"We have to stop meeting like this," Aelin huffed at the spider.
It didn't reply, simply dropped her angrily to the ground.
"Hey!" She said, as she landed on her behind, "I thought that you spiders liked your manners! You could have just asked me nicely instead of knocking me out."
Again it didn't reply, instead circling her and observing every wrinkle in her skin and every hidden pocket in her tunic, one of which held her dagger.
Aelin felt uncomfortable in this predicament, so stood, brudhing the dirt off her jacket.
"Well… are we just going to stand here or…" She trailed off but the spider ignored her.
Instead it scuttled into the cave and disappeared into the swirling darkness.
It appeared a few minutes later with metres and metres of fabric.
But it wasn't just fabric. It was spidersilk and Aelin's breath was forced out of her by the sheer beauty of it. It moved like water, folds of it cascading down in shimmery waves. She knew that that much silk could have bought pretty much anything she would ever want or need, and have extra to give to the poor people of Terrasen. It caught in the sunlight and it flashed into her eyes, briefly blinding her.
The spider saw her face, and in wicked gleam appeared in its evil eyes. It let out a dark chuckle and said,
"A man dropped dead once, when he saw some of my silk. I'm surprised that a thing as weak as you has not met the same fate."
Aelin did not reply. Weak, she thought, it won't be thinking that for very long.
She grinned, a feral spark dancing in her eyes.
"Perhaps instead of insulting me, you could name your price for that stuff," she said nodding to the silk. once it was preoccupied, she would attack.
"You don't seem worried of what I might ask, girl." It said, narrowing its eyes slightly.
She laughed hollowly.
"I have suffered plenty. I see no reason to be scared of a little more."
The spider lay the silk across the warm clay ground.
"For silk of this quality and quantity, maybe memories or dreams, As I don't know if you are immortal or not, years off your life seem a bit pointless. Perhaps the first 12 years of your memories? I think that seems fair." The spider said thoughtfully, with a touch of menace.
Aelin was about to burn the spider into ashes and take the silk anyway when there was a scream.
A cold, blood curdling, bone aching scream.
