Protector of Midnight

by Debbie Cassidy

“It never gets old,” Rivers said. “First time I saw him fly, my heart was in my mouth.”

  Orin snorted. “The guy’s a demon in the sky.”

  We could see him through the windscreen careening through the stars, moonlight on his wings.

  “He can go faster,” Rivers said. “He’s just keeping pace with us.”

  I gripped the dashboard, my knuckles white. He was so high up, so fierce and dangerous.

  Rivers hand slipped over mine. “He’ll be all right.” He swallowed and then quickly pulled back his hand.

  The van swerved as we turned onto the track that led to the beach. It was the closest chute and the one where, hopefully, the MED would still be set up.

  Sure enough, the place was crawling with officers. The hole we’d dug was cordoned off. It didn’t look like anyone had gone down after us then. My chest heated in indignation but I staunched it. How could I blame the humans for their self-preservation instincts? Putting our lives in danger was the Protectorates’ job. I climbed out of he van as Bane landed lightly on the sand a few feet away.

  We approached the chute.

  “Any movement?” Bane asked the nearest human.

  “No,” The man stumbled out of the way as Bane stepped over the hastily erected barrier.

  “Hey, didn’t you go in earlier?” someone called out.

  I ignored them and followed Bane down into the tunnels.

  Rivers and Orin flicked on their torches, but Bane didn’t seem to need the light. He barreled ahead.

  “Objective is to find the humans and get them out,” Bane said. “Humans first. Neph second.”

  We rounded a bend, and then another. A mental map was forming in my mind, but after several more turns I lost the thread. But Bane moved as if he had an actual map to hand.

  Finally, he came to a standstill. “Something has changed.” He took a step to the side and reached for the wall. He pulled his hand away quickly. “Silk.”

  Rivers shone the light directly on the walls to reveal silken threads woven to create a crude kind of wallpaper effect. There was even a pattern.

  The tunnel widened and opened out into a vast chamber that glowed eerie green and clinging to the walls and the ceiling were at least a hundred monster sized spiders. My palms were instantly slick, and in the next moment they were clutching my daggers.

  She is here.

  He was back.

  Who is she?

  The ground shuddered and something rose up to greet us. It was a spider out of nightmares. Its body suspended a meter above the ground, its legs...oh, God. It’s hairy legs. But then the eyes opened and it looked right at me.

  We were so screwed.

  Every creature has an Achilles heel.

  “You are here for the humans.” The voice was a wet gurgle that turned my stomach.

  “Yes,” Bane said. “Where are they?”

  She chuckled, and it was a horrific gurgling sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. “Some are inside me.” Her distended stomach pulsed. “Digestion is a little slow these days.”

  Oh, God. I pressed a hand to my mouth, not sure whether I wanted to puke or scream.

  “The rest are...hanging around.”

  Hanging? I looked up at the weird white hanging things. Were those the humans? Oh, shit. Jesse was one of those parcels.

  “The humans on this land are protected,” Bane said, his tone even and unperturbed. “You cannot hunt here.”

  She laughed, her body vibrating with the effort. “It has been eons since someone dared to tell Arachne what she can and cannot do.”

  Oh, man she was speaking in third person, and if the whole spider thing wasn’t enough, then this would have just pushed it over the ledge into creepy town.

  “Arachne, was drawn here,” she continued. “Arachne was summoned, and Arachne must feed to regain strength. Human souls are nectar and their flesh is tender.”

  Orin cursed softly under his breath.

  She’d been drawn here. By what?

  “How did you get in?” Bane asked.

  “There are cracks which Arachne and her children can slip through. The cracks grow larger and more hungry come.”

  “So there are ways out of Arcadia,” Orin said.

  Arachne laughed again. “No way out. Only in. So, now we are here. Now this is our home. Arachne must feed.” Her tone was matter of fact. “You are not human. Your flesh is tough, and your souls are tainted. Arachne does not like. But the spiderlings are always hungry.”

  The spiders on the walls quivered as if in anticipation.

