Page 117 of When Storms Ruin

The one that kept herout.

My stomach twisted as my magic pressed at my fingertips, an uneasy feeling washing over me. Warrick turned to ensure we were following on his heels, his eyes wild.

As Warrick rounded a corner and disappeared from sight, a creature came bounding towards us from the same direction. Puck and Nik skidded to a stop, Tess and I almost crashing into them.

I would recognize those spindly spider-like legs and horrifying human head anywhere.

Araneoch.

Donika’s dark creatures bounded towards us, and I barely had the chance to slide my dagger free as I was pushed down, Nik standing over me with his sword drawn. The Araneoch moved quickly, knocking Nik sideways with one of its long, hairy legs and its horrific empty face met mine. Despite it having no visible eyes, it could see me. Its head moved side to side, tracking my movements as I tried to evade it.

I scrambled for Stormslayer, gripping it in my fist as I quickly rolled out of the way. A sharp, poisonous pincer hit the dirt right where I had just been standing. I spun to my feet and lashed out, slicing the leg but not severing it entirely.

The Araneoch hissed and reared back, and I advanced again. I cut forwards with my dagger once more, entirely severing the leg and the poisonous pincer from its body. I only prayed they hadonepincer, and not one for each leg.

Nik leaped from behind, driving his sword into the plump body and pulling it free. Black blood spattered across us and I choked, gagging at the wretched smell. As the Araneoch crumpled we turned, moving on to the next creature.

My heart stopped in my chest as I took in the scene before me.

How many were there?

The streets were filled with them. Everywhere I looked there were spindly spider-like legs. We were outnumbered beyond belief, and bile rose in my throat as I hesitated. Puck, Tess, Nik, Zion, Annelise, Warrick…wewere outnumbered.

Where was Warrick?

I searched the streets, my head whipping back and forth, but there was no sign of him. My stomach curdled as the realization hit me.

It had been a trap.

To lure us out of the spelled area of Siraleth where Donika could not enter.

But why?Why would Warrick do this?

Tess’ scream had me lurching back into action, running towards her as fast as I could. Just as Nik had, I leaped into the air, driving Stormslayer into the body of the creature and watching it crumple beneath me.

The key to killing the Araneoch was to sever their heads or stab their bodies, the trick was making it past their long, poisonous legs.

My jacket was covered in the slick, black ichor. I reached a hand down to Tess to help her up, her face splattered with the dark liquid. She wiped it away hastily as she made her way back to her feet.

There were too many of them, and not enough of us.

As we dispatched one, another came rushing forwards. The streets were slick with their tainted blood as we fought, my breathing rapid.

Why would Warrick have led us into a trap? To what end?

Nik and Puck were counting aloud, and we had dispatched four Araneoch at this point. We were having more luck teaming up than trying to take them down alone. They were fast, but not particularly smart. I used my magic to strike them as I moved towards the next with my dagger.

The binding allowed me much more precision with my magic, and lightning shot out, striking the Araneoch dead where they stood.

But even bound, I wasn’t endlessly powerful as the histories foretold. I tried to create a storm to pull from, but every time I dipped into my well of magic, I was interrupted by one of these creatures. Each time I had to focus on dispatching them with Stormslayer versus pulling more magic from the sky.

The clouds were swirling angrily, but it wasn’t my magic that had stirred them into a frenzy. Siraleth was enveloped in a blanket of night, the streets stained black with Araneoch blood. I was pushed to the ground from behind by another creature, Stormslayer sliding from my grip and skittering against the cobblestones out of my reach.

I tried to crawl towards it, but a spindly leg moved into my vision, halting me. There were two of them, and one of them stood between me and my dagger. It wasn’t ideal, but I reached for one of my throwing knives as the creature bent down over me.

Its wretched saliva dripped onto me as it studied me with its eyeless face, its head cocking to the side. It pressed me against the cobblestone with one of its legs on my shoulder. The pincer was pressed directly over my shoulder, far too close to my heart. I wouldn’t survive a poisonous sting like that.

For a moment, time stopped as I waited to see if it would strike, but it only peered down at me with an unreadable expression, its mouth turned down, hiding its fangs. I reachedinto my core of magic to pull lightning from the sky, but as I grabbed the magic above me, I felt it cut off sharply, as if with a blade.

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