Story starter!

The crows had been gathering for some time, no doubt displeased by the girl’s actions.

She could feel the cold, wet slime dripping slowly from her fingertips, but it didn’t bother her. Her hands were still, steady, without fear: she had been eagerly awaiting this moment.

All she could think about was the creature in front of her, finally escaping from its cage. It had hatched. It was time…

The crows screeched their displeasure at the girl as she slowly stood up, letting the rest of the egg shell drop to the ground where it rolled forward ever so slightly until

the girl stopped it with her toe. Her eyes pulsed red and the egg dissipated into smoke.

The creature hissed at her but she felt no fear. It would never attack her. She was the one who had released it from the cage that it could not have escaped from itself. Even if it did try to attack she had her gifts to protect her.

But they might not be enough, the voice in her head whispered playfully.

Hush. She told the voice. Of course they are. But even as she thought it she began to doubt that they would be if this thing attacked her. The voice laughed quietly and wickedly at the back of her mind.

As annoying and mean as the voice was, she was Melicents only friend, the only one she could talk to. Everyone was scared of Melicent. Her own parents had abandoned her and left her on the steps of an orphanage after they found out what she could do. Amthera, the voice in her mind, had taught her how to use her gifts and on her 8th birthday had told her how to escape from the orphanage. She had found her way back to her parents and they had recognized her immediately. They let her live with them, mostly out of fear, until she was eleven and then she ran away and lived in the forest that surrounded the outskirts of the town where she had found a nest the size of the long dining table that had once been in the orphanage until Melicent had accidentally set it fire to with her gifts. There were seven eggs in that nest. Seven eggs that were identical to the one that had just hatched. Melicent had taken one of the eggs, and now, on her twelfth birthday, that egg was hatched.

Let's not keep your creature waiting, whispered Amthera. You never know, it might be hungry.

Melicent took three steps forward to stand in front of the magnificent creature. She marveled at how a creature three times the size of her could fit inside of an egg the size of a dinner plate. The creature's eyes, all three of them, were amber, with white pupils instead of black. Its long spider body was covered in sleek black armoured plates that glinted wickedly with razor sharp points on the ends of all of its eight legs. Its big gaping mouth had hundreds of rows of gray pointed teeth and it had black saliva dripping off them.

Melicents eyes pulsed red and the sticky substance that coated her hand drifted skywards then disappeared like the egg shell.

She lifted her hand up to touch the creature's head.

“I am your master,” said Melicent. “You will serve me.”

The creature bowed its head and Melicent stepped back.

So it looks like it’s not going to attack you, said Amthera.

But then it did. It lashed out with one of its front legs, sweeping Melicents feet out from under her. She hit the ground, bruising her tailbone, and the creature raised its leg, preparing to stab her with the point. Melicent rolled out the way as the leg stabbed downwards and got to her feet as the creature got its leg stuck.

Melicent had no weapon. She only had her powers. But would they be enough? They had to be or Melicent would end up as dead as a doornail.

Give yourself some space, Amthera said urgently. Then you can use your powers.

She started to run. The creature slashed at Melicent and she ducked but she couldn’t avoid the second attack. The leg slammed into her side taking her off her feet and tossing her through the air like a rag doll. She hit the ground for a second time and groaned. Her ribs were bruised but not broken. She quickly got to her feet. The creature was coming at her.

At least you have some room now, said Amthera brightly. See if you can rip off one of the armoured plates.

Melicent raised her arm but it was too late to use her powers. The creature was too close. It didn’t try to use its legs this time but instead it opened its mouth wider than it already was and a jet of black saliva shot out, straight at Melicent. She didn’t know what would happen if it touched her but she didn’t want to find out. She sidestepped the saliva straight onto the path of an oncoming leg.

An idea suddenly struck Melicent. She dived under the leg and rolled to her feet. She was under the creature now, hidden from its view. She could see where the saliva had hit the ground from here. There was a smoking crater where it had hit. It was probably a good thing that she hadn't touched it.

The creature stepped backwards. So did she. She kept moving with the creature as she raised both her hands and used her magic to grip the edges of the armoured plate under its stomach. It was incredibly sharp. Melicent took a deep breath and pulled.

The creature shrieked so loudly and so painfully that Melicent had to resist the urge to cover her ears. To cover her ears meant to lose the plate that she held in the air with her magic. Melicent was so distracted by the noise that she didn’t notice that the creature had moved backwards and could now see Melicent. She realized when the creature hit her with its leg again.

She was thrown back and she lost the plate but was ready when the ground rose up to meet her. She splayed her hands and some invisible force stopped her before she hit the ground, holding her in the air.

The creature shrieked again and charged at Melicent as she used her magic to flip herself onto her feet, and, before she had a chance to second guess her plan, she ran at the creature.

The creature must have been surprised because it faltered slightly and blinked at her as she jumped at it and was boosted upwards by her magic. She was higher than the creature now and it looked up at her as she came down, her bare foot crashing into its face.

It howled in pain and threw its head back, tossing Melicent onto its back. She bounced and rolled down its armoured plates, nearly falling off before she managed to slide her fingers into a chink in the armour. The halt was so abrupt that it nearly ripped her arms out of their sockets. She grimaced and hauled herself away from the edge.

Her plan was working.

She raised one arm as the creature violently lurched to one side trying to throw her off. Melicent was thrown left and her legs slipped off the creatures back and suddenly she was dangling from one arm. The creature lurched the other way and she was thrown back onto its back.

She had to end this now.

Before the creature could lurch again she raised both her arms and the armoured plate the she had ripped off launched itself upwards, into a chink in the armour.

Melicent calmly slid off the creature as it shrieked, wobbled, and then collapsed in a

heap beside her.

She breathed deeply as her legs gave way and she collapsed onto the ground, staring up at the crows that still circled above her.

Nicely done, said Amthera as Melicent shook slightly on the ground, still looking up at the sky. That was good, but the day is not done and we still have things to do.

Yes, we do. Thought Melicent as she forced herself into a sitting position, then stood up, looking at her trembling hands.

She didn’t care that the creature had attacked her and was now dead. She didn’t care that it hadn’t listened to her. There were still six more eggs. Six more chances.

Melicent began the trek on her still shaking legs to the forest to find the nest.

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