Seeds of Rebellion (6 page)

“I’m Matt Davidson.” The lie came smoothly. There was little chance these dwarfs hidden in the woods were in league with Maldor, but since Jason was a wanted fugitive, it did no harm to take precautions.

“Greetings, Matt, son of David,” the little man said politely. “I am Peluthe, son of Rogon.” He gave a curt bow. “This is my brother, Saul; my wife, Retta; and my cousin, Ulrun.” The others nodded in turn. “Where do you hail from?”

“I’m a wanderer, but this region is new to me. I have spent a lot of time near Trensicourt.”

“Where are you going?” asked Retta.

“Don’t be so inquisitive,” chastised Peluthe.

“
You
keep asking questions,” she complained.

“That’s my duty. I’m in charge.”

“Then you can cook your own supper.”

“I’m headed for Ithilum,” Jason said.

His answer defused the argument. Peluthe returned his attention to Jason. “Have you not heard these woods are infested by giants?”

“Another question,” Retta huffed in a low tone.

“In charge,” Peluthe growled back.

“I’ve heard stories,” Jason said. “Any truth to them?”

Saul and Ulrun shared a chuckle.

“Come with us,” Peluthe said, “and judge for yourself.”

The little people led the way along the path, past the tall statue. As they progressed, the trail showed evidence of increasing amounts of grooming. Before long, the foliage along the sides was pruned as neatly as hedgerows. The group passed another large, menacing statue, and then a third.

“Who’s the stranger?” came a cry from up in a tree.

“Matt, son of David,” Peluthe answered. “We have found him trustworthy.”

“Where are you escorting him?” challenged the faceless voice.

“To the village.”

“Is that prudent?”

“He is in my care.”

“Very well.”

A few more paces, and the path emerged into a tremendous clearing occupied by a village. Little people like those who found Jason roamed the streets, but the houses were enormous. The doors rose at least twelve feet high, the windows were huge, and the roofs towered above the ground. The sinking sun cast long shadows.

Jason halted where the forest path became a gravel road. “It looks like giants live here.”

Saul and Ulrun laughed.

Peluthe glared at them. “Once they must have. But not now, or else we all would have been spitted and devoured. We are a small race, an experiment by some long-forgotten, misguided wizard. We’re ill equipped to defend ourselves against larger folk such as yourself. When we discovered that the forest was abandoned, we inhabited this empty village.”

Jason grinned. “And did nothing to discourage the rumors about giants.”

Retta winked. “You catch on quick.”

“So what now?” Jason wondered.

Peluthe shrugged. “Enjoy our hospitality for the evening, sleep with a roof over your head, and tomorrow we will speed you on your way.”

“Thank you.”

Jason drew a lot of attention as he strolled into the village. One little woman shrieked. Peluthe and the others repeatedly explained that “Matt” was their guest. They led Jason to a massive two-story house. Three big steps led up to the bulky door. The little people boosted themselves up each stair, and Jason had to take very large steps.

The little folk entered using a small door built into the oversized one. Jason crouched low to get through. Inside, beneath the lofty ceiling, mingled a bizarre combination of oversized and undersized furnishings. Two little women and one tiny old man appeared busy preparing a meal.

“We have a visitor,” Peluthe announced.

“My goodness,” exclaimed one of the women. “Is he safe?”

“Quite safe,” assured Peluthe. “He is Matt, son of David. This is my sister, Deloa; Saul’s wife, Laila; and my codger, Jep.”

Those mentioned smiled and nodded in turn.

“Pleased to meet you,” Jason said.

Peluthe patted Retta on the shoulder. “If you must make added preparations to accommodate our guest, be quick about it. My stomach is impatient today.”

Retta rolled her eyes. “Stop trying to show off in front of our company. I’m either your wife or your slave. You decide.”

“I don’t want to cause any trouble,” Jason said.

“Nonsense,” Peluthe said. “Retta is happiest when complaining.”

“Must be why I keep you around,” she replied.

“He’s gargantuan,” the old man griped. “He’ll eat us all.”

“Behave, codger,” Peluthe scolded.

The old man toddled toward Jason. “We’ll have to butcher a herd of deer just to feed this behemoth.” He tapped Jason with a gnarled cane.

“Be kind, Jep,” Deloa said, moving between the old man and Jason. She smiled up at Jason with wide eyes.

“Don’t you start getting ideas about kissing giants,” the old man hollered, using the cane to pat Deloa on the rump. “We don’t have a ladder tall enough.”

Peluthe, Saul, and Ulrun burst out laughing. Jason covered a smirk. Deloa looked scandalized.

The small front door opened, and two little men entered. “Evening, Peluthe,” one of them said, rubbing his palms together.

“Out of here, you two,” Peluthe cried, hustling over to the door. “I realize everybody in town wants to dine with our visitor, but we don’t have enough as it is. Spread the word.”

Dejected, the two men retreated out the door. Peluthe locked it behind them.

Over at the immense fireplace, in front of a huge cauldron, Laila tended a pot on a small bed of coals and ash. “Find a seat,” she invited.

The little people gathered around a low table. Moving a chair out of the way, Jason sat on the floor, putting himself at about the proper height.

“Perhaps you would be more comfortable at the big table,” Peluthe suggested.

“I’m not that large,” Jason said. “Plus, I would miss all the conversation.”

Laila carried the pot over, and Deloa walked with her, spooning stew into the wooden bowls on the table. They served Jason
first, then worked their way around. Retta collected tough, dark rolls into a pan and offered one to every guest. The little women served themselves last. Once they took a seat, everyone began to eat.

“This is good,” Jason said. The thick, meaty broth was loaded with chopped vegetables.

