Shadow Sun Progression: Shadow Sun Book Four

by Dave Willmarth

  Fog rolled past, a stiff wind pushing it quickly through the trees and brush that surrounded them. A deep purple cloud bursting with lightning was quickly filling the sky to their left. That was all Allistor had time to take in before a dozen massive spiders emerged from a door that opened in the bedrock’s surface, and walked up a ramp.

  The honor guard turned to take up position in two rows along either side of the stone ramp, and behind them emerged an even larger, armored araneae. With a body maybe ten feet long, its belly was suspended at least four feet off the ground by eight segmented and chitin-covered legs. The segmented body must have weighed at least a thousand pounds, the head segment looking down at them from about eight feet high. It halted in front of them, moving one of its forearms in what Allistor assumed was a salute.

  “Welcome to Araneaea, your Majesties, honored guests. I am First Warrior Artax. Please, follow me inside. We must move quickly to ensure your safety, as a storm approaches.” The creature turned and stepped to one side, motioning toward the door. When Allistor and the others stepped forward, it moved toward the doorway at a quick pace.

  Passing through the door, Allistor found himself in a wide stone corridor, the walls at least twenty feet apart. He supposed for creatures the size of the araneae, it was necessary to have plenty of room to move about.

  Once the last of the honor guard had followed them through and secured the door, Harmon asked a question. “First Warrior Artax, I am curious. Why have us land out here?”

  The giant spider warrior turned to face him, bowing deeply. “Apologies, Emperor Harmon.” There were gasps from all the humans in the corridor, but no one spoke as Artax continued. “There has been some… difficulty with the new hatchlings. The subterranean landing bays where we would normally greet such honored guests are not currently secure.”

  Behind him, several industrial sized hoverpads were making their way toward the group. Half of them had six chairs each fastened to their surface, making them look a little bit like cars with no roofs or doors. The others were simply bare platforms. “We have been forced to improvise some transportation for you. I hope this will not offend?”

  Allistor stepped forward, shooting Harmon a look that made it clear he had some explaining to do. “We understand the need to improvise in times of trouble. These will work just fine.” To ease their host’s mind, he stepped up onto the closest pad with seats, and sat down. “Yes, this is quite comfortable.”

  Artax bowed his head again. “You are most gracious. We will arrive in the Queen’s presence shortly.” He waited for the rest of the guests to board hoverpads, then he and his soldiers boarded the others. A minute after Allistor sat down, they were hurtling down the corridor at considerable speed. The lights along the walls flashed by so quickly, it was hard to distinguish one from the next. Turning to look at Harmon, who was seated in the third front seat on their pad, on the other side of Amanda, he cleared his throat.

  “Emperor Harmon?”

  Harmon looked slightly embarrassed. “Did I not mention that?”

  Amanda crossed her arms and looked up at him. “You most certainly did not.”

  With a long sigh, the orcanin met her gaze. “My official title is Emperor of Orcana, the orcanin homeworld.”

  Allistor followed up. “And that would make you… emperor of all orcanin?”

  Harmon grinned sheepishly, which wasn’t easy for an orcanin. “It would, yes.”

  “But… you said you fought as a mercenary.” Allistor was confused.

  “I did, for more than a century. When our people were freed from bondage, we had little in the way of resources. But we had been trained as warriors by the elves for hundreds of generations. It is ingrained in our culture, and our DNA, at this point. So we formed mercenary guilds, hired ourselves out, and used the contract proceeds and spoils to build our empire.” He paused and looked down at his hands for a moment. “I have told you that our one unbreakable law is that we never take up arms against the elves. Or, specifically, the high elves. Our previous emperor was growing tired of that restriction, and spoke often of making war with them. Our empire has grown powerful, and we might well be a match for the elves should it come to that. But the cost would be unbearable. And honor requires that we hold to the oaths that granted our freedom. He began taking actions that he hoped would incite the elves to violate our pact and attack us, freeing the orcanin from our oath. I was forced to… remove him from the throne.”

