The Mortality of Queens

17 - The Raft Spider

Larkenfen

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Umbra of note

Dearbhla and her human ally 'Arnold' Tenebris

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Galt's final bound saw him upon Lavinia. She, too, was springing up, but he fastened onto her hip. Claw hands grasped at something on her belt. Lavinia was on her feet now, pushing at the fierce grey-blue goblin. Her hands had no effect on him. He was intent on wresting something from her skirt.

Tabitha and Naomi were also up and instinctively moving to aid their sister. They had no idea what Galt was capable of. Naomi dived on the little warrior but met with no resistance and slipped through him to the ground.

'Away, you blue horror,' Lavinia was partly seething, partly repulsed at having Pikestaff's Umbra on her person but much as she tried to bat him away, he seemed immovable. Galt was now applying claws and mouth to the belt hoops of her skirt.

'Cassie, help her,' Tabitha appealed to her older sister.

Cassie stepped forward, her features a frown of concentration. She clasped Galt in both hands. The shock caused him to lose hold of Lavinia's skirt. For a moment he froze in astonishment before writhing frenziedly, but Cassie wrested him clear and hurled him bodily away. He flew off but caught against some unseen leash mid-air and dropped hard to the ground.

'It's on Livvi's skirt,' shouted Cassie.

'Your skirt, Livvi, now,' Naomi was back on her feet.

Galt had shaken his head to clear it and was already moving.

Lavinia hopped away, slithering out of skirt and belt as Galt ran at her again. As he leapt, Lavinia threw her skirt to Naomi. Galt spun, his attention on the youngest Gracegirdle, as she twisted through the belt hoops of the skirt. Something flashed between her thumb and forefinger. 'It's here,' she cried as Galt bounded onto her.

She freed it and threw Lavinia's skirt at Galt, holding her hand high. As he ducked the skirt and furiously climbed up her frock, she lobbed her find away. 'Run Tabby,' she shouted to her sister.

Tabby needed no more urging. She snatched the silver brooch from the air and raced away to the fronds of a tall willow, securing the brooch onto the highest one she could reach. She corralled a curtain of lower fronds and hauled them away from the one on which the brooch danced. Skirt-less, Lavinia stepped beside her sister, pulled out a blade and cut any lower fronds away. Galt jumped but he was built for close combat, not athleticism, he could not get within two feet of where the brooch dangled.

'It's Pikestaff's charm chain pin,' said Tabitha.

'You're very quick-witted, Tabby,' Naomi told her.

'When you stop your dreaming,' added Cassie.

'What was it doing on my belt?' Lavinia was clambering back into her skirt.

'Pikestaff must have secreted it there, when she was fussing earlier,' said Cassie. 'She meant for Galt to spy on you, on us.'

'That was why Rushie ran from me.'

'You saved us, Cassie,' said Tabitha. 'How did you do it?'

'I just focussed all my thought on Galt, pulled him fully into my world, I think. In truth, I hardly know.' Cassie let out a breathless nervous laugh. 'Did you see his fright when I grasped him?'