Valiant by Sarah McGuire Page A

but the bearded one shook him off, and held Will out at arm’s length. His grip on Will’s foot began to relax. I could see his huge fingers release.…
    “No!”
    The giant looked at me.
    “
Set
him down,” I said. Would he really listen to me? “Don’t drop him.”
    The bearded giant tucked his chin slightly, a close cousin to a nod. Then he crouched, forearm across his knee. It seemed to take an age to fold himself up. Finally, he set Will down so that his head touched the ground first, while his limbs flopped around him.
    Then the giant straightened like a tower being built before me. He stepped away and watched as I ran toward Will.
    “Talk not to the
lité
. Kill them before their voices can touch us,” rumbled the young one. “The duke said—”
    Lité?
Was that what they called us?
    “I’ll not kill it,” said the one with the beard and pick. “No matter what the duke said.”
    Their voices were low, like the last purr of thunder before it fades away entirely. I could feel the rumble of it in my chest.
    I reached Will and dragged him back toward the bridge. He had to get to the city.
    “I will look after the boy!” I called as I tugged at Will. “Then you may deal with me if you wish.” I set Will down and waved a fist at them. “
If
you can!”
    I couldn’t believe myself—or that the giants had actually listened to me. I only knew that if I kept talking, they might keep listening and Will might be saved.
    I knelt beside him. He was pale, his right foot bent at an awful angle. I looked toward Reggen’s gates for help, but no one had followed me across the bridge. Not a soul.
    “Will,” I whispered. “Will!”
    He didn’t answer, so I lightly slapped his cheek. Nothing. The giants were beginning to shift their weight and mutter. I didn’t have much time.
    “Forgive me.…” Before I could think better of it, I prodded his crooked foot.
    He woke with a shriek.
    “Shhh!” I clamped a hand over his mouth, scared of provoking the giants. “Quiet, Will! As you value your life, be quiet.”
    His eyes were glassy with tears, but he nodded. I pulled my hand away.
    “Listen to me,” I whispered. “You must get back to the gates. I don’t care if you think your foot will snap off. Go as quickly and as quietly as you can. Do you hear me?”
    I looked back to Reggen’s gates. Still, no one came for him. For us.
    Cowards
.
    One last look at Will. One quick squeeze of his shoulder. “Go!”
    I stood and walked back toward the giants. For the firsttime since running across the bridge, I was afraid, the sort of fear that melted the marrow in my bones and made it hard to move.
    I had to give Will time. My legs might be weak, but I could shout easily enough.
    “Now!” I bellowed up at them. “Do what you will!”
    The young one flinched, then lifted his foot in one sweeping arc. I dove away as the boot crashed down where I had been standing. The boot rose again and I threw myself to the side.
    But the boot never fell.
    “No!” The bearded one pulled the young giant back with a commotion like a small landslide. “Kill not!”
    “The duke commanded—” The young one pushed the other giant away and he staggered back, the ground trembling beneath us. I’d never seen such strength, such force. I’d been a fool to think they moved slowly. The bearded one found his footing with a growl, and the two giants faced each other.
    I pushed myself to standing and backed away, pulling in great, gulping breaths.
What was happening?
    “You will not kill! I will not let you.” The bearded one shook his great head. “What would you tell Oma?”
    After a moment, the young giant reluctantly lowered his hands. The earth trembled as both giants turned to me.
    “What do you want,
lité
?” asked the bearded giant.
    I wanted them to go away. No, I wanted them to never have come. I wanted to keep thinking giants were creatures from stories. But I needed to give Will time to escape. I couldn’tfight the