  “Wow.” Amanda was looking at Harmon with a newfound respect. “So should we be calling you Majesty, or…”

  “Harmon. I have little to do with running the empire these days. I leave that to my offspring. I much prefer the life of a merchant.”

  Allistor was trying to find words to respond to these revelations when the hoverpads slowed, then came to a halt. While Harmon had been sharing his surprising history, Allistor hadn’t noticed the change in their surroundings. Instead of bare stone walls and floor, the corridor they were in now was constructed mostly of a softly glowing burnished metal. Stepping off the pad, he found himself in front of a large archway with ten-foot high double metal doors.

  The honor guard, having practically leapt off their pad and rushed to open the doors, lined up inside and escorted the party into the room beyond. Allistor and Harmon led the procession, with Amanda between them.

  The room was maybe a hundred paces long, and about half that wide. The ceiling stretched three stories above them in several graceful rounded vaults. Near the opposite end of the room stood a raised dais, one high step about four feet above the floor. Atop the dais were dozens of cushions, upon which rested the queen. She was at least twice the size of Artax, and her skin was nearly black, several shades darker than the mostly greyish araneae gathered on either side of the path Allistor was walking.

  The massive doors clanged shut behind them, and the sounds of them being bolted created some concern. Allistor resisted turning back to look, keeping his focus on the queen, and a smile on his face as he approached. He could feel a trickle of sweat trailing down his back as his pulse quickened.

  Luckily for him, the queen addressed Harmon first, obviously considering him of higher rank. Her multitoned voice was smooth and calm, despite whatever unrest was occurring within her domain.

  “Greetings, Emperor Harmon. It is good to see you again after so many years. You are most welcome, as always.”

  Harmon bowed his head slightly, and Allistor wondered which of them outranked the other. Both seemed to be the leader of their species.

  “Always a pleasure, High Queen Xeria. May I present my good friend Allistor, Prince of Earth, and Emperor of Orion, and his betrothed, Lady Amanda.”

  Both humans bowed to the queen, more deeply than Harmon had, per L’olwyn’s careful instruction.

  “Welcome! Thank you for accepting my invitation, Emperor Allistor. Your attempt to accommodate my peoples’ need in a desperate situation was truly appreciated.” She waved one of her forelegs at them.

  “Thank you for extending the invitation, your Majesty. And I only did what I felt was right.”

  Harmon, concerned by what he’d heard in the queen’s words, took a step forward. “Majesty, pardon my directness, but has something gone wrong? You mention Allistor’s attempt to help, suggesting the harvest was unsuccessful. And the latest hatchlings have taken over your shuttle bays? Do you require assistance?”

  The queen made a long, slow humming sound, then answered. “The timing of your visit is unfortunate. I meant it to be a celebration of our latest broods hatching. However, the Collective’s enforcers acted more quickly than we anticipated, and seized the harvester before it could deliver the desperately needed resources Allistor so generously allowed them to gather. As a result, we had insufficient food for our hatchlings. A great number of them have gone feral.”

  The queen lowered her head slightly, and Allistor had the impression it was a gesture of embarrassment or shame.

  Allistor was the first to re
spond. “Can we help in some way? Could you send a harvester to Orion? As emperor, I can authorize a harvest from one of the oceans there.”

  “Thank you, Emperor Allistor. Once again you show great kindness. But I am afraid it is far too late for that. We feared that even the harvest from Earth would not arrive in time. And the enforcers made sure of that. The hatching has begun, and will be finished long before a harvester could make the trip to your planet and back.”

  Harmon frowned. “The Collective’s forces should not have been able to respond so quickly. And even if they were close by for some reason, they should have allowed the harvest to be delivered before confiscating the ship, rather than endangering so many lives. Was a reason given why they did not?”

  The queen’s voice took on a harsh tone, the multiple chords seeming to crash against each other as she spoke. “We have repeatedly attempted communication with them, but there has been no reply of any kind.”

