A drop like that would've killed any human. But hogs weren't human.
Far below, I saw them stirring. Alive, but injured. Finally, we reached a cliffside clearing where we could breathe. That was close.
Hogan, still catching his breath, turned to me. "You know where we are?"
I looked over the edge. Far ahead, a wooden post jutted from the crossroads—marking where the villages parted.
"Village crossroads," I breathed.
I couldn't see the signpost from here, but I knew where it led.
Behind us—Phloj, where we'd come from.
Straight ahead—Pert.
Left—Gerian.
Right—Orion.
An afternoon's walk would take us to Orion. If we'd stuck to the path from Hogan's house? Two days, at least.
"Not bad for a shortcut," I said, clapping Hogan on the back. He beamed.
"Do we keep moving or rest for toda—aaah!?"
A sharp twang.
Something whizzed past my head, barely nicking my helmet.
"What the hell, Fee?!" I shouted.
"Behind you, big guy," she said, crouching for another shot.
Hogan hefted his axe. Kevin raised his sword, Meili pressing close behind him. The wolves bared their teeth. I turned—just in time to see the twitching body of a dog-sized spider, an arrow buried deep in its skull.
Another skittered out from behind a boulder. Fee loosed a second shot, dropping it mid-lunge. I signaled her to hold fire and climbed the boulder for a better view. Then it hit me.
Next to the village crossroads was Rame's Valley—named after the King's sister. . .Their Majesties. A jagged maze of rocky hills, ledges, ravines, and towering stone columns. It was supposed to be our shortcut to Orion.
Now, it was a death trap.
The valley was infested.
Giant spiders crawled over every surface, their red eyes glowing like scattered embers. Thick webs stretched between craggy pillars. Some of them bulged—wrapped around trapped prey. Deer. Hogs. Even trolls.
I exhaled. "From pot to fire."
"Hogan," I said, jerking my head toward the valley. "Take a look at your 'shortcut.'"
Hogan climbed up beside me. His face drained of color. Kevin, peering over his shoulder, looked like he was about to retch.
We had two options.
Brave the valley and dance with spiders.
Or backtrack through Hogan's house—and fight off the wild boars.
Neither sounded good.
We crept down the narrow path, weapons drawn.
The eerie glow of spider eyes flickered in the dark, shifting and scuttling through the labyrinth of webs and jagged rock. Fee led the way, bow taut. Hogan stayed near the back, his axe gripped tightly.
"This is a terrible idea," Kevin muttered.
"You can say 'I told you so' later," Fee whispered.
I raised my hand. The group froze.
Below, a spider clicked its mandibles, the sharp chitter echoing through the valley. We stayed still, breathless, until it scuttled past. Then, I motioned for them to move.
The valley opened into a broader space. The rocky terrain twisted on itself—arches loomed overhead, casting shifting shadows. Columns rose like silent sentinels.
Between them, the webs swayed in the faint breeze. Waiting. The first spider dropped from above, landing without a sound.
Its red eyes gleamed.
Twang.
Fee's arrow struck true, burying itself between its eyes. The creature let out a screech before collapsing, its legs curling inward. The sound echoed through the valley—followed by an unsettling chorus of clicking legs.
"They're coming," Fee hissed.
More spiders emerged from the shadows, their glowing red eyes flickering like embers. Then I saw them—ones with green eyes, venom dripping from their fangs. I did not have a good feeling about those.
We fought hard. The narrow path worked in our favor—the spiders could only attack a few at a time. Fee's arrows flew fast. Kevin held his ground, his sword flashing in the dim light.
Hogan swung his axe—but not to kill. His hesitant strikes left spiders maimed but not dead. Limbs twitched, half-crushed bodies dragged themselves forward, forcing us to keep cutting them down. The wolves lunged, snarling, ripping at anything that got too close.
Then one of the green-eyed spiders lunged—straight for Ivory. The wolf growled, clamping down on its leg. But the creature twisted and sank its fangs deep into Ivory's shoulder.
She yelped. Staggered. Her limbs wobbled beneath her.
