Page 46 of Quiver of Cobras
He pulled out a box. I knew exactly what was inside it and half fell off my bar stool in a bid to get away. ‘You brought one of those things here?’ I spat at him.
‘Relax. It’s for me, not for you.’ He rolled up his sleeve then opened the box lid with his other hand and let the spider crawl out. I stared in sickened fascination as it edged up his bare arm. Rubus gazed at it fondly.
I shuddered. The Truth Spider raised one of its legs and started to tap it against Rubus’s skin, as if it were pondering the meaning of life. Rubus let out a mild snort.
‘You weren’t always afraid of spiders, Madrona,’ he said. He extended one finger and gently stroked the creature’s bulbous back. ‘I did that.’ He sounded proud of his achievement.
The spider didn’t react so obviously Rubus was telling the truth. Hardly surprising. ‘How many times?’ I asked. ‘How many times did you put those things on me?’
‘I lost count,’ he murmured, not taking his eyes off the spider. ‘Occasionally you resisted and attempted a lie but it never went well.’
A deep-seated shiver ran through my bones. He’d told me before that the Truth Spiders only bit if you lied while one was on you – and that the ensuing pain was horrendous. Given its gleaming fangs, I could well believe it. Rubus had also mentioned that it only took three or four bites to kill a Fey. It was one way of getting round the truce.
I shuffled further back in case the hairy bastard decided to leap at me. And I wasn’t just talking about the spider. I glanced around. None of the other pub customers were paying us the slightest bit of attention.
‘Let’s get to the point, shall we?’ he murmured. ‘The border to Mag Mell closed because of you, Madrona. It was your fault and you knew exactly what you were doing.’
It was probably the only thing he could have said that would have dragged my attention away from the spider. My eyes flew up to his and I realised he was watching me – and enjoying this. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You were somewhat … reckless when you were younger. And talented.’ His smile chilled me even more than the spider had. ‘You developed a spell to close the border and trap everyone here. You wanted the other Fey to stop taking this demesne for granted and you decided that forcing a large group of us to spend more time here would encourage that. Of course, you thought it would only be temporary. I believe the closure was only supposed to last for forty-eight hours. But when the deadline passed and your binding magic held,’ he raised his shoulders, ‘well, let’s just say that you realised your mistake.’
I shot a look at the spider. I couldn’t help myself. It had stopped tapping its leg and wasn’t moving. I swallowed; Rubus wasn’t lying then. ‘How…’ I licked my lips nervously. ‘How did you find out that I did it?’
‘You told me. You wanted to show off to someone and you knew that if you told Morganus he would not be amused. So you told me. You used me to boost your ego. It was a while later when I used that fact against you. How else do you think I got you to turn to me instead of my brother?’
‘You gave me an ultimatum,’ I whispered, finally realising. ‘Either I went to you or you’d tell Morgan what I’d done – that all this was my fault.’
Rubus bared his teeth. ‘Indeed. You were rather sullen at first but you came around. In fact, our relationship went from strength to strength when you realised how much better things were at my side. You weren’t made to be angelic and pure, Madrona. You’re far more interesting than that.’
What I should have done was take full advantage of the situation and the spider on his arm. I should have questioned him, trapped him in a lie or tried to find his true intentions for Chen’s sphere. But the weight of Rubus’s revelations had rocked me too much for coherent thought.
He smiled at me then gently encouraged the spider back into its box. ‘You think I’m a bad guy,’ he said softly.
I opened my mouth, wanting to protest, but he held up his hand and waved me into silence. ‘There’s no point lying about it, Madrona. I can see it every time you look at me. I horrify you even more than my spiders do. But you have to admit that I fascinate you too. That’s because you possess the same streak that I do.’
I found my voice. ‘Streak of evil?’
He laughed. ‘No. There’s no single word for the likes of us. Mere vocabulary can’t possibly encapsulate our genius. It’s a streak of cunning, of intelligence. Of pure, throbbing power and risk-taking. It’s weighing up the odds and making a choice because it’s the best choice available, even if some people might get hurt in the process. You and I are far more alike than you give us credit for.’
The most troubling thing about all this was that I suspected Rubus was correct and I had more in common with him than I did with Morgan. But that didn’t mean I wanted it. Or him.
Rubus tucked away the box. Praise be. ‘So,’ he drawled, ‘has this helped make your mind up as to which brother you would prefer to be with?’
Gods, yes. I jiggled my bar stool closer to him, although I made sure I was still far enough away should he release that damned spider again. I pointed at the little chest that was still resting on top of the bar. ‘That should answer your question.’
Rubus reached for it, drawing it into his lap. ‘There’s not a poisonous snake inside here, is there?’
I managed a weak laugh. ‘No. No snakes. No vipers, no adders, no cobras.’ Because, I added silently, the only real snake around here is you.
He opened the chest and peered in. The surprise on his face seemed genuine. ‘My pixie dust!’ he exclaimed. ‘You found it.’
‘Well, you did demand that I search for it and return it to you.’
‘I thought it would occupy you while you decided whose side you were really on. I didn’t actually expect that you would locate it.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Your memory…’
‘Still gone,’ I said. ‘Artemesia had a theory about it, though. You know, Carduus’s niece,’ I reminded him.
‘I know who she is.’