  Harmon looked concerned, briefly turning back to L’olwyn, who shook his head. “I have never heard of such action being taken.” Longbeard also shook his head. Harmon turned back to the queen.

  “I will investigate this immediately, Majesty. Though I know it will not help today’s situation, a break in protocol that results in the deaths of millions must be answered for.” He looked back at the locked metal doors behind them. “If you wish it, I can have an army of orcanin warriors here within the hour to help… resolve your issue with the feral hatchlings. You need only grant access to your hub.”

  The queen rose from her cushion, stepping lightly down off the dais and approaching the visitors. She reached out one foreleg and gently touched Harmon’s arm. “Thank you, my old friend. But you know that is not our way. My warriors and workers are striving even now to deal with the feral ones. They shall either be strong enough to destroy them, or perish in the attempt. It is the way of our kind.”

  “Weakness!” one of the araneae standing near the dais shouted, the word echoing off the ceiling above. “Your weakness has led us to this ruin! Millions of lives forfeit! A harvester lost to us! You are no longer fit to rule, Xeria.” The room was instantly filled with quiet chittering from the gathered araneae.

  The queen turned to face the speaker, who stepped forward from the ranks. She was larger than most of the others standing nearby, but considerably smaller than the queen.

  “You believe you could have done better, little one? I don’t believe I know your name.”

  The volume of the chittering increased, and the other female twitched visibly. Allistor guessed that the queen not knowing, or pretending not to know her name was quite an insult.

  “I could scarcely have done worse! You grow old, Xeria, and clearly senile if you don’t recognize Ixam, your eldest granddaughter. Your time has passed. Surrender the throne, and I will allow you to live out your days overseeing the next brood in the egg chambers.”

  “And if I refuse?” The queen took another step, putting herself directly between her visitors and the challenger.

  “Then I will take your head, and mount it above the dais as a reminder to all of our people that weakness is death.”

  The two giant females faced each other, all of their many eyes laser-focused on the other. L’olwyn leaned forward and whispered, “I hear the sounds of battle nearby.” Allistor couldn’t hear anything, even the chittering of the court having gone silent. But elven hearing was supposed to be far superior to human, and he trusted L’olwyn.

  Allistor was about to speak to the queen when Harmon held up a hand and shook his head. He took a single, slow step backward, followed by another. Allistor and the others followed suit.

  “Little one, you have neither the strength, nor the cunning, to supplant me.” Xeria practically growled. “Withdraw your challenge, and I will allow you to live and grow stronger.”

  The smaller female nodded her head. “You are correct, in that I am not as strong as you. Were I to challenge you in single combat, you would surely defeat me. As for cunning… there you are mistaken. I have cultivated allies, and raised soldiers of my own. A wise queen knows when to delegate!” She nodded toward the locked doors, and several araneae who’d been hovering at the back of the crowd dashed toward it. Two of them undid the simple bolts, while two more flung the doors open wide.

  Out in the corridor, battle was raging. Allistor couldn’t tell one side from the other, but dozens of the giant spider people were slicing and bashing at each other with swords and maces, spears and hammers. The fight quickly spilled through the door as several of the combatants leapt upon the four who had opened the doors. Obviously not trained warriors themselves, all four were quickly dispatched, their heads crushed or simply removed.

  There was a scream of rage from the queen, and Allistor turned back from the door just in time to see her leap at her granddaughter. A long scepter appeared in one of her foreclaws, and she swept it downward onto Ixam’s head. Several of the smaller spider’s eyes burst, and her chitin exoskeleton caved in with a loud crack, Ixam’s legs going limp beneath her.

  Even as her body hit the floor, Xeria backed away. Several of the other females around Ixam dashed in and began to tear her body to shreds. Their way of demonstrating loyalty to their queen.

