"Oh, we won't be here," Janera said. "By the time they reach this point, we'll be gone. I am disappointed that you stole the children back. But not surprised. I told the Commander that there might be some kind of rescue attempt."

  "Which is why you were waiting for me here?" Rakesh asked.

  She smiled. "Naturally. Now, come along. My Commander is going to enjoy the both of you. And, since I'm bringing you in, he might reward me and let me have some time with your pretty friend here."

  Teren was standing close enough that Rakesh felt him shudder. He glanced back over his shoulder, saw Teren looking at him, the question in his eyes. And the fear. Rakesh turned back to Janera and closed his eyes.

  You don't have to do that to talk to me.

  You're listening?

  You're in my temple. Of course I'm listening.

  Can you do anything?

  That, I cannot. I cannot act outside of you.

  Rakesh thought he heard the whisper of the word 'yet' at the end of the Spider's sentence, but he wasn't going to ask. Not now. He opened his eyes, lowered his arms, and walked forward. Janera's eyes widened.

  "You... you're walking. You're walking! Your canes... where are your canes?"

  "You're not going to kill us, Janera," Rakesh said gently. "You and I, we've got too much history together. You won't kill me."

  "I told you. I'm taking you to my Commander," Janera said. She leveled her gun at his chest. "Now get back there. And drop your gun!"

  "No, little sister," Rakesh said. He kept on walking, using one hand to move Janera's gun off to the side so that he could stand in front of her, looking into her eyes. "You're not. Help me find Virin, and come back with me. Come back to the collar."

  "That was a lie!"

  "Let this be the lie." He reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder, ran it up to her neck. "Janera, please?"

  She looked stricken, then reached out with her free hand to touch Rakesh's bare throat. "I've never seen you without your collar or your canes," she said softly. Then she shook her head. "I can't, Rakesh. This is my life!"

  Rakesh closed his eyes and sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that," he said softly. Then he fired.

  TEREN STOOD GUARD OVER Rakesh while he was thoroughly sick, heaving until there was nothing left but bile and his stomach ached.

  "All right?" Teren asked.

  "No. But I'm done, I think." Rakesh wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and grimaced. "Wish I had some water."

  "You surprised me," Teren admitted, handing Rakesh his gun. "I didn't think you'd kill her."

  "More important, she didn't think I'd kill her." Rakesh took a deep breath, holding it until the need to vomit once more had passed. "All right. Let's go."

  "You're sure? We can wait for the reinforcements," Teren said. He turned, looking out to where they could see smoke billowing. "They're getting closer."

  Rakesh shook his head. "No, we don't have time. Ja— she said that they were leaving. There's a transport somewhere in here. If the other team didn't find the Collared, they're on that transport. And probably Virin is, too."

  "Right. And by the time the Swords get here—"

  "It will be too late. It's the two of us." Rakesh raised his gun and looked at the charge. Still nearly full. "Let's go."

  "Where?"

  This way.

  I thought you said you couldn't see him!

  I cannot. But there is pain at the heart of my temple, and terror. I can show you where.

  Pain? Terror? Oh, Creator. "This way," Rakesh murmured, feeling a phantom tug leading him forward, deeper into the building.

  They passed through another door, and found working lights on the other side, and floors that had been cleared of debris. The walls were covered with elaborate carvings—spiders, intricate webs, and symbols that looked oddly familiar.

  "Where are we going?" Teren whispered. "I haven't been this far in."

  "The heart of the temple."

  "How do you know?"

  I am telling him.

  Teren froze. "You didn't say that!"

  "You can hear Her?" Rakesh asked.

  He is of the Blood. In my own place, my children can all hear me.

  "Oh."

  Rakesh looked back. "You hear the Spider. She's showing me where we're going."

  Teren's face was pale, his eyes wide. "Can the weird shit please stop happening now?" he asked softly.

  There was a soft chime of laughter. I like this one. He is a worthy son of mine.

  "Thank you," Teren said. "Can we keep going?"

  Of course.

  "Not too fast. We're not sure what's ahead of us," Rakesh said, feeling the tug once more. It seemed more urgent now, and from the muttered curse behind him, Rakesh wasn't the only one feeling it.

