The rocking of the ship was rhythmic and calming, yet all on board were troubled. Pacha felt drawn to Tallara like never before, she felt a new connection with the Goddess and in her heart, her faith grew. Achala wondered what her new life would bring, where she would go and what would await her. She began to miss Bryce, the familiarity he brought and the peace which came from being in the wilderness with him. She had a feeling that she would stick with Asil or Twulai for a short while until she found her feet. The friendship between them had grown over the past months and she didn’t want to lose them. Twulai thought of home, something he had long missed. He thought of the mountains in Eoida, and of the Fiwe Giants, whom he observed from afar. Asil too thought of home, of her siblings and the rivers she fished in with her parents. Ilioc missed watching the hustle and bustle, not of mountains, oceans and wild environments, but of busy people working on the lower plains. Torbjørn had not felt far from home in the snow, but it was the warmth of his family which he longed for.

“Dragons,” Asil said after a while.

“What?” Ilioc asked.

“Dragons,” Asil said again. “It’s what we came here for. We still need to drive them south or else we won’t stay at home for very long.”

“That’s a good point,” Twulai agreed.

“What are we going to do though? We can’t drive them out ourselves. Even with our numbers, we will be easily overwhelmed,” Achala added. The Giants thought about this before Pacha spoke up,

“Fire,” She said and the Giants turned to her. “We set this ship on fire. It hasn’t rained for days so the forest will be as dry as a bone. The ocean is rough so another storm may be on its way. I would bet that one fire would set the whole of the Northern forests ablaze. The dragons will flee the forests which line mountains in Regad and they will head south to Jordfald. It even may be enough to scare the dragons from the high mountains as well.” The Giants looked at her and murmured in agreement.

“There must be something on this ship which we can use to start a fire,” Ilioc said. They gathered materials as the ship neared the Northern shore and by the time that they reached the shore, they had what they needed. Pacha used a piece of flint to light the wood on the ship. As intended, it was engulfed by fire in moments. Quickly the Giants and Pacha moved away from the ship as fast as they could, sticking close to the shoreline where the trees were sparse and soon diverted away from them. Soon the forest was ablaze and dragons rose to the sky. They flew south like a swarm of insects. The Giants laughed as they watched their food supply, in their thousands, began to journey back towards their homeland.

“Yeah!” Ilioc called out.

“Woo!” Came Torbjørn’s exclamation.

“Yeah!” Asil joined. Twulai whooped and the sounds of ecstatic excitement from the Giants could not be described, but it filled Pacha with immense joy. They passed between burnt plants and softly crackling trees as they left the Northern most coast in Regad and began to head home. Silence settled gently between them as they walked, all of them happy to be away from the foul lands of the North. They walked for three days, underneath the stars and every so often the Giants would capture a dragon and have a feast. They offered Pacha some raw dragon but she refused and instead, she munched on the berries that she knew were safe. She would catch the odd rabbit which she roasted over a fire, that she and the Giants would sit around. They enjoyed the feeling of the moment like they had made it out of a raging thunderstorm and everything was now calm.

After a while the party split, where Twulai and Asil would leave them, heading further East while the rest of them would head South.

“My friends,” Asil began, “You have meant so much to me. I would hope that we shall all see home again soon. I hope that is as gentle and calm as we left it,” Asil said and she hugged each of them. “Pacha,” Asil said softly, kneeling to her height. “The world shall be better for both us and yourself now. I have learned so much from you and if I ever pass by Seu I shall look for you,” They gripped each other’s wrists and stayed there a moment.

“I doubt I shall stray far from home but if I ever do, I’ll come to see you all,” Twulai said to them.

“I was planning on coming with you to the East,” Achala began. “But something calls me to Jordfald. I have stories of the Grucu, women who are the children of dragons and live in the wilds with them. I have a feeling that my next adventure lies with them. Until next time,” Achala said to Twulai and Asil. They took each other’s wrists and brought themselves into a hug.

“Twulai,” Pacha said simply to Twulai.

“Farewell Pacha. Until I see you again,” Twulai replied, smiling gently at her.

“Let us keep these friendships. The North has shown us cruelty that we didn’t know existed. Let us show kindness and love to all those we meet,” Ilioc said and all the other Giants nodded in agreement.

“Let us go out and form strong bonds with men, for Pacha has shown us that humans can be most understanding and will be willing to fight with us,” Achala added.

“Aye!” The Giants replied before parting.

Two days passed before they came near enough to Seu that Pacha felt safe enough to head home by herself.

“I’m going to miss you,” Pacha said as she turned to the Giants who remained.

“You are a most exquisite human Pacha and I would give my life for you,” Torbjørn said as he knelt down and hugged her tightly.

“I’m going to miss you Pacha,” Ilioc said.

“Achala,” Pacha said as she turned to the Giant.

“Pacha,” Achala replied, smiling

“I hope you find a home,” Pacha said.

