Free A Story Of River by Lana Axe

share it with Ulda. His master
was so busy with his other work that a little gold should easily go unnoticed.
Besides, what use did Ulda have for gold? He had his unlimited power source of
human souls. Gold was nothing to him, but it meant great wealth for Tu'vad. He
had to survive in the world of men where money brings ultimate power. This discovery
was an excellent bonus to accompany the lands and titles Ulda was going to give
him. Once he had acquired a sizeable amount of gold, he would simply kill the
miners who knew about it. No one else would ever know.

 
    *
* * * *

 
    A row of young children sat wide-eyed and
terrified in Ulda's laboratory. The spiderlings had grown and were ready for
the Soulbinders to practice splicing them with the souls of the children.
    “As you can see, it doesn't matter the age
of your specimen when you are working with humans,” Ulda proclaimed. “It only
matters how frightened they are. A young specimen can power your enchantments
just as effectively as an older one. Brave warriors do produce a stronger
enchantment, most likely due to the fact that they are more difficult to
frighten. For them, it's best to capture them, torture them, and harm the ones
they love. Even if you only say you're harming them, it will suffice. That is,
of course, only if you aren't able to get your hands on their actual family.”
    Ulda had been practicing for several days
and learning new techniques quite often. The process was becoming smoother and
quicker. Soon, he would begin practicing on elves, but for now he had a fairly
steady supply of humans just waiting to be used.
    “Are the spider creatures superior to the
wolves, master?” a Soulbinder asked.
    “In some ways, yes,” he replied. “Spiders
instill a special fear in many people. Even though a wolf is more capable of
harm, humans seem to have an innate fear of the spider. That makes our work of
soul binding much easier. Also, these spiders have a specially designed
exoskeleton that I've created with the dust from our ruined binding gems.
Fragments and tiny gems that serve no other use are now providing protection
for our creations.”
    Ulda was beaming with pride. He was
certain that this dust could also be used to create armor for his Soulbinders,
his troops, and any other creatures he wished to conjure. It would provide
better protection than metals or leathers. He just needed to keep working and soon
the process would be perfected.
    “Alright, Soulbinders,” he said. “Choose a
child, and let's see how you're progressing.”
    The Soulbinders each stood in front of a
child. One child, a red-haired little girl, tried to run away. She was promptly
stopped by a guard who kicked her legs from under her and dragged her back to
the row of children. The other children sat frozen in terror.
    “Now, bind these children and merge each
with a spiderling. If you succeed, the creature will be in your command. If
not, you will have to obtain another child yourself before trying again.”
    Beams of purple light shot from the
Soulbinders onto the children. They twisted and screamed but remained locked in
the Soulbinders' magic. Blinding flashes began filling the room, and within minutes,
twenty-five new creatures stood awaiting their commands. All of the Soulbinders
had succeeded. Their diligent practice had paid off.
    At nearly five feet tall with black and
yellow markings, the spider hybrids were quite a terrifying sight. With
foot-long pincers and a score of eyes set atop their heads, they would inspire
the necessary fear to ease the binding of hundreds of souls.
    “Well done, well done!” Ulda shouted and
clapped his hands. His Soulbinders were ready, and his creatures were ready. It
was time to test their abilities in battle. A raid on another small village
would be just the thing.
    “Slave!” Ulda called. A young boy ran to
his side immediately. “Take a message to General Fru. Tell him to prepare
battle plans for my Soulbinders and their