Feeding Giants

Feeding the giants proved to be a monumental task. It was obvious why no single world could support more than a few; within a matter of days, the elk population of the mountains was greatly diminished, as were the herds and flocks of Klain. 

The Council was ready to have Roland ask the Fae to send the giants home. There was some fear of the goblins, but it is much harder to be afraid of something unseen when your food supply is being threatened. 

It also did not particularly motivate them to continue feeding the giants with no end in sight to the need. If the goblins were going to arrive that very afternoon, the Council would cheerfully give up all the food to their defenders. 

However, no one was absolutely sure the goblins were coming at all. 

The General was of the mindset that since the giants were so obvious to spot, of course the Void would wait until they were gone before attacking. 

Roland glanced at the field of sheep being devoured before his eyes. He was slowly coming to a new theory: That the Void had created this exact situation so that it could starve them all before moving onto the second phase of its attack. 

The giants took turns hunting to make sure that the City was always guarded. It was a very kind gesture. It would have been even more kind to bring all their own food, but Roland wasn't one to complain about such things. 

He was meeting with the giants twice daily; their sharp eyes and towering height combined made them ideal lookouts for overland attack. 

Since the goblins were creatures of darkness, they would more likely come at night, or by tunneling underground. 

Fishermen were encouraged to bring in as much from the lake as they could in further efforts to keep the giants fed. The Cetoan forces who had come were able to provide insights into different methods of fishing. 

Roland covered a yawn, ready to fall into bed at the end of another long day. The waiting was in some ways more exhausting than battle. Every second felt as if it must be filled with some productive activity or another. 

What further preparations could be made? What greater defense strategies might they devise? Should the men train, or rest, and on what shifts? 

These considerations were primarily on the heads of the General, King Duncan, and Caspian, who respectively commanded the troops of their peoples, but Roland was a vital part of smoothing the coordination between them all. The General thought much of him, and the other two were relatives. 

Roland wished, not for the first time, that his role in the world was less central. 

Finn was already in bed when he arrived home, exhausted by the strain of all she'd been doing. He had to admit that her research and ideas, conveyed to him by the General, had been clever. Unfortunately, the giants had no way to confirm all she had learned about the goblins from fairy tales.

He'd learned a lot about his wife's activities in his absence from the Council. Some small part of his heart had hoped she would rest more, care for the children, and be content at home.

A corner of his mouth lifted slightly. He knew her better than that. She would probably never sit still for long. When he'd ridden into Klain on Judah's back, he had expected some initial screams and alarm from the populace. He sighed. The fact that screaming was a sure way to bring his wife running towards him was a mix of fortunate and unfortunate. 

The three infants were asleep, and Roland smiled over them. The days had been so hectic, he'd had hardly a moment with them since he arrived back. 

Judah, whose appetite was not to be ignored though he didn't eat nearly as much as the giants, was curled up in the living room by the fire. Roland had heavily debated whether to house him in the stable or in the home. 

On the one hand, Judah had proven just how dangerous he could be. On the other, he'd never shown any aggression towards humans. Since there were no guests in the home apart from family, Roland had put it to a vote. 

Judah had barely fit through the doorway, but had managed to make himself at home while the matter was discussed. Gabriel and Victoria had run up to pet him, much to the adults' alarm, but the large animal had patiently endured the attention with loud purring. 

That had settled the matter, and it gave Roland some peace of mind to have Judah around as an extra measure of protection for his family. 

Climbing into bed next to his wife, Roland marveled at how nice it felt to be home. He was careful not to wake her, but she must have already been awake. She turned towards him and nuzzled her way into his arms. 

He was incredibly content with that, pressing his face into her hair. 

"I heard you've been very busy while I was gone," He whispered. 

"We have three babies, of course I've been busy," She whispered back with a yawn. 

"You also dealt with a mole infestation, I'm told," He smiled. "And not in the garden."

"All I did was make some repellant," She roused a little more as she felt the need to downplay her role in things, though he didn't know why. 

"And did some research that resulted in some unique new battle plans," He added. 

"I… needed to be helpful." She said, a little more softly. 

"My love, you are helpful. You are amazing. You raise three infants, care for our home, and find time to help governmental officials plan the defense of the nation?" He shook his head. "Rest, now." 

"You need to rest, too," She scolded. 

"How can I rest with such a beauty in my arms?" He teased lightly. 

"Easily, with how hard you work. I wish the battle were over," She said quietly. 

"We all wish that." He kissed the top of her head. 

"Gwen, can't you give us any more help? Please?" Finn whispered, and Roland chuckled. 

"The Fae already provided three giants to defend the city, how much more help do you want?" 

"You said the goblins have killed fifty giants. Will three make any difference at all? And they are tunnellers, according to legend. I fear our large helpers will be of little use to us." Finn's body was becoming more tense as she spoke, prompting Roland to squeeze her. 

"Now, now, you're getting anxious. Relax, and sleep. Doctor's orders." He caught her chin with one hand and tilted her face to kiss her. 

Instantly, the tension began to leave her, and he relaxed as well. 

"For the moment, I am here, we are together, and we are safe with our children. Let's rest in that for tonight, and worry about everything else tomorrow." He did his best to follow his own advice, shoving the concerns of the world out of his mind. 

Finn sat up suddenly, shocking Roland. 

"The moles! I forgot about the moles! How could I forget?" She turned to him with wide eyes, looking ready to leap from the bed. 

"They're gone," Roland said, confused. "The Council told me how you made them wolf repellant for the excavators to keep the rabid creatures away. They said there haven't been sightings of them since." 

"But the goblins, Roland." She said. "What if the attack is a decoy? A ploy? If the giants were sent, not really to destroy us, but to keep us occupied?" 

His sleepy mind struggled to catch up. "You mean, you think the Void is sending the goblins in to get what the moles couldn't?" 

"Exactly!" She said. 

"But your plan accounts for if they get into the tunnels," He assured her, "Let's get back to sleep." 

"But the Void has tried to destroy or invade the city so many times. Shouldn't we just get what it wants, and destroy it? Without whatever prize lays beneath the city…" She trailed off. 

"The Provider and Treasurer have been working on finding whatever it was for two years," He tried to talk some reason into her. 

"I should go." She said decidedly. 

"What?? You're terrified to go down there. Why would you suddenly change your mind?" 

"Last time I went, I found the key to breaking the Rhone curse within two days." Her brow squinted, and despite his hold on her, she wrestled her way out of bed and frantically began getting dressed. 

"That's no guarantee you'll find anything this time–" He tried, but his voice rose a little too much and Lily woke. 

Her wailing quickly roused her brothers as well. 

"You can't leave the babies right now," Roland said confidently, and Finn sighed with a sharp look at him. 

"You're right. I'll feed them and get them back to sleep, and then I'll go."