by D.E.P.
Invicta rose up, his eyes showing the look of deep offense. “Let us deal with our own problems by ourselves, will you?” As he walked away, he pushed the king’s right shoulder. Fortis only shook his head in disappointment. The two brothers had reminded him much of his relationship with his own relative. Their royal blood was much different, however. Perhaps they were not truly brothers. It was clearly a mystery that was long forgotten.
The king walked towards Magni, noticing that Invicta had wandered off with his belongings. “He wants to kill me, doesn’t he?” questioned Magni without looking at the shadow whose footprints traced the ground towards the dead body.
“That I do not know. Do not ponder on this endless idea. What is done has been done whether for better or worse. Do you wish otherwise?” answered the king with a piercing question that haunted Magni. Did he truly want to stay alive as a beast his brother already despised? It was a question that could not be truly answered in its own way. He did not dread Glacies no longer.
“I do not know what was or is best for me. Perhaps it is a change that will destroy my relationship with my brother. This is what I truly fear,” said Magni as he fiddled with a thin purple twig that he had picked from ground in which he sat.
Fortis did not reply. He knew there was nothing much to say but to remove the body and proceed on the journey. The king lifted the legs of the now dead Proditor, motioning Magni to grab the head. “Oh now I have to grab the head with those staring eyes?” stated Magni in a snickering manner in an attempt to calm the dreadful situation. There were many a time he had fought, several of which he removed the dead bodies from amidst. The land had not been as peaceful as many had wished, for many beasts still prowled. It was saddening, especially endearing a message to their loved ones. Perhaps the dread would have been greater to look upon the eyes of horror if it weren’t for other methods of communication. For instance, there were the trees spirits that would let their small flowers or leaves glide in the wind towards the processor’s house. A silent whisper would state the death of a long-lasted warrior. Those inside would cry out. But by then the flowers would have disappeared. Then there were the red birds that would flap their wings with great swiftness as they would dive down with a dreadful parchment in their beaks. Due to several hunters roaming the grounds, the birds were quickly thought to be merely a food source. Soon after, the birds died along with their floating dead letters. Finally, there were the mirrors in which to communicate through, but even then the mirrors were quickly shattered through the desperate throw of a dish. It was useless to speak of death, for it lurked dismissively through the land. The ceremonies of death only provided a greater sadness as millions of mothers would gather together in a day of weeping for their long lost children.
Magni’s smile quickly turned into one of deep depression that had always filled him when there was a stench of death. When would another have to carry his body? They carried the body away from the fire’s strong blue light. Careful not to drop the body, Magni followed Fortis into a small cave they had seen before resting. They had only glanced at its bright colored blue rocks, not thinking it as a burial site. But now it had to become one for a dead body to own.
The cave was not as large as it had seemed to be. The large rocks stacked up to each other glowed profoundly with a thick illuminated moss that drooped down like a limp and lifeless body. Several birds that seemed invisible in the darkness whistled a silent tune of sadness, giving their respects to Proditor’s spirit. “Here we must set him,” the king stated as they brought the body towards the ground. They slowly pushed the body further into the small cave and onto the glowing moss that formed like a rug in the burial site.
“Help me push this rock as a closure,” stated the king as he pushed against the large rock with great difficulty. Magni rose up, walking onto the king’s end. The king spread the white cloth that bordered his arms back before attempting to push the rock once again. But it had already disappeared from his eyes view. “You have the same strength, if not greater, as Sicarius. Interesting,” stated Fortis as he looked peculiarly as the rock was pushed to close the gap in the cave. Magni did not let out one drop of sweat as he walked towards Fortis in a confused manner.
“And why is that?” asked Magni.
“It was just an assumption. Sicarius won’t find happiness knowing there is someone as great as her,” the king chuckled with a slightly course voice. And so Magni and the king wandered off, breaking the small twigs beneath their feet and leaving Proditor to rest as he was. As they walked back, they saw the formation of a familiar tree rise ahead of them—the tree of life. Magni pushed back the thin purple branches that bordered the peculiar area. His brother turned towards Magni as he bit into the ripe fruit, allowing the golden juice to fall along his mouth.