“I will don’t you worry,” Achala replied. “I will always be in your heart Pacha, and I know that Elizabeth will be as well,” Achala told her as she bent down to hug Pacha. “A bond made with Giants is a strong one, never forget that.”

“So long my friends,” Pacha called.

“We will see you again Pacha. I’m sure,” Ilioc replied, as they watched Pacha leave.

Pacha walked through the meadows with ease, still in the comfort that the Giants she knew were not far away. As Seu became visible over the hill Pacha felt tears come to her eyes. She had not seen home for so long. As soon as she neared her village she heard a voice behind her,

“Pacha!” The voice called, it was loud. She turned and saw Heli running towards her with his bow in one hand and three animals resting on his shoulder. “Where have you been?” Heli cried out. His voice was stern and worried.

“I’m sorry,” Pacha began, unsure how to explain herself. “I never intended to be away for so long,” Pacha said and she waited for Heli to answer but he simply embraced her. He began to lead her back to Seu.

“I knew you had gone to find Giants,” Heli said. “I figured that found more than you intended to,” He said, glancing at Pacha.

“I did. I found so much more than I had intended.” Pacha said as a feeling of reassurance and happiness filled her.

“Where have you been for these last four months?” Heli asked her and Pacha thought carefully about her answer.

“I have been exploring the Rhern mountains, and I even caught a glimpse of the Northern land of Daer in Regad.”

“The men of the North are foul,” Heli said. “You do not ever want to find yourself in those lands. When people go there Pacha, they do not come back.”

“We were safe uncle, I would never walk across lands like those.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that, and when you say we I presume you found Giants?”

“I found four of them. We travelled far and I learned many things from them. After all this time we formed a bond. They know that we are understanding and that given time, we will fight with them.”

“All this knowledge you have gained Pacha, and to form a bond with Giants is extraordinary.”

“Like you and Berturm. Can we tell our village about them now?” Pacha said, her words sounding more child-like as the neared Seu.

“Dear Pacha no. With the dragons being a threat to us during the day, I do not hasten to tell our people more than they need to know.”

“Have you told them about the dragons hunting during the day?”

“I have. Safe to say they did not take it well. Your mother panicked about you and I reassured her that if you were, indeed, with the Giants I was sure that they would keep you safe.”

“They kept me very safe, although…”

“Although? What is it, Pacha?” Heli asked, turning to her.

“I assisted the Giants in drawing the dragons South. We set fire to the forests and thousands of them are flying South,”

“So there are huge flights coming?”

“Yes. But the Giants need them and they will pass over us quickly.” Pacha said quickly, worried that Heli would become angry. Instead, Heli laughed.

“I knew this day was coming, when did you draw them South?”

“Five days ago in the Western most part of Regad.”

“Then I will tell our hunters to say inside for the coming week or two. Come, we are almost home.” Heli said as he put his arm around her and they walked into Seu together. Many people turned to look at Pacha as she walked with Heli through the village. Pacha looked around at Seu, a place that was so familiar and yet it still felt like it was out of her grip. Soon they neared Pacha’s house.

“Freida!” Heli called. Freida opened the door and stared in disbelief before she embraced Pacha.

“Oh, Pacha!” She cried out. “Are you alright? My darling you’ve been gone for months!” Freida said, tears welling up in her eyes as she held her daughter tightly in her arms.

“I’m ok,” Pacha replied. Pacha waited until Freida released her and she took her mothers’ hands. “I never intended to be gone for so long,” Pacha said before hugging her again. Behind Freida, Pacha’s father, Micha, appeared.

“Have you been safe my daughter?” Micha asked Pacha as he resting his hand on her arm.

“I have been as safe as I could have been father. Four Giants made sure of that,” Pacha replied.

“Giants!” Micha cried out in shock. “No wonder the search parties couldn’t find you, I bet they had you neatly tucked away somewhere,” Micha said to Pacha before embracing her. “You must tell us everything.”

“I will,” Pacha replied. “And so must Heli.”

She told her family the start and end of her tale. She did not tell them about the North, the terrors of her capture, her many months spend in slavery and how she had spared the life of the man who captured her. She told them that the dragons were coming and she allowed Heli to reassure them that they would not be in any further danger. She told them about Asil, Twulai, Torbjørn and Ilioc, but she did not mention Achala or Elizabeth.

Pacha was now home and very glad to be alive. She felt warmth in her heart from her reaffirmed faith in Tallara and over the coming months, she spent less time inside her house. Pacha would walk the walkways of Seu, looking out upon the water and breathing in the fresh air. She still recalled the sound of pickaxes hitting against rock and the hard floor that she slept on. She thought of the slaves who were still trapped there and she hoped that her escape with Elizabeth would have inspired others to escape the way they had. She would sit for hours on the walkway with her dad, mother and Heli. When she made it into the mountains she would watch Heli hunt, and she always kept a keen eye open for Giants.