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Forest

Chapter 8: Oh, What a Tangled Web

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The cool morning breeze cooled her temper slightly, brushing through her pin feathers as she circled further and further away from the city. Not knowing exactly what she was doing, or where she was headed, Daine forced the human world from her mind as she explored the coast, habitually examining any landmarks and buildings as she passed them. The cold breeze from the sea issued a challenge as she adapted from the warm thermals of Carthak, adjusting her flight pattern to suit a new sky.

Every time the conversation arose in her mind she found something else to think about- the whereabouts of other starlings, roosting spots, and Numair's plan to fly across the ocean, until she ran out of thoughts. The sharp pain of the cook's words dulled to a mind numbing ache as she began to turn the conversation over and over in her mind.

It was just as she had foreseen- just as it had been in Galla, and in Carthak. The sidelong looks, the fear in people's eyes as they caught her own gaze. In Carthak, it went no further than the fear- the protection of the Emperor and the isolation of a slave stopping the jeers, the accusations, the hatred…

In Galla, they had tried to kill her.

Why had she expected Tortall to be any different? Daine idly glided along a headland as she thought about it. Perhaps it was because she thought no-one would find out. She had agreed to stay and help in the war, but she could have been an archer or a healer's assistant- both things she'd practiced a lot as a child. The demands on her to use her magic were as good as gone, if only she could shake the habit. Just as she could stop listening to conversations, or singling out the most gullible person and convincing them to speak to her, or scanning rooms as she entered them…

She realized how tired and cold her wings were becoming, and looked around for a place to rest for a while. She saw a likely copse at the same time as she saw the herd of Spidren. Her gasp emerged as a strangled peep as she wheeled above them.

Over fifty of the grotesque spider-people had gathered in the copse, using its cover and density as a perfect meeting ground. The grass and trees glistened with sickly yellow-green web for nearly a mile around the group as they talked, sniggered and brandished arms emphatically.

Daine swooped down and inched along a branch, trying to hear what they were speaking of. She avoided the sticky greenish web, although the soft, cloth-like webbing was everywhere. The Spidren's harsh voices grated on her ears. A sudden squeal of laughter made her jump as she tried to edge around a strand of web. As she tried to move on, she realized that one foot had stuck in webbing. The whole thread shook as she tugged against it.

"Well well, what have I caught in my web?" A smiling face loomed above her, the pleasant expression making its blood-crusted mask more hideous. The smile faded slightly as it looked at her. "Oh, a bird. How disappointing. Not more than a mouthful, are you my pet?"

A second face appeared, this one male and grinning. "Such a tasty little morsel! Look at it struggle!"

"Piss off, Duon, it's mine!" The first face snarled, spraying greasy brown spit onto Duon's face. Duon growled deep in his throat, wrapping a spindly arm around the female's throat. With a roar, the two creatures began to fight. Gleefully, several other nearby Spidren joined in the brawl. Praying that a stray arm wouldn't come near her, Daine tried again to struggle free. Her foot was well and truly stuck. She began to change into a snake, figuring that they didn't have feet and so couldn't have one stuck in web.

"What's this all about?" Shrieked a third Spidren, thundering into the clearing. The brawl stopped abruptly. If Spidren could look cowed, these ones did.

"Duon tried to steal a bird I caught, sir." Muttered the female. Duon struggled to his many feet, having obviously received the worse end of the fight.

"She's lying! It's my bird!"

The third Spidren- evidently a leader- peered into the web and glared at the two brawlers. "It's not a bird. Are you so stupid you can't tell the difference? It's a snake!"

"A snake? It is a bird!" Duon spat a broken tooth to the ground. "Are you saying I'm blind? You think I'm stupid?"

"Or maybe you think I'm blind?" The female spidren reared. "You and your high and mighty ways! Just because the Rancune speaks to you!"

Daine flinched and stared at the three creatures, frozen into place. The leader spider spat on the floor at the mention of the name, but the tremor in his words belied the action. "The man means nothing to me. He is a stupid mortal with more power than sense." The spidren licked his lips nervously and glanced at the sky. Feeling the eyes of his pack on him, he glared around. The female snarled as he looked at her.

"You coward. You would have us all follow this man to our deaths! We should kill him, and let the Stormwings foul his bones!"

The leader roared at her and reared, sending bright yellow thread coursing at the errant spidren. She screeched and raised her forelegs to block it, writhing as the acidic thread began to eat rapidly through the delicate limbs and her exposed face. The leader span around on two sets of hind legs, his spinneret exposed. The pack of spidren hissed as they backed away.

"Does anyone else have anything to say?" The leader's voice was far too soft. Daine wanted him to yell, to shout at them, to do anything to block out the female's awful screams. She tugged against the web again, but now the end of her tail was trapped.

The remaining spidren backed away, trying to look as nonchalant as they could. Duon remained, looking dispassionately at the twitching body of the female on the ground. The leader spun to look at him. "Well?"

"I am not blind or a fool. Since you are more powerful than me, perhaps you can explain how the bird became a snake?" Sarcasm dripped from his mouth, along with globules of blood from his broken tooth.

"It was always a snake. You and this lump of meat were mistaken" The leader sniffed dismissively and kicked the female's dead body towards the nearest group of his followers. They ripped it apart with gusto as Duon gestured at the branch.

