I hear another roar behind me, and right after it, I hear another two or three additional roars.

  “Bridget?” I ask her worriedly.

  “Yeah. Run,” she says quickly. “Three more just showed up, including something called a Crystal Giant.”

  Sighing, I turn to everyone. “We have at least four of them behind us, including a Crystal Giant,” I tell them, pointing back the way we had come from. “We need to run. Now!”

  As I finish, everyone does precisely that, with Ezza taking point again, and Tia and Sara behind her. This time there isn’t any talking, as we are all running in a full-on sprint. As tree branches slap us in the face, we run all out, although I have to slow down since I can outrun everyone here, except maybe Bo if he uses Teleport or Bridget.

  Speaking of Bridget, she appears next to me, running all out as well. I turn to her.

  “Still behind us?” I ask, but I get my answer from elsewhere as I hear crashing at our rear.

  “Yes,” she shouts. “But we are barely ahead of them. We need to increase our speed, or they will catch us.”

  “Shit,” I say, turning to glance behind me. And I immediately wish I hadn’t.

  What I see makes me wince. It’s a Giant, all right. Based on the fact that it’s blue all over, instead of the normal skin color I’d seen on the other Giants, I would peg it as a Crystal Giant. And the fucker is tall. Like Bridget said, it’s over 100 feet tall, if not more. It feels like I’m about to fight Godzilla!

  Leeha must have looked back as well, as suddenly she blurts out, “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  Which of course, causes everyone else to turn back.

  “Yeah,” Tia says. “That’s a Crystal Giant. They have blue skin, and that Crystal in their forehead.”

  I turn back to look at the Crystal Giant again, and I had missed that. In the centre of his, as I can see he’s a male, forehead is a large blue crystal that seems to give off light, but it’s faint. It had been partially covered by his long blue hair, that was longer than any other Giant we had encountered so far. As I’m looking, another Giant appears right behind him. This one is just as tall, but instead of blue, it is red colored.

  On this one’s forehead is a red crystal that seems to throw off heat. That would be the Inferno Giant, I think.

  “Why does it look so different than the others,” Sara points out before I can ask Tia the same question.

  “It’s because as monsters level up, they increase in power and they change. Those ones,” she shouts, pointing a thumb behind her as we are still running, “I would say are at their highest level. I’ve never seen or heard of that many in one place. Most of them would kill each other, as a territorial thing, so their numbers would be low. The fact that there are this many in such a small area can only mean one thing.”

  I turn to her and growl. “They are being controlled.”

  She nods. “That or they are being groomed.”

  “Shit.”

  “How far to the border!” I shout at Binna.

  Without turning around, she points ahead and shouts back, “Less than a mile!”

  “Crap,” I say, looking back again and seeing that they had closed the distance between us. Slowly, but still enough to make me worried.

  I know I can get away from them by increasing my speed, but that would mean leaving everyone else here at the mercy of the Giants.

  Leeha asks with concern in her voice, “Will the border stop those things?”

  Binna nods quickly. “Yes. The Magical barriers are pretty powerful.”

  “Then we need to figure a way to run faster or distract them long enough for others to get to safety,” I shout. “Ideas?”

  “Well,” Tia says, slowly running out of breath, “I can turn around and fight them in my Dragon form.”

  “And what?” Bridget says with a growl. “Get yourself killed?”

  “Yeah,” Leeha agrees, and I can hear that she’s slowly running out of breath as well, “That’s not happening.”

  Blacky barks at me. He is running slightly next to me, keeping up, and I can see he isn’t out of breath at all. The impression I get from him is the same, that he can turn around and fight them to the death.

  “Yeah, Blacky. You’re not doing that either,” I tell him.

  “What if,” Bo starts to ask, but I cut him off.

  “No heroics! No Teleporting on them and stabbing them in the eyes to blind them,” I growl. “No one is killing themselves to help the rest get away. We are all going to make it out of here alive.”

  Bo nods but blushes, proving that was exactly what he had planned to do.

