Cutie ignored her. He let out a stubborn, rumbling growl, grabbing a descending spider by two of its legs and literally ripping the creature in half with his bare hands. He threw the bleeding halves into the encroaching swarm, buying them three seconds of space.
He turned, grabbed Kaya by the back of her tunic, and physically threw her toward the narrow, spiraling stone staircase that led up to the main fortress.
"I'm not leaving you!" Kaya yelled, scrambling to her feet on the first step.
Cutie didn't follow her. He turned his broad back to the stairs, planting his massive, bleeding feet firmly on the stone. He let out a roar that shook the very foundations of the canyon, challenging the entire swarm to get through him. He was the bottleneck. He was going to hold the line so she could escape.
"No!" Kaya screamed. She looked down at the glass oil lamp she was still clutching in her left hand.
