Shalynn tried to open her eyes. She was confused and very cold...she was freezing. Her face seemed to be burning with pain as she awoke. She struggled to escape her muddled thoughts, and the icy pain surrounding her, as she shot her head up, pushing against the thick snow that she suddenly realized had intended to be her tomb. Where was she? Why can't she get up...her legs, they were under some heavy weight.
Shalynn turned her blonde head to look behind her and saw that she was partially underneath her horse. It appeared to be crushed somehow and had fallen on her...or was she thrown off? She began to panic. A fear born partly from being trapped and partly because she could not seem to remember how... "Gods!" she gasped..."Tristan! Tristan help me!" she called out to her fiance, but there was no answer except for the howl of the bitter breeze that blew over the icy land-scape.
It was slowly coming back to her now. She was traveling with a group from her township in a caravan of wagons. They had to cross a perilous wild section of the land in order to reach their new home. The home where she would marry. The home that promised to provide security from the troubles back east. "Tristan! Help me!" she cried out again. Her tears seemed to freeze as they fell on her red and swollen cheeks. There was no answer. There was no help. She had to get up. She was scared but she was strong, and she came from a tribe of strong folk that lived off the land. She would get up.
She clawed the snow in front of her and pulled as hard as she could. Inch by inch her legs emerged from the mangled steed. It seemed to be hours that she struggled but she was finally loose minutes later. Exhausted and freezing, she struggled and stumbled to her feet. She wiped her face on her leather armored sleeves and pulled her long golden hair back from her face. Her red and white hawk feather was still affixed to her head somehow. She looked around desperately for any sign of her group and of her beloved. "Tristan!" she screamed in desperation, but still there was no answer. It was late but still daylight, and surveyed her surroundings for any clue where he could be. She had to get out of this snow while she could still move. She had to find him.
The horse she had rode lay somehow bent sideways in an impossible angle. Tree branches and bark littered the white field, along with debris that seemed to be spilled from the wagons. They had been on a road next to a thick forest on their left as they wound through the rocky hills. On the right of the road, the large hills dropped off into a deep cavern. She looked further down the road and saw more debris spread out as the result of something very violent that had occurred. The wagons! A large tree appeared to have speared the column of wagons and sent them into a shattered mess…but how?
Shalynn moved faster, not able to run yet, as her legs were still partially numb and didn't seem to obey her commands. The snow was high and unmerciful. Every step was a struggle but she hoped to find help at the wagons. It was soon apparent she would find no help. Bodies lay scattered and broken in the icy field. The massive tree had destroyed the entire wagon column and now nothing dared to move. There was no sound except her ragged breathing as she gasped at the horrific sight. Tristan was nowhere to be found. The rest of the travelers were dead. She was alone.
Or was she? Her heart raced at the sound of something distant and deep. It made the tree branches shake around the wagons. A deep booming thud. It repeated in an ominous rhythm, but she saw nothing to explain the thunderous sound. She startled suddenly as a flock of birds raced from the forest tree line and over the cliffs to her right. The booming sounds continued and still she couldn't understand what it was...something in the forest? She strained to examine the tree line and it seemed that some of the treetops in the far distance were swaying. Yes, they were moving. It made no sense. Then she heard cracking of branches and the booming grew louder. The forest seemed to be coming alive. It seemed to be approaching her.
It was then that she saw it. Looming over the treetops...a thing appeared...and it was walking. It was easily taller than the trees of the forest. It was a giant! A bluish-green, ogre-like, hideous face grew closer as the giant pushed the trees aside as if they were mere weeds. Atop its massive shoulders, what looked like an enormous tree trunk, had been fashioned into a crude club. It swung its monstrous arm and heavy pieces of treetops flew through the air, seemingly without effort.. It had thrown a tree at the caravan, she realized, as she stood paralyzed by the horror approaching. It had slaughtered the travelers and now it was coming back to devour it's prey. The giant scanned the scene of destruction as it emerged fully from the forest. It sniffed the air and seemed only mildly interested in the ruins of the caravan. It didn't seem to notice her, but it was approaching all the same.
Her fear mixed with a looming sense of hopelessness that seemed to be swirling around a profound awareness of being alone with her fate. Tristan was likely gone forever and the cruel claws of despair threatened to drag her back to the frozen ground. Her knees trembled and she grasped the wagon to steady herself. She heard it "speak" now. A series of slurring sounds mixed with guttural and primal grunts. It almost seemed to be...amused somehow. It's loose stride was awkward but casual, and seemed like some parody of human movement. It's trek towards her began to enrage her now, and that helped take the edge off of her panic.. She struggled to control her breathing. She wouldn't die like this. She would find Tristan and they would escape. They must escape! This beast would not find them, she thought, as tears fell upon the snow. This thing would not amuse itself with their lives!
