I Who Should Not Be

A/N: Sorry that I have not been updating lately. I've been spending a lot of time in and out of the hospital, and have been too tired to write much.

Thank you, all of you who have read and stuck with me through this. I also appreciate those of you who inquired after me. Good to feel like somebody cares, even if it is only because they want to read the next chapter.

Now, sit with me, my friends. I shall weave you now another tale this cold winter's night, to keep you warm 'til morning's light.

Chapter 24

Murtagh ran until he saw the gate that would take him to the center of the city. Despite the spell that sped him up, he was not surprised to hear his breaths coming in harsh gasps. He was glad that his legs didn't seem to feel any fatigue.

He was relieved to see Saphira standing with Thorn and Mishee, her blue eyes fixing on him. As Saphira noticed him, Eragon turned and nodded. Arya stood with one slim hand on Mishee's golden flank, her face unreadable.

"What's happening, Murtagh? Mishee said that Onika was staying back to fight something."

Murtagh handed the dwarf child to an attendant, who hurried away with the screaming child. When he turned back, he saw that Arya was jogging toward the gate he had just passed through, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"Arya?"

The elfwoman looked over her shoulder at Eragon and Murtagh as she continued to jog, calling back to them.

"You can stay, but I don't intend to wait for her to come back. I will bring her back alive."

Murtagh and Eragon nodded to each other and sprinted after her, while their dragons stayed behind. They had grown too large to go where the three were headed, but Mishee bounded after them. She knew from Saphira's lessons about the geography of the subterranean city that she would still fit, and she would be able to maneuver well enough to fight.

As they ran, Murtagh sent out a silent plea to any of the spirits that may be near enough to know what was happening. Please, he thought, just be safe until we get there!

………………………………..

Onika waited until she couldn't hear Murtagh's feet, then let her growl die off. She gasped as the creatures came into view, things shaped like giant spiders that had been crossed with elves.

There were six of them, the one that stood the farthest back was the only female. Her fur was dark grey, while her male counterparts were all black or brown. Their faces would have been beautiful, but their jaws were those of a spider, sharp and dripping with a faintly glowing fluid. The stone hissed and smoked where a drop would hit.

Suddenly Onika felt a wave of cold pass through her and cried out as she was ripped out of her larger wolf form. As her bones and muscled ground into their new shape, her fur remained. She fell to her knees on the cold stone and watched in stunned silence as her fur melted away. Her shock was quickly replaced by horror as her new arm began to burn like she had poured acid over it.

"It hurts, yes?"

The female spider creature took a few steps and clacked her jaws as she spoke in a high grating voice. Her long forelegs rolled a few stones around lazily as she watched the Wolfborn.

Onika swallowed a scream as her new skin began to bubble and run like hot wax. She grabbed her wrist and the slowly dissolving flesh rolled from between her fingers, the metal framework below warm below her palm. Her eyes got wider as the majority of her flesh dropped form it's frame, and the false appendage let go of it's owner's body.

The spiders took a few steps closer, the female still staying back behind the males.

"Cain said that you were stronger than you look. He was right. Most would be screaming and begging for us for death at the sight of their own flesh falling off and having their magics physically torn from them."

Onika's eyes followed the creature's voice, anger burning brightly.

"What have you…done?"

The spider woman extended a grey skinned arm and pointed at the Wolfborn, her fingers ending in long pointed nails. In her hard voice, she began to chant, the words sending shockwaves of pain through the Wolfborn, who fell to her side and arched her back. The chanting continued and Onika lost her control. She flung back her head and began shrieking her agony until the very stone that surrounded her seemed to reverberate and shudder in response.

One of the males jumped over the Wolfborn and crouched low to examine her face, his mangled features twisted into a snarl.

Onika heard the order to bite being issued, but she didn't have the time or the power to move. The male that crouched over her leaned close and clicked his jaws together furiously, thick pearly fluid coming down to cover the pointed fangs.

She felt the needle pain of the fangs three times, really, in the back of her mind, she chuckled at how small that pain was, then the icy fire that burned through her after. She wanted to shout and try to run as panic began to try to take her over, but found that the pain was too intense. When she even lifted her shoulder, the pain would roar from a flame to a full inferno.

"Onika!" :Pack Female!:

Onika turned her head from the retreating spider creatures to watch the approach of her pack, tears running out of her eyes as the pain washed over her. She looked at their faces, each so full of fear. The dark haired elf's eyes betrayed her fear, but it was the dark haired man who kept her attention. His skin was whiter than the moon, and his eyes were wide with panic.

What were they afraid of?

…

"Onika, hang on. Keep your eyes open."

Why should she do that? The elf had stopped and produced a glittering ball of light. It was too bright. It hurt… Onika wanted to bat it away, along with the too hot hands that kept touching her. Why were they touching her?! It hurt!

"Hold still, Onika. Call Mishee here, she can carry you back."

Carry me back? Back where?

:Pack Female hurt? How?:

Onika looked at the dark haired man and blinked slowly. How couldn't he know how she was hurting? Didn't he see the marks of the fangs? What fangs? There were never any fangs, other than her own…

"Onika…Onika?..."

I'll just shut my eyes. That will at least make the light not hurt. Maybe they'll leave me alone if I just pretend they aren't there…

Who were these people, anyway?