Prologue
A DANCE OF GIANTS
Rusted earth trembled beneath Ari’s feet, cracks in the thirsty ground glowing ember in the pervading darkness. The air burned against her cheeks as if she was stuck within a circle of invisible fire — her lungs oxygen deprived, her tongue thick and teeth dry. She blinked, disorientated, wondering where she was and how she'd gotten there. Her arid and pained eyes swept the vast emptiness around her. The arching, deep darkness of the starry night above her folded over on her in its infinite black.
“Hello!” she choked out, her voice hoarse and small as it echoed into the nothingness.
Where am I?
The thought had barely launched into the alien night when a foreboding rumbling sang out from a great distance. It grew louder and more ominous as the very ground shook beneath Ari’s feet.
“AAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!” A war cry split the world into two as a mass of giant limbs flew past Ari and thundered to the ground, the impact blasting her off her feet. She took a minute to suck back in the breath that was knocked out of her and winced from the stinging pain of a scraped elbow. Rocks bruised the back of her bare thighs. Rough, guttural eruptions of rage met shrieking, pounding, and uproarious explosions of violence. Ari’s heart slammed against her chest. The terrifying sounds made her forget to question where she was or why she was still in her pajama shorts and T-shirt.
“Holy shit.” She gaped in frightened awe as she scrambled to her feet and then squeaked as she dodged a piece of flying earth the largest fist she’d ever seen had pounded out. Before her, two jinn fought. Two over-sized, forty feet tall jinn. Ari forgot to run, to find safety, to listen to her adrenaline. The sight was mesmerizing in its ferocity. Ari studied them. Bursting in and out of flames, as each jinn attempted to overpower the other. One was female, her long dark hair wild, forehead bloodied, but her beautiful face mostly unmarred. The male jinn was worse off. Blood streamed from cuts on his face as the female made new ones every time the old ones healed. His own long, dark hair fell from its midnight braid as the female attempted to rip it from his scalp. It occurred to Ari that the beautiful male jinn was not trying to hurt the female, but merely defending himself.
The female lunged onto the male and the two collided to the ground, knocking Ari off her feet once more. Blood trickled down Ari’s arm, but she barely noticed as she shakily hurried to stand. Her heart raced at the sight of the female jinn’s sharp-nailed hand wrapped around the male jinn’s throat. He yanked at her grip. Ari’s breathing grew shallow with fear at the sight of the stunning gold circlet around his bicep. It was smeared with blood so fresh it matched the ruby inset in the middle. Afraid (but for whom Ari did not know) she let her gaze drift back to his face, and she watched as his dark eyes looked into the female’s eyes in mute sadness. The female froze, her hand still wrapped tightly around his neck.
Without thinking, Ari took a step toward them, her heart tugging at the sight of the male and the hurt in his eyes. She wanted to ease his pain, to wrap her tiny self around him. She felt as if she knew him somehow. At the same time, she was drawn to the female jinn. To her desperate need. Her want. But for what? What?
“I’m sorry, brother,” the female whispered, tears escaping her eyes—eyes that matched his. “I must.”
Before she could do what she 'must', invisible hands threw her and she landed with an earth-cracking thump. This time, having expected it, Ari braced her legs and only stumbled on impact. Her eyes widened at the massive female foot that rested before her; so large she could have climbed upon it as if it were a boat. She gulped, mesmerized by the gold ankle bracelet that could have chained the boat to dock and the pretty gold toe ring that Ari would have been able to put her head through.
The shift of air and the unbearable heat that kissed at Ari’s cheeks like burning pieces of paper alerted her to his advancing presence. The thunderous roar of giant footsteps vibrated through the ground and Ari turned and watched him approach. Her eyes traveled the enormous feet, the gigantic legs in the bluest of watery silk, to the tightly roped abdomen and upper body, and thick bulging arms with matching gold armlets.
The night shadowed his facial features as his head reached into the stars.
Swallowing hard, Ari took a few steps back, staggering on the moving earth as he kept walking until he stood braced over the female jinn’s prone body.