“It better be,” the codger griped. “Grew those carrots myself. Best in town. Which gives me an idea.” He turned to Peluthe. “What do you say we throw a harness on this great brute and let him plow my field?”

“That is enough, codger,” Peluthe admonished, then turned to Jason. “Forgive him.”

The codger was shaking silently with laughter.

“No problem,” Jason said, after swallowing another mouthful of stew.

Jason remained hungry after finishing his stew, but pretended to be fully satisfied when he complimented the meal.

“Why, thank you,” Retta replied. She glanced at Peluthe. “At least some people in the world still have manners.”

“Oh, yes, very fine work,” Peluthe mumbled.

From the westward windows, golden light streamed in: the final rays of the setting sun. “How far before I reach the northern coast of the peninsula?” Jason asked.

Peluthe squinted. “With those long legs, not more than two days. That about right, codger?”

The old man grunted. “If he fell over, his head would be halfway there.”

“Of course, I give you my word to keep your secret,” Jason said.

The little people shared sidelong glances.

“Secret?” Peluthe said.

“That the giants have abandoned these woods,” Jason clarified.

“Oh, yes,
that
secret.” Peluthe glanced up at the windows.
“You know, we have another secret. A bigger one. Retta, close the shutters.”

Retta snatched up a pole and moved about the room, using it to secure the shutters. The last ones she closed covered the westward windows. “The sun is almost gone,” she said.

“Right,” Peluthe agreed. He winked at Jason. “Ready for a shocker?”

Each of the little people rose from his chair and collected a coarse, brown blanket from a folded pile beneath the huge table. Most of their knowing eyes remained on Jason as they began wrapping themselves in the blankets. Jason stood up and backed a few steps away, concerned by the peculiar change in attitude. He did not trust the new atmosphere in the room. Their bearings seemed suddenly menacing. Beneath the large blankets, the little people appeared to be disrobing.

As one, the little people dropped to their knees. They clenched their teeth and tightened their fists. A couple of them groaned.

“Are you all right?” Jason asked, growing distressed.

“Be right with you,” Peluthe gasped.

Their small bodies began to swell. As the expansion became more pronounced, they all commenced moaning and crying out. After a slow start, the growth came rapidly. A few staggered to their feet, now the height of regular people. Peluthe and Retta shot up taller than Jason. And the growth continued.

Hoping he was not too late, Jason shrugged on his backpack and dashed for the front door. The little door in the base of the larger one had been locked with a key. He slammed his shoulder against it, but the portal would not give. A large hand caught Jason by the shoulder, hurling him to the floor. Eight feet tall and still growing, Peluthe blocked access to the door. Grimacing and coughing, Peluthe doubled over as his body inflated more.

Panicked, Jason turned in a circle. There were no other doors. The windows were out of reach and shuttered. The stairs to the second floor were now guarded by Deloa and Saul, whose sweaty bodies continued to thicken and grow taller. Jason could now tell that the blankets were actually large tunics.

Jason rushed to the huge fireplace, dodged past the fading coals of the small cooking fire, and raced around the great cauldron. The stones at the rear of the fireplace were rough and fitted imperfectly, offering abundant handholds. A hasty glance over his shoulder revealed the former little people wracked by a final onslaught of painful expansion, completing their transformation into powerful giants. The codger stood up. Jason was no longer much higher than his waist.

With speed born from desperation, Jason scaled the soot-blackened stones, certain that a horrible death awaited if he missed a handhold and fell. After reaching the dark throat of the chimney, Jason climbed higher, unsure how far up the giants could reach.

“He’s getting away!” boomed a mighty voice.

“After him, you dunce,” called someone else.

The chimney narrowed as he scrambled higher. Jason did not believe the giants could follow him. He heard the cauldron being dragged out of the way.

“Prongs!” spat a voice directly below him. “He climbs like a lizard!”

“Grab him!”

Jason heard hands scuffing against stone not far below his feet.

“I can’t reach.”

“Well, climb, you oaf!”

“You want to try to squeeze up there?”

Jason reached a narrow ledge where there was a slight elbow in
the chimney. He paused, panting, seated as if on a bench.

“Come on down, Matt,” suggested the husky voice of a woman—probably Retta—trying to sound sweet. “We mean you no harm.”

“You’ll have to do better than that,” Jason called.

“Blast!” the woman shouted. “Why were you so rough with him?”

“I thought we had the pest cornered.”

“Why didn’t somebody guard the fireplace?”

“Who knew he’d head up there?”

“He might get away.”

“No, he won’t.”

Jason heard the big front door open and shut. Not long after, he heard the roof creaking. He was trapped.

“Ho, Matt! This is Peluthe. You hear me?” The voice came from above.

“I hear you.”

Peluthe spoke calmly. “Why not end this silly game and climb down? You cannot possibly escape. We promise to kill you quickly. No prolonged suffering.”

“Think about it,” Jason said. “If you were in my position, would you come down?” He shifted on the ledge, legs dangling.

“If I were being reasonable, I just might. Even if you last in there until dawn, there are plenty of us to easily slay you. We have weapons.”

“You’re only big at night?” Jason verified.

“Now you know our real secret,” Peluthe answered. “You can understand why we can’t allow you to leave here alive.”

“Plus, we haven’t had fresh human in ages,” the codger called from below, his voice now deeper.

“I promise to keep your secret,” Jason tried. “Why not just let me go?”

“Deal,” Jep replied. “Come on down.”

“No, I mean for real.”

“Fresh human is a rare delicacy,” Jep explained. “It’s nothing personal—you seem like a good enough lad. If you would rather not be eaten, a wise policy is to stay away from these woods, and especially from our village.”