“The sun is down,” Fibian hissed, “The timefor stealth is over.”
From across the ravine, the forest came alive with frenzied cries. The klappen knew where they were, and they were coming.
Chapter 29
DEEP WATERS
“QUICK, UNTIE THE ROPE,” Fibian said, retrieving the arrows from the dead klappen.
The hunters closed in through the trees like a flock of savage birds.Cyrus ran back to the edge of the ravine.
“I can’t reach the knot.”
“Cut it loose,” Edward said, quivering on his shoulder.
There was a strange growl to the spider’s voice. Cyrus slashed the ropefree.
“Move!” Fibian shouted, waving them ahead.
Cyrus began to run, winding the rope around his arm as he hopped overbodies and bushes. Out the corner of his eye,he saw Fibian draw an arrow. A klappenflew from the woods, shrieking like a banshee. Fibianstruck it mid-flight, its cry cut short as it crashed to the earth. The froskman nodded to Cyrus and turned to follow.
The trees were thinning. The village was insight. Cyrus ran as fast as he could, stumbling across the uneven earth, avoidingdeep puddles and ankle-breaking pits.
As he made his way out of the forest, he paused at the top of the grassyhill and looked back. Fibian was dashing through theforest, every few seconds turning to loose anotherprojectile into the darkness. A shrill screamfollowed each shot.
“Keep moving!” Edward said.
Cyrus half ran, half rolled down the prickly hillside, towards thevillage. The klappen’s cries were close. They wouldbe at their necks at any moment. Cyrus tripped and hit the sand, sprawling likea starfish. Edward flew from his collar and bounced along the beach.
“Get up,” the tiny spider cried, spitting and shaking sand from his fur.
Fibian rushed to Cyrus’ side andpulled him to his feet.
“We must find a boat,” he said, handing Edward to Cyrus.
They began to run through the dilapidated village, searching the saltyhuts. Cyrus spied the odd cracked or punctured craft abandoned alongside severallog structures. What had happened here, he wondered? He sped towards a boatresting at the water’s edge. He stopped short. The craft was barnacle coveredand half buried in sand.
“Over there,” Edward said.
Cyrus spotted a long, narrow craftpropped up on a pair of makeshift workhorses. It was just beyond the thresholdof a sagging shed. It seemed someone had been repairing its hull before abruptlyabandoning it.
“Let’s go,” Cyrus said to Fibian.
Together they ran to the door, grabbed the front of the boat and jerkedit off its stand. It struck the sand with a hollow thud.
“This will have to do,” Fibian said, throwinga weather-bleached paddle into the craft.
Cyrus’ pointed ears perked. He heard the sound of running feet.
“They’re coming!” he said, dragging the boat towards the surf.
Fibian unshouldered his bow. A klappen sprang from behind a hut. The froskmandropped it in its tracks. More came rushing down the beach.
“Quick, Master Cyrus, into the boat.”
Fibian shot another scrambling acrossa rooftop. Cyrus drove the craft into the lapping waves. The sea numbed hisbones, but his terror masked the chill.
“Behind us,” Edward shouted.
Three klappen tried to rush by Fibian, towards Cyrus. One fell to an arrow; the other twosped past. They hit the water like rabiddogs, kicking and clawing at the sea.With Edward on his shoulder, Cyrus leapedinto the boat and began to paddle. An arrow punctured the second klappen’s throat. Cyrus waited for the third to fall. Thenhe saw Fibian discard his bow and quiver. No morearrows…
The fiend lunged for the boat’s aft and began to pull itself aboard.
“Kill it,” Edward screamed, digging his legs into Cyrus’ shoulder.
Cyrus scooped up the oar and chopped at the creature’s skull. It fellback, bloodied, but gripped the edge of the boat. Cyrus jammed the paddle intothe villain’s snapping jaw and shoved it below the waves.
“Fibian,” Edward shouted.
As Cyrus struggled to drown the wretch, he quickly glanced to shore. Thefroskman was holding the enemy off with his barehands, striking them to the ground, two and three at a time.
“Fibian, we have to go!” Cyrus cried.
The klappen pulled the oar from its throat andclawed at the boat. It snatched Cyrus’ wrist.
“No!”
Cyrus tried to pull free. The creature started to drag him overboard.Edward came springing down Cyrus’ arm and bit into the klappen’sknuckle. The creature shrieked as if on fire and fell backward into the sea. Cyrus crashed to the floor of the boat.
“Th- thanks,” he stammered.
Edward pursed his mouth shut and nodded back. There was something strangeabout the spider’s face.
More and more klappen began pouring down thebeach. Cyrus snapped back to the situation at hand.
“Fibian, hurry, you’ll be overrun,” he shouted.
The froskman’s eyes flashed aboutviolently in the dark.
“There is no time. Keep him safe,Master Edward. If Master Cyrus dies, we are all doomed.”
“Fibian!” Edward screamed.
The froskman became engulfed. He twisted and thrashed, tossing his attackers aside like children. More piled on. Fibian began to moveas if in tar. Several klappen sprang past and startedto rush towards Cyrus and Edward.
“They're coming!” Edward said, hurrying up Cyrus’ arm, “We have topaddle out.”
Abandon Fibian? Cyrus’ stomach began to turn.
The klappen crashed into the surf and startedto push towards the craft, their faces filled with a feral yearning.
“Fibian, please,” Cyrus cried, retreating intodeeper waters.
The monsters waded into the sea up to their chins. They shrieked in rageand frustration, apparently unable to swim.
“Fibian!”
Cyrus watched as Fibian wrestled with the mob,struggling to stay upright. A klappen sprang onto thefroskman’s back. Fibiangrabbed its arm and threw it into several others. Another leaped on. Fibiansent it hurling too, but his strength was visibly waning. A klappenpicked up an oar off the ground.
“Behind you,” Cyrus shouted.
It struck Fibian in the head. The froskman turned and snapped the creature’s neck. Another klappen tore a timber from a hut and broke it over Fibian’s back. Fibian dropped toone knee; then rose back up and hit the fiendwith a clubbing blow that sent it twisting to the ground. Several
