The Weaver and Her Orc Warrior by Sirena Song

Author:Sirena Song [Song , Sirena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798987153758
Published: 2023-07-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Shaelyn

As the light at the surface recedes and the dimness grows, making me think I will fall to my death, I am caught on a bed of thick, sticky webbing. I have landed in a trap, and as the vibrations of my fall ripple, movement streaks across the web.

I try to yank free, but the more I move, the more the web tangles me until I am immobilized by cold silk. My hands stick in gooey threads as I try to pull them away and get to my pouch.

Should have thought of that first, Shaelyn.

My eyes dart around me, trying to find another path to escape. The tunnel is made of packed earth and gnarly tree roots snaking into the sides of the den. All around hang webs of trapped prey, while bones litter the space at the edges of the net. Beneath me, the trap ends at the earth’s floor, where sharp rocks await my fall. This is a monster’s lair, and there is no way out.

Skoll howls from above before whining and digging at the trap door. It is useless; he cannot save me, and Lanok is back with the other warriors.

I focus my mind, reaching inside to find the well of my magic. It’s there, but faint and shallow. I try to tug it to me, but it does not budge.

A thunderous laughter echoes in my mind, louder than anything my ears can process. “Still, sister. You will not weave your freedom with that stitch,” the voice hisses. I wince at the magic flowing through me—something darker, bitter, and not my own.

“Yes, child, I am bitter. I am Arachne, the great weaver turned Spinner, and you, daughter of Fate, have found yourself in my web,” a voice calls to me from the dark reaches of the trap, and then the voice emerges as a towering spider.

She is terrifying. Eight beady, red eyes sit in angled pockets along the black, spike-like hairs of her face. Though thin and agile on her frame, her long legs are three times my size. The Spinner looks like something escaping from the center of the underworld.

Skoll’s cries are met with deep growls and the strong voice of my orc warrior. He shouts down for me, his pleas full of anguish and determination. “I am coming for you, Shaelyn. Do not lose hope. I will not leave you behind,” he promises.

“Lanok,” I cry. “Save yourself. The Spinner has awakened.”

He curses, and I see the others gathering around him in the visible shallow light spilling in from the top. In my peripheral vision, tall legs skitter nearer on the web.

“Such dramatics,” Arachne taunts as she sprays strands of silk in one steady flow. The threads fan out like the fingers on the palm of a hand, covering the opening and locking us in a tomb of darkness.

Trying to stall for time, I pepper her with questions. “How did you weave that so quickly, and why can I hear you speak in my mind?

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.