"Let's stop here for the night. Will that stream work for your magic lesson, Mauve?" Carrick pointed, bringing his horse to a stop and dismounting.

The others followed suit as they tied up their mounts. The horses immediately began feasting on the ripe apples, which was a good thing since they had nothing else to feed them.

Valda accompanied Mauve to the pond, not liking the look of the scummy water or the frogs swimming just below the surface.

"This will be great." Mauve clapped her hands in excitement and laughed at Valda's dubious look. "The horses need water, so this is the perfect time to teach you how to separate the dirt."

Valda felt relieved. Getting into the bug infested pond would not have been the highlight of her day. Add that to the fact it would take ages to get her wiry, black hair to dry meant that she was more than happy to stay on the bank.

Within minutes Mauve was sifting out the weeds and mud whilst Valda was pushing the water towards the horses. They had grown used to various bits of magic over the past few days and weren't put off drinking the floating water.

Once Valda and Mauve finished with the horses, they filled their drinking bottles and helped with the fire.

"We'll have to go on foot from here. The path is going to get steeper and these horses aren't bred for that type of terrain," Carrick said, tossing his dinner scraps back into the forest.

No one was surprised by this announcement. The mountains had been getting closer and closer during their journey until they'd become imposing towers that loomed over them. The trees were few now, and the ground was split in places, creating small ponds and streams.

Valda knew Carrick was right, but that didn't stop a bit of fear from creeping into her heart. Somehow the horses gave her a sense of safety. They were their key to a quick escape. Without them, they'd have to rely on their skills and wit to stay safe. And Valda wasn't sure she had any.

She was okay at magic and she could hold a sword without too much embarrassment, but that didn't seem enough. Not when Lorcan's men were still looking for them.

Carrick had assured her that no one else would know where the rebel stronghold was, and Tevin had agreed. But that still didn't stop her from being scared. They could easily be walking into another ambush and not know it.

A sudden wailing noise made all of them jump and the horses brayed uneasily.

"What was that?" Valda whispered, her eyes roaming around them.

"Don't know, but we'd better go check it out." Carrick and Tevin stood with their weapons drawn and made their way forward.

The girls didn't argue with their decision. The boys had the superior skills in hand to hand combat. Instead, they extinguished the fire so as not to lead anyone to their camp. They would light it again if there was nothing wrong.

Not needing to communicate to each other, Valda and Mauve began putting things away should they needed to leave in a hurry.

It was over an hour later when the boys returned. The sun had set a long time before so it looked like they materialised out of the darkness.

Valda and Mauve stood up, their eyes raking over their forms, trying to see any injuries. But the two boys seemed unharmed.

"What was it?"

Carrick shrugged. "A baby giant's stuck in a gigantic crack filled with mud. Looks like it's been there a few days, so it's exhausted. I don't think it'll have the energy to make any more noises so we're safe."

Mauve seemed relieved by this news, but Valda's forehead crinkled in concern.

"Shouldn't we try to help it? It's only a baby after all."

The other three looked anywhere but at her before finally Tevin spoke.

"Valda, giants aren't creatures you can trust. And even if we saved it, the giants are all a part of Lorcan's army, so what would we do with it? It's better we leave it where it is."

The others agreed with him, but Valda was torn. It didn't seem right and went against everything her Dad had ever taught her. Every life mattered, just because the giants sided with Lorcan, didn't mean she could just let one of their young die.

A plan formed in her head. The other three would never let her go anywhere alone, especially not to save a baby giant. So the only thing she could do was hope the poor thing could hold on until the others fell asleep.

With her plan set, it was just a waiting game as the others stoked up the fire and rolled out their sleeping bags.

Her Dad was right. And what was the point of being the Princess of Lania if she didn't protect everything in Lania.

Sneaking away from her companions turned out to be easier than she'd expected. Mauve usually slipped back asleep not long after it was her turn to be the lookout.

No, the hard part was finding where the baby giant had fallen.

