Raulin's Oath

Spirits began to lift after Arietta conjured the candy plants. Small animals rustled by them and the forest hummed, which put everyone at ease. The herd walked with raised heads as Ari hummed to herself, thinking about songs that she knew. Grandpa Gus had insisted that she wait until they made camp to try singing another song, but she could think of little else. This was definitely the most pleasant day of their trek through the forest. Soon the light faded, and Gustoff made his way to Raulin. “We need to start looking for a good spot to make camp.”

“I hear the burbles of a stream ahead. The herd will need to drink. We can camp near the source.” Raulin made his way to the lead, raised his head and pulled in a giant breath, drawing the air through his flaring nostrils. “There is water on the other side of this ravine. We can camp there for the night.”

As they began the trek down the ravine, the gentle crunch of the herd’s hooves meeting the ground was the only noise left. Before they started their descent, crickets, owls, and some other noises accompanied them. She gently tugged on Grandpa Gus’s arm and whispered, “Why is it so quiet?”

When there was no response, Arietta looked up at him, eyebrows raising with concern. His eyes had turned a pearly white, and his mouth hung open as he moved forward. To her right, Raulin’s eyes had also turned to that same, horrible milky white. Arietta could just make out a soft melody that seemed to come from everywhere. The music reminded her of a harp playing quietly in the distance. Her body swayed with the rhythm. She slipped away, struggling against the seductive siren song. Her soul was at rest, her entire being tranquil as she moved down the embankment. Arietta wanted nothing more than to embrace this peaceful feeling. This tranquility, however, was met with a fear that began to creep into her subconscious mind. With the last bit of resistance, she did the only thing that she could think of. She dropped to the ground and grabbed two handfuls of dirt, filling her ears with the damp soil. This new quiet cleared her mind, and terror replaced peace as her eyes followed the slack-jawed faces of the herd as they meandered down the slope. Her eyes paused on Dimitri, Raulin, and Corin, who was pressed against his mother’s side. They were zombies, trudging along quietly.

Her breath turned ragged, impending doom casting a heavy blanket around her. Her instincts told her that she needed to get off this path. She couldn’t hear the soft melody, and while the dirt that clogged her ears made her feel as though she had a layer of grime all over her, and the urge rushed forward to cram more dirt into her ears to further distance herself from the alluring notes. She followed the herd from a distance, finding difficulty in keeping to the sides of the path, as water long ago cut the walls of the ravine to be steep. It was crafted to trap the wanderers who made the grave mistake of following the enchanting noise. What further disturbed her was the feeling of being watched, of eyes burning into the back of her head.

As the path led to somewhat of a clearing, her skin throbbed, a shiver forcing its way down her back. Of all the creatures of the Earth, there was one that turned her blood to ice, that instilled a panic so extreme that rational thought was not possible. Arietta flattened her back to the wall of the ravine, taking in the horrific sight. The arachnid could not be described merely as a spider. She was as big as a car; a ruby red spot painted her abdomen, and the rest of her was night-sky black. Even from there, Arietta could see her needle-like fangs, prepared to suck all of the essence out of Arietta should she give her the opportunity. She was the mother of all spiders.

Arietta’s stomach twisted, understanding what that alluring noise had been. The goliath’s web stretched from treetop to treetop, its intricate design morbidly pleasing to the eye, and she was the centerpiece of her macabre work of art. The weight of the goliath curved branches as she moved closer. Eight button-like eyes flashed with an intense ferocity, a pure hunger as she inspected the herd. She used all eight legs to weave her siren song and they danced over the web with a grace that could not be matched as saliva pooled on her fangs, dripping from her vast, shadowy maw.

Arietta watched in horror as the massive spider, with a shudder, opened up the great red droplet on her abdomen, and millions of spiders, varying in size, poured out of her and onto the web. They moved as a black mass, a calculating unit. She released her cluster, and they spiraled down the trunks of the redwood trees. Numbly, with their milky white eyes, the herd stood still; Arietta wanted to scream when she saw what happened as the spiders descended on the first horse, a beautiful palomino mare. The one thing that pierced her shield of soil were the screams of the mare as she was engulfed by the black mass. The spiders pierced her flesh, injecting her with venom. All Arietta could do was watch in blank terror as the horse was reduced to a twitching mass of flesh. Busybody tarantulas worked steadily, weaving threads and using their combined strength to take the horse, the prized meal, up to their master. The spiders and Arietta alike knew that this horse would not be enough; they knew that she was insatiable.

