Page 85 of The Sword & the Stone

"It was a perfectly romantic offer!" Gawain protested. "How was I to know she'd take offense?"

Their Elhorns picked their way around boulders and dried husks of trees. It occurred to me they weren’t trying in the slightest to be quiet, so they must not be worried.

"Maybe because you followed it up by asking if she'd like to'scale your personal mountain'?"Galahad retorted.

I couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped me. Both knights turned, surprised to hear any sound from me after hours of stony silence.

Gawain's face lit up with a mischievous grin that had my treacherous heart doing flips once again. He was too handsome for his own damn good. "Ah, so our queen does have a sense of humor after all! I was beginning to worry we'd lost you to eternal brooding."

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't quite keep the smile from tugging at my lips. "I'm not brooding," I muttered unconvincingly. "I'm...contemplating."

"Contemplating what, exactly?" Galahad asked, his tone gentler than Gawain's teasing. "Which one of us is the most handsome and strapping?”

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm contemplating how a couple of centuries-old knights can still act so much like children."

Lancelot, who had been riding silently ahead, glanced back with a wry smile. "This isn’t even the worst of it. You should have seen them when they were rookie knights back at court. Ridiculous. I’m surprised they weren’t tossed out on their arses."

"Oi!" Gawain protested. "I'll have you know I've matured like a fine wine."

"More like a pungent cheese," Percival muttered from behind me, speaking for the first time in hours.

"At least cheese has some redeeming qualities." I shrugged.

Gawain clutched his chest in mock offense. "And here I thought we were developing a special bond, Arthur.Betrayal."

The air grew thicker with every hour that passed. Every so often, a low rumble would reverberate through the canyon, causing pebbles to skitter down the slopes around us. Our Elhorns picked their way carefully along the winding path, their hooves barely making a sound on the ground.

I felt a familiar tugging sensation in my chest. It was the same magical pull I'd experienced before finding the previous riddles. My heart began to race as I scanned our surroundings, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

This was it. A clue to the last trial.

"Wait," I called out, trying to keep my voice as low as I could, bringing our group to a halt. "I think...I think there's something nearby. It feels like it did before." I met Merlin’s eyes as he searched the canyon walls. “Look for a box.”

The knights exchanged glances, unable to feel the disturbance for themselves. The ground suddenly rumbled, andthe Elhorns stirred, backing up and shuffling on their hooves. Galahad whispered to his, petting its mane softly. The beast calmed, clearly able to understand every word Galahad said.

Suddenly, what I had thought was just a protruding section of the canyon wall began to move. A massive slab of rock, easily the size of a ship, slowly shifted and rolled to the side.

It wasn't just a boulder. It was a giant.

The colossal figure was curled on its side. Its chest rose and fell with deep, rumbling breaths that sent tremors through the earth. The giant's face was weathered and craggy, looking for all the world like it had been carved from the very mountain itself. Its eyes remained closed, lost in what I hoped was a deep sleep.

A glimmer caught my eye as I peered up over the giant. There, on a narrow ledge just above its shoulder, was a soft, pulsing light that emanated from a small wooden box.

“Holy gods…” I said breathlessly.

As we stood frozen, staring at the sleeping giant, a gust of wind swept through the canyon. It carried with it the scent of our Elhorns, and the giant's massive nostrils flared. My heart plummeted as its eyes slowly opened, revealing orbs the size of wagon wheels, milky white and unfocused.

The ground trembled as the giant pushed itself up, stones and boulders tumbling from its moss-covered form. It blinked slowly, confusion evident on its craggy features as it tried to locate the source of the unfamiliar scent.

"Shit," Gawain hissed, already drawing his ice to his fingers. "So much for sneaking past."

Lancelot's wings unfurled with a snap, golden light flaring to life like flames. "Arthur, get to that box. We'll keep it distracted."

Each of their wings unfurled in the blink of an eye. They moved as a single, cohesive unit, taking to the air as the giant let out a thunderous roar that shook the very foundations of the canyon.

Merlin raised his hands, golden magic coiling like a rope up his arm, ready to spring out like a whip. "Go!" he shouted at me. "Get to the box!"

I didn't need to be told twice. I urged my Elhorn forward, its hooves finding purchase on the uneven ground. As we neared the canyon wall, I steeled my nerves and leapt from the saddle. My fingers scrambled against the rough stone as I clung to the sheer face of the cliff, heart pounding.

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