"Why does this snake have bird footprints?"

Daine-the-Snake glanced frantically around, suddenly realising that there were many prints in the softer, spongy web on the branch. Duon's eyes narrowed at the movement. "And why does it understand us?"

Oops. Daine thought.

"What?" The leader looked around abruptly. "You're right. It must be a spy!"

"Shall we kill it?"

The leader considered the snake, who was looking altogether too innocent and…snakelike... among the clawed prints. A greedy gleam came into his eyes. "Let's wait, and see if it becomes another creature. Something more substantial."

Oh, the hell with it. Daine cursed mentally and formed her own mouth, trying to keep it as invisible as possible. "Perhapss you will talk witthh me first?" She hissed.

The leader hardly raised an eyelid, although Duon jumped a little. "Perhaps. What shall we speak of?"

"Thhe Rancune."

The Spidren's face changed dramatically. His eyes widened as he glanced first at the sky, then at the remains of the female. Abruptly, he grabbed Duon by the back of his head, towing him away from the branch and out of earshot. The bleeding Spidren complained, but lost interest quickly. The leader returned more slowly to the branch.

"You are not the snake god- I have met him. Who are you?" He demanded. Daine considered for a moment, then shifted back in to her human form. To her annoyance, her foot was still stuck in the web. The spidren watched the change through slits of eyes, his expression unreadable.

"Please will you…free my foot? I want to talk to you." She said honestly. The spidren didn't take the bait a second time, but glared at her furiously.

"You're just one of his slaves! You're not a spy, or a mage. You're a mortal…nobody! Why should I help you?" He sounded nearly relieved. Daine gaped at him.

"I'm not a slave! And I just want to talk!"

The creature leaned forward and tapped the metal collar with a clawed arm, each tap making her head ring. "I saw his slaves marked with these. No-one else wears them."

"You mean… Ozorne's the Rancune? But he's dead!"

She was regarded dispassionately. "I have never heard the name 'Ozorne'. The Rancune is the Rancune. He's not dead. I'm certain of that, because I'm going to kill him myself." Suddenly, he reached up, ripped the piece of web and pulled her down from the tree, hurling her into another web like a piece of straw. "We will take you back to the Rancune when we have finished the task he set us. I've heard that he kills runaway slaves just with those collars. I would love to see that! Might capture some new slave-friends for you in that port too, little snake! My people are hungry, after all." He grinned maliciously. "Sleep well, little snake."

"Wait! What task? What…?" Daine called after him as he climbed away. He didn't answer. Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she took stock of the situation. She was well and truly stuck, with only one arm free from the sticky muck. Back to square one, in fact.

At least this web is kind of warm. She thought, making a makeshift blanket out of the soft, not-sticky parts of the web. The Spidren had all gathered in the next clearing as the leader spoke emphatically to them, gesturing frequently back to her. Screams drifted on the winter breeze as several of the creatures apparently disagreed with what he was saying, but eventually they all drifted away out of site.

Daine shape-shifted her ears to sensitive cat ears, listening to all the Spider-people's conversations and making sure they came no closer. She gritted her teeth, desperately trying to think of some way to escape. Shape shifting didn't work…

Her frantic thoughts settled on what the Badger had told her, only hours ago. Meditation separated the spirit from the body, right? Maybe she could send her spirit away and find someone to help, or just warn someone that the spidren were here. But the Spidren might realise what she was doing.

They're going to kill you anyway. Might as well try. She thought.

Biting her lip, Daine glanced at the clearing. The leader Spidren had settled down to guard, hanging grotesquely from a web. Every so often, he would open an eye warily and scan the area. Daine turned her face away from him, pretending to sleep.

Her breathing settled easily into the meditation pattern. At first she couldn't clear her mind, fear of falling asleep and meeting Scul crippling her thoughts. It was mid-morning before she felt tranquil enough to try to leave her body.

She fixed her eyes on the edge of the copse, and ordered herself to go there.

It didn't work.

Groaning in desperation, she tried to mentally drag herself away from the web. After this also failed, she tried to work out what she was doing wrong. She was meditating right, wasn't she?

As she checked herself, she realised that Numair had taught her to look inside herself as she meditated. Maybe she should be looking outside? She took a deep breath, checked the Spidren again, and began to meditate. Instead of the copper wellspring of power she usually found, she looked for trees, bushes, grass…

Something shifted, and suddenly she was outside her body. All the trees and stones shone iridescently. She lifted her hands and saw they were outlined in copper, a warm light that shifted as she looked at it. Smiling victoriously, she took a step forward…

…and was suddenly, violently pulled back inside her own skin. Shaking with the shock of it, she broke out of her mediation. As the beautiful lights faded, she saw a patch of sickly black ooze around her feet, binding her to herself.

That looks like… Daine grabbed Scul's claw out of her pocket and tried to concentrate on it. The nauseating colours were infused with the dark aura. Disgusted, she threw the thing away from her.

The second time she saw the coloured lights, she looked for the darkness. There was nothing like it near her. Hesitantly, she took a step away from her body, then another.

As she left the clearing, she took a look back at the Spidren. He was coated in living, oozing darkness. It saturated everything he touched, dripping off the web and extinguishing the beauty of the grass. On the web near her body, the claw was exuding its own darkness in a slowly spreading pool. Feeling sick, Daine fled.