Magni did not pay much attention to his silent brother. He walked with his back stiff, clutching one of the medium odd-shaped fruits. Eagerly, he took one sole bite before proceeding. The juice filled his mouth with a profound energy, the thin fibers attaching themselves to his tongue to fill its refreshing enticement. Before, his body felt close to dropping, but the fruit had fulfilled its destiny in reviving the weak soul.
Sicarius smiled peculiarly at Glacies as she widened her eyes in surprise. “Never did I have a taste of such a fruit! Only the rare red flowers that border the sides of the castle. But of course those are not as sweet as this!” exclaimed Glaices in her childlike manner. A thin bluish gown, seemingly transparent, yet not, glowed along her gracing body.
“There is more to come, for a goblet awaits you,” stated Sicarius with a gracing smile. A small fountain rose up from her side with several golden goblets that sparkled with lust. Glacies approached the fountain, pushing the goblet into the celestial springs and raising it up to her moistened lips. She took one drink of the juice, playing with the liquid until it tickled her throat in a refreshing manner. She looked upon Sicarius in the same fashion. Sicarius only smiled all the more. They seemed to have formed a strong relationship, a daughter with a mother. But Sicarius knew too well who Glacies’s prime father was—something that chilled her sudden thoughts.
Sicairus’s smile soon turned into one of deep sadness followed by a reassuring gesture as Glacies’s eyes formed a questioning stare. Sicarius turned around to where the king stood. He had curiously put the odd fruit on a long purple stick, holding it above the feeding flames in delight. Sicarius rolled her eyes, “Do you always feel the need for such pleasures? It is almost time to go you know. Here we are in the darkest part of the land eating heavenly delights. Yet there are millions of inhabitants at the brink of terror and they hardly are aware of it,” Sicarius stated rather drastically.
The king rose up, however. “For on the way,” he stated holding up his toasted creation, “If I remember correctly, I had to bury a body just now.”
Sicarius shook her head annoyingly, yet lively. It was strange how in a couple of minutes death did not seem as dreadful as before. She looked upon the palm of her right hand, there were not any seeds left to produce the fruit and juice they had already consumed. With deep horror she looked up to the king’s face. “There are no more, they must have dropped. Could we survive, my king?” Sicarius stared in shock.
“There are no worries Sicarius. Look above; there are plenty of small delights to satisfy our hunger. Once we cross the Shadow of Death, we will be much near. Only the mountains will be the last trouble before approaching the mighty castle. Surely Sapientem must know of what has happened, but he refuses from entering the past,” answered the king in a grim manner.
Sicarius looked at a tree from afar, fiddling with one of her daggers before throwing it with a precise swiftness. The blade quickly came in contact with the thick blue trunk of an odd tree, causing a thick sap to drain outwards. These trees had a distinct difference from the ones that sprouted from the outskirts of Malum’s land. “I feel trapped in this small place. Shall we proceed?” she questioned.
Glacies stared behind her, hearing the sil
ent noise of a twig snap. “What is it?” questioned Sicarius in an agitated voice.
“We might not be alone,” answered Glacies as she threw her goblet on the ground before a racing shadow that lurked forward. Glacies steadied her arrow, waiting for the precise time to shoot forward. Then there was silence, as if the beast lurked around only as to tease the dwellers. Then there it was, only a small reflection of the horror that came from Glacie’s face at staring into the several eyes that shined above—a massive spider.
There she shot, ignoring the fear that attempted to drop her to the ground and yield at her conqueror. Her eyes glowed a piercing blue color before the arrow left from her bow and struck the silent figure. Out of the several eyes that overlooked the environment, only one was pierced, a thin black liquid falling down upon the dark blue fur bordering the body of the terrestrial beast.
Invicta and the others had already brought their weapons upwards in a prepared stance as Glacies continued striking the head and eyes. The spider did not move, however; it only stared petrifyingly at its prey—waiting for the precise moment to do its kill. Glacies reached behind her, moving her fingers in a desperate manner for an arrow. Her face shown grim as she knew the arrows that she had violently aimed had not yet returned to her. She looked behind at the staring faces about her. “What now?” she questioned, her face cringing with discomfort.