  “Arachne’s children are obedient. They bring her food. They do not steal, they do not take. They see you in our home and they do not attack. They tell Arachne and Arachne counsel them to wait. More will come. More will come and then they will feast.” Her body pulsed. “More will come?”

  Oh shit. More would come. If we didn’t make it out Cassia and Ryker would come down here with reinforcements, but they would be no match for the hoard clinging to the walls.

  I reached out to the voice. He knew what this thing was. Maybe he could help us identify a weakness. Are you there? Hello, dagger voice.

  Dagger voice?

  Well, what should I call you?

  Call me Ambrosius.

  What are we dealing with here? You said you knew.

  Her name is Arachne, and she was once human. There are many tales of how she became what she is, many legends, but the truth is that her vanity in her craft led to a curse that transformed her into a spider.

  What was her craft?

  She could weave the most amazing fabrics.

  And now she’s here. What does she want?”

  To feed, to live. To belong. Arachne is a complex creature. A human soul trapped in a monster’s body. At first she would have fought her new instincts but eons have passed. I doubt her humanity has survived.

  An idea bloomed on my mind.

  “I noticed the silk wallpaper effect in the tunnel beyond.” I jerked my head back the way we’d come. “It’s really gorgeous. Um, did you do that?”

  Her many eyes googled at me. “You like Arachne’s weaving?”

  Oh God, she was fixated on me now. It’s a monster, just like the scourge or the bloodsuckers, not a crawly. Don’t think about how it moves. “Sure. It’s really intricate and, um, pretty.”

  A sigh rose up from that black mouth. “Arachne does love to weave. Soon Arachne’s home will be draped in intricate silk patterns. Strong, resilient and beautiful. My silk is unbreakable, did you know that?”

  Vanity, her Achilles heel was vanity.

  Good, yes. Now use it.

  “It hardly seems fair that such gorgeous work should be hidden all the way down here, with no mortal eyes to appreciate it. I mean you have a serious talent.” I took a step closer to her, keeping my movement casual and unthreatening.

  “What are you doing, Harker?” Bane hissed.

  I ignored him, and tilted my chin to look up at the ceiling. “If you got rid of some of your, um, children, like asked them to move out of this chamber you could do wonders with this place. With the green glow reflecting of your wonderful patterns, this chamber would be a sight to behold. But then,” I tapped my chin. “Only you would see it.” I shook my head. “It’s such a waste, you know?”

  I was so close, one lunge and slice and I’d have her.

  “You speak Arachne’s heart. You bring memories of a time when Arachne’s creations were sought far and wide. A time before...”

  Her body shifted as she scuttled to the side and I bit back a scream, part fear, part disgust, and part frustration. Bane caught my eye. He’d cottoned on to what I was trying to do.

  “She’s right,” he said to Arachne. “There is a need of your skill above ground. Why hide away your talent underground?”

  Arachne let out a snort. “Ha, you think they would receive Arachne? That they would allow her to live, to feed above ground? No. They would kill. Arachne is no
fool.” Although, she didn’t sound too sure.

  “How long have you been underground?” Rivers asked. His tone was polite and enquiring.

  “Forever it seems.”

  “The world has changed. Monsters walk among us. Creatures much more frightening than you.”

  “Monster, yes. Arachne is a monster.” She said it as if reminding herself.

  Maybe that hadn’t been the best direction. I shot Rivers an annoyed look. He winced. But now Arachne’s attention was on him. I took another step toward her.

  Bane’s body was a mass of tension as he kept his eyes on Arachne, not daring to glance my way just in case he alerted her to my plan.

  I lunged and slashed. The spiderlings screeched and Arachne moved so fast she was almost a blur, her leg slammed into me sending me flying into the wall.

  “You play with Arachne. You mock her!”

  I sat up, head spinning from the blow.

  “Others will come, but for now, Arachne will give her spiderlings a small feast.”

  The spiders clinging to the walls dropped.

