Part 4

Gwyn and Tilera slowly made their way down the corridor, weapons ready. The Widow was proving to be quite the powerful and cunning opponent. If she had set up a trap, they would be hard-pressed to win.

But, as had been the case throughout their mission, there were no spiders to be seen. Her power may not be as vast as they originally thought. Either that, or there weren't as many spiders living in the Webwood as originally assumed.

"There," Tilera whispered, pointing toward a door at the end of the corridor. "That door was closed when we were here before."

Gwyn nodded. Unlike the Erathi ruins, she had no memory of this castle. But she did remember seeing this door hadn't been open earlier. "She's waiting for us," she murmured. "And she's pretty cocky."

"It's only cocky if she can't back it up. I'll go first. Cover me."

The Warsworn nodded, following the older Alfar into the room. And it was a large room, looking as though it could hold a hundred people on its own. It also looked like the site of a devastating battle. Broken tables and chairs were strewn everywhere, pillars missing chunks, and walls cracked from sheer force. If either Alfar had looked up, they wouldn't have been surprised to see holes in the ceiling.

But they didn't. Their focus was entirely on the lone occupant sitting on a rather simple throne. And what they saw was quite shocking.

It wasn't that she was covered in a gossamer gown made entirely of spider webbing. Nor was it that under that gown, she had armor resembling an exoskeleton. It was because of her identity. She was a fae, but not of Winter.

She was a Summer Fae.

The Widow smiled as she rose from the throne, eyes black as pitch. It was clear that, despite the centuries she had slept, she had only gained power, not lost it. She would be able to handle them quite handily. And she knew it.

Her smile only grew as she looked them over. "How truly quaint it is to have two Alfar in Castle Yolvan," she noted. "Especially two who have come to learn of my defeat and return."

"Yes, we are quite good for that," Tilera replied, stance tensing. "So tell us something the Lore Stones doesn't. Why are you attacking Canneroc? These people have done nothing to you. They hold the Fae no ill will."

"Why? Why… why… why." She let out an insane giggle. "Why, they are in my woods, stealing from my children. They have killed my children under the guise of protecting themselves. Why would I not seek to destroy them?"

"Because you're of the Seelie," Gwyn replied. "You are for the preservation of life. You seek to live life to its fullest!"

"And yet, life takes life. The seasons of Summer and Winter are ever-turning. And the Seelie will take a life as much as anyone. Others hide it by saying it was necessary or as part of a story of epic proportions. I just kill dustlings… because they are in my woods."

Gwyn closed her eyes for a second, taking a breath. The Widow was insane, no doubt about it. But at least she was truthful about it. She got ready to move.

The Widow paused, as if having a thought. Her insane grin grew even more. "You know, I just had an idea concerning that village. How about a little game?"

"A game?" Tilera gripped her sword a bit tighter. "What kind of game?"

"Simple. As simple as the rules. I will unleash my children upon you within this castle. You are to try and escape. If you succeed, I will let you return to the village with your hard-earned knowledge. If not…" her grin turned psychotic, "well, I don't think I need to tell what will happen."

No, she didn't. They didn't need that information. And they really didn't want to stick around, especially since they could now hear the sound of skittering talons. So, they promptly bolted.

The Widow sat back down, sadistic grin not faltering in the slightest. This was going to be fun to watch.

Ω

Magwyr frowned as she looked over the tunnel, obviously thinking about what she would need to do to collapse it. "I must admit, it's a good plan," she stated. "However, considering where he said it led, I don't see how closing it would do Canneroc any good."

Agarth nodded in understanding. "It would seem that way, but I don't really believe it. Now, I didn't go too far before I ran into that spider, but I also made a few turns here and there. Vernt probably thinks that he arrived in Ettinsmere, but it's possible that he went in the opposite direction without even realizing it. Either way, it won't stop the Widow, but it should slow her down."

"And the Widow isn't going to stay away forever," Faith added. "At least with the tunnel collapsed, she can't use it to get in. The village would have more of a fighting chance."

"That is a fair point there. But what makes you think that I have the power to do it?"

Agarth shrugged. "We don't, really," he replied. "We're just going by our first meeting, where you fried a bunch of spiders."

