“It’s in an old barn at dusk.” She pulled out the coins she’d collected for the bets and counted it, looking disappointed as she shifted in her seat. “Make that one horse.”
“I don’t think we should chance it.” I got up, returning to the bench I’d sat on all afternoon. I didn’t like the risk.
Beru followed, sitting down beside me. Our thighs touched slightly, even though there was plenty of room on the bench. “It’s our only shot at getting the money we need.”
I shifted, hoping it wasn’t obvious I’d moved my leg away. “You’re no good to us hurt.”
“I’ll be fine.” He leaned closer, his arm hanging over the back of the bench, almost encircling me and moving his leg so our knees lightly bumped together. “You think Iri’s a better fighter, don’t you?”
I didn’t want to argue with him. Iri was a better fighter, but I knew he could hold his own. “I just don’t see the point of a fight if it barely gets us anything in return and you get hurt. We’d be in an even worse position.” I inched away again, uncomfortable at his closeness.
“There’s nothing else you want to say to me?” His eyes were intense, staring into my soul.
I didn’t know what he wanted from me.
He’d been distant all day, and now I couldn’t smell anything but his musk as he drowned out everything else.
There was plenty I could say. It was right at the tip of my tongue. “No.”
Beru leaned an inch closer and I froze. What was he doing?
My breath caught and before I knew it, he pulled back.
His face resumed its normal emotionless expression and confused, I turned to look straight ahead, focusing on Sade like she was my life line.
“Over here.” Iri waved us over, breaking the awkward silence.
“We may have a better idea.” Astor was practically bursting with excitement.
“Better?” I said slowly, looking between the three of them.
Sade shrugged, gesturing for Astor to speak.
“I know where the governor keeps his coin!” Astor blurted.
“And? Where are you going with this?”
“He’s rich,” Sade added helpfully.
“I’m guessing he got that way by not sharing it willy-nilly. He probably doesn’t dish it out.” I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow. I was willing to hear them out but so far, it wasn’t much of a plan.
Astor beamed. “No, but you can dreamwalk without anyone seeing you.”
Sighing, I closed my eyes and tried to focus. It wasn’t the best environment, but the back of the carriage was the safest place for me to attempt to dreamwalk into the governor’s house. I was terrified of ending up in the prison again. I couldn’t tell my friends the real reason for my reluctance to try their plan, and therefore, I’d grudgingly agreed to go along with the hare-brained scheme.
“It’s in his office behind the picture.”
“Shhh, Astor! She needs complete silence, remember?” Sade pulled him back, narrowly keeping him from falling into the wagon.
I glared at him, then closed my eyes and tried my best to concentrate. It took more time to get into a deep sleep with everyone watching, but soon enough I was in the governor’s house. I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror I passed. I was not invisible, but I didn’t attempt to be. It would use too much energy if I tried, and this needed to be a quick job.
The home was large, immaculate, with grand carvings and rich colors everywhere I looked. The walls were almost double the size of a normal house’s walls, with rooms almost the size of our kitchen garden to the small fields back home. If I wasn’t careful, I could easily get caught.
I heard voices approaching and ducked behind the swaths of fabric which passed for curtains. Positive my hiding spot hid me completely and hearing no shouts of alarm, I cautiously peeked out.
A well-dressed man dropped a kiss on a delicate woman’s forehead before she turned to walk up a grand staircase. He turned, and I ducked back behind the fabric before he saw me.
Luckily, a young maid distracted him as she walked by.
She paused at the bottom of the staircase, giving him a flirtatious look.
He patted her bottom and she slapped him playfully on the chest.
To my shock, he pulled her forward and kissed her passionately. My cheeks heated as I wondered what it would be like to kiss Beru like that.
“Darling,” a woman called from the door at the top of the stairs.
I realized the woman upstairs must be his wife by the way his eyes widened, and he looked around quickly. Watching silently he ushered the maid off to another room and I settled back into my hiding spot to wait.
I hoped he’d be quick, because from what Astor had explained about the house, I was pretty sure the room he’d hidden the maid in was the same room he kept his money.
“Yes, my dear?” He walked out of the room without the maid, looking relaxed.
“Are you coming to bed?” Her voice was sharp, clearly unhappy at having to wait.
“Right behind you, my love. I’m turning out the lights.” The man walked back to the room and the lady at the top of the stairs retreated, shutting the door to what I assumed was the bedroom.
I watched as he came back out of the room, peering up at the now-dark upstairs.
Once he’d verified she wasn’t present, he ushered the maid out. He kissed her again, then walked up the stairs as she slipped away into the darkness.
Now was my chance. I darted out from behind the curtain into the office. It was as grand as the rest of the house. The room was filled with dark wood furniture and the largest windows I had ever seen. The painting hiding the safe was exactly where Astor had said it would be.
I crept over to it, using only the light from the moon to guide me. The painting was of a beautiful woman dressed in green silk, with hair the color of honey.
“You like it?” A male voice came from behind me.
I turned to see a man with a tall, thin build leaning against the door frame as he watched me. “Yes,” I murmured, frightened I’d been made. Now I was trying to decide how to escape.
