by Phil Gabriel
Flamethrower it was. Cupping my hands in front of my lips, I spoke a combustion spell. I felt heat build up, and up, and up in my cupped hands as I poured more and more energy into the spell. Pushing my hands away as fast as possible, I sent a basketball-sized bundle of flame towards Jorōgumo. She dodged quickly, but the fire did hit her hair and the webbing behind her. The flame splattered, dropping burning embers onto her dress. The stench of burning spider-silk and hair wafted towards me.
Jorōgumo patted out the flames on her silk dress as my fireball fizzled out on her webbing, leaving a small hole in the pattern.
“Ready to give up, bitch?” I shouted. “I’ve got lots more fireballs.”
She smiled with contempt and sauntered forward. As she moved, the damage I had done to her dress mended itself, until she was as fresh and pristine as when we started. I, on the other hand, was sweaty, out of breath, and missing parts of my wardrobe that had been ripped away every time I made contact with her webs.
“I’ve enjoyed our play, but I grow hungry,” she said. “Don’t you think it’s time we finished this?”
The last burst of speed to my left was met with another web strand. This time, she caught my arm. Despite my best efforts, she pulled me over to her main web. With a few moment’s work, she had me cocooned from neck to my toes in a web of spider-silk. Magic gone, used up in that last fireball, wrapped up like a Christmas gift, I finally slid into unconsciousness, not expecting to wake.
* * *
I came to with a jerk, still bound. A considerable amount of time had passed, judging by my thirst. Surprised to be still alive, I looked around for my enemy. She was at the center of the web, still in her human form. She immediately looked up at me. Of course, she felt the vibrations of my movement through her web.
She approached in a strange fashion, gliding forward, then sideways, then forward again until she was in front of me. I realized she was avoiding the sticky sections of her web.
“Why am I still alive?” I managed to get out through my cracked lips.
“Oh, I quite enjoy taking my prey while they are conscious. It adds to the flavor,” she responded.
Ever since waking, I had been struggling against the bonds. They were a bit looser than earlier, but not enough to allow much movement. I needed more time to work loose. A mental inventory showed my magic reserves were at zero.
“Well, if you want me wide awake and healthy, a burger and beer would be great,” I said.
She smirked at my quip, but made no move to either release or eat me. She had something else in mind.
“I might free you if you call to Akiko. This hunt started because you stole my rightful prey. Return her to me and you may go free.”
All magicians are taught to note words such as “might” and “may”; like the fine print in a contract, they negate any promise made in the large print.
“I don’t think so; you have no intention of freeing me.”
“Well, yes. I never let my prey go,” she said with a smug grin. “But if you call her here to my web, I will save you for last. How does that sound?”
The thought of giving up my student for a few moments of extra life didn’t even tempt me. For a moment, I wondered if I was getting soft.
While we talked, I was busy mentally, speeding up my metabolism to the maximum. Her words slowed down as I amplified the effect. Even without magic, I could still control my body. There was a trick I had learned in Vietnam, cranking up my body’s electrical field to generate a charge on my skin. It was useful to keep the millions of bugs at bay. I was determined to either escape or die trying. A flashback to my time as a slave to a witches’ coven made me redouble my efforts. I will never be a slave or prey again!
“It sounds like a bad deal. At least Akiko will get away from you,” I said as slowly as possible, trying to match my speech to her temporal velocity. I felt the strands of the cocoon loosen slightly as my body burned off more and more of itself to power my metabolism and charge my skin. Electrons built up on my left hand as my right hand gained a corresponding positive charge.
Jorōgumo tilted her head and looked at me quizzically. She knew I was up to something, but since my actions were not moving the web strands, she had no clue to my intentions. Although sensitive to the movements of prey and the flows of magic, she knew nothing of electricity.
“Well, if you’re sure, I might as well get down to feeding. No hard feelings, right?” She approached me, her beautiful features shifting as her jaw extended grotesquely until her mouth was large enough to engulf my head. As she neared, the stench of her breath was distracting, making it harder to concentrate on my building potentials. Luckily, I had once kissed a dragon, so ignoring carrion breath was second nature to me.
As my efforts redoubled, I could feel fat and muscle fading away, burned to fuel my lightning. At this speed, her approach was slowed to the point that I could examine each of her fangs.
I jerked my arms, and the extra space made by my auto-cannibalism allowed them to slip loose from the webbing. Turning my head away and closing my eyes as tight as possible, I slapped my palms to each side of Jorōgumo’s head and forced every erg of energy at my disposal through her. The flash blinded me momentarily, I was deafened in one ear, and the smell of burned spider and spider-silk was overpowering. The effect on Jorōgumo was devastating—her headless body dropped to the ground with a thump.
As my vision cleared, I worked my now skinny body out of the cocoon and slid to the ground beside Jorōgumo’s body. The flow of time sped back up to normal.
