On the Path of the Giants

Chapter 2: Lydia

        The light of dawn pierced through the window and landed on Lydia's face. The tears she cried last night were drying in the warm sunlight as Lydia woke up. For a fraction of a second, she felt at peace, until she remembered why she had been crying. It had been three days since Joshua had been exiled, and it seemed as if the wound it had left in her heart would never heal. At the thought of it, she felt like crying again, but no tears came this time. Her growling stomach called her back to reality.

        As she came out of her earth-covered room, she met her father who, as he had been doing for almost a week, ignored his daughter. He was still blaming her for what happened. Lydia was even starting to think that he was right.

        She broke her fast on deer stew, cooked with onions and potatoes. It was the first time she ate since Joshua's exile, and she could not shake off the shame she felt at the way she enjoyed the taste of the stew. When he left, Lydia vowed never to eat again, until he came back. But she could not resist the rumbling of her belly, and she knew that her constant crying had weakened her to exhaustion, and that only food could help her.

        "I'm just a silly little girl" she thought, "with silly little thoughts." Her father's words had started to have an effect on her. Whereas before she would have fought this thought with all her might, she now found herself accepting it. "I'm just a silly little girl, and it's all my fault."

        Everyone seemed to be whispering and looking at her as she was leaving the kitchens for her room. And how could they not, when she had been the catalyst for the village's first exile. It was, after all, the first murder the village had ever witness. Even Old man David said that it had never happened before, and he was the village's elder, the only person that would know. Not knowing how to deal with such a heinous crime, the village council opted for exile, out of the forest. To Lydia, and to a lot of the people in the village, this meant death. Outside the village's forest, the curses were still around. Only the village's forest was protected by the Giant's magic. Leaving the forest meant getting exposed to the curses, which meant death. Or worse. As she thought that, Lydia heard the wind howl, and she shivered.

        Spring was on its way, and most of the snow had melted. The only place where you could still find some was in the meat pit, even though it was still melting away at an alarming rate. The mere thought of the pit sent a chill down her spine. That was where it had all begun. That was where her uncle, her father's brother, had taken her, away from the eyes of the village. She had only gone there to get some meat, so she could help her mother and sisters prepare dinner. But he had been waiting for her.

        "You like it don't you?" Tears swelled her eyes. She could not shout. She could not call for help. She could only think of her sweet Joshua. It was the only thing keeping her sane. The memories still hurt. She could not stop thinking about them.

        When she had told Joshua what happened to her, he was furious. But not at her. At her uncle. She had been surprised, but relieved. She was afraid that telling him would be the end of their love. And in a way it was. Not long after she had told him, he had confronted her uncle. No one in their right mind would have confronted him. He was, after all, the lead hunter of the village, renowned for his ability with both bow and knife. But in the end, Joshua had killed him, costing him his place in the village.

        She was almost at her room when the thunder rang. But there was no rain, nor had she seen any lightning. It rang a second time. People in the village started to panic. She could see hunters with their bows and arrows running towards the outer front wall. Light was coming from it, as if the sun was setting, even though it was still early morning. But it was not. The wall was on fire.

        "The curses have reached us."