A Fidus Aranea Page 3

help me I'll--"

  "Unhand the child, villain," boomed a voice from out of the surrounding gloom. He looked up and saw Atlach-Nacha emerge from the surrounding darkness, its eyes glowing with hate and menace.

  He shrieked like a baby and tried to hide behind her. "What the hell is it?!"

  "That's Mr. Atlach-Nacha, and he's going to make you go away, so you can never hurt me or Mom again."

  The cyclopean spider lord halted within three feet of her, which she realized was as close as it would get to her medallion. She watched it as it glanced down at the toy cat lying on the ground, and smiled.

  It looked back at Eric. "I command that you release her immediately."

  She looked up at Eric and saw him staring into its face with a blank look on his own, a thin stream of saliva drooling from his mouth. But then he suddenly snapped out of his trance. Dragging her with him, he ran for the edge of the chasm. At the last minute he halted, grabbed her by the waist, and pushed her right up to the edge.

  "You send me back immediately, or I'll throw her over!"

  Atlach-Nacha again approached as closely as it could at an unhurried pace. "If you send her to her doom, your own shall be as long and painful as I can manage. Release her, and I will send you back."

  In his blind terror, he almost let her go. As it was, he moved her away from the edge, but at the last minute pulled her back against him. "No! Send me back, now, or I'll kill her! I really will!"

  But she could see that the spider lord was not listening; instead it was chanting softly, in some strange guttural speech. She recognized the sounds as being similar to the words of the magic spell she used.

  "What the--" Eric began in a panic-stricken tone, but he was cut off by a low moaning growl. He and Wendy looked down, and there, at their feet, sat a small plush toy Siamese cat. It stared up at Eric with menace. Then, it launched itself at him. He screamed as it hit and clung to his face, spitting and screeching like a demon. He let go of her to grapple with it, and Atlach-Nacha lashed out with a foreleg. It caught hold of her even as Eric reeled backwards. There was a bright flash of light, and a massive shock not unlike static electricity coursed through the spider lord's body as it tossed her away from the chasm. In the same instant, she caught sight of Eric catching his foot on the edge of the chasm and tumbling over, still clawing at his face. He disappeared into the shadows in an instant, but his shrieks faded gradually for a long time.

  She was startled to find herself lying on a cushion of soft webbing. She felt something warm against her chest, and when she removed the medallion she found that the metal disk had melted into an unrecognizable lump. She tossed it aside in an absent manner and sat up to look around. Eric was nowhere to be seen, but Atlach-Nacha had collapsed off to one side, lying as if dead.

  "Mr. Nacha!" She jumped to the ground and ran towards it. She came up short when she saw that one leg had been reduced to a charred stump. Walking up to its head, she looked into its face and saw its eyes were closed. It didn't move or breathe; she was sure it was dead. Overcome with grief, she knelt in front of it and reached out to touch it just above the mouth. Then she leaned forward and kissed its face.

  "Thank you," she whispered to it before finally embracing it, as she began to cry.

  "Do not weep for me, child," it whispered back, though the voice still rumbled like muted thunder. "I am not dead yet, nor will I die for some time still to come."

  Startled but delighted, she sprang back as the huge head lifted and the eyes opened. The fanged mouth even managed a faint smile.

  She laughed away the rest of her tears. "Oh, Mr. Nacha, I'm so glad you're alive!" Then she sobered with the swiftness of a child. "What happened to Eric?"

  "Your friend defended you and avenged herself. He fell over the edge when she attacked him."

  "Good! I'm glad he's gone forever. I'm just sorry he hurt you before he fell."

  "He did not hurt me, child, your charm did."

  She felt shocked. "No! How?"

  "It is the sign of Those who imprisoned me here. By Their power I cannot harm whoever wears it. If I even but touch the wearer, the charm unleashes that power against me, as it did when I touched you."

  "But Uncle Timothy told me it would only hurt bad things."

  "Child, I am the kind of 'bad thing' the Elder Sign was meant to protect you against."

  "No! I don't believe it; I won't! You helped me just like Uncle Timothy said you would. So you're not bad, you're good, and if that charm hurt you then it was bad, and those people who made it were bad!"

  "Wendy Stroud!" the spider lord reprimanded, though in a wistful voice. "You have much to learn of the ways of the world. But in this at least you are right. You need not fear me, for I will never harm you, and you are welcome to visit me whenever you wish."

