Fire burst out above them. Red ants came to the edge of the hole and peered down at them, heads tilted quizzically. One stepped onto the sand experimentally and slid, sideways and out of control, until it reached Rowan. Hooked feet found a hold on his skin, and the ant climbed down his body.

“Oh shit! Oh fuck!” Rowan screeched. He slapped the ant off him.

The ant landed in the spiraling sand and swirled down toward the ant lion. Against the bulk of the ant lion, the large ant looked almost normal-sized.

A giant claw descended and pinned the ant in place. The ant lion whirled around and devoured it in two clicks of its mandibles, dribbling ant juices into the sand.

“It loves ants! Push them toward the ant lion!” Rowan shouted, excited. Right, of course! Ant lions build these traps specifically to trap ants. I should have figured it out sooner!

Beside him, Kaidu kicked an ant off his legs and into the sand. The ant lion snatched it up and happily munched away.

Rowan batted more ants off his body into the ant lion's domain. Ants surged over him, biting at his legs and ankles ferociously. Acid pain roiled up his body. He kicked them off one by one. They tightened their mandibles at his kicks until the chitin finally gave way with a crack, and they tumbled toward the ant lion.

One particularly stubborn ant dug its jaws in. Rowan grabbed at its mandibles and peeled them apart, then kicked the ant into the sand. His blood stained the sand red, mixing with ant juices.

Poison Resist activated. Itching and burning from ant bites lessened.

One of the smaller ants reared back and chomped down on his flipflop. Rowan kicked at it. "Hey! I need my... shoes..."

His eyes widened. Rowan looked down at his shoes, then at the ants. They concentrated around his legs and ankles, biting at his lower legs and feet.

They’re going after my shoes! I stepped on the ant. The ant hormones are on my flipflops!

Rowan bucked his body and kicked as hard as he could, not at the ants, but to toss off his shoes. The flipflops, small ant still attached, flew into the air and smacked the ant lion in the face.

The ant lion growled and whirled, jabbing its mandibles at Rowan.

His blood ran cold. This had better work.

Ants hesitated. The ones already latched on held their grip, but the new ones turned, antennae following the arc of the shoes. They chittered, almost talking amongst themselves.

The largest ant stepped onto Rowan. Rowan stiffened. Heat radiated off this ant, and fluid sloshed in the first segment of its translucent body. Weight pressed into his body with each step of its six feet, the ant at least ten, maybe twenty pounds. Mandibles easily large enough to chop his thigh in half click-clicked as it worked its jaws. It tilted its head and regarded him with flat, black eyes, then turned to the flipflops. Antennae twitched, feeling the air.

“Go for it! Go after it! Get the tasty flipflop!” Rowan muttered under his breath, afraid to move.

Heat beat down on him. The fire-breathing ant hesitated. It looked at Rowan, then turned to the ant lion.

All at once, the large ant jumped off Rowan. It reared up and threw itself at the ant lion, spouting fire, mandibles spread wide. The other ants followed. Smaller mandibles detached from from Rowan, and the mass of ants rushed at the ant lion.

The ant lion roared and slammed the large ant with its antennae. Razor wires smashed down on either side of the ant.

The ant jumped nimbly to the side, dodging. It cocked back its head and spurted fire at the ant lion. Flames burst up its long antennae.

Roaring in pain and anger, the ant lion thrashed. Sand flew, clouding the air. It bent down and snatched up a mouthful of smaller ants, crunching them to bits.

Ants clamped onto the ant lion's legs and climbed up its body. Unharmed, it shook itself. Ants plunged into the sand, some half-crushed, others missing limbs. Mindless of the harm to their bodies, the ants jumped back up and charged the ant lion again.

Struggling in the sand, the fire-breathing ant hissed and shot fire again. The ant lion tossed its head and smashed its mandibles into the ant. Crumpled, the ant sank into the sand. It drifted toward the ant lion, lifeless.

Kaidu lunged and grabbed the edge. With a huff, he pulled his body up, then started to draw his legs up.

Still stuck in the sand, Rowan grabbed his ankle before he could climb all the way up and pulled himself to solid ground. Throwing his body over the edge, he laid there for a second, panting.

“That hurt!” Kaidu snapped, rubbing his ankle.

Lips pressed together, Rowan climbed the rest of the way over the edge and pointed at his gnawed-on ankles. Blood flowed freely. His skin swelled and reddened around the worst of the bites, and the others showed signs of swelling. “You think that doesn’t?”

Kaidu narrowed his eyes at Rowan. After a moment, he turned away. Under his breath, he muttered, “Better quit that whining, or no one’s going to stay around you.”

“If you don’t take that stick out of your ass, same,” Rowan grumbled back.

They glared at each other. With a harrumph, Kaidu turned away first. “We should get away before more fire ants come.”

“Concur.” Barefoot, feeling each prickle and branch under his feet, Rowan followed Kaidu back into the forest.