  Another door, and they found themselves in a large, open room dominated by a pair of tall pillars in the center. Linking the pillars was an enormous web made from shimmering, cream-colored fibers, and at the center of the web...

  "Darkness!" Teren blurted out. Rakesh darted forward, knowing already that it was too late, that the woman in red hanging in the web was dead. He stood at the base of the web, looking up into sightless eyes.

  "Her name was Esha," he said, turning. "We trained togeth— Teren?"

  There was no answer—he was alone. Rakesh moved away from the web, his gun raised. "Teren!"

  "Thank you, for bringing him back," a voice said. An older man in red stepped out of the darkness, pushing a struggling Teren in front of him. He had one hand clamped over Teren's mouth and nose. "Lay your gun down, or I'll snap his neck."

  Rakesh considered taking the shot, then dismissed the idea—Teren was struggling too much, and the Ishamar would kill him the second Rakesh fired. So he nodded. "I'm putting it down," he said, crouching and setting the gun on the ground. He rose and held his hands up. "Let him go."

  The Ishamar smiled and shoved Teren forward; Rakesh caught him before he hit the ground.

  "You all right?" he asked.

  "Yes," Teren answered. "Sorry. I never heard him—"

  "Well, now. You're the celebrated Rakesh?" The Ishamar chuckled. "You? You're one of them!"

  "Them?"

  "An Aakari dog. No better than an animal. Good for prey, for slaking lust, and for nothing else." He laughed again. "I suppose that's the reason that poor, blunted Gavir chose you. He couldn't find a real mate—"

  Rakesh interrupted, "If you want Gavir, you're twenty years too late," he called. "Gavir is dead."

  The Ishamar looked startled, then smiled. "Yes. Yes, of course. You'll forgive me. I...meander. The price of so many years locked away, you understand. Virin. The son's name is Virin. And he is no better than the father."

  Rakesh licked his lips, lost. The man was mad. Of that much he was certain. He needed to defuse the situation, somehow gain the upper hand. "Who are you?" he asked. "Shouldn't we know the name of the leader of the Ishamar?"

  "You recognize my rank? Good dog," the man said, his praise dripping with contempt. "Yet you don't know my name?"

  "We haven't been introduced," Rakesh said coolly.

  "You've never heard of me, then?" The Ishamar's eyes glittered as he stepped forward. "Oh, come now. Does Gavir say nothing of Demarti?"

  Rakesh frowned, thinking. Then he shook his head. "I don't know that name. Should I?"

  The old man looked shocked. "He has not mentioned me?"

  "No. Virin hasn't mentioned you at all. And I never had a chance to meet Gavir." Rakesh looked at Teren. "If you'll take me to him, I'll ask him."

  Demarti started to laugh. "You think I'm a fool, do you?" he asked. "An old, mad fool. No, dog. Although...perhaps I will let you see him. Let him see you. Let him watch as I peel the skin from your bloody, broken back." He smiled. "Yes, I think I will enjoy that."

  Rakesh swallowed. He couldn't hear the explosions any more, had no idea how far away the Swords were. If they'd get here in time, or if they'd even be able to find their way. He and Teren were alone.

  You are not.

  Spider, what do I do?

  You come to me.

  What? Rakesh looked around. Come where?

  The web. Come to the web, my son, my own.

  Rakesh nodded. All right. Can... can you make Teren hear me?

  He can hear you now.

  Teren?

  Teren turned to stare, his eyes wide. Rakesh?

  Listen to me. I'm going to try something. Whatever happens, you get out of here. Find Virin and get out. Understand?

  I... yes. But—

  No buts, Teren-na.

  Aba!

  Just listen, Teren. And tell Virin I love him. Rakesh stepped back, slowly, hunching his shoulders, averting his eyes. "I... Please... Please don't?" he whispered, not having to fake the fear in his voice. As he hoped, Demarti laughed.

  "Oh, the cowering dog. And here I thought you were something special!"

  Rakesh stole a look at Teren, who had moved away from him, shuffling slightly off to the side. Demarti's attention was on Rakesh, though, and he didn't seem to notice. He followed Rakesh, moving closer, a thin smile on his face.