She crept in the same direction the boys had appeared from, hoping this would be her best bet. Muttering a few words, she allowed little flames to form in her hand. It was a trick she'd discovered on her midnight toilet breaks. She wasn't impervious to flame but could control it enough so there was always a thin area between her skin. As far as she knew, not even Mauve could do it.

The flames gave her enough light, so she wasn't tripping over any stones that jutted out from the floor, but not enough to see more than an arm's width in front of her.

She struggled around with no luck, her hopes were dropping the longer she was away from camp.

A soft keening broke her negative thoughts. Her heartbeat quickened and her mind instantly focused on the sorrowful sound. Moving swiftly, she followed the sound, having to wait minutes until the next cry came.

Eventually, the sounds led her to the crack in the ground. When Carrick had said it was gigantic, he hadn't been kidding. It was over twelve feet wide and nearly ten feet deep. It was also completely filled with thick mud.

Although, the boys had assured her it was a baby she couldn't help but think they were wrong. It was hard to tell its exact size given that it was stuck in mud up to its waist, but it looked much larger than any baby she'd ever seen. The giant in the pit looked as big as a typical seven-year-old.

Valda thought she knew what giants looked like, but the fairy tales had been entirely wrong. Underneath the dried mud, its skin was grey, and it had a little tuft of green hair like a patch of moss on top of its round head. Its eyes were completely black, there was no white to be seen nor any distinct pupil. She found she couldn't stop staring at them.

The baby began struggling as it spotted her, its pathetic cries increasing. The more it moved, the further it seemed to sink.

She bent at the edge of the pit and tried to calm it. If it carried on struggling like that, it would disappear into the mud long before she could help.

After a few minutes of her talking, the baby seemed to relax, though Valda didn't know if it could understand her. Its primary form of communication seemed to be cries and grunts.

Holding out her hands, Valda concentrated on the mud and tried to use magic to move it away from the baby. It was harder than anything she'd done before, and she could only push it a few inches before it collapsed back. After trying repeatedly, she admitted defeat. Doing magic was draining, and even she knew she wasn't making any headway.

Part of her wondered whether she should go back to camp and wake Mauve. Maybe she could convince her to help. But looking at the baby, she realised there wouldn't be enough time for that. Despite all her work, the mud was now up to its chest.

She swung her backpack off her shoulder and withdrew a rope. Her Dad had insisted she take it, although she'd been reluctant. Now she was thankful she'd listened to him. Somehow he always had a knack of knowing exactly what she'd need.

Standing at the edge of the pit, she crouched low and began climbing down the steep walls. Stones and branches provided good hand and footrests, but the journey was still tiring. Her already aching muscles were burning by the time she reached the bottom.

She was careful not to take more than a few steps forward. The steep sides had stopped the rain getting to this part of the ground so it was free from mud, but she still had to be wary. One wrong move and she could easily end up stuck in the mud along with the giant.

She mustered up her magic and levitated the rope towards the now crying giant, willing it to tie around the baby's waist. Once in place, she had to brace her hands against her knees and breath. She'd pushed her magic further tonight than ever before, and she was feeling the effects.

She tried to sound reassuring. "Okay, buddy, I'm gonna try to pull you out." Even to her own ears she sounded exhausted.

The baby giant continued to cry, but it held onto the rope and seemed to understand what she was trying to do.

Valda's arms almost got pulled out of their sockets on the first tug. She'd greatly underestimated the task. The baby giant was either heavier than it looked or was indeed incredibly stuck.

It felt like hours of pulling and resting, but inch by inch she dragged the baby giant out of the mud. Her entire body shook with exertion and sweat poured down her face. As soon as the baby's legs were free, it began using its remaining strength to push its way towards her, wiggling on its belly like a worm.

Once it was close enough, she abandoned the rope and grabbed at its hands, hauling it towards her. Despite all the time spent struggling in the mud, its hold on her hands was like iron. Without it, she would never have been able to free it completely.

With a loud squelch, the baby giant stumbled next to her, finally free. Valda rested back against the pit wall, trying to catch her breath. The baby giant wrapped its arms around her and squeezed her, still crying hysterically.

