Spider Village

It felt like a totally different journey to when I had arrived. Of course, the main difference was that Gisel was with us, which meant I had someone to talk to other than my mothers. She enjoyed sitting on the back of the wagon, legs swinging back and forth, looking at the scenery go by, which was understandable, given that this was her first real venture into human lands, other than the village a few times.

Lissa and Rath were both in a good mood as well. I'm sure they both loved being on the farm, but both of them were still fairly young, and they were used to a life of travel and adventure, and I think they were a bit restless. Maybe they were only staying at the academy because of me. I resolved to have a discussion about this with them at some point. They shouldn't be held back from enjoying life whilst they could. I would say you only live once, but that may be a little hypocritical coming from me.

Halfway through the first day of travel, as I sat next to Gisel looking at the world go by, I frowned. 

"Mother?" I called back to Lissa, who was busy cooking something on the travel stove.

"What is it sweetie?" she asked.

"Are we going the same way as before?"

"Aren't you the observant one now? No, the road we usually travel on is being repaired. It took some damage after the snow last winter, so we're using another route, this one is further north, but it should be nearly as fast. You may even get to spot the Great Lake at one point. It's north of El, and the Demon realm lies on the other side."

"I thought the Demon lands were north of Silfen?"

"Well, the two are connected, so I've heard. However, the lands north of Silfen are wilder, according to what people have told me, and just inhabited by scattered tribes here and there. Whereas the Demon Realm, to the east of them is actually ruled by the head demon, king, whatever they have, and more organised. Perhaps there is more than one realm actually. I don't really know a lot about that area. 

"I see." I mulled over the geography that I knew. For example, the forest where Gisel's village was located apparently ran for many leagues north, and was unclaimed by any human or near-human ruler. To the west of that, and to the current north of us, was the Great Lake. On its western shore was the vast mountain range called the Dragon's Teeth, and on the north shore, then, was the Demon Realm. 

"Have you ever been to the Demon Realm?" I asked Gisel.

She shook her head. "No, my tribe occasionally moves within the forest, but I think we tend to stay close to the southern edge. My father said that deeper in there are too many dangerous beasts."

"Good to know. I shall avoid taking any picnics there."

We camped before sundown, a little early, so Rath explained, but this was the best spot for a while. It was a clearing a little distance from the road, hidden behind a small hill. 

The night passed uneventfully, and we set off early the next morning. Before very long we crossed a stone bridge that spanned a decent sized river flowing south.

"This comes from the Great Lake," Rath informed me, and heads down through El to flow into the Eastern Sea. Just south of that is Freehaven, where your mother was born. We shall visit there one day."

"I would like that," I said.

The journey continued, along a fairly narrow road, which consisted mostly of packed dirt, and was hence rather less comfortable than the paved one we had come the other way on.

About midday though, the wagon stopped.

"Hello?" I heard Lissa say, and scrabbled forward to see what was going on, followed by Gisel. Rath had jumped out of the back.

"Please…" the man on the road was saying. "Please, help!"

The fellow was obviously in bad shape. He was, maybe, in his thirties, with dark hair and a matching beard, dressed in a fairly simple cream tunic and brown breeches, with practical looking strong boots. He was only armed with a knife at his side, which was a fairly common thing in this world.

However, his tunic was stained with a large amount of blood. As we watched he fell to his knees, gasping for breath and holding his stomach.

Lissa showed no hesitation. She jumped down and approached the man. "Hold still," she ordered. 

I looked left and right. Was this an ambush? It didn't seem likely, but you could never tell. Perhaps I should say something. Then I saw Rath, off to one side. She had her hand on her sword hilt, and was scanning the area with keen eyes. Of course my mothers were not that naïve, they would consider such a thing.

Lissa said her healing prayer, holding the man still until she finished. I saw the goddess's white mana converge on the wound area, and he gasped in both shock and relief, and collapsed to the ground. 

"Thank you Blessed!" he said. "Thank you!"

"You are welcome," Lissa replied. "We are all the Mother's children after all. Now, tell me, how did this happen?"

Her question seemed to jog the memory of the man, who sat up urgently once more. "Please!" he said. "You have to help! Our village is under attack by monsters! Children have been snatched, and people have been hurt and killed. We are a small village, with only a few guards, they can't cope. We urgently need assistance."

"Where are you based?" Rath said, stepping forward.

The man jerked, not having spotted her before, but quickly recovered. "We are just to the north, by the coast. A small fishing community, a bit of farming. They came out of the forest to the east. It's only about an hour by wagon, maybe less."

Lissa and Rath exchanged glances, and then nodded at each other.

"Very well," Rath said. "Get on board the wagon, you can guide us."

"Thank you, thank you!" the man wailed. 

"You can thank us afterwards, just get on the wagon." Rath helped him climb up, and Lissa once more took the reins. Rath stayed by the wagon, and jogged alongside as we started to move.

"What's your name?" Lissa asked.

"It's Richards... oh!" he spotted Gisel and myself in the rear. 

"Don't be frightened," Lissa said. "She's with us. She won't hurt you. Her name is Gisel, and the boy is Theo, our son."

"I… I… Very well. Hello master Theo, miss Gisel." The man performed an awkward, half sitting bow.

"Hello Mister Richards," both Gisel and I replied.

"Take this lane here," Richards said, directing his attention to the fore again, and pointing at a small offshoot heading north. "It leads directly to the village."

We did as he said, and the journey became even less smooth.

"What type of monsters are they?" Lissa asked, navigating carefully around some large holes.

"Spiders," he said. "Giant spiders. Some as large as a horse, their bodies at least. They killed two guards, injured both the other hunters who helped them. At least four young children were taken. We don't know why, but we fear the worst."

"They lay eggs in them," Rath said, appeared to the left of the wagon. "But they can still be saved if we get to them in time."

"By the Mother!" wailed Richards.

"How long ago were they snatched?" Lissa asked.

"Only a day, less even."

"Then there's hope." Lissa cracked the whip, spurring the oxen on to greater speed. 

The next hour was tense. Gisel and I kept watch to the rear. She had her hands on her daggers, whilst I went through my spells, preparing myself, just in case. I had recently worked on a couple of new incantations for combat use, but hadn't had chance to practice them yet. 

"The village is just over this rise," Richards said, as we neared the top of a hill. "You will be able to… Oh!"

Gisel and I scrambled forward, to see a small cluster of buildings, not far ahead. 

There was trouble. Several men could be seen fighting two gigantic black spiders, blue lines decorating their abdomens. Even as I watched, one of the human figures, ineffectually wielding an old polearm, was stabbed through the torso by one of the spiders' legs, which had a spear-like tip to them.

"No!" wailed Richards. "No!"