Enthralled by Tiffany Roberts

Chapter 16

Diego closedhis eyes and moaned as he chewed. “This is so good.”

Lacey made a similar sound and swallowed her mouthful. “Understatement of the year. Feel like it’s been forever since I ate real meat.”

“Well”—Callie sucked the meat juices from her fingertips—“I don’t know about forever, but it has been at least one hundred and sixty-eight years.”

A few of the humans laughed. Ketahn thought there was a hint of sadness in that laughter, but he couldn’t have expected otherwise knowing their situation.

“It’s almost good enough to make me forget how bad it stinks out here,” said Will as he finished off what must’ve been his third or fourth helping of meat.

“Sorry,” Cole said, “That’s on me. Been a while since I had a shower.”

This time, the human laughter was a bit less troubled.

Ketahn looked down at Ivy, who was sitting beside him, to find her smiling. Her blue eyes glittered in the firelight, bright as ever, and were filled with contentment. Though he remained uncertain of these other humans, he couldn’t deny that their presence bolstered her already strong spirit.

Reaching forward, Ketahn tore a piece off the chunk of meat that was roasting over the flames and let it dangle, pinched between the claws of his forefinger and thumb, to cool. As he waited, he studied the other humans.

Though the morning sun was bathing the Tangle above with its golden rays, night clung to this pit, unwilling to relinquish its grasp. Little of the light from overhead reached this deep, leaving only the fire to provide illumination—the fire and the slowly pulsing glow cast by the ship.

In the warm, flickering firelight, the humans looked more…real. More alive. The pure white lights inside the stasis chamber, though amazing in their intensity and constancy, always felt wrong. Unnatural. Mildly unsettling in the same manner as pockets of persistent, impenetrable darkness. Yet soon enough, the ship and its strangeness would be left behind.

But these small, soft beings would remain with Ketahn, and he had no doubt they’d eventually look as much like they belonged in the Tangle as any vrix.

His eyes stopped on the female called Ella. She’d set her portion of meat on a broad leaf, which she’d placed on the stone before her. She hadn’t eaten more than a few bites of it. The others, in contrast—particularly Cole and Will—had devoured theirs. Ella’s pale skin looked sickly, and the sheen of sweat upon it was heavier than that worn by any of the others. Her hair was damp and limp, making her look like she’d just emerged from a pool of water.

Ketahn’s knowledge of humans remained limited, but Ella reminded him of the way Ivy had looked when she’d fallen terribly ill…and Ella seemed to be worsening day by day.

Traveling through the Tangle with eight humans would be difficult and dangerous enough already, but with one of them sick…

Ivy placed a hand on the upper segment of Ketahn’s foreleg and brushed her fingertips over his hide, rousing him from his thoughts. When he looked at her again, she smiled. He offered his version of the expression before holding up the piece of meat to her mouth.

“Eat more, my heartsthread,” he said. “You need strength for what is to come.”

Ivy parted her lips, and her tongue flicked out to draw the meat into her mouth, her lips brushing his finger in the process.

Desire sparked within him, and he stared at her mouth as she chewed. His hearts quickened and searing heat suffused him when her little pink tongue reemerged to lick her lips clean. He’d felt those lips upon his mouth many times since she’d first kissed him, had relished their softness, and he craved ever more of them and their clever, caressing movements.

He’d always enjoyed those quiet moments alone with his mate, exploring one another’s bodies and spirits, but he feared they would be woefully few in the times to come. The plan to lead the humans to a new home, far away from Takarahl, was in motion now, and Ketahn would not deviate from it. That meant he and Ivy had already said goodbye to their den; they’d be staying with the humans from now on. They didn’t have time to waste traveling to and from the pit every day.

“What exactly is to come?” Will asked, rubbing his chin with the back of his hand.

“A long walk in the jungle,” Ketahn replied, “and many lessons on the way.”

“What kind of lessons? Like boi skowt shit?” Cole asked.

Ketahn glanced at Ivy and tilted his head in question.

Ivy shrugged. “If boi skowts go camping in jungles full of things that want to eat them, then yeah. Boi skowt stuff.”

“That’s…not encouraging,” said Ella.

“I know.” Ivy sighed, held her hands out in front of her, palms up, and furrowed her brow as she looked down at them. “I’d like to say it’ll be easy, but I can’t.”

“As shitty as it is, I think I prefer the truth,” Lacey said, tossing a bone into the fire.

