He shakes his head.
“Let it go.” I press my lips to his chest. “You have to unleash it. All of it.”
“It’s too dangerous.” He maintains that hold on it, strangling it instead of letting it fly free.
“You can control it.”
“Keep your eyes closed.”
“They are.”
He pops the top off the whirlwind, letting streaks of destruction ease out and encircle us. The cave lights with a golden hue, like a sunrise over water, and I try to keep my eyes closed. I really do. But then I hear a screeching wail terrifyingly close.
So, I squint my eyes open just a bit.
And then I look.
And then I scream.
3
Gareth
“They were so big.” Beth holds her hand out.
I grab it and heft her up to the road. “I told you not to look.”
“I’m just … they were so big. And those eyes were so weird and white. I won’t sleep for a week.”
I sigh, trying to hide my exasperation and utterly failing. “Itoldyou not to look.”
“They were bigger than any spider I’ve ever seen.” She walks slowly by my side, her fatigue filtering down the bond along with her shock. “Why are they here? What sort of evil nutjob decided ‘hey, the abyss that never ends isn’t bad enough. You know what it really needs?Enormous spiders.’ Like who came to that conclusion?”
“Maybe they’re native.” I look up at the green lichen lining the sides of the rock nearest the road. “Doesn’t matter. They’re dust now.” She’s right to be scared. These spiders were terrible, twisted creatures, nothing like the large arachnids that live in the crags of the High Mountain. These were black, their eyes milky white, and their hunger was palpable.
“I hope you killed them all.” She shudders.
“I didn’t.” There were plenty more, and a few still haunt our steps, but she doesn’t need to know that.
She looks at me, eyes wide. “More?”
I shrug. “They don’t want to meet the same fate as their brethren, so don’t worry about it. I’m sure they scurried right back to whatever hole they came from.” I stare down the narrow lane as we walk slowly so Beth can recover from the climb. Handing her my canteen, I try to find some sign that this road is the one that leads out of the pit. Chastain came up with the idea to leave bits of gold along the path to ensure I could find the caravan once I rescued Beth, but I see nothing. Not even tracks from the wagon. This isn’t the right road. I gesture to a large stone against the rock wall on our left. “Sit for a moment. Catch your breath.”
“Thank the Ancestors.” She settles on the rounded edge, then wiggles her butt to get into a more comfortable spot.
“Here.” I pull some dried meat from my pack and hand it to her. “And go slow. Your body is still in shock.”
“I’m fine.”
She’s tough, but her fear still radiates through me in aftershocks. That creature got to her, and the spiders only made it worse.
“How long until we catch up with the others?”
I stare down the dark lane, the Abyss yawning on the other side of the narrow passage. “Not long.”
“Good.” She chews slowly. “I actually kind of miss Iridiel.”
I arch a brow at her.