“This was my grandmother, in her younger years.” He came to stand beside me and for a moment, we both admired the painting.
“It’s stunning.”
“She was a brilliant woman. I’m afraid I have but a faint echo of her elegance.” He raised an eyebrow, inhaling from his pipe as he devoured me with his eyes.
Not knowing what else to do, I nodded and pretended to be captured by the painting.
“How is it you came to be here, milady?” He looked down, eyes roaming my face with a glittering hunger I found uncomfortable.
“The door was open, and I’ve always wanted to see the inside.” I turned, looking down through lowered eyelashes the way I’d seen a neighbor girl do once when she’d tried to catch my brother’s interest.
“Darling,” the woman called, seemingly right outside the room.
“Would you excuse me for just one moment?” The man smiled, bowing to me before he turned to chase his wife.
Grabbing my chance, I quickly stepped toward the painting and pushed it aside. In the wall where Astor said it would be was a box. I opened it and took as much as I could carry.
Chapter 11
“Do you think he’ll notice?” Sade turned to me from the back of her horse, looking amused once I’d finished telling my story.
“I doubt it. I took quite a few, but there were far too many for me to do much more than make a tiny dent in the pile. And even if he does notice, I don’t think he’ll suspect me.” I smiled, thinking back on the adventure with amazement. Both that I’d gone through with it and managed to escape without repercussion.
Beru listened without commenting, his lips pressed firmly together.
I wondered if he was jealous I’d almost been propositioned by the man. Part of me wanted to know what he’d do, but another part of me just wanted to keep riding and thought I was crazy for pushing.
He glanced back, curiosity lighting his eyes. “What is your type?”
His question caught me off guard, and I stuttered. “Well, umm, I don’t know.” I paused, trying to think of how to describe my type without describing him.
“Does that mean you’ve never dated?” He pulled the reins of his horse, slowing it down, getting in trot with mine.
My face was instantly on fire. Why hadn’t I dated, again? I couldn’t let him know that. I tried to gather my thoughts and searched frantically for a comeback.
“Her type is a man with two legs. What was your wife like?” Sade came to my rescue.
Not only did she interrupt the moment, but she caused Beru to spur the horse about a meter ahead even as he replied. “Blonde and very quiet.”
His wife had been the opposite of me.
I wished I’d never tried to bait him by telling him about the man at the house.
Sade caught my eye, rolling hers. “You are his type,” she mouthed.
I glanced at Beru, but he was farther ahead now.
“We got what we needed. That’s what’s important,” Sade reminded me as we settled into an even trot beside each other.
“And my spell worked. The coin was exactly where I’d envisioned.” Astor sat tall in his saddle. He’d been smiling proudly ever since I returned with all the coin we’d needed.
“Exactly where you said. Except you forgot the part about how handsy he is.” I laughed, thinking of the governor and his many probable mistresses.
“That was a surprise.” Astor waved his fingers in the air. “It wouldn’t have changed anything though.”
“I pity his dear wife.” That poor woman must have known how friendly her husband was. Yet for some unknown reason, she tolerated it.
“She’s got all the coin she could ever want.” She brought her horse closer.
I shook my head. “I could never have a husband like that, no matter how much coin he had.” I caught Beru turning his head slightly to listen to our conversation.
She snorted, shaking with withheld laughter. “Wouldn’t bother me none.”
I didn’t doubt she meant what she said. She was fiercely independent and used to being on her own until I’d convinced her to join me in my quest to save Gavin. I wondered if she’d ever been in love. Surely, that would change how she felt about sharing.
Screams from the other side of the hill interrupted my thoughts.
We urged our horses to the top of the hill ahead for a better vantage point.
“Spiders,” Iri said, reaching the top of the hill first.
“How many?” Sade was a close second.
“More than we encountered at the camp.” Iri did his best to steady his horse as it began to dance beneath the reins, nervous at the sight of the spiders.
I rounded the hill with my horse to see at least sixty spiders in the process of attacking a small village. A few bodies lay across the ground, unmoving.
One of the spiders was using its tarsal claws as daggers while it held a victim with its pedipalp. That was where the screaming was coming from.
“Aria and I will fight the spiders. Iri and Sade, get as many people away from the village as you can. Astor…” Beru paused, brow furrowed as he looked at the youth. “Help the villagers.”
Astor’s face was pale, but he set his jaw and followed Iri and Sade without complaint.
I followed Beru’s lead, galloping down the hill toward the village. As we neared the battle, thoughts raced through my head.
The villagers were no match for the spiders, and unless we were as deadly and quick, more bodies would join those we could already see.
Scanning the field, I noticed a single ur’gel in the middle of the fray. It was a female, with the legs and body of a spider but the upper body of a woman wearing an iridescent black breastplate. Her face was oddly beautiful in a cruel, inhuman way, as if cut from marble, with glittering black eyes placed in the middle as if for decoration.
She was steady, without any sign of hesitation as they fought the villagers mercilessly, instructing the spiders to attack everyone, including the women and children. The other spiders surrounded her protectively as they followed her every command.
