I opened my eyes and saw that the whole city was shaking. The earthquake I had heard before was clearly a literal one. Dust blasted in angry puffs from the buildings while the ground rumbled and shuddered. Potted plants and other items fell from rooftops and smashed to the ground. Torches flared up in the windows all around us as the citizens of Aith were roused from their slumber.
“What did you do?” Isu asked, her eyes wide.
“Exactly what you told me to,” I answered with a shrug. “This is the curse’s death rattle.”
I could feel the strands of Death energy withering and dying, all the while still interwoven with the earthen materials of the city of Aith and the flesh of the Arachne.
But then it stopped. The earth stopped quaking, and the air seemed to grow lighter, crisper, and fresher. A smile broke across Isu’s pale, beautiful face.
“You did it, Vance! You destroyed my curse!”
I grinned. “Damn right I did. Let’s go find Layna.”
“She’s probably sleeping.”
“I doubt it. Even if the tremors didn’t wake her, don’t you think being freed of a centuries-old curse is worth rousing her?”
Isu chuckled—another rarity. “You’re right. Besides, the sands of the hourglass are falling. And you now have two major enemies closing their pincers around you. We cannot afford to waste any time.”
Chapter Four
Isu and I went to Aith Palace, where we were met with no opposition. Layna had given the guards and servants strict orders that I was to be admitted to the palace at any time, day or night, where I had free reign. I went straight to Layna’s chambers, Isu striding briskly along behind me, and bashed on the door. To my surprise, it opened almost immediately.
Layna stood in the doorway, dressed not in her nightgown but in the queenly robes she wore during the daytime.
“I’ve been expecting you,” she said with a smile. “I felt it, half an hour ago, as I’m sure every other Arachne in this city did. You lifted the curse. You gave us freedom, true freedom, something we have longed for for hundreds of years! Something we thought would never arrive, but which, against all odds, finally has. Every Arachne in Aith was woken when the curse was lifted. They won’t be sleeping again until the excitement has worn off. They will feast. Perhaps for days on end.”
“Almost makes me want to hang around for a bit,” I said.
“You have a mission to complete,” Isu reminded me.
“That I do,” I said with a sigh.
“And I will help you,” Layna said. “I’ll send out an announcement along the webs.”
“Along the webs?” I asked.
“You have noticed that every building in Aith is connected by spiderwebs, haven’t you?”
“I just thought, where there’s spiders, there’s webs, and where there’s fucking huge spiders, there’s fucking huge webs.”
“They serve other purposes too; come, observe.” She beckoned Isu and me.
We followed her into her chamber, which was enormous and opulent, fitted with every luxury one would expect of a queen’s private chamber. A set of gigantic drapes made of glistening spider silk hung from the rafters beside the window. With a wave of Layna’s hand, they parted; it seemed that she could telekinetically manipulate anything made of spider silk.
“Why didn’t you tell me about your arachnid magic before?” I asked.
“You didn’t ask,” she retorted with a cheeky grin.
Beyond the drapes was a broad balcony overlooking Aith’s main square a couple hundred feet below. Layna approached the tangle of webs that stretched out into the city from the pillars of the balcony. She started to pluck the threads with her spider arms. The action created a strange resonance that hummed on the cords, almost as if they were the strings of some vast harp. I watched, fascinated, as the vibrations rippled at great speed along the threads of the web in all directions.
“That’s spooky,” I said.
“Have you ever closely observed a spider and its web?” Layna asked. “How it reacts immediately to any movement on its web, no matter how far?”
I nodded.
“Well, the Arachne have developed the vibrations in our webs into a form of communication. Depending on the speed and force used to pluck the strings, it creates a different vibration. Each can be ‘read’ as a word. The vibrations I’ve just sent out will travel all across the city, to every building via the spiderwebs. Every Arachne will read the call to assemble below in the city square. It’s quite an efficient means of mass communication, isn’t it? Unfortunately, it doesn’t have much use beyond Aith, and certainly wouldn’t be useful for anyone who is not an Arachne.”
“Don’t be so sure,” I said.
I had a contingent of zombie war spiders who could weave some pretty impressive webs, and with the intelligent Layna joining my party, we could probably think of a way to use this language..
Half an hour later, the city square below us was packed. The sight was something to behold. The entire square was a mass of Arachne, like some vast army. Every street and alley leading off the main square was crammed with Arachne too. The buzz of their excitement was an almost tangible energy.
“Arachne of Aith, welcome!” Layna’s voice echoed across the square. “Tonight is a night we will all remember for the rest of our days.”
A great cheer erupted from the crowd below.
“As you have all no doubt felt,” she continued, “the curse that has plagued our city and our people for centuries has finally been lifted. Our life force is no longer bound to this city.”
The crowd let out another roaring cheer.
“Arachne of Aith, standing beside me
