yellow-and-white dress with a vertical design that made me think of a flower. She looked more confident this time and as we watched she gave a little twirl. “What do you think?”
“It looks amazing,” Sonder said. He was staring again.
“No,” Arachne said.
“But I like this one,” Luna said.
“Of course you do,” Arachne said. “But it’s all wrong for where you’re going. Here.” She shook out the outfit she’d been working on, making it shimmer in the light, and held it out to Luna with two of her legs. “Try this.”
Luna looked disappointed but disappeared behind the curtain again. “Now,” Arachne said. She’d been listening quietly as Sonder and I spoke, working on the dress, and now that it was finished she turned her full attention to me. “I think Sonder—Alex, have you lost weight?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Arachne gave me a quick up-and-down glance, did the spider equivalent of rolling her eyes, and pulled out a pile of dark cloth. “I think Sonder asked the right question,” she said as she started modifying it. “Why was Onyx there?”
“Because he’s involved, I guess,” I said. “Though I can’t figure out how Fountain Reach fits into it.”
“It seems to me there’s a simple explanation for both,” Arachne said. “What if Onyx was there for exactly the same reason as you?”
I started to answer, then stopped. “That . . . would explain a lot. He looked like he was searching around.”
“And obviously wasn’t expecting the meeting any more than you were.”
“And if Morden or Onyx got the same tip-off I did, Onyx is the guy Morden would send . . .”
“Which suggests he wants to find out what’s happening,” Arachne finished. “You should be able to take advantage of that.”
Sonder had been looking back and forth between us. “Umm . . .”
“Oh, something I wanted to ask.” I pulled a folded paper from my pocket. “Arachne, could you do me a favour?”
“Of course.”
“Could you make me something?”
Arachne took the paper with two of her legs and she unfolded it delicately, reading with half of her eyes and working with the others. “Hmm. Interesting.”
I glanced at Luna’s changing room. “I know it’s not easy—”
“Oh, I’d be happy to. I’ve been turning over some ideas along those lines myself. Drop by tomorrow and I’ll see what I have ready. Well then.” She held out the black clothes to me with two of her legs. “Try it on.”
“Oh, right.”
“You didn’t even think about it, did you?” Arachne said. “Honestly, if I weren’t here I think you’d show up in shorts and a T-shirt.”
“I don’t wear shorts,” I said over my shoulder as I headed to the changing room, pulling the curtain shut behind me. “By the way, do you know this guy who’s hosting the party tonight?”
“Yes, and he’s not a ‘guy.’ He’s a rakshasa.”
I’d been holding up the outfit to get its shape, but at that I looked up with a frown. “Really?” Sonder said from outside, sounding interested. “I thought since the treaty they all stayed in India?”
“Jagadev is older than the treaty,” Arachne said. “Very old and very powerful. Why he came to these shores I do not know, but I first heard of his presence in this city back in the days of your empire. He sides neither with the Council nor with any of the Dark factions. The Tiger’s Palace is his domain and within it his word is law.”
“Have you ever met him?” Sonder asked.
“Once.”
Sonder fell silent, which was a surprise. I’d expected him to keep asking questions but something in Arachne’s manner must have made him think twice. “Alex?” Luna said from the next room over. “Why was Anne delivering invitations for him?”
“I’m not sure,” I said, putting the shirt on.
“Isn’t that the kind of thing apprentices do for their masters?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Arachne? Do you know if Jagadev takes human apprentices?”
“There are rumours,” Arachne said. “But I always had the impression that Jagadev’s feelings towards humans were . . . not warm. Especially mages.”
I had a sudden flashback to Natasha’s words at the gym. I shook it off—just because a creature looks like a monster doesn’t mean it is one—but it left me with an uneasy feeling. “Come on, Alex,” Arachne said, interrupting my thoughts. “You’ve had more than enough time to try them on.”
I wanted to tell Arachne she hadn’t complained about Luna taking three times as long but held my tongue. I came out at exactly the same time Luna did.
The outfit Arachne had made for me was plainer than usual: coal-coloured trousers and a top, with a long jet- black coat. On the whole I liked it. It was light and flexible, and if I got into trouble it would allow me to move fast.
