The Secret King

Attack on Sapphire Mountain

Arisha, the Golden Spider, was called many things. Much of her legend and circumstance was paradoxical. She was a goddess, yet she was mortal. She was called the 'Mother of the World', yet her egg fell from the sky. She was the wellspring of magic, being responsible for the line of wizards, yet was not a wizard or magician herself. She protected life, yet at the beginning of each of her thousand year incarnations, needed to consume the life-force of a hundred creatures in order to survive.

The Island Continent, Arishamal, was named in her honor, and she watched over it as though it were a living child, which in her many eyes, it was. She watched over her adopted realm with the aid of the Abitar, a nest shaped cluster of  white crystals which once housed the blood-red Rubitar.

The two mystical relics were the primary focal points of magic on the world. They existed before Arisha. Some say they guided her to Eylysia . Others claimed that like the egg which produced the Golden Spider, the Abitar and Rubitar were the remnants of the seed which produced the world. Whatever their origin or initial purpose, the two mystical relics were ingrained in all the great magic and major spells of the world's recorded history.

Arisha used the Abitar to view events on Arishamal, since she was bound to the mountain on which she lived and could never leave its confines. She could see from one coast to the next and only the cursed land of Xenoth was impenetrable to her gaze.

The four years of peace since the end of the Khalisian Wars had been joyful for Arisha. She had been reborn in this thousand year incarnation without the death of any creature in her care, having instead fed on the essence of the hundred Kryll who had been sent to destroy her.

The spider had made dear friends, a luxury she had not allowed herself in centuries, among a variety of beasts, especially Robbi, the only wizard allowed on Sapphire Mountain. Robbi made a point of making the journey to Arisha's lair several times a year, sharing stories, learning, and bringing to the Golden Spider a true sense of family.

Her sense of calm had disappeared with the murder of the council members. She neither saw nor understood the vile act, but she was fully aware of it as it occurred. The wizards were of her line and she could sense their horror and shock as they were attacked and killed.

Arisha sat in the center of her temple atop the peak, meticulously searching her memories for some clue as to the true reason for the horrendous attack upon the Wizards. As she meditated, her fur bristled and she raised her head. There was a presence on her mountain, a familiar presence, a hostile presence.

"Arisha!" a voice called out from the courtyard outside the temple, "Come out, monster!"

A grim distorted smile passed over the spider's features, she knew that voice. Arisha stood and made her way to the massive double doors leading out of her temple. As she passed through the archway, she could see the dozen or so beasts lined in a semi-circle around the entrance. They were about twenty yards in front of her. She recognized the leader. After taking several steps in his direction, she stopped and addressed him.

"Vasheron,"  she hissed, "I should have ended you centuries ago. What arrogance possesses you now? You have killed wizards, guardians of Arishamal, did you think that would go unpunished?"

Prince Vasheron stepped forward and smiled.
"I am not helpless as I was the last time we met, monster, when you damned me to that accursed land. Darus is long dead, and only he held dominion over me."

"He created what you are, not who you are. You were evil and ambitious long before you crossed paths with the toad wizard." Arisha spat out.

The mink leader became livid.
"He made me kill my uncle, made me break my vow. When he was done he betrayed us, his own creations. He was evil! We were like his children and he turned us over to you and the wizards to do with as you pleased."

Arisha laughed so loudly that even Vasheron instinctively stepped back.
"You think your lies will affect me? Made you break your vow? You were looking for a reason to kill Meris, to become the king of the Minge. Meris never instructed you to kill Darus' family. You did that on your own, knowing Darus would turn you upon Meris. You saw a way to sidestep your vow. You are a pathetic creature, vile and contemptible."

It was Vasheron's turn to laugh.
"Guilty as charged, I suppose. I would have made a far better king than Meris. Now I will have a chance to prove it, but not just in the north."

He paused and a small smile played on his face,
"I am surprised that you are not more curious about our escape from Xenoth. You will be distressed to know that our powers are returned to us...observe..."

Vasheron suddenly transformed into a cloud of smoke which clung to the ground and moved towards Arisha. She lashed out at it with one of her limbs, to no avail. The vapor moved back to its original location and in the blink of an eye, reconstituted itself into the Deev leader. He angrily addressed the spider.

"Enough chit-chat, we are here for the Abitar!"

"I will not allow that, Vasheron."

"You will soon be dead, Arisha." He raised his arm.

Above the archway of the temple, a Deev who had been hidden stood. He held the two flasks which Azmeritus had given Vasheron and threw them down upon the spider. The first flask grazed off her body and shattered on the courtyard, but the second hit her square on the head, shattering and drenching Arisha with the azure potion. Almost immediately, the spider felt her limbs begin to tighten and her body begin to quiver. She collapsed under her own weight, focusing all of her formidable will to fighting off the effects of the paralyzing potion.

Vasheron approached her and stroked the golden fur of her head.
"Don't worry, mother, your death will be painless, I will take your head off in a single stroke." He turned to his Deev, "Go in, find the Abitar!" he commanded. They entered the temple.

Arisha, still fighting the spell hissed out at the mink.
"I will curse he who tries to kill me or watch me die to a fate far worse than Xenoth!'

Vasheron laughed.
"You are no wizard, you do not curse, what a pathetic ploy."

"Do it then and see!" she chided him.

The hubris seemed to momentarily leave the mink, replaced by doubt.
"No matter," he said, motioning to the Deev on the temple who had cast the flasks, "I have better things to do. You don't deserve the honor of dying at my paw. I need to join my mink and supervise the removal of my Abitar."

When the Deev soldier joined Vasheron, the prince handed him a broad scimitar.
"When I enter the temple, cut the spider's head off and bring it to me."

"Yes, my prince," the Deev obediently replied.

When Vasheron entered the Temple, the mink soldier took a firm two handed grip on the sword and smiled.
"I, Ceridac, will be remembered as the slayer of Arisha. My name will be honored forever in song."

He raised the sword. Arisha focused her will on her head, simultaneously baring her fangs and lunging forward. Ceridac was taken unawares and had no time to transform. He felt an unusual pain. He looked down at his chest to see two glistening fangs buried deep within it. He was powerless to move. Arisha took a deep breath, fighting off the ever increasing paralysis.

She concentrated on sucking out the Deev's life-force, hoping that its power would allow her a few additional minutes of movement. When the soldier was completely drained, the spider discarded the carcass and tested her limbs. Painfully, she managed slight movement. She rolled on her back and began to spin her silk. It was excruciating, but she slowly and steadily began to wrap herself in a cocoon, praying she could complete her task before she completely lost the ability to move.