The first thing Asil noticed about the city of Dakra was the absence of Giants and any foreign slaves. All around them furnaces fuelled by hot fires burned, heating the air around them until it was hot and stuffy, like in a sauna. Sounds of hammers on anvils surrounded them, and it was clear that this was a city of craftsmen.

They travelled through Dakra’s outer edges where men were hard at work until they came alongside a large grey wall. It’s top was above the Giants’ heads but it was clear that there was something on the other side of it. The wagon came to a stop and a man came to greet Bryce. They shook hands before they came to the Giants. This man inspected their bags then turned back to Bryce.

“5,000 reteps.” He said simply and Bryce nodded indicating that he accepted this offer. Bryce then made a gesture to the Giants which left Asil and Twulai confused but Achala picked up her net and flung it over the wall. Asil and Twulai followed her lead and did the same with their loads. Once the bags were empty they then threw over the rocks which lined the back of the wagon. Shortly after the last rock had been thrown over, Bryce was handed a wedge of money and the man vanished.

Free of their loads, the Giants were through the narrow streets and deep into the city. It became busier with the streets becoming packed with people. People passed the Giants as though they had not even noticed them. Sea birds flew overhead and fishermen could be seen hauling their catches up through gaps in the busy crowds. After about half an hour they came to a place with lots of hustle and bustle, where it was loud with many different aromas in the air. They turned a street corner they saw the market in full. It was a long, wide street with stalls on each side, some of the stalls had slightly rotting food and fish on display, whereas others were packed with mechanical pieces and state of the art technology. The Giants waited at the edge of the market while Bryce went into the market. People swarmed around the Giants and they looked up towards the buildings above them. They were made of stone yet they leaned uneasily over the streets, stone bridges connected some of the buildings and acted as an overhead walkway system. The Giants decided, without saying a word, to stay put as getting out of this place would prove very difficult and Bryce knew this.

Bryce joined the crowds of people going from stall to stall in the market. As he walked strategically avoid hecklers. It was a quiet stall, one that was rarely visited by most people. On its display lay a range of ivory items, from decorative pieces to daggers and highly detailed ceremonial gifts. At the stall sat an elderly woman, a headscarf lay wrapped around her head, and she kept her eyes low to the ground. She had once been a major figure in the North’s shipping trades, spending most of her days reporting to the highest order in Dasa. She had seen many treasures brought across from other lands and knew how to get hold of them. So as time took hold of her, she had left the sea and sought out a new way to connect with exotic items.

Bryce took out from his bag the two dragon horns that he had removed from the dragon only the day before and handed them to the elderly woman. She took hold of the pair with her sea-worn hands and inspected them for a few seconds before looking up at Bryce.

“1,500 reteps for both of them,” She said simply while holding onto them. Bryce said nothing, he had sold dragon horns to her before for up to 4,000 reteps, and yet he knew that she was the most experienced and knowledgeable buyer of them. She saw the look in his eyes and explained, “These are the horns of a worn beast. It was powerful in its prime yet in time it has been withered and become sick. See,” The elderly woman ran her finger along the side of the bone while speaking softly, “It has not flown for a long time and the wind has started to chip away at the bone,” She said as she tapped it softly. “Hollow. Yet in time it will fetch a good price,” The elderly woman looked straight into Bryce’s eyes. “1,500 reteps,” She repeated not willing to change her offer.

Bryce accepted the offer and took the bag of coins from the woman before heading over to another stall. This one was overflowing with brass items, items made for a purpose. From here Bryce acquired several large boxes of round spheres. It cost him a fair penny but without them, he and all the other men would be unable to survive in the wilderness and the ice fields.

Bryce rejoined the Giants and they left the market, heading off down the main street before turning down a series of small alleyways until they came to a building. It was tall, thin and above the entrance hung a sign that read, ‘The Ship and Steel’. Bryce took the Giants chains, pulled a length out forcefully and hung them over a hook on the outside wall of the tavern. He handed Achala something subtly before heading inside, leaving the Giants sat in the alleyway.

