Page 218 of The Spider Queen
Brother against brother, fighting in human form.
Xan was bigger than Thane. Taller, broader, his body more muscular. Xan was blond where Thane was dark. Xan had used magic to conceal his true identity, fooling other gods and immortals into believing he was Guardian of the Bridge. But apparently he wasn’t able to disguise himself now that Thane and the mage were free.
Opening his mouth, Xan let out a war cry. The air and land trembled with the barbaric call. Fighting beasts ceased for a moment, and even the creatures in the sky flapped their wings and waited.
Waited for the swarm of golden wasps that flew through the air, one giant mass and a whizzing cacophony.
Those that wielded weapons picked them up again and resumed their bloody fight.
Wasps descended on Thane, battering him to the ground. Even as he fell, I heard him call his spiders to him. They flew from his mouth and immediately spun a web of protection around him.
But the gold wasps were angry and determined—and they shredded the magic silk with their jaws and stingers. Spiders and wasps battled, giving Thane time to get back on his feet.
Xan smirked as he stalked toward Thane.
They lunged for one another, each of them grazing skin and drawing blood.
Xan was toying with Thane—and through our connection, I knew Thane realized what his brother was doing. Xan went on the offensive with his weapons—magical and otherwise—and Thane spent his reserves defending and deflecting.
The time for watching was over. Thane needed my help if he had any chance of defeating his brother.
I reached down and asked my spiders for protection. Black metal slid over my body and legs.
Armor.
I charged across the battlefield, mowing down anyone or anything that got in my way. Demons and beasts bounced off me. I was the size of a small car, and I was unstoppable.
Thane’s spiders were dying. They were no match for Xan’s golden wasps. Thane cried out in pain as poisonous stingers lodged in his skin. He collapsed, panting and writhing in agony, until he ceased moving, momentarily paralyzed by wasp poison.
Xan moved in to take his victory shot, his sword poised over his head. His mouth moved, but I couldn’t make out the words. Just as he was about to bring his sword down and embed it in his brother’s chest, I launched myself at him.
I sailed through the air and knocked Xan to the ground. I heard the air whoosh from his lungs. His short blade flew out of his hand, but his other hand—his right hand—still gripped the sword.
His eyes glowed red with rage. He chanted in a language I didn’t understand. More wasps came to his aid, and they dive bombed my metal-protected spider body.
I screamed in fury and discomfort when a few of them managed to penetrate my armor. Bucking and rearing back, I tried to dislodge them from me. I felt their poison seeping into my blood, traveling to my heart.
In a few moments, I’d be frozen and defenseless.
With my last surge of energy, I attacked Xan, throwing my entire weight against him. But Xan was not without his weapon, and he brutally hacked off one of my legs with his magical sword. I stumbled as I gushed black blood.
A maniacal glint entered Xan’s blue eyes as he tracked me. I tried to scurry away from him, but I was wounded.
Xan became a blur, and before I knew it, he’d severed three more of my legs. I fell as the poison finally stunned me into submission.
My vision dimmed as I watched Xan plunge his sword into my thorax.
Chapter 43
The air shimmered with scintillating light. My eyes dreamily drank in the scene. Trees, ancient and cognizant, swayed gently in the wind. Summer was on the air.
A herd of wild horses raced up the hill. They were colored taupes and browns with graceful necks and long black manes. The magnificent creatures were headed my direction, but I instinctively knew they wouldn’t trample me.
Sure enough, they darted around my body, their hoof beats making the land tremble. They slowed their pace and eventually came to a stop. They neighed to one another before grazing on the vibrant green grass of the meadow.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?”
Her voice was fluid, melodious. Like liquid silver. Her blond hair was tied back into an intricate knot, a delicate silver-leaved crown on her head. She wore fawn breeches and a loose white shirt. Brown riding boots encased her slim calves.