  Bridget is the one who comes up with a plan, thank gods.

  “What if,” she says slowly, still running, “you call up some Air Elementals?”

  Puzzled, I look at her. “And what? Blow wind at them?”

  “No, at us,” she says with a grin.

  I stare at her, not getting it, until Leeha laughs and yells, “We can use ourselves as sails!”

  “Exactly!” Bridget shouts at Leeha with a massive grin.

  I turn to her and Bridget, and suddenly the idea of what she is suggesting comes to me. Of course! We can use the wind at our backs, which will increase our speed some. But everyone is already barely avoiding the trees or obstructions at the speed we’re going now.

  As if she knows what I’m thinking, Bridget adds, “We can also use some of them to stabilize folks, so they don’t run into things. Sort of giving them wings, as you would say.”

  I think about it, and that would be an excellent way to do it. I look at her and nod.

  “Do it. Air. Take as much power as you need,” I tell her with a cringe, knowing that yet again, my power levels will be super low if I end up fighting Lucifer. Assuming that’s who is in that damn Temple.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Bridget nods, and I get a notification in my vision that, thankfully, doesn’t block my view. Otherwise, I’m sure I would have run into the tree that I just avoided.

  You have used a Complex Spell command. You have used 10,000 points of power.

  I cringe at the numbers, but I know it needs to be done if we’re to stay alive.

  Suddenly, I feel something grab me under my arms. Looking down, I see four little Air Elementals, two on each arm. They look at me and grin, one even waving at me quickly, before grabbing my arm again.

  Looking around, I see everyone has extra Air Elementals, including Blacky. He looks at me, and I get a sense of uncertainty. Through our connection, I let him know it’s all right and that they will help him go faster. He consents, albeit reluctantly.

  I feel lighter thanks to the Air Elementals, and suddenly, I feel a gust of wind behind me. It doesn’t end, and instead is a constant presence at my back. The wind is strong enough to push me, which is the plan.

  Bridget shouts without warning, “NOW!”

  I almost cry out in surprise, as suddenly, we are all lifted up into the air, and I hear Blacky yelp in shock as well. And that’s not all. We all swiftly shoot forward much faster, our feet barely touching the ground.

  “We’re almost there,” Binna shouts from ahead of me.

  I look, and she’s pointing at something, but I can’t tell what. Opening my Third Eye, I suddenly see a wall composed of Magical energy. It’s over 200 feet tall, and according to my compass, the line goes from east to west. But it’s so wide that I can’t even see where it finishes. It must go on for miles and miles!

  If I didn’t have my Third Eye, I don’t think I would ever have seen it. Dismissing my Third Eye, now that I know where the line is, I look again, and yep. Nothing there. Unless you know where to look or can see Magical energy, you would miss it.

  I guess the Giants must see it as well, or they realize we are getting away, as their roars and screams turn to ones of anger and frustration. One even tries to throw a massive tree at us, its roots still intact and covered in soil. Thankfully, its aim is off, and it lands far to the right and behind us.

  Abruptly, I feel myself hitting something, almost like I’m running through molasses, and then that feeling is gone, and I stumble, almost tripping.

  Some aren’t so lucky, as I see Tia and Leeha hit the ground, and I even hear Bryan, thanks to his cussing, as he stumbles and crashes to the ground.

  Binna cries out triumphantly, “We made it!”

  I turn quickly back to the wall, just in time to watch the Giants slam against the wall hard enough to bounce them back onto their asses.

  There are a total of seven of these new Giants there now. Two of them being the Crystal ones, and the rest were the Infernos.

  One of the Inferno Giants opens his mouth, and suddenly a fireball the size of a small truck, leaves his mouth and heads towards the wall. I turn away, expecting it to hit us, but I hear a sizzling noise instead.

  I turn back to look, and I see the fireball slowly dissipating against the Magical wall. One of the Crystal Giants tries to attack us next. It’s one of the only two females there, and she opens her mouth, where a large ice crystal forms and suddenly shoots towards us and the wall, with the same effect as the fireball.

