Page 67 of Heart of Dawn
Were they dead? I couldn’t tell.
The king stayed by my side, shaking.
A terrifying silence filled the hive, aside from Wendy’s buzzing. The spider stood there, unmoving in the way spiders did. Watching, ready to strike at any moment.
Pixie balls. What next? Would it take over the hive, build a lair here and add us to its menu?
Wendy flew down from the honeycomb heights to greet the spider. It lifted its two front legs, lowering its body as if bowing.
“Anya,” Wendy said. “How long has it been?”
What was going on here? Wendy conversing with a spider that might have killed two guards?
“Too long, Your Majesty. You are a wonderful sight for these weary eyes.” There was a strange effect on her voice, like an echo on a microphone.
“Likewise. But what are you doing here?”
Anya lifted herself up from her bowing pose. “We sensed your return. The entire forest feels it. We thought you were under attack by fae here to spoil everything again.” A strong dose of sadness tainted her tone. Wendy’s disappearance all those years ago affected everything in this forest, it seemed. The mournful atmosphere I felt when I arrived here was much more palpable than I could have ever imagined.
This was grief in its rawest form.
“Stars…” I breathed.
“I’m fine,” Wendy answered. “I’m here to…” She hesitated for a moment, and then explained everything.
The spider moved slightly to the left. “Incredible. Oh dear. A thousand apologies for charging in here so headstrong. We didn’t mean to spoil your task. But do not fear, these men are not dead. Give them a day and they shall walk again.”
King Damien said nothing, his hands clasped across his chest.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Wendy said. “Agatha lost her life defending my honor when she didn’t need to. This never should have happened. I should have alerted the forest to my presence better.”
“We will always defend you, Your Majesty. Always. We have missed you greatly, and have prayed to the stars for your safe return across the years.”
“You are too kind, Anya. May Agatha find peace with the stars.”
“And may her body nourish the soil and give back to our beloved lands. I will miss you, dear friend. Existence will forever be hollow without your wonderful laugh.” She made a spitting sound. “This Dawn invader crawls through the creatures of the forest. We have seen yetis with pink eyes fighting possession. The undying ones move against their own volition, succumbed to this thing. These are strange times.”
That was putting it mildly.
Damien went to his knees, still saying nothing. He looked at me with imploring eyes, but I didn’t have anything to give him, other than an imagined punch direct to the nose. If he wanted to come here to be a complete assbug, then that was his problem
You reap what you sow…
Wendy landed on my cheek again, introducing me to the spider.
“Glad to meet you,” Agatha said. “What a tangled web of a story.” She chortled, the sound so echoey, so eerie. “If I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to ask. This affects us all.”
There. The spider understood better than the king, who Wendy introduced next, along with an explanation of his plan.
Anya made the spitting sound again. “Fool. Do you want me to kill him?”
Damien blanched, sliding back, one of his hands splashing into the water. “Please…”
“There will be no death here,” Wendy responded curtly.
“You blackmail the queen?” Anya spat.
The king cowered, inching closer to me. “I’m only doing what I think is right. I don’t mean for anyone to be hurt?—”