Now that it was out of the mud, she realised that it was the same height as a seven-year-old, but its limbs were larger and more muscled.

"Valda! Valda! Valda!" A chorus of voices interrupted her thought.

It appeared her disappearance had finally been noticed.

"I'm here!" She called out. The baby giant only sniffled to himself, but its grip on her tightened.

She looked down into its sad, black eyes and tried to console him. "Hey, buddy, it's okay. They're just my friends. They're gonna help us get out of here. You want to go home, don't you?"

The baby giant didn't let her go but seemed calmer. The last thing she needed was a scared, rampaging giant, even if it was only a baby.

Dirt fell from above them, accompanied by the sound of feet.

"Valda? What are you doing?" There was disbelief in Mauve's voice, which matched the looks on Carrick and Tevin's faces as they all peered over the edge of the pit.

"I couldn't just leave it. Help us up and no arguing." Her words took on a hard edge at the end. She was tired, dirty and had a baby giant clinging to her waist, the last thing she wanted was an argument.

Deciding it was best to follow Valda's command, Mauve enchanted the free end of the rope so it rose in the air. The trio then arranged themselves so they could begin pulling.

Valda was grateful for the giant's grip as she had barely any energy left to hold on. She relied completely on it to carry her along as her friends lifted them up and over the edge of the pit.

By the time she and the giant could finally stand, dawn had already broken, bathing them all in light.

The disbelieving looks of her friends' faces seemed to have changed into expressions of anger.

"What were you thinking, Valda?" Carrick's body was stiff with frustration.

The little giant moved to stand in front of Valda, his eyes now locked on the other three. He gurgled at them angrily as if reprimanding them, which caused the trio to look at each other.

Before Valda could say anything the ground beneath her feet shifted. In normal circumstances, she would have been quick enough to jump out of the way, but she had no strength left. Her legs collapsed and she felt herself fall backwards into the pit.

A strong, rough hand grabbed hers and yanked her so she fell into a heap with the baby giant still holding her. She lifted her head and watched as the edge she'd been standing on crumbled away into the pit.

Her gaze returned to the giant to see him giving her a toothy grin.

"It just saved you?" Tevin whispered.

Valda turned and saw all of their stunned faces. Apparently that wasn't usual giant behaviour.

Getting to her feet was hard, but eventually her wobbly legs managed it with the giant's steady hand. "We have to get him back to his family."

Her words seemed to snap them all out of their trances as they began arguing with her.

"Valda, there's no time."

"It's too dangerous."

"The giants are on Lorcan's side. They'll kill us."

The trio said in unison, but Valda ignored them all. Looking at the baby giant, all alone with no one to help, made her realise how lost she would have been without her friends. In her heart, she knew they had to help despite the risks.

"I know, but it needs to go home to its family," she reasoned.

Before the others could speak the giant opened its wide mouth and pointed to himself. "Nisog."

Valda blinked at it. "Is that your name?"

Nisog nodded. "Nisog." As if that cleared up everything.

"Valda, are you sure about this? It could delay our journey and they could hand us over to Lorcan." Tevin tried to make her understand but Valda had already decided.

"I was lucky. I have all of you to help me, but Nisog doesn't have anyone. He's a part of Lania as much as we are and we have to help him."

Valda didn't know how they were going to do it, but she knew they had to.

"Okay, if you're sure. I promise I'd follow you wherever you go." Tevin shrugged his shoulders and picked up his bag.

"Me too. You're right, Valda, maybe if we'd trusted the giants more they wouldn't have joined Lorcan," Mauve agreed.

Carrick looked like he really wanted to argue, but as it was three against one, so he swallowed his concerns. "We've already packed up camp, so all we need to do is let the horses go. I just hope it knows its way home." He glared at Nisog.

"Nisog," Nisog agreed.

"Well, I guess we'd better move then," Valda said.

She had no idea what they would find if they followed Nisog, but somehow she didn't feel afraid. Just like her decision to come to Adiocion and to trust Tevin, it just felt right.