335 Sitting Duck

They returned to him with the information he needed. They had spotted a large number of larger spider beasts gathered in the clearing up ahead.

"Are you sure you're going in alone?" 

"Boss! Let me go with you!"

"No, I'll go with you instead!"

The other children were worried and afraid of the spider beasts, but they were unwilling to let their leader go in alone. But Boss was insistent on going solo. The incident at their campsite had left the vulnerable and he worried for their safety. 

Furthermore, some of them were injured and still recovering. 

"I will go alone, everyone else remains on high alert and be safe. If anything unusual happens, report it to me immediately," those were his parting instructions before he set out. 

In truth, Boss feared the spider beasts too. But in front of the other children, he remained as calm and brave as he could. Usually, Tizzie would be by his side to give him more courage. But she was back at their makeshift campsite nursing her wounds. 

"I'll be brave for the both of us," Boss muttered to himself. 

Just then, he felt a presence coming up behind him. Boss felt a shiver down his spine. 

"What do we have here?" a sinister voice asked from behind.

Boss gulped as he slowly turned around to meet the elder spider beast face to face. His heart was palpitating, ringing in his ears. 

"Vyrena sent me. I'm looking for Red Silk," he finally mustered the courage to speak up. 

The spider beast leaned in, their faces merely inches apart. 

Vyrena had informed Boss that he would not be able to understand what the spider beasts were saying. So long as he explained why he was there and who he was looking for, the spider beasts should be able to bring him to the Queen. 

Just in case, Vyrena also described how they looked like so that Boss would be able to identify them. 

"Child, you're looking for me? I don't think I've ever told a child my name before," Red Silk asked. 

"I can't understand you. But… but...Vy… Vyrena sent me to look for you. You're Red Silk, right? She said you would be able to bring me to meet with the Spider Queen."

Red Silk was amused. Why would the human Vyrena send a child to do her bidding? Did something happen, or was this a trap? But if it was indeed a trap, why send a child? That seemed crueller than anything else. 

Before he could get any further misleading ideas, Boss explained what had happened to Vy and the reason he had come in her stead. 

"Oh I see," Red Silk replied after hearing Boss's explanation, "Very well, I will take you to meet with the Queen. What is your name, boy?"

Realising the boy could not understand his words, Red Silk simply nodded and beckoned the child to follow him. Boss got the signal and followed closely behind him as they made their way down the path.

Red Silk led him straight to the clearing where the other elder spider beasts and Queen Willow had gathered. He bowed to her and explained why he had brought a child to meet with her. 

Then, he made way for Boss to meet Queen Willow. The child was able to identify the Queen immediately. She stood out from the rest of the spider beasts like a sore thumb.

"Do not worry, child. I do not bite. Come closer," she assured him with a smile. 

Boss could not understand Queen Willow but Vy had assured him before that the Queen was nice and cordial. It was best to keep on her good side. He walked up to her and bowed politely. 

He cleared his throat and began to relay the information that Vyrena had instructed him to. Once he was done, Queen Willow nodded. 

"So the drakes have been stalking the survivor campsites." Red Silk commented. 

"Seems like it, they are a threat," Queen Willow remarked. 

Seeing as the child is unable to understand their words, Queen Willow wrote down some information on a roll of paper and handed it personally to Boss. 

"For Vyrena?" he asked. 

Queen Willow nodded with a smile. 

Boss reciprocated her kindness and bowed politely. He stated that he would take his leave before heading off into the Jungle. He did not look back. Boss made his way back to his campsite swiftly. 

The experience was bizarre. When he was finally back at the makeshift campsite, he looked at the roll of paper the Queen had given him. Unfortunately, he could not read any of the information written on it. 

He could just have to wait for Vy to return so that she could read the information. 

"Vyrena is back!" one of the children announced throughout the campsite. 

Vyrena appeared shortly after with a cart full of weird-looking weaponry. She looked exhausted and covered in dust and dirt. Boss ran up to her and handed her the roll of paper while explaining what he had done. 