  "I will enjoy making you scream, dog," he crooned.

  "I don't think I'll be screaming for you," Rakesh answered. He reached back and grabbed on to the web with his right hand. There was a sharp pain in his wrist, right where the fidelis bracelet rested against his skin. His ears rang with the sound of the Spider's laughter, and he watched as Demarti's face went pale.

  "What... what is that?" he screamed, staring at something over Rakesh's head. Rakesh looked up, and his jaw dropped.

  The web was glowing.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "Make it stop!" Demarti screamed. He raised his gun and aimed it at Rakesh. "You filthy dog, you make it stop!"

  What do I do now? Rakesh demanded.

  Let me take you. Let me come through you, and into the world. Let me devour the world at long last!

  "What?" Rakesh gasped. He tried to let go of the web and found his hand sealed closed around the strands, more strands appearing over his fingers, binding him in place, starting to twine up his arm. "You're supposed to be helping us!"

  Who told you that? The Spider laughed. You stand between the Spider and the world, your father told you. Did he never tell you why? Oh, I see. He never knew. He never knew that he was not meant to be the custodian. He was meant to be the warder. Tragar's madness had finally served its purpose. I am free to walk the world once more.

  "No! No, I won't let you!"

  "Rakesh!" Teren shouted. Rakesh turned, saw Teren struggling with Demarti, fighting him for control of the gun. That was the last thing Rakesh saw as a surge of power pulled him into the dark.

  He was back in the room with two doors. Only this time, a spider the size of a small air-car was sitting in front of the doors.

  "Welcome, my Priest."

  "I'm not letting you through me," Rakesh said. "You're as mad as he is."

  The spider laughed, a terrifying sound. "Possibly. Probably. But all gods are mad. Did you not know this?"

  "I haven't had many dealings with gods," Rakesh answered. "Was this all your doing? The attacks, the revolutionaries? The Ishamar? Did you do this, to get me here?"

  "No," the Spider answered. "No, I have been locked away, sealed in my webs since your distant grandmother defeated me and took her place as the sentry between me and my prey. I thought I would never find a passage through, ever since my daughter Sarjana drown in her own blood. Her son was too young to take his place as my Priest, and so I was alone. I had no power. I had no vessel, no bridge. No one I could speak with. No one I could use. Not until you made your ignorant offering, until you entered my webs, not knowing that you should never have trusted me. That I was never a benevolent spirit. I will take back my place in the world, through you and the boy. I shall rule, and I shall feast. And you will be rewarded, my distant son. You will be my Voice, and the boy shall be my Warrior. You shall be my Priest, and he shall rule in my name. He shall give life to my blood once more."

  Rakesh grimaced, rubbing his wrist, and thought fast. "He has no siblings. No sisters. I have no children. The bloodline will die in a single generation."

  The Spider scoffed. "He has a female. She is acceptable. And there is always your line. The female children and grandchildren of my son Akrashesh."

  "Akrashesh?" Rakesh repeated. "Is that my father's name?"

  "He did not tell you? He named you for himself, my Priest. Now, it is time."

  "No." Rakesh folded his arms over his chest. "I'm not letting you through."

  "The son of your heart will die if you do not. Your mate will die if you do not."

  Rakesh turned away. "I won't be blackmailed, Spider. I won't be forced. If you think you can hurt me to make me do what you want, all I can say is that others have tried."

  "You will be— No! No, you cannot!"

  Rakesh turned, startled by the panicked sound of the Spider's voice. Then something hit him, and pain lanced up his arm, worse than anything he'd ever known. He screamed...

  And opened his eyes to find himself once more in the ruined temple, curling up on the ground, and staring at a blackened, smoking hand.

  His hand.

  He clutched his arm to his chest and gasped, trying to deal with the pain, trying to move through it, damp it down. Distantly, he heard Teren's voice, calling his name. Then there were hands on his shoulders, helping him to sit up. It was a few minutes before he could hear the words in Teren's sobbing.

  "... sorry! I'm so sorry! I was trying to get the gun away from him and it went off and I didn't mean to shoot you! Darkness, your hand! We need to find a medic, we need to find someone to help you, Aba. Aba, please forgive me, please, I didn't mean to hurt you I was trying to stop him—"

  "Teren," Rakesh croaked. "Teren, stop."

