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He grabbed hold of the bowl’s rim as he finally reached it. Deep within the transparent pool of water, he could see a plain white egg lying still at the bottom of the bowl.
Above it, running along the bowl’s inner surface, he read with intense irritation:
I can be stolen, given, lost, and broken; know me as true love’s token.
“What does it say?” Lorelei was only an instant behind him, panting for breath.
“See for yourself.” Turning away, he planted himself like a wall between her and the nightmarish scene beyond the lake, where an immense and terrible figure was pushing its way out through the crumbling wall, roaring all the while. “Perhaps we need to find a ring?”
“I’m not sure—oh. Oh.” The sudden horror in her voice was enough to make him flick her a quick, wary glance, despite the danger. She looked suddenly pale and sick as she stared down into the depths of the water at the egg that lay on the marble bottom. “I’ve heard of this, but I’ve never seen it before. What a horribly cruel and stupid bargain to have made.”
Gerard’s brows knitted together. “What do you mean?”
Fae bargains were notorious for their dangers. Bound by deep magic, once made, they could never be willingly broken by either of the participants. He’d read numerous warnings even before he’d felt the weight of them himself yesterday, when he and Lorelei had committed to their own bargain and scorching magic had sealed their agreement. Still, as he gazed at the horrifying figure now emerging from the remnants of the broken castle, Gerard couldn’t imagine anyone forcing that monumental creature into anything.
An actual giant out of legend, the castle’s owner stood at least twenty feet tall, with unkempt long brown hair, a filthy, trailing beard, and only a tattered loincloth to preserve any final shreds of modesty. Excrement and blood covered his body, while mad, feral rage contorted his massive face.
Arrows soared towards the giant from one side of the broken castle, where the third partnership still crouched, but they scattered off his skin without leaving any marks.
What Gerard wouldn’t give for a whole array of cannons at his command!
Lorelei’s voice, though, was laced with what sounded bizarrely like sympathy. “The giant exchanged his heart for immunity to all other dangers. That’s the bargain that he made.”
“His heart?” Gerard’s eyebrows shot upwards, but this time, he didn’t turn. The giant was already stomping into the lake to splash furiously towards them, the detritus-filled water reaching no higher than his broad, filthy waist. Gerard’s chest tightened as he drew his sword, already knowing that it wouldn’t be enough. “Do you mean his actual, literal heart? Or—”
“Oh, yes,” Lorelei said softly. “It’s right here, trapped in that egg. All we have to do is crush it.”
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“Right.” The Golden Beacon’s whole body had already been drawn into taut lines of anticipation. The moment Lorelei finished speaking, he dropped his sword and plunged his right hand into the pool, ready to crush the giant’s hidden heart on her direction.
“Wait!” Lorelei latched onto his big arm with both hands, so driven by panic and instinct that she barely even noticed the muscles flexing against her grip. “Not yet.”
“Not yet?” His eyebrows soared as he stared down at her, but he was too much of a gentleman, even now, to shake her off. “You want to wait for him to arrive and crush you instead?”
“Crush us,” she said impatiently, “but, Gerard…” Desperately, she cast about for a reason, any reason that made sense. “Don’t you remember that basilisk, the first day? You spared its life. Can’t you do that again?”
He let out a huff of disbelieving laughter as the loud splashing sounded closer, the giant already almost halfway across the lake. “That basilisk was rendered utterly harmless. Killing it would have been cruel and unnecessary. This time, it’s a matter of self-defense. He will kill you if I don’t stop him—and apparently, this is the only way in which he can be fought.”
“But—”
“Lorelei,” he bit out, “take one look at that creature’s expression, and you’ll know it to be true. He cannot be reasoned with.”
The giant’s next wordless roar was so powerful that it buffeted the hair on her head, even from halfway across the lake; she gritted her teeth as she waited for the sound to end so she could finally answer. “Of course he can’t, because of this!” Still restraining Gerard with both hands, she jerked her head towards the egg lying at the bottom of the pool between them. “He traded away everything soft and compassionate inside him because he thought he had to, to stay safe. Doesn’t that remind you of anything—or anyone?”
Gerard’s amber eyes widened. “Good gods. Do you actually imagine this creature to be anything like you? I’m sure you must have had to harden your own heart to become an effective queen, but—”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I was talking about you.” Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as the giant splashed towards them, ready to trample all over everything—just as the man before her would trample over everything she loved in this coming year if she didn’t find a way to stop him.
There had to be a better way than killing him—killing either of them!
Gerard was still staring at her in disbelief as flecks of spray landed on his hair from the giant’s path. “You think of me as a wordless, feral monster driven by rage?”
“Of course not. But I do think you’ll follow Otto’s orders, no matter how terrible they may be, because you don’t think you’re allowed to have real feelings of your own anymore—much less listen to them when they contradict your orders!”
His arm stiffened into the solidity of rock between her hands as he bit out his response. “Not everyone can or should allow their feelings to drive them wherever their latest whim takes them, Your Majesty. Some of us are sworn to serve a higher duty than our own personal desires.”
“And you think I’m not?” She could have laughed at the sheer irony of that statement—but an incoming tide of cold lake water splashed over them both, leaving her dripping wet, coughing, and glaring at him with her hands still clenched around his arm. The giant’s next roar sounded so close, it shook through her body, but she didn’t let go or drop Gerard’s furious gaze as she waited for her opportunity to speak again. “Come now, you’re meant to be the most brilliant strategist the Empire has ever seen. Can you really not think of any way to defend us without killing him?”
