Belle and the Prophecy of Grey

Chapter 14

 "Prisoners!" exclaimed Gregor. "Are you at war with the spiders, too?"

"Oh, no," explained Mareth. "We are on peaceful terms with the spinners. We trade with them, we do not invade each other's lands...but it would be an exaggeration to call them our friends."

"I'll say," said Gregor. "So, did everybody know they would lock us up except me?" He sounded mad, and Belle really couldn't blame him. She was getting pretty tired of finding out about things after the fact, too.

"I am sorry," said Vikus. "I have worked long to build bridges between ourselves and the spinners. I thought perhaps they would be more agreeable, but I overestimated my influence with them."

He sounded so sad and weary. Gregor's face softened. "No, they really respect you," he said. "I mean, I think they were going to eat me until I mentioned your name."

Vikus brightened. "Truly? Well, that is something. Where there is life there is hope."

"That's so weird. That's what my grandma always says!" said Gregor. He laughed, and somehow that broke the tension. Belle felt herself relax a little, which was really saying something considering where they were.

"Ge-go, fresh di-pur!" Boots said crankily. She tugged at her pants.

"Yes, Boots, fresh diaper," said Gregor, starting to dig around in his pack. "Uh-oh," he said. "I'm almost out of catch cloths."

"You couldn't be in a better place," Solovet told him. "The spinners weave all our catch cloths."

"How come they're not sticky?" asked Gregor, touching his cheek. It had gotten stuck to the web when he and Boots had been trapped.

"Spinners can make six different types of silk, some sticky, some soft as Boots's skin. They make our clothes, too."

"Really?" said Gregor. "Do you think they'd let us have more catch cloths? Even if we're prisoners?"

"I doubt it not," Vikus said. "It is not the spinners' goal to antagonize us--only to hold us until they decide what to do."

He turned his face up and called to one of the guards. In a few moments the spinner sent down two dozen catch cloths and three woven baskets filled with clear, cold water. While Vikus distributed their new supplies and Gregor changed Boots's diaper, Mareth enlisted Belle and her first-aid kit to start patching up the party's small cuts and bruises.

She started by cleaning a gash on Mareth's thigh and carefully stitching it up with a needle and thread. She tried to avoid wincing as she did it, though the sight of the needle going in and out of skin was sickening. Two bats required stitches on torn wings, too, and though they made a heroic effort to stay still while Belle worked on them, the process was clearly painful. She wished she had a stronger painkiller than the one she used for mild aches and pains.

The only other person with an obvious injury was Gregor, so once she finished the rounds of stitches Belle turned to him.

"Let's have a look at your face now," she said. Gregor touched the welts on his cheek where webs had been ripped free. Belle soaked a catch cloth in water and placed it on the wound, making Gregor grit his teeth. "I know it burns," Belle said sympathetically. "But you must wash the glue from your skin before it festers."

"Festers?" said Gregor, looking horrified.

"If you could stand to splash water on your face, it would be more painful, but faster," Belle replied.

Gregor grimaced, but dragged a basket of water toward him. Taking a deep breath, he plunged his head into the basket. Bubbles burst on the surface of the water. He came up gasping, then did it again, and again. He did it another four or five times before stopping for breath.