Sicarius smiled wickedly once again, forming only one word with her reddened lips, “Run.”
The beast had already known of their failure. Its front legs, long as they were, jumped high into the air in victory. Letting out a loud scream with several thick spittles flying outwards, the two story tall tarantula yielded to instinct as it ran forwards. Sicarius and the others had already disappeared beneath the brush, but not for long as several eyes scanned for sudden movement within the trees. “If it’s not one thing it’s definitely another,” stated Sicarius as her breathe pulsated with her quick run.
“That is what forms life,” asserted the king, a foot behind the racing Sicarius. Invicta and Magni ran behind, ignoring each other’s presence in the meanwhile.
“Ummm that monster is much quicker than all of us! I could see its mouth moving with anticipation!” yelled Glacies as she looked back towards the horrid creature. The tarantula crawled with great might, bending the trees as if they were thin twigs that snapped with a silent gust of wind. The palps that stretched outwards from its mouth moved with a thin lubricant that caused an eerie sound before its teeth. The dark blue fur shivered with the quick movement of the legs racing through the tall unyielding trees.
Sicarius suddenly stopped, holding her chest with her trembling hand. Invicta, Magni, and the king, stood their stance by the other trunks, waiting for Glacies whom had clumsily tripped over a fallen tree branch. Her breathes became much deeper, causing her white face to seem frail. Glacies rose up, running like she had never had before. “The ring! Give it here,” yelled Sicarius at the still running Glacies. Continuing pacing towards Sicarius, Glacies slipped the golden jewel from her ring finger. Staring at Sicarius, she spun the ring towards her shadow before the tarantula appeared in a dreadful manner. The spider soared upwards, far above the tips of the trees in an attempt to dive down at the racing Glacies.
From the sides of her eyes Glacies saw the massive front legs dig repulsively into the dirt and trees below. Consequently, the intense blow caused the ground to shake, the trees to shake, and the dirt to leap from within. Glacies rose upwards in the air; she smiled repulsively as she stared into the dark eyes ten feet in front of her. The sudden violent gesture from the creature caused Glacies to glide in the air for a few more seconds than anticipated. Wasting no time, Glacies retrieved her bow once again, pulling the arrows that had once again appeared on her back.
Carefully blowing her hands, she formed a sphere of glowing water, seemingly electrifying. Her eyes became aglow as she quickly touched the tip of the arrow, aiming at the center of the beast. Several pebbles and clumps of dry dirt leapt around her, hitting her body in whichever way possible. But the arrow had already been released, the tip shining profoundly as the sphere of water combined to the fur’s slightest touch. It was then that the sphere drained its clear liquid into the thick hairlines below the staring eyes. Glacies fell onto the ground, knowing it would be close to impossible to avoid the spider’s quick legs. But a tender hand had offered saving grace, pulling her body with great force towards the side of another thick trunk.
“Just because you’re immortal does not mean you won’t die!” smiled Sicarius malevolently. Glacies looked towards the enormous shadow, watching as the prime creature screamed in its steady stance. The front legs once again lifted themselves up in an agonizing manner as loud saliva gushing sounds filled the cool air. Sicarius frowned as if expecting the spider to attack her. Perhaps she waited for such thing to occur. “What did you do?” she questioned curiously.
Glacies smiled all the more, her eyes shining with mischief. “Look for yourself. I have a little magic infused in my own body as well,” answered Glacies as she motioned upwards with her eyes.
As Sicarius carefully laid her fingers on the side of the trunk, she pushed her body forward to peer at the scene. The beast continued crying out in a far more agonizing scream, for the fur began to bubble on the surface of its body in a vigoring manner. The acidity left the fur to slowly peel off, exposing a black death-like skin. The cries were over, there was no more time to cry victory, for the spider knew of what was to come.
Leaping upwards, the spider did not begin racing for the ones who had already began running through the trees. Instead, it let out a sudden petrifying yell that seemed to elevate the floating leaves. Her back began to move, the blue colors slowly disappearing onto the ground. The ground no longer seemed as tranquil, for sudden blue movements dominated its stance. Sicarius only looked behind, making sure that the beast no longer stalked their every step from death. However, she looked in horror as the ground began to shed blue creatures instead. The yell of the mother could still be heard from afar—orders to kill.
