The Half-Giant's Guide to Seeing the Future

The Day I Got Frosty

Alana was on her feet for the first time in days at breakfast. Kaleb insisted she eat lots of fruit and protein, so her plate had three oranges and a large serving of steak and eggs. She sat peeling one of the oranges with a slender knife.

I watched transfixed as the pulpy orange peel fell into a trash can below her in concentric cylindrical rings. Her meticulous knife skills left the fruit itself juicy and perfectly round.

"Good morning," Tres handed me a plate of steak and eggs. "Kaleb wanted me to remind you that you need vitamins, too. And a lot more protein since you're spending so much time with Moreno in the training room."

"Pull one of the shakes for her," Alana said. "And don't forget you have the next patrol."

"Right," Tres opened a cabinet and pulled down a protein shake. "Is Cullen back yet?"

"He should be pulling in soon based on the schedule your grandfather made," Alana said. "I'll be back on rotation today. I don't care if Kaleb wants me to rest another day. We need to keep patrolling the border around the portal."

Tres handed me the shake and popped a protein bar into his mouth. It was still weird to remember that he was my second cousin. Not to mention, my great uncle, Daleron, by marriage, had been helping organize the patrols while Alana was recovering.

"There hadn't been any action in almost a month," Tres said. "All the fun happened while you were at Half Circle, and the rest of the rebels are concentrated on the siege at Snowdon."

"We have to be focused if they shift their focus," Daleron walked into the room. "The situation at Snowdon is dangerous, and we've made ourselves very vulnerable by shifting most of our resources to that threat."

"He's not wrong," Alana said. "And Terri is here. We should expect an attack."

There was a thudding sound in the hallway that I'd come to associate with the comings and goings of halfants on their giant wings. A minute later, Cullen trudged into the kitchen, looking winded.

"Anybody seen Moreno?" He asked.

Alana frowned. "Didn't you have a shift exchange with him two hours ago?"

Cullen shook his head. "Moreno didn't come back to the compound. I checked the logs. There wasn't any sign of him while I was flying the loop, and his tracker is disabled."

Tres swore. "Not this again."

Daleron raised an eyebrow. "Explain, please."

Alana sucked in her cheeks and checked something on her wrist. "Moreno has a habit of going missing in action when he gets upset. He hasn't done it in a while, but he's overdue."

"Does Doc know about this?" Daleron asked.

"She does," Alana bit her lip. "And he doesn't need to be alone. Especially not today. I lost track of the days while Terri and I were held captive."

"It's not that day, is it?" Tres cursed.

Alana nodded. "Exactly ten years ago today, Horus Ethesis walked into Nikone capital and murdered a golden guard of the Nikone house for the murder of his wife."

"Today's the day he lost his father," my face fell.

"We need to find Moreno," Daleron said, "I'll check the cameras. Cullen, get some rest. Tres, Alana, you'll need to fly patterns to search for him."

"How do I help?" I asked. "Do I fly a pattern?"

I'd brought up his family last night. I'd foolishly suggested he relinquish his sister on the eve of the anniversary of the second time his world shattered. I was guilty.