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excerptsfromunfinishednovels · 8 years ago

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Excerpts From Unfinished Novels #7: Sacrifice

Genre: romance, horror, thriller

Warnings: scene of intense violence, gore, this story is about spiders so if you have arachnophobia you probably want to skip this.

Word Count: 7,145

Summary: Kala’s life as a royal princess has been set up for her; marry, take the throne when her father dies, and rule over the colony. However, Kala’s just spun a very special web that will change everything…

This excerpt is the final chapter of the book.

Kala finished her work and scuttled back along her main thread, proudly surveying her finished product. Now this was a web! She had spent many long and fervent hours going over the threads to reinforce them, polishing them to a near invisible shine. Her intricate and complex design was a far cry from the standard webs made by the villagers, but she was a princess and therefore expected to exceed expectations. Kala smiled and crept around the web reaffirming her familiarity with its layout. This was her first proper web and her first time living away from her home, although still within the royal grounds. She wanted everything to go perfectly so she could prove her independence. Having given her new web a final once-over, Kala settled down in a tucked-away corner for a light nap; hopefully something would fly into her new home while she rested.

No sooner had she lain down than the capturing threads began to shake violently and an angry buzzing sounded from the far side of the web. Kala perked her head up and saw that a rather large bluebottle had flown straight into her trap and was completely tangled up in the deceptively strong fibres. She remembered when she was younger how she would watch, completely fascinated, as the flies would buzz and struggle and entangle themselves more and more in the sticky threads before her parents would go and deal with them. Now it was her turn. With practiced skill, she crept up behind it, carefully choosing her moment to sink her fangs into its body, injecting poison directly into its bloodstream. The fly shrieked and buzzed louder still, wriggling frantically in a pointless escape endevour. Kala waited patiently, watching with the same childish fascination until the fly’s struggles grew weaker and slower and the buzzing faded to silence. Once she was quite sure it was immobilised, she efficiently wrapped it up, spinning the threads around it with practised ease, and began to eat, hungry from her earlier work.

Kala never felt bad for any of this; flies were stupid creatures that spent all their time mindlessly buzzing around, contributing nothing to society. They were meant for nothing but sacrifice for the greater good of spiders, so Kala’s father had taught her from the moment she was born.

“I betcha flies don’t see it that way,” Kala’s brother had said, but then again Kala’s brother was insane. He had and had run off with a segregate movement, turning his back on the Colony in favour of living off pond mildew and toting the equality of the species.

Kala was nearly done eating when some threads of the web began to shake; she turned to find her sister slowly climbing up towards her.

“Rohana. Hello,” she called out in greeting, “Are you hungry?”

“Hey, Kala,” her sister replied, and then on spotting the bluebottle, “Oh my, that’s one big fly – a present from another suitor?” she asked teasingly.

Kala rolled her eyes and replied snippily, “Do you want some or not?”

Ever since she had come of age, Kala had been swamped with suitors presenting her with gifts and treats in an effort to be noticed. Kala wasn’t interested. Kala had never been interested in any male, or female, or even the thought of a suitor…she knew she had to marry, knew she had to take a mate and carry on the bloodline, but whenever a suitor presented themselves, she just couldn’t bring herself to even try and get to know them, knowing what they wanted. She had turned each and every suitor down, in a most polite fashion of course. Her younger sister took great pleasure in teasing her about it non-stop, knowing that it drove her crazy.

“Sure,” Rohana laughed, climbing up beside her and taking a chunk out of the fly’s side, “So where did you get it then?”

“I caught it,” Kala replied proudly, nibbling a little more on her food.

“Really?! But you just finished your web!”

“I know. I was just about done when it flew straight in. It is a present from the gods for doing such a fabulous job,” Kala laughed.

“Or maybe just a coincidence,” Rohana jabbed back, finishing her bit of food, then added, “There’s a fight going down in Central, you wanna go see?”

“If you mean do I want to go see then I shall think about it,” Kala teased.

“No need to be so prissy,” Rohana huffed.

“No need to be so common,” Kala smirked.

“Speaking of that…” Rohana grinned slowly, “Mohan will be fighting.”

Kala paused, her breath catching. She had known Mohan all her life; they had grown up together, had been very dear friends before their lives had diverged down their inevitable paths. Mohan was one of the only spiders she would actually consider taking on as a mate, and though she knew he watched her whenever she was nearby, he had yet to present himself as a suitor. This of course only served to increase her fixation on him, and she sometimes wondered if maybe that was his plan all along.