Magwyr nodded at that. That was another good point there, and they had known each other for only a few days. She thought for a second. "What if we were to lead the spiders into the tunnel, then collapse it on top of them?" she asked. "That way, we could lessen the damage to the village."

"We would also cause untold damage to the Silk Economy," Agarth stated. "The spiders create the silk, which the farmers harvest. The spiders are a risk, but are considered acceptable. There's also the local ecosystem to take into consideration. The spiders keep the crudoks, brownies, and smaller animal populations under control. If they were to be destroyed, they would explode outward… and unlike the spiders, they don't have a problem with water."

"And, sadly, he's right," Faith said, "as much as I don't want to agree with him. We can't just go on a killing spree. So collapsing the tunnel right now is our only option, outside of evacuating Canneroc."

Their logic could have been more sound, but Magwyr understood what they meant. The Crystal War was already causing enough death as it was. The last thing they wanted to do was start another war in the Webwood, especially if they could find a way to prevent it. "It will take some time for me to figure out where best to strike," she decided. "If it's just packed earth, then I'll have to figure out how far from the village I'll need to be to lessen the damage."

"I'll show you where I stopped," Agarth promised. "Hopefully, that will be enough."

Faith pulled away from the conversation as they began discussing the specific details, grateful that they now had a plan of attack.

She just hoped that Gwyn and Tilera were having as much success.

Ω

Both Alfar knew that going back the way they came would be suicide, as there was no way for them to climb out of the hole. And neither one of them had a clue as to where the other exits (if any) were, save for one. They were going to have to risk the main gate.

The first challenge was getting there. Where there had been mostly empty rooms and corridors before, silk wrappers and venomsplitters were suddenly roaming about, fangs dripping murderous intent. Against any other opponent, they would have emerged victorious very quickly.

But Tilera was a warrior of great experience, having known battle for most of her adult life. Gwyn was a Warsworn, whose own skill was not limited to simple sparring. They were no ordinary opponents… nor were they interested in fighting all of these spiders.

The two of them were able to sneak around a decent number of them, shutting doors on those who were in rooms so they couldn't get out. For the few times cold metal was needed, it was short and brutal, as there were no reinforcements. This initially confusing, until Gwyn came up with an answer… or rather, a theory. A theory that Tilera fully agreed with.

The Widow was toying with them. Possibly a stupid move on her part, but who could tell with a mad fae?

But there it was at long last; their possible salvation. The main gate was in sight. Which led to their next challenge. They had to open the damn thing without being killed in the process.

The Ljosalfar took a look around, taking in their surroundings. "I'm seeing three areas where spiders can emerge from," she noted. "Three holes large enough for venomsplitters to crawl out of. We're going to have to block them with something." She stomped on the floor, nodding to herself. "Solid. The silk wrappers won't be able to dig up through the ground. Of course, there is the little fact that the Widow could possibly teleport them in if she wanted."

"Too true." Gwyn looked at the gate, taking note of its construction. "Okay, it looks like the door was built by a gnome," she stated. "There's a pulley system here that can be used by only one person if needed. So, one of us will have to hold them off."

"I'll hold them off. My sword has more options in terms of offensive capabilities." It wasn't a boast. Spears could be as useful as a staff when bludgeoning opponents, but their most effective use was… well, spearing someone through and through. If it got stuck in one of the spiders, they would lose time. (Of course, the same could happen with a sword, but she tried not to think about it.) A sword was more useful for multiple opponents attacking you at once.

Gwyn set her spear aside, then pulled two knives out. "Here," she said, handing them over. "You can use these on two of the spiders. With a little luck, you can block two of the holes." She approached the pulley, stretching out a little before grabbing two of the handles. With a grunt, she began pushing.

Slowly, with the groan of an object not having moved in centuries, the wheel began to turn. Very, very slowly, the door began to rise.

About a moment later, the sound of scrabbling could be heard.

"Here they come!" Tilera shouted, bringing the first knife up. She waited, taking careful aim, then threw.

