Well, that certainly explains the smooth, even binding covering my body. I’m wrapped up like a fly in a web.
His faceted gaze scans me, main eyes glinting subtly within their lenses as their focus shifts.
Gooseflesh prickles down my arms under the silk wrapping me. That cold, unyielding expression could make a grown man cry.
Good thing I’m not a man.
I tip my chin up—or, I guess, down? Whatever.
“That’s not a very polite way to greet someone.”
Vibrations quiver through the silk wrapping me as he snips threads out of view. The world flips again as my weight settles into his arms—but any dreams I had of a comfortable bridal carry are dashed when he tucks the bundle I’ve become under his arm like a duffel bag.
Literallylike a duffel bag: there’s a strap connecting my shoulders and hips, slung over his shoulder.
There’s an odd, sweet smell now that I’m close to him.
…Licorice?
Why the fuck does he smell like licorice?
The ground blurs as he climbs through the trees. There’s a muffled yet familiar clanking of metal near my hip—Dummy’s internal parts rattling around. It probably flew right into whatever bit of silk the spider used to catch it. Still, I feel oddly comforted that it’s coming along with me.
I twist around, trying to get a better look at the Arachnoid’s face. “Aren’t you going to ask what I’m doing here?”
“I already know what you’re doing here.”
A bolt goes through me. “You do?”
“Trespassing. Which means I get to…educateyou on the consequences of doing a thing like that in a place like this.”
I bite my tongue since I’m now sure he’s the person I’m here to meet. I need to be strategic.
The big clue is that he’s fluent in English.
Sapients only bother learning human languages if they’re bored geniuses or criminals. If you live outside the law, the last thing you want is a translation chip that tracks everything you hear. I’ve already tampered with mine—that’s why it was slow earlier.
Crime: keeping the art of language alive. There’s a certain nuance you only get when you choose the words yourself.
His word choice says,I’m a smug bastard.
While I contemplate my next angle of attack, I can’t help but watch the branches slide away below me. His gait is perfectly smooth and perfectly silent, yet swift and decisive. No wonder he snuck up on me.
“Listen, it’s verygenerousof you to want to educate a poor, dumb, stupid, mushy little human like me, but believe it or not, I actually came here on purpose.”
“You’re quite stupid, then.”
I roll my eyes. “I have aproposition.”
“You may propose it after I’ve had my tea. For now, be quiet.”
Anger bubbles in my chest. “I will propose what I want, when I want, however I damn well plea?—”
There’s a dark flicker in my periphery and another band of silk suddenly wraps across my mouth, flat and sticky like a piece of duct tape.
My indignant yell is muffled to a pitifulHmmmph.
He doesn’t even glance down at me, but a subtle smirk pulls at his dark lips.
