The Half-Giant's Guide to Seeing the Future

The Day I Snuck Into A Rebel Camp

The three-hour flight to Snowdon seemed to take forever, and it was almost noon before we arrived. The five of us flew in a V-formation high in the sky, and I watched as we passed over giant homes. It got colder the closer we got to Snowdon, and the mountains along the northern edge of Jontun were bigger than any mountains I'd ever seen.

We landed near the tops of one of those mountains. I could see the edge of Jontun staring not far from us like a looming void, ready to swallow us whole. I rubbed my hands together as Ezra pointed down the mountain at a gathering of tents surrounding a massive fortress much like Redwood.

A figure circled above us and landed. The woman had light brown skin and blonde hair twisted into long, skinny locs. I wasn't sure how old she was, but she wasn't taller than me, so I assumed between her gear, wings, and height, she was a halfant. Her pale purple eyes looked over at us and she lit up when she saw Ezra.

"You made it," she said. "The camp below has been quiet today. There hasn't been a lot of movement."

"What are our odds of sneaking in?" Ashton asked.

"The north route should be the easiest way to get in without being seen," the woman said. "I know one of your teams wants to be seen, so land near the big command tent. It's your best bet to attract a lot of attention."

"Thanks, Mom," Ezra said. "How's Dad?"

"He's tired," the woman said. "Are you sure you don't want me to go in with you? I am the daughter of a ranking noble."

"I think I'm enough heat in that department," I said, holding out my hand for her to shake. "I'm Terri Oakeley."

"The princess," the woman's grip was hard like steel. "I'm Kyleigh Station-Swan. My father is Bryan and Ezra is my son. It's a bit of a family adventure here since my father and my husband are manning the defenses at Snowdon. Tyler wishes you luck. We all want Carisma back."

"We're going to make that happen, Kyleigh," Alana said. "We can promise you fifteen minutes, Ezra. That's it. Terri described her visions as well as she could. Buzz the comm channel once if you're captured and twice when you find Carisma."

Ashton nodded. "We're going to find her, Alana. Trust me."

Her expression was determined. Ezra reached out and took her hand. Ashton pulled away like she was burned and rubbed the spot he'd just touched. Then she took off into the sky with Ezra on her tale.

"Those two have a few things they still need to work out," Kyleigh said. "But they're young. Halfant romances either burn fast or they last forever. There's little in between."

I eyed Moreno. Being with me didn't make his life easier. I wasn't even an ordinary halfant. My mother had targeted his sister in order to attract me. Our relationship was dangerous, to say the least.

He turned to face me. "We should find your mother."

"I can come if you want," Kyleigh said. "Bryan told me I should offer."

"We don't want to put anyone else in danger," I said.

And I wasn't entirely sure we'd get out of this. I was too nervous to look into the future since that gave my mother more of an insight into our plans. This plan was one of the most dangerous things I'd ever done.

"They landed on the ground," Alana said. "We should go."

She extended her wings, and they gleamed in the sunlight. Moreno and I followed her, and we all jumped off the cliff and flew down towards the giant camp below. I let loose a whoop that echoed around the mountain and did exactly what I hoped it would—let them know we were here.