The venomsplitter appeared through the first hole, and was promptly hit by the knife blade directly between the eyes. Killed instantly, its body slumped down, effectively blocking the exit. If they were lucky, it would take some time to push it out of the way. Moving her attention to the next one, bringing the other knife up, she threw. Another venomsplitter fell, blocking another hole. Now, there was only one hole left. A bit more manageable. She brought her shield to the fore.

And then the fight began.

Three more spiders emerged from the last hole, making a beeline for them at a pretty impressive speed. One even leapt forward to cover the distance faster. It was the first to pay the price, as she struck like a Crudok, ending its life instantly. The other two followed shortly after, though one almost managed to get her with a venom spit. "How much longer do you think it'll take?" she asked, as another wave emerged. She could already see the corpses moving.

Gwyn grunted, "Another minute!" not stopping. Despite a pulley system being in place and still working, gnomish doors were heavy!

So Tilera kept swinging whenever they came in range, blocking when needed to give herself some breathing room. She wanted to see how Gwyn was doing, but that would have been a bad idea… especially as the other two holes were soon clear, and the room filled with more. They didn't have a lot of time left.

Gwyn finally judged there to be enough space for them to get under. "Let's go!" she shouted.

Tilera knocked back one more spider, then ran for the door, ducking under it. Gwyn let go, grabbing her spear in the process, and followed suit. She barely, managed to roll through before it came down with a clang. The sound of angry scrabbling could be heard on the other side, but they were safe… for now.

Gwyn breathed out in relief, shaking from the effort she had exuded. That was entirely too close for her liking. "You know, Faith's phobia of spiders is starting to look less funny," she noted tiredly.

Tilera nodded. "Indeed." She helped the dokkalfar up. Staying here would be very stupid, as the Widow had more reinforcements. "Well, let's get out of here. At the very least, we won that bitch's little game. Hopefully, she'll leave us alone for our return trip to Canneroc."

That was iffy, but they had to operate like she would keep her word.

Ω

The Widow had to admit, that had been fun to watch, and quite insightful to boot.

Those two dustlings had been quite calm under the threat of certain death. Despite literally having the odds against them, they managed to escape with proper utilization of the terrain. The elder of the two had even managed to delay an overwhelming horde from entering briefly. Actual, proper warriors who also knew a thing or two about the Fae. A rare sight in the Webwood. Perhaps there was a chance that she would be defeated again. She should return to Cathrus and muster her children to begin their attack on Canneroc.

Or she should do something else. Something they would not expect.

Her eyes glinted as an idea came to her. 'Perhaps I shall visit that little village for a second,' she mused. 'There is a Dustling there that might prove useful to me. And if he is, I may reward him…'

Ω

Gwyn sighed as Castle Yolvan faded from view, her gaze pensive as she thought over everything that had happened with the Widow. Something about the ordeal didn't sit well with her. If the Widow could see everything they had been doing, why didn't she use that to her advantage? Why didn't she just kill them outright? Was she toying with them, or did she simply not care about them specifically?

"I can't help but feel that this whole mess was too easy," she finally noted.

Tilera blinked, a little surprised by the assessment. "You call that easy?" she replied. She had been battlefields that had been easier. Hell, Mel Senshir was easier in the early days.

"Well, compared to the might she seems to have at her disposal, we were able to handle the final stretch. She could have just sent a steady stream of venomsplitters through that one hole, but she didn't."

Now that she mentioned it… the fight was difficult, but manageable. The Widow could have killed them at any point with either an overwhelming force or doing it herself. So why didn't she?

It took a moment to think about it, but it came to her. "What if her whole force wasn't here? What if she left it in her lair?"

Gwyn nodded in agreement. "Cathrus is her seat of power. It would make sense that it would be where her army would be. But there has to be more than that." She suddenly snapped her fingers. "What if she can't control all of the spiders through sheer will alone? What if something was augmenting her strength, and her war with the Castle Yolvan defenders had merely exhausted that enough for them to put her down?"

"Which would mean it only needed to recharge. And the moment it was at full power, she returned to Amalur, knowing the ones who beat her before wouldn't be able to fight her again."

"So the question becomes, what do we do? Do we return to Canneroc now? Or do we go to Cathrus and try to destroy that crystal, if it exists?"