“Maybe the fight could prove interesting,” she slowly replied, ignoring Rohana’s all-knowing smirk, “After all, Mohan is an excellent warrior.”

“Mmhmm, and that’s the only reason you would want to see him,” Rohana laughed, as she turned and started climbing down the web.

“And what would the other reason be?” Kala asked haughtily, following her sister down.

“Oh nothing,” Rohana replied, laughing as they made their way towards the centre of the Colony.

The Colony had been formed by Kala’s family generations ago. It had begun as three webs under the boardwalk of a house, and was now a thriving network of webs and families with Kala’s family as the rulers. The numerous families had webs stretching all along the edge and outskirts of the Colony, and the centre, or Central as it was called, was kept clear for gatherings and meetings, save for one giant web in the centre. This was the original web of the Colony, maintained by the royal family to catch food for the elderly, disabled, or those unable to build webs for themselves. Every few days this web was cleared and hosted gladiatorial fights, watched by the whole colony. Two spiders would enter the web and would wrestle each other until one got the other into the capturing threads and caused him or her to submit. Kala had not been exaggerating when she had said that Mohan was an excellent fighter – of all the warriors, he was currently the one to beat.

As Kala and Rohana entered Central a roar erupted from the crowd as a gangly young spider, emerged victorious from the web, his opponent helplessly stuck on the ever-dangerous capturing threads. The two sisters spotted their father watching the fight approvingly and made their way through the crowd towards him.

“Hello father,” Kala called in greeting as they approached, “How are the fights faring?”

“Has Mohan fought yet?” Rohana interjected, grinning teasingly at Kala, who glowered back.

Their father chuckled and shook his head, replying, “No, no, it has only been the juvenile fights so far. And if I did not know any better Rohana, I would say that it is you who has her eye on Mohan and not our dear Kala,” he added with a gently teasing smile.

“What?! No, I- I- never!” Rohana blanched, while Kala and her father laughed in the same tinkling tones.

“Now my dear eldest, have you chosen a suitor yet?” Kala’s father asked her, as she and Rohana were seated on either side of him; Kala in her mother’s place, as her mother had died in a foraging expedition many years ago.

“No father, not yet,” Kala replied softly, knowing he would not be very pleased.

“Kala, you are the eldest, it is your duty to continue the bloodline,” he sighed in a tired voice, “I do not care if your mate is high borne, or if they are a common warrior, but please try to make a decision soon; I would feel so much better.”

“I know father, I wish I could choose, but no one who has proposed to me thus far has held my attention for more than two seconds,” Kala explained forlornly.

Her father was silent for a moment, and then said quietly, “Perhaps I should talk to Mohan.”

“No!” Kala protested, at the same time as Rohana cried out, “Yes!”

“Father, you cannot possibly be considering that!” Kala argued in a shocked tone, “I do not want Mohan to approach me because he feels obliged to; I want him to approach me because he wants to!”

“He does want to!” Rohana retorted. “You and everyone else in the Colony know that! He’s just too shy or whatever.”

“Rohana, please do not use slang,” their father interjected, ignoring his youngest daughter’s eye roll as he added, “But you are right, he does need a bit of persuasion. I will talk to him after the fight.”

“Please father, do not do that,” Kala begged, “I – I will talk to him myself!”

“You will?” her father asked slowly.

“Yes, I promise,” Kala swore.

Her father sat in quiet contemplation for a moment, and then nodded, saying, “Very well then, you may. But, if you do not speak of this matter with him by tomorrow, then I shall. Do you understand?”

“Yes father,” Kala agreed hastily, noticing that the web had been repaired and made ready.

“Good.” Her father smiled, rising up in time with the crowd as the next two warriors, Mohan and a heavy-set spider Bruncho, appeared and took their places at opposite ends of the web.

Kala felt her breath catch as her eyes fell upon Mohan. He was so handsome and strong and she strengthened her resolve to talk to him properly and not make a fool out of herself. At that moment, he glanced up and caught her eye. Kala felt nervous excitement coursing through her body as their eyes locked over the roaring crowd. It was not until her father moved, brushing against her, that she was able to break eye contact with a small smile.

“Welcome warriors,” her father boomed down into Central, “You are both highly skilled and praised by your fellow comrades and all who dwell in the Colony, and we are honoured to be graced with a demonstration of this skill. May the gods smile upon your victory!”

