Opus Minus

Jay Eight-Legs: Leg the Last

A boom rolled in, resounding off the great, bare flank of the volcano into a clap of thunder, then dissipated, lost in the endless sea and sky.

I don’t know what that was, but I know what it means: the signal.

Jay Eight-Legs: Leg the Seventh

A hundred symbols fluttered on a hundred banners, each brighter than the last, until the eyes could see nothing single but only the united splendour of a magnificent host. The armour of the thronging knights and their spear-tips glinted in the sun. Their camp bustled to the…

Jay Eight-Legs: Leg the Sixth

Surprisingly, it did not attack them. It just gurgled in a back-of-the-throat, phlegmy kind of way. Jay was nothing less than perplexed.

The creature stared at them for a while while they tried to judge its intentions. It looked for all the world like…

Jay Eight-Legs: Leg the Fifth

A thousand colours flashed on Jay’s skin as a thousand thoughts went through his minds. How many are chasing me? How are they armed? Could Gib take them on? Will Gib be fit enough to fight? Can I help? Is this right?

Jay Eight-Legs: Leg the Fourth

Jay considered the situation as he deftly patched up Gib. The Warlock’s blade was made for slicing, so the stab wound was not truly terrible. Gib was also a big, tough ogor and it would take more to kill him than most. On the other hand, the ethersea keeping Jay from…

Jay Eight-Legs: Leg the Third

“Arr, an Ochtarrr ye be, eh? An’ that light blue be meaning yes? Ye’r a savvy one an’ no mistake, Eight-Legs!”

They chattered amiably, one of them in words, the other in colour, as Gib cut his way further through the jungle. Jay wanted to talk to him…

Jay Eight-Legs: Leg the Second

Jay clung on and tried to relax. Their progress was both leisurely and larcenous and Jay approved of neither. He’d managed to get through to Gib that the task was urgent and Gib had agreed to look into it, but the pirate creature was still about his other purpose. Several…