The Eating Woods, #2
Eldritch
by Keri Lake
Contents
Chapter 7
Overview
Maevyth insists on training to protect Aleysia, and Zevander forces her to embrace lethal instinct tied to her darker magic. When two spider-humanoids attack, Maevyth masters the bone whip and kills them without Zevander’s aid. She later sees a vision of her dead uncle, hinting at a growing connection to the dead, and commits to further training.
Summary
Maevyth and Zevander venture into the snow to train while Aleysia sleeps. Zevander explains that Maevyth’s whip glyph draws on darker magic and that her empathy hinders her. Their flirtatious tension underscores his lesson: survival requires instinct over compassion.
A hiss from The Eating Woods interrupts them. Zevander tests Maevyth by drawing out two spider-humanoids. He suspends them briefly but refuses to keep using power, forcing Maevyth to focus. After initial failures, she channels anger by picturing Aleysia in danger and lands a strike, shattering one creature.
As the second charges, Zevander vows not to intervene. Under pressure, Maevyth centers on the spine glyph and lashes the bone whip, exploding the creature over Zevander. The immediate threat ended, they trade barbs about the grisly aftermath and the necessity of instincts over apologies.
Running back toward the cabin, Maevyth halts at the apparition of Uncle Riftyn’s mutilated face. Zevander sees nothing, and Maevyth admits she sometimes sees the dead, recalling the beast that flayed Riftyn. He comforts her and leads her inside.
Back in the hovel, Maevyth cleans acidic wounds from the attack off Zevander and apologizes for hesitating. He urges continued training. Maevyth concludes she can mute empathy by recalling the fear of losing him and Aleysia, and they agree to resume early the next morning.
Who Appears
- MaevythDetermined to protect Aleysia; learns to wield her bone whip by embracing lethal instinct; kills two spider-humanoids; sees her dead uncle.
- ZevanderTrains Maevyth to abandon hesitation; briefly suspends foes, then withholds power to force her growth; injured by acidic saliva; flirts and supports her.
- AleysiaAsleep in the cabin throughout; her safety motivates Maevyth’s resolve during training.
- MorsanaEntity tied to Maevyth’s darker magic, previously controlled the whip; her influence frames the lesson’s stakes.
- Mr. and Mrs. PrimsleyFormer townsfolk now spider-humanoids; pursue and attack; Maevyth kills them with the bone whip.
- Uncle RiftynAppears as a grisly apparition; only Maevyth sees him, signaling her unsettling connection to the dead.