“Me too,” said Ahmya, who was staring at the half-eaten piece of meat in her hands.

“I don’t know,” Will said. “If there’s stuff that looks freekee-ur than the animal Ketahn brought for breakfast, do we really want to know what else is out there?”

Ketahn huffed and lifted a hand, grasping the bundled hair at the back of his head and tugging it absently. “The jungle is death. That is truth. But it is life, also. Much beauty, much danger. We vrix will show you to live. We will show you to make your home in the jungle. But you must hear us, and you must obey.”

“So, do your, uh, friends speak English, too?” asked Diego.

“No.”

Cole released a humorless laugh. “Kinda hard to hear and obey then, don’t you think?”

“You will just have to try more hard to understand,” Ketahn said, mimicking Ivy’s shrug.

Diego narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees as he glanced at Ivy. “Is he joking? That almost seemed like he was being funny.”

Ivy chuckled. “He’s kind of a smart ass.”

Ketahn snapped his gaze to Ivy and clicked his mandible fangs together. “I told you do not call me what poop comes from, female.”

Callie choked and coughed, spitting out a small chunk of food she must have inhaled. “What?”

Ivy grinned. “Lost in translation kind of thing.”

Before Ketahn could comment further, a sound caught his attention—Telok’s signature blackrock clacking from somewhere above the pit. The humans fell quiet, their eyes suddenly wide and searching. That was a good sign; they were alert despite their generally relaxed demeanors. He hoped that would continue even after they were more familiar with the Tangle.

The easiest mistake one could make out here was becoming too complacent.

Ketahn twisted aside to pick up his spear and draw the knife he’d strapped to his leg. He tapped the blackrock blades together in an answering beat. Telok made a response, which slowly broke apart into nothingness as it echoed between the trees and down into the pit.

“The others have come,” Ketahn said. He plucked the spitted meat away from the fire, passed the stick to Ivy, and rose, turning his attention to the side of the pit where he’d anchored silk ropes to aid in climbing.

Soon enough, the sounds of a group moving through the undergrowth above drifted to the bottom of the pit. Those sounds were surprisingly hushed, given how long it had been since Urkot and Rekosh had ventured this deep into the Tangle, and that further reinforced Ketahn’s hope. They were on the edge of a new life, a new future. Just a little more…

“Stay here,” Ketahn said to the humans. He strode toward the wall, his legs dipping into the standing water far sooner than they would have an eightday ago; the recent rains had been steadily filling the pit, and the waters had already risen to cover almost half the ground that had been exposed when Ketahn first fell into this place.

As he neared the wall—where he had to straighten his legs slightly to keep the water from touching his underside—he tipped his head back. He’d cleared a wide portion of the plant growth overhead to allow for easy passage, and it was the only spot in the pit with a clear view to the world above.

A vrix’s head popped out over the edge of the pit, his bright red markings standing out amidst all the green, purple, and gray. Rekosh looked across the pit, his eyes slowly sweeping it, until finally he looked down at Ketahn.

Rekosh chittered. “Still hiding in that hole, Ketahn?”

“I have been keeping it warm for you, my friend,” Ketahn replied, slipping back into his native tongue.

“Are you climbing up,” Urkot called from out of sight, “or are you going to make us climb down?”

Rekosh’s mandibles twitched as he glanced over his shoulder. “As though you do not spend your days delving into dark holes, Urkot.”

“I was led to believe this would be a change for me, Rekosh. And yet here I am, about to do the same thing as always.”

“No matter how many years pass, the two of you never change,” said Ahnset with a chitter.

Ketahn’s fine hairs bristled, and his mandibles flared wide in surprise. He’d told his friends to come two days before, but he had not expected his broodsister.

Shaking off the surprise of Ahnset’s presence, Ketahn said, “Come down.”

Telok leaned over the edge to peer down. His mandibles twitched fiercely as he scanned the pit, and his voice was a touch unsteady when he spoke. “What of the supplies, Ketahn?”

Ketahn glanced back at the humans. They were huddled atop a relatively flat patch of stone that Ketahn had swept clean of muck and debris as best he could, reflected firelight gleaming in their rounded eyes. They looked like fragile, skittish creatures huddled in the dark, waiting for some ravenous beast to determine whether it would eat them or not.

But he recalled what Ivy had said, what he knew to be true—humans were not nearly as weak as he’d thought. They were not nearly as incapable as they appeared. All they needed was guidance and aid.