“Bryce!” A man shouted from a bar stool raising his glass as Bryce entered. Foam from his beer splashed onto the floor and onto men around him. He stood up from his stool, which shook as he lifted his hefty body off it. “Good to be back from the wilderness once more! Come fill your belly with beer!” The large man pushed Bryce towards the bar with such force that he flew forwards and just managed to catch himself on the bar’s edge. He hauled himself up before saying to the man behind him in a heavy Scottish accent,

“The harsh climate may rattle my bones but you would break them with a swing of your hand!” Bryce then turned to address the barman, “A pint of ale my dear friend to ease the searing pain in my chest.” At his words, the barkeeper smiled before Bryce handed him a large bag of reteps and continued, “She’s parked out front.” The barkeeper gladly took it from him and nodded while pouring out his drink. He handed Bryce the pint of beer before the barkeeper disappeared into the back room where he handed the money to his brother who immediately left through the back door. Meanwhile, Bryce downed his drink in one go and slammed it back on the bar to the sound of the men cheering around him.

From outside the tavern, the shouting, cheering and banging seemed distant to the Giants who were sat in the cold. The buildings stretched high above them and the alleyway where they were sat was cramped. Asil sat curled up in a ball as two men approached them. They came close to them and one spat against Achala’s knees, Asil moved towards them in anger at this but the chains held her close to the wall and the men simply stepped out of her arms’ reach.

“You think you’re strong? Giant?” Sneered the man who had spat on Achala, “You are nothing.”

He picked up some stones from the alleyway and threw them at their heads, “Look who has power here!” He shouted. The second man bellowed loudly with laughter at them and putting an arm around his friend they went into the tavern.

“Don’t let them get to you,” Achala advised Asil and Twulai as she looked towards them, her head still in her knees, “or else you might start to believe their words,” She said turning back into her childlike position. Over the course of the night, many men passed them, most drunk and in a group but all sneered, spat and cursed at them. They demonstrated their dominance over the Giants, be it by throwing pint glasses at them or mocking them, but as each moment passed they wished more and more just to be back in the wilderness and away from the cruelty of men. At least out there, they weren’t powerless.

Another hour or two passed before a single man came towards them. The Giants, who were all now huddled against the wall just awaiting the next bout of vicious men to come upon them, barely registered this man’s presence. He was holding a gas lantern and walking slowly, with no influence of alcohol upon his person before he stopped by the wagon. Achala looked at him as this man caught her gaze. He paused. Then continued. He emptied a bag he was carrying into the wagon, it mainly consisted of supplies, food and water followed by two swords.

Asil and Twulai seemed to stir at this like they were waking up, not from sleep but rather from a chill which had frozen them. They watched this man finish emptying his bag onto the wagon before he stepped back and left in a hurry keeping his distance from Achala. Asil watched him leave, and she noticed the limp that he had on his right-hand side. Meanwhile, Twulai examined the contents of the wagon.

“It seems very limited. I assume that Bryce paid him to get supplies, or else he would have been stealing from the wagon not adding to it. But why did he not pay for more?” Twulai stated, confused as he knew how long the journey was.

“He paid that man all that he had left. Everything comes at a high price from the men of the North.” Achala answered him. “That man kept half the money he was given for himself and brought here the rest worth of supplies, but no matter. You won’t find any man more honest than him. Corruption is rife in this city, and as such you will find no better deal here.”

“Why trust other men at all then?”

“In a world of deceit, it is by these means you must also gain friends. The knowledge of the dishonesty makes it more bearable. Yet it doesn’t make it any less harsh or unforgiving.”

“That man was scared of you,” Asil muttered to Achala after a moment. “Why does he have a limp?” She asked, certain that Achala knew the answer. Achala paused before she answered,

“We always come here. After the drop off and the market, I was here with fellow Giants on one of my first trips. That man came out and began filling up the wagon with supplies. Five items he took out of his bag. Three pieces of rotten fruit and two small fish. He threw down the bag and mocked us, he raved about how drunk Bryce was. Bryce wouldn’t know, he wouldn’t remember, that’s what the man told us. The other Giants became angry and tried to get to him but he evaded them. He saw no danger in me however and got a bit too close. From that day onwards he always delivers that which is expected of him. It still does not make him an honest man. But it does make him a trustworthy man, and one who does not want another broken leg.” Twulai and Asil just stared at Achala. Achala sat back aware of their eyes watching her and she was as still as the night around her as she breathed softly. Twulai and Asil felt cold, Achala felt too joyful and it wasn’t easy to imagine her harming others without a valid reason. Especially to leave one so mangled as the man who had just left them.

