Moth Ch. 042

Copyright of Nanna Marker 2010.

The woman mumbled something and again passed out.

"Wake up," screamed Keme and kicked the unconscious woman. "Both of you. I want you to watch each other die."

Neither stirred.

Keme screamed at the sky. Then, panting, turned his gaze back to the pair. They were still.

On the woman's chest lay a baby wrapped in silk. It was as still as its parents.

Keme picked it up and shook it.

It started wailing.

"Louder," shouted Keme into the infant's face. "Make them hear you."

The infant kept wailing, but the sound didn't wake its parents.

"Louder," insisted Keme. One of the baby's arms had come free of the silk and was waving in the air. Keme took the baby to his chest and pinched the arm.

The infant's wailing increased in volume.

"That's better," praised Keme, and glanced down at the spider and his woman. Neither was moving.

"What if I cut off one of your cute little hands?" asked Keme, looking down at the wailing baby in his arms. "Think you can wake them then?" If anything the wailing was lessening in volume.

"Let's find out."

Keme knelt and placed the baby on the ground. Then he, with one hand, pulled out its arm. The wailing had lessened to baby-sniffles. It was already going back to sleep.

"This will wake you up." Keme took aim, and raised his sword.

His breath stuck in his throat. Surprised Keme raised a hand to his throat. At his collar he found something hard. He pulled at it. Pulling at it hurt.

He saw a boot heading for his face just a split second before it hit and pushed him to his back.

Keme still couldn't breathe.

"It's not fair," he mouthed, but no sound came out.

He grabbed harder hold of the hard thing and tugged it out of his throat. He rolled around to all six and coughed out blood. The hard thing, now in one of his man hands, was an arrow. It was soaked in his blood.

Keme let go of it and pressed the hand against his throat instead, holding back blood. He breathed and coughed blood, then rose to his feet, holding on to his sword.

He turned to see Zoa, of all people, holding the baby

"It's just a baby," hissed Zoa, walking backward away from Keme.

Keme jumped into the air and charged. Zoa too jumped into the air, and kicked him again. Keme swung his sword but hit only air.

Where had she gone?

He spun in the air, looking every which way, and coughing blood. Seconds passed.

What if she had simply flown off?

Keme screamed with fury, spraying blood into the air.

How dared she deprive him of his ultimate revenge? Killing the monster's child was his right.

"Over here, Keme," sounded Zoa's voice.

Keme spun to it.

There she was, a bow in her arms instead of a baby.

He opened his mouth to ask where she had put it, but only a gargle came out. Still keeping himself in the air, he tried to take another breath, then he realised there was no arrow on her bow.

Keme looked down himself.

One of Zoa's arrows stuck out of his chest.

Keme raised his eyes to her. He wanted to ask her why. But Zoa was gone. Everything was gone. He saw only blackness.

"It's over now, Keme," said a gentle voice, and someone touched his hand.

---==(o)==---

The madman's wings stopped flapping and he fell to the ground. Zoa's arrow had hit well. She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. Then she flew to where she had hid the baby, and landed. The baby was weeping but seemed too weak to wail. It was a heartbreaking sight.

"Come here, little darling," she comforted, and picked up the infant.

Out of all the things the pairing of the abomination and the moth could have created, they had delivered a little termite.

"We'll find you a perfect home," promised Zoa and held the little thing to her flat-breasted chest.

"Zoa," yelled someone in the distance.

Zoa ignored the call. She had something still to do.

With the baby on one arm, she went to Keme's corpse and picked up his sword.

"I'm sorry, little one," she said to the infant. "I have to kill your parents. They are evil. I promise they won't feel a thing."

Zoa walked to the spider and held the tip of Keme's sword against his throat. His black-skinned face rested on one side and looked so peaceful. His breathing was slow.

Zoa frowned, her eyes travelled from the spiders throat to his back. He had countless cuts from the spiked throwing chains, but he had almost no scars.

"Look for the scars," Vumanesco had said.

Where were the scars?

Zoa's eyes travelled back and forth on the spider's back and she couldn't recognise it.

Where were the scars she had seen back in Altwar?

"The scars," Vumanesco had whispered. "Look for the scars. We were..."

Tears formed in Zoa's eyes, blurring her vision.

"We were wrong," whispered Zoa. "Was that what you were trying to say, Vumanesco."

"Her arrow will taste blood," had been the seer Evelin's final words on the matter.

Zoa looked at arrow sticking out of Keme's chest, then looked at the sword in her hand which hadn't yet tasted blood.

"Why, Evelin?" asked Zoa. If the child had known she would end up shooting Keme, why hadn't she told?

"Zoa," called distant voices.

"Over here," yelled Zoa.

Maybe Vumanesco had meant to warn her that this spider was innocent. Maybe he had meant to warn her that there was more than one murderous spider.

Either way, this spider was helpless. Zoa could afford to let it live until she knew for sure, and withdrew the sword from the spider's vulnerable throat.

*

Posted on literotica.com with permission of author: Nanna Marker; literotica ID ellynei.