Tilera thought for a second. On the one hand, if they returned to Canneroc, they could tell Faith and the others about the Widow, but by then, the Widow would most likely render her cave impenetrable. It also meant the Widow would also attack the village. Win or lose, it would invariably cause long term damage to the local ecosystem and Canneroc's economy.

On the other hand, if they went for Cathrus now, they ran the risk of being killed by the spiders, but could try and destroy her power source, forcing her to retreat. And if they succeeded, she could be rendered impotent, never to threaten anyone again. There were benefits and negatives in both decisions.

Finally, she came to a decision. "We go for Cathrus. If we survive, we can tell Faith about what we learned."

Gwyn nodded as she had come to the same conclusion, her grip tightening on her spear. "Well, let's go. If I remember correctly, it was the same cavern Barten had gone to."

There was no need for anything else to say, except come up with a plan of attack as they walked. And hope it didn't blow up in their faces.

Ω

"We won't be able to collapse the tunnel here," Magwyr stated. "Not unless we want to drain the river."

Agarth sighed. It was what he was expecting and hoping wouldn't be the case. "If one area is destroyed, it'll cause the surrounding area to collapse?" he asked.

"Pretty much, which will create a sinkhole. There isn't enough rock in this area to support the ground from something like this. This tunnel isn't deep enough to do it safely. And to collapse the tunnel, we'll need a massive explosion." The Winter Fae sighed. We're going to need a new plan."

"Or just a different area." Faith looked down the tunnel, a thought occurring to her. She almost smacked herself for not thinking about it in the first place. "Let's head to the end of the tunnel and collapse the entrance."

"Which would bring the Ettins into the Webwood if they found out," Agarth argued.

"Well, it's either that, or we just go to Cathrus and try to kill the Widow, leave the tunnel alone, an Ettin finds it, and they go through to get here."

Magwyr nodded. "She has a good point. We don't have a lot of good options here. The spiders can't climb. The Ettin can. Besides, you may be right that the tunnel goes nowhere near Ettinsmere. For all we know, it goes to Castle Yolvan, or Helmgard Keep. Let's hope for the latter."

It was enough to sway the Fateweaver, and he reluctantly nodded. "Very well," he stated. "Let's see where this tunnel will take us."

Ω

Two hours. It was the quietest and longest two hours in their lives.

Two hours of them walking. Two hours of them being on edge, waiting for an ambush to occur. Two hours of nothing happening. They had not been able to figure out a plan of attack other than destroy the crystal before they were eaten.

And now, they were at the entrance of Cathrus, taking a moment to rest and eat something before they entered. They had been moving and fighting for the better part of the day, and they hadn't stopped once to relax. If they wanted to stand a chance of actually getting to their target without falling, they had no choice.

Their moment ended once they had finished eating, and they readied themselves. What awaited them inside was anyone's guess, but it was most likely going to be painful.

As it turned out, they didn't have to worry in the first cavern.

Tilera frowned as she took in the cave, noticing the number of bodies strewn about. Judging by the lack of sheer decay, this had happened recently. "This must be the hunting party Vernt was talking about," she noted. "It looks like they didn't get too far."

"I think it didn't matter. They still did a bit of damage." Gwyn pointed, looking rather surprised as they continued. "And someone managed to make it in further, if the spider corpses are anything to go by."

"Probably Barten, through sheer stubbornness. I have to admit, I'm impressed."

"I am, too. And here is where the push ended. I don't see a body, though."

"For good reason. Some of these bodies are scorched. Magic killed them."

Gwyn grinned. "How much would you like to bet that Faith and Magwyr managed to get to him on time."

"A sucker's bet," Tilera replied, returning the grin. Then her grin faded. "But that now brings us to a question. Where are the other spiders?"

"Probably at the crystal, guarding it." The Warsworn rubbed her face, a little exasperated. Could they catch a break today? Probably not. "You know, I'm starting to think that the Widow is just trolling us. She probably returned here and is preparing to attack the village."

And killing us would just be the icing on the cake," Tilera surmised. She shrugged. "Still, we're committed now. Let's see this through to the end."

