Kingdom of Ash

Maeve shook her head, dark hair shining.
“These are not the stygian spiders.”
Through the portal, Dorian could make out
jagged, ashen rock. Mountains.
“These are the kharankui, as the people of
the southern continent call them. My most
loyal handmaidens.”
Dorian’s heart thundered as the spider
bowed again.
Erawan’s face turned cool and bored.
“What use would I have for them?” He
gestured to the windows beyond, the hellscape
he’d crafted. “I have created armies of beasts
loyal to me. I do not need a few hundred
spiders.”
Maeve didn’t so much as falter. “My
handmaidens are resourceful, their webs long-
reaching. They speak to me of the goings-on
in the world. And spoke to me of the next ...
phase of your grand plans.”