment, then nodded. "That's good," she told him.
In one smooth motion, she pulled her fist back, then slammed it directly between Rumb's eyes.
The Giant went cross-eyed, and with a muffled WHUMPF!, hit the ground face first, his rear end sticking up in the air.
Devon prodded him with the toe of one boot. When she was satisfied he was out cold, she moved around him, grabbed the shifting colored rock from where it'd fallen in the grass, then stood up, holding it aloft.
"Problem solved!" she chimed cheerily into the silence that followed the Giant's descent to the ground.
Toby could only stare at her. "You just... you.. just..."
Thane moved past the brunette, clapping Devon on the shoulder. "That's one way of dealing with it, I suppose."
"Very efficient," Edolie critiqued as she strode past, followed by Edlyn who remarked, "yes, very effective."
Toby stared some more.
Devon dropped the rock into one of the twins' palms to be shaped into a charm, grinning at Toby. "Coming?" she asked cheekily, then began to shift.
We need to know where we're going, if you're not too busy gawking.
Toby flushed embarassedly and hurried to join the rest of them in the middle of the clearing. Fishing out her compass, she couldn't help but cast one more open-mouthed look at the Giant who was now out quite cold in the middle of the clearing.
"Devon?" she said. The ruby dragon inclined her head at Toby in response. "... remind me never to bargain with you. I'm afraid it'd be hazardous for my health."
The crimson-scaled dragon's eyes swirled with delight, her great maw opening in a single breath, half-laugh, half-flame. As the licking tongues curled around Toby and the others, the brunette cast one more look at the crumpled lump of Rumb.
"Sorry," she yelled, and then they were gone.