Heir of Fire and Ice

Eaten Alive

Then closed it again. Screaming would be pointless - no one would hear to come and help her, and it could alert other spiders to her presence. If the spider before her hadn't already done that. Running would be futile; there was no where to go. She couldn't fight it and win, not when she was exhausted and ached all over. Not with her ankle. Elentiya was willing to bet, however, that the spider before her wouldn't kill her immediately. Why, when she could savour her. When she had been told of the time Sartaq and Nesryn spent here, they hadn't been killed straight away. And she needed to find Tulikipi. If she could just buy more time...

"Actually, I was thinking about buying some of your famed spidersilk. May I see some of it?"

"Foolish, foolish girl," the spider scorned her. "You should know that it is our northern brethren who make bargains selling their silk."

"But of course! That is precisely why I came here. You see, your silk is famed to be much finer than theirs, because you do not sell it. If I could only take some to sell back there, or even here..." She forced her eyes to widen in faked greed at the idea.

"Flattery will do you no good, girl."

"What would you ask for?" She held her breath. This was when the spider would most likely attack, bored with the little demi-fae girl. But she only tilted her head in a sickeningly human gesture.

"Hmm... fifty years off your life will be nothing for you, even five hundred will not be enough. Your beauty, perhaps? But no, you do not care for it. How about... the memories of those you love most. Yes, that's perfect!" Aelin's face flashed before her eyes. Rowan's. Eleri's. Her people. No - no.

"May I see some of the silk first, before agreeing to your price?" Again, she froze, waiting for the spider to say no. Eat her.

"You will have to wait as I spin it." Perfect. 

"I do not mind." 

As she sat, she gathered her strength, sending little waves of magic into her ankle, healing it slowly in an attempt to reserve her energy. She couldn't really go to sleep - that way the spider could do whatever it wanted with her. So Elentiya sat and waited.

Finally the spider sat back, proud. About ten yards of silk lay behind her - more than most people would ever see in their life, let alone in one place. Elentiya stood up, pleased that her ankle held, and faked a limp to look at the silk. It was beautiful, shimmering in the sunset. She held her hand to it, delighted at its smoothness. 

"Perfect, isn't it?" the spider asked. "Now - your memories!" Elentiya stumbled away, faking surprise. She had, of course, been expecting this, but the spider didn't know that.

"Wait!"

"No, little fae girl. This was the price. Now pay it. You should know that everything comes at a price." 

"But - I haven't accepted it yet!" She forced herself to sound desperate, terrified. Really, though, she wasn't scared. Who cared what happened to her anyway?

"Are you no longer willing then? Oh, well then..." The spider began to lug the silk away.

"Wait! I am!" The spider turned, starting to smile. Elentiya straightened into a defensive stance. "But not yours." The fire twisted around her hands and wrists. "Also, I'm demi-fae."