Stacey watched concernedly as Lana struggled up the rough slop. It was now seven days past her rescue and a full fortnight since they left the mountain holds. Stacey wondered what was happening in their absence; if the great works they had talked about were starting. She wished she could be part of that, but her task was too vitally important to set aside.

Besides, it's not as if I'd be much help beyond talking to the plants. Serena can command them better than I can, and she can calm people down and keep fights breaking out. No, she decided. It's far better that I am here instead of her, though I do begrudge my comfortable bed in my own faerie house!

For a moment she thought of her snug little home in the dwarven fortress; green and healthy, with acorn tops for tables and soft leaves and twigs for chairs and couches, and the finest petals for pillows.

She thought, too, of her friends and how much she missed them. She hoped that it wouldn't be too much longer before they could finish up the job and go home. They were supposed to be done in five weeks, but now it seemed as if they might be longer. The terrain had turned from dusty hard clay to rocks and boulders in soft sand, as if they''d been hurled from the mountains by titanic explosions and left scattered in the deserts far away.

"How much farther?" Lana panted.

Stacey looked ahead. "Not much." She comforted. "I'd say no more than a mile to the summit of this hill. Then we can rest and recover a bit."

Lana looked at the sky. "The sun's going down." She muttered worriedly.

"Yes, it is." Stacey agreed. "But we shall have a good place to stay tonight. There are lots of boulders to choose from, after all!""

Lana did not answer but toiled up the slope with Stacey flying behind her like a mother duck watching her duckling climb a difficult hill on their way to the pond.

They made it at last and Lana sat on a convenient stone to wipe away the sweat in her eyes. Stacey didn't doubt that the desert woman was strong and agile, they'd gone further faster than Stacey and Tom had ever dreamed of. At least two hundred and two leagues (Or six hundred and six miles) lay behind them now, so swift had their march been. The mountain had long since vanished, leaving the far horizon flat and featureless, but Stacey knew that somewhere out there it lay, waiting for them.

Pushing aside the bout of homesickness that welled up in her, she started to fuss over Lana. She made sure she took some water from her water skin and some of the meat they'd roasted over the fire from the rabbit dinner last night. Stacey's small bag of food supplies had long since gone bad, and she'd been forced to dine on such fare as she could find or grow in the desert, or settle for eating some of the meat. She found it disgusting in a way she couldn't quite understand or describe--she'd always loved a good steak or hot dog while human after all,--and she thought sadly of the life she'd left behind when she became a fairy.

Of course, if I hadn't become what I am, I'd probably be dead now, or...well, even then I''d still be dead of old age or misuse or something. She thought.

Once Lana had rested and recovered a little, she got back on her weary feet and trudged on, following the signs Mausi had left for them when she and Tom had gone ahead to scout for a campsite.

The land about them rose into two cliffs of stone, carved by the river when it had been young and strong. Now the silent sentinels hemmed in the flowing sand that twined its way further and further in. The air was dry and full of dust, and Stacey desperately wished she were a hundred miles away and millions of years in the past when she was in her nice home in the Unicorn Glade.

About a mile further along, the cliff walls abruptly dropped away; they'd been carved through a tall hill for whatever reason instead of the water going around. Now they could see the lands before them and what she saw took Stacey's breath away.

No longer was the land full of rolling sand dunes, hard clay, cactuses or tumbleweeds. Instead, there was dark brown soil that rolled away over smaller hills that lapped like waves at the feet of a mountain chain that stretched away on either side of them for an uncountable distance. The nearest of these peaks stood proudly, capped with silver-white and holding council over the sky and land with the grace of an ancient monarch from a forgotten realm.

"Wow." Stacey managed; the view had rendered her speechless.

"It's a cold, cheerless place." Lana muttered. "But I''m glad we're getting close to the end of this. I'm ready to go home."

"You and me both." Stacey agreed under her breath.

The two of them made their slow way along the riverbanks until they came to a large boulder that towered over its kindred that had been scattered through the land like chaff that had been thrown into the air and left to stand wherever they had fallen. Stacey suspected that one of the chain of mountains, or perhaps several of them, were actually dormant volcanoes that had erupted sometime in the past, littering the landscape with debris. A small fire had been kindled at its base, which cast the rock in a cheery light, brightening Stacey's spirits.

"Go ahead and sit down Lana." Stacey encouraged. "I'm sure there''s something to eat and drink now. I'll be over in just a few minutes."

Lana looked at her strangely but hurried to the fire gladly. She took a seat next to her sister and the two wearily embraced one another, perhaps for support as much as gladness.

Stacey stayed a good dozen yards out from the fire, measuring the height of the boulder and the width. It stood perhaps twenty feet high and was at least that big around the middle. It wasn't round by any means, being pointier at the top and flared a little in the center and then smaller and rounder at the bottom, like a dirty, grey snowman that had been left in the sun with a coat on its body.

