Sebastian

Faran.
     
    Henley's right foot stepped off the planks of wood. The man was still visible, still in the landscape that contained Wizard City. Then Henley's left foot lifted off the plank—and he was gone.
    A few heartbeats later, a yank on the lead rope threw Addison off balance, had him stumbling forward.
    "Jump, man! Jump!" Dalton shouted.
    Not a controlled jump, but Addison managed to stumble off the bridge and land feet-first in the creek.
    Another jerk on the lead rope had him dropping to his hands and knees.
    "What is it?" Dalton fought the urge to race across those planks to reach his men.
    "Don't know, Cap'n," Addison said. "It's not the signal, but I—"
    Dalton watched the rope jerk once. Twice. That was the signal. "Move back this way, Addison. Keep steady pressure on the rope. Guide him back." He struggled to keep his voice controlled and encouraging as Addison waded to the near side of the creek.
    The rope disappeared into nothing, but they followed its movement Not the steady movement of a man walking, but the stuttering struggle of someone moving with care and desperation.
    Was it a man coming back over the bridge? They didn't know what was on the other side.
    "Addison! Get that rope off your belt. Now! Now !"
    While Addison struggled to untie the lead rope, Dalton grabbed his arm and hauled him up to dry land.
    Addison dropped the rope and backed away from the bridge. Dalton unsheathed his short sword and waited for whatever was about to cross over into their landscape.
    "Do you hear that, Cap'n?" Addison asked, cocking his head.
    Something faint but getting clearer. A voice panting over and over, "Guardians of Light and Guides of the Heart, please let me get him to the captain."
    Henley appeared suddenly, hunched over, his hands fisted on the lead rope he'd tied around Faran's chest. "I found him, Captain," he panted as he dragged Faran the rest of the way off the bridge. "He's hurt bad."
    Dalton stared at the thing that had been dragged into this landscape along with Faran.
    Almost every night for the past week, his daughter, his sweet little girl, had had nightmares about giant spiders creeping around the corners of her room, ready to eat her. Those nightmares had given him and his wife sleepless nights, because what the heart believed could change the resonance of a person and bring that person into contact with the landscape that matched that belief.
    Now he was staring at his daughter's nightmare. It existed. It was real. And far too close to home.
    "Captain?" Henley said, his voice full of uncertainty.
    Dalton shook himself. He couldn't think of his family now. His men needed him.
    Approaching cautiously, he went down on one knee next to Faran's shoulder.
    Faran opened his eyes. His breathing was harsh, as if it took all of his will to keep his lungs moving.

    "Can't feel… my arms… or legs. Trapdoor… near bridge."
    Pressing a hand on Faran's shoulder, Dalton studied the dead spider that was as big as a dog. The hilt of a knife stuck out of its head. "Hold on, Faran. You just hold on."
    Dalton stood up. "Guy, you ride back to the city, fetch a healer and a wagon. Henley, Addison, you wade across the creek and see if there are saplings or branches over in that wooded area that we can use as poles to make a litter."
    He watched his men scatter to follow his orders. Then he tried to will his pounding heart to calm back down to a steady pace. But his heart wasn't fooled as he walked around Faran to take a position near the guards leg.
    Maybe the best thing would be to cut the fangs away from the jaw. That would separate the spider from the man. But that would bring his hands, his body too close to those jaws, and even though he knew the spider was dead, his body didn't believe it.
    Cut the creature in half? That would ease the weight and drag on Faran. But his hands were shaking, and there was a chance of slicing into Faran's leg. The guard couldn't afford to lose more blood.
    He felt his courage withering, and he wanted to ride away, wanted to get stinking drunk, wanted to shrug off the weight of being responsible for other men's lives. And he could almost hear something whispering at the edges of his mind, feeding the shame and the fear.
    "Cap'n? We found a couple saplings. Think they'll do?"
    Addison's voice snapped him back. How long had he stood there, doing nothing to help a man who had followed his orders because his men trusted him with their lives?
    Dalton took a step back before