Arietta cursed herself for being frozen. She was pathetic, afraid, and useless. Her fear swelled for a moment as a hand clasped onto her shoulder, and she nearly jumped out of her skin, taking in the boy that gripped her.

“Jerry… is that you?” Her eyes were round as saucers, grateful to be temporarily distracted from what horrors lay ahead of her. He wore large earmuffs to block out the noise and was donning a cloak made out of fine navy-blue fabric. He had been prepared, which meant either that he had some incredible luck, or that he frequently visited. Her eyes flicked over to several horses who had already been strung up in the trees, like gruesome ornaments.

“Fancy seeing you here, Ari; you’ve gotten yourself into quite the mess, haven’t you?” His voice purred, and regardless of the dirt, she was able to hear him.

“How can I hear y--”

He put a finger to his lips, urging her to be quiet.

“Arietta, I have the ability to slip in and out of minds. Now, you must listen to me. Adeline may have eight eyes, but she doesn’t see very well. She relies on touch, the vibrations through the web, hearing, and smell.”

“Okay.” Her voice felt bigger inside her mind.

“I must admit, you were very clever shoving the dirt in your ears. I’m impressed that you were able to hear the music without fogging immediately.”

Her ears detected a chime, and the boy brandished two beautiful daggers. They were carved from night-black obsidian, and a large ruby stone featured as the centerpiece. “Do you have any weapons?” he questioned, tilting his head.

“No… well, I have my singing. When I sing, magic happens. Why can’t you just break the spider’s mind? I’m… I’m terrified of spiders.” It hit her how childish she sounded, but dismissed the embarrassment, because she was entitled to sounding childish. She was only thirteen, after all.

“I have already tried to enter her mind. It is blurry. It’s like she has divided it into each and every one of those millions of spiders you see skittering up the trees. It would be impossible to break them all. Look, Ari, I know you’re scared, but if we are going to save your grandpa and the rest of these horses, we are going to need a plan.” His usual impish smirk returned to his face. “All good plans have a distraction…” Arietta wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that, especially after he explained his plan. She didn’t understand how he was here with her, but she was relieved to know that she didn’t have to face this alone.

She glanced over her right shoulder, where he had been standing seconds ago, yet he was gone. Her heart was a bass drum keeping an erratic beat, and the spiders were working busily on incapacitating yet another horned horse. Out of the corner of her eye, he reappeared, shadows oddly pooling at his feet. He tossed one of the obsidian daggers, catching it swiftly, showing off with a newfound confidence that she had never seen in him. He drew back his elbow, slamming it through the air, flicking his wrist, and following through. The dagger whistled through the air, slicing through several thick strands of the web.

While this world defied many laws of nature, gravity, unfortunately for the lady spider, was not one of them. Her weight became unequally distributed, causing her to lose balance. She toppled with a hiss, pulling the majority of her intricate web down with her. The impact of her hitting the ground shook the earth, leaves coughing into the air. A shriek tore through the atmosphere, and her back left leg snapped and began to ooze a blue shiny liquid.

“Who dares attack me in my home?!” she roared, confusion and anger seeping into her words. The sound was like broken glass, clear and cutting, making Ari shutter violently. Several horses shivered, and her grandfather’s head twitched. She released a sigh of relief as the ghastly white eyes leaked color, returning to their normal forms when the music stopped. At this moment, Jerry froze with his eyes enlarged as if the grim image of the arachnid had finally confronted him. “I am the Great Adeline, and you threaten me in my court?!” Her voice had midnight silk woven through it, and she enunciated her words greatly, doom painting itself in the minds of all who could hear her. Everyone, including Arietta’s grandfather, backed away from that roar, all except for Jerry. He remained frozen. His breath had been snatched from him, a deer in headlights, and as she took a clumsy step forward, he gasped, a small whimper forcing its way out of him. Her looming head snapped in his direction, each of her eternal eyes focusing on him. Her mouth formed into a snarl. “You will pay for this!” Finally, his brain caught up with him, and he re-extracted the twin dagger from the warmth of his cloak. Her acknowledgement momentarily snapped him out of his daze.