That wasn't as important to her, however, as the fact that the sides of the boulder were rough, offering plenty of handholds to anyone that could climb, giving an added danger to their camp.

Fortunately, I have a way of dealing with dangers, she thought as she reached into her bag of seeds.

At last finding the one she sought, she cast it on the ground and commanded it to grow. It sprouted immediately, digging roots deep into the soil until it struck rock and shoved the hairs sideways. The plants themselves were a rom of bramble, and the thick thorns were pointed outward as the stems crawled along the ground or looped above one another in a dense wall. One end of the wall anchored itself into the boulder while the rest grew in a semicircle about fifteen yards out from the center. Once the far side reached the boulder, the brambles found purchases and followed up and over the top and then down to the anchor, completely encircling the camp. The top she left open to watch the stars and moon.

Her power spent, she wearily paused by a blossom and collected the seeds it offered to her. Placing these for the pouch, she whispered to it in the language of plants;

"Thank you for your seedlings. I will watch and guard them and plant them when the time is right. Please, guard our slumber from evil things tonight."

To which the plant replied alertly, "Rest assured I will. None shall pass my thorns! Root deep, eat earth, drink water."

Stacey returned to the fire and settled near the warm fire and tried to forget, for the moment, that she was in a dark and hostile country surrounded by a wall of thorns she hoped would be enough to prevent monsters from killing her and her friends. Instead, she thought of her parents and sisters and all her friends back at the mountain, probably in the great hall in front of one of the fires, playing games or reading quietly, or any of a hundred things they might be doing without her.

I hope they're okay.

She drew her knees up to her chest, thinking hard while she looked into the flames without seeing them.

They must have noticed her mood, because no one disturbed her until long after supper, when someone touched her shoulder. She started and looked up into Tom's smiling face.

"Are you going to stay up all night?" he asked her, "Because if you are, then I'm going to join our friends there." He pointed to the sleeping Brissons. Lana was curled up in front of Mausi who had her arm protectively over the teen, her own back to the stone wall of the boulder.

She smiled fondly. "I'll take the first watch, and wake you for the second." She promised.

"Okay. Be careful."

"I will. Worrywart." She teased.

He laughed. "In this place I am at least."

He hesitated a moment, looking conflicted. When she went to ask him what was wrong, he reached out suddenly and seized her arm. She jolted at his touch and looked wide-eyed at him as he leaned abruptly in. She felt goose-bumps erupt on her arms and a coiling tingle in her belly as his lips mashed hers. His kiss left her reeling on the ground, her nose filled with the smell of him; a fresh, Caribbean sea breeze, she thought; her skin on fire from where he gripped her arms and where their lips touched felt like heaven's caress.

He finally let go and turned to go away. He had a satisfied smile on his face and a slightly dopey expression as he bid her good night and went to sleep on the ground.

Stacey at last remembered to suck air into her starving lungs. She shook her head to dislodge the after-effects of the passion that had gripped her, but left it alone with a wry grin. At least she had something to keep her up for her shift!

The memory of it stayed with her throughout her watch, as the stars swung slowly overhead and the moon rose over the horizon.

When the thick crescent moon at last reached its highest point, she went to wake Tom. As she reached out to wake him, she smiled slyly and started to tickle him. She knew all of his weak spots and a second later he had shot bolt awake, squirming away in the sand as he started to shriek with laughter, in a very girlish fashion, Stacey thought primly.

He gasped for breath and glared at her as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"It's your watch." She told him sweetly.

He looked furious for a moment, then relaxed and shook his head with a grin. He reached for her, but she danced away with a laugh and toss of her head, making her long hair swing wildly in the night air and brush his groping fingers.

"Good night, lover boy." She giggled. Darting away, she quickly settled on Mausi's shoulder and held her finger to her lips. Tom looked at her wryly then went by the fire to take up his watch.

Stacey watched him for some time, admiring the thick muscles of his arms and confident way he walked. So different then when they were human, when he was thin to the point of scrawniness and walked in a slightly hunched fashion as if expecting blows from everyone around him. Now, he seemed complete to her mind. Like dough that had been baked into delicious cookies.

Mmmm. Cookies. She sighed and went to sleep with the ghostly taste of warm chocolate chip cookies on her tongue.

The next day they broke camp and Stacey asked the bush if anything had happened in the night.
"No one came within reach of my thorns." The plant told her. "But many eyes were watching your light from a distance. Dozens of eyes came and circled my perimeter before leaving when the sun started to rise."

Stacey found the news worrisome, but said nothing of it at the moment to the others. Let them concentrate on the day's march--that would be enough for anyone. She'd worry about how to protect them at night!

Today she elected to ride on Mausi's shoulder, while Tom stayed close to Lana. The older Brisson's stride was much smoother and seemed surer of itself, Stacey noticed. It made riding pleasanter, and Stacey soon leaned against Mausi''s cheek drowsily.