"Agreed."

Ω

There it was. The entrance she was looking for. How strange that it looked more like stone than crystal, but that was probably why it stood out. A stark reminder that it was the only natural formation in the whole castle.

She observed it for a moment, trying to figure out how best to either enter or destroy it without being spotted by the Tuatha. She was going to die during this mission, but she was going to do her damnedest actually to complete the mission first. The monster could not be allowed to emerge.

She took a step forward when she was struck from behind…

Faith blinked, shaking her head as the images faded from her vision. She shook her head, irritated. Of all of the times to have a sliver of a memory appear, it would have to be this time. She focused on their objective.

It was a simple opening carved through a solid slab of rock. And that was enough to trigger her.

Agarth and Magwyr didn't see her stop, as they were busy looking the exit over. So she was spared having to explain to them at that time. Instead, she joined them. "So, what do you think?" she asked. "Do you think this is a good spot for some demolition?"

Magwyr nodded, grinning. "Indeed it is," she replied. "We can use powerful earth spells to break the stones enough to destabilize the opening. I just need to see where we are, so we'll know the cave ends, at least. Then we can warn Canneroc on what to expect."

Faith nodded in agreement, bringing her bow out. It was a sensible point. If it exited into an Ettin encampment, then they were going to piss off quite a few of the brutes. "Well, let's see where we are in Ettinsmere, then." She took a step forward, exiting the tunnel.

She promptly froze, eyes going wide. "Um… guys," she said, "I think I know where we are."

The other two emerged, their eyes matching hers quickly. Not surprising, considering what they were seeing.

"Well," Agarth stated after a moment, as over fifty dozen eyes suddenly glared at them in the darkness, "I can safely assume that Vernt has a better sense of direction than he thought, or he lied to us."

"I'm leaning toward the latter," Faith grumbled, getting ready. "Oh well. Guess we can try to kill the Widow while we're here."

She really hated spiders.

Ω

"And there is the crystal we're looking for… I think," Tilera whispered. "And there is the Widow's army between us and it."

Gwyn observed the entire cavern, barely refraining from shuddering. She didn't think it was possible to fit so many spiders into one room.

There had to be at least a hundred arachnids of varying genera milling about, clearly waiting for orders from their 'mother.' The crystal was glowing brightly, almost as if it had a life of its own… and for good reason. It was the one thing they had never anticipated.

It was a piece of prismere. Old but showing only the barest hint of wear and tear. If this was what the Widow used to maintain control of the horde, then they had even more reason to destroy it. Of course, there was also something else. Something they had never even thought to consider. Something that had nothing to do with their current situation, but with the over-arcing Crystal War itself.

The Widow's madness was, note for note, nearly the same as the Tuatha's: the same rage, the same sadistic joy. There was a connection there, and the prismere was probably in the center of it.

But that was something to puzzle out at a different time. Regardless of the prismere's connection to Fae insanity, they still needed to get close enough to destroy it, preferably without being eaten by the swarm before them.

"Could we trick them in destroying it themselves?" Gwyn asked. "After all, I don't think we can just hack at the crystal."

Tilera had to agree there. Even Sylvanite wouldn't be able to break through a solid slab like this, and they had no explosives to speak of. Of course, there was no guarantee that the spiders could do any better. They would have to find another way.

But how?

As they pondered this, the spiders suddenly perked up, turning as one to glare in one direction. That was quite a surprise. What could have caused them to do that?

Their question was answered when several venomsplitters were thrown back by a power burst of wind, the silk wrappers closest to the attack stumbling backward a few feet from the sheer force.

And then a trio of familiar faces appeared.

Gwyn sighed. For some reason, she shouldn't be surprised by this. "I'm beginning to think things have escalated on their end as well," she noted.

"I have to agree with you there," Tilera replied. "But at least we have some options where the prisoner is concerned. Let's go."

With that, the two Alfar leapt into action.

Ω

Faith was surprised to see Tilera and Gwyn suddenly appear from around the corner, weaving and fighting through the cavern, but she wouldn't question it. They had more important things to deal with, like, say, the large number of spiders that were trying to kill them. So having them here meant they had a better chance of getting out of here alive.

