Something about being in her personal sanctuary made him feel excited, like he was closer to her somehow. These were her books and belongings. All the things he never thought he’d see were in the room under his quail-feather duster. He had known her for over two months, but she was always elusive and avoided sharing much about herself. Being in her room gave him a better idea of who she was as a person. He was finished dusting, though.
The spider turned him toward the trap door to leave.
No, I can't leave now!
He’d just found Snow’s room; he wasn’t about to let the spider take him away again. If he was thinking rationally, he would’ve realized how silly he was. It was only a room. But he wasn’t being rational, because everything was wrong. He wasn’t supposed to be kidnapped or sold into the slave trade. He wasn’t supposed to be eighteen, and he wasn’t supposed to be an orphan. Above all else, he wasn’t supposed to want to get closer to a princess.
His life was falling apart, and he had no control over where he was and wasn’t. At that moment, he wanted to stay. With all the conviction he could muster, Terrin gathered every ounce of strength in his being and tried to retake control of his body. Unfortunately, his footsteps didn’t falter. He balled his fist in frustration.
Wait a second; I did that by myself.
Terrin decided he was going to overload the spider once more. He collected all his frustration, anger, dejection, and loss. He thought of his terror when Elurra was hanging off the side of the library and all the irritating fights they had. He thought of their laughter and playtimes as kids, and Elurra’s heartbroken expression as he was stolen away. Terrin channeled all his emotions and rammed them against the spider’s wall of control over him. He expected to break through for a moment, but his attack made everything harder. It even gained control of his breathing and his blinking. Everything went numb, and his motions became choppier. His felt like he was seeing through someone else’s eyes.
I don’t understand, he thought, anger building up inside of him. Calm down. Think this through. Naturally, most people feel angry and hopeless when they are under the control of something else. Clearly the spider feeds off those emotions. There must be something else that can stop it. Something simple. Something unexpected.
A phrase came to Terrin. It was a command the spider could not refuse. It was so simple Terrin said it without even understanding what he was doing.
“Yãni quy.”[i]
Quite unexpectedly, his hands and arms lit up with a golden light. The light spread up to his ear and a formidable power filled him. There was a stench, like something was burning, and then the light vanished. He abruptly came to a halt in front of the trap door. Terrin stood there for several minutes, waiting for the spider to take over again and his trek down the stairs to continue, but nothing happened.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
He did, however, feel incredibly cold. Multiple places on his body started to ache, corresponding with the places he was hit by various angry people he had walked in on. He knew he couldn’t just stand there or he would freeze to death. He reached up and touched the back of his ear, not daring to believe what had happened. To his disbelief, the creature was gone.
Knowing Nitiri, this is probably some trick, and I only have a few minutes of freedom.
He rushed to the bed and wrapped one of the heavy down blankets around himself. The shivers coursing through his body ceased after a few minutes, and he was able to gather his thoughts again. He’d taken a long time to dust the room, and twilight was setting on the land outside. The sunset reflected off the snow in a kaleidoscope of colors below.
Now he was free, he wanted to look around the room a bit. He felt like an intruder as he opened the drawer in Snow’s nightstand, only to find ink, parchment, and a quill.
Terrin shut the drawer and thought to himself, Where would an eleven-year-old keep special things?
He pondered the question for a while, then remembered his treasure chest under his bed at home. On a hunch, he knelt and peered under the bed. He smiled when he spotted the wooden box.
“We do think alike,” he mumbled as he stretched his arm out to grab it. The box was only a foot away from the edge. That’s probably as far as Snow’s arms could reach.
He pulled it out and rubbed the smooth, well-polished wood. Terrin had never seen the likes of it before and assumed it was only found in the North. The box was a dark chocolate color and obviously very old if the multiple worn dents covering the surface were any indication. He ran his hand over the sides looking for a latch. All he found was a crack running all the way around. He pulled on both sides of the lid, and it slid off without a sound.
The inside was covered in blue satin. There was a shell, a ring, a page of writing, and a white rabbit’s foot. As he pulled out the assortment of objects, a silver stone with a snowflake carved in it caught his eye. It sparkled in the dim light. He took the stone out and tucked the other things away. He sat down on the soft mattress to examine his find. The craftsmanship was remarkable. He had never seen anything like it. The stone glimmered in the fading light, like true silver. Terrin looked up suddenly as he heard footsteps on the stairs. He furtively slipped the stone into his pocket, and Elurra’s bracelet caught on the fabric of his pants as he tucked it away. He noticed the stone and bracelet had the same snowflake emblem on them, but he didn’t have much time to dwell on it.
The trap door flew open, and Nitiri stepped out, panting.
“There you are! Why are you—” She stopped mid-sentence when she saw his eyes. “What are you doing? How did you kill my spider?”
Terrin shrank back, afraid.
“How can so many of the greatest sorcerers have used these—and without trouble—yet you children are such a bother?” she yelled. She didn't let him answer before she raised a hand and hissed, “Ŵarņ slet ijine.”[ii]
Her angry glare dissolved into darkness.