With its attention thus diverted, Anowon snatched another tooth from the folds of his clothes. The vampire took a running start, jumped, and executed a series of flips that landed him in front of the giant. The giant lifted a foot and tried to stomp it down on Anowon, but the vampire rolled away.
Nissa stopped short. She surely did not want to run through Sorin s singing, but one look at his quivering legs, and Nissa knew he could not hold the song for much longer.
Anowon threw his tooth, and the giant s leg turned to white marble up to the knee. The giant tried to turn, but the marble leg was slow to move.
Then the giant did something that Nissa never would have expected. It pointed Nissa s own staff at her. It will not function, Nissa thought. How can it?
But the staff did work. The giant became calm, and a tendril of magical energy shot out from the tip of the staff. Nissa had to leap forward and roll to avoid what enchantment the giant had managed to weave.
Sorin stopped singing and fell onto the sand. Anowon went through his pockets again.
Nissa rolled out of her tumble and into a standing position, just in time for the giant to kick at her with its good leg. Nissa jumped back to avoid the stony toenail as big as a battle shield. The giant pressed its advantage and stomped down at her, dragging its heavy marble leg. Nissa rolled away, but the giant raised its foot for another go.
Then Anowon threw another tooth, and the giant s other leg whitened to marble.
The giant pulled and was able to drag one of its legs, and then another, but the effort of it was clearly too much to keep up.
Give me my staff, Nissa yelled up at the giant.
Or he will turn the rest of you to white stone.
The giant brought Nissa s staff up. It turned its head to the side and looked closely at it. Then it spoke. If you turn me to white stone, you will turn your staff as well, it said. The giant s rumbling voice sounded like boulders moving under water in a river.
It is only a piece of wood, Nissa said. I can make another.
Then you will not mind if I use it as a toothpick?
Nissa tried to keep her face impassive. Why would I mind? Except if you put it in your mouth the same thing will happen as happened there. She hooked her thumb over her shoulder at the other giant, still curled on the ground. As they watched, the giant moaned and rolled over onto its other side.
Free him, the giant said. I will give you back your toothpick.
Give me my staff first, Nissa replied. She knew better than to trust a giant. Any giant. They were known to be fickle and untrustworthy. Her eyes stopped on Anowon, still digging through his pockets. Fickle, she thought. Not unlike vampires.
Nissa heard Smara chanting from the other side of the canyon. The goblins clustered around the kor and watched the giant with faces like mushrooms.
We are not here to bandy words with the likes of you, Sorin said, suddenly next to her. He snapped, and Nissa s staff jumped from between the giant s fingers and into Sorin s hand. He took it in both hands and closed his eyes. For a moment he held the staff, and then his smuggest smile bloomed on his face. He handed Nissa the staff before turning to the giant.
I may let my elf use her toy staff on you, too, Sorin said. The giant on the ground moaned again.
Soon the blood will come out from both ends, Nissa said, looking at the giant on the ground.
To where do you travel? the giant said.
Nissa caught herself before she said too much. Giants were also shameless sellers of information if food was in the bargain.
West, Nissa said.
In the Teeth, Smara screamed suddenly. In the Teeth. The goblins standing around her were so shocked by what Nissa was not entirely sure, they must surely be used to Smara s screams that some dropped their stone swords. The head goblin barked an order in the goblin tongue, and they picked up their swords again.
The giant made a face like it had bitten down on something bitter. It looked from the goblins to Nissa.
Then you are walking to your death, the giant said.
What? Is your cooking kitchen ahead? Sorin said.
The giant looked at Sorin curiously. Nissa had to stifle a laugh. Do giants even cook? she wondered.
There is only the tentacled scourge in the trench ahead, the giant said. They have killed many of my kind.
Oh, not the tentacled scourge again? Sorin said.
They re everywhere like elves.
Nissa cocked her head for a look at Sorin. Perhaps he should be thrown against the canyon wall more often. It seemed to affect his mood for the better.
The giant bent its knees and lowered its voice. I know a better way to travel to Zulaport, it said.
Why does that not surprise me, Sorin said.
Nobody said Zulaport, Nissa said.
The giant smiled, showing teeth like gray, chipped flint.
Nissa sighed. How far is this path?
Very close.
How does it pass through the land?
My path moves through the Piston Mountains.
That way has perils, Nissa said. And it did. She d passed that way traveling to Ondu from Bala Ged. Four in her party had died, crushed between the mountains.
You will not live if you do not change paths.
So you say, Sorin said.
Keep hushed your forked tongue, the giant said.
Sorin, wide eyed, looked from the giant to Nissa.
The Piston Mountains, Nissa thought. Even on their current path they could be expected to travel another week before they ascended out of the trench. Then they would skirt the Piston Mountains to Zulaport. The giant s way could cut their travel in half. Still, the Piston Mountains.
I would avoid that path, Anowon yelled from where he squatted next to the moaning giant, copying the petrogyphs on its legs onto a scrap of paper.
Lead the way, Nissa said to the giant.
What? Sorin said.
The giant turned and heaved its marble legs.
I lead this expedition, Nissa said, walking after the giant.
Strange. Sorin started to walk. I thought I did.
Then open your eyes, Nissa yelled over her shoulder.
The giant labored its heavy legs four steps then stopped and pointed at the canyon wall. There, it said.
Nissa followed the giant s finger but saw nothing except sheer wall. She moved her head to the side in case there was an illusion in the rock. There wasn t. The canyon wall appeared as just that.
The giant hummed to itself, and the glyph lines on its legs burned to life. Suddenly the path in the canyon rock glowed with the same pink as the glyphs.
Zendikar! Sorin said. It is either in your hand, or it is at your throat.
Now, the giant said. Release my legs.
Do not do that, Sorin said. Need I remind you that this is a giant? We already have the path. Let s be on our way.
Nissa regarded the giant. She reached out to the other giant s gut and soothed the creatures in it. The effect was almost instantaneous. The other giant sat up and turned.
Nissa did not like the menace she saw in its eyes.
The other giant pointed to its legs and gave a ghastly smile. Anowon found a tooth and threw it, and in a moment the giant s legs were back to normal.
Well, Sorin said. Now that we are all happy again, can we go? He turned to Smara and her goblins. Unaccountably, the kor was standing on her head, and one of her goblins had its finger in the nose of the goblin next to it. Sorin shook his head and started walking.
The giants watched them as they carefully threaded their way between the boulders and walked to where the path glowed in the canyon wall. Even with the way glowing slightly, it took Nissa some careful examination to find its beginning. The rock steps were so deftly fit into the canyon wall that they left little shadow to contrast. The path s invisibility was due to exceptional design.