"Little fairy stayed up late keeping watch." Mausi whispered quietly, moving her jaw as little as possible, which made it sound like she was trying to speak with a mouth full of Novocain, Stacey thought. "You should have woken me for my turn."

Stacey laughed as she leaned against the thick, soft fur. "You do enough during the day, carrying Tom and I whenever we get tired. Let us pull our share of the load! We should stand guard over your much needed rest; you need it more than we do."

"You may be needed as we walk." Mausi insisted. "We will pass many places where the shadows linger all day long, and in those areas we will be under threat. The mountains are never approached, save for a pass many moons south. The rest of them are the home of...what did you call them?"

"Goblins." Stacey told her. She looked up at the white peaks that towered above her, wondering what they will find up there. Already they seemed an easy march from their brooding sides, thick with forests at their base.

"We'll have to be careful." She agreed.

Halfway through the day, they came on the dry shores of an immense lake. The shores were wide and sandy, sloping gently down into a deep valley that ran directly towards a depression in the mountainside.

That is our path, Stacey thought. There, she knew, would be the rivers that fed the lake from the mountain. No doubt from the glaciers and yearly snowfalls that reached clear down to the desert floor.

What stops the water? She wondered. The glaciers are way down on this side. They should be filling the lake all the way to the brim! So why aren't they?

The question bugged her as they made their way down the shore and straight as an arrow towards the empty intake.

She began to breathe slowly. In. Out. In. Out. When she became calmer, less tense, she accessed her magic. The familiar feeling of life flooded her consciousness. She could see the energy in the plants and in the world about her. The forest ahead was a broad splash of energy in the distance, with a slight tinge of green. She let her eyes wander upwards, and gasped.

The surface of the mountain was covered by a network of red lines and black lines, crisscrossing back and forth until the entire mountains looked like it was covered by fishing nets.

Mausi froze instantly when she gasped, crouching slightly as she looked back and forth for any sign of danger. Lana came running up quickly from behind, clutching a rock in her hands, eyes also alert and ready. Tom flew right above, keeping pace.

"What is it?" they all asked her.

"The mountain!" Stacey pointed. Everyone looked up but saw nothing.

"What about it?" Mausi asked.

"Tom, can't you feel it? Look at it with your magic." Stacey urged.  

Tom looked back up at the mountain, letting his eyes lose focus. A moment passed, and then he jerked and swore as he hadn't done since he was turned.

"What is it?" The brissons chorused.

"The entire top of the mountain is covered in nets of black magic." Stacey told them. "I've never seen such a complicated spell. I can't even begin to guess its purpose!"

"I'm not so sure." Tom said distractedly, his eyes were still locked on the mountain. "I'm almost certain it's diverting the water. The question is where, and why?"

"Can you tell more from here?" Stacey asked.

"No, I don't think so." Tom said slowly. "I can''t see the finer threads that I know have to be there. We have to get closer to do that, and right on top of them in order to destroy them."

"We'll have to move cautiously." Stacey warned. "If someone went through that much effort as to trap the water supply of several mountains at least, then they are going to have it well guarded."

"We should come back with many tribesmen." Lana trembled. "Maybe leave the mountain alone."

"We can't do either of those things." Tom said, looking at her sternly. "A great army would mean a horrible battle here, with many losses. We cannot afford either, nor can we simply leave it alone. However, a small group working stealthily might have better success than an army."

Stacey cocked an eye at him. "Are you going all Delta Force on me?" she asked incredulously, ignoring the confused looks of her companions.

Tom grinned unabashedly. "We can do it." He said earnestly.

Stacey sighed. "We have no choice. But I think first we are going to have to get through that forest ahead." She pointed to the smaller trees just starting to grow in front of them, singly and spaced far apart. These were hardy trees that lived on little water, the aspens and like-leafed trees. Further back they became denser, gloomier somehow. Dark shadows hung heavy underneath their boughs.

"Our first obstacle," Tom mused, staring thoughtfully at them. "No doubt there are trip wires to alert whoever about anyone approaching the mountain. Be careful.""

They spent the last of the light getting close to their target and finding a good place to sleep. They had covered several miles that day through the rough sand and were exhausted. Stacey grew a thick barrier of thorns around them and over them, closing the latticework above them in a tight weave to keep unwanted intruders out.

They lit a small fire from salvaged fuel, roasted a small rabbit Mausi had brought down with a sling earlier, and had dinner. Stacey nibbled the nuts she'd found earlier while Tom enjoyed a bit of both, though he ate far more nuts then rabbit meat. When supper was finished they stretched out comfortably on the ground. Mausi sat up, insisting that she take the first watch. Seeing no way to change the stubborn Brisson's mind, they settled on Lana's lap to sleep comfortably. Stretching to her full diminutive height, Stacey watched Mausi pace the length of the wall, around and around, until at last she fell asleep, the shadowy figure patrolling even in her dreams, a comforting presence.

