“Don’t move,” I whispered.
The foliage shivered as the creature emerged. And when it did, my breath caught.
"Oh, fuck," Lioran swore—something which, despite the fact that we were now facing something hideous, caused a smile to grace my lips.
From my peripheral vision, I caught Lioran's expression of shock as he glanced up and further still, taking in the full height of the monstrous insect that was now towering over us like a nightmare made flesh.
Its segmented body gleamed with a sickly, chitinous sheen, hues of dark bronze and the dirty green of swamp water. Each section bristled with barbed spines, a living armor that shifted as it crawled closer. Joints creaked like rusted hinges, the sound a shiver-inducing counterpoint to the gentle rustle of leaves underfoot.
Its head was a horrific amalgam of insect and beast. Mandibles jutted forward, each one easily the length of my forearm and serrated along the inner edges with teeth. They snapped open, and between those terrible jaws, I caught glimpses of something worse—rows upon rows of smaller, needle-sharp teeth that glistened wetly with the promise of agony.
Compound eyes, each the size of a man's fist, glistened like black diamonds cut into a thousand facets, reflecting Lioran and me in a myriad of fractured images.
"Gawain's Ankheg," Lioran whispered.
Suddenly, it reared up, exposing an underbelly dotted with slimy, pulsating sacs. Venom, milky and viscous, dripped from its maw, hissing as it struck the leafy debris surrounding it, reducing the leaves and branches to a smoldering, blackened mush. As it loomed over us, the air grew heavy with an acrid stench—like copper and death—that clawed at the back ofmy throat. My hand tightened around my sword's hilt as the creature's shadow fell across us.
The Ankheg lunged.
I threw myself sideways, rolling across the moss-slick ground as its mandibles snapped shut where my head had been moments before. The force of its strike sent chunks of earth and rotting bark flying. I came up on one knee, sword raised—but held my position.
This was my opportunity to see if Lioran's delicate frame housed the strength needed for true knighthood, or if he'd crumble when faced with something that wanted to tear him apart. So, as much as it went against everything within me, I stepped aside.
Lioran was already moving.
He didn't retreat. He didn't panic. Instead, he circled left, drawing the creature's multifaceted gaze. Water coalesced around his hands, shimmering. The air grew humid, heavy with moisture that hadn't been there seconds before.
"Come on then," Lioran murmured, his voice steady despite the death looming over him.
The Ankheg's head swiveled, tracking his movement. Venom dripped from its mouth, hissing. The creature gathered itself, joints creaking, preparing to strike.
It moved faster than something that size had any right to.
Mandibles opened wide as it lunged, aiming to catch Lioran between those serrated jaws. I felt myself surge forward then, on instinct, sword aimed high above my head, ready to interfere, but Lioran was already spinning away, water trailing from his fingertips like ribbons. The liquid hardened mid-air, crystallizing into razor-sharp spears of ice that gleamed like polished steel. They whistled through the air, each one finding its mark as they buried themselves deep into the Ankheg's thick, chitinous armor.
The sound of impact was like hammers striking stone, a series of sharp cracks that echoed through the forest as the ice penetrated the creature's joints and softer sections between its plating. The beast shrieked—a sound that scraped against my eardrums as dark ichor began to seep from the wounds, staining the beast's hard outer shell and pooling on the forest floor beneath it. The Ankheg's movements grew more erratic now, its massive form swaying as pain and fury warred within its primitive mind.
I shifted my weight, ready to intervene once more, but then forced myself to stay back, to watch, toseewhat this knight could do without my shadow falling over him.
Lioran's hands moved in the air before him as ice crystals began to form around him, glittering like stars. With a sharp gesture, he sent them flying—a blizzard of frozen blades that struck the Ankheg's eyes, cracking those black mirrors into spiderwebbed fragments.
The creature reared back, mandibles snapping blindly. Its tail whipped around, trying to catch Lioran in a crushing sweep. He dropped low, sliding beneath the attack on a sheet of ice that formed under his boots. He moved like water—fluid, impossible to pin down. It was impressive. Beyond impressive, if I were being honest with myself.
The Ankheg's tail struck an ancient oak, splitting bark and sending wood splinters raining down. The tree groaned, tilting dangerously.
Lioran rose from his slide with both hands extended. Water pulled from the ground, from the air, from the mist that clung to the forest floor. It spiraled around him, building, condensing, hardening into something deadly.
An ice blade materialized in his grip—longer than any sword I'd ever seen, wickedly sharp and glowing with cold bluelight. Frost crept across the ground where he stood, spreading outward in geometric patterns.
The Ankheg charged again, driven by pain and rage.
Lioran didn't retreat. Hemoved intothe attack. The ice blade plunged deep into the soft tissue beneath the creature's mandibles, sinking to the hilt in that vulnerable spot where armor gave way to flesh.
The Ankheg convulsed, its shriek cutting off mid-cry.
Black ichor fountained from the wound, steaming as it hit the frozen blade. The creature's legs buckled, its massive body crashing to the forest floor.
"Get away from it!" I yelled, lurching forward to grip Lioran by the shoulder as I yanked him backward just as a massive blob of venomous spit fell from its mouth, landing in the spot where Lioran had just been standing. The venom burned the ground below, killing the grass in a circle of about two feet.