Speaking with forced bravado, he exclaimed, “A gentleman always pays when entertaining a lady?” Due to her impaired vision, she couldn’t see how unbridled his shaking had become. Arietta, in this moment, realized that alone, Jerry was fighting an impossible battle. Her mouth formed a small ‘O’ as the goliath stalked forward, Jerry lunging out of the way. She was distracting him, long legs stabbing at the ground around him. He hadn’t seen the ocean of spiders gathering behind him, their writhing bodies stacking, forming a wave to crash down upon him. Words couldn’t form, so Arietta did the only thing she could seem to force herself to do: run.

Her legs pumped, pushing from the ground, moving as quickly as she could. His yelps cut through the thick air, the terror strangling his throat as the wave of spiders crashed upon him. She didn’t want to think about the spiders that had sacrificed themselves, pouring into his mouth and forcing their way down his throat, biting and pumping their venom into him. Arietta leapt, tackling him to the ground, batting at him, taking handfuls of the spiderlings and flinging them through the air. Jerry convulsed, and Arietta shrieked as the spiders started their way up her legs. The small stings of bites overwhelmed her senses, a cry building in her throat. No longer was she focused on ridding Jerry of Adeline’s minions; she was now tearing at her own legs. She was close to hyperventilating, and she looked out of the corner of her eye to Jerry, whose full focus was directed at her. There was a drowsiness in his eyes from being subdued by the venom.

His words were choked from the spiders squirming over his tongue, “Fight it--you can.” His eyes resisted the urge to roll back, and the mass forced him to the floor. The spiders used their combined effort to wrap him as a mummy in their silks, and his words echoed through her mind. Fight it. She felt so small, so weak; the hot tears on her cheeks reminded her she was just a child. A child that had everything stripped from her: her summer, her softball, her ability to move freely. How was she supposed to be the one to save the day? Her chest heaved, the feather-light feet of the small army tickling her skin. She closed her eyes, not wanting to acknowledge that her skin was barely visible under the heap of black bodies clinging to her.

Arietta began to sing, “When there is danger, he comes.” Her lips quivered, and a sob tore through her as the spiders infiltrated her mouth, tasting salty on her tongue. “The wind it stops, the mist rolls in on wings the dragon soars.” A heavy fog coughed from the ground, and a hissing sound filled the air. She skipped lyrics, as she was having trouble focusing her thoughts. “The ships, they would l-lower their flag when he lets out a mighty roar.” Her singing was garbled and weak, but she hoped desperately that it would be enough, that it would save her. The mist rose higher, and golden eyes shone brightly like lanterns, their eerie glow stinging the flesh of the spiders. A mighty roar blasted through the air, and panicked spiders fled, causing Jerry and Arietta to drop to their knees, clutching their ears.

The spiderlings raced to their mother, evacuating into the pulsing, open abdomen of Adeline as her howl of pain filled the air. She scaled a nearby tree, her body swaying back and forth as she compensated for her missing appendage, small and large spiders alike fighting for refuge within her, following her up the tree. Regardless of their absence, Arietta, eyes still filled with terror, furiously swatted at her body, still moaning in panic. One of the horses rushed towards one of the far trees, retrieving Jerry’s dagger between her teeth, and Grandpa Gus grabbed Arietta’s wrists.

“Arietta you need to stop! We need to leave this wretched place!” He had finally seemed to force his mind away from the venom. Her eyes were haunting, and she struggled against his hands. Seconds passed until her eyes seemed to clear.

“Jerry.” A rushed whisper sighed from her, and she flicked her wrists, demanding to be let go. She dropped to the forest floor on her hands and knees, forcing herself to his side. “Jerry!” With her bare hands, she ripped through the webbing. She screamed his name once more.

“We must flee! We haven’t the time for these games,” Raulin chastised, yet Grandpa Gus immediately came to her aid. He lifted the frail-looking boy, slinging him over the back of Raulin’s heir, Dimitri, who was the closest, fixing the horse with a stern look.

“Please take care of this child; he saved us all today,” he growled, blazing white cloak flaring. Gus then turned and placed Arietta onto Raulin’s muscular back, and she clung to his neck, trying to soothe the overwhelming fear coursing through her. The mist had dissipated, and a frenzied look came over Raulin. Arietta then lost her battle with consciousness, her eyes slipping closed.