Ketahn returned his attention to his friends. “Bring everything down. We will have to haul it up again soon enough, but it is best we leave nothing to the mercy of the Tangle for now.”

Using long ropes, the vrix lowered the supplies they’d carried through the jungle a little at a time. Ketahn called the humans over to help carry those supplies back to the ship. Only Ella remained behind—though she did attempt to rise and lend her assistance.

Diego was the first to tell her not to, but she seemed ready to persist until Ketahn strode over and sank down in front of her.

Tears filled Ella’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually this weak, I swear. I…I want to help.” She gave a little laugh as she wiped an escaped tear off her cheek. “My dad would be chewing me out about how lazy I’m being right now.”

“It is okay, Ella,” Ketahn said slowly, wanting to make sure he got the words right. “When one is not well, the others will help. We are all”—he locked the fingers of his upper hands—“together. As one. Another day, you will help when one of us is not well.”

Her gaze flicked over Ketahn as she drew her lips into her mouth. Finally, she nodded. “Thank you, Ketahn.”

“Sit, Ella. Rest.”

“Okay.”

Diego helped her settle back down upon the rock. “The stasis affects everyone differently. Just give it some more time, Ella.”

Ketahn relaxed his mandibles and turned away. Perhaps he did not know these humans, perhaps he did not fully trust them, but his time with Ivy made it impossible not to see them the same way he would any vrix. And he feared for Ella—because her illness would make the journey to come harder on her than on anyone else.

He sought out Ivy, who stood knee deep in the water with the other humans. Her gaze met his, and he saw familiar worry in her eyes as she glanced at Ella.

Though he had no intention of leaving any of these humans behind, Ketahn could not deny reality. There was a chance their group would be smaller before they reached wherever they choose to settle down and make their new lives.

As they received the last of the supplies—the humans with their eyes watering and noses scrunched because, in Cole’s words, it smelled ‘like hot shit and death’—Rekosh began his descent, demonstrating that effortless agility with which he always carried himself.

His legs touched down in the murky water, and he stepped away from the wall. “I would be lying if I were to say I have smelled worse than this.”

Ketahn chittered. “I think the humans feel the same.”

Rekosh lifted a leg out of the water, glanced down at the muck clinging to his hide, and shuddered. He flicked the muck away; it landed with a splash near Will and Lacey.

Will recoiled. “Come on! This stuff is gross!”

“Covered in it already,” Lacey said with a frown. “What difference does a little more make?”

Ivy chuckled as she pinched at the material of the human clothing—she called it a jumpsuit—she’d dressed in and tugged it away from her body. “Least it’s waterproof.”

Ketahn wasn’t sure how he felt seeing her in the jumpsuit and the foot coverings she said were boots. Yes, the human garments offered her delicate skin more protection than the dress, but he preferred seeing her in his silk—and he liked having an unhindered view of her little feet and shapely legs.

“Doesn’t stop it from stinking to high heh-ven,” Cole muttered.

Rekosh tilted his head as he regarded the humans. “What are they saying?”

“They are very glad for the stink,” Ketahn replied, smiling.

“Do not lie, Ketahn,” Ivy said in vrix with a smirk, crossing her arms over her chest.

Chittering, Rekosh thumped a mucky leg against one of Ketahn’s. “Always interesting with you.”

“What is that sound they make?” Ahmya asked as she stepped up beside Ivy.

Ivy was a tiny female, but Ahmya was even smaller. The dark-haired human looked like a broodling compared to the others, Ivy included, and even now Ketahn had trouble remembering that she was full-grown.

Rekosh’s red eyes fell upon Ahmya. Realizing she was being stared at, the small female looked up at him, her own dark eyes going wide. A soft, strange trill rolled in Rekosh’s chest. He glided forward slowly, barely disturbing the water’s surface.

“They all look…so different,” Rekosh said distractedly. “But this one… Another female?”

“Yes,” Ketahn replied.

Ahmya shied back from the approaching vrix, but she did not retreat fully; she grasped Ivy’s arm and almost seemed to hide behind her.

Pressing his forearms together, Rekosh bowed, his long braid falling over his shoulder. “Forgive me for being unable to understand your words. I am called Rekosh.”

Ahmya swallowed audibly and looked up at Ivy, whispering something Ketahn didn’t hear.