When she woke, it was full morning and the fire had died. Figures bustled about the camp, packing the few items of gear and returning the campsite to its original state. The only difference was the hedge wall, which would remain until something tore it down.

Stacey realized that she'd been sleeping on Lana's lap last night. Looking up, she realized that Lana was looking down at her with a smile on her face, sitting uncomfortably on the cold ground, waiting for her to wake up!

Cheeks aflame, she launched herself quickly into the air.

"Good morning." She said mortified at her thoughtlessness.

"Good morning!" Lana said cheerfully, standing stiffly up and stretching to loosen sore muscles. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very." Stacey told her. "You're very......ah...soft." Stacey blushed furiously, wondering what to say, how to extricate herself from the uncomfortable situation, and how she'd even gotten there in the first place.

"Good!" Lana seemed oblivious to her discomfort. She hurriedly comported herself and gathered with Mausi.

Stacey flew up to one wall and whispered quietly to the plant.

"Good morning! What news from the night?"

"Many creatures watched from the eves of the forest, but none dared approach." The plant rustled back. "Be careful out there!""

"We will" she promised. Part of the wall rolled back in a wave of tendrils, leaves and thorns, until a single archway was visible. The group strode out in the morning sunshine, all smiles and laughter.

The brooding forest just beyond stone's throw wiped the smiles right from their faces. Thick creepers twisted this way and that on the sickly brown bark of the trees that hung grimly over the dry streambed. Some had roots growing right down the sides of the bank like skeletal hands grasping for water and tearing at the banks in their frustration. Though there was no underbrush, the broad leafy crowns blocked the light from reaching down to their own roots, leaving their path dim and hard to see.

"Well, this looks promising." Tom joked nervously as they halted just outside the darkness.

"This place is...strange." Mausi muttered uneasily.

"What is keeping the trees so thick and alive?" Stacey asked. "There is clearly no water flowing down the stream, and hasn''t been for some time."

"I don't know." Tom agreed.

"Wait a moment." Stacey told them.

She flew up to the nearest tree and laid her hand on its trunk. Instant pain flew up her arm, like she'd placed it against a boiling pot of water. She gasped, tears sprang to her eyes, but she didn't remove her hand. Instead, she pushed feelings of peace and contentment towards the tree, struggling to heal the hate she felt boiling its core like lye.

For long moments she strove against the twisted heart, feeling it resist her efforts strongly at first, then growing weaker as they continued. Her eyes stung, she realized she was sweating, and her muscles trembled. Never before had she felt such evil in a living plant, and she wept to think what it must have taken to bring it like that.

Images flashed into her head; grim shadows with red eyes, death that stalked amongst the branches and along the floor, and the ground watered with blood from innocent creatures and wicked alike, the only moisture to be found in the parched lands for a hundred years.

Stacey dimly felt herself being hurled backwards; such was the violence of the breaking of powers in the tree. The darkness had been defeated, she was sure, but as she picked herself wearily off the ground, brushing off the worried questions of her companions, she eyed the smoking, shattered trunk of the tree she'd worked on. With a final crack, it tumbled backwards into the forest, landing with a crash.

Tom's worried face filled her vision and she blinked in surprise.

"What happened?" He asked her urgently.

"Evil happened." She told him shortly. "Here for a very long time."

"What?" He looked blank, but the horror on her was too great, she would not tell anyone what she had seen.

Let them have their time of ignorance, she thought. If we are lucky we can get through this horrible place without ever meeting any of the creatures that call this place home. She felt confident in her seeds and her own magic to handle the forest, but thought it would be better to stay quiet rather than risk the wrath of...well, monsters.

They argued with her for a bit of course, with Mausi and Lana being the most vocal.

"We cannot survive on nuts and berries, we need meat." They groused.

"You've had some of my food before." Stacey pointed out.

"Yes, but that was few and small, we cannot have lots of it. We must eat meat if we are to survive." Mausi explained.

"I understand." Stacey said. "But I don't think you will find anything in this forest fit to hunt and eat. All the innocent creatures here are dead or gone, and the things that stalk the shadows are more likely to hunt you and eat you than you them."

Even to her own ears, her voice had an uncharacteristic harshness; much like her uncle had when he'd come back from the war without his leg and spoke of the ambush in the pass.

Whether it was her tone or the hostility of the forest surrounding them, no one objected to her insistence that they remain in the stream bed at all times.

"Besides," Tom said in an effort to cheer them up, "the forest isn't all that big. We should be able to get through it in a day, perhaps two."

With luck, Stacey added silently.

#

Inside it was every bit as dark as Stacey had feared. She and Tom became the sole source of light in the gloom, twinkling like green and blue stars in a lightless sky. In their illumination, Mausi and Lana could just be seen behind them, shadows in their eyes and ears, making them seem frightening monsters rather than good friends.