Sicarius smiled bitterly, knowing the larger spider would finish them off if its offspring did not. “There are more of them!” she yelled.
Invicta looked behind, his eyes becoming reddened by the dust from his running feet. “How much further?” he questioned with a frustrating voice of terror. It was not silent in the dark forestry, the screams and quick movements pounding the ground with its own force. Small gurgling sounds from the offspring became much louder than before as they neared their prime targets.
“The Shadow of Death is at a close distance. But we would certainly not reach in time to avoid contact with these creatures!” the king yelled, trying to state his words fast enough to avoid the interruption from another deep breath.
Noticing there was a branch that was much lower than the rest, Glacies lifted her arms above, grasping the silver surface. Quickly, her body swung over as she landed precisely on the sturdy wood just in time to escape the moving fangs of a small blue spider. The spider leapt, its hind legs unable to cause its body to reach the branch in which Glacies calmly stood aiming her arrow at its head. Dozens of these spiders sprang from odd areas, ignoring Glacies and proceeding for the others.
As soon as the arrow was released, an explosion was heard against the exoskeleton of the ghastly insect. Its eyes moved, scanning the primate. Small noises came from its mouth as the saliva that drooped from within was swiftly sucked, providing an eerie noise. Glacies did not stop there. Briskly scanning the area, she knew she was alone. She pushed off of the branch with her arm, bringing an arrow into the clutches of her hand and digging into the skull of the insect below her.
The insect finally let out a chilling scream as it leapt onto Glacies’s chest. The spider could be said to be no bigger than two feet in diameter, but its raging jaws made it appear far bigger than it should have been. A thick membrane bordered the thick curved fangs as they rose up before lowering towards the shivering a
rm. But what prevented the dreadful scene from happening was the feet that pushed with great force at the abdomen of the creature. It seemed all odds were against Glacies, for the spider grabbed her legs with precision. It did not fail in being kicked into the air. The arrows on its back did not stop it from attacking to fulfill its destiny.
Glacies’s face shown ghastly, a petrified grey as she continued pushing her legs outwards. Lifting up her small green dagger, she sliced the scrawny thin legs causing a black liquid to gush from the cut areas. She squinted as a drop slid past the side of her face. It was an odd feeling, a feeling of coolness from the heated liquid. “Maybe it was best you left my body?” Glacies stated as the spider screamed with a high-pitched whine. She kicked the spider from her body, having it hit the base of a trunk with great velocity. Quickly, she rose to her standard height, walking slowly as if wanting the creature to suffer as it stared before the racing blade. Blood splattered onto the pale ground, the shadow cutting into two parts at the abdomen—the spider was no more as it froze by the tree.
Small puddles formed around the vibrant body before it failed to move a bristle. Glacies scanned the body with great interest, noting the crystalline appearance of the blue surface. But then she heard it, the screams of Sicarius at some distance before her. She lifted her right leg but something prevented her from proceeding—a thin, yet robust string wrapped around her flesh in disapproval. She thrust her foot upwards with greater force, causing the string to slowly cut itself into her skin before releasing its grip. Glacies began running through the forestry, faster and faster until the back of her small dress rose with the racing body. Droplets followed her every path.
Then she saw them, a cluster of the insects crawling towards the others. They began forming a tight circle around the flames Sicarius had carefully cultivated. The flames did not scare the insects; they merely prevented death to appear sooner in their fates. The 20 spiders that bordered the outskirts of the flames lifted their fangs in protest, causing thick drops of spit to fall onto the blue creation. Glacies lifted up her bow, pushing an arrow against the sturdy string at one of the moving beasts.
Sicarius shook her head, finally noticing Glacie’s hidden figure behind a tough trunk. She quickly formed her words in a whisper, but it was already too late, the arrow had been released and there was nothing Sicarius could do to prevent the crowd of insects from racing away from her. “No!” she let out a loud shriek, much chilling than her crawling enemies’.
