The Half-Giant's Guide to Seeing the Future

The Day I Saw A Dragon

Elise saved the day. She shooed off the boys and allowed me some privacy to write down my vision. I wasn't sure Geoff needed to know his future. It wasn't completely set in stone, and since the vision seemed so far away, there was no point in giving him a false impression.

The only person I confided in was Dylan, and it was only to tell him about his sister. My cousin listened intently and nodded as I tried to describe Kira. Finally, I grabbed a pencil and a pad of paper and sketched.

I wasn't a horrible artist. I didn't practice much, but I could draw anything I saw in my head in great detail. Dylan always joked that it was my sketch artist superpower like I might use it to solve a crime or make twenty bucks as a portrait artist at the boardwalk.

"Oakmore CEO," Dylan said. "I mean, Kira can have it. I don't want anything to do with Dad or his company."

I wondered when the last time he'd even seen his father was. Dylan had lived with our grandparents on the ranch for as long as he could remember. His mother's family only invited Dylan on family vacations or asked him to come to Thanksgiving.

"I think that Granmam might win her case," I said. "I mean, I haven't seen it or anything, but that's the second time I've seen Kira in our future."

Dylan smiled. "I was talking with her online, and Kira thinks her mother is going to cave this time for the right price."

"As long as it doesn't destroy our family," I said. "Wasn't Kira's mom asking for ten thousand monthly last time?"

"They've got her down to a reasonable deal," Dylan said. "And if they can get Sunni to sign the papers, we'll have Kira out of there the moment the ink dries."

"You'll see your sister soon," I said.

Dylan smirked. "Your professional opinion?"

I laughed, and he gave me a big hug. I broke away as an engine revved outside. I looked through the window as a woman clad in leather pulled up on a motorcycle. She had amber eyes and her blue hair styled in a short pixie cut, giving her the appearance of a very tall and angry water sprite with tatted-up arms and a sour expression. She walked up the driveway like there were a thousand places she'd rather be.

"Vita Valan," Dylan said as he opened the door. "How are you?"

"Oakeley," her voice was sharp enough to cut glass. "Why am I playing courier today? We can't afford distraction on a day we transport giants back home."

"Sorry, Vita," Dylan said. "You've heard about my cousin, Terri?"

Vita looked me up, and she frowned. "She really shouldn't wander off. Especially on delivery day."

"Not sure she actually knew that was today," Dylan scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, she's kind of new to this."

Vita shook her head, and then she held her finger to her ear to take a call on an earpiece. I stared as she argued with whoever was on the other end about something related to fire and locks.

I turned to Dylan. "Delivery day?"

Dylan bit his lip. "When you first showed up, I assumed the halfants sent you with a guard to watch us do a prisoner transfer. I figured your guard was Moreno, and he was keeping his distance."

"Sorry if I messed things up," I said.

"Delivery day is sometimes messy, but we do our best," Dylan said. "But Vita is just grumpy. She doesn't like things that interrupt her flow. She and her daughter Emma are our best trackers in the human world."

The Valan family was intricately tied up in Jontun. I wondered if Vita was anything like her brother Cato. Then again, if she spent all her time hunting giants in the human world, there was probably something she didn't like about Jontun.