  “We’re safe,” Binna says, breathing hard.

  It looks like everyone is exhausted. While we had help moving from the Air Elementals, who start to disappear one by one, we still had to do some of the work. And well, having those Giants chasing you kind of takes something out of you. I can’t blame them all for breathing hard, as I am as well, and it’s not because of running. It was the thought of getting caught by those things.

  “Will they be able to bust through that wall?” I ask Binna nervously.

  She shakes her head. “No. The Magic for that wall is replenished each season by our Mages. It can stop an army of them if needs be.”

  “Does it only stop them?” Leeha points to the Giants, who are getting agitated and angry, some even going as far as hitting one of their own if they got too close. I wonder if I can use that?

  “Bridget,” I tell her through our connection. “I have an idea.”

  “Oh?” she replies. I can feel her grin through our connection. “What’s your idea?”

  I quickly break it down for her, and she turns to me with a massive smile on her face.

  “Oh man, this will be fun!” she cries out and disappears.

  Suspiciously, Leeha asks me, “Where is Bridget going?”

  Not answering with words, I instead point to the Giants, who are clearly getting more and more frustrated.

  Everyone turns to look, just in time to see something small hit one of the female Inferno Giants in the elbow.

  The Inferno Giant turns to look, and rather than seeing Bridget, who had hit her, all she sees is another Inferno Giant, a male this time. She roars at him, steps away from the Magical wall, and decks the male in the jaw, causing his head to snap back as he falls over on his ass.

  He looks up at her in confusion at first, but then suddenly he roars, gets up, and attacks her.

  And that’s what happens for the next ten minutes. Bridget uses her ability to fly and disappear, to cause havoc within the ranks of the Giants. The first Giant to be taken out is the massive female Inferno Giant. Or is that Giantess? Whatever. Either way, she is the first taken out by two of her assailants. One each of the male Inferno and male Crystal Giants.

  The second one to go down is a male Inferno, as the Crystal Giant takes advantage of him looking up at the sky and shouting in victory. While his head is pointed upward, the male Crystal Giant goes up and punches him in the throat, causing him to choke and puts his hands on his throat. Most likely, his larynx was fractured by the punch.

  Bryan is the first one who expresses what we all feel, “Fucking hell!”

  “Tell me about it,” Tia says, shaking her head. “Bridget is doing an expert job of having them gang up on each other. I’m glad I didn’t go into Dragon form to fight them because even I would have had issues.”

  “And they taste awful,” Leeha reminds her.

  “Yes,” she replies with a scowl, spitting on the ground in remembrance. “And they taste awful. Thanks for the reminder.”

  “You’re welcome,” Leeha says with a laugh.

  I turn to Binna. “Let’s leave Bridget to it. Shall we go ahead?”

  Binna turns away from the fighting and nods. Her eyes are big. “Right. This way,” she says and heads towards the beach that is beyond the forest.

  “Do your people live on the land or in the water?” I ask as I walk beside her.

  She turns and looks up at me. “We live in the water. Though, we do hunt and forage on the land. There are some who do live on the land as well, but they are rare. Mostly, we have guards who work on the land, usually in shifts. But otherwise, we all live in the seas and oceans. That is our home.”

  “Hmm. How will that work for us?” I ask her nervously. “We can’t breathe under water.”

  Binna starts to open her mouth to respond, but suddenly Ezza appears next to me and whispers, “We have company.”

  I turn quickly back to the fight of the Giants, but Ezza adds, “From the beach.”

  I turn quickly again to the beach this time, and I see a person standing there. No, not a person. A Mer is standing there. A male.

  He’s dressed in a pair of short pants that go to his knees, and his shirt is blue, like the color of the ocean, but slightly darker. He has long blond hair, and the same blue ears as Binna. He looks older too, probably in his late fifties, as I can see a bit of white intermixed in his blond hair.