The crowds cheered once more as Mohan and Bruncho took their fighting stances. Both remained motionless until the king had settled down and then, on his signal, leapt into action. They collided, grasping and tussling, sizing up each other’s strength and ability, before breaking apart. Again they moved in, this time on the attack; lashing out with their front legs, gripping each other in fierce locks and holds, each trying to out-manoeuvre the other. Bruncho was solid and balanced, with impressive strength and power but Mohan was faster and much nimbler on his feet. They continued to struggle, their differing skills providing an even match until Bruncho’s legs suddenly appeared around Mohan’s body as if from nowhere. The crowd rose up, braying and hissing, and Kala felt her breath catch. Very slowly, Bruncho began inching his way towards the capturing threads, all the while trying to flip the struggling Mohan onto his back. All of a sudden, Mohan fell limp, allowing Bruncho to dramaticall flip him onto the web. A gasp rose from the crow, shocked at Mohan’s seeming surrender. But, as he hit the web, Mohan quickly rolled, pinning Bruncho onto the capturing threads and ending up on top of the bigger spider. Bruncho now had to fight against Mohand and the capturing threads, no easy feat regardless of his superior strength. The two warriors fervently tussled until eventually Mohan’s skill overcame Bruncho’s strength and the latter admitted defeat. Mohan rose up victorious, basking in the crowd’s cheers of exaltation, which included a very loud Kala, purposefully ignoring her sister’s obvious smirks.

Mohan hopped down from the web, turning to Bruncho, who had just been released by the maintenance spiders. The two warriors embraced, congratulating each other, and then turned to face the king, who had stood up to speak.

“Congratulations,” the king smiled, “to both of you – you fought with honour and courage. You have truly earned the respect of myself and everyone here.”

The crowd cheered in agreement and began to slowly disperse, breaking off into smaller groups to chat and catch up on the latest news and gossip.

“Walk with me dear sister?” Rohana asked sweetly, though Kala could tell from the glint in her eyes that she was up to something.

Nevertheless, she nodded in compliance and they began to meander slowly through the crowds. All too late Kala realised where they were headed as Mohan, his back to them, popped into sight, “coincidently enough” as Rohana would say later remark.

“Hey there, oh great champion,” Rohana greeted Mohan cheekily while Kala tried to subtly check her appearance.

“Ever the lady Rohana,” Mohan called over his shoulder.

He turned around, grinning widely at the youngest princess for whom he had always borne a brotherly affection. On spotting Kala his expression softened as he greeted her softly, “Hello princess.”

“Hey,” Kala breathed, momentarily forgetting herself.

She quickly shook her head and continued politely, “Congratulations on your victory Mohan, it was quite impressive. You truly are a skilled warrior.”

“Yeah, you were awesome!” Rohana burst in, “I was on the freakin’ EDGE when Bruncho had you in that lock, but you were all WAH! FLIP! WEE! BOOM!!” she yelled excitedly, gesturing wildly with her four front legs.

Kala grinned inwardly at Rohana’s behaviour – she had yet to receive any tutelage in proper decorum, unlike Kala herself who had been through years of it from the moment of her birth.

“Please forgive my sister,” Kala said with a weak smile, eyeballing Rohana from the corner of her eyes, “She forgets her status as a lady.”

“She is still young-” Mohan smiled in understanding, “-and has many years to go before she is of the age to have to give in to the title of lady.”

“I have come of age,” Kala blurted out, staring into his eyes.

“I know,” he replied carefully, conscious of her sensitivity regarding her status.

Rohana eventually broke the moment by exclaiming in a loud, false tone, “Oh my, is father calling me? I’d better go to him! You can walk Kala home, can’t you Mohan?” she added sweetly, tapping Mohan on his front leg.

“Yes of course, Little One,” Mohan replied teasingly.

“You’re lucky I’m a lady, or, warrior or no warrior, I’d kick your ass,” Rohana declared, frowning at his choice of nickname, as she turned and started to walk away.

“I’m sure you could,” Mohan laughed, then turned back to Kala, and with a bow said, “Shall we, princess?”

“Mohan, we have known each other all our lives, please call me Kala,” she replied with a smile as they started to walk along.

“Very well, Kala,” Mohan smiled, walking alongside her.

They strolled along out of the village and up to the royal webs, chatting freely, exchanging gossip from Central and arguing the merits of the expansion of the hunting parties and warrior sector. Kala remained outwardly bright and cheerful, but was inwardly fretting over the necessary discussion of suitors and mates. Eventually, Mohan helped her out.

“So how goes all with your father?” he asked as the royal webs came into view.

