Thunder boomed across the sky as the rain continued to pour down harder and harder. The sky was pitch black as the men walked home; you could barely see your hand in front of your face, it was miserable.
In the distance Noble and Jon could hear the sound of hoof beats clopping in the mud. It got closer and closer and a tiny lantern Light, barely visible by the pouring rain, flickered through the raindrops.
The beam got closer and then passed by the two boys and it continued by them. They hoped that Bef was nearby but they couldn’t tell where they were at. After twenty more torturous minutes went by, the candlelight from small homes became visible. Tomorrow they could rest all day! Finally.
As Noble, Jon, and Ramlen arrived at their house, the tiny beam from the lantern and the clopping of horse hooves was heard once again. The tall rider entered Bef once more. He slowed his horse to a trot then slowed to a walk and stopped two houses down from the Carpenters.
“Who is he, dad?” Jon wondered, assuming that, in fact, the rider was a man.
The tall rider’s features were massive and every square inch of his body appeared to be filled with muscle. Arled had food prepared and on the table, each of their plates covered with another plate so that it would stay warm.
“I was so worried about you all,” she said as she embraced her husband.
“Where are the girls?” Ramlen asked, still holding his wife in a tight hug.
“I sent them to bed, they wanted to stay up and wait for you but Limlor has a fever.”
Sickness was never a good word, especially in Bef where there were no doctors. The closest doctor was in Deln, a four-day ride from Bef. As the three sat down, there was a knock on the door. Noble knew immediately that it was the tall rider.
Ramlen got up from his seat and opened the door; just as Noble had feared… it was him. His cloak still covered his face, but he must have stood a minimum of at least eight feet tall. No one said anything and Ramlen motioned for the stranger to come inside. Once in the door, the rider took off his soaking wet cloak to reveal his face.
His jaw-line was very defined and his skin was dark. His eyes were like fire yet showed some sign of compassion. It was an awkward moment accompanied with an awkward silence, and no one knew what to do or say. Finally, the man spoke.
“I am Belbriv from the country of Dule.”
Jon and Noble looked at each other simultaneously. This man was a Dule giant. Dule had no business with any of the four countries since Akaidish had been proclaimed as king. They kept to themselves and were so quiet that the majority of people thought they had all died off, which was actually was Akaidish had intended and hoped.
Dule giants weren’t afraid of anything: war, sickness, Akaidish… but they never bothered any of the surrounding countries unless it was needed, which now posed the question: why was this giant here?
The Dule giants also believed in the Light, which gave Akaidish great initiative to hate Dule, so therefore any giants spotted crossing the border into any of the sister countries would be killed. For this giant named Belbriv to do such a risky thing, there must indeed be something of great importance.
“What is your business here in Bef? In my home nonetheless,” Ramlen questioned.
“I have come on a mission that involved them,” the giant pointed directly at Noble and Jon, who were already as confused as one can possibly get.
Ramlen and Arled looked at the boys then returned their gaze to Belbriv.
“What could you possibly…”
“Dear, uh why don’t you go and check on Limlor and Hale?” Ramlen cut her off.
She did as he suggested, not completely in the most willing manner, but she agreed, knowing that they needed to talk alone. Once she was gone, Belbriv continued.
“There was a girl with you both yesterday…”
“Caro?” Jon spoke up.
Belbriv looked at him and nodded in a suggesting manner, assuming that Caro was the girl he had seen.
“But what business do you have with them?” Ramlen pressed further.
“Akaidish wishes to take over Dule and bring his filth along with him. The other giants and I have been sent to bring the strongest and best of your kind to help out fight,”
“Hold on, what do you mean by ‘our kind’? And even besides that fact, what makes you think that we would want to risk our lives for this?” Noble questioned.
“Haven’t you been doing that your entire lives already?”
Belbriv’s words stung. It was true. They had chosen to believe in the Light rather than the Darkness by their own free will.
“But why us three? Caro is certainly not a fighter, no offense to her, and neither of us are strong enough to fight the falfreys. What’s going to happen when Akaidish is the one we’re up against? He has power…”
“We believe that the Light can once again rule. They haven’t attacked Dule yet, but we have spies in the midst of the falfreys and they plan to attack soon… very soon. I can’t explain every detail to you now… in time I will but I need you three to come with me.”
“What makes you think that I can trust you to take my boys and Caro and ensure that they’ll come back to us alive?” Ramlen asked.
“I can’t. But I can tell you this- the Light will rule over us again. I’m just asking you to trust me.”
Everyone looked at Ramlen and he looked at the boys.
“I guess it’s up to you two. I mean, you’ll be safe in Dule…”
Jon looked at Noble.
“Okay.”
