As she walked, Marcella realized her entourage was slowly getting bigger. It started with swarms of insects, they buzzed around her head and trailed behind her in buzzing clouds. Then she started to notice small rodents poking their heads out of holes in the ground as she passed. They were small, buck toothed, under nourished animals, but those with enough strength joined the ragtag ensemble.

"Why are they following us?" Marcella asked as she watched a family of mice play under Silva's feet. The wolf seemed at ease with their game, though, not even paying them any attention as she led the way.

"I told you I would't miss a journey like this, you think any other creature left in Lemuria feels differently?" Grelchin smiled and stretched his hunched back. "You're our hope."

"But why? Where are we going and how am I supposed to help?"

"You are going to the citadel, we're simply accompanying you. When you get there, you'll have a better picture of what you're meant to do."

"Citadel?" Marcella thought about the word. She knew what it implied. "Grelchin . . . am I supposed to fight someone?"

The old man laughed, then coughed, then hacked a slimy green substance from his throat. He bent over and rested his weight on his knees, then struggled to inhale a clean breath. Marcella slipped into the space beside him and patted his back, whispering comforting words.

"Apologies, m'lady, I didn't mean to frighten you. These old lungs aren't quite what they used to be."

"What was so funny you nearly killed yourself, anyway?"

"Fight someone? Lemurians are not fighters, girl! You may need to use your cunning, your intelligence. But I doubt there will be fighting."

"Doubt? You don't sound very sure of yourself."

"Yes, well, as Rowena has proven, Lemurians are apparently capable of doing all kinds of things we assumed we weren't. Lying, for one. Violence may very well be something we've just never tried before."

"Great, I'm going to die aren't I? I knew it, I did. Silva is taking me to die."

"Would the great beasts of Lemuria join your party if they believed you were simply going to die?"

Marcella inspected the 'great beasts of Lemuria.' Otherwise known as clouds of insects, half dead rodents and a man with one foot in the grave.

"Your 'great beasts' don't fill me with much confidence. In fact, they're the exact entourage I'd expect a dead girl to have."

Grelchin stopped walking, he stamped his stick on the ground and Silva stopped too, as well as the rodents. The only movement left was the tiny flapping of gossamer wings.

"M'lady, you must stop your whining and your complaining. Embrace your destiny!" He pointed a grizzled finger directly at the sky in the east. Without looking away from Marcella he said, "do you see that there? The green star?"

Marcella scanned the sky, then noticed the bright green light mixed with regular, twinkling white stars. "Yeah . . ."

He turned and pointed at another distant corner of the sky, "and the orange one there? And the purple one over there?"

"So you guys have weird stars here, what's that supposed to prove?"

"Those stars have not been seen in Lemurian skies for decades. You'd do best to watch them."

"Why?"

"To be told is not to know. Experience is knowledge."

"Yeah, so I've heard."

"Good then, let us continue our journey." Grelchin lifted his staff from the ground and Silva began walking again. Marcella followed the wolf, then the gaggle of small creatures continued on as well with the old man in the rear.

"Where is this citadel anyway?"

"Where the gods meet."

Marcella turned around and stared at Grelchin. She trembled and fell to her knees but Grelchin seemed unfazed. The ground shook again and Grelchin looked up and over Marcella with a smile.

"What's going on?" Marcella turned around to see a man approaching them, but he was more than a man. He was as tall as the trees and his forearms were covered in boney spines.

"A giant." Grelchin laughed and coughed as the giant snorted and snarled and ran at full speed.

"Well you said Lemurians are non-violent, right? So we don't needa worry."

"I would hardly count a giant in the ranks of the Lemurians. They are native to our land, true, but their brain capacity is closer to a dog than a person."

Silva growled and Grelchin began to usher the party towards the edge of the dead forest.

"You said I wouldn't have to fight!"

"And you won't, just stay quiet and keep your wits about you." As Grelchin found a semi-comfortable hiding spot in the long dead underbrush, the giant stomped along the edge of the trees, hacking them with his boney arms.

"What do we do?"

"Shh, giants have amazing hearing my dear. They are also quite hot headed. Mustn't let him hear you or he will kill you."

"Excellent." She rolled her eyes. "Anything else I should know?"

"Well, they are dumb as new borns but they don't like having their intelligence questioned . . . and they are extremely ticklish."

"Wonderful . . . you're so packed with useful information."

"You know, sarcasm is frowned upon in Lemuria."

"Yeah? What about being killed by giants because the only information you have to fight them with is 'they're extremely ticklish'? Is that frowned upon by Lemurians?"