The arrow quickly struck a scrawny figure as fast as it was released from Glacies’s clutches. It dug deeper into the moving body, the sphere of water that Glacies had formulated slowly eating at its flesh making up the surface of the body. But as the spider slowly fell, the reflection of its eyes did not fail from reflecting the fear shown from afar. Glacies was surely to be bitten, or even worst, die with her immortality at hand.
Glacies stood petrified, her mouth gaping low. “Move you fool!” yelled the king in desperation. The flames rose to his height, but slowly began to dwindle due to the saliva the spider’s had sacrificed.
As if pinched, Glacies turned her body in a brisk movement to avoid the grasp of one of the creature’s claws. Her body hit the ground, yet rose up in a quick flip upon the soft grains. Lifting up her small green dagger, she threatened the spiders should they come nearer. As if obeying, the loathing insects stood their stance away from her. Only the wanting to taste fresh blood caused them to slowly proceed. With a swift movement of her wrist, she sliced a thin leg before the spider quickly thought twice before attacking her once again.
Pushing her hands toward the ground, she created two floating spheres of bright water whirling inches from the tips of her fingers. Noting the closing movement of her blood-thirsty victims, she fiercely spread her arms to her sides. Promptly, the spheres of water spread into droplets of rain covering the ones who had thought themselves victorious. The spiders were much like herself, desiring more of the liquid, but their lives were far more important.
She struck them one by one, failing to notice the several other spiders nearing her vibrant body. They shown like gleaming blue gems, but it was their fluent color that hid what they truly were. Sicarius had been looking at the flames as they lowered to her chest. She slowly lifted up her eyes, her eyelashes drooping down before she stared horribly at the scene before her. “No,” she whispered silently with her awestricken face. She put her hands into the flames, only the palm of her hand did not burn like the rest of her skin. She shook her head in desperation, wishing that the fires would disappear. Why hadn’t Glacies shot an arrow at the fires?
Glacies had smiled, noting the frail bodies of the insects who had attempted to lay their claws and scrape her life. But now they had laid rather motionless, their legs shrunken with the water’s acidity.
Then she felt it, an excruciating pain on the side of her right thigh. The fangs of a devious spider had dug into the soft flesh, not letting go until the task was completed. Glacies stared at the insect that had deprived her dignity. Her vision began to blur. Her head began to dysfunction. And her legs failed to lift up the weakened body as it slowly came down to the spider’s stance.
They crawled around her, hiding her body from the screaming Sicarius. Only the legs stood out, random drips sliding past the knee. She did not let out even a silent scream, but her petrified face, with eyes aglow, showed the horror prior to the event. The spiders continued covering her, moving rapturously along her flesh. Mucus lining their fangs dripped downwards and webs from their abdomens sprang forward in desperation for the killing. They then stopped, moving away from their creation. The body was not as it had appeared, for it was expressionless from all. But yet, it did not seem that the child was dead, for she still held her dagger beneath a thin lining of white fabric.
“Lift your arms upwards! The fire is low enough to jump over,” ordered Sicarius at Invicta. Invicta’s anger had eased; he did as Sicarius asked of him. Stepping onto the firm arms of Invicta, Sicarius jumped high enough to avoid the violent flames. She flipped through the air, her hands briskly touching the surface of the fire before standing before it on the other side. She did not lose one moment to kick one of the insets that had wondered astray. She lifted her weapon, slashing through the flesh in a much more violent manner than before.
Sicarius ran towards the place Glacies’s body had been, but there was no flesh or bones, only the imprint of what had been. A small group of spiders rolled the body away from her grasp. They pushed with their bony arms, continuing to provide mucus on the mummified body. A moist substance caused an eerie sound from afar, a sound that guided Sicarius to the target.
Sicarius hid her body behind the plethora of long trees, moving her body with such blissfulness as to avoid the crunch of a leaf. The spiders were abnormally big for such a hideous insect. They seemed to pose no threat to bigger inhabitants as herself. But yet, as a group they were close to invincible. This is what Sicairus feared. A shadow much larger rose from the small hill, indescribably the mother of the killers.
The eerier noise continued as the offspring of the beast rolled the body towards her steady claws. The tarantula rose up in a dominating stance, lifting her front legs upwards while letting out a wicked cry of victory. The large fangs quickly lowered, feeling the small motionless body. The side protruding limbs patted the body, moving it from side to side as if noting if it would be a spectacular meal.
