Page 156 of Vasmora

Dolion kept his eyes locked on the king, his arm spasming with each strand she cut loose. When his limb finally broke free, he tore the webbing away from his body. “Help Allura,” he whispered. The stubborn webs stuck to his hand and a shiny fleck caught his eye. Dolion stared down at the king’s skin that looked a pale gray, glittering like stone.

Sagaerin let out a muffled growl, and from his back, a long gray filament tore through his silk robe that lengthened and split into segmented legs.

“Gods alive,” Dolion said, mesmerized.

The king snapped his head back, his eyes black as onyx, fangs protruding from his upper lip.

“Princess!” Dolion called out, and as the king lunged forward, he drove his hand forth, sending him back on a blast of Aeryz.

The princess let out a choked sound and sawed faster, snapping away the tight weaving of web and setting Allura’s arm free.

Dolion stepped out of the web, desperate to shake off the sticky strands that refused to let go. Faster than Dolion’s brain could register the movement, King Sagaerin shot toward him, knocking the mage onto his shoulder.

Pain spiraled into his neck, and Dolion let out a grunt, quickly rolling onto his back as the king scrambled up his body.

Sagaerin’s neck had thickened, the chitin filling in around his head, and Dolion gripped hold of what used to be his shoulders, now coated in a hard, gleaming shell. Whatever the king was held very little evidence of mancer. It snapped its teeth at him, fangs wet with a substance that dripped onto his arm. An intense burn sizzled across Dolion’s flesh, and he cried out, limbs shaking as he held the king off him.

Teeth chomped closer. So close he could feel the heat of its breath against his neck, and the pressure intensified, threatening to buckle Dolion’s arms.

Seemingly without cause, the king stilled, his eyes wide, jaw hanging open, where within Dolion caught a glimpse of tiny spiders sticking to the back of his throat. His leg jerked and snapped, his body folding into itself and he slid from Dolion’s grasp onto the ground beside him. Limbs retracting, he let out a roar as his bones splintered, collapsing inward, and he crumpled into a pile of loose flesh.

Dolion craned his neck to where Allura stood with her arm outstretched and frowned. “I thought your skill was studying bones, not crushing them.”

She shrugged. “Sometimes studying requires crushing.”

He blew out a shaky breath and sat up. “Thank the gods for small favors. Is everyone all right?”

“Yes. I’m just happy they’re still susceptible to blood magic,” Allura added.

“For now.” Dolion dragged a hand down his face, smearing the sticky webbing across his nose. He chuffed and swatted it away, then pushed to his feet. “Let’s get out of here.”

As he stepped toward the stairwell, the princess yelled, “No!”

Dolion paused and twisted around.

“There are monsters up there. Horrible creatures.” Eyes wavering with tears, she turned her attention toward the king. “Like my father.”

With a sigh, Dolion glimpsed what remained of her father. “I’m sorry, Princess.”

“Get me out of here. Please.”

Nodding, he glanced around for another way out and caught sight of something inside the vault. In the lone light beaming down from the ceiling, an exceptionally large spider, bigger than the cattle carcass lying below it, slowly slid down a long strand of webbing.

Dolion’s heart stalled at the sight of it.

“Hurry!” He dashed toward the vault door at the same time as the spider springing toward it. Dolion swung it closed, but it caught before it could click shut. He looked down to see the spider’s leg had slipped through the crack in the door. “It won’t close!” he cried out to the other two.

Both the princess and Allura scampered toward the door and pushed alongside him.

The door thumped and rattled as the spider fought to get loose.

“I have to cleave us!” A hard thud knocked Dolion back a step, but he pushed harder.

“Go! We’ll hold it!” Allura pressed her shoulder into the toil.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes! Go!”