Outside the kitchen, Thana followed a narrow corridor that guided her to the left. The corridor filtered into many chambers that made up the main keep, ranging from sleeping quarters, armouries and even a back gate that led outside to the granary. Thana took her first right turn and looked quickly down the centre hallway. She had escaped down this wide hallway last time Brock saved her life. Anger flashed at the memory and she moved on, constantly approaching the tall wooden doors that led into the throne room.

With the doors in view and no Royal Guards or WC to stop her, she paused a moment to get her bearings. He might not even be here she considered and grimaced. Clutching the poison hidden within her sleeve she pushed one of the doors as silently as it would allow and slipped inside the throne room.

Inside the room, the air felt solemn and stagnant, as if frozen in time. The few candles that held up the room burned with the colour of ice, their diamond flames secreting an icy mist. The room looked empty before Thana noticed a shadow move among the tall pipe organ. The organ was rarely played, given the clouds of dust that coughed from its four long metallic pipes as evidence. To be honest, Thana hardly noticed the large metallic instrument last time she was here.

The figure playing the instrument had its back to Thana; their black hood pointed to the ceiling like a pin. Thana curled to the right, watching the figure intently. Long ominous notes were played before coupled with more ominous notes that seemed to sing to one another. Thana felt her mind grow light at the rendition, listening quietly as the notes rose and fell in a deep language that reminded her of loss, and pain.

The figure playing seemed so invested in their symphony, Thana was able to close within twenty feet of the figure, before they acknowledged her.

“Put the poison on the floor.” He commanded, not breaking his rendition. The man continued to play, his gloved fingers dancing effortlessly across the dusty keyboard. Thana didn’t recognise the voice. It was deep, visceral, without meaning or intent. An emotionless husk of a voice.

“Who are you?” Thana asked and watched in utter silence as the hooded man’s fingers suddenly froze. The musical notes died away like leaves in a dying wind. The figure unburdened his hood from his head with gloved hands. A stench of death washed from the skinless skull that glowed like a full moon under the candlelight, terror gripped Thana in its steel grip at the sight. She couldn’t move or speak as the man turned. His face was devoid of all skin, in service to a nose was a gaping hole of rotten flesh. A single eye socket housed a pale worm that wriggled its content among its new home. There was no mistaking the single brown eye that stared back at her from that ruin of skinless face.

“Theo?” Thana gasped. Theo made no reply and only stared at her with the single eye that remained.

“Theo is dead.” A voice hissed from above. Thana looked up but saw only the darkness speaking to her. “You killed him. Just like you killed your sister!” It hissed again.

Then Thana felt hands, hands as cold as death wrap tightly around her throat. Her eyes bulged in there sockets as the black hands of Theo grabbed to strangle her. Her instincts were to react, but the eye of Theo captured her in, paralysed her.

“I’m sorry.” She tried to say, but the cold hands around her throat denied such a request. Theo squeezed with the strength of two men; iron fingers clamped around her neck like hinges on a door. The room went darker as the trapped blood pounded in her head. Dread, sorrow, and guilt had her in a death grip at the sight of the man in front of her.

‘No’ she thought. She went to throw a punch, then realised her feet were not attached to the ground. She was hanging and without leverage, the blow dashed off the side of Theo’s head futilely. Regardless of the weakened strike, however, maggots burst from Theo’s left ear to rain down upon the ground. Theo hadn’t seemed to notice Thana was fighting back, his face as solidly set as the stone walls around them.

“The poison.” Came the hiss from above. Theo’s eye looked down at her left wrist as if it saw the poison through her leather vambrace. Thana tried to move her arm, but Theo snatched it with wicked speed; one hand still holding her suspended. The iron hand twisted her wrist and thana heard something snap. She screamed to the chorus of laughter above.

“His hatred transcends death.” Declared the Spider King from above.

Thana dropped the veil and heard it clink against the stone floor.

A million thoughts ran through her restricted mind as she hung there. But that most predominant question of all was: How? How had he known about the poison? Had Sabrina warned him, or had he figured it out on his own somehow?