  Chapter 29

  The next few moments were a frenzy of slashing and stabbing, rolling, ducking and leaping. A spiderling landed on me and got the pointy edge of my dagger and then Bane was tugging me to my feet and we were fighting back to back. Rivers and Orin cut their way through to us and we formed a circle facing outward. We had each other’s backs, and fuck, a hundred spiderlings was nothing. Rivers let loose with the repellent and the spiderlings scuttled away, out of range.

  “We need to get out of here,” Orin said. “We can’t take them all out.”

  “We need to find the humans,” Bane said. “If we leave then there is no way she’s allowing us back in.”

  Jesse. I had to find Jesse. The only way to do that was to bring down Arachne. She was right before us, just outside the gas cloud. Her many eyes gleamed with a green tinge. If I could just get past the spiderlings...

  Arachne’s scream was a living twisted thing. “Use your venom, you fools.”

  The spiderlings ran back and forth and then right at us, right into the repellent. A hiss filled the chamber and air wafted against my face. It rushed into my lungs, stinging and biting. My body began to tingle.

  Venom. Child, do not inhale.

  But it was too late. The shit was in my blood stream. So, this is how the venom had found its way into Jane Doe’s system. It was delivered as a fucking spray. I toppled to the ground, and a moment later Bane hit the ground next to me. His eyes were open, teeth gritted, clearly furious with this turn of events.

  My pulse was growing sluggish. I couldn’t fight. I couldn’t...

  You can’t, not alone. Drop the shields, child, let the darkness in.

  Fuck you. Last time I did that it almost killed me.

  Did it? Did it really? Or did it simply take its fill once you permitted it to?

  Every part of my mind protested. The darkness was dangerous, alien, hungry and uncontrollable.

  No, not uncontrollable.

  He was right. It hadn’t fed on Bane, not until I’d given it leave to do so, even though my shields had been useless and I’d been insane with hunger.

  Drop the shields and let it help you.

  The years of holding back, the years of keeping the hunger locked up pressed down on me, mingling with the venom in my veins. The spiderlings closed in, eager for their meal.

  I dropped the shields and released the darkness. It tore through the venom, obliterating it from my blood, and I was free to move. Bane’s power thrummed in my veins, thick like honey infusing my bones with a new kind of strength. I’d fed the darkness well, and left enough to be held back in reserve. I drew on that reserve now, rolling to my feet and leaping over the spiderlings.

  Arachne screeched. And my daggers sank into her hairy flesh, cutting through her like she was a knob of butter. I slashed and stabbed to the accompaniment of her screeches. No not screams, laughter. She was laughing—cackling like she was fit to burst.

  I jumped back, landing lightly on my feet.

  “Fool, you can’t kill me.”

  Arachne is cursed. A curse complicates thing. I’m not even sure she can die. For what is the purpose of a curse such as this if she could simply end her life?

  Oh, shit. I glanced over my shoulder where behind me the spiderlings circled, torn between feeding on the venom incapacitated nephs or coming to their mistress’ aid.

  Power thrummed in my veins and my mind whirred. I couldn’t kill her but something she’d said echoed in my mind. My silk is unbreakable you know.

  Unbreakable.

  I couldn’t kill her, but I could trap her.

  “Your pathetic,” I spat. “Relying on your minions to do your dirty work?”

  She bristled.

  “If your silk is so strong why haven’t you used it to trap me yet? You just let me stab you? You know what I think? I think you’ve lost your touch. That your silk is no longer quality. That the stuff in the tunnels is just like any other spider silk.”

  “You do, do you?” she sneered.

  The silk came shooting out at me so suddenly, I almost didn’t jump out the way in time. Almost.

  It hit the wall behind me and I leapt, aiming for the wall opposite. Using the power inside, I kept moving evading her silk shots, as they hit and clung to the walls, back and forth, over and under.

  Yes, it was working, her silk was everywhere and she... she was in the center of it all.

  Good girl. Good girl!

  Yes!

  I fell to my knees and stared at the dome of silk that encased Arachne.

  “What have you done?” she battered into the wall of interwoven threads over and over again but it wouldn’t give.

  The spiderlings attacked her prison, crawling all over to try to find a weakness but Arachne had told the truth. Her silk was unbreakable. And now she was trapped.

