I don't know why I was surprised when Dylan led us out to the shed to get the ATVs. Dad drove one, and Kimmy sat behind him while I rode behind Dylan. Emma drove the third with Moreno hanging on to her waist.

Granmam usually didn't encourage the ATVs on the ranch often. She claimed they scared the cattle. Dylan seemed to know exactly where he was going, and I recognized the old dirt path that led to the group of giant sequoias where the ranch got its name. 

They were massive trees. I'd always wanted to climb one, but Granmam said it would require far too much equipment. Dylan had just laughed and made a joke about how the tree went on forever. 

The biggest of the lot had an arch in the trunk that was eight feet high and big enough for a person to pass underneath. Grandpa told us stories about the indigenous people who thought the arch was cursed.

They claimed it was the spot of a dead man, and crossing over his final resting place beneath the arch was bad luck. It had scared me badly enough when I was a kid that I'd never walked through. Now that I was older, that seemed rather silly.

Dylan stopped the ATV beside one of the smaller trees, and we dismounted. The others followed, and we stepped under the shade of the trees together. 

"Don't tell me the portal is the cursed arch," I said. 

Dylan grinned. "Hey, we both fell for that one as kids. You were so afraid you'd be cursed."

"Apparently, it was effective," I said. "So how exactly does one enter a mystical realm of giants? It can't be as simple as walking through a gap in a tree."

"There's one more step," Dylan said. "And you might not like this one."

I raised an eyebrow. "Ah, huh?"

"It takes half-giant blood to open the gate," Moreno said. "At least that's how this gate is rigged. Some of the others are different."

Kimmy stepped towards the gate and pulled a needle from her pocket. She pricked the edge of her finger and let blood bead for a moment on her skin. 

The blood fell onto the ground, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, there was a flash of light under the arch of the tree. 

"It'll be open for a minute," Moreno said. "We don't have long."

Kimmy walked under the arch of the tree, and her body disappeared in a flash. Dylan nodded towards me, but I frowned. 

"Aren't you coming too?" I asked. 

"I have to stay and work the portal on this side," he said. "I'm the caretaker of the portal, Terri. I do come visit frequently, though."

"I'm holding you to that," I said. "What about you, Dad?"

"I swore an oath that I wouldn't ever step foot in Jontun again," Dad said. "I just came to see you off, Terri."

Somehow, I knew if I hugged my dad at that moment, I'd never let go. Instead, I shouldered my backpack and took a deep breath. 

I could do this. All I had to do was step through the arch my grandfather swore would cast a curse. I gritted my teeth and walked through the arch. 

I didn't see a blast of light. In fact, when I blinked, I was standing somewhere new entirely. The air was cool and crisp, and yet somehow felt perfect. I was staring at the brilliant pale blue sky and seemingly endless clouds. 

Kimmy pulled me to the side just as Moreno appeared right where I'd been standing. His boots sunk into the clouds at our feet. Even though the ground was covered in water vapor, it was somehow still solid. Nothing about it made sense, and yet it was. 

"Welcome to Jontun," Moreno said. "Is it what you expected?"

I gawked as I looked out at the strangest place I'd ever seen. Not only was the ground covered in clouds, but there was a strong chill in the air. We'd landed in a patch of giant sequoias identical to the ones on my family's ranch. I didn't know how that was possible, but these trees were even taller than the ones on the ranch, disappearing into the sky above us with no end in sight. 

Beyond the trees, I could see what looked like a massive fortress-like structure made of thick stone surrounded by a metal and concrete wall in the distance. The gates had a large seal of a snake eating its own tail carved into the concrete. 

The trees dwarfed the structure, but it was still taller than a skyscraper. I supposed if giants built these places, they'd be bigger than I could fathom. 

"What is that?" I asked. "Someone's home?"

"Our place," Moreno smiled. "Like it, Terri?"

Kimmy made a motion with her hand. Moreno frowned, but then his entire body tensed. That's when I felt eyes on my back. 

I whirled around as a dozen men about nine feet tall surrounded us. They were dressed in camouflage, and their leader stepped forward. He had olive skin and a crew cut. He held a machine gun and pointed it at Moreno. 

Kimmy pulled a small gun from her pocket, but it was so much smaller than the giant's gun. She spun it in her hand, and her eyes spelled a challenge. 

"Finn Hassan'son," Moreno said. "There's a nice reward for your behind in Gorgon's Keep."

The giant grinned. "So you know me, little lordy. If you want to live, you'll hand over the girl."

"Who, Kimmy?" Moreno smirked back. 

I had to admire his guts. In the face of insurmountable odds, he wasn't afraid. It made him a good soldier, unafraid to take risks. 

"Don't be stupid, boy," Finn Hassan'son leveled the gun at Moreno's chest. "You know who we are and what we want. Give us Theresa Oakeley."

"Do you ever say please?" Moreno asked. 

His mouth was going to get us all killed. My head whipped around, but all I could see were guns and men even taller than me. 

I was starting to think that maybe being the tallest person around wasn't so bad. Here, I was hopelessly and hilariously outmatched. 

