Page 81 of Sinful Curses
When the spider closest to her shifted its attention to Zeth, Sahira lunged toward it. She had no idea what would happen and had a good chance of getting eviscerated, but she had to know if they could use fire as a weapon against these things.
Before the spider could see the flames coming, she pressed the burning pants against its side. A popping sound issued from its flesh, and the spider released a piercing shriek that caused her to wince as it rebounded in her ears.
Its scream grew louder when the thousands of black hairs covering it erupted into flames that raced around its body. Those hairs acted like a propellant that soon engulfed the creature in fire.
Unprepared for how fast the flames caught on it, Sahira gawked as the spider scurried away with a trail of fire whipping off its ass. Its claws clicked while it ran toward the web; it collapsed before arriving at it.
With hope and excitement pulsing through her, Sahira raced toward the next spider. It wheeled backward to evade the torch she thrust at it, but the creature wasn’t fast enough.
Its screams, and those of its friends scampering out of the way, filled the air while it tried to get away from the blaze encasing it. Sahira spun toward the other spiders who had originally crept closer to her; they all backed away as they prepared to flee.
They had these things on the run, and she wouldn’t let up. Smiling grimly, Sahira advanced on the spiders as they retreated.
In their haste to evade her, some crashed into each other and staggered back. Their united front vanished as death approached, and Elsa’s flames spread higher through the web.
The heat of the fire and the light surrounding them grew when the flames spread across the web. Shadows danced over the land as the blaze crisscrossed the intricate pattern; thick filaments collapsed and floated around them.
Instead of being hunted, they were the hunters as the spiders sought to flee. Some managed to scamper into the shadows and up the smooth face of the cliffs. Their claws dug into the rocks as they easily hoisted themselves up.
Some failed to get away as they fell beneath Orin and Zeth’s wrath. The shadows faded, and Orin materialized as he darted between two spiders; he sliced their legs out from under them while Zeth kicked the claw off another.
Removing the last pair of pants from her shoulder, Sahira draped them over her dagger and pleaded with Hecate for it to be enough to destroy more of these things.
When she stuck her hand back over the fire, what little remained of her flesh peeled away to expose the muscle and ligament beneath. Some of the throbbing in her hand eased as the fire finally destroyed her nerves.
She’d burned herself so badly she’d stopped feeling the flames devouring her. It also made moving the pants around more difficult as the sensation of the material against her fingers was gone.
Trying to control her frustration over her awkward movements, Sahira worked to get the pants in place. She didn’t know if the lack of pain was better or worse, but once she started to heal, it would hurt like a bitch…ifshe got the opportunity to heal.
Finally succeeding in getting the pants to catch fire, she charged at the spiders, slowed by Orin and Zeth or their own inability to get out of the way in time. With a scream born of murderous intent, she ran at the creatures.
Swinging the flaming dagger, she caught one in the side and then another. It didn’t take much to get these fuckers to burn, and she relished watching them do so.
She’d always been a nature lover and caretaker for all creatures. As a witch, she had a close bond with all living things, from plants to insects.
She’d always gone out of her way not to kill or harm things, but she felt no regret as first one spider, then another, erupted into flames. Some of the spiders she set on fire managed to scamper back into the web. Once there, they spread the fire further as their flames devoured their home.
When some smoke cleared from the already burnt areas, she saw the conflagration had moved well beyond Elsa’s fire. With the smaller spiders spreading the flames across the web, it was only a matter of time before the blaze reached the big bitch in the upper corner.
Sahira smiled over this as another spider tried and failed to escape her wrath. It reeled back onto its hind legs, exposing the hideous mouth beneath. As it did, Sahira jammed the flames into the gaping maw.
The spider flipped over; its feet kicked in the air, and its claws swung wildly while it tried to right itself, but it was too late. She set another one on fire before the flames at the end of her dagger started sputtering.
She didn’t have much time before she lost her best weapon against these things. Sensing this, a couple of creatures slowed in their backward retreat.
“We can get through the webbing!” Elsa shouted.
Sahira turned toward her as the enormous, mommy spider leapt from the web. The earth shook when it hit the ground and rocks tumbled free of the cliffs. They rattled and pinged off the walls as they fell.
CHAPTERSEVENTY-ONE
The ground quakedbeneath Orin’s feet when the big bitch of a spider landed. The big twat was so ugly she made all the others look like beauty queens.
It rose to its full height, which was at least ten feet tall. The hooked claws on its front legs were easily three feet long; it tapped one off the ground as it gazed at each of them, trying to decide who to go after first.
Its gaze focused on Sahira as she held her sputtering flame before her and backed toward the disintegrating web. The reflection of fire shining in its eyes made it look like a blaze was inside them.
Its fangs nearly touched the ground as its claw click, click, clicked in a steady rhythm against the rocks. If Zeth’s sluggish movements and increasingly green hue to his black skin were any indication, the liquid beads dripping from those fangs were poison filled.