Kala sensed this would be her only opening so she plunged into it, replying nonchalantly, “He is well, though he worries for me – he is pressuring me into choosing a suitor.”

“Really?” Mohan asked, “Have you chosen yet?”

“No,” Kala answered, shaking her head, “Noone has truly grabbed my attention.”

“Not a single one?” Mohan asked in an interested tone.

“There is only one spider I am interested in, but he seems not to notice me,” she sighed truthfully.

“Anyone would be a fool not to notice you,” Mohan said in a serious tone, his voice tight.

Kala summoned up all her strength and replied softly, “Then you may call yourself a fool.”

Mohan whipped around and gaped at her in shock as Kala tried her best to remain calm and composed.

“Bu- Kala! What do you mean?”

“I mean… I- Is there no part of you that feels for me Mohan?” Kala asked, voice trembling. “Must I choose a mate out of obligation rather than love?”

Kala closed her eyes, desperately holding back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. When no response came, she let out a shaky sigh, her throat tightening and her control slipping.

“Thank you for walking me home,” she whispered, afraid to look up, to see Mohan’s face confirm her deepest fear; that he did not love her. She could never see him again, not after this.

“Good luck with your training. Farewell Mohan.”

As she turned to walk away, a pair of legs suddenly wrapped around her and Mohan whispered, “There is no part of me that does not feel for you Kala. I was a coward not to say or do anything about my feelings. I was afraid of what you would think of a lowly warrior such as I approaching you.”

“But why? You are one of the most respected males in the Colony, I would be honoured to have you as a mate,” Kala replied earnestly, turning around to face him. Mohan smiled, a more beautiful smile than Kala had ever seen before.

Immediately, Mohan knelt down and said, “Kala, would you do me the worldly honour of becoming my life mate?”

“Yes,” Kala breathed. “Of course I will!”

She threw herself at him and they embraced, nuzzling and laughing. Their excitement died down eventually, and they remained in a fond embrace, nuzzling gently every now and then.

“I should talk to your father,” Mohan said softly.

“Yes, he will be expecting you,” Kala replied.

“He will? And how would he know of this ‘impromptu’ set-up by your sister?” Mohan chuckled.

“Well, he was going to talk to you about this whole, um, situation, but I asked him to please let me,” Kala replied, blushing.

“Oh so my feelings are that obvious,” Mohan stated, embarrassed.

“To my sister and father it would seem… I cannot speak for anyone else.” Kala smiled, giving him a little squeeze and then added in a teasing tone, “Is it really so embarrassing that people would be aware of your feelings for me?”

“No,” Mohan replied quickly, his voice shocked. “It does not matter to me who knows. I…I had thought that I had hidden them very well, and I suppose my pride is slightly wounded that I am not as good an actor as I had thought. Not that it matters now. Come, I will walk you to your web and then I will go see your father.”

They continued down towards Kala’s web, leaning slightly on each other. As it came up into view, Kala stopped and stared, and Mohan snorted in surprise. There were three more huge flies stuck on the web, each buzzing angrily, their legs kicking wildly in the air.

“Presents from suitors?” Mohan murmured, and then added teasingly, “Should I go around the Colony beating every eligible spider I find?”

“Hush you,” Kala retorted, even she was smiling in mirth, “And they are not presents. They have been caught in the web.”

“Really?” Mohan asked, not out of surprise, but rather curiosity.

Having been born into the gladiatorial family, Mohan had grown up in the common grounds of the training area, where the only webs were fighting webs. Gladiators never had to build webs for themselves, and food was brought to them from the Central web. As such, they could not tell the difference between a fly that had been caught in a web and a fly that was placed there.

”Yes, if you look closely you can see how they are tangled in the web rather than merely stuck onto it. It is strange though,” she added with a slight frown, “that it should have caught so many. I only finished building it a few hours ago.”

“You built this yourself? It is very impressive looking,” Mohan smiled.

“Yes, unlike you ‘lazy’ gladiators, we regular spiders have to build our own webs,” Kala teased.

“Well, I figured that an irregular spider such as yourself would have someone to build one for her,” Mohan smiled, examining her web.

After a moment of study, he continued on, asking, “It looks different to the webs in the training area. Are all fly-catching webs structured like this?”

“No; this is one-of-a-kind,” Kala replied proudly, “The image of it just popped into my head and I knew I had to build it.”

“It looks very well. Congratulations on a job well done,” Mohan smiled, hugging her, “I shall speak to your father now. May I come see you afterwards?”

