If my studies of the creatures of this realm are correct, these are babies, meaning the full-grown Frost Spiders are –
Seraxes roars and spears into the sky.
Crawling up and over the lip of the cliffside, six spiders the size of wolves appear. Right behind them, two giant spiders rivaling our dragons follow.
"Frost Spiders!" I scream and within a split second, our group is armed with magic flaring.
Seraxes darts toward one of the giant spiders, but the creature hisses and uses its multiple legs to swat at her. My dragon flaps her wings and roars, not willing to back down from a fight. But the gigantic spider isn't deterred by her ice breath or her talons.
Nyx and I exchange a look before he reaches for his twin swords on his back. "Guess we're fighting the old fashioned way," he shrugs and takes off in a sprint toward the medium sized spiders. He swings his swords, dipping and dodging all attempted assault, and hacks glass legs to pieces.
Thrane's iced over arm is just as effective as Nyx's method but none of us are moving fast enough. Seraxes and the other dragons can only occupy the giant spiders for so long. There is no room for our dragons to land without harming one of us and if they continue breathing ice at the arachnids, the chance they miss and hit us grows higher.
I throw a shield around Seraxes when a spider's leg gets too close to swiping her belly. With ease and accuracy, I blast a couple of the dog-sized spiders from the mountainside. As they fall, Drexel snatches them and crushes them in his claws.
Talons, teeth, tails.
Our dragons are vicious and doing the best they can to help us destroy these creatures of darkness.
My mother and I concentrate our magic on blasting spiders over the cliff. Our plan is working.
But the giant spiders are what gives us the most trouble. Despite Nyx's strength, he's not able to slice through the thick ice legs of the enormous spiders. I toss shields around him as I can but keep Kamari and my mother in my line of sight to offer protection.
A dragon screech pierces my ears, and my first thought is I hope it's not Seraxes.
It's not her. It's Artax.
There's a long slash across his torso, but nothing life-threatening.
But Thrane doesn't see it that way. The giant spider harmed his dragon and it was going to pay a hefty price for doing so. My cousin runs upward toward Artax hovering above the mountain. He yells for the dragon to retreat but in the quick exchange, the spider knocks Nyx over, trampling him, to get to Thrane.
I scream for Thrane to turn around, but when he does, the spider plunges it's sharp tipped leg into Thrane's abdomen.
When Thrane grunts, it's as if the entire world slows. His body slips from the spider's leg and falls off the mountain rushing toward the earth below.
"Thrane!" I yell.
Artax dives for him and all I can pray for is the dragon gets to him in time.
Anger bubbles from my toes up to my head. My hands glow – my entire body alight. I muster every bit of magic humming beneath my fingertips and just when I'm about to explode from the pressure, I scream, "Get down!"
Sylvane, Nyx, and Kamari hit the ground seconds before I unleash a blast that clears the mountain of the small spidersthat remain and one of the giant ones. The sole giant spider remaining is knocked on its back, allowing an opening for Seraxes and Corvex to slice its belly to shreds. The spider hisses in agony before it curls up – dead.
With the danger neutralized, I sprint to the edge of the cliff and drop to my knees. Tears fill my eyes when I don't see Artax or Thrane.
Seraxes hovers in my line of sight. I am grateful she's unharmed, but all I can think about is the grisly end Thrane met.
But suddenly, emerging from the darkness below, I catch sight of white wings. Artax has a bloody Thrane in his grasp.
I motion for Artax to set the Frost Elf down in a pile of snow. Sylvane rushes to join me, ordering for Kamari and Nyx to start boiling water and bring the medical kit to bind his wounds.
"What do I do?" I ask, tears streaming down my face as I hover above him. "Tell me what to do."
Thrane offers a small smile as he flicks a tear from my cheek. "Oh, Aurelia. Tears for me? I am honored."
"Quit with the jokes!" I hiss. "Tell me what to do."
"If we were in Elowen, I'd tell you to fetch Uncle Faolin to heal me, but we aren't in Elowen, are we?" He presses his hand to his side and when he draws back its coated with his blood. He chuckles darkly.