With enormous effort, I sat up and examined myself. My arms were thin and liver spotted, and ropey veins were visible on my swollen-knuckled hands. My head swam as I climbed unsteadily to my feet. I had aged to the point where I looked like my real age, but at least I was free of that bitch. My pants were falling off my shrunken frame; I had to tighten my belt to the last hole to keep them up.
A moment’s exultation left me gasping for breath. Spent, I just wanted to rest for a bit before trying to get home. I could dimly see the flows of magic, but capturing those wisps of energy was nearly impossible.
The final straw was when I saw one of Jorōgumo’s eggs roll out of the bag that had fallen next to her lifeless body. As I watched, the silk spun egg rolled back and forth and started to split. Even an infant Jorōgumo would be too much for me in my present state. That’s the problem with newborn undead monsters: they grow up so quick. Once the little creature hatched, it would come for me, the nearest easy meal.
Casting about for a weapon to use against the hatchling, I hobbled over to the deceased fae knight. Reaching up, I pulled the magic sword from his desiccated hand, saying, “Sorry, buddy, I think I need this more than you do.” The metal of the sword hilt felt strangely greasy and jerked as I moved it, as if the blade was trying to move itself. Wielding this sword would be like trying to walk a straight line with a fifty-pound gyroscope strapped to my back.
I was shocked to see the knight’s eyes open as his body jerked. His eyes were a startling shade of blue in a mummy’s face. A low moan came from his lips. Squinting as hard as possible, I made out magical wards woven into his cocoon. Wards which prevented his spirit from moving on. Since his spirit was still here, stealing the sword could have terrible consequences. Time to make a Deal.
“If you gift me this sword,” I offered, “I can set your spirit free. You can go wherever fae spirits go.”
Unable to speak, he jerked again, as if seeking freedom, then turned his gaze towards the body of Jorōgumo with hate in his eyes.
“I already killed her once, buddy,” I said. “Another aspect will take over her spot. I can’t completely eliminate a goddess like her. But the one that trapped you is gone. This is the best deal you’re going to get.”
He grunted again, but dropped his head forward in what I hoped was a nod.
Our deal was made, but I still had to free his corpse. The sword bucked and jumped in my grip, like a chainsaw hitting knot
s, as I used it to cut his cocoon. As I hoped, the magic of the blade made slicing the spider silk easy. But the sword still fought me, forcing me to use all my strength to guide the blade. I grew even more tired as the strands parted, one by one.
Finally, the last strand was cut, and his body fell at my feet. Finally, free of the entrapping strands, his spirit rose up from the corpse.
His spirit looked much better than his corpse, showing as a fae knight in his prime. With a gesture, he indicated that I raise the sword above my head. He leaned down and whispered something in the fae language to the sword.
Immediately, the bucking of the sword in my grasp stopped, and the greasy feel of the hilt washed away. The hilt itself morphed and changed to a perfect grip for my hand.
One last look at me and the sword, then the fae knight turned away and faded into that direction only they could walk. The sword hummed strongly in the air, a dirge for its previous master, then fell silent.
Freeing the knight’s body had exhausted what little strength I had left. I backed up to the bench and sat back down heavily, putting my head into my hands. Several teeth fell out onto the ground. I picked them up with suddenly arthritic paws and put them in my shirt pocket. Never knew when I might need to sow an army.
A look at the spider hatchling showed she was almost free of the egg. I knew that even with the sword, I was no match for a hungry mini spider-goddess. I was too aged to fight or run away.
A faint hint of fox musk and a tingle of magic was my only warning. Kitty-Sue was back; probably to gloat over my defeat. I gathered my remaining energy for another fight, knowing it was futile.
“Hello, Scott. Let’s get you out of here,” said Kitty-Sue, putting one hand under my arm. Since I now weighed no more than ninety-five pounds, she had no trouble helping me up. She contemptuously stomped the Jorōgumo infant that had been making its way to me. “I always hated that bitch,” she said.
“I thought you two were partners,” I stammered.
“My duty was to the previous Jorōgumo. The new one has no hold over me or my clan,” she said. She glanced at the sword in my right hand and judiciously stayed on my left side.
She had managed to kill one of the hatchlings, but several of the other eggs were stirring, presaging the arrival of a horde of spiders. It was time to get out.
Using her link to the physical world, we eased back to our reality. The giant web that was to be the scene of my doom faded away. Slowly a nighttime view of Mori Park swam into view around us. Kitty-Sue eased me back a few steps so that I could sit on the bench where this adventure had started. It was night, and bitterly cold. A look at the advertisements around the park showed traditional Christmas sales. I had spent months (or years!) on the other plane. I wanted to leave Kitty-Sue, but her warmth was the only thing keeping me alive. As we sat, I tried to gather magic to me. The streamers flowed through my fingers, leaving only a trace. I was in bad shape; it would take me a long time to get back to being able to manipulate magic.