“Of course,” Kala replied, hugging him back.

She waved him off as he continued down the path, then turned and settled into the task of cleaning her web up; binding the bodies that lay scattered on the threads. It was very strange that she should have caught so many flies in one day – and so late too. Typically, webs would catch maybe one or two flies a day, if any, but four flies was a rarity. Kala wasn’t really troubled by this, just intrigued, but she shrugged it off as a matter of luck and forgot about it.

When Mohan came back to tell her that her father approved of their joining, the web had caught a moth. Moths were not supposed to be captured; their wings were designed so they could escape the sticky threads.

When she woke up the next day, it had captured three more.

The next few days for Kala flew by in the whirlwind excitement of being courted by Mohan. The date for their joining was set, and everyone in the Colony cheered and rejoiced for them when it was announced at the next gladiatorial fights. Kala could not have been happier. Except… the end of every day saw her web burdened with more and more insects – many of which should not have been captured. It got so bad that she had to bring most of them down to the Central web. Word of course spread quickly about this and her web was dubbed a ‘miracle’.

While anyone else would have felt proud and happy about this, Kala couldn’t help but feel slightly troubled, like it was some sort of omen. Mohan kept her grounded about it all though, making jokes and cheering her up when she felt worried.

“The gods must have blessed it,” he commented one day as she, he and Rohana were on a walk. “For that crazy design of yours to function.”

Since their joining, Mohan had undertaken the task of learning to build a web, and quickly realised just how difficult a design Kala’s web was.

“How did you do it?” he had asked after several failed attempts.

“I do not know, I simply started from the inside and worked my way out. I then added a funnel, and some waving strands here and there…”

“You started on the inside?” Mohan had gasped, “But that’s impossible!”

“Yes I know,” Kala had replied slowly, “But that is what I did. To be honest, I really cannot remember how I built that web…”

Kala pushed the memory away and tuned back in to hear Rohana say, “-eck it out.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Mohan nodded seriously.

“What’s not a bad idea?” Kala asked.

“I said that we should get the Shaman to check it out, make sure no one’s put the heebie-jeebies on it,” Rohana answered, giggling a little.

“I do not know if that is such a good idea,” Kala replied with a frown.

“Why not? The way news about it is spreading around the Colony, he’s bound to hear about it eventually, and will want to see it for himself. “Wouldn’t you rather go to him now than have him badger you about why he had to hear it from someone else?” Mohan argued patiently.

“You are right,” Kala sighed uneasily. “I will go talk to him on my way home.”

“Would you like me to go with you?” Mohan asked.

“Yes please,” Kala said gratefully.

The three continued on their walk, chatting about this and that, until a tired Rohana bid them farewell and turned to leave for home, and Kala and Mohan made their way to the Shaman’s abode. Kala’s stomach was in knots as they approached his web, Mohan calling out for him. There was a moment of silence, and then a gravelly voice called out, “On my way dear children.”

Kala tried her best to smile and not eyeball him warily as he elegantly spun himself down to them.

He was the oldest spider in the Colony – probably in existence – not even the oldest generation alive could remember him as anything but old. His body was frail, his skin, a mottled brown with a large silver streak down his back, looked papery-thin, and he trembled as he moved, yet his eyes, which held the wisdom of the ages, still sparkled like those of a youth.

“Well well, the Princess Kala and the Warrior Mohan,” he said in surprise when he spied them, “Your joining is not until next week, is it not? I trust you are not having second thoughts?”

“Oh no,” Kala replied with a smile, “We are very excited about that. I came to ask you something else…about my web.”

“Is something wrong with it? I am hardly a web building expert my dear,” the Shaman chuckled.

“There is not exactly something wrong with it…I cannot remember how I built it.”

“You cannot remember?”

“No. And it is different from the other webs in the Colony…It has a funnel off to one side, and strands in odd places, and layers…and well, it catches a lot of flies…and moths.”

The Shaman had been listening and nodding along patiently, but at her last words his head snapped up.

“Moths?” he asked. “But that is impossible.”

“I know, but that is what is happening,” Kala replied, trying to steel the edge of desperation in her voice.

“It is true Shaman,” Mohan added seriously, “And every day more and more insects are caught.”

“So yours is the ‘miracle web,’ I have been hearing about,” the Shaman nodded, “Yes, I must take a look at it. I will do so right now. Mohan, will you please carry me there? I must meditate and prepare myself for the examination.”

“Of course Shaman,” Mohan nodded with a bow.

