Chapter 74
Daelan POV
I land on something soft.
For a split second, I think it's moss. Maybe soil. But then it shifts under my boots—spongy, springy, wrong.
My instincts scream.
I look down.
The web glistens like stretched muscle under a layer of frost. Not delicate strands, but thick ropes of gray-white silk, woven so densely they form a false floor. It stretches as far as I can see, disappearing into blackness. Sticky filaments cling to my boots like fingers trying to hold on.
Thanks to my affinity, I can see in the dark. Normally a blessing. Now, a curse.
The cavern is vast, a hollow wound carved deep into the earth, with walls crawling in layered webbing. Every inch of stone is smothered in silk. The air is heavy, damp with the smell of rot and something else—bitter, sweet, and unmistakably organic.
It's not just a nest. It's a hive.