"So, fancy seeing you all here!" Tilera called out once they had reached them, blade lashing out almost lazily. "Can I assume Vernt did something, or forgot to mention something important?"

"How did you guess?" Faith retorted. "I'm going to guess that this is the Widow's lair."

"You guessed correctly! A lair without a Widow, apparently! We met her at Castel Yolvan, and she's a world-class psycho!"

"We came here to try and break her control over the spiders, and we saw that!" Gwyn added, pointing at the large prismere crystal that Faith completely missed seeing. ('How could she have ever missed that?' she thought sarcastically.) "Speaking of, Magwyr, do you think you can destroy that? She's been using that to enhance her power!"

"Keep them off me for a few minutes!" Magwyr immediately replied with, quickly setting up a magic field around herself. She began to gather energy into her staff, the top of it starting to glow with fiery essence.

Prismere is an effective conductor for magic and other kinds of energy. Most spells fired directly at it would dissipate or be absorbed before any damage could be done. As a result, only two things could cause any damage. The first was prismere charges, something Faith learned very well back at Allestar.

The second was feeding it more energy than it could handle—a far more simple solution, but also more difficult to do. The amount of power needed was almost impossible to acquire, and usually required more than one mage to accomplish it.

Sadly, they didn't have anymore, so she would have to do with what she had. Luckily, she had a secret of her own, which she put to good use.

Faith, Agarth, Tilera, and Gwyn quickly formed a defense line, ensuring they were spaced far enough from each other so they didn't get hit with friendly fire. Then they got to work, attacking with swipes, stabs and overhead swings. The spiders they killed proved useful, forming a semi barrier that the others had to get over first. Not a single spider got past their defense.

After two minutes past, Tilera began to think that they would get out of this unscathed. That the luck following them since Gorhart would hold here as well. Oh, she should know better than to have those thoughts, but they crept in despite her best efforts. And besides, she had been having one heck of comeback combat wise. It was only natural to believe that this would be no different.

Her pessimism would have been prudent, as a venomsplitter managed to get into an ideal spot and spit its poison at her. And, as her attention was on a silk wrapper, she couldn't defend herself in time.

The venom struck her on her exposed arm, rapidly working its way into her skin. She let out a moan of pain as her arm suddenly felt like it was on fire. It would only be a matter of time before the rest of her felt the same. Already, she could feel her attention falter.

Gwyn turned just in time to see Tilera sway a little, quickly realized what had happened. "Magwyr, please hurry up!" she called out. "Tilera's been poisoned!"

"Blast it!" Agarth quickly approached her, barely avoiding a similar fate as he moved to defend her. Of all the times to not have an antidote with them! They should have thought about that from the get-go. "I second that!"

Magwyr finally finished her charging, and fired at the prismere. Her efforts were surprisingly effective, as the slab took the energy… and promptly began pulsing. "Time to go!" she shouted.

Agarth picked Tilera up, Gwyn grabbing her sword as it slipped from nerveless fingers. "Faith, the prismere's about to explode!"

Faith didn't need to know that, as she was just happy to get out of the spider lair. She ran for the tunnel opening, pulling Magwyr with her. "No need to see the spoils of your efforts up close and personal!" she stated emphatically. "Just run!"

The group quickly flew into the tunnel, running like their lives depended on it. The remaining spiders, sensing danger was near, quickly ran in the opposite direction, heading for their exit apertures instead of following them. Almost all of them managed to escape.

And it was a good thing they did, because the prismere slab exploded almost a full minute later, causing that particular area in Cathrus to collapse, blocking the tunnel opening.

A successful mission, if not a flawless one. Now all they had to worry about was getting back to the village. They could try and locate the Widow afterward.

Ω

Vernt, with nothing better to do with his time, sulked in his chair, looking out at the village as the villagers moved about. They were fools, the whole lot of them. They couldn't see the sheer wealth Canneroc could have if they had just followed him. But no, they decided that Barten had the right of it.

But what good would it do for him to whine about it? They had made their choice, and he was stuck here until they banished him from Canneroc forever. There was nothing he could do now. He had lost the war before he had a chance even to fight it. What else could happen to him?

