I could hear yelling before I saw them through the smoke and haze. Sumi cursing, Finn yelling about no escape, someone else just screaming bloody murder. As the tent took shape through the smog, I saw the full horror of the situation.

Spiders were crawling all over it, while Sumi and a few others tried to fight them off. Finn and the Trylle Queen were arguing outside, but the spiders were coming faster so he dragged her inside.

I stayed outside, fighting alongside Sumi, taking out as many spiders as I could. Until I saw an arachnid the size of a hobgoblin tear a hole into the tarp, making a new entrance in the side.

I went after her—cutting through a pair of fat, angry spiders on the way—and made it inside the tent in time to see the spider wreaking havoc with the medical equipment. Standing in front of the rows of cots were Eliana, Minnie, and a few others creating a troll wall before the wounded.

At the far end of the tent, I spied Pan and Rikky fighting spiders that had broken through at their end. Finn and Wendy were having a heated discussion in the relative safety near the center of the room.

I took my battle stance, looking for the right moment to strike the massive spider. The arachnid had turned its attention toward the wall of Minnie and Eliana, and I charged at it.

And then, as I ran, the spider had its eyes fixed on Eliana. But then Eliana took Minnie by the shoulders, and she pushed her directly into the waiting fangs of the spider. I shouted no and Eliana screamed, but it was cut short by the sound of fangs tearing through bone and flesh.

I leapt onto the back of the spider, driving my sword through the jagged green line down the back. The gelatinous innards spilled over the ground, and Minnie’s body was submerged beneath it.

When I stood up, I wiped the spider gunk off my hands and stepped toward Eliana. “What the hell is wrong with you, Eliana?”

“That’s not Eliana,” Sumi said from behind me. “That’s Illaria.”

The girl I’d thought was Eliana suddenly laughed, and Sumi frowned.

“I promised your mama that I would take care of you and your sister,” Sumi said. “The problem is, Illaria, I don’t think anyone can be safe with you around.”

Sumi stalked past me, her chin down and her eyes on Illaria. She moved like a kuguar. I stepped to the side, leaving Sumi to deal with the evil twin, while I took care of the spiders that kept invading the tent.

After Illaria had murdered Minnie to save herself from a spider, everyone that could move scattered away. Illaria stood alone, spider corpses surrounding her feet, and her hair kept shifting through different shades of red.