"She's bitten!" Fee shouted.
She loosed an arrow into the spider's head, but it was too late. The venom was already working. Ivory collapsed, twitching violently.
"Keep fighting!" I barked.
But we were losing ground.
The spiders swarmed. Hundreds of them. Legs and fangs and bristling hairs scraping against our armor, our skin. Hogan's half-hearted swings did nothing. Fee's arrows were useless at close range. Even I couldn't keep up with the sheer number of them.
The group splintered.
Everyone staggered under the pain of multiple bites—except me, Kevin, and Fee. The armor protected us. But Fee… she hadn't been bitten at all.
Hogan spotted a path. A lower trail winding out of the ravine. He yelled for us to follow, but his voice barely reached me over the clattering mandibles and scraping legs.
Then he made a split-second choice.
He grabbed Meili and Silver, forcing a path through the chaos. Bacon scuttled through the rocks, diving into the passage after them.
"Wait!" Fee shouted. "Stay together!"
But the swarm surged between us, cutting them off.
I swung my sword, hacking a path toward the cliff.
Kevin hoisted Ivory onto his back, gritting his teeth as he struggled under her weight.
"Hogan!" I yelled.
But he and the others were already disappearing into the valley—spiders on their heels.
"Back up the cliff!" I ordered. "Now!"
Fee hesitated, bow still drawn, but another wave of spiders forced her hand. She turned and bolted.
We scrambled up the rocky ledge, Fee covering our retreat with rapid-fire shots. A few spiders managed to follow—but they were quickly dispatched. The rest hesitated at the base of the cliff, clicking and chittering, before retreating into the valley.
Kevin collapsed to his knees, still cradling Ivory.
The wolf whimpered, her breathing ragged.
Kevin looked up, panic in his eyes. "What do we do? She's dying!"
I knelt beside Ivory, inspecting the bite. The flesh around it was swollen and discolored—the venom spreading fast.
"We need an antidote," I muttered grimly. "Or something to slow it down."
Fee paced nearby, frustration simmering just beneath the surface. "We can't just sit here! Hogan and Meili are still down there, and if the spiders don't get them, the venomous ones will."
"And what do you suggest?" Lance snapped. "Leave Ivory to die while we charge back into that deathtrap?"
Fee stopped pacing, her glare sharp. "I'm saying we need a plan. Standing here arguing isn't saving anyone!"
"Fee," Kevin said softly, stroking Ivory's fur. "We'll figure something out. But we can't fight them like this."
I turned toward the valley, jaw clenched.
"We have to weigh our priorities," I said finally. "We can't save anyone if we're dead."
This wasn't part of the plan.
Hogan, Meili, the wolves, that pig? Not even Fee was my priority. My only goal was to find Reid and stop the slime.
But what kind of Knight would that make me if I didn't try to protect everyone around me?
If we didn't save Hogan and Meili, they'd probably die. If they did die, we'd either have to cross the valley alone—risking death by spider bites—or go back to Hogan's house and deal with the hogs on the way to Orion.
I bit my lip.
Save two people and some animals, risking our mission… or keep going to PrideFall and leave them to die?
Neither option was good.
Kevin and I were supposed to be the only ones that mattered. But it looked like we'd bitten off more than we could chew.
"We wait," I concluded.
I set my sword on the ground and moved in to tie a cloth around Ivory's shoulder, trying to slow the venom's spread.
"Wait?" Fee echoed incredulously.
"Yes." I tightened the knot. "Hogan knows this place. He's lived here all his life—he might find his way back. Either way, Ivory needs rest. You can head back to the woods and search for a cure. If by tomorrow Hogan isn't back and Ivory isn't better, the three of us leave."
Fee looked furious—even though this was our best option.
"Fine." She grabbed her bow and quiver, then knelt to kiss Ivory's fevered forehead.
"I'll find a cure."
Without another word, she turned and disappeared down the path leading back toward Hogan's house. Hopefully, she'd be stealthy enough to avoid the hogs entirely.
Silence settled.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Only broken by the sound of Ivory's ragged breathing.