Ivy smiled and replied in English. “He’s introducing himself. He’s sorry he can’t speak our language. His name is Rekosh.”

“Rekosh,” Ahmya repeated breathlessly.

Another trill from Rekosh, who lifted his head but did not rise from his bow. “Will she tell me her name?” he asked Ivy without looking away from Ahmya.

Ivy translated.

Tentatively, the dark-haired female extended her right hand. She halted it after a moment, fingers curling, and seemed about to pull back when Rekosh put out a hand of his own. She stiffened as he bent a single finger and hooked it beneath hers, lifting her tiny hand slightly. The pad of his thumb brushed her knuckles.

“Ahmya,” she said quietly.

“Ahnya,” Rekosh purred. “So delicate and soft.”

Brow creased, Ahmya shifted her gaze between Rekosh and Ivy.

“What’s that one doing?” Cole asked, stopping behind Ivy. “More spiders looking to steal and fuck our women?”

Ketahn strode toward them, leg hairs bristling with a flare of instinctual rage. The way Cole had said that—our women—could not be ignored, and it was difficult not to take it as a challenge.

Ivy belonged to no one but Ketahn.

Ahmya gasped, yanked her hand away from Rekosh, and cradled it against her chest, her cheeks turning bright red. “H-He was just telling me his name.”

“Dude, you really need to learn when to keep your mouth shut,” Diego said to Cole, though his eyes were fixed on Ketahn.

“Can’t really blame them if they don’t know what a handshake is, Cole,” Will said carefully.

Ahmya glanced at Ivy again, her cheeks somehow darkening further. “Um…he is a he, right?”

“Yes,” Ketahn rumbled, moving past Ivy to place himself between her and Cole. “Rekosh is male. As are Telok and Urkot.”

Cole raised his hands and took a step back. “All I’m saying is that the red one was looking a little too cozy with Ahmya.” He looked to the other humans as though searching for support. “How are we supposed to colonize if all our females are taken by spiders?”

“That’s enough, Cole,” Ivy said.

He dropped his hands. “Just saying. Do the math. Five women and three men. And I doubt Ivy will be popping out any babies.”

“I said that’s enough,” Ivy said, voice tight.

“What? Just voicing what we’re all thinking. Eight people, Ivy. That’s all that’s left of us. How long before every single one of us is gone? We might have a chance at creating something here, but not if you spread your legs for one of—”

Ketahn snapped his mandible fangs together and leaned closer to Cole, a growl rattling in his chest. “Be silent, human!”

Cole stumbled back but caught his balance quickly. Combing his hands through his hair to smooth it out of his face, he pressed his lips together and glared up at Ketahn.

“Jeezus, you really need to learn when to shut up,” Callie said.

Rekosh, still standing in front of Ahmya, trilled thoughtfully. “Has that one been causing trouble?”

Ketahn’s leg hairs bristled, and it took considerable effort to keep from gnashing his mandibles again. He clenched his fists tightly enough that they trembled as he replied to Rekosh in the vrix tongue. “Some. He carries much anger and fear, and often lets them be his master.”

“Here,” Will said, thrusting a bulging yatin hide bag against Cole’s chest. “Take this inside. Cool off.”

Cole wrapped his hands around the bag and stared at Ketahn for a heated moment before turning and stalking toward the ship.

The lingering tension was broken unexpectedly by a large splash near the wall. Ketahn and the others turned toward the disturbance to see Urkot standing in the water, specks of muck having splattered him in his landing.

“You left the last rope too high, Ketahn,” he grumbled, shaking the dark sludge off his arms.

Rekosh chittered. “Or the Eight left you too low, Urkot.”

Urkot chittered also as he trudged toward Rekosh. “Not so low that I cannot drag you down here with me, my friend.”

With his usual grace, Rekosh skittered clear of Urkot, who—likely realizing he couldn’t hope to catch the taller male—bent down to scoop up a handful of mud. He threw it at Rekosh with a grunt.

Rekosh shifted aside to dodge the bulk of the muck; only a few drops spattered his arm and one of his legs. But the wad of filth did find a target—the chest of Ahmya’s jumpsuit.

Ahmya gasped, her hands flying up to shield her from the muck, but it was too late. Droplets speckled her face and hair as the wad broke apart on her clothing. She flinched, turning her face up, scrunching her nose, and squeezing her eyes shut.

Ivy stared at Ahmya, mouth agape and eyes rounded.