Stacey shuddered, disliking the thought. She slowed her pace a little more to allow Lana to catch up. It helped a little to see her eyes again.

They'd gone on for nearly four hours, by Stacey's estimate, when there came a loud snap from ahead, followed soon after by a clicking sound Stacey thought she knew. Instantly everyone froze, crouching and grasping what weapons they had. Mausi had collected wood from the edges and fashioned two new spears for her and Lana, but as for Tom and Stacey, they had only their magic to rely on.

A blue sword shimmered into the air in front of Tom, who flew in the air just behind it, holding his hands as if he held the hiltless sword.

Stacey blinked, when had he gotten that?

"At the cave where we rescued Lana. I discovered I could make it with my magic, though it drains me." He said tersely when she asked.

Lana wondered briefly if she could do the same. She held out her hands, thinking Sword! Nothing happened. She tried several different thoughts and ideas, from imagining a sword to calling one from the forest, but nothing happened. Just as she was about to give up, she thought Weapon!

Green flame flashed into existence, banishing the shadows that surrounded the company. From it, an oaken staff, carved with vines and trees, bushes and flowers, and capped with a sparkling flawless emerald appeared. She grasped it without thinking, and marveled at its lightness. As the flesh of her palms touched the cool wood, courage surged in her heart, and a righteous wrath.

Moving ahead, she lifted the staff, causing the emerald to blaze. Abruptly they could see their enemy.

"As we thought." Stacey said calmly.

"What is that monster?!" Lana and Mausi cried in terror, cowering back from the apparition that approached them, Mausi instinctively shoving Lana behind her in an effort to protect her.

"One of Cassandra's ilk." Tom snarled, coming beside Stacey and waving his sword point at the cowering arachnid.

It had to have been. The spider was as large as a feral hog, with eight long segmented legs that came down to support its bulk. The abdomen was smooth and sleek, not bloated like Cassandra's, and Stacey felt a flash of fear, knowing that spiders used various methods for hunting. Which would this use?

A hissing, spitting sound came, and Stacey realized it was speaking to her!

"Whaaat isss it? What iss it? It hurtsss our eyes! Ssso bright! What isss bright thing floating in good darkness?"

"What is it doing?" Tom muttered, staring at it.

"At the moment? Asking questions." Stacey told him quietly.

He gave her a startled look. "You can understand it?"

"Yes, can't you?"

He shook his head. "It sounds like hissing to me." He admitted.

"Well, let me try to reason with it." Stacey said. "I don't want to be caught up in a battle, or have this thing chasing us."

She dimmed her light a little out of politeness and raised her voice.

"Who are you, spawn of Cassandra, who seeks to bar our path?"

The spider lowered its forelegs from shielding its red eyes.

"It speaksss to usss, the light. It speaksss of the Great Mother, the Firsssst! What do you know of her?" the spider demanded.

"I knew Cassandra, the first Spider." Stacey told it. "We strove against one another for a while. What do you know of her?""

The spider hesitated, obviously wondering how much it should say. At last it hissed, "The Great Mother, The Firssst Mother, brought us into the world, hid usss from the monssssters that ssssought to dessstroy us, and gave usss good hosssts to ussse and food to eat!" the spider''s voice took on a note of wonder. "Many, many generationsss of usss have lived sssince her, but we remember. Yesss, we alwayssss remember!"

Stacey frowned, not liking what she suspected. It seemed that more of Cassandra was in these creatures than she liked.

"We do not seek to destroy you, but to pass by unhindered! Do not block us, and we shall leave you in peace." Stacey told it.

The spider paused. "You are too sssmall to trouble with." Its eyes fell on Mausi, and behind her Lana. "The prey behind you, yesss. They will do nicely! We need them for hossssts, we do. All otherssss taken, none left for poor Sssandra, no! We jusssst want to lay our eggsss!"

She took a creeping step forward. The emerald shone bright again as Stacey spoke in ringing tones that echoed strangely in the forest.

"Back Sandra! You shall not have them, for they are my friends! I am Stacey, and this is Tom! We are the monsters you fear, the ones that destroyed your First Mother, Cassandra the Spider Queen, all those generations ago! We have returned to this world and will destroy you if you attack us! Stand aside and let us pass, or feel our wrath. What say you?! Do you bar our path? Choose now!""

Stacey felt sweat trickle down her nose as she stared at the wretched creature in front of her. It had frozen at her announcement and cowered low when she announced who she was. A strange, soft scream came from the spider, wet and horrible to hear. She shuddered as that call cut through her body like a knife.

The spider backed off slightly and hesitated.

"Sssso full of eggsss, she hissed. "Mussst lay sssoon or die. Will no one help usss?"