"Will you let them go if I come with you?" I asked. 

Finn Hassan'son's attention snapped to me. His eyes were hungry, and he looked me over like a predator. Half of his mouth cocked up, and he opened his mouth to reveal crooked teeth. Maybe they didn't have braces in the giant world, but I would have to ask about that later. 

"Hello, princess," he said. "You're as beautiful as your mother."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a princess."

Finn Hassan'son laughed. "You're certainly not like her. She'd never say that. Still, she knew you'd come through today. She sent me to bring you to her."

I shrugged. "Maybe I've got no interest in meeting her today, so if you could just let us go on our way, I won't have to make it a royal command."

I had no idea if I could do that, but if these people respected my mother as a princess, they would theoretically extend the courtesy to me. Sure, it was a stretch, but with so many guns trained on me, I was desperate.

Moreno's spine straightened, and his eyes tracked something above Finn Hassan'son's head. I didn't see anything, and Finn Hassan'son shook his gun menacingly again. 

"You can't force a princess to do anything she doesn't want to do, Finn," Moreno said.

Finn Hassan'son growled. "Watch it, lordy."

That's when something fell out of the sky. A man with stark white hair knocked the gun out of Hassan'son's arm. He was dressed in leathery armor like Kimmy and Moreno, but his shifted color depending on where he was standing, almost like a chameleon, making him disappear into the background. 

When the other giants pointed their guns at the new soldier, he used his metal wings as a temporary shield and launched into the sky. Finn Hassan'son fled into the trees. 

Moreno and Kimmy launched into action. A second figure circled above and fired something that looked like a shotgun. A net launched from the barrel, arching over me and tangling two giants behind me. The shotgun went off again, and the giants scattered into the trees. 

Moreno was grappling with one giant who'd thrown himself between Moreno and Finn Hassan'son. Kimmy fired her gun at a giant, immobilizing him with some kind of numbing dart. Another giant was helping him hobble away, and Kimmy didn't give chase but instead turned to the giants trapped under the weighted nets. 

The man with the white hair spat in the dirt. He couldn't have been older than thirty, and his irises were lemon yellow. 

"Hassan'son got away," he said. "We almost had him."

Moreno had the giant who attacked him in handcuffs. The soldier circling above landed and threw back her two bright red braids. She was freckled and looked like she was younger than the white-haired man but still had a few years on me. 

"We'll get him next time," the young woman said. "Abel, Kimmy, take care of the prisoners. Moreno and I will help the princess to the compound."

"And who put you in charge, Petra?" The white-haired man grumbled. 

"If you want to be in charge, Abel, then by all means, start barking orders," Petra stiffened. "Oh wait, you took the post at our compound because you didn't want to be in charge."

Kimmy made a few motions with her hands. Petra laughed at something she said, which caused Abel to glare at her. 

"Fine," Abel said. "But I'll tell McDonald this was your idea if anything goes wrong."

"Oh, don't be so grumpy, Abel," Petra said. "Besides, you and Kimmy make the best jailers. I'm too peppy."

Abel rolled his eyes. "You're worse than Gayle."

"Do not put me in a category with her," Petra said. "She may be my future sister-in-law, but we all know she's a pill."

Moreno walked forward and tossed Abel a knife. Abel caught it and took the cuffed giant from Moreno. The giant hissed at Abel and swore in some language I didn't know. 

"Hoarfrost Jotnar," he spat. 

"Like I haven't heard that one before," Abel grumbled. "It's not original."

"We should get moving," Moreno said. "Petra, can you do an aerial sweep?"

The redhead frowned. "You're not going to show off?"

Moreno grimaced. "My rig is broken. I'm going to need new gear."

Petra laughed. "Well, between that and the princess, you may be in for it today. Doc is going to kill you if McDonald doesn't. Makes you wish Bryan was around."

She launched into the air, doing a pirouette with her wings as she gained altitude. I wasn't exactly sure how those wings worked yet, but from what I'd seen so far, they seemed to break the laws of physics. 

Moreno turned to face me. A strand of hair fell from his bun and was hanging in his face. He barely seemed to care as he subconsciously tucked it behind his ear. 

His tone was casual. "You coming or what, princessa?"

I followed him towards the big complex. It didn't take long to reach the front doors. There was some kind of scanner that passed one of those red lights over us, and then there was a blaring alarm. 

"Override code for second entry," Moreno said. "By authority of Jordan Moreno Ethesis."

I frowned. "Your first name is Jordan? That's so not what I was expecting."

Moreno winced. "It's voice-activated, and I stopped using Jordan when I was eight."

I didn't have time to ask any follow-up questions. There was a sliding, and the wall split apart to open. Moreno gestured for me to walk through, and I stepped into the huge complex that looked more and more like a prison the longer I stared at it.

I wasn't sure how this place could be safer for me, but after that attack, I clearly needed all the help I could get.

Hey friends!! We're finally in Jontun! Let me know what you think of the realm of the giants so far. There's more coming soon. Spotlight on Kimmy for art this week. I'm still working on Moreno's art. It's taking a while, so keep an eye out for him next week. Until next time!