Book 6 Chapter 15

Joan stared at the massive spider and waited.

It didn’t move. It just stared at her.

Her hand moved to the pommel of her sword, but it still didn’t move. Why wasn’t it going to strike her? Could it not see her? Was that it?

Her eyes then moved towards the threads. They’d been vibrating. Was it a trap? An alarm system? Could the bone spider only find things that were touching the web?

The bone spider began making a strange clicking sound, though what it was Joan couldn’t imagine. Very slowly she got to her feet.

The world started to spin and she stumbled forward, almost falling flat on her face. The only reason she didn’t was because suddenly a large, bony spider leg was out between her and the floor, catching her and righting her back to her feet. It then pulled back once more.

Joan blinked a few times before looking at the spider again. “Uhhhhh… thank you? I guess?” she said softly.

It just clicked at her a few times.

She stared up at the spider once more. Was it trying to help her? It just caught her, why hadn’t it attacked her? Also, why was she so exhausted?

She wasn’t poisoned, the amulet would have reacted otherwise. She felt like she hadn’t slept or eaten since yesterday.

Joan glanced towards the threads and frowned. Had she been standing there, living out those memories? What if there had been years of memories? Would she had just wasted away, unable to move?

She reached up and touched her chest where something had hit her. “Did you knock me off it? Did you save me?” she asked the spider.

It didn’t move.

“Are you hostile to me?”

It just made more clicking sounds.

“Of course. Giant bone spider walking on the threads of fate,” Joan said with a soft sigh. “Why would anything make sense? I guess I should eat something. Is that okay? Ummmm… lift a leg I guess if you want me to not eat in front of you?”

It didn’t lift a leg so she took it as permission. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small pouch. She had to give Searle credit, even if she did think the idea of bringing lunch with her was silly, he certainly was the most diligent person she knew. Gosh she was so thankful she actually treated him better in this life than she had as the Hero.

She opened it and pulled out the dried out tiny loaf. Dry or not, she downed it quickly.

“So, ummm, can I keep going?” Joan asked. “If, err, you want me to turn around, can you give me a sign? Can you even understand me?”

The spider didn’t move. Its empty eyes just staring at her.

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“Yeah, right. Giant bone spider. Spider lich? Are you an undead? Ugh,” Joan said before she started, very carefully, backing away from the spider and continuing on.

Though honestly the idea of having that spider behind her filled her with dread. Were there more of them? Would it attack her? Could it attack her? Was it even a thing? Was it some kind of defense? Like the elemental? It had caught her when she fell and possibly saved her.

But damn she felt tired. A part of her wanted to just lay down and take a nap. But could she? No. She’d need to go all the way back, talk to Searle, go back to their home, deal with the fallout of Korgron finding out what they’d done, get her to calm down, find a way to come back here and nope. In the end, continuing on was the only way she could see for them to keep going.

Three more tapestries she passed by. Each one bigger than the last and ending, once more, in large explosions of fading threads. So many threads. She supposed that was good, a sign that things were being fixed. However, after the third she ran into a problem.

The way was blocked by thread. No, not thread. Webbing. A veritable wall of web blocked her way, so thick she couldn’t see anything through it and so long and wide it seemed to go on forever.

Was this the end? She glanced back towards the last tapestry here. It ended like the others, the threads all fading out. But it wasn’t like the tapestry that she had been shown. While the threads had gone back on themselves, it was still nowhere near as many knotted and clustered threads as she remembered.

If that tapestry wasn’t hers, did that mean her own was on the other side of this wall? Could she get through it? How could she get through?

The webbing was so thick, but there had to be some way. She took a deep breath before looking up. “Hey! Spider lich! Are you here? I need to go through here and get to the other side! I need to see the tapestry! Hello?”

There was no response.

“Hello? Come on, spider lich! Talk to me! Let me know if that’s okay? I don’t want to anger you or anything, but I need to go through!” Joan yelled. “Can you make SOME noise to let me know if that’s okay?”

Still she received nothing.

Joan gave a sigh before carefully drawing her sword. “Fine then. I don’t exactly have a way to break through on my own, but I have something that does. Guardian Nova?” She took a deep breath and braced herself, hoping that the spider would give her some sign that it was listening. Sadly, she received nothing. “Then let’s go.” She made a small flame appear in the palm of her hand, cringing despite herself even when she held the flame against her blade. Within a few moments the flame turned blue and enveloped the blade. It felt so warm and inviting to her, yet when she slashed the sword out the flames lashed out with it, burning through the webbing with the same ease it might have cut through dry grass.

Within moments a tunnel was burned through the webbing and the scent of burned web, rot, death and decay flowed out from the hole she’d made, making her stumble back. “W-what?” Joan asked.

Her sword trembled in her hands despite herself.

Something bad was on the other side of here. She could turn back. She should turn back. She didn’t need to do this. What did she have to gain from this? More danger? Some information?

Joan glanced back towards the tapestry one last time.

Vague answers?

Joan gently tapped a finger against her belt and then her bracer. Her sword was still coated in flames.

Joan didn’t know what she’d find.

But if she didn’t try, could she ever forgive herself? There was still so much she didn’t know. This was her chance. If what Penthe said was true, the gods weren’t coming. Who was Arta? What was that thing she had seen and felt? What had destroyed the world so many times? How were they stopping it? Could they stop it?

With fearful, nervous steps Joan stepped forward, wondering what foul, terrible monster she would have to face.

But there was no more monsters, no foul beast. This wasn’t the den of a great threat. In fact, she was likely as safe as she’d ever been.

This was a grave.