Stacey felt something in her snap. "You use women like chattel! You stuff their wombs full of your horrid spawn and tie them tightly in a sack! They are trapped and unable to move while their bellies swell and the young start to move around inside! If they die, you eat them! If they are weak, you either feed them a disgusting slurry of whatever you''ve eaten recently, (even their own friends!), or eat them yourselves! Yet you come and ask us to willingly submit to such tortures? Would anyone? Go, and lay your foul brood in the open like normal spiders."

The spider retreated from her anger and seemed on the point of running. Stacey realized that she, and now she knew it was a she, was oscillating between terror of her, and the very real desperation she had to lay her own eggs.

Without warning, the fight was over. The spider turned and shot a sticky string of web the thickness of a man's wrist at her! Tom and Stacey threw themselves out of the way, spinning and bobbing crazily about. Stacey cursed to herself, the spider hadn't been after her! Sure enough, when she stabilized and looked, the web had struck Mausi in the gut, causing her to double over in surprise. She still held her spear, and she planted the butt into the dirt to try and pull herself away from the spider as she pulled her in like a fish on a reel.

Tom raced towards them, the sword swinging upwards in preparation to cut the line while Stacey raced towards the spider, now screeching words so fast that she couldn't make them out.

Desperately, the spider jumped! She arced over Tom's sword, whose point was just starting to come down, and crashed into Mausi. The two tumbled to the ground and the spider knocked the spear out of her hands and bound her wrists and legs in webbing. She dodged a strike from Lana's spear, spat sticky snares at Tom who cut them in half but was slowed in his efforts, and threw a rock at Stacey. Not expecting such a feat from a spider, she didn't dodge the blow. The grey stone filled her vision for a half-second before the hammer of Thor knocked her out of the sky.  


When she came too, she wondered if she had. It was dark, very dark, like the inside of a cave. As she struggled to stand, disjointed images of battle and spiders threatened to overwhelm her, and then the sight of Mausi being taken...Mausi!

Thrusting herself off the ground, Stacey summoned her wand and flooded the small stream bed with light. Signs of the fight were everywhere; the ground torn with struggling feet, a slender tree cut cleanly in twain, and a clear trail where something had been dragged into the underbrush.

Not hesitating, Stacey followed, getting as close as she dared and dimming her light so as not to attract attention to herself.

Gah! What a fool I was. What on earth made me think that I could reason with such a creature? Now we've lost Mausi and possibly Lana. I'm surprised Tom wasn't able to stop it, unless he got knocked out like I was.

The thought of Tom lying there, in the shadow of some tree or behind a rock and just out of her sight nearly made her turn around and go look for him. She told herself to keep going, not stop. Tom wouldn't abandon Mausi and Lana, and chances are he's with them now, or fighting to free them. Even if he's back by the stream, he should be fine for now. Mausi and Lana are in immediate danger.

Silent tears of frustration made her eyes sting and her cheeks wet, but still she flew on. Urging herself to go faster and faster as she tried to catch up.

How long was I out? Am I already too late? She wondered.

She gasped at a sword mark in a passing tree. A wave of relief warmed her and made her legs shake, though she didn't stop flying.

The sounds of battle abruptly filled her ears. It sounded just ahead, but who could tell in that awful, inky darkness? Stacey certainly couldn't at least; she had to trust to hope that she could make it there in time to help.

The thick forest on either side of her gave way to a broad clearing that seemed somehow darker than under the trees. Above her a thick roof of webbing shimmered in her light, the strands glistening pale white in the gloom. Several bundles hung suspended from the web, the silken cocoons surrounding the bodies so tightly that they had to be only millimeters thick, for Stacey could see almost every detail of them. It was as if white sheets had been vacuum-sealed over the victims. She could see most had been eaten, the bodies drained of sustenance. There were deer, rabbit, birds, and even a snake, but no sign of brissons.

On the clearing floor, the others were engaged in fighting Sandra. Mausi had been partially freed; her legs were bound but her hands were untied and she struggled against the hungry jaws of the spider as she tried to quell her victim. Lana attempted to stab the thing with her spear, but the hard armor defeated her again and again, and she remained unable to pierce its eyes. Tom, on the other hand, was using his sword to effectively keep other spiders at bay. Several were answering the sounds of battle and obviously hoped for a free meal. Soon, Stacey knew there would simply be too many to fight and they would be overwhelmed.

Despair filled her, wondering on earth she could do to help. The forest was against her, their enemies too numerous to count, and their own numbers far too few to make a difference. She could fly, escape with Tom and fly through the forest, leaving Mausi and Lana behind, grieving of course, but alive and free.

No. A small voice said inside her. They're my friends. I cannot leave them, even if it means my death.

Then, unbidden, a new voice came to her. This one was female as well, but seemed very old, more ancient that the forests, rivers, or streams, older than the oldest mountains. It was like an elf Queen of old, whispering to her very mind. Stacey marveled at it even as she listened.

You are the Queen of the fairies, the Protector of the Forest! Feel their wisdom and strength flow through you. You are as much the hope of them, as you are of your people, let their instincts guide you to victory!