  "But what about your leg? I'm really sorry."

  "I will heal, and faster than you might believe. But, speaking of healing..." A rear leg appeared, dangling a small leather bag over her head.

  She held out her hands and Atlach-Nacha dropped the bag into them. "What's this?"

  "Inside are two new charms. Place the bracelet on the wrist of Timothy Stroud, and if he is not yet dead he too shall heal, and quickly. The other is to replace the Elder Sign. The medallion bears my seal upon it. Wear it, and no minion of mine or my allies will harm you, nor will any creature you might encounter here in my chasm."

  She hesitated for a moment, but once again embraced the spider lord's huge face and kissed it. "Oh, thank you Mr. Nacha."

  "And now, I will send you back to your family. Do not forget me, Wendy Stroud."

  A week later, Wendy returned to the canyon of the spider lord. "Mr. Atlach-Nacha!"

  She watched as it suspended its work on the bridge and came to meet her on the ledge.

  "You are welcome, Sorceress Stroud," it boomed.

  She giggled. "I'm no magician, silly, I just read one spell out of a moldy old book."

  It approached her. "Nevertheless."

  She giggled again. For all its great size and gruff manner, it was really just an old softy at heart, and she loved it like she loved her Uncle. Then she saw that the ruined, burned leg had been replaced by a new one. Pointing at it, she laughed in an exuberant tone as the spider lord flexed it above its body.

  "You appear very happy, child. Is all right with you and your family?"

  "Oh, yes. Uncle Timothy's going to make a full recovery, thanks to you. He gets out of the hospital in another week, and my Mom and me are going to move in with him and take care of him until he's better."

  "I am well pleased. And what of your mother; how well does she fare?"

  She grew quiet as she spoke. "She thinks Eric left us. I didn't think I should tell her what really happened to him. She doesn't believe in magic, but even if she did she'd probably be mad I got you involved."

  Atlach-Nacha nodded, a grave look on its face. "You show wisdom for one so young, child."

  She shrugged, showing no concern. "She was real sad for a few days, but I think she's gotten over it." Then she lowered her voice, as if not to be overheard. "She's found someone new already. He's the doctor who took care of Uncle Timothy. I think they like each other a whole lot." And she winked, giggling.

  "Is he a good man?"

  "Oh, yeah, he's real nice to me and Mom, and he's really funny. He tells the best jokes and stories, after Uncle Timothy."

  "I am very happy for you. But be sure to inform me if he ever hurts you or your family."

  "I will, Mr. Nacha, but I don't think he will."

  "I have a gift for you."

  "Really?! What is it?"

  In response, a leg appeared, gripping the handles of a woven basket. Atlach-Nacha set it down in front of her, and she thought she heard a faint mewing from inside. Kneeling, she opened the lid. Inside was a small white kitten, with eyes as blue as the sky, and dark smudges on its ears, paws, and the tip of its tail, and around its mouth and eyes. It looked up at the girl with an inquisitive
expression, and meowed a greeting.

  "Oh, Mr. Nacha!" She picked up the small bundle of fur and hugged it to her face. "Thank you, thank you very much." In response to the attention, the kitten closed its eyes and began to purr.

  She looked up at the spider lord with tears brimming in her eyes. "It's the best gift anyone's ever given me."

  Had it the ability to shed tears, it seemed Atlach-Nacha would have done so. Instead, the grim armored and fanged mouth managed a faint smile.

  "That reminds me!" She put the kitten back in the basket. "I have a gift for you." She shrugged off her backpack, and holding it in one hand she unzipped it with the other then drew out a slim book. "I promised I'd let you borrow this." She held it out for the spider lord to take.

  "What is it?"

  "It's Charlotte's Web, silly. You said you wanted to read it."

  Atlach-Nacha eyed the book. "Alas, it is so small that I would be unable to do so."

  "I can read it for you."

  "Please." It lowered its body to rest on the floor of the ledge.

  She set the backpack down and sat cross-legged. The kitten crawled out of the basket and into her lap as she opened the book. She waited for it to lie down and curl up, and as feline and spider listened with rapt attention, she began to read.

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  About the Author

  Kevin L. O'Brien was born with a pen in his hand.

  Well, not quite, but he has been writing for as long as he can remember, at least since First Grade. Writing has always been his first, true love, but it hasn't always been his career. He worked