Sicarius had barely known the girl, but already they had formed a bond. She knew her secret while Glacies did not know herself. There was nothing to it, she had always been open-minded. She stared at her reflection demonstrated on her polished blades, noting the determination illuminating her brightened eyes. With a yell of her own, Sicarius ran up the hill where the tarantula stood smelling the limp meal.
“You shouldn’t have taken her!” Sicarius screamed as if the spider could understand her wordings. She jumped over several of the racing spiders, slashing at a blue gem as it raced towards her in mid
air. Their thin legs quickly moved across the ground, scratching the sides of her armory with a loud rasp that irritated Sicarius’s ears. As if answering to their calling, Sicarius slashed at the movement around her, blood continuing to splurge like a fountain. The tarantula had moved to another area, racing downwards with the body dangling to its back by a string of webbing. The tarantula, the beast that seemed frightening in appearance, was a coward indeed, leaving her offspring to kill while she relished the recompense.
Sicarius looked for only a second before lowering her back as one of the spiders jumped towards her chest. Her dagger easily sunk into the liquefied sand. More than half of them were dead; the others would be as easy to attack. But the shadows that lurked from the sides seemed degrading. As Sicarius slashed at another claw that gripped her leg in dominance, she caught a purple glow drifting at the corner of her eye.
Briskly frowning, Sicarius slowly turned towards a shadow walking towards the carcasses that lay upon the ground with a sweet dressing upon them. “You’re a little too late,” Sicarius lifted up her right eyebrow in disapproval.
“Not at all. There is more to come. Go rescue your sister. I know who she is. There is no secret in that,” the king stated dismissively. His expression was relaxed. He neither despised the girl nor did he have anything against her.
“How did you come to find out?” questioned Sicarius while striking a sprouting leg from a weak spider. She began walking away, stepping onto the brittle legs that scattered the massacre site.
“Magni let me out on a little secret. Perhaps you will regret giving him life?” the king stated sarcastically. Magni and Invicta walked towards his side, their weapons leaping out at the close shadows.
“I can always end it as quickly as I saved it,” she stated as she ran forward. Her voice did not tremble, nor did it seem as if she had jested. She left the king, Magni, and Invicta to their own struggles in the dark atmosphere as she disappeared behind the skeleton of trees.
“What is all the waiting for?” questioned Fortis desperately as he withdrew his own weapons and ran towards the nearest crawling beast before him.
“That beast can make babies faster than I can say tarantula!” stated Invicta in a serious manner. The sudden phrase made the situation much more awkward than it should have been. But the sudden rush of adrenaline prevented too much thought from being put on the odd wordings. The king had caught the axe he had thrown and released it as soon as he felt the tickle of energy come off from it. The king continued walking as if he were invincible, having the Ring of Immortalis. But all immortals die at some point. Even the word reads “I’m mortal,” a truthful meaning beneath the unreal reality.
The spiders moved aside by the gleaming axe, being cut across the abdomen, through the skull, or even by the thin legs that etched their claws into the dirt. Clusters of the insects continued to appear, racing across the foot of the trees towards the three men. Their eerie noises were heard from afar as they sucked the thick saliva back into their mouths bordered by sharp teeth. Most insects would be seen to only contain a mouth and a pair of menacing fangs, but that was all. These spiders were much different from those in fairy tales. Their teeth were as sharp as the tricorn’s horn and their eyes as penetrating as a drop of black muck. They did not ease to surrender, not even to catch a breath before the shine of the weapons.
Invicta stabbed the nearest spider at its thick skull, causing the exoskeleton around the edges of his spade to transform into a golden substance. Quickly he turned as one of the gruesome figures leapt at his face. He did not think twice before plunging the sword deep into the anticipating throat of his primate. Spinning his sword with great force, he threw the carcass atop the figurines as a warning to not pass.