“Why are you helping me? Another trick?” I asked.
“It’s just what I feel like doing,” she responded, assisting me as I stood from the bench. “Let’s get downstairs. If we hurry, we can catch the last train. What is your stop?”
“Kamiyacho station on the Hibiya line,” I responded, knowing that I could never make it back to the safety of my apartment on my own.
At the thought that carrying a sword on the subway might raise some concerns, I felt a tingle in my palm where it gripped the sword. The sword conveniently morphed into a walking stick. Even with that cane to help, I hobbled slowly.
With her on my left and holding on for dear life to the escalator rail with my right hand, I made it down to the subway level. The walk from the now closed Starbucks to the train seemed to take forever. I had to navigate the turnstile by myself, as it only allows one person at a time to pass. Luckily, my Pasmo card had not expired in the time I’d been gone. Kitty-Sue leaped over the turnstile, using her “no-see-me” talents to avoid getting caught.
She helped me down the stairs to the train platform and steadied me until the last train arrived. We entered the crowded car. At my bedraggled appearance, one of the young commuters leaped up and offered me her seat. I should have been offended that she thought I looked so bad that I needed a seat, but I felt so bad that I gladly took the spot. After two stops, we arrived at Kamiyacho station, and Kitty-Sue helped me exit. After crossing the turnstiles, we headed toward the exit. I almost cried when I realized it was so late that the section of the station that contained the escalators was closed and I would have to climb two flights of stairs to reach street level. Each step was a trial, but with Kitty-Sue’s help, I made it to the street.
As we walked to the corner, I noted that the twenty-four-hour McDonald’s was open. I desperately needed to refuel, so asked Kitty-Sue to stop and help me get fed. Sitting at one of the tables, I dug through my pockets and handed her a bundle of yen.
“Please get me two Double Quarter Pounder meals, large size. I want Coke for my drink. Get anything else you might want.”
The smells of the burgers and fries were intoxicating, and after what seemed a long wait (but was only a few minutes), Kitty-Sue returned with our meal.
She handed the wad of yen back along with the receipt. She might kill me, but she was honest.
The taste of the first Coke was sublime, almost too strong for me. I had really needed a drink. The first Coke was gone within a minute, and then I started on the QPs and fries. I had a lot of trouble chewing since I had lost a lot of teeth due to the rapid aging. I ended up doing all chewing on the one side of my mouth that still contained molars. I felt almost human, although incredibly old, after finishing.
Kitty-Sue nibbled at a shrimp sandwich, one of those that are only available in Japanese McDonald’s.
Kitty-Sue dumped our trash as we exited. Although I still leaned on her shoulder for balance, I no longer needed her to carry me. As we walked, I thought about how much her assistance would cost me. We finally made it to my apartment, and to my surprise, the key still worked. I must have left enough money in my bank account to cover the last however many months’ rent.
We entered and stood in the small tiled section all Japanese apartments have inside the doorway to allow visitors to remove their shoes. I sat heavily on a small stool and tugged off my shoes. Kitty-Sue slipped her boots off and quirked one eyebrow at my inner threshold. My wards prevented her from proceeding any farther without an invitation.
“Kitty-Sue, I greatly appreciate your help, but I can’t invite you in,” I said.
“You afraid I might take advantage of you?” she asked.
“To put it bluntly, yes. I don’t know why you led me into the trap, and I don’t know why you helped me. I’m too weak to put up a fight, and I need a lot of rest. I just can’t sleep and recover if you’re here.”
She looked down at her bare feet for a moment. When she looked up, she was biting her lower lip.
“You could trust me if I wore your collar,” she whispered. Her tail shivered a little as she spoke.
Wow, a kitsune that wanted to be collared. I had never heard of such a thing. But what I didn’t understand about females, of whatever species, could fill several books. Still, wearing the collar, she would be bound to obey and help me. My natural reluctance to chain her was due to my character and experience with the coven. I would never accept a collar, but she could be operating from a different perspective.
Exhaustion influenced my decision. I didn’t have the strength to kick her out, and I didn’t want her sitting on my doorstep all night. I reached into my satchel and brought out the collar.
“You will have to put the collar on yourself,” I said. “I won’t force you.”
Her nimble fingers found the clasp, and she quickly donned the collar while I held the leash. As the spell bound her, she released a sigh of contentment.
I stepped through my wards, and she easily followed, the spells rec
ognizing her as mine. As we made our way to the bedroom, I let the leash go. The leash shortened itself until it was a small dark thread hanging from the collar.
I entered the bedroom followed by Kitty-Sue. The flat surfaces were covered with dust, but it felt good to be back inside my wards. I placed my satchel inside the warded dresser next to my bed and leaned the walking stick/sword in the corner.
Sitting on the bed, I used the remote control to turn on the heater embedded in the ceiling. After about five minutes, warm