Emboldened, she lit up her wand with as much energy as she could, making the jewel flash in the dark. Its presence became immediately felt, as she settled on the crown of a broken stump, the wood groaning slightly as she touched it. Her simple gown vanished in twinkling lights, replaced by a regal dress of green, bedecked with gold and strung with emeralds. On her brow a crown appeared, wrought of silver steel in the shape of a great tree. Her small staff became a scepter of great magnificence; the emerald stone supported by the crown of an oak tree, which Stacey knew was the preferred tree of fairies. On her feet were simple slippers, and in her hair were placed hundreds of small bluebells, daisies, snapdragons and marigolds (all made small enough to not seem out of place on a grown woman).

The spiders screamed in surprise and fear, covering their eyes and backing towards the comforting darkness. Sandra gave a despairing tug at Mausi, hoping to drag her further into the darkness, but Stacey angled the light specifically to catch her, and she was forced to retreat.

Lana used her spear to cut the cords around Mausi's ankles while Tom darted here and there with his sword, striking at any spider that ventured too close to the circle of light. All the while they cast shocked glances back at her, staring in wonder at this young fey queen that had appeared amongst them, Stacey knew. She smiled a little at their wonder; it felt so pure and fresh to her mind.

Now she felt, well, like she imagined Serena must have felt when she became a unicorn. All of her fear fell away as she accepted the great well of energy that had stood behind the veil in her mind. She'd never even touched a tenth of the power she was capable of wielding, she realized. While not strong like Serena or Jake, she had more than enough power to deal with the spiders.

Outside, hundreds of red, furious eyes watched them closely, more coming in every second it seemed. Their hissing, snarling din filled the night with so many voices that any individual was tough to pick out, but she heard enough to gather that many of the spiders were angry with Sandra for bringing this disaster upon them.

One voice rose above the others. "Never before hasss sssuch morssselsss come to usss and walked away unssscathed! You fool! You ssshould have gotten all of usss and we might have brought them down without a ssstruggle! Now you will be the firssst in to battle!"

Stacey had little pity for Sandra-she was one of Cassandra's brood after all- but they couldn't afford to let the spiders launch their attack.

She fluttered her wings and slowly rose into the air. Moving in the direction she remembered the stream as being, she led the others towards the edge of the clearing. The spiders reluctantly gave way before her, staying on the outside of the circle of fey magic. She did notice the snares left on the ground to trip up Mausi and Lana however.

A blast of magic shriveled the webbed traps and sent green fire back at the spiders that held them. Several blackened corpses collapsed, sending the rest scattering in several directions.

Before they could completely leave, however, one spider found itself shoved into the light. It screamed in terror and fear, waving its arms in front of its eyes to block the light.

Stacey paused, recognizing Sandra's markings now-a yellow circle with a red hourglass on the back of her body, stopping just short of the joint where her abdomen joined her body.

"Step aside, Sandra." Stacey commanded in a clear voice. "You have lost here today."

Sandra wailed wretchedly, writhing on the ground at the sound of her voice.

"We can't! The Mother commandsss uss, she doess! We can't sssstop! And our children, we can't ssstop now!"

She blubbered in that vein for some moments, while Stacey looked sternly down on her. Tom moved his sword to strike, but Stacey held out her hand.

"Sandra." Stacey said softly. The spider looked up in surprise, not understanding why her voice would be so soft now when it had been harder than diamond a moment ago.

"Sandra, you are a wretched, lonely creature who has no friends, even amongst your own people. How this came to be I cannot guess, but you have my pity." Even as she said those words she marveled at them. But they were true, she did fill pity welling up inside her at the state of the creature before her.

"If you will stand down, I will guarantee you safe passage out of this forest." She said softly. "Then you may go your own way. Will that please you?""

Dead silence. The forest seemed to hold its breath, waiting to see what would happen. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tom's disbelieving glance (she could only imagine what Mausi and Lana must have looked like), but she thought she was making the right choice. Despite everything, she didn't feel Sandra was a threat. Dangerous, yes; Despairing, most certainly; But not a threat to them, at least, not at the moment. That could change in a twinkling, however; the whole situation seemed to balance on the edge of a knife. Which way would it split?

That moment stretched on and on for what seemed years to Stacey. Sandra kept watching her with awestruck red eyes, as if she'd never seen such wonders before.

Suddenly, an enormous hairy leg smashed into the ground next to her as the queen of the spiders stepped into the light, her multitude of eyes flashing ruby fury. She stood larger than an elephant; massive and bloated, with mottled grey coat and black markings that nearly disappeared into her disgusting body. Seven long legs extended yards to either side of her body, the points ending in two sharp claws digging into the dirt for traction. The eighth leg stopped abruptly four feet from the base, it''s rough and jagged end gaping wildly.