Magni withdrew a second sword, holding it on his left hand for the right contained the elemental sword of silver. He slashed both of his deathly weapons as if they were one, killing quickly at both his sides. His arm muscles throbbed with ambition as the carcasses were the only remains from the quick movement of his spades. There were far too many of the insects, their scattered bodies almost covering the blanket of silver. Magni threw his arguably worthless sword towards the leaping enemy before him as he spun to face the others. Moving his arm in a wave-like position, he struck the shadows that attempted to push him against the large trunk of an ancient tree.
Magni was far more intelligent than them as he quickly touched the surface of his blade to produce a steady white fire. As he stabbed one, he touched another with the outreaching flames until there were no more to challenge him to another duel. But the spiders continued coming…
Sicarius ran towards the large shadow she urged her eyes to see. It moved strangely through the environment, leaping around the larger of the trees. There was no heart that beat as fast as the breaths of anguish that came forcibly out of the mouth of Sicarius. It was only the blood that circulated around her body that throbbed, sizzled even; this was the adrenaline that continued to push her forward. Her steps only lightly touched the ground as she entered the dominion of the tarantula.
The mother of all her offspring quickly disappeared into a large enough cave to inhabit such a large beast. Her eight legs slowly walked upon the edges of the cave, causing a silent scratching upon the glossy teal surface. A trail of webbing from her abdomen led to a mummified body that dangled lightly as a slave to the queen.
As Sicarius reached the large cave, she held onto the sides to take a large breath before entering. Her body slowly slid downwards with deep relief. The ring had served her well, without it she would have fallen into deep submission long before reaching the home of the deathly stalker. Slowly she rose up, knowing time was precious. But she did not turn towards the deathly hole before realizing that the Shadow of Death only lied a short distance away.
“Time to go,” she whispered to herself. Her words seemed to comfort her as she walked towards the blue darkness. The stones that made up the cave illuminated each step. It was only what lied before her that Sicarius failed to see. Several blue eggs were etched on the ceiling, silently moving back and forth with the offspring’s movements.
And then she saw it, the tarantula moving its ginormous body towards the end of the cavern. The end of the cave spread outwards, forming a room wider than the narrow ‘hallway’. The spider still had not known that her shadow was preceded by another. Sicarius slowly walked around the sides of the cave, careful to hide her figure behind the shadows of her primate. Quickly she cut the thick string of webbing that connected Glacies’s frail body with the abdomen of the beast.
Feeling the webbing being tugged more than it should have, the tarantula quickly looked back, her several eyes scanning the dark environment until she perceived what had happened. Quickly she took off, screaming with great might. The screams of frustration filled the walls of the cave, causing the several eggs to burst in retaliation. Sicarius was already ahead of the tarantula. She had briskly lifted up the mummified body onto her shoulder in hopes that the body still contained any remains of life.
It was quite ironic though. The tarantula that had abducted the child also provided it with life. Now that the webbing was not attached to her body, the beast no longer provided breaths—the body was slowly dying with suffocation. Sicarius ran with an effortless strength, knowing that the body needed breaths to contain a soul. But if she let the body rest upon the ground, it would truly become a grave;the tarantula would not allow her food to be simply upheld from her. Food was scarce in the forbidden land, this might be the last of it.
Sicarius panted while running, her eyes losing their define vibrancy to them. She no longer looked at what was behind her, for she could see only a blur of what was. She winced, falling upon the ground when she heard a familiar growl she had only hoped to hear. But there it was standing firm and tall, possibly more muscular than before. Was is it an illusion from her sickened eyes? She pleaded not.
Hundreds of the spiders moved their skinny little legs across the ground bordered
by massive thin trees. They were quite weak, able to be slayed with a quick movement of a weapon. But here they came, faster than before as if teasing the king and the others. “Here they come again. We need a plan,” stated the king, throwing his axe towards the ground. The axe glowed mysteriously as it engraved its teeth in the silvery substance.
“Fight or run?” questioned Invicta as he pushed himself from the tree he was inclining upon.
“The bloody insects will keep coming. If we continue to fight, our weakness will bring death upon us. The Shadow of Death as I know is very near from Sicarius,” asserted Magni as he walked before the king.
