Furious, the creature dropped the remains and swung out his large fist. His strike connected with Brendan’s shoulder, deadening it, and the king almost dropped the sword.
The creature came back for seconds, but Bran distracted him with a dagger to the back of the neck. The fir bolg spun awkwardly, trying his best to free himself from the weapon. When he couldn’t reach it, he howled and lunged for Bran who skipped behind the creature’s back again.
Brendan recovered and swung his sword. He connected with a fleshy thigh, but the creature didn’t seem to notice, too concerned with something in the distance. Brendan pulled his sword free just in time. The creature took off in a run, right toward Aneurin and the Green Court soldiers.
“Watch out!” Brendan roared, fired up with bloodlust. He raced after the fir bolg and slashed at its thick hairy legs to try to slow it down. The giant paid the king no mind. Bran barely kept up. Blood ran down the creature’s legs, but his strides were so long that he pulled out of their reach quicker than Brendan liked.
Aneurin had heard Brendan’s warning shout and was trying to help carry Alyss out of the giant’s path, but the fir bolg paid them no attention as he passed them by.
“The ship!” Pól cried out in alarm. “It sees the ship.”
No ! They couldn’t let anything destroy the ship.
“We have to stop it,” Brendan said, reaching the others.
“Go,” Alyss said. “Help the ship. Get on it. Make it home. The realm needs you.”
“I’ll carry you,” he said.
“I’ll show you a shortcut,” Aneurin said. “And then I’ll come back for her.”
“ Go ,” she repeated, her eyes full of tears. “You’re the only royal with experience. They need you.”
“She’s right,” Bran said.
“I’ll stay with her,” Pól said. “I’m not as fast as you and Bran, and we can’t leave her here alone. I’ll keep her hidden until he comes back to help us.”
“I’ll come back for you when the blight is over,” Brendan said.
“Don’t,” Alyss said. “It’s too dangerous a journey to risk twice. We’ll survive here if we know we did everything we could to save home.”
“A glamour,” Brendan said. “A glamour might fool the giant and give us time to—”
“Don’t waste magic on us,” Pól said gruffly. “We’ll survive. You’ll need everything you have to make it home.”
“You have magic?” Aneurin whispered in awe. “It exists in your land?”
“It’s not infinite.” Brendan touched both of his soldiers on the shoulders. “Your names will be honoured,” he said, his voice full of emotion.
“We have to hurry,” Aneurin said. “Let’s go.”
He gave them no more time for goodbyes.
Brendan’s heart felt ripped to pieces as he left his soldiers behind. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
Pól and Alyss hid in a nearby cave while Aneurin led Brendan and Bran through a quicker path to the ship.
“My daughter told me where she would be signalling,” he said. “And as soon as I find her, I’m leaving with her. I can’t risk her falling in the hands of the fir bolg .”
“We understand,” Brendan said, panting as he ran. They climbed another cliff face, practically fell down a steep hill, and then raced across a valley. On higher ground, a fire burned.
“That way!” Aneurin said. “I’ll leave you here to find my daughter. Keep running, and you’ll come out on the beach. The sand will slow down the giant, and you should come out ahead of him. If you don’t, you’ll miss the boat. Get on the ship as quickly as possible because there are rocks in that area that the giant can throw. The trees and Dafina should already be boarded. Good luck to both of you. We’ll take good care of the people left behind.”
Brendan thanked Aneurin then sprinted away. If he had to, he would slow down the giant himself to give the ship enough time to get away.
“You’ll go ahead,” he told Bran. “Get on the ship and
The creature came back for seconds, but Bran distracted him with a dagger to the back of the neck. The fir bolg spun awkwardly, trying his best to free himself from the weapon. When he couldn’t reach it, he howled and lunged for Bran who skipped behind the creature’s back again.
Brendan recovered and swung his sword. He connected with a fleshy thigh, but the creature didn’t seem to notice, too concerned with something in the distance. Brendan pulled his sword free just in time. The creature took off in a run, right toward Aneurin and the Green Court soldiers.
“Watch out!” Brendan roared, fired up with bloodlust. He raced after the fir bolg and slashed at its thick hairy legs to try to slow it down. The giant paid the king no mind. Bran barely kept up. Blood ran down the creature’s legs, but his strides were so long that he pulled out of their reach quicker than Brendan liked.
Aneurin had heard Brendan’s warning shout and was trying to help carry Alyss out of the giant’s path, but the fir bolg paid them no attention as he passed them by.
“The ship!” Pól cried out in alarm. “It sees the ship.”
No ! They couldn’t let anything destroy the ship.
“We have to stop it,” Brendan said, reaching the others.
“Go,” Alyss said. “Help the ship. Get on it. Make it home. The realm needs you.”
“I’ll carry you,” he said.
“I’ll show you a shortcut,” Aneurin said. “And then I’ll come back for her.”
“ Go ,” she repeated, her eyes full of tears. “You’re the only royal with experience. They need you.”
“She’s right,” Bran said.
“I’ll stay with her,” Pól said. “I’m not as fast as you and Bran, and we can’t leave her here alone. I’ll keep her hidden until he comes back to help us.”
“I’ll come back for you when the blight is over,” Brendan said.
“Don’t,” Alyss said. “It’s too dangerous a journey to risk twice. We’ll survive here if we know we did everything we could to save home.”
“A glamour,” Brendan said. “A glamour might fool the giant and give us time to—”
“Don’t waste magic on us,” Pól said gruffly. “We’ll survive. You’ll need everything you have to make it home.”
“You have magic?” Aneurin whispered in awe. “It exists in your land?”
“It’s not infinite.” Brendan touched both of his soldiers on the shoulders. “Your names will be honoured,” he said, his voice full of emotion.
“We have to hurry,” Aneurin said. “Let’s go.”
He gave them no more time for goodbyes.
Brendan’s heart felt ripped to pieces as he left his soldiers behind. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
Pól and Alyss hid in a nearby cave while Aneurin led Brendan and Bran through a quicker path to the ship.
“My daughter told me where she would be signalling,” he said. “And as soon as I find her, I’m leaving with her. I can’t risk her falling in the hands of the fir bolg .”
“We understand,” Brendan said, panting as he ran. They climbed another cliff face, practically fell down a steep hill, and then raced across a valley. On higher ground, a fire burned.
“That way!” Aneurin said. “I’ll leave you here to find my daughter. Keep running, and you’ll come out on the beach. The sand will slow down the giant, and you should come out ahead of him. If you don’t, you’ll miss the boat. Get on the ship as quickly as possible because there are rocks in that area that the giant can throw. The trees and Dafina should already be boarded. Good luck to both of you. We’ll take good care of the people left behind.”
Brendan thanked Aneurin then sprinted away. If he had to, he would slow down the giant himself to give the ship enough time to get away.
“You’ll go ahead,” he told Bran. “Get on the ship and
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