“Is that why Bryce gave you that?” Asil asked. Achala opened her palm to reveal one of the spheres.

“This contains enough electrical energy to kill a Mawon, and thus it is sure enough to scare any ordinary man into some level of honesty,” Achala said simply. “Since the day that man abused Bryce’s money and trust, Bryce makes sure that I have a sphere in case he ever tries it again.” Achala finished as she closed her hand back around the sphere and placed it down by her side.

“What happened to the other Giants? The ones who were with you?” Twulai asked.

“The last time I travelled with those Giants was over twenty years ago,” Achala answered. “I was young when I travelled with them and over time they got replaced. One of them became too old to keep up the pace and she was transferred to work in the ice fields. Another died after a vicious Mawon attack, we tried to save him but he was too badly injured. The final Giant I travelled with for a long time, he became ill easily and year upon year this work became harder for him. Over many years he managed to convince Bryce to transfer him to the ice fields, and every so often I can see him working in the distance.”

“I guess we’re two of many then,” Twulai commented, prompting Achala to continue. Achala sat back not wanting to list every Giant she had ever had any contact with and she let silence gently descend.

The night passed slowly and the Giants finally slept. Achala was awake the longest, she hated the city. She always felt so trapped and powerless amidst the small human men whenever she came here. It felt so wrong and backwards. After midnight it started to rain, a thunderstorm was out at sea and the dark clouds had spread out for miles. The buildings above the Giants sheltered them from most of the rain but the rain that fell upon them was cold and brisk on their bodies. The buildings also provided an additional layer of darkness, which was a comfortable change from the endless sunlight out on the plains. Just as the sun rose above the horizon a hungover Bryce appeared to wake them. The Giants awoke. They were dazed and exhausted after sleeping where they sat and resting on each other. Bryce unhooked their chains from the wall and attached them back up to the wagon. Only a few minutes went by before they set off. All of them were tired yet pleased to be travelling away from the city. They travelled back into the wilderness, entering the canyon the same way that they had left it.

They left the canyon a few days later to realise that the plains were much darker than in the days before. A week and a bit had passed since they had last been here and it was clear that the sun was definitely setting lower than before, signalling the start of the Northern winter when all the world would be plunged into darkness.

Many months passed and the days grew darker until day and night became indistinguishable. During that time the group of Bryce and the three Giants went back and forth between the ice fields and multiple cities. Their main load was rocks broken off from the cliffs which they took to Dakra and Durkan to be used for weapon making and as building materials, including being used for shipbuilding. They also took water in metal containers to sparse tiny villages dotted around the wilderness, populated by lone hunters who would live there in the hunting season before returning to the cities for the rest of the year. The other most common item they took to Durkan and Dakra were gemstones and precious substances which were filtered out from the mined ice then crafted into special items for the wealthy. What those people then used them for, the Giants did not know. On a few rare occasions, they took bags full of ice capsules, which were ice wrapped up tightly in Mawon hide, to Rakad. These strange objects were kept in cold storage places under the ground to keep the ice from melting before being used for medical purposes. Rakad was by far the warmest of all the cities based on the western edge of the Gulf of Oeth and sheltered from the ocean by the Staig islands. It was filled with migrants from other lands, therefore, its culture as a city was mixed and confused with pieces thrown together from all around Kunaya. When the Giants visited there they returned to the ice fields with many wondrous items, many were decorated and made from foreign materials and exotic treasures, which Bryce would sell to the Giant owners and overseers.

The days were long, exhausting and never-ending. Even though Asil and Twulai both admitted to themselves that there were worse places to be, the knowledge that they were in slavery and would be doing this for the rest of their lives, never left their minds. In time they longed for home and they kept thinking about ways to escape but the land was too harsh around them to survive by themselves. They also didn’t know the geography of the land around them so they would be lost if they escaped, and there was no way to cross the ocean they came over without being caught by a slave ship. Still, this did not stop them thinking about how they would escape. They thought back to a lighting strike which happened some time ago when a thunderstorm had been over-head. Lighting had hit their metal chains and Achala had shouted to them,

“Heels Together!” Following her orders, the lighting had grounded whilst not continuing into the Giants’ bodies but just passing through their ankle shackles. This gave Asil an idea which she discussed with Twulai before presenting it to Achala. The three Giants agreed on the plan and would implement it when they had enough supplies and the right opportunity.