“One of what?” I ask, trying to hide the trembling of my voice.
He opens his mouth to answer but the object of the Fae’s attention has finally come into view. A mound of sand streaks towards us, jets of sand occasionally spraying into the sky. The ground trembles slightly, barely enough for me to register it. I step back as the mound reaches the rim of the campsite and suddenly there’s a spray of sand.
The sand, cold in the night, sprays over us, blocking my view. I cry out in surprise and raise a hand to block the sand from reaching my eyes. I hear Altair snarl and then the clash of his sword. Through the darkness, I hear a pained hiss and a dangerous snap. I dart backwards just as a black form lunges towards me. I cough, clearing the sand from my lungs.
A giant scorpion, longer than the length of my body and as tall as me at the height of its tail, skitters across the sand. Its claws snap at Thal, but Thal dodges easily, swiping at it with his blade. But the scorpion’s tail is moving, already stabbing towards Thal in mid-swing.
“Thal!” I shout, voice cracking with panic and fear.
His eyes flit up and he drops into a roll, narrowly avoiding being punctured by the venomous, swollen tip. The scorpion turns to me, chittering, and snaps its claws threateningly. I hold my breath for only an instant, but it feels like years. With an explosive movement, the scorpion is hurtling towards me. Its eight legs carry it swiftly across the sand and I scream. Fear surges in my body and I feel the overwhelming urge to drop into a crouch and cover my head with my hands, as if that will help. Instead, I force my feet to move. I run to the side, just in time to miss the scorpion’s powerful claws. Sadal screeches in fear and I hear him scurry away, the chains around his wrists and ankles rattling.
“Verity,” Altair says, his eyes blazing. “Find somewhere to hide.”
I shake my head, adrenaline rushing through my veins. “Don’t worry about me.”
Moritz, Thal, and Erzur are circling the scorpion, lunging from time to time to test it. The scorpion hisses furiously, lashing out at them with its tail. Altair starts towards them but looks at me over his shoulder. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Verity,” Altair says.
My lips part in surprise, want and need flushing my cheeks. The adrenaline urges those emotions onward until my eyes can only follow Altair. He moves with dangerous elegance and unbelievable speed. My Fae King practically dances around the scorpion, his blade batting away the claws and tail as if it were only an extension of his arm. It’s breathtaking.
“The eyes; go for the eyes,” Thal shouts, lunging forward.
My heart moves into my throat as I watch Altair and Thal grow more aggressive. They push the scorpion into the defensive, but it’s fast and its tail is long. The scorpion swipes their blades away easily, keeping them at bay. I glance around, panic growing in my belly as I realize that Thal and Altair will tire soon. A nearby rock catches my eye and I snatch it. I rise, knees shaking, and clutch at the small stone.
“Heads up!” I yell, throwing the stone as hard as I can towards the scorpion’s strange, bulbous eyes.
The rock soars over Altair and Thal, but it misses the eyes. Instead, it bounces off the scorpion’s protective armor. It hisses, turning its eyes on me. Stinger shaking, the scorpion makes a move for me. I feel a thrill of fear as I raise my sword to defend myself. Its enormous pincers reach for me, powerful enough to crush my skull in one snap.
Suddenly, I see a blur of movement, followed by the sickening crunch of alien flesh. The pincers freeze around my waist, stinger hovering languidly in the air. It drops, and I squeal, jumping back to avoid being struck by it. Altair moves to my side, his hands slipping over my shoulder to draw me towards him. I shudder, eyes locked on the dead scorpion. Altair’s sword is still plunged into one of its eyes, green goo oozing around it.
His warmth stills my trembling and slowly my fear slips away. I take a long breath and step back, out of his arms. Altair gives me an understanding look before turning back to the scorpion and collecting his sword. Thal joins me, sweat beading on his forehead. He tosses his head back and sighs.
"Gods, I hate it here," he mutters. I bite my lip, looking at him apologetically. Thal glances at me and then pastes a smile on his face. His hand pushes my bedhead back into place. "We lived, didn't we? Something to smile about."
“I suppose.” My eyes drift back to the scorpion and I grimace.
Thal wags a finger at me. “I didn’t notice you using any of the techniques I taught you.”
“Of course not,” Erzur quips as she pushes past me. “She’s weak.”
I scowl, eyes narrowed at her but Erzur strides away before I have a chance to retort. I swallow hard as the others begin packing up the camp. Erzur is right, not entirely, but at least a little. When the scorpion came hurtling towards me, I was too frozen by fear to even move.
“Don’t listen to her,” Thal murmurs. He glowers at Erzur. “You distracted it, giving Altair time to kill it.”
I bite my lip and shrug as if I believe that’s truly enough. I turn back to the scorpion and am surprised to see Cleo circling it. The sight of her sends my stomach fluttering nervously. Mother. I feel nauseous even thinking the word in relation to her. I glance at Thal and he gives me an encouraging nod.
Slowly, I approach her. She cocks her head, listening to my footsteps. When I pause beside her,
