Chapter 1 CHAPTER 1 Once upon a time, Lena the Giant would never have imagined having an audience of her own kind as she fought her way through a patrol of Faceless, the Golden King's mind-controlled army. But everything was different now, after she'd received her epithet from the Sparktender, and the other giants had seen her for who she really was: a five-and-a-half-foot tall giant, just like the rest of them in every way but height. "Rip 'em up!" her father shouted, his voice a bit muffled by a bubble of thinner air, to keep him from getting air sickness down on the ground. "That's my girl!" The visit had started as a test of the new magical bubbles, only to be interrupted by a Faceless patrol. Fortunately, her guests had been more than happy to wait as Lena took out the Golden King's soldiers. Her father in particular had offered to help, but Lena had refused, not wanting to share. A Faceless in a full suit of black armor swung its magical sword at Lena, and she ducked beneath it, then kicked out, knocking the Faceless into a tree. It slid down the trunk, then lit up with small bursts of light as the brainwashed Lilliputians inside all teleported away. "Aw, they're escaping!" Creel the Sparktender shouted. Lena frowned, then pointed at the pile of Faceless armor she'd already accumulated. "I know, they're quick. But that's why I grab trophies whenever I can!" "Just watch out for those swords of theirs!" her mother said, wincing as another Faceless drove his sword down, slamming it into the ground just inches from where Lena had been standing. "They'll take away your strength again!" Her mother had a point: the last time Lena had actually been struck by one of their swords, she'd lost all of the giant power in her arms. Sure, it'd come back over the last few weeks, and she was finally feeling normal again, but that wasn't something she wanted to repeat. At least for her, it'd just been strength. Half of the residents of the Cursed City had been hit as well, changing them back to their non-cursed forms, which almost none of them preferred. Just like her own power, though, the residents' magical curses had returned, and the entire city's population was back to normal. Or the Cursed City version of normal. Except now the residents also knew Lena's secret, that she was actually just a very short giant, not the regular human they'd taken her for. At first they'd treated her with fear and paranoia, but after she'd helped save the city from the Golden King's army, they'd come around quickly. "Behind you!" her father roared, almost knocking a few of the remaining Faceless off their feet with the power of his voice. Lena kicked back without looking and sent another Faceless flying into the woods. "Lena," said Rufus, her horse-sized cat, as he trotted away from her mother's foot and settled himself down on the ground right in the middle of the battle, no longer afraid of the Faceless after fighting them with Lena so many times. "I am hungry. Treats?" "Just a minute, little man," she said, punching another Faceless in the helmet, which went flying off. Without the protection of the headpiece, various tiny men and women inside quickly scrambled down farther into the armor, at which point several more bursts of light appeared as they teleported to safety. These were Lilliputians, as small as giants were big, and the Last Knight's own people. For years they'd been infected by the Golden King's shadow magic, being forced to fight under his command. Fortunately, the Last Knight had used a magical item called the Cauldron of Truth on some captured Faceless to free their minds, and those Lilliputians had then returned to their homeland to help start a rebellion against the Golden King. But there were far more Lilliputians still under the shadow's power than had been freed, and the king wouldn't let up until he destroyed the Cursed City. Unfortunately, without the Cauldron of Truth, all Lena could do was make sure these Faceless never got anywhere close. The city's protective spell had just about been restored, ensuring that no one with any bad intentions could even find the city. Mrs. Hubbard had spent countless hours the last few weeks working to get it back up, but the magic took time, and the city needed protecting. And that's where Lena came in. After all, giants fight to show their might, as the saying went, and there was nothing Lena enjoyed more than getting to use her full strength to protect her friends and loved ones. "Last one!" Creel shouted as a Faceless turned away from Lena to stalk Rufus. She gasped, the idea that her cat might be in danger sending her into a fury, and leapt forward with all her strength. Her giant power propelled her straight into the Faceless, and she slammed the armor's torso right off its legs. "Get 'em!" her father shouted as brainwashed Lilliputians came pouring out of the armor, each one equipped with their own magical teleportation device. Lena knew that if she could just grab one, she could bring them to the Last Knight and free the Lilliputian's mind. But even with Rufus joining in to hunt the tiny people, it was quickly apparent that they were both too slow, as the Lilliputians all disappeared, leaving behind that same burst of magical light. Lena growled in frustration, but she really couldn't complain. After all, the Cursed City was safe, another Faceless patrol had been wiped out, and she'd even gotten to show off a bit for her parents and Creel. "Look at you go, Lena!" her father shouted, pulling out a nearby tree and shaking it in excitement. Her mother and Creel both began clapping, and all three giants grinned widely. The praise hit Lena almost like a giant punch, and she took a step back in surprise. This was just all so new and wonderful , not having to hide her true size from other giants, and even getting to flaunt her strength for them. It was like nothing she was used to, and she never wanted it to end. But even the giants' magical air bubbles wouldn't last forever, and she didn't want her family or Creel to suffer from air sickness, which fogged up giants' brains to the point they lost all control, and might potentially put the Cursed City in danger. So while she could have listened to their applause for another few days, it was time for them to climb back up the mountain to the giant village in the clouds. "I'm so glad you could all come down to visit!" she shouted up at them. Her mother pushed one of her fingers into the ground, and Lena threw her arms around the finger, hugging it tightly. "Promise you'll come back soon!" "We certainly will, now that we can do it safely!" Creel said, tapping the air bubble around his head. "And please thank that witch who came up with these again. They're just fantastic." "I will!" Lena promised, knowing she owed Mrs. Hubbard big-time, and not just for the bubbles. The owner of the Boot-ique, a Cursed City store built within a discarded giant boot, Mrs. Hubbard had openly welcomed Lena when she'd first visited. There was no one in town that Lena owed more to, and that debt just kept growing. "But you should all go back now before the thinner air starts running out in there." "Love you, Lena girl," her father said, his voice a bit gravelly as he sniffed. He tried to wipe a tear away, only to smack his finger against the air bubble, so he looked away instead. "We're just so proud. So, so proud." Lena had to look away herself, though she couldn't hide her own loud sniff. She rubbed the back of her hand against her now-wet eyes, then waved at her parents and Creel as they turned to clomp back toward the mountain that once Lena had descended to explore the human world below the clouds. "Treats now ?" Rufus said, bumping his head into her impatiently. At his size, he almost knocked her over with every headbutt. "Let me just tie up all the armor, okay?" she said, moving to do just that. "If we leave it out in the open, another patrol might find it, and figure out they're close to the city." Rufus's ears flattened in irritation, but he helped collect various pieces of armor using his teeth as Lena snaked a rope through it all. A few moments later, she stood back up with a satisfied sigh and surveyed the field of battle. "Not too bad," she said, nodding. "Didn't even knock down a tree this time. Other than that one Dad pulled up." "Lena is the best," Rufus said through a mouthful of helmet. "Treats? Treats. Treats?" She scratched behind his ears, then moved to grab the roped-together armor, happier than she'd ever been in her life. And the best part was, even with the threat of the Golden King out there, she knew that between herself, the Last Knight, and her genie friend Jin, they could handle it and keep everyone safe. After all, with a genie on their side, what could possibly go wrong? Excerpted from Tall Tales by James Riley All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.