She directed a kick at Sandra and sent her flying into the darkness, from which emerged a sudden crunch of trees and a pained shriek, suddenly cut off.

Stacey glowered at the spider queen; there hadn't been any call to do that!

"I ssseee you, little fairy!" she hissed in a high, quivering voice. "Don't think that you can get away from me! I am ssstronger than your horrible lightsss!"

"I am far more than a mere firefly, Queen of the Web!" Stacey drew herself up. "And if you come against me, you shall find that out, to your sorrow! Back! Back into the darkness from whence you come!" she pointed back, and to everyone's surprise, the Spider Queen took a step back, but she recovered.

"Never! I shall bind you and hang you in my web upssside down for a bit, with your eyessss uncovered ssso you can watch asss we take your friendsss and fill their belliesss full to bursssting over and over until they are usssed up, then we shall eat them and at lassst, when you have given completely over to dessspair and beg for it, we shall kill you and eat you as well!""

She advanced; confident in of victory while behind her Stacey could hear the despairing whimpers of Lana and the soft whine of Mausi as she prepared for the end. Tom stood beside her, his sword upraised and ready to strike. He looked grim, perhaps wishing he had water of any sort to work with.

Abruptly, Stacey thrust up her staff into the air and shouted aloud, "Come to me, my trees! Shake off the evil rot in your heart, cast aside your dead leaves and stand vibrant once more in the light! Come, for my need is great, come and see these wretches banished!"

A creaking, cracking and groaning sounded noisily in the clearing. The spiders chittered to one another in their language as they spun round and round to see the trees starting to shake in response to Stacey's commands.

Cascades of dead leaves fell from above, leaving behind green growth and letting the sun fall through for the first time since no one knew when. Brown, crusty bark, nearly black from the time in the dark, shifted and stretched like old, old skin that has turned nearly to parchment and is called on to move one more time by its owner. Limbs, roused from slumber, began to move; some reaching for the spiders on the ground, the others snaring any unlucky enough to be caught amongst their grasping fingers.

The spiders retaliated by hurling sticky webs at the clutching creepers, biting twig and leaf off, and stabbing with their abdomens like bees with stingers.

"At them!" Tom roared suddenly, charging forward with sword upraised at the Spider Queen, who kept turning round and round in the newly made clearing trying to see what was happening.

At this she remembered what she'd been doing, and came around to attack Tom. He dodged to the left, coming underneath her bloated body and stabbing upward with his sword. The blade struck the armor and sparked, but seemed to do little damage.

Mausi and Lana charged in, terror in their eyes but their spears keen, yelling battle cries in their native tongue that sounded similar to snarling wolves that have sighted another pack in their territory.

Two spear points found a joint near the base of one leg and thrust in deep, the armor weak there. The leg fell useless as the muscles were sliced and nerve bundles severed completely. The queen screamed in agony, rising swiftly above the range of hearing. Instead, it became nearly physical, a wave of sound that beat on them like waves at sea.

Mausi flew backwards, propelled by a savage kick from a working leg. Lana found herself pinched between the useless leg and another as the queen attempted to turn so she could protect her wounded leg.

"Aaah!" Lana cried, frantically trying to keep from being crushed.

The leg jerked away, pulled by a tendril from a tree nearby. Lana fell to the ground, winded while the queen struggled to free herself.

Seizing the opportunity, Tom charged in, going for the eyes. The pedipalps sought to block his attack, but he dodged low and twisted upwards, scoring a direct hit on three of the eight eyes glaring malevolently from her grotesque face. The queen screamed in pain. The distraction allowed Mausi to stab at her head, the spear bouncing off the armored face. Lana's turn came next as she came at her from the side, but now some of the spiders were abandoning their efforts against the forest and were making their slow, painful way into the light. They couldn't face it themselves, so they covered their eyes with their front legs and groped their way towards the sounds of battle. Lana turned and dispatched a dozen spiders with spear flashing in delight with each kill.

Stacey sensed the battle spiraling quickly out of control, the numbers facing them were too great, and the queen too powerful to overcome at once.

She filled herself fit to bursting with power, the electric energy racing along her veins until they felt swollen and painful. Had she been able to look at herself, she would have seen her skin seeming to come apart with energy, green-gold light spewing from her eyes, mouth, and nose, her own long hair rising above her shoulders as if she were in the center of a lightning storm.

Roots exploded from the ground, passing by on either side of her like runaway trains, aiming directly for the startled queen. The tendrils wrapped around each of her legs at the base of the join and pulled taught, stretching the spider horrifically. She screamed, there came a loud pop! And then she dropped to the ground, the life already leaving her. The roots dropped the twitching legs next to the corpse and fell limp.

Stacey watched the world going black and realized dimly that she was falling, falling, only to have warmth surround her. Dim voices, barely heard, penetrated the dense fog she was trapped in. No word could be made out, but she thought it sounded like Mausi and Lana.

At last, she knew nothing more.