Haviah and the Giantess: A Forgotten War of Ason

"She is coming."

"She will not follow us here," Haviah said, but she put down her needlework and rose from the chair.

"You do not know Aesa. She is relentless."

"Where does she come from?" Haviah asked. "I have never heard of her kind."

"There are no others like her. She is a monster, a creature born of rage and hate."

Haviah shivered, but it was not for fear. There was something about this woman, this great mountain that radiated heat and light as well as darkness, that drew her to her. Perhaps it was the loneliness she sensed in Aesa's soul or maybe it was the strength of spirit that had allowed this poor giantess to survive all these years in this terrible desert when others like her had failed. Whatever the reason, Haviah felt drawn to her. Her age or true identity were irrelevant; she was simply a woman trapped beneath an unbearable weight of despair, and Haviah wanted desperately to help ease that burden. If only she knew how.

Aesa stepped through the doorway into the main room of their home and glanced around, taking in everything with one long sweeping gaze. Her eyes fell on the meal set out on the table before them and without pause she lifted a platter piled high with roasted vegetables and began to eat while walking toward the table where Haviah sat waiting for her arrival. Dropping heavily onto the bench across from Haviah, Aesa proceeded to devour every morsel of food on the table while ignoring Haviah's presence entirely. When finished, she leaned back against her seat and sighed deeply before raising her head slowly to stare out at nothing in particular with blank eyes that had seen too much pain in their time. When they had first met three months ago, those same eyes had been ablaze with an inner fire that seemed intent on burning away all who stood before her gaze. Now there was only emptiness within them; a void filled by exhaustion and resignation.

"I thought we agreed you would stop following me," Haviah said softly when it became apparent that Aesa was not going to acknowledge her presence any further than that single glance upon entering their home. "You are putting me in danger by being here."

The corners of Aesa's mouth lifted slightly in a smile that held no mirth or joy behind it but rather reflected only weariness and regret for what might have been if things had turned out differently for them both in their youth so many years ago. "What danger is there now?" she said softly in response to Haviah's concerns about staying here together with Aesa until one or both died at last of old age or natural causes here in this unknown corner of Africa. "Do you think they will hunt us down? Do you think we are important enough to bother chasing across half the world just because they lost sight of us?"