  Behind me, Bane groaned and sat up. His neph body must have fought off the venom. Rivers and Orin broke from their paralysis a moment later.

  I gripped my daggers tighter. “Have I ever told you how much I hate spiders?”

  Bane’s lips curled in a sadistic smile. “Time to do a little pest control.”

  ***

  Bits of dead spiders were strewn around the green glowing chamber by the time the cavalry arrived. Ryker, Cassie and half our Protectorates came spilling into the chamber. Several MED officials streamed in after them.

  “Shit, we missed all the action.” Cassie looked put out.

  Ryker came to a standstill, his face contorting in disgust at the sight. “Maybe if you’d had your feeling a few minutes sooner, we could have been down here to help.” His eyes widened as they fell on the caged form of Arachne. “What the fuck is that?”

  Arachne was silent and still. “You think you’re safe?” she snorted. “You are fools. Something is coming. Something darker than your most terrifying nightmares, and when it arrives I will be here to greet it.” She gurgled. “When it arrives, I will be free.”

  I stepped closer to the wall of silk. “Who is coming? Tell me?”

  Her laughter echoed throughout the chamber.

  “Ignore her, she’s just baiting you,” Orin said. He lifted his chin. “We need to focus on getting the humans down.”

  Everyone looked up at the bodies dangling from the ceiling.

  My mouth went dry. “Are they alive?”

  “They should be,” Rivers said. “Hopefully.”

  The MED jumped into action, radioing for supplies and paramedics and all kinds of shit. It took a few hours to get all the cocoons down. We started with the smaller ones, loading the unconscious children onto stretchers and getting them the heck out of the tunnels. There were so many more humans than we’d realized, and each time they cut through the cocoon binding a person my pulse leapt. And each time it was a stranger. My eyes searched for Jesse and Drayton. I’d failed them both. I should have made Jesse stay with me until it was time to go back
to Sunset. I should never have left Drayton to the sentinel and run. What if Arachne had eaten them? No, she wouldn’t have eaten Drayton. He was a neph, but Jesse was human...what if she’d eaten Jesse?

  Ryker pressed a hand to the small of my back. “They’re here. We’ll find them. Drayton and Jesse.”

  I nodded dumbly, my hands itching to rip the cocoons to shreds but the MED medical guy was adamant that we hang back and let him work. It was excruciatingly slow. And then a familiar spill of blonde hair had me rushing forward.

  “Jesse?”

  “Stay back, please,” the MED guy said. He checked for a pulse. Did it have to take him so long? Finally, he nodded. “She’s alive.” Two other officials hauled her up onto a stretcher. The MED guy glanced over his shoulder. “Friend of yours?”

  I swallowed. “My sister.”

  He frowned, probably wondering how a neph could have a human sister, but then he smiled reassuringly. “She’s going to be fine. Her pulse is strong.”

  I sagged in relief and Ryker wrapped an arm around me.

  “We have Drayton,” Orin called out.

  I rushed forward and fell to my knees beside the incubus’s unconscious form. “His pulse, check his pulse.”

  The second medical guy shot me an irritated look and then did as I asked. He pressed his lips together and shook his head.

  “What? What is it?”

  He looked shifty, afraid. “I... I can’t find a pulse.”

  My stomach dropped and my eyes burned. “No.”

  Orin shoved him aside. “Idiot, you’re dealing with an incubus. Pulse is at the back of the fucking neck.”

  He slipped his hand under Drayton’s head. I held my breath.

  Orin’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s weak but we have a pulse.”

  Bane hoisted Drayton over his shoulder. “I’ll get him back to the mansion.”

  “He needs medical attention,” the MED insisted.

  “Yes, he does,” Bane said. “But the neph kind.”

  Ryker slipped his hand into mine. “He’ll be fine. Come on. Let’s wrap this up.

  ***

  Drayton’s screams echoed around my skull, and my hand shook as I sipped the brandy Cassie had poured for me. We were in the lounge, as far away from the agony as we could get. Cassie nursed a glass of wine, her eyes going to the door every few seconds.