Page 22 of Eldritch (The Eating Woods #2)

The ward surrounding the castle that typically sent a soft hum through his muscles could no longer be sensed.

And while ordinarily docile toward the two Letalisz, the firedrakes that prowled the outside of the castle had damned near tried to consume them as a result, and might have, if not for Ravezio leading them back to the stables where the food was kept.

Clearly, they hadn’t been fed in a few days.

Kazhimyr swept through the first level of the castle, eyes peeled for Magdah, Vendryck or Rykaia, who might’ve been stirring about.

Each room he scoured was empty.

He headed down into the castle’s dungeon in search of Dolion, but found no sign of the mage there. By the time he’d pored through each of the cells, Ravezio had caught up to him, his own lantern in hand.

“No one on the upper levels,” he said. “Checked Zevander’s office—no sign of him there.”

“Where the hell did everyone go?”

A hard thump to the left of them had both Letalisz turning to see the chained door on the floor.

“Rock, paper, scissors?” Ravezio chuckled, tapping his fingers together.

Kazhimyr groaned. “I’ll do it.” He strode toward the small alcove and swiped up the key from the wall. Kneeling beside the door, he unlocked and flipped it open, quickly stepping back for anything that might’ve jumped out at him.

“Hey, what’s that!” Ravezio pointed at his shoulder, and Kazhimyr frantically brushed his hand over the pauldron there, frowning when his fellow Letalisz broke into laughter.

“Cuntmonger,” Kazhimyr growled, stretching to yank the mirror from the wall. Kneeling beside the hole once more, he lowered the mirror and angled it around inside, finding nothing but numerous, enormous spider webs stretched from one wall to the next. “You down there, Branimir?”

No response.

Kazhimyr shifted the mirror, scanning it over the shadows, and found hundreds of eyes staring back.

While he’d never shuddered at a spider before, he knew the damage those ones could wreak if they were ambitious enough.

“Soldiers were on their way here. I suspect they were coming for Dolion and your sister.”

At first, there was no movement, then one of the spiders stepped into the path of the mirror. A monstrous beast that Kazhimyr estimated would’ve only needed two bites to consume him entirely.

“Any idea where they went?” Kazhimyr asked, watching the creature stalk toward him.

“Why would I bother to tell you?” a deep, raspy voice asked from a dark corner of the room.

“They’ll be hunted. Your brother, too. In fact, I’d urge you to leave, as well. It’ll take a few days for the captain to realize his men are dead, but when he does, he’ll send more.”

Closer, the spider inched toward him.

“I’m not leaving my home.”

“They will not spare you.”

“They had no intention of sparing me last time, either,” he said in an eerily amused voice.

“Ravezio and I can keep hunters off Dolion and Rykaia’s trail.

” Before Kazhimyr’s usually sharp senses even registered the movement, the spider pounced out of the hole and knocked him onto his back.

The Letalisz yanked his blade loose, just before the spider scuttled over top of him, its eyes peering down and fangs hovering over his face.

“Can you now?” Branimir asked, letting out a dark chuckle.

As Ravezio lurched forward, Kazhimyr threw out a hand, stopping him. “Kill me, then,” he urged Branimir. “I swore an oath to your brother that I would give my life for your family. I’m willing to honor that oath, no matter who, or what, poses a threat.”

A pause followed, and Kazhimyr held steady, as a bead of clear liquid slid from the end of the spider’s fangs onto the floor beside him, where it sizzled.

Acidic venom.

Without warning, the spider scampered backward and slipped back down into the hole.

“Calyxar.” Branimir’s voice arrived as a deep growl.

Kazhimyr sat up and let out a shuddering breath as he ran his hand down his face. “Fucking arachnids.”

“Don’t bother to lock the door this time,” Branimir warned. “I’ll await the arrival of our unwelcome guests.”

Ravezio booted the door closed and held out a hand, pulling Kazhimyr to his feet. “Calyxar. Any idea how impossible it’ll be to get passage there?”

“I know a man in Susurria. Retired sea merchant. He can get us papers.” Entry into Calyxar was said to be more rigorous than any other country in Aethyria.

The Elvynirans weren’t a welcoming group, after all, particularly to cutthroats like Kazhimyr and Ravezio.

Visiting the island required strict identification and a royal signature.

Neither of which they could’ve secured by legal means at that point.

“They’ve got two days on us. I suspect they ventured to Wyntertide, seeing as Lady Rydainn had family there. ”

“It’ll take six days to reach the coast by horseback.” Kazhimyr hung the key and mirror back on the wall. “We could sail out of Qu’brysian Bay and arrive around the same time. The main port will be bustling, but we should find them there.”

“ Should .”

“If not, we come back here and watch the spiders feed on a pack of unwitting soldiers, I guess.”

Ravezio shrugged. “Sounds like fun.”