The Half-Giant's Guide to Seeing the Future

The Day My Uncle Taught Me Breathing

War was coming. Victor was certain of only that. My mother wasn't about to give up her crusade for the throne any more than his father was going to give it up. I just had to stay away from the crossfire.

Seeing the future was dangerous. I had a stinking suspicion that seeing and controlling the future might have had something to do with my mother's madness. I certainly didn't want to be anything like her. Still, I needed control over my ability. 

Victor wasn't angry or hostile. In fact, he practically welcomed me into his family by talking to me. The only people who didn't seem to want us here were Genevieve and Wolfe. 

"It takes practice to hone your magical ability," Andromeda said. "I'm far from perfect with mine. Still, it helps to have a mentor."

"That's really why I wanted to meet you," Victor said. "You can't control other people using the power. You'll see bits of their visions. Record them, but don't dwell on what you see. You can control when you have your own visions. Have you had one on purpose yourself yet?"

I wasn't sure. I'd briefly thought about the future before my last vision, but I couldn't have summoned it, could I?

"How do you have a vision?" I asked. 

"Thinking about the future," Victor said. "The more concrete your idea, the more clear or closer to the present your vision might be. If you don't have a clear idea of where you want to go, the power can take you anywhere."

He stood to his full height. The prince had to be over nine feet tall. He offered a hand to Terri, and she took it to rise beside him. 

"We can combine our powers for more powerful visions," Victor said. "If we ever could get along as a family and work together, we could see everything."

"You should be on her level," Hellene rose from the couch. "We all should." 

She picked up a plate of cookies from the table in front of her. She handed Victor one of the cookies and one to Andromeda. Wolfe held up his hand to deny a cookie. 

Victor bit into the cookie, and as he took bites, his body shrank down until he was a few inches shorter than I was. His clothes were now a little big, but he was able to look me in the eye. 

Andromeda and Hellene shrank down with the cookies in their mouths. I had to stop for a second and realize that whatever was in those cookies might have shrunk the giant that attacked me in the elevator. 

"Those things are illegal, Hellene," Wolfe said. "Where did you even get wonderland berries?"

"Wonderland berries?" I asked.

"One of several popular drugs that change giants," Moreno said. "They're native to Jontun, and technically they are outlawed. Giants take them to blend in better with humans. There are a few side effects, but most giants don't care about them."

I had a feeling I should ask about those later. Right now, though, I looked into Victor's mismatched eyes and tried not to wonder what we were about to do. 

"Don't worry," Victor smiled. "I'm right here with you. We're diving into the unknown together, Terri."

His oversized clothes lightened the mood. He looked a lot less like an intimidating prince and more like a goofy uncle with a military jacket touching his knees and too-long pants. 

He held out his hands again and motioned for me to take them. I set my palms on top of his, and as his fingers intertwined with mine, I felt a bolt of energy burst down my spine. It wasn't fear or desire. The power was more than that. 

"How did you do that?" I asked. 

"Nothing special," Victor said. "Are you ready to see with me?"

"What are we looking for?" I asked.