Page 96 of Of Spindles and Nightfall
Thoughts spun and swirled in Aryana’s mind, her heart racing from the rising fear. Her feet brushed something cold and slimy, and her stomach churned. Glancing at the base of the coffin, she saw a wet egg wrapped in a dark, sticky web in the bottom right corner.
A deathworm egg.
The shell in the coffin’s base cracked.
Oh gods, oh gods, it’s coming out.Someone’s thoughtsslammed into Aryana’s mind.
As if on cue, the shell in Aryana’s coffin burst open. Long mandible pinchers open and closed wildly and a wormlike creature on ten sharp spindly legs emerged from the egg. Its eyes swung back and forth with a filmy covering, clearly unable to see. Her heart dropped. The deathworm was known to be attracted to fear and panic. How many times had her uncle trapped his rivals in a cell and left one inside, simply to induce terror?
More panicked thoughts swirled around her, but one blared stronger than the others.
We’re going to die. Help me! Help me! Help me!
Screams filled Aryana’s head. Her heart raced even harder. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to imagine the deathworm attacking. Its sharp unforgiving pincers ripping into the soft fleshy parts of the demon, tearing them apart, or the acid pouring from its mouth, melting skin and bone. Her own deathworm wrapped around her leg, and hissed in delight.
Be calm, be calm, be calm, be calm,she chanted to herself.
After what seemed an eternity, the screams stopped.
One down.
They’d somehow linked the kalators together so that their thoughts and feelings were connected, designed to raise their panic and fear. What was the point of burying them like this? It wasn’t as if the crowd had the ability to see or witness them.
The crowd most likely has taken a lesser form of the bread with the Communication Potion.A thought entered her mind.It is what allows us to connect. It will allow them to hear our thoughts and feel our fear, panic and physical pain, but we cannot feel theirs.
Jesir?She reached out with her thoughts.
It’s me,he replied.This is quite terrifying. Forgive me for trying to find something to distract myself by tuning into your thoughts.
The deathworm attacks when we are panicked,Aryana thought.So we must remain calm.
Oh gods, its legs are piercing my throat. It’s reaching for my face,cried a voice.
Aryana’s heart raced as another kalator started to panic.
Remain calm, Aryana projected her thoughts louder than the softer ones around her.It will not attack unless you let fear overcome you. Breathe in and out.
Everyone, listen to Aryana. She knows what she is talking about.This time, Aryana recognized Pohan’s thoughts.
Neri here, not panicking is all well and good but in a bit some of us are going to run out of air, and even though that may not be a concern to demons, it is definitely a problem for this human.
They didn’t know how long they’d been passed out in the coffins. That meant Neri might have hours or minutes.
We need a way out,Aryana thought. The creature slid up her calf to her knee, its sharp legs jabbing into her flesh, emitting a disturbing clicking noise.The deathworm usually only attacks when it senses fear, but if it gets hungry or bored, it may attack anyway, out of spite.
That’s not comforting, someone thought.
How do we get out?Jesir asked.I’d wager we are trapped under several feet of dirt, at least.
Thoughts swirled through the others’ minds and Aryana had to shut her eyes and focus, despite the slimy, cold body of the deathwormsliding across her thigh, burrowing under her dress.She tuned into her own thoughts. How could they get out before the deathworm decided to attack?
And then it came to her.
We have to use the deathworm, Aryana thought.
Are you mad? someone projected, and she sensed their terror intensifying.
Everyone, listen to Aryana if you want to live, Pohan’s voice boomed.
