Vitiosi Dei (Heritage of the Blood Book 2) by Brent Lee Markee

nice.”
                  “Don't give me that 'sir' crap. You will take them, because it is the only thing an old man like me can give you. I don't have much, but I have these, and I want you to have them. Wear them proudly.” Pedrial pushed them a little closer. “And if you try to say no again, I'll show you that you aren't the only one that knows how to fight around here!”
                  Shawnrik knew that Pedrial had meant it as a joke, but a fleeting thought also made him wonder if it might also be the simple truth. Looking at the bracers on the table, he wondered how much more he would have to grow to be able to wear them, but as he reached out and touched the silvery surface they seemed to shrink in on themselves. He was amazed to find that not only were they a perfect fit, but what he thought was metal felt much more like stone to the touch.
                  Pedrial must have noticed his look of shock, because he laughed again. “I suppose this is the first time you've seen living stone? Those will fit you no matter how big those oak trees you call arms get, and they will help protect you when it is needed. Make sure you wear them at all times.” In a stern tone, he added, “If you dare mention not taking them now, I’ll throw you into the pond.”
                  It was Shawnrik's turn to laugh as he visualized just how easy it would be for the old smith to toss him into the pond. After a second, Shawnrik managed to thank the man through the lump in his throat.
                  “Don't mention it. Now, you have to get to the square, everyone will be leaving soon, and you do not want to be late.”
     
                  On their way through the village, Shawnrik kept trying to think of ways that he could give the bracers back without offending the Giant, but every time he was about to say something he would look back and see Pedrial staring down at him like a storm cloud. No wonder they are called Cloud Giants. By the time they made it to the square he had given up the idea, and Pedrial seemed to know it because he reverted back to his usually cheerful self.
                  The square held all of the children in the village over the age of eight, and those that were not running around screaming were standing about with barely contained excitement. Shawnrik wasn't really sure where he should stand, so he let Pedrial's hand on his back slowly guide him. A steady influx of villagers came to the square over the next few minutes, until a haggard looking Giantess nodded in what must have been approval, before intoning in a loud voice that it was time to go.
                  Shawnrik was surprised a moment later.
                  “Do well, and don't take anyone's crap,” Pedrial whispered.
                  Shawnrik nodded and shouldered his bags before falling into the line that was forming in the middle of the square. He briefly wondered how they would take all these little kids with them before the haggard looking lady walked up to the obelisk in the middle of the square. She moved her hands in an odd pattern and then whispered something quietly. A few moments after she stepped back, a doorway appeared on the face of the obelisk, and people began marching into it. Shawnrik stood there staring at a doorway that had appeared from nowhere as if by magic, and it was only when someone gave him a gentle shove from behind that he realized that it was his turn to walk into the silvery portal.
                  As Shawnrik walked through the doorway, he was immediately assaulted by brightness. He exited into a white marble room that had glowing balls of light in brackets along the walls. Having heard stories about the globes of light that illuminated the halls of the Mages' Guild and the Royal Palace, Shawnrik assumed that must be what he was looking at.
                  When the doorway