“Either way, we need to go through them. Let our force be no different,” stated the king. He walked close to Magni, followed by Invicta at his side. If the three figures were seen from above, it would appear that they were ordinary inhabitants. But in a story such as this one, anything may be possible, especially when magic drifts hopefully in the air. And so it was that the king and the others stepped into the surrounded area of blood-thirsty beasts to fulfill their vital destiny.
Hundreds of the insects scattered around them, their legs providing a steady sound of close death. Invicta kicked the first spider he saw. Wasting no time, he turned around, seeing a soaring spider and cutting it where slow breaths of air clinged to life; their anatomy was not much different than theirs. He stabbed another as it raced by, kicking another at his left side. Having his spade in a heavy limp object, he quickly raised his arm towards the darkness to choke the figure before him. Slowly the blood found its way outwards from the mouth. The blue liquid slowly eased outwards, covering the sharp teeth behind the larger fangs.
But then he felt it, the teeth, or perhaps the fangs, sunk deep into his flesh. At first he only felt the pain throbbing below knees until he slowly fell upon the ground covered with anticipating monsters. Magni, a very short distance away did not hear the breaths of his brother. He turned around, only seeing the king fight off three insects at once with the flying axe. He searched more desperately, his heart palpating with distress.
“Invicta!” Magni yelled with renewed frustration. Fortis looked at Magni with a questioned expression. Deep wrinkles formed on Magni’s face as he continued yelling for the name of the man that failed to show himself.
“The pile!” yelled Fortis while cutting the head of a spider before running towards the cluster of spiders that lay together, hiding the figure underneath. When there is desperation in the hearts of many, it is this that can be the true power seeked.
Magni ran towards the small pile to the side of the tree. He pushed with great force against the insects, slashing violently against their armored bodies. His steps were lined with carcasses as he neared the dome of spiders. He did not stop there. He moved his swords with profound quickness, careful not to stab the body underneath.
Fortis was more concerned with the spiders closing in on them. As a last resort, he snapped his fingers to form a flicker of green flames. Careful not to provide a blast of energy on the ground, he steadily made a circle of fire. The flames were not as long as before, yet they were tall enough to persuade the spiders from entering. The king lifted the carcasses one by one, throwing the dead brothers over the flames.
But then again, the king thought all the spiders were deceased. With the last breaths it had, the spider he held bit him with not the fangs, but the sharp white teeth. Quickly the king dropped the living creature, looking at his hand as several teeth marks surrounded his frail skin. A light stream of blood, thin in appearance, slowly leaked out. This was not something the king could not take. It was merely a bite that weakened him. With an act of anger, the king grabbed the spider by the legs and threw it not across the flames, but in them.
With satisfaction, the king watched as the figure moved desperately to avoid the fire from sinking its flames deep into its flesh. Its legs slowly curled inward as the body disintegrated before the pleasing eyes of the king. He quickly turned around to Invicta and Magni. The body that was covered was not as perfect as it had looked before. Several small cuts bordered his face and hands. The armory, scratched upon, had protected him from the spiders sinking teeth. He did not wake up, however. His body laid frail, no breaths left its mouth as Magni let out a deep yell of hatred.
“Don’t! You stay here,” yelled the king as Magni walked towards the flames, leaving the cold body behind.
“I seek revenge,” whispered Magni with narrowed eyes as he stepped into the flames without pain throbbing about him. He knew Invicta had hated him from the time he had risen from the dead, but it was years that they had formed a strong brotherhood.
The beast leapt before the breathing figure. It lowered its nostrils, smelling the body as if asserting to itself that the figure was in fact the one whom had saved him from the clutches of the sirens. Then it stood boldly where the feet laid sprawled on the ground. It narrowed its eyes, and bared the teeth that protruded outwards. Only a low growl was heard as the beast made it his destiny to defend Sicarius from the reaching tarantula.
The tarantula stopped a short distance away, looking at the growling hyacinth before it. Analyzing the situation, it confirmed that it would proceed in killing the hyacinth as well. It lifted up its furry legs with dominance before running towards the menacing beast defending its mark upon the land. Its eyes moved in different directions as its legs pounced against the gleaming silver ground, only a few drops of vibrant blue blood lined the edges of the threatening eyes as they neared the hyacinth.
Chapter 16
Memories Revealed