only hope that the Spider Queen would be crushed in Mayasha’s death spasms. If she was not there was nothing he could do about it right now. He needed to get clear of this place and bring warning of what had happened to his Order.
He tried to remember what he could from the information placed in his mind by Mayasha and find a way out. In the end, the easiest thing was to keep taking an upward route.
He wondered how long it would be before word of his escape spread and he was pursued. If the Queen spider was still alive, it would not take long he imagined. In the meantime there was not much he could so about it other than stay alert and try to get out of the way if he heard anyone coming. It was unlikely that anyone he met in this place would be friendly.
In the past he had escaped from such situations as this by means of disguise but there was little chance of that here. He looked like neither an elf nor a spider.
The chances were that he was not going to live very long. He was surrounded by enemies in a place where the Shadow was strong indeed. He told himself he had never expected to die of old age and he kept putting one foot in front of the other. He had survived his encounter with the Mother of spiders. Perhaps he would live through this yet.
The path kept going upwards, the ground continued to shake. Horrible creaking noises sounded from above him, as if the giant tree were shaking its limbs in its death throes. He might end up crushed down here if the root structure shifted or collapsed. He lengthened his stride till he was jogging along. He had his sword in his hand. Anything he encountered he was going to kill.
Ahead of him he saw a glimmer of more natural light. He slowed his pace somewhat and moved cautiously forward, poking his head out of a tunnel mouth that was perhaps three times the height of a man above the ground.
Overhead the branches of the great tree swayed as if in the clutches of a hurricane. With a splintering sound a lesser branch above him dropped off and plunged towards the ground. Frantic activity seethed everywhere around the dying tree. Elves rushed to and fro, uncertain of what was happening. Spiders dropped out of the branches on long strands of silk. The webs holding the prisoners below shook.
He looked up and saw the moon peek through clouds as if the Lady desired a closer view of what was happening here for her own mysterious purposes. His heart lightened a little. Even though there were thousands of elves down there and even more spiders, they seemed preoccupied with what was happening to Mayasha. If he was cautious and swift he had a chance to escape in the confusion.
He sheathed his sword, and lowered himself from the ledge on which he stood till his body dangled at arm’s length, then allowed himself to drop to the ground below. He picked himself up and scrambled along through the darkness, choosing areas that were clear of elves and spiders, moving as calmly and as cautiously as possible.
With every step he expected the alarm to be raised. His shoulders tensed in expectation of a poisoned spear point being driven through them. His heart raced and his breathing becoming more shallow. He forced himself to breathe deeply and with an effort of will he made his muscles relax.
He was half way towards the forest’s edge now, walking along in the shadow of one of the giant shaking branches overhead, suddenly aware of another potential danger: that more branches might snap and come plunging down on him. The fear of it doubtless explained why no one had stepped forward to challenge him.
He began to notice the sheer number of elves who were present along with their arachnid allies. There was enough here to form an army, to invade the Settlements and drive the humans out. Or capture them and add them to the Shadow corrupted forces that had already been gathered.
He saw the real danger now. Weaver planned on enslaving the small isolated communities of the Settlements, and adding
He tried to remember what he could from the information placed in his mind by Mayasha and find a way out. In the end, the easiest thing was to keep taking an upward route.
He wondered how long it would be before word of his escape spread and he was pursued. If the Queen spider was still alive, it would not take long he imagined. In the meantime there was not much he could so about it other than stay alert and try to get out of the way if he heard anyone coming. It was unlikely that anyone he met in this place would be friendly.
In the past he had escaped from such situations as this by means of disguise but there was little chance of that here. He looked like neither an elf nor a spider.
The chances were that he was not going to live very long. He was surrounded by enemies in a place where the Shadow was strong indeed. He told himself he had never expected to die of old age and he kept putting one foot in front of the other. He had survived his encounter with the Mother of spiders. Perhaps he would live through this yet.
The path kept going upwards, the ground continued to shake. Horrible creaking noises sounded from above him, as if the giant tree were shaking its limbs in its death throes. He might end up crushed down here if the root structure shifted or collapsed. He lengthened his stride till he was jogging along. He had his sword in his hand. Anything he encountered he was going to kill.
Ahead of him he saw a glimmer of more natural light. He slowed his pace somewhat and moved cautiously forward, poking his head out of a tunnel mouth that was perhaps three times the height of a man above the ground.
Overhead the branches of the great tree swayed as if in the clutches of a hurricane. With a splintering sound a lesser branch above him dropped off and plunged towards the ground. Frantic activity seethed everywhere around the dying tree. Elves rushed to and fro, uncertain of what was happening. Spiders dropped out of the branches on long strands of silk. The webs holding the prisoners below shook.
He looked up and saw the moon peek through clouds as if the Lady desired a closer view of what was happening here for her own mysterious purposes. His heart lightened a little. Even though there were thousands of elves down there and even more spiders, they seemed preoccupied with what was happening to Mayasha. If he was cautious and swift he had a chance to escape in the confusion.
He sheathed his sword, and lowered himself from the ledge on which he stood till his body dangled at arm’s length, then allowed himself to drop to the ground below. He picked himself up and scrambled along through the darkness, choosing areas that were clear of elves and spiders, moving as calmly and as cautiously as possible.
With every step he expected the alarm to be raised. His shoulders tensed in expectation of a poisoned spear point being driven through them. His heart raced and his breathing becoming more shallow. He forced himself to breathe deeply and with an effort of will he made his muscles relax.
He was half way towards the forest’s edge now, walking along in the shadow of one of the giant shaking branches overhead, suddenly aware of another potential danger: that more branches might snap and come plunging down on him. The fear of it doubtless explained why no one had stepped forward to challenge him.
He began to notice the sheer number of elves who were present along with their arachnid allies. There was enough here to form an army, to invade the Settlements and drive the humans out. Or capture them and add them to the Shadow corrupted forces that had already been gathered.
He saw the real danger now. Weaver planned on enslaving the small isolated communities of the Settlements, and adding