The Trail of Silk

Bright sunlight forced Calum awake. He blinked, trying to adjust to the light. “Looks like we weren’t attacked last night… by why didn’t Erik wake me up? I was supposed to keep watch during the second half of the night…”

He jumped to his feet and exited his tent. Outside, Tilaya and Kia were pacing around camp.

“Good morning, you two. What’s going on?”

Tilaya stopped and turned to Calum. Worry filled her eyes. “Erik’s disappeared.”

Calum scanned the area. “Is he not in his tent?”

Kia crouched by the log Erik had sat on to keep watch. “No, that was the first place we checked.”

“That is concerning…”

Kia stood and glanced back at her companions. “I found footprints leading away from camp. They seem to be the right size. Should we follow them?”

Tilaya looked at Calum, who nodded. “We need to make sure he’s not in danger. It’s possible he ventured out to collect food or relieve himself, but the southern region is full of trouble.

“It’s not safe to be alone.”

Kia followed the trail of footprints with her eyes. They led deeper into the forest, eventually disappearing into the undergrowth.

“We’ll take care of the camp when we come back. Finding Erik is our first priority.” Calum stopped next to Kia and observed the footprints. “Those are his, alright…”

Tilaya joined them by the log. “Erik’s the proud type. If he found trouble, he wouldn’t run, no matter how dangerous it is.”

“Kia, would you lead the way? You’re the best at tracking out of us.”

“Certainly.” She kept her eyes on the ground, making sure she didn’t lose the tracks. She guided the others through the thick shrubbery, cutting any sticks or branches that got in her way.

Erik’s footprints zigzagged all over the place. In several places, deep marks disturbed the dirt. “It appears he was chasing a small creature but had trouble hitting it.”

The trail continued for around a kilometer. The deeper into the forest they went, the more unsettled Calum felt. He could tell the others felt uneasy as well, especially Tilaya. She constantly turned her head back and forth, as if waiting for something to pounce on them.

Their unease was likely brought by the environmental changes. The more they traveled, the trees became more gnarled and less alive. The air seemed to grow thicker, and spider webs became commonplace.

Tilaya ducked under a web that hung from a branch overhead. “Why would he chase something this far away from camp…?”

“Perhaps he didn’t realize he went this far.” Kia stopped in front of a large bush. “The footsteps go through here.”

Calum gulped, anticipation welling inside him. He moved in front of Kia and stepped through the bush, clearing a path through the sticks.

When he emerged on the other side, he froze. The entire area, fenced off by thick shrubbery, was filled with webs. Kia and Tilaya pushed through the bush and stood next to him.

Kia, noticing that it took more effort to move her feet than normal, looked down. “...Great. The ground is covered in webbing.”

Tilaya stared at the webs that stretched from the ground to the middle branches of trees. At a distance in front of them was a web that spanned from one tree to another. Caught in the thick web was none other than Erik. He held a web-covered sword in his hands but could not maneuver it enough to free himself.

“We have to free him quietly. We don’t want to be caught. I doubt these webs were made by a regular spider.”

“I’ll keep watch back here.” Tilaya gripped her staff in her hands, glancing around the area for any movement.

Calum and Kia slowly approached the web Erik was caught in. Since his back was to them, he didn’t know they were there.

The webs on the ground moved with their steps. Erik struggled to get free, to no avail.

“Keep still! We’ll cut you loose.” Calum and Kia were almost to him.

“Calum? Thank goodness you’re here! I’ve been stuck for hours!”

“Why are you all the way out here?”

“I was chasing a rather large spider. It was the size of a dog. I thought I could quickly deal with it instead of having to wake you all up.”

“You’ll be out soon, just hold on. Don’t move.” Kia took her daggers off her belt, while Calum unsheathed his sword.

“Um, guys…” Tilaya’s voice was trembling.

Calum looked over his shoulder. “What?”

She pointed above them, and he looked up.

“Oh, brother…”

A black-and-blue spider sat in the trees with its eyes on him. Each leg was at least twice Calum’s height. By the way its front legs were raised, he knew it was about to attack.