Page 195 of The Spider Queen
A black curved horn popped up through the sand and froze for a moment. And then it continued to rise, elongating. I blinked and watched an entire claw appear—a claw the size a coffee table—followed by a body.
An exoskeleton with a stinger.
The giant desert scorpion loomed over us, waving its pincers in our direction, its tail whipping back and forth. It darted forward, as if testing the air, and then retracted.
I swallowed, thinking about being impaled by its stinger.
This wasn’t in the travel guide.
Thane’s rumble of amusement came through loud and clear.Relax. I’ve got this under control.
I’m pretty sure that thing wants to tear us limb from limb and then drag our carcasses underneath the sand, back to its dark lair.
Oh, that’s not how these guys work.
No?
No.He paused.They’ll eat us in broad daylight, given the chance.
You’re not so good with the comforting thing, Thane.
Thane laughed out loud, drawing the attention of the scorpion. Sunlight highlighted its dark purple body. At certain angles, it appeared black.
The scorpion crept closer, no doubt wishing to investigate the unnatural beings that didn’t belong in its domain. It lowered its head—two beady eyes blinked at us.
I swallowed in fear.
My spiders pulsed with nervous anticipation. Theywantedto be let out, unleashed.
But what could they do?
Let them out.
Who let the spiders out? Who, who, who, who, who?
Not really the time for that, Poppy.
Right. Sorry. I’m focusing now.
While I was acting a bit hysterical, Thane looked remarkably composed, and not at all concerned that there was no escape from the massive beast in front of us, which was currently snapping its pincers in eager anticipation.
I called my spiders. They poured from my mouth and dropped to the ground. Their black metal bodies glittered in the sharp sunlight. They scurried across the sand, up the scorpion’s thin legs, to cover the scorpion’s purple-black body. The scorpion now looked coated in shiny black armor. It flailed and bucked onto its hind legs, trying to dislodge my spider army. But they were relentless and gripped the scorpion’s back, attempting to subdue it.
The scorpion brayed. Dunes trembled and my ears throbbed from the vibrations. “What do we do now?” I yelled over the noise of the disgruntled scorpion.
Thane shot me a look. “I got it.”
He opened his own mouth—and instead of spiders—his black silk shot out, unraveling like a spool of yarn. It snaked around the legs and claws of the scorpion, causing the monster to fall to the sand.
I glanced at Thane and grinned. “Nicely done.”
“Right?”
I could find a really enjoyable use for my spider silk.
Laughing, I took a step toward him. His silk and my spiders had the scorpion conquered. “Well, what do we do now?”
Thane tossed an arm across my shoulder. “Now, we have a ride.”
