"What happened with the rats?" he asked.
"All killed," said Vikus. "You need not fear that they have seen you."
"It's worse if they see me?" asked Gregor. "Why? They can smell I'm an Overlander from miles away. They know I'm here."
"But only the dead ones know you resemble your father. That you are 'a son of the sun,'" said Vikus. Gregor remembered how Fangor and Shed had reacted when they'd seen his face in the torchlight. "Mark you, Shed, his shade?" They hadn't just wanted to kill him because he was an Overlander. They'd thought he was the warrior, too! He wanted to tell Vikus about that, but a score of spiders were descending around them and perching in nearby webs.
One magnificent creature with beautifully striped legs swung down directly in front of Vikus. He bowed very low. "Greetings, Queen Wevox."
The spider rubbed her front legs over her chest as if she were playing the harp. An eerie voice came out of her although there was no movement of her mouth. "Greetings, Lord Vikus."
"Meet you, Gregor the Overlander, meet you," said Vikus, indicating Gregor.
"He makes much noise," said the queen distastefully, her front legs moving across her chest again. Gregor realized that was how she talked, by making vibrations on her body. She sounded sort of like Mr. Johnson in apartment 4Q who'd had some kind of operation and talked through a hole in his neck. Only scary.
"The Overlander ways are odd," said Vikus, shooting Gregor a look that told him not to object.
"Why come you?" strummed Queen Wevox.
Vikus told the whole tale in ten sentences using a soft voice. So apparently you spoke to spiders quickly and quietly. Screaming at them endlessly had been counterproductive.
The queen considered the story a moment. "As it is Vikus, we will not drink. Web them."
A horde of spiders surrounded them. Gregor watched a gorgeous, gauzy funnel of silk grow up around them as if by magic. It isolated the party and blocked all else from view. The spiders stopped spinning when it reached thirty feet. Two took positions as sentries at the top. It all happened in under a minute.
Everyone looked at Vikus, who sighed. "You knew it would not be simple," said Solovet gently.
"Yes, but I had hoped with the recent trade agreement ..." Vikus trailed off. "I hoped too high."
"We still breathe," said Mareth encouragingly. "That is no small thing with the spinners."
"What's going on?" said Gregor. "Aren't they coming with us?"
Chapter 17
"Prisoners!" exclaimed Gregor. "Are you at war with the spiders, too?"
"Oh, no," said Mareth. "We are on peaceful terms with the spinners. We trade with them, we do not invade each other's lands ... but it would be an exaggeration to call them our friends."
"I'll say," said Gregor. "So, did everybody know they would lock us up except me?" He had trouble keeping the irritation out of his voice. He was getting tired of finding out about things after the fact.
"I am sorry, Gregor," said Vikus. "I have worked long to build bridges between ourselves and the spinners. I thought perhaps they would be more agreeable, but I overestimated my influence with them."
He looked weary and old. Gregor hadn't meant to make him feel worse than he already did. "No, they really respect you. I mean, I think they were going to eat me until I mentioned your name."
Vikus brightened a little. "Truly? Well, that is something. Where there is life there is hope."
"That's so weird. That's what my grandma always says!" said Gregor. He laughed, and somehow that broke the tension.
"Ge-go, fesh di-pur!" said Boots crankily. She tugged at her pants.
"Yes, Boots, fresh diaper," said Gregor. She hadn't been changed for ages. He dug through the pack Dulcet had given him and realized he was down to two diapers. "Uh-oh," he said. "I'm almost out of catch cloths."
"Well, you could not be in a better place. The spinners weave all our catch cloths," said Solovet.
"How come they're not sticky?" asked Gregor, touching his face.