Kala helped him up onto Mohan’s back, and the three set off: Kala tight-lipped with worry, Mohan concentrating on not jostling the Shaman while anxiously worrying about Kala, and the Shaman purposely ignoring the feelings from the two young loves, in favour of praying to the Gods for true clarity and objectiveness in his examination. When Mohan finally stopped walking, he heard Kala give a tired sigh and opened his eyes to see what at first seemed like a mass congregation of insects. Suddenly it hit him that this was in fact Kala’s web – only not a trace of it could be seen under the crowd of angry buzzing and struggling flies.

“This is most unusual,” he murmured, trying not to gape as he walked up to it, “Would you please clear it so I may begin my examination?”

Kala and Mohan acquiesced, and the Shaman sat under the web, meditating as they quickly and efficiently cleared the web. Once they were done, he stood, and climbed up onto the web. He slowly began to make his way across the web, checking each and every single thread on it. Back and forth, up and down, over and under he went, until hours later, he was finished. He climbed down the web and walked towards a sleepy Kala and Mohan, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry Kala, but I can find nothing strange about your web, other than it is very difficult to examine,” he finished with a rueful chuckle.

Turning around to face the web, he continued, “It just simply must be lu-“

“Shaman?” Kala asked curiously, but the Shaman did not hear.

Instead, he was staring fixedly at her web, which was shrieking back at him with all the wrath of a bird of prey. Individually, the threads that made up the web had no special value what so ever, but as a whole, they created a symbol that had been burned into the back of the Shaman’s mind for as long as he could remember.

“I…I must go speak to your father,” he croaked, before he turned and sped away, not sparing the pair a second glance.

“Why do you think he rushed off?” Mohan asked in a confused and slightly affronted tone.

“I’m not too sure,” Kala replied slowly, her stomach in frantic knots of dread. “I hope nothing is wrong.”

“I’m sure it was something small he forgot to mention to your father about the ceremony,” Mohan said reassuringly, recognizing the rising notes of worry and hysteria that had been appearing in Kala’s voice recently.

“Mmm, you’re probably right,” Kala smiled back gratefully, glad that he knew just how to make her feel better.

The two spiders embraced, relaxing against each other, and Mohan murmured, “Just think; this time next week, we will be life mates.”

“And I will be the luckiest spider in the Colony,” Kala whispered back happily.

After a while, they parted and bid each other good night, promising to go on a short venture outside the Colony the next day. Kala settled down inside her little tunnel, and fell into a sleep filled with happy dreams and hopes for the future.

When she awoke, on what she believed to be the next morning, she was no longer in the comfort of her familiar webbed tunnel but in a cold, dark, and unknown place.

“Hello? Is there anybody out there?” Kala called out for the hundredth time.

She had been pacing around the tiny room for hours, shouting herself hoarse and trying to find a way out. Her throat was scratchy and sore and she was desperately thirsty. She could barely see, but from feeling her way around, she surmised that she was underground. The only way out of the room was covered by a very strong sticky web, which Kala couldn’t tear down by herself.

“If this is some sort of joke, I hope you realise the trouble you will have gotten yourself in to!”

Kala was about the start yelling again, when she suddenly froze, listening intently. So far, no one had responded to her calls, but just there she had thought she’d heard something…There it was again! A sort of slow, scuffling sound was approaching, driving Kala mad with fright and apprehension.

“Hello?!” she cried out desperately. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

“Kala?” a voice cried out in reply.

Kala froze in recognition of the voice, before croaking out, “Rohana?”

“Oh, thank goodness!” the voice choked back, and Rohana shuffled in to view, dragging a large stick with her.

Kala watched in amazement as she levered the stick and used it to break down the web separating them. Just as Rohana succeeded, Kala, concluding that they only reason Rohana was here was because she had arranged this whole trick, snarled in anger and began to advance on her sister.

“Rohana I’m going to kill-“

She was quickly cut off as Rohana grabbed her and promptly burst into tears.

“Rohana?” Kala asked in confusion, petting her sister’s head.

“Oh Kala! I th-thought I’d n-never see you again!” Rohana cried, clinging to the older female, “F-father wouldn’t tell me anyth-thing, and the Shaman is acting w-weird, and everyone is t-talking, and I’ve missed you so much!”

Rohana buried her head against Kala’s shoulder and sobbed loudly, her small body shaking.

“Rohana, what’s going on?” Kala asked in a frightened voice, “Where was I taken last night?”