As the giant struggled to get through the tightly packed, dead trees Silva let loose a low growl, which tapered off as Grelchin placed a hand on her head.

"I can't take this, we need to do something."

"And just what would you suggest, m'lady?"

"I don't know."

"One brilliant stroke of cunning may be all we need to save ourselves."

"I know."

"What will it be? What should we do?"

"I don't know . . ."

"Yes you do, you always know, you just don't know you know."

"Yeah, great, real useful."

"Take action soon, lest the monster of a man wriggle his over sized fingers in here and squish us all."

Marcella huffed, then looked around herself. Silva still had her teeth bared, she was a strong creature, but clearly no match for a giant. Then there were all the bugs and rodents . . . bugs and rodents. . .

"I got it!" She leapt to her feet and Grelchin grinned. "Silva, Grelchin, you stay here. Everyone else is with me!"

"What?" Grelchin's wrinkles pulled back to expose wide eyes. "Are you sure this is the best plan of action?"

"Absolutely not." Marcella darted for the open field, and the angry giant. If her plan worked, she'd be the luckiest crazy girl to ever live. If not, she'd be the deadest.

She moved as close to the edge of the trees as possible and took in a huge gulp of air as she readied herself.

"Hey! Dummy!" She sprang out, ten meters from the giant, angry man.

The giant stopped what he was doing and turned on Marcella. His twisted face became even angrier. "What you say?"

The insects began congregating around Marcella, sending ripples through the air. Colors danced around her and for the first time Marcella saw her own. "I said you're a dummy! Does that bug you?"

As the giant snorted and scuffed his foot in the dirt, Marcella dared to take her eyes off him long enough to gaze at the lights which danced on her arms like multi-colored flames. The insects twistd in the fire and she felt each individual as if they were a part of her, just another limb to use as she wished.

"You bug me!" The giant screamed, snorting and leaping forward.

"My pleasure." Marcella turned to run, but the insects darted upward. They aimed for the giant's head and started congregating in his ears.

"Aaaaaarrrrrrrrrr!" The giant stopped running and swatted at the bugs. Marcella stopped too, turning around to watch the giant with a grin.

"What's the matter big guy? You don't like my friends?"

"Too . . . much . . . nooooooise!" The giant cried.

Marcella stooped down and reached out to one of the mice which had followed her from the forest. She smiled at the rats and squirrels and chipmunks which stared up at her in rapt silence.

"Are you guys ready?" She asked with a bitter sweet tone. "You need to be brave, okay?"

The rodents raised to their hind legs. Their colors swam in Marcella's and she felt them the same way she felt the bugs. She stood up again and the tiny creatures rushed the giant. They scaled his legs like mountain climbers, burrowing in his ragged clothes and pulling at the coarse hair that covered his skin.

"Aaaaaaahhh!" The giant began to dance and squeal and stomp as the tickling creatures refused to relent. He screamed and laughed, and begged to be let free of his torment. His back straightened with a jolt and he lost his balance. He stumbled and started to fall. Marcella held her breath and braced herself. The heavy body slammed against the ground and it shook, then he was out cold.

"M'lady." Grelchin said as he came wandering through the trees. "You have done well."

Silva followed the old man, she looked at the giant and turned east again without hesitation.

"Before we go." Grelchin hobbled toward the unconscious giant as the rodents and insects retreated from it back to Marcella's side. The old man came to the giant's ear, which was nearly as big as he was.

"Grelchin are you sure that's a good idea?"

The old man didn't answer Marcella. He cupped his hand around his mouth and whispered to the giant. Marcella watched their colors interact as they communicated, she was glad to finally see some brilliance again, amidst all the drab around her here in Lemuria.

Grelchin stepped away from the giant and it startled awake, then sat up straight. It looked down at Marcella and blushed, then got on his knees.

"Sorr-y. Sorr-y." It kept repeating itself as it bowed and begged for forgiveness.

"Uh . . . what did you do to him?" Marcella asked Grelchin as he rejoined her.

The old man smiled and said, "nothing, I simply told him who you are."

"Great, maybe you can let me in on the secret next?"

"That is a secret you'll come to uncover on your own."

The giant stood up and with a careful hand he scooped Marcella off the ground. She screamed and kicked at the air but he laughed and placed her gently in the folds of his dirty cloak.

"What's going on? Grelchin!?"

"Worry not, fine lady, he is coming with us and simply wants to ease your sore feet. Take advantage of a free ride when you find one." The old man moved eastward, following Silva as she led the way on to the citadel.