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It cursed and spewed hatred in its tongue as it beheld me.
“Gods, it took you long enough.” Cameron panted, bending over with his hands on his knees. Dirt and debris coated his armor as if he’d dug himself out of the ground several times. And, given what they’d found, it wouldn’t surprise me to find out the giant had stepped on him.
Xavier spat a few orders at the celestials, sending them to make sure the infrastructure of the cell would hold before striding toward me. He crashed to a halt beside Cameron, covered in sweat, his jovial calm replaced by the seasoned warrior that made him one of the most powerful of The Hand. His armored hand came down hard on Cameron’s shoulder, his gaze sliding over his friend, looking for injuries.
“Head back to the council. I need every eye and ear present for the debriefing,” I commanded.
“What about you?” Xavier asked, his voice nearly drowned out by the giant’s roar as it thrashed against the seal.
“I need information.”
* * *
Hours had passed. I had been keeping track of the time. It moved so differently in other dimensions. Minutes here could be hours to another world, days to some, but I had promised Dianna tomorrow, and I intended to be there.
“You do not tremble in fear of my presence?”
I sighed and folded my arms, armor covering me from head to toe. He threw his body at the runes, and the ground shook beneath his weight when he fell. He glared at me from his knees, quivering with rage. The scraps he wore clung to him, covering the lashes and markings on his greenish-gray skin. I had heard stories of the giants when I was younger, but they had died out long before I existed. So to see one now was unbelievable.
“Should I?” I asked.
“I am Porphyrion.” The rhythm of his speech was that of a monotone chant filled with power. “I have slain gods, cracked their bones like twigs, laid waste to villages, and decimated worlds. I am a king among giants, and stories will be told in my name.”
I nodded, glancing at the time once more. “Yes, I appreciate your ability to share so freely. Unfortunately, most need a small amount of encouragement to do so.”
I stood before the door, clasping my hands behind my back. The wall of celestial guards shifted as Porphyrion lumbered to his feet and took one large step forward.
“And who might you be, silver one?”
I twisted a ring on my finger, and my helmet melted away. “I am Samkiel. My name comes with many titles, but I assume you already know that.” Arrogance laced my words, but I smiled politely.
“Samkiel,” he grumbled. Porphyrion grimaced as if my name left a bitter taste on his tongue. He lowered himself to his elbows, his body taking up half of his cell entrance. “You reek of the old blood. The blood of Unir now that I am close enough.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You do not know of me, do you?”
He shook his head.
“It seems you have been locked down here for a time.”
“Three thousand seven hundred and forty-two years, to be exact. I counted. On my old walls. Everyone that entered here spoke of what time, what era, and I counted.”
I tried to keep the surprise from my face, but sweat trickled down my back. “This dimension has existed for that long?”
He nodded. “Longer than that. You have no idea where you are, do you?”
“Yejedin.”
“That is one name for it.”
“And what is Yejedin?”
His eyes narrowed on me as if he were trying to decide if I was insane or merely asking questions to annoy him.
“You truly do not know, do you? You are a young god, yet you speak my language? How?”
“I speak a thousand languages from a thousand worlds. Yours was merely one I digested out of curiosity when I wasn’t fighting.”
“How long have you been king, the one they call Samkiel?”