Jos and Maribelle had also returned shortly after and informed Vyrena of the information they had gathered. She thanked them for their help and read through the note Queen Willow had written for her. 

"So these creatures are called drakes," she concluded as she finished reading the note. 

"Drakes?" Boss asked out of curiosity.

Vy nodded, "Queen Willow explained that these Drakes will be a threat to all of us. They are a lot tougher than the spider beasts and it seems like they are specifically seeking out survivors."

"Then it's a good thing we're getting out of here soon!" Maribelle exclaimed with glee, much to the excitement of the other children. 

Boss peered at the cart Vy had with her. 

"Is that what you're going to use?" he asked. 

Vy nodded, "With these, we have more than enough firepower to send the wall crumbling down, which would allow for our escape," 

All that was left now, was the calm before the storm began to brew. Once she was able to set up the explosives all over the wall, the plan would be set in motion. Originally, Vyrena had considered making their escape under the cover of night. 

However, the lack of visibility was more of a disadvantage to everyone. So Vyrena realised it would be better for it to take place in the day. Based on what she had found while inspecting the wall, there was no surveillance or any form of weaponry that protected the wall from being damaged. 

There did not seem to be any form of traps laid around the wall either. 

It was a sitting duck. 

\u003cSpecial Holiday Bonus Part 2\u003e

When she felt his hands, they were icy cold. 

"We need to get you some gloves," she remarked as they made their way through the market square. 

They went to Carole's shop to see if she might have anything that would fit Lycster. Carole's shop was packed with customers picking out clothing items and presents for their loved ones. She even hired an assistant to help out. 

When she noticed Vy and Lycster, she greeted them warmly, "Happy Winter Solistice, you too!" 

"Happy Winter Solistice!" Lycster greeted back with a wide smile. 

Looking down at the boy's hands, Carole knew immediately what they came for. Unfortunately, she did not have any in stock that could fit Lycster's hands. She recommended them to check with a stall further down that sold winter accessories. 

"They should have what you're looking for," Carole assured them. 

Just as they turned to leave, Carole stopped them. She went to the back of the store and returned shortly with two gifts in her hands. Each of them was carefully wrapped with a colourful wrapping cloth. 

"Oh you shouldn't have, Carole. Thank you," Vy thanked her for her gift. 

"It's nothing big or fancy, but I hope you two will like it. I am afraid I won't be able to join you for Log Day dinner. With the snowstorm approaching, I plan on leaving tomorrow evening. So I thought I might as well give you your gifts first."

"You're leaving?" Lycster asked. He tugged on Carole's clothing with sad-looking eyes. 

Carole explained that there were rumours of a snowstorm fast approaching, set to arrive in a few days. Sleeping at the stall would not be ideal, and she wanted to head back to the village she stayed in to spend the holidays there. 

"You could come and stay with us for Yule! Right, Vy?" Lycster asked. 

Vy nodded, "Of course. You're most welcome to come and stay with us, Carole."

"That is a kind offer. However, I have already made arrangements. Plus there are people waiting for me to return to the village," she replied. 

The Blackfire Siblings continued making their way through the market. They found the stall Carole had mentioned and was able to find Lycster a pair of gloves. He got a pair of knitted grey gloves with the pattern of an owl on it. 

Vy noticed that they sold leather gloves too, so she bought herself a pair. 

Next, they went on to buy the ingredients they needed for Log Day dinner, as well as ingredients they would need for the next few days. With a snowstorm approaching, they would likely be stuck indoors for quite some time. 

Once all the purchases were done, Lycster turned to his sister and explained that he needed to make one more purchase. But this purchase, he was going to do it on his own. 

"You don't want your big sister to follow you?" she teased. 

Lycster laughed, "Well I don't want you to know what I got for you!" 

As such, the siblings agreed to split ways and meet back at home later on. Vy waved Lycster goodbye as he disappeared into the crowd, leaving her in the centre of the market. She looked around at the stalls around her, thinking about what to get Lycster. 

The boy did not lack anything. 

What could she get for him? 

\u003cTo Be Continued\u003e