  Breathing hard, the queen turned and faced the door, walking back to stand next to Harmon. “That fool! The young have no respect for tradition! To involve our warriors in a challenge for the throne… even had she been victorious, our people would not have accepted her. And to pull warriors from their duties dealing with the hatchlings? Disgraceful!”

  The sounds of battle out in the corridor caught her attention. Raising her head, she shouted toward the door. Her multi-toned voice was so loud, Allistor winced. L’olwyn and Selby covered their ears, the elf dropping to his knees. “ENOUGH!” her voice echoed through the room. “The challenge has failed! Ixam is no more! Return to your duties!”

  The warriors who had entered the room and killed the traitors had stepped back out and formed a barrier across the doorway, striking out at any enemies who got too close. When the queen’s orders ceased to echo through the room, one of them turned to face her.

  “Majesty! We no longer battle the misguided fools who followed your granddaughter. The hatchlings have broken containment!” The warrior turned back to face the corridor, and Allistor could see that the other three fighters with him were already engaging the hatchlings, as were the opposing adult warriors they’d been fighting a few seconds before. Much smaller than the adult spiders, each of the hatchlings was maybe two feet long. They looked much like the adults, but with wild red eyes and slavering jaws that seemed to never stop gnashing. Each swing of sword or spear crushed one or more of the little monsters, but each one destroyed was replaced by five or six more. They flooded across the floor and walls, and a few dropped from the ceiling onto their prey.

  The hatchlings bit at the warriors, but their sharp teeth didn’t penetrate the chitin exoskeletons. Tiny legs with spearpoint sharp tips pounded at the armor, seeking out weak points and joints. Any two or three of the little feral creatures would be no match for an adult warrior, but each of them was being swarmed by dozens of the hatchlings.

  “The bodies! Feed them!” The queen shouted, dashing back to Ixam’s bloody corpse. She easily lifted her granddaughter and hurled her body across the room to land near the door. Several others ran to grab her body, and the four bodies that lay inside the door, and toss them out into the corridor. The moment they hit the ground, hundreds of the feral hatchlings swarmed them. The distraction gave the warriors a slight reprieve, and they worked together to clear each other’s backs of gnawing hatchlings.

  “All of you, fight!” The queen instructed, not waiting for her people to respond before she charged toward the door. Now in addition to her bloody scepter, she held a wicked looking curved blade in her other foreclaw. The warriors blocking the door parted to let her through, then followed her into the corridor where she was already mowing down hatchlings i
n a wide swathe.

  Allistor stepped toward the door himself, but Harmon grabbed his shoulder and held him back. “They will not thank you for interfering. If the hatchlings break into this room, you may defend yourself. Though, at that point…” The orcanin didn’t finish his thought. Allistor and the others all knew what he meant.

  “Bjurstrom, raid group!” Allistor called out, sending invites to him, Amanda, and Harmon. “Include the queen and everyone else!” Bjurstrom nodded, and his eyes unfocused as he started sending out invites. Allistor turned to Harmon. “I don’t want any friendly fire problems if I have to burn them down.” The orcanin nodded his approval, drawing twin scimitars and gazing with longing toward the battle. The others in their group drew weapons as well.

  Amanda snorted. “Sure wish Meg was here with her grenades right about now.”

  Chapter 20

  The raiders stood with weapons at the ready, watching the queen and her people battle the ravenous hatchlings outside the door. First Warrior Artax had followed his queen into the corridor and was inflicting even more devastating damage than she was. His armor protected him from the dozen or more hatchlings that rode his back, legs, and belly, trying to bite or stab their way through.

  Several of the female guards who’d torn apart Ixam’s body took up station in the doorway, replacing the four warriors that had moved out into the corridor to protect the queen. Occasionally a few of the hatchlings would slip past the door guards, only to be massacred by several of the courtiers standing behind them. When one of the female guards was overwhelmed, one of the hatchlings having managed to bite into her throat, her body was tossed into the corridor to distract the mass of hatchlings, and another took her place.

  “That’s just brutal.” Amanda muttered.