I glanced at Beru, and I knew we were thinking the same thing as his eyes narrowed. In unison, we changed directions.
As we headed straight toward her, a sickening smile spread over her face.
My horse whinnied, shying away from moving any closer when we were about ten feet from the spiders, so I jumped off a split second after him.
Both horses instantly ran back up the hill. Clearly, they were smarter than us.
We remained where we’d dismounted, sizing up the situation as the smaller spiders fought all around us, effectively trapping us in a ring. The ur’gel-spider-woman skittered across the ground, lessening the space between us as the other spiders moved back to allow her through.
At the last moment, she leapt, landing a mere foot away. “I’ve waited for this day for quite some time.” Her words came out in a hollowed hiss, and faster than my eye could follow, she flung Beru to the side with one powerful front leg.
I stepped back, unsheathing my sword, and brandishing it in front of me. I swung only once before another leg yanked it out of my hands as easily as plucking a flower.
She moved toward me; her smile replaced by a frown at my attempt to fight her.
A long, barbed, black tongue spiraled out of her mouth and flicked back and forth as her eyes flashed from black to white.
My attempt at fighting her had merely angered her. I glanced at Beru for help, but he was still flat on the ground, unmoving. From the corner of my eye, I could see Sade and Iri holding back the other spiders as Astor guided a handful of villagers up the hill toward our carriage. I needed to buy them time somehow.
I grabbed the small knife from my hip. With my sword out of my reach, it was all I had, but useless unless I got closer. Maybe I could bluff my way out of this. “You need to leave these people alone.”
A roar of laughter left her body, the noise a deafening, high-pitched screech.
I fought the urge to cover my ears, not wanting to show weakness.
One of her legs shot out, but I was quicker.
Jumping back, I sliced at her patella, missing. If I had to cut off each leg, one at a time, I’d do it. I just had to make contact.
Behind her, Iri was dragging Beru up the hill toward the carriage. Relief filled me until she saw where my gaze had gone.
“Loverboy will be fine,” she cooed maliciously, swiping at me again.
I lifted my knife and tried to injure her leg, but once again I wasn’t quick enough.
She laughed even harder at my attempt, advancing as I backed away. “Ooooh, is this a touchy subject, little dreamwalker?”
“How do you know what I am?” My face flushed at the thought of her knowing something so intimate about me. I refused to let her distract me from the legs which were reaching toward me.
“Do you not know who I am?” Her face was now only a few inches away from mine, her long hair brushing my cheek. As she crooned the words almost lovingly into my ear, her halitosis infused breath turned my stomach. I couldn’t move, trapped in her glittering eyes.
“Run!” Iri screamed as he swung his sword, cutting one of her legs from its socket.
The shriek she emitted was soul-shattering, and enough to break the spell she’d had me under. She whipped around, focusing her attention on him while Sade yelled for me to run again.
My legs felt stupid and numb, and I watched as she stabbed at Iri with her remaining tarsi, one after another. For a while he managed to dodge them, but he couldn’t keep it up forever.
With that thought powering me, I was able to break free and run toward Sade. I looked over my shoulder, seeing the ur’gel-spider snap her head in a complete one-eighty then reverse cour
se, using her remaining seven legs to leap at me. I turned to run up the hill just in time to catch the sword Sade threw at me.
I stopped running and turned to face the spider.
She kept her distance this time, the other spiders standing with her again, lined up behind her. Every set of eyes now focused on me.
She let out a hiss, snapping her fingers. The sea of spiders parted, and one large spider brought Iri forward, dropping him at the feet of their leader. He was wrapped in a web, unable to move, yet awake and furious.
I hadn’t noticed Sade at my side until she spoke, her voice hushed with awe. “I can’t believe I’m seeing this.”
“What?” I was annoyed at her reaction.
She should be trying to figure out how to get us out of this mess instead of sounding impressed.
“It’s Widow.” She stood looking at the creature in awe.
The spider glided across the grass, stopping a safe distance from the reach of my sword. “Finally, someone who knows me.” She ran her hand through her long hair, shaking it off her face dramatically before giving me a disappointed look. “You know, you aren’t that bright for a dreamwalker. I expected a little better from you.” She pouted, examining the sharp, black nails on her humanoid front hands.
I started forward in anger, but Sade grabbed my arm and held me back, shooting me a warning look. “Don’t let her get to you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I hurt your little feelings?” Widow stuck her lip out, pouting, then cocked her head. To my surprise, her neck extended until her head was above us without moving the rest of her body at all. “You poor little thing. I know what would make you feel better. I’ll give you back your friend.” She motioned to Iri, who mumbled something under the webs holding his mouth shut.
Based on the fury in his eyes, I could only imagine it wasn’t polite.
Widow’s eyes narrowed, and she swung her head down to lick his cheek. The webs surrounding his face broke as he screamed in pain.
“She’s baiting us. Don’t.” It was my turn to hold Sade back.
Apparently tired of Iri, Widow turned her attention back to us. She crept forward, her spiders inching along with her.
Spell Breaker Page 9
