itself.”
With a frown, Taren
backed away slowly. The spider’s many eyes glistened, and its pincers moved
ever so slightly. Though he thought himself too large a meal to be in danger,
he didn’t want to antagonize the arachnid.
Taren came to
Zamna’s side with a grin. “It wouldn’t really try to eat a human, would it?”
“Those spiders bite
you once to paralyze you. Then, they wrap you in a nice little cocoon while
you’re still very much alive. After that, you slowly begin turning to liquid,
until there’s nothing left but ooze. The spider can slurp at that to its heart’s
content, even if it takes months.” Zamna’s eyes betrayed no lie.
Taren took one last
look at the massive arachnid. Its venom might hold medicinal or magical
properties. He would need only a few drops to test it. Getting ahold of the
spider without getting bitten might be possible if he could hit it with his
paralysis spell. Missing from this short distance would be almost impossible.
He briefly considered running the idea by his companion but thought better of
it. Maybe he would try it on the way back.
Zamna heard a faint
sound in the distance and paused to sniff the air. “Did you hear that?” he
asked, turning to Taren.
“Hear what?” the
mage whispered. Both men stood perfectly still, listening to their
surroundings.
“Nothing,” Zamna
said. Shaking away his uneasiness, he led his companion southward through the
threes.
They walked on,
stopping only once near midday to enjoy some nuts and fruit from their packs.
Taren collected tubers each time they stopped, and he had gathered quite a
store. They were not his favorite, but they were filling and nutritious.
Zamna took a liking
to the new flavor. He crunched them by the handful and even started gathering
them to fill his own pack.
As they resumed
their course, Taren spotted a cluster of kudzu growing wild along the forest
floor. Without a word to Zamna, who was walking a few steps ahead, Taren veered
off to the left, making a beeline for the plants. He could already taste the
tea he would brew from the lush green leaves. Stooping to pick up a handful, he
hastily shoved it in his pack and continued to forage. There was far more here
than he would need, but he wanted to get a good supply. His own plants had
fallen prey to Master Imrit’s goat, and he hadn’t tasted kudzu tea in more than
a year.
As he bent down to pluck
a leaf, he was suddenly hoisted into the air. Crying out in surprise, he fell
onto his back. Flailing his arms, he found himself trapped within a tightly
woven net. Attempting to right himself, he managed only to turn himself
sideways. There was no chance of finding his footing in the net. His legs
dangled between the ropes, his hands clutching at the knots.
Zamna heard his
companion’s cry and stopped dead in his tracks. He growled low in his throat,
angry that Taren had once again wandered away without saying anything. Dropping
low to the ground, he crept in the direction of the scream, expecting to hear
an animal nearby. To his surprise, he heard voices instead. Female voices
speaking in hushed tones reached his ears as he continued to move through the
foliage. Had these women harmed the mage? There had been only one cry. Perhaps
the young man was too injured to utter a second one. Perhaps they had already
killed him.
Rounding a wide
cluster of trees, he moved with silent speed. Staying low, he peered into the
distance. Ahead of him, he spied Taren dangling within a net that was affixed
to a tree branch. He did not appear to be injured. Zamna shook his head,
realizing that the foolish mage must have wandered into a trap while collecting
some plant. Two tall women with broad shoulders stood near him, clutching
spears in their hands. Zamna readied his daggers and kept quiet. If Taren
managed to survive this, he would have to have a serious talk with him about
watching where he was going.
Taren squirmed as
the women approached, their weapons at the
With a frown, Taren
backed away slowly. The spider’s many eyes glistened, and its pincers moved
ever so slightly. Though he thought himself too large a meal to be in danger,
he didn’t want to antagonize the arachnid.
Taren came to
Zamna’s side with a grin. “It wouldn’t really try to eat a human, would it?”
“Those spiders bite
you once to paralyze you. Then, they wrap you in a nice little cocoon while
you’re still very much alive. After that, you slowly begin turning to liquid,
until there’s nothing left but ooze. The spider can slurp at that to its heart’s
content, even if it takes months.” Zamna’s eyes betrayed no lie.
Taren took one last
look at the massive arachnid. Its venom might hold medicinal or magical
properties. He would need only a few drops to test it. Getting ahold of the
spider without getting bitten might be possible if he could hit it with his
paralysis spell. Missing from this short distance would be almost impossible.
He briefly considered running the idea by his companion but thought better of
it. Maybe he would try it on the way back.
Zamna heard a faint
sound in the distance and paused to sniff the air. “Did you hear that?” he
asked, turning to Taren.
“Hear what?” the
mage whispered. Both men stood perfectly still, listening to their
surroundings.
“Nothing,” Zamna
said. Shaking away his uneasiness, he led his companion southward through the
threes.
They walked on,
stopping only once near midday to enjoy some nuts and fruit from their packs.
Taren collected tubers each time they stopped, and he had gathered quite a
store. They were not his favorite, but they were filling and nutritious.
Zamna took a liking
to the new flavor. He crunched them by the handful and even started gathering
them to fill his own pack.
As they resumed
their course, Taren spotted a cluster of kudzu growing wild along the forest
floor. Without a word to Zamna, who was walking a few steps ahead, Taren veered
off to the left, making a beeline for the plants. He could already taste the
tea he would brew from the lush green leaves. Stooping to pick up a handful, he
hastily shoved it in his pack and continued to forage. There was far more here
than he would need, but he wanted to get a good supply. His own plants had
fallen prey to Master Imrit’s goat, and he hadn’t tasted kudzu tea in more than
a year.
As he bent down to pluck
a leaf, he was suddenly hoisted into the air. Crying out in surprise, he fell
onto his back. Flailing his arms, he found himself trapped within a tightly
woven net. Attempting to right himself, he managed only to turn himself
sideways. There was no chance of finding his footing in the net. His legs
dangled between the ropes, his hands clutching at the knots.
Zamna heard his
companion’s cry and stopped dead in his tracks. He growled low in his throat,
angry that Taren had once again wandered away without saying anything. Dropping
low to the ground, he crept in the direction of the scream, expecting to hear
an animal nearby. To his surprise, he heard voices instead. Female voices
speaking in hushed tones reached his ears as he continued to move through the
foliage. Had these women harmed the mage? There had been only one cry. Perhaps
the young man was too injured to utter a second one. Perhaps they had already
killed him.
Rounding a wide
cluster of trees, he moved with silent speed. Staying low, he peered into the
distance. Ahead of him, he spied Taren dangling within a net that was affixed
to a tree branch. He did not appear to be injured. Zamna shook his head,
realizing that the foolish mage must have wandered into a trap while collecting
some plant. Two tall women with broad shoulders stood near him, clutching
spears in their hands. Zamna readied his daggers and kept quiet. If Taren
managed to survive this, he would have to have a serious talk with him about
watching where he was going.
Taren squirmed as
the women approached, their weapons at the
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