  "But your hand!"

  "My life, Teren. You saved my life." Rakesh blinked, trying to force himself to focus. "Demarti?"

  "Over there." Teren nodded. "I... When the gun went off, when you screamed, I got it away from him. My second shot took his head off."

  Rakesh felt his lips twitch. "Good thing your aim got better the second time around."

  "Aba!"

  Rakesh looked at Teren, saw the tears running down his face, and pulled the boy close with his good arm, hugging him and kissing the top of his head. "Teren, Teren-na, you saved my life. I am not mad at you. I'm not going to turn on you because of this. Once I see a medic, I'll be fine."

  "But your hand—"

  Rakesh forced himself to look at the charred end of his right arm. The smell of burned meat was turning his already-empty stomach. "I... I'll be fine. The shot cauterized the...the wound. And we have very good prostheses in Tyese, Teren." Rakesh took a deep breath. "Help me up."

  "No... No, you need to stay down until we get a medic."

  "No, I need to find Virin. And we need to get out of here before the Spider figures out how to reforge the bond."

  "What?"

  "She's insane, Teren. And She wanted to take over everything, with me as her Priest, and you repopulating her bloodline. She would have had us conquering everything. Worse than Mad Tragar." Rakesh shuddered. "If She takes me again, I don't know if I can fight her."

  "Oh. Is there anything we can...do about that?" Teren asked, hooking his hands under Rakesh's left arm and helping him to his feet. "Can... How do we fight that?"

  "I don't know."

  "The marks are gone, you know. I noticed when you fell."

  The marks? Rakesh looked down at his bare chest and his good arm—the pattern that had crossed his skin had vanished. "When you... When you shot me, you destroyed the bracelet I was wearing. The spidersilk bracelet. That must have been the link the Spider was using."

  "She needed that?"

  "Every time but once. That other time... I don't know. I don't know how she did it. But if She shows up in my dreams again, She can get stuffed." He raised his voice. "Hear me, Spider? You have no priest! I repudiate you!" He looked around, then studied the web for a moment. "Teren, where's my gun?"

  "I have it. Why?"

  "Can you blow that thing up for me? A lot?"

  Teren looked startled, then snickered. "Yes, I can. Come on. I want you out of the way for this."

  Rakesh watched from behind another pillar as Teren used the pulse-gun at it's widest setting, strafing back and forth until the web and the pillars that supported it were smoking ash and pebbles on the ground. He stepped out as Teren turned back towards him, dimly surprised at how steady he was.

  "Better, Aba?"

  "Much. Let's go find Virin."

  ONCE OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE, Rakesh stumbled and nearly fell as pain shot up both of his legs. Teren caught him, holding him steady.

  "What happened?"

  "Whatever She did, it's gone," Rakesh muttered through clenched teeth. "My feet—"

  "Let me bring you out of here," Teren urged. "I'll come back and find Aba Virin. But you can't do this!"

  "I can. I will. He'd come in after me." Rakesh met Teren's eyes. "Let me lean on you, Teren-na. We'll find him together."

  It wasn't so much leaning as it was Teren carrying Rakesh through the halls. "Where are we going?" Teren asked, panting.

  "Someplace close by," Rakesh answered. "In one of the cleared rooms. He can't have been too far. The Spider said there was pain and terror in the heart of the Temple. And Esha had been dead for a long time. So it wasn't her. The Spider meant Virin. And that means...here. Somewhere."

  "All right." Teren stopped, helped Rakesh sit down on the ground. "I... You told Ayani you could feel other peoples' emotions."

  Rakesh frowned. "Did I? I don't remember. Is it getting colder, Teren?" He looked around, blinking. The pain was starting to grow distant, but so was everything else.

  "Aba!" Rakesh turned back to see Teren crouched in front of him. "Aba, stay with me. Can you feel Aba Virin? Can you find him that way? Because this place is huge, and if we just search, we'll never find him."

  The words took a moment to sink in, longer to make sense. "Shock," Rakesh murmured. "I... I'm going into shock."

 

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