"Hello, dustling."

He was out of his chair, scanning the room frantically. As abrupt as the voice was, what was even more surprising was that he had heard no one enter the room, especially not a fae.

His gaze slid over to the bed… and promptly froze at the sight of the very reason he had lost. It didn't take him long to realize just who it was. It took him even less time to mentally kick himself for not believing Barten. But what was she doing here, talking to one of the people she wanted to kill?

The Widow, dressed only in a shimmering silk dress and laying on the bed, smiled. "I believe that you and I should talk, Garanar Vernt," she said silkily, "as I believe we can help each other achieve our goals."

Ω

On their way back, Tilera had lost consciousness, forcing Agarth to carry her the rest of the way. Somehow, somehow, they managed to make it back to Canneroc without any trouble by nightfall. And thankfully, the Healer was among the living still.

"It was pretty close," she stated after looking Tilera's still shaking form over. "A few more hours and even the antidote wouldn't have been able to save her. Unfortunately, she has a few weeks of recovery ahead of her. And the first week will be hardest, as she'll barely be able to walk."

Agarth nodded in understanding. It had taken them an hour, after all. The fact she managed to survive at all was a testament to her strength. "It looks like I'll have to postpone our journey to Dellach," he informed Faith as she stood there. "She will need someone here with her when she wakes up, and you have other obligations that you need to attend to."

Faith nodded. "Probably just as well," she decided. As much as she wanted to stay by Tilera's side, she did unfortunately have other obligations she needed to abide by. "I'm heading back to the House of Ballads tomorrow. The next part of Sagrell's story is supposed to be beginning soon. Which means Gwyn will be following me back, considering her orders."

"Well, you do seem to be a magnet for trouble."

"Ha, ha, ha. This is all on you this time, Mister, stay-on-the-roads-and-the-spiders-won't-go-for-us."

"… I'll give you that one." Agarth leaned back in his seat. "What about Vernt?" he asked. "What are they going to do with him?"

Faith shrugged. "What usually classifies as punishment for them," she replied. "Barten's going to exile him to the Webwood for his actions. At least the tunnel exit in Cathrus was filled in, and the spiders are acting more like themselves, so he'll stand a chance at making it to the next village." Not that it made her feel any better, but at least she won't be attacked on the way back to the HoB. And Vernt wouldn't bother Canneroc any longer

Of a more concerning note was the identity of the Widow herself. The fact that she was a Summer Fae whose mentality was similar to the Tuatha was more than a trifle concerning. The fact that she wasn't in Cathrus, trying to kill everyone was even more so. And the fact that there might have been a connection between the madness and the Prismere made it slightly frightening. She wasn't sure exiling Vernt into the Webwood was a good idea

Speaking of Vernt, she decided to check on the little wannabe slimeball before she turned in for the night. With that thought, she made her way up the stairs.

Gwyn looked up from her seat upon hearing Faith coming up the stairs. "No one has been here to talk to him," she reported, seeing the look on Faith's face. "And before you ask, I'm just holding down the fort for the guard until he returns with some dinner. Going to check on him?"

Faith nodded. "I figured I would let him know that we sealed everything up before we throw him out. Hopefully, if he survives the Webwood, he'll learn something about restraint and respecting the environment." With that, she removed the chair from the entrance and opened the door.

She immediately entered the room, looking everywhere, before stepping back outside. "Where's Barten?!" she demanded. "We may have a problem!"

Ω

"We've searched the entire village," Barten reported. "Checked his house, even went down into the tunnel. He's nowhere to be found." He frowned contemplatively. "Perhaps the Widow managed to get him, and took him back to Cathrus."

Faith sighed. As a fae, the Widow wouldn't be prevented from entering Canneroc. And as a fae, she couldn't be contained by anything the young races set up. The only thing that needed to be clarified was why would she come for Vernt. What reason would there be for her to take one dustling?

Regardless of the reason behind it, Vernt was gone. Barten's judgement had been passed, if not in the way he was expecting.

