The church stood tall and magnificent, its enormous bell swinging back and forth. As the sunlight reflected off the bell it looked to Sabrina, as if another sun was blazing at the head of the church. The church walls were painted white and rigorously cleaned it seemed. Outside, she saw a small gathering of 'WC' and guessed these were the first to arrive when the bell first started ringing.

All the 'WC' members at the church were in cover, whether that be behind the corner of buildings or the idle wagon that was parked adjacent to the church. Sabrina needn’t take a guess as to why, when she saw one WC lying dead in the open, his corpse feathered by a dozen bolts.

“Princess?” called a voice, and when Sabrina looked, it was Pyro that called out to her.

Sabrina dashed to crouch next to him, hearing a bolt whistle past her face as she got in close. Pyro pulled her down behind the wagon, his longsword in hand. When Sabrina was in cover, she heard a thrum as a bolt connected with the wagon wheel—sending a rippling wave of vibration to flow throughout the wood.

“Crossbowmen. Inside the church” Pyro said. “I came to stop the bell—” Another bolt hissed overhead to impact a building wall and snap. “—I fucking hate crossbows,” Pyro added.

Sabrina peered between the shallow gaps in the wood to get a better look at the church. Narrow slitted windows that once held panels of brightly stained glass, were now hollow. From within those windows, Sabrina saw the twinkle of crossbow bolts.

‘Bing Bong, Bing Bong.” The bell continued to ring.

Sabrina leaned back to look at the bell, then opened her mouth. A few bolts took to the air around her. Sabrina got a shot off before being dragged down by Pyro.

“Binnnnnnnng B—” The bell ceased to ring, the sticky webbing she had shot had interrupted the iron hinge in which the bell swung.

“Well, that’s one problem dealt with,” Pyro remarked. “Now just to get in and make an end to the bastards responsible. Oh-ho just you wait” he said, licking his lips.

“Leave it to me.” Said Sabrina, and without a second thought, she vaulted over the large wagon.

“Princess!” She heard Pyro yell and felt his loose grip on her foot as she vaulted. Sabrina ignored him, landing squarely in the open. She saw the flash of steel-tip bolts whistle to meet her. Sabrina ducked, measuring the trajectory of each bolt as it caught the light. The bolts moved like a shining thread of lightning, each one narrowly missing her skin as she twitched from dodge to dodge.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The exercise was dangerous, but Sabrina found the test thrilling. The sun burned her skin and hindered her vision, but she could feel the steel snakes cut through the air, hear each one whistle as it got close. She twirled between the two bolts she could not dodge at the same time, and felt a pinch, as one bolt grazed her left thigh.

Landing, she leaped frog-like to the church wall and scaled its height. At the top, she felt the wind brush her hair with a chilly kiss. The rope that caused the bell to swing was being tugged hard, the spider silk—now beginning to tear from the constant wear was about to snap. Down the thin tower that housed the bell, Sabrina scaled.

Below she saw an old man furiously tugging at the rope, to Sabrina, he looked to be of an age of five and fifty. Her silent descent allowed her to remain undetected. She began to hear voices erupting from inside the church, men and woman were shouting, crossbows were being loosed, then reloaded, and amidst it all, she could make out one troubled voice:

“Roof! Roof, One's on the roof.”

The balding man set in charge of ringing the church bell looked up the tower chute in alarm, understanding the words echoing throughout the church. His eyes widened when he saw what would have appeared to him as a human spider, deafly scaling downwards, getting closer and closer.

Sabrina lunged forward—mouth wide open. The old man tried to scream but his terror was cut short when a thin spray of webbing covered his mouth. The man retreated in shock, clutching his sealed mouth, and rolling backward over a wooden table behind him. Sabrina's feet landed on the smooth stone floor with a slap.

“I’m glad you had sense enough to come.” Said a voice, before she had time to stand. Sabrina whirled around. The room around her was spacious, behind Sabrina was a set of tall, decorated doors that likely led into the sanctuary. Thana was bathing in a pool of shadow, her eyes glowing so brightly, they looked almost demonic.

The old man in charge of bell ringing rose clumsily to his feet. His mouth was still sealed but he could just about sniff in air through his nose. He looked first at Sabrina in a posture of mercy, then noticed Thana on the other side of the room. His eyes rolled momentarily as he fell backward on the table. He had fainted.

“The main gatehouse has fallen Sabrina,” Thana said. “It is over. When the people of Leeside see an uprising, they will work to take the city back.”

“I know,” Sabrina answered, seeing the half shock, half relief look wash over Thana. “But when my father is forced into a corner, he’ll—”

Thana moved forward but halted when she reached a ray of light, which cut the room in half from the bell tower, specs of dust floated between them in the ray of light.

“That is why I asked you to make the serum Sabrina." interrupted Thana, "Do you remember when I asked you; said it was for your own safety, and that you may need it one day?”

“I made the serum,” Sabrina said flatly. Thana gave a visible gasp.

“Watch out!” Someone cried from beyond the tall wooden doors. There was a second pause, then a thunderclap that shook the dust from the rafters above.

“Get water to that fire.” Came a rough voice, “Their trying to smoke us out.” Came another.

“You’re either with me…or against me Sabrina.” Said Thana, her claws now beginning to extend.