“Don’t move, Susanna!” Xavran yelled again, his voice thick with horror but also filled with determination.
He ripped the bracers from his forearms, revealing long, curved horns flattened from the sides, like blades.
Tossing the bracers away, he stomped his feet. Other men, outside of our “circle of doom,” did the same, stomping and shouting, obviously trying to divert the attention of the terrifying creature away from us.
The thing didn’t fall for it, though. Whatever this monster was, it had obviously set its sights on the few of us it had entrapped.
I wrapped my arms tightly around all three of the kids, willing my legs not to move, my feet rooted in place. Fear shook me, making my teeth chatter and my knees weak.
The giant umbrella swayed downwards toward us. A woman next to me whimpered, shrinking away from the creature.
As if having waited for that, the thing lunged for her. She leaped back, swerving out of its way. A man jumped forward, shielding the woman with his body. The edge of the “umbrella” mouth caught on one of the horns on the man’s shoulder. With a hard yank, the creature freed itself, knocking the man off his feet and leaving a long smudge of black blood on his shoulder.
Aldraian men’s bodies had considerably more protection than the women’s. Without the man jumping to her defense, the woman would’ve been severely injured if not killed. As it happened, only the giant worm got hurt. So far.
The man helped the woman to her feet, but neither of them stayed up. The ground shifted right under our feet this time.
I cried out in shock, fighting to keep my balance.
The people outside of the circle still tried to make some noise. They upturned tables and threw things at the creature. All in vain.
Xavran cursed under his breath in frustration.
“Daddy!” Ene ran from the outside into the lit space under the roof.
I pressed a hand to my chest in relief at seeing her safe and sound. Thankfully, she was outside of the circle, free.
Ene stared at us, her eyes glistening with tears.
The giant worm dove for us. And Xavran launched at it from behind. Jumping up, he slammed both arms into the creature. The curved, narrow horns on the back of his forearms sank deep into the smooth, black body of the worm, leaving long slashes as he slid down.
The giant creature was at least ten feet in diameter. The wounds, as long and deep as they were, didn’t do much to stop it, but Xavran definitely had its attention now.
The long column of the monster’s body swayed. The “umbrella” pivoted, whipping around to face Xavran. Then, it dropped down, covering him whole.
“Daddy!” Ene screamed.
From the mess of the upturned dishes on the ground, she grabbed a cauldron, then threw it into the giant worm with all her might.
Terror struck me.
“Xavran!” I screamed. What if the worm disappeared back into the dirt it had come from, taking Xavran with it? “No!”
The sharp tips of his horns poked through the membrane of the “umbrella.” They moved to the base, which was the worm’s neck, then all the way across, spraying ink-black blood. The parts of the creature’s terrible mouth fell apart.
Xavran climbed out from the gash.
He was covered in scratches from the worm’s teeth. His red blood blended with the worm’s black, painting his skin with gore. But he was alive.
The black column of the worm convulsed then collapsed to the ground, the creature’s throat slashed from the inside.
“Daddy!” Ene ran to him. Ignoring the gore and the stench of the worm’s steaming blood, she hugged him tightly.
Climbing over the piles of churned dirt, the rest of the children dashed to them. Xavran opened his arms for all of them.
My legs still shaking, I stepped closer. And he grabbed me, too, in the same wide sweep.
“Family hug,” he rasped.
I leaned into it, spreading my arms around them as wide as I could.
Family.
I’d never felt the meaning of that word as strongly as I did now.