Rekosh stilled, his crimson stare fixed on the tiny human and the muck dripping down her front. He was speechless—something that had occurred only a few times during Ketahn’s lifelong friendship with him.

“So…is that how they greet each other or something?” Callie asked, nose wrinkled.

Ahmya opened her eyes and looked down. She shuddered and gagged before wiping the thick muck off her chest. “Oh, that’s so gross.”

Urkot offered words and a deep, sincere gesture in apology. Several segments behind him, Telok reached the base of the wall, smoothly stepped down into the water, and glanced about with wary eyes.

As though he’d been bound by an invisible strand that suddenly snapped, Rekosh set into motion, swinging his bag off his back and opening it with uncharacteristically hurried, jerky movements. He removed a swath of cloth and a bulging waterskin from within and stepped closer to Ahmya. “Please, allow me to help.”

Ahmya’s breath hitched, and she cringed back from Rekosh.

His posture crumbled in a way Ketahn had never seen. Rekosh had always had his bouts of passion and excitement, but he’d rarely let anything else slip through.

Ivy offered Rekosh a smile. “Give her time to get used to you,” she said in vrix before turning to Ahmya and placing a hand on her shoulder. She switched back to English. “Let’s go inside and get changed and cleaned up.”

Ketahn watched as his mate led Ahmya back to the ship. His legs twitched, eager to follow, to keep his mate in sight, but it fell on him now to act as sole translator while she was away. He had a feeling his new responsibilities would clash with his desires and instincts a great deal in the coming moon cycles.

Rekosh bowed his head, mandibles twitching as though trying—and failing—to come together.

“Making use of your charms again, Rekosh?” Telok asked, but his voice was decidedly distracted as he advanced, and his eyes were scanning the pit as though something would leap out and attack at any moment.

Rekosh stiffened at that, back straightening. He spun about and jabbed a long-clawed finger toward Urkot. “It is his doing. Acting like a broodling when we need to make a good impression on these creatures.”

Urkot snorted and folded his arms across his chest, apparently unconcerned that one of his hands was still covered in muck. “You are the one who refused to face your fate with courage.”

“And what courage is there in throwing filth?”

“Is it that you have already taken a liking to the tiny one?” Urkot tilted his head.

“I am simply trying to be friendly,” Rekosh said with a hiss, striding to Urkot. “If you have forgotten, these hyu-nins are going to be our companions for the foreseeable future.”

Lacey stepped closer to Ketahn, though he didn’t miss her hesitance. “Are they…arguing?”

Telok’s gaze had finally stopped roving—it was settled on Lacey, and there was an odd gleam within it.

Ketahn chittered. “They are being friends.”

“Oh. Strange way to show it,” she said.

“I think it’s pretty normal for guys, actually,” Will said. “I mean, I assume they’re insulting each other, right?”

Ketahn lifted his mandibles in a smile. “Yes.”

Will chuckled. “Guess you’re not so different from humans, after all.”

Diego smirked, and there was humor in his voice as he said, “I can think of a few ways they’re pretty different.”

“Well, if they’re going to start chucking more of that nasty shit, give us some warning, okay?” Lacey said.

Rekosh and Urkot were both looking at the humans questioningly.

“Are they talking about us?” Rekosh asked.

“Of course, they are,” said Urkot, reaching forward to slap Rekosh on the shoulder—with his muddy hand. “Look at us. Acting like a couple broodlings.”

With a low growl, Rekosh glanced down at Urkot’s hand. Urkot chittered and withdrew it, but not before smearing more of the muck on Rekosh’s hide.

Seemingly oblivious to everything else, Telok walked toward Lacey, never once looking away from her.

“Are they about to start…” Lacey’s words trailed off as she realized Telok was approaching her, and she turned her attention to him.

He stopped a full segment in front of her, his green eyes sharp as he studied her.

Looking uncertain, she raised her hand and waved. “Um…hi?”

Telok’s eyes flicked to Ketahn.

“She said hello,” Ketahn said.

Telok lifted a hand to copy her gesture. “Uh hi.”

“He’s just staring at me,” Lacey said from the side of her mouth. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Tell him your name maybe?” Ella called from her place near the fire.

Lacey let out a puff of air that sent strands of her red hair to the side. She studied Telok’s scarred hide. “Jeez, he’s scary.” Pressing a hand to her chest, she said, “Lacey. My name is Lacey.”

