Arcritch hunched over the small book, a pair of spectacles perching precariously over his two main eyes.

“My love, we can be together forever now he’s gone… will… will you accept me?” Said Dawlish, kneeling before Clarissa.

“Oh… Darling… I will always love you, forever and ever.” She whispered.

Arcritch’s eight legs momentarily jiggled with joy as he read the words. He was a slow reader, and had long awaited the climax of this, the eighth novel in the Dawnbreak saga. A gigantic, hairy leg rose and with the utmost gentleness, turned to the next page.

Then his communion with the novel was interrupted as yelling and screaming erupted outside his cave. He winced as highly sensitive ears picked out the echoing sounds bouncing through the tunnel to his chamber.

He hissed reflexively, huge fangs extending, glistening with acidic poison. Then winced backwards as a drop fell. It landed on his novel, and immediately began eating into half of the book.

An ungodly shriek of rage was released.

---

“You can’t do this!” Yelled Xena.

“Shut up.” Barked Sloan, the Chief of the village. “After what you did to my boy, this is what you get.” He turned to the other four men, who surrounded her and held their spears ready to thrust if she attempted to escape.

“One shall not suffer a witch to live!” Screamed Sloan and spittle flew from his mouth. His face was red with rage.

The others muttered agreement, and seeing their hard, merciless eyes, she knew this was the end.

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Xena didn’t even know how she’d killed his son, but she knew he’d deserved it. She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. There was nothing she could say, the village was against her.

The cool evening ambience was suddenly shattered as an unholy screech of pure rage exploded from the depths of the cave entrance, and Xena huddled in on herself as everyone else reflexively stepped away.

A minute later there was a clattering sound, growing swiftly louder as eight arachnid legs propelled the monster toward them.

---

Fortunately the acid had ruined the side of the book he’d already read, and he’d managed to save much of it. Thus when Arcritch arrived to find five humans standing outside his cave he was merely furious, not murderously furious.

He watched them stumble backwards, faces pale, pointing spears at him.

“What do you want?” He hissed, in a voice like twigs scratching against a window.

The biggest human, red faced and ugly, took a tiny step forward.

“Monster!” He yelled, as though an actor in a play, then made a ridiculous two handed gesture toward the girl crouching in the middle of them. “We have brought you this sacrifice! Please spare us your wrath and ensure our harvest is plentiful this year!”

Arcritch released a deep sigh, and the human stumbled back as the deep hissing sound filled the air. Not this again. He thought he’d been clear enough last time the humans decided it was his job to eat people they didn’t like.

“As I told your ancestors, I do not want your ‘sacrifices’. Leave me alone.”

He began to turn around when the human spoke again.

“This girl is a witch. An abomination!" He frothed, "Our laws state that any witch must be sacrificed to a monster! This is the agreement! Don’t turn your back on me, creature!”

Arcritch had never heard of any such agreement and was almost certain the human was making it up. Normally they’d all have ran away by now. Clearly a demonstration was needed in order to ensure the humans left him alone for another generation.

He turned abruptly, and made a small gesture. The ugly human exploded.

The others, now covered in gore, shrieked with terror and fled. Satisfied, Arcritch began to turn away once again, when he realised one was still there.

The girl stood, and wiped blood off her face. Blue eyes stared at him without fear.

“Can you… teach me to do that?”

Arcritch managed to resist the impulse to explode her too, and instead thought for a moment. It was difficult, when you were a twelve foot tall arachnid, to go into human cities and buy books. There were another four novels in the Dawnbreak saga left. Perhaps they could arrange something...