“Onward!” He galloped with a purpose and led the herd away from the carnage. As they reached the hill leading out of the ravine, signs of life flooded their senses once more. The chirping of crickets and the gentle soothing song of birds reassured her that they had escaped the Reaper once more. About a mile out from the nightmarish trap, the horses slowed to a brisk walk, and Arietta woke from her trance and slid from Raulin’s back. She stumbled, fighting the lingering effects of the venom still coursing through her system next to the horse that carried Jerry. She shivered, a phantom itch raking over her body. She asked Dimitri if she had permission to mount, to which he nodded, and she climbed upon his rump. She then worked, slumping Jerry upright. His body tilted dangerously to one side before she caught him. Facing him, she brought a harsh hand to his cheek, and he released a soft whimper.

“Jerry, wake up.” She shook his shoulders, and his eyes opened, still out of focus. He wiped foam from the corner of his mouth, nose wrinkling, and he wiped it on his pants.

“Hey, Ari,” he slurred, struggling to keep his eyes open. She wrapped him in a tight hug, avoiding cringing at the cobwebs still tangled in his hair. “O-oh,” he exclaimed in shock, settling into the hug. His heart broke for the girl as her shoulders shook with sobs. He propped his chin on her head and whispered, “Hey, now, you’re okay. You’re safe now,” over and over. They had only been friends for a few days, but they had just been to hell and back together, and that had to count for something. Arietta slid off the stallion, thanking him, and made sure the venom-filled Jerry could safely get off the horse.

After collapsing to the ground, she managed to sputter, “I’m really glad you’re okay, Jerry. When I heard your screams… saw all the bites…” She inspected his swollen face. “I was really worried.”

“Thanks for saving me,” he replied with sincerity. She shook her head briefly, then turned to her grandpa, whose eyes hadn’t left her since the event. He was sick with guilt over not being able to do anything, sick that his mind had wandered far enough away that his ability to protect his granddaughter, the most precious being in the world, had been compromised when she needed it the most. How could he ever apologize for leaving her to fend for herself? How could he ever cope knowing that she’d likely have nightmares for the rest of her life over the events that had passed?

Little did he know, Arietta needed no explanation, for she knew it was not his fault. She knew that if he had the opportunity, he would’ve killed each and every spider before they laid a single spindly limb on her, and would’ve sacrificed himself if it had been necessary. She held no resentment, nor did she place any blame upon his shoulders.

“Grandpa Gus?” Her small voice reached out to him, and his eyes sparked nervously. “I love you.” His bushy eyebrows shot up in surprise at the words, and he immediately understood what she meant to convey with them. A small portion of the burden lifted from his shoulders. He was able to breathe once more.

“I love you too, dear. You were very brave, I’m so proud of you, sweetheart,” he said, a relieved smile ghosting his face. Although they had seemed to escape the hurricane of danger, they were merely in the eye of the storm.

The massive spider used the last of her strength to climb to her nest high in the tree canopy. The rest of her finally made its way into her great red spot as she snuggled down into her nest. Her leg screamed with a white-hot intensity as she began the process of healing. Her anger burned brighter than all of the stars in the sky. She had made that ravine her home and had fed for a thousand years. None left her home alive until today. She had envisioned a great feast as that group had been wandering through the forest. It had been so easy to guide them to her. Once awakened, the hunger was always great, but as she quivered in her nest, the hunger racked her body. She fractured herself to claim the beasts that she had taken. She opened her mind, sending slivers of her down to the valley floor. She needed to feed before she could heal. As her main body awaited the much-needed meal, an emotion that she had never felt in her long life ripped through her. She had never been bested before, and for the first time ever, Adeline was afraid.

A sharp pang of hunger ran through Adeline’s body as the first unicorn was placed at the opening of her nest. She quickly approached the panicked foal, and her fangs pierced the outer cocoon. The brain was tender and dripped down her throat, delicious and satisfying.

Corin’s mind filled with a dense fog as he was lifted up to the nest where Adeline waited. The sting of pain was brief, and there was a pull of acceleration when she began feeding on his essence. He repeated the traditional saying of the herd of Zeus: May my legs run strong, and may I be one with the wind. Brilliant white light flooded his vision as Corin of the Herd Zeus galloped into the great meadow.

The euphoria of feeding did little to ease her mind. She would begin the preparation for her vengeance once her body was whole again. She would venture out of her home for the first time, then she would feed as she had never fed before. When she found them, they would suffer a slow, agonizing death.