She peered out from behind the wagon again and now saw the epic size of the giant fully. It was clothed in what appeared to be the skins and fur of some equally titanic creature. It dragged a large tree behind it from the forest, which carved out a path in the thick snow. Its other tree-club was even larger, and still rested upon its fur-clad shoulder. It appeared to be grumbling to itself as it grew closer with each thunderous step. She couldn't stay here...but there was nowhere else to hide. It lay between her and the forest, which seemed to be her only hope of evading the beast. And she had to find Tristan. He was trapped like she was and she would revive him! He had to be ok. She just had to find him...but the beast approached.
Suddenly the remains of a distant wagon splintered and flew high over her head as the giant kicked it. It spun violently in the air and finally landed with a crash, before rolling into the snow banks, and sliding towards the cliffs. She ducked instinctively beneath the wagon, but it was obvious this wagon was not shelter, but rather a likely target of this marauding mockery of humanity. She had to run…but where? The snow was too thick to sprint and the cover of the forest was behind the giant. There was no shelter as the giant was apparently intent on smashing all of the wagons and searching for a meal among her group.. Another loud crash rang out as the giant knocked another ruined wagon through the air with ease.
Shalynn bolted towards the first wagon that had landed, as she had nothing else to do. The beast had already kicked it and there was a path through the snow from its landing slide that might help her run faster. Maybe it wouldn't see her, she thought against her better judgment, but she was wrong. Suddenly she heard the giant roar as it detected her movement amidst the wagons. She ran faster in a panic with all her might through the snow as she heard the monster roar and its thundering steps grew louder. She was getting closer to the wagon in the distance when she tripped and slid into the snow. She scrambled to her feet as she looked back at the giant. To her horror the beast began to raise the tree it dragged into the air and launched it towards her with a tremendous grunting roar. The massive branch was thrown as if it were a mere stick, its bulk briefly blocking the bright sunlight. She screamed and began running again in a complete panic now. She felt as if she had gotten no further away when the tree smashed into the ground in front of her and slid towards the cliff. Its mangled branches peeked over the cliffside as its base lay in the distance.
The giant had missed her and now it seemed enraged. It began a sort of lumbering run towards her and waved its tree-club in a primal tantrum. Shalynn kept running but the giant quickly was upon her. She screamed again as its shadow enveloped the ground in front of her path. She could not escape. There was nowhere to hide and it was too fast. She fell into the snow again. Sobbing as she again tried to arise but ended up crawling helplessly away. The giant's foul breath polluted the air around her as it loomed so large behind her. It seemed to be enjoying her fear. It paused its approach and she looked back. It was going to step on her as if she were a mere insect. Its bare foot seemed to be covered in dirt smeared ice as it floated high above. It was falling now. It would be upon her and she would die. Shalynn arose again in a futile attempt to escape. She began running just as a massive booming crash sent snow and ice in a cloud all around her. It had missed! She kept running, sure that the giant would not miss a second time.
Suddenly she heard a strange and terrible cracking sound ring out even louder than the giant's heavy stomp. The ground began to shake and it became impossible to run. The giant came forward, intent on its prey. Shalynn stumbled again, the very earth beneath her seemed to quake. The tree the giant had thrown was close now and she dove under it as a last ditch, but hopeless, effort to escape. The giant smashed another foot down next to her and she was instantly splashed with layers of ice and snow. She could see nothing but felt the earth tremble even more now. There was a deafening sound as suddenly the sky seemed to open beneath her. She clung to the tree branches as she realized the cliff-face had collapsed. The weight and stomping of the giant must have triggered an avalanche. She heard it roaring but this roar seemed borne more out of fear than fury. She struggled to see through the snowy chaos, but she saw it now. The giant was falling next to her as the ground gave out beneath its murderous feet. It roared and screamed the whole way down into the deep cavern below. She heard a tremendous crash as it landed and hoped that it was gone forever.
She stared in amazement at the sight below her as she clung to the tree branches with all of her strength. The beast was in the deep cavern below. Just as she felt some relief, she saw it was getting up. It wasn't dead, but yet it couldn't reach her, despite its height. She let out a deep sigh and began to shake. She rested her head against the tree and cried. Slowly she climbed upon the tree trunk and crawled back over the cliff-face to the solid ground. She slid off the tree
and stumbled back towards the wagons, unsure of what to do now, except to get as far away from the creature below as possible.
As she climbed off the tree and limped away, she reached a nearby shattered wagon and saw him lying amidst the pieces. His body seemed strangely peaceful and it didn't seem possible that he could be dead. Surely he would arise when he felt her hands upon him. Surely when her tears fell upon his bruised face he would awaken. Surely he would be ok. She held his head in her lap and rested her hand upon his armored chest. He wasn’t moving and he wasn’t responding to her cries. She held him and wept.
Spark: Dragon Magazine #140