Again, Telok mimicked her gesture, pressing his hand to his own chest. “Telok.”

“Great. Now that we estab—”

Telok extended an arm, hooked a lock of her hair with his fingers, and lifted it. “She is so colorful. Unlike any female I have seen.”

Lacey stilled, staring at Telok with wide eyes. “W-what’s he doing?”

Will snickered. “He looks pretty fascinated.”

“Female vrix do not have colors such as yours,” Ketahn replied.

“Ah, well”—Lacey reached up and plucked her hair out of Telok’s fingers—“human females come in all different colors. Males too.”

Ketahn relayed her meaning to Telok, who only tilted his head and said, “Yet there are none such as her among these ones. There are none like her in all the Tangle.”

“In all the world,” Rekosh suggested.

Before the discussion could continue, the final vrix reached the bottom of the pit. All eyes turned toward Ahnset.

Despite her size and weight, she lowered herself gently into the water. She had forgone many of her usual adornments, keeping the leather and gold neck piece, the bands around her arms and wrists, and the gold ring on her mandible. There were still beads and gold woven into her braided hair, but Ketahn knew those would’ve been more tedious to remove. Her belt was thick leather without decoration.

A few of the humans gasped as Ahnset turned toward them and joined the other vrix, which put her size in perspective.

“Holy shit,” Will muttered.

“Damn,” breathed Diego.

“How…how could there possibly be even bigger ones?” asked Callie.

Ketahn strode forward until he was before his sister. She bent down, and they tipped their headcrests together.

“I did not expect you to come today, broodsister,” he said.

“I have been released from my duties for several days,” she replied in a low voice. “I told Korahla I wanted to assist you. She agreed and sent me off. She will tell any who ask that I am on a secret assignment for the Fang. I will aid you in all ways I can, broodbrother…but I cannot accompany you on your journey like the others.”

“Like the others?” Ketahn withdrew from her and looked over his shoulder at his friends, all three of whom were turned toward him.

“We have chosen,” Rekosh said. “When you leave, we will be with you.”

“To whatever end this reaches,” Urkot added.

“I hope you are prepared to have these two bickering beside you for the rest of your days, Ketahn.” Telok chittered. “Your peaceful solitude is at an end. Now you must share in the burden I have carried all these years.”

“Thank you, my friends,” Ketahn said through a growing tightness in his chest. It was more than he’d wanted to ask, more than he’d dared to hope. But it meant everything to him. He looked past his friends to see the humans beyond them, having clumped together in a loose group.

Uncertainty was plain in their expressions, and their eyes repeatedly darted toward Ahnset and away again.

It was Lacey who broke their silence. “Ketahn…that one is…”

“Big,” Diego offered.

“Yeah.” Lacey nodded rapidly. “Big. And, um…”

Ketahn stepped aside, offering them full view of Ahnset. He gestured to her. “She has come to help, like the others.”

“She?” Callie asked incredulously.

“Yes. This is my sister. She is called Ahnset.”

“Is she your…your older sister?” Will asked. “Are you not even full grown yet?”

Ketahn chittered and shook his head. “We hatched together in the same brood. And I am the most big male in Takarahl.”

“It makes sense,” Lacey said, reclaiming her composure. “For a lot of insectsand spiders, females are larger and stronger.”

Reflex nearly had Ketahn insisting that he was not a spider, but he held the retort back. “Now that my friends have come, you humans must prepare to move. We must choose.”

“Choose what?” Callie asked, one eyebrow arched.

Ketahn pointed toward the top of the pit. “Which vrix will carry which humans.”

“Oh, hell no,” Will said, shaking his head.

“How else did you expect to get out of here?” Lacey asked, waving a hand toward the pit wall. “Not like there are stairz, and I’m pretty sure the eleh vayder is out of order.”

Rekosh asked what the humans were saying. Ketahn explained the situation briefly—though he didn’t know some of Lacey’s words—and Rekosh gave a chittering response.

“What’d he say?” Diego asked.

Ketahn smiled. “We can hug you in silk cocoons so you feel safe as we climb.”

Callie’s dark eyes flared wide. “You’re kidding. Please tell me you’re kidding.”

Diego chuckled and grinned. “Guess we’re ending up as spider food after all.”

“Not spider,” Ketahn corrected. “Vrix.”

His clarification didn’t seem to offer the humans any comfort.