Magwyr suddenly teleported back in, her gaze bewildered. "Castle Yolvan has been abandoned," she reported. "The Widow is gone, as are the remaining spiders that were there. She might have returned to Cathrus, but I doubt it."

"Which brings a new set of problems to the greater whole of Amalur," Faith shook her head. The Tuatha, the Red Legion, and now this. She had to have the shittiest luck in the world, and she had only been alive for only a month.

Her inner musings were stopped when Barten shrugged. "Well, if she's gone, at least the Webwood will return to normal, and we can rebuild. We can also ensure that our harvesting can get back on schedule, and perhaps we'll get reinforcements for the duration. All in all, Canneroc survived its first major hurdle in centuries."

You didn't need to be intelligent to figure out what their first hurdle had been.

Magwyr grinned, giving Faith a light slap on the shoulder. "Look at it this way. If you had to fight the Widow, you would have had to face half of her army simultaneously and over a longer period. We're all fine. The Webwood is stabilizing for now, and you can make it back to Hallum with plenty of time to spare. I'd say that's a very good thing! Now, come on, let's get some sleep." She leaned in. "If you want, we can cuddle with Gwyn," she whispered mischievously.

"...You know, that's not a bad idea. It'll save her the trouble of crawling into my bed in the middle of the night."

Ω

"I hate you both," Gwyn grumbled. "Feeding my obsession like this."

"You want to sleep on the floor?" Magwyr inquired sweetly, hugging the dokkalfar a little closer and feeling her relax. She giggled when Gwyn gave a negative snort to the idea.

"Just go to sleep," Faith mumbled, in a similar position to Gwyn. "I want to get out of here as soon as possible tomorrow morning."

After a few minutes, gentle breathing filled the room as all three finally fell asleep. It had been a long two days, after all.

Of course, had Gwyn stayed awake just a hint longer, she might have seen a hint of a glitter coming from the top of Magwyr's staff, even if she didn't understand what it meant.

All three would berate themselves later for not seeing the warning signs, but for now, they were at peace.

Ω

She had felt the destruction of her crystal, but surprisingly enough, she didn't feel any anger at it. Sure, she had lost the extra power needed to keep her children united, but she had already decided to return to Cathrus when she had found a new power source.

The Widow smiled as she walked down the road exiting the Webwood. While sad that she was leaving, she knew it was also the right call. Sometimes, one had to leave their home to achieve their goals. She would return one day, when she had the means to remove that dustling village from her forest. And, of course, she would have awarded Vernt for his part. Speaking of… she looked at her traveling companion, who remained quiet, contemplative. She approved. He knew when to talk and when not to.

It was odd to her, allying herself with one of the beings that she wanted to kill, but Vernt did have his own grudge with the village. They could both get what they wanted.

Then again, maybe not. Only time will tell.

Ω

Agarth shook Faith's hand at the bridge leading back to Dalentarth. "I'll stay with Tilera until she's back on her feet. Afterward, we'll go to the Shrine and wait for you two there."

"Take care of her, Agarth," Faith replied. "I don't think she's had anyone simply helping her when she needs it for a good while. She will probably be a bit stubborn when she wakes up."

"So, basically, just like every other Alfar out there?"

"We are not stubborn!" Gwyn denied. "We're just… persistent."

"You're more stubborn than we Fae are, Gwyn," Magwyr stated. "And we're freaking stubborn."

Faith grinned. "Well, the only other advice I can give is don't read their futures while you're here," she added. "I don't think you want to get kicked out of the village."

"Well, stay on the roads. This time, I think the spiders will leave you alone. And good luck with the Ballad of the Bloody Bones."

"Thanks. Well, ladies… let's run. Literally."

Gwyn and Magwyr started laughing as Faith took off at a jog. Oh, they were going to tease her about her fear of spiders later… after they had both finally got over the fact that they had had to deal with so many of them at once.

Ω

Okay, this will be the last storyline I'm going to set up for a while, as I'm going to keep the rest of the story centered around the House of Ballads and the Red Legion for the rest of the season.

So, I am trying to create some extra world-building here by letting both Vernt and the Widow live. I don't know how well I'll do with it. And I'm also going to develop the Maid of Windemere a bit more.