“Last night?” Rohana frowned, then realisation dawned on her, and she replied slowly, “Kala…you’ve been gone a week.”

All the blood drained from Kala’s face, and she stumbled back faintly, staring at Rohana in mute horror.

“B…but…I just woke up,” she whispered, then added quickly, “Oh my – Mohan! Our joining!”

“Is supposed to be today,” Rohana whispered sadly, “Mohan’s been crazy with grief Kala, he’s looked everywhere for you – he wouldn’t eat or sleep until he found you. In the end we had to bribe some priests and guards to find out where they’d taken you.”

“Where am I?”

“In the holding cells underneath the training grounds. Mohan’s waiting outside, standing guard. We’re going to go and find Harinder.”

The mentioning of her brother’s name snapped Kala out of her shocked trance, and she hissed, “We’re leaving the Colony?! But father!”

“We have to go Kala,” Rohana retorted in a frantic, pleading tone, “I don’t know what’s going on, but if you stay, something bad will happen to you. You could die!”

“She’s right you know,” a voice interjected, and Kala and Rohana whipped around in surprise to see the Shaman, along with five guards, standing at the entrance of the cell.

“About the dying part, but not about the bad part,” he explained, and then made a waving gesture, to which the guards responded: surrounding the two royal sisters.

“Dying?!” Kala asked, “What are you talking about?”

“You are the Chosen One,” the Shaman replied knowledgeably. “Tens of years ago, when this colony was first created, I had a prophetic vision, sent to me by the Gods. The vision was of the Chosen One, a spider who would reveal him or herself through a symbol. That symbol Kala, was at the heart of your web, and it is the reason that you have had all sorts of luck with it. You are the Chosen One, and when you are sacrificed, you shall return in a form greater than ours, and determine the fate of our people,” he finished, his eyes shining fervently.

“Can you not wait until I die naturally?” Kala pleaded.

“Unfortunately no,” the Shaman sighed with a shake of his head, “It was foretold that when the Chosen One was revealed, she or he must be sacrificed immediately, otherwise their destiny will not be fulfilled.”

He nodded at the guards, who sprang into action. One grabbed Rohana and held her in an effective lock, while the other four pinned Kala down on the ground. The sisters screamed and struggled in vain, and Kala felt bile rise in her throat and she began to hyperventilate as the Shaman loomed over her.

“For the good of the Colony,” he stated firmly, and then sang his fang in to her side, injecting the paralyzing venom into her bloodstream.

Kala screamed in pain, and suddenly was silent, as her whole body seized up as the deadly venom sent searing lances of pain and fire through her nerves. She remained frozen as the guards stepped back, able only to move her eyes, which scanned the room desperately seeking out her sister who screamed and struggled wildly against the guards holding her effortlessly in place.

The Shaman looked down at her approvingly, and said tonelessly, “I am sorry Kala. Let us go,” he said to the guards.

They nodded, and picked Kala up to carry her out of the cell. The group, led by the Shaman, walked out of the cell and up to the surface, where the stony-faced King greeted them.

“Father!” Rohana yelled, running from the guard who had finally released her. “You cannot possibly let this happen!”

“This is for the good of the Colony,” the King replied tightly.

“But the Colony is fine!” Rohana argued. “We have no need for a higher being!”

“It is the will of the Gods,” her father replied calmly.

“The Gods be damned,” Rohana spat furiously.

Out of nowhere, the King’s front leg whipped up and struck her across the head.

“Blasphemy!” he yelled angrily, “Your mother was the same, and she died for her insubordinate attitude – I’ll not lose two daughters to the same thing.”

“If you let this continue, you’ll lose both of us anyway – I’d rather take my chances with Harinder than live with a monster.”

“Then leave now, for I’ll stand the sight of you no longer,” the King replied in a deadly voice.

Rohana glared at him hatefully, then her eyes filled with tears as she croaked out, “I’m so sorry Kala,” before running off, her father’s expression remaining impassionate.

“Let’s get this over and done with,” he said tersely, turning and storming off towards Central.

The Shaman gave a curt nod and the group followed the King towards Central, where the entire Colony was gathered around the central web. The crowd began to murmur in trepidation and curiosity as the group appeared, and Kala was placed on the sticky threads of the web, which held her firmly in place.

“Kala!” a voice yelled desperately, and Kala’s eyes roved around until she spotted Mohan, surrounded by about twenty or more guards.

Mohan rushed forward to help her, but was dragged back and pinned down by the mass around him.

“You monsters!” he yelled. “You cannot do this!”