  Upon seeing me looking at the beach, Binna turns and squeals, “Daddy!”

  Suddenly she is no longer next to me, but is running towards her father. Once she’s close enough, she throws herself at him and he catches her easily, engulfing her in a massive hug.

  “Daughter,” I hear him say and the joy in his voice is evident. “You made it back safely. Did you find what you were looking for?” he asks, turning to look at our group.

  Binna steps back with a massive grin on her face. “I did, Father. Though, we have an issue. There are massive Giants on the other side of the Magical barrier. They are fighting each other right now, but if there are any survivors, will the wall be fine? These are Inferno and Crystal Giants.”

  At the mention of these monsters, his eyes widen, but he doesn’t freak out. He nods slowly and turns to the water, shouting out, “Grimlar!”

  A head pops out of the water, and another Mer is there. This one is dark-haired, and dressed in armor, or the top half that I can see is. He has a helm that is open-faced, with a crest on top, almost like a mohawk. The armor is a gold color.

  “Yes, my Lord?”

  “Gather the Mages. We will need to fortify the Magical barrier.”

  The mer frowns and asks, “But it’s not the end of the season yet, my Lord.”

  Sighing, Binna’s father tells him, “Yes, but we also never had Inferno or Crystal Giants try to attack it before.”

  At the mention of the Giants, the Grimlar’s eyes widen in shock, and he nods quickly, swallowing.

  “I shall take care of it, my Lord,” he says and dives back under the water.

  Binna’s father turns back and walks towards us with Binna on his arm, before stopping in front of me, for some reason. Though it might be because of the armor, as I still have my purple armor on, and I am the one out in front. Bryan is behind me, with his arms crossed.

  The Mer looks away from me to look at Bryan and nods respectfully at him. “Sir Knight.”

  Bryan nods and bows low.

  He turns back to me and asks, “I assume you’re the lover she went after?”

  “Father,” Binna squeals, horrified.

  Her father smiles at her and says, “I’m sorry. The man she went after?”

  I nod respectfully but can’t help the grin on my face. “I am. Or I assume that I’m the one. We found her waiting for us.”

  “That would be you then. Come. Oh, where are my manners? I should have started with introductions, as my daughter seems to have forgotten. I’m Nigel Na Gigronio. The King of the Mer.”

  “Your Highness,” I say, bowing low at the waist.

  “Please,” the King says. “We do not stand on formalities here. Nigel will be fine. Come, we can talk with drinks and food once we get to my home.”

  “Father,” Binna says. “They can’t breathe underwater.”

  “Ah,” he nods. “I shall take care of it.”

  With that, he lifts a hand, and suddenly he has a globe of water in his hand. He closes his eyes and the globe travels to every one of us, and all of a sudden, we each have a sphere of water around our heads. Surprisingly, we can still breathe.

  I lift my hand up and poke at it. Hoping I can still speak, I ask him, “A Water based spell?”

  He nods. “Yes. But it’s a specialty that only we Mer have.”

  “Interesting,” I mumble, thinking that I really need to learn this spell. Underwater breathing spell? Yes, please!

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “If you will follow me,” Nigel tells us, but then stops abruptly as Blacky, who is next to me, barks.

  We all look at him, and Nigel’s eyes widen in shock as he takes a step back.

  “Is that a Shadow Wolf?”

  “Yes, but don’t worry. Blacky is safe. He’s mine.”

  Nigel looks at me as if I am pulling his leg, but when he sees I’m not laughing, he looks back at Blacky and mumbles under his breath, but I still catch it. “The man has a fucking Shadow Wolf as a pet. Seriously, who did my daughter just bring here?”

  Binna must hear him as well, as she slaps him and whispers fiercely, “Father!”

  Nigel has the grace to blush, before nodding at his daughter and then turning back to me.

  “My apologies. Is there a problem with Blacky?”

  I look back at Blacky and ask him, “What’s up, buddy?”

  He looks at the water we were walking toward and shakes his massive head, and the impression I get from him is one of water bad.