“Break it!” The Spider King ordered. Theo raised a sodden boot to stomp on the veil. Thana gripped the arm that held her and kicked violently. She had to get free, she had to fight, she had to kill Theo again before he destroyed the only thing that could kill the Spider King.

Thana felt her front kick collapse a rib or two, Theo seemed to hardly notice. She then threw an uppercut at the arm holding her, breaking the elbow at the joint. Theo dropped her, allowing the world to stream back into focus. Blue flames danced all around her like part of some demonic ritual and Thana heard scuttling from above; the Spider wanted to move in, to fight but wasn’t naïve enough to come within ten feet of the Goldrush poison.

“Destroy it!” Came a more urgent hiss. Theo trudged clumsily to the veil, but Thana was faster. The veil scrapped across the floor when Thana swept it with her foot. She now stood between it and Theo. Theo raised his arms to grab her, his left arm hanging loosely from the break. Thana didn’t think or feel as her body simply reacted. She spun to kick high, Theo walking straight into her attack, unable to process anything but the simple commands laden on him. Theo’s head exploded from the force of the vampiric kick, sending a flock of maggots to rain across the pipe organ behind him.

In the single rest bite that followed, as Thana processed what she had done, something whistled through the air above her. She dashed to avoid it, then another, and another, came projecting towards her. Needles the length of a finger were being propelled from above. Thana moved with the fluidity of someone dancing, ducking and spinning as the Spider King laid his assault on her from above. She launched herself forward, seeing the veil of Goldrush before her, its golden content shining like a beacon. A single shot of webbing buried the poison right as Thana was reaching for it with pale fingers. Thana whirled around in furious anger and caught a needle aimed for her face.

“FACE ME, COWARD!” She roared, dropping the needle in her hand, its tip dripping with emerald honey. The silence was the only reply offered. A series of clicks that could have been tutting, echoed around the dark chamber. Through the thick darkness above a single shape began to emerge.

A spider, the size of a bull, descended on a silent string and met the ground. Its legs were as black as slate and sharpened into points like swords. The bulbous body of the spider was longer, thinner, and layered in plates of black carapace. Thana thought she recognised two large wings that were folded tightly under a carapace flap, and a set of eyes circled the entire head of the creature. The Spider King wasn’t massive or intimidating, but slick streamlined and built proficient.

“Sabrina disappoints me.” The Spider King hissed, clashing his two front legs together like swords to create sparks.

“Leave her out of this,” Thana said.

“She included herself the moment she made that poison over there.” The king snapped, jabbing a pointed leg. “Misguided she without a doubt was, she still threatened me and will pay for that mistake.”

“It’s over,” Thana said, taking a step forward. “the city is lost, and Sabrina is her own woman. Daughter, she may be, she is not your pawn to move about anymore. It’s over Azazel.”

The King lashed around in fury; sparks erupting all around him as his legs scrapped stone.

“It’s not over until I break this world and its toys.” He hissed. Thana sighed realising the King hadn’t changed despite all these years.

“You cannot fight the Gods.” She said despairingly.

“I AM GOD”

The King rushed forward enraged, and Thana sprang into action. She leapt upwards, avoiding the flying ball of swirling swords. The Spider King recovered, screeching across the stone to find purchase, he lunged himself upward with vicious intent, his sharpened legs flurrying to meet Thana’s flesh. It was all Thana could do to stay from his clutches as she dashed about the chamber.

Thana landed to slash at the King close behind her, her claws met carapace with little effect. The strike would have cut a man in two but only screeched against Azazel’s carapace. A sharp leg grazed her arm in response and Thana felt cold blood run from its wound. She could not defeat him. Not without the poison.

Thana danced the dance of death, avoiding the entourage of attacks. She moved meticulously towards the Goldrush until at last, she got close enough to rescue it from its containment when a single swordlike leg sprouted from her abdomen. Thana clutched the point instinctually as blood pooled in her mouth.

‘Pull it out.’ Was all she could think, and the King complied to her wishes only to impale her again through the chest. Thana reached a pale hand out at the Goldrush, then fell to one knee. That was when the doors to the Throne room burst open.