Everville: The City of Worms Read Online Free PDF

the area was limited to less than fifty square yards. General Varrick mobilized his men and started digging away the portions of collapsed tunnels that separated them from Oldrik.
    Varrick removed the first stone that revealed the sunlight above and the position of Oldrik. A beam of light lit up the underground caverns where the giants resided and shined with tremendous brilliance. The other giants hurried to the same spot and started removing the rocks and tossing them aside. When the last boulder was removed, Borak and the other two giants jumped in the hole and took defensive positions surrounding Oldrik.
    By then, the Fwaylan were only a few hundred yards off, so the general called for the archers, who proceeded to take their positions facing upwards to the entrance of the hole.
    The growls and the stampede grew louder, and archers prepared to make their first wave of shots, but the blinding sun made it difficult for them to see the position of the Fwaylan. As a result, a few of the Fwaylan were able to make it through the hole before the archers could target them with their first volley.
    Borak and the other two giants who had collapsed the hole managed to grab the few Fwaylan that had made it into the tunnels. Borak flung one of the creatures at a wall and leapt on it as it fell to the floor. The creature was no match for the massive size and weight of Borak, who crushed it where it lay. The other two giants did the same with the other two Fwaylan which had slipped through.
    The small size of the hole and position of the archers created a bottleneck that prevented the majority of the Fwaylan from entering. General Varrick ordered the archers to stop the volley of shots but to remain ready if given the order to continue. The Fwaylan circled the hole without attacking, unable to make any real progress and not willing to lose any more of their kind. For the time being, the giants had successfully stalled both the Fwaylan and the movement of Oldrik, but it was unclear how long this would last.
     

Chapter 5:

    The Box
    At Professor Samil’s estate, Drusilla watched in eager anticipation as Zee lifted the lid of the first box that Odious had brought them. Peering inside, he reached in to grab some of the objects. There were documents, a notebook, some letters, a few photos, and a smaller box. He thumbed through a few of the photos, which had pictures of Professor Samil along with some people he recognized from paintings in the Art Club. He handed them to Drusilla, who glanced at them with similar disinterest. It was the smaller and cube shaped wooden box that had grabbed their attention.
    Zee lifted it out of the container, unsure exactly how to open it. The box was almost smooth, but there was a slight grainy texture to it that gave away its wooden composition. There was no visible entry. He turned it over a few times, inspecting it for a crack or an opening, and then he touched one of the corners of the box.
    As soon as Zee touched one of the corners, two lines formed from the center of the top and continued towards the edge and halfway down the sides. The top of the box then split into four equal sections that opened up and folded halfway over the sides. The inside of the box contained three separate compartments, equal in shape, each held a different object.
    Zee lifted the first object out of the box. It was a glass jar that contained a shimmering liquid. It had hints of opal and fleeting rainbow colors that faded into white as he swirled it around and inspected it.
    The second object was a miniature landscape oil painting on canvas with a gold frame. It was about the size of wallet photo. The painting had stunning detail including very tiny brush strokes that looked like they were made with a miniature brush.
    The final object was a tan scroll, frayed around the edges and tied with a thin red ribbon. Zee pulled on one of the ends of the ribbon until it opened and the scroll uncoiled.
    They looked intently at the