Page 203 of Wings of Ash & Flame
“Run,” the voice begged. But she couldn’t move.
Dawson’s body contorted, limbs elongating, sprouting coarse black hair. His eyes split from two into four on either side. His torso ballooned into a grotesque oval, clothes shredding apart. Eight legs burst from his sides. Face melting into a nightmare—a spider with dripping fangs and eight black eyes gleaming with predatory hunger.
Alaire’s scream lodged in her throat. She scrambled backward, but it was too late.
Something sharp punctured her spine. White-hot pain shot through her body, sending her to her knees, vision blurring as the world dimmed.
She should’ve run when she had the chance.
When she opened her eyes, the misty landscape was gone. The world had become a haunting void, desolate and bleak. Vibrant hues had dulled to morose shades of grey, green, and black. Stars were sparse, faint pinpricks against the gloom.
Blood rushed to her head in a dizzying wave. Arms spread wide, wrists bound in silken threads, ankles tied together above her—suspending her upside down. She tested her range of motion, but the bindings held fast. Her hands twitched as worry transformed into full-fledged panic.
Alaire dangled in a web of spider silk, immobilized. Whatever had struck her had disrupted her nervous system. The threads glistened in the dim light. Her lungs seized—her breathbind reliquary was out of reach. Breathwork was her only hope.
Squeezing her eyes shut against the white spots edging her vision, she forced herself to focus. Inhale. Exhale. Even inverted, she clung to the rhythm of her breath.
It’s only a nightmare. When I open my eyes, I’ll be back with Dawson and Solflara.
But when she opened them, she was face-to-face with a cluster of grotesque creatures.
Bloodthirsty bats crowded around her, their leathery wings beating the air. Nearly the size of Aeris Academy’s gargoyles, their bodies were massive, each bearing eight eyes arranged like a spider’s—black, rimmed in crimson. Membranous wings stretched between elongated finger-bones, their gaping maws revealing rows of needle-sharp fangs slick with fresh blood.
One, larger than the rest, hung directly before her face. Its eyes were wholly black, narrowing with malice as it dangled from the cavern ceiling by powerful claws. Coarse fur cloaked its rangy limbs. When its mouth opened, a forked tongue flicked out like a serpent.
A chorus of high-pitched screeches echoed around her. She tried to cover her ears, but the silken restraints cut deeper into her wrists with each movement.
Behind them, geometric symbols adorned the cavern’s perches—the same she’d seen in the Serenity Gardens.
“It seems you’ve finally awoken.Welcome to our humble abode,” a masculine voice rasped, scraping against her mind. It seemed to come from the largest bat, though its mouth barely moved.
Alaire strained against her bonds, hoping her backup knife was still hidden in her boot. Her body refused to cooperate. Only a faint twitch of her fingers answered. The manacles tightened imperceptibly, and the blood rushing to her head made it harder to keep her eyes open.
“Looking for this?” the bat drawled, dangling the knife before her face. Its claw scraped the steel, hovering inches from her nose.
Forcing down her exhaustion and the vertigo of hanging upside down, Alaire managed her trademark cocky smirk. “If I needed a weapon, I’d pick something more impressive than whatever you’re waving around.”
“He warned us you were a fiery little brat.” The creature’s forked tongue flicked the air.
“Where am I?” Alaire gritted out.
“To think,you should be asking why you’re here.”
“Fine. Why am I here?” She glared. They’d strung her up like a spit-roast.
“Because our creator wills it.”
Politeness wasn’t going to get her anywhere.
“Creator?” Alaire scoffed, brows pinching together. She tried to tug subtly at her restraints. She’d rather gouge her eyes with a spoon than keep staring at this monstrosity. Mustering bravado, she pressed on. “Next time you see your creator, ask for upgrades. A little facial reconstruction would be a significant improvement.”
“You dare defile my master with such careless words?He transformed us—made us more than mere bats.We are both oldandnew.”
Her body tensed as she kept prying at the bindings. “Try me, bat-boy.”
“You mock what you do not know.He gave me the gift of speech,venom to paralyze prey,and webs as strong as steel.” The bat spoke with reverence as it folded its wings.
“And you worship him for it. How touching.” Alaire rolled her eyes. “So what’s the grand plan? Cocoon me up nice and neat?”
