Theo immediately got up from the chair, his hand tightening instinctively as if he were holding his sword, only to realize that his sword wasn't with him.
Across the room, near the entrance of the closed terrarium, he saw Clara.
A large creature that looked like a mantis was slowly moving toward her, making faint clicking noises.
"Mantis!" Theo shouted in panic.
The shout made the creature look at him. Its body didn't move, but its head bent back with eerie flexibility.
Then it moved briskly toward Theo.
His heart nearly jumped out of his throat. Its legs weren't big enough to make sounds against the stone floor. Instead, they produced a hollow clacking noise, like a hollow bone hitting stone.
In moments, the creature was right in front of him, looking at him up close.