As he yelled and struggled, he was beaten over and over, until he was too weak to move, let alone shout. The Shaman waited until all the noise had died down, and began to speak in a grave voice.

“Since the beginning of the Colony when I was young, there has been a prophecy of the Chosen One, a spider who has been chosen by the Gods to determine the fate of our people. That Chosen One, through the symbol in her web, has been revealed as the Princess Kala. It is the Will of the Gods, that just as the flies are sacrificed for our good, so too must she be sacrificed.”

Kala’s eyes widened and she gave a choked whisper, fully understanding what was about to happen. So too did the crowd, who began to talk loudly, some glancing up at the King, who remained emotionless, others giving horrified cries.

“How do you know she is the Chosen One?” someone from the crowd yelled out.

“Yes, what if you are wrong?” another added fearfully.

“Aside from the web she spun, which is itself the symbol of the Chosen One, upon examination of the Princess, it was found that she has six spinners, where the usual number is three or four. Moreover,” the Shaman added quietly, revelling in the crowd’s undivided attention, “While the average number of silk glands is two or three, and I myself had five, she has all seven. No, there is no doubt. She is the Chosen One.”

A shocked murmur ran through the masses like wildfire, and slowly, very slowly, the people nodded in agreement, sealing Kala’s fate. There was no question of it now, there would be no saviour for her. Kala was doomed to die – “for the fate of her people.” The Shaman climbed up on the web beside her, along with the other priests. Quietly, he murmured a prayer to the Gods, and bit into her side, tearing off a chunk of flesh and eating it.

At first Kala felt nothing, then suddenly a searing pain flared up in her every nerve ending, great and intense enough to rip the paralysis from her throat, and she gave a shriek of agony.

“Kala…” Mohan whispered, his body trembling under the weight of his guards.

He gave a sudden roar of fury, summoning his last ounce of strength to throw off his guards and make a rush for the web but his success was short-lived as the guards rose again to battle him back to the ground. Against the backdrop of this struggle, the Shaman swallowed and turned to the crowd, raising his front legs in the air.

“For the good of the Colony,” he announced to the crowd, who murmured back, “For the good of the Colony.”

The Shaman turned and, along with the other priests, used the momentum to pounce on Kala’s frozen and bloodied body, beginning to feed. Kala screamed as a fiery agony took over her body, roaring in fury through her senses and numbing out all about her. Mohan, who couldn’t maintain the fight against twenty other warriors, cried out in rage as he fell defeated to the ground.

His body, torn and savaged, twitched as his life drained away.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and he croaked out, “Kala, I lo-“ before he collapsed with one final breath.

Kala cried out in terror and misery, her gaze fixed in horror at the bloodied shell of her former love.

“Moha-“ her scream was cut short as her throat was viciously ripped out.

All she could do now was make shrieking gargling noises as blood rushed down into her lungs. Her spinnerets and ovaries were the next to go, resulting in more shrieking gurgles. These gurgles, were too cut short, as her lungs were ripped out and eaten, so that all Kala could do, was look about herself, unable to convey the pain she was in – it was past fear, past agony, past imagination. It tore at her mind, literally driving her insane to the point where she was trying to eat herself, struggling against the paralysis as she hallucinated about tearing off her own legs. The crowd was for the most part, quiet – many spiders tried to remain impassive as they watched, while others failed – some wailing aloud and others being physically ill.

At this point Kala was fading fast; the world was greying in and out, her head lolled from side to side and her eyes rolled wildly around inside their sockets. Time seemed to slow down immensely, and she tried to take breaths with lungs that were not there. Just as she was on the edge, she felt one last stab as the Shaman tore out her heart. As she watched him eat it, Kala felt a hatred as never before, and she fixed him with a vengeful stare, the hatred burning her up.

As the Shaman swallowed, Kala felt herself falling over the edge, and then, was no more.

And so that ends excerpt #7 from the Unfinished Novels. I hope you’ve managed to stick with it and haven’t found it too long! I really got into the idea behind this and absolutely lost track of my writing - it’s the longest excerpt I’ve written so far, and will probably be the longest of the lot!

If you’ve enjoyed reading this excerpt please help support this project by reblogging and sharing with other readers. I appreciate each and every like and reblog! :)

Slán!

C.x

#excerpts from unfinished novels #sacrifice #writers creed #writers on tumblr #lgbtq #demiromantic #gray-asexual #original character #original content #original writing #long reads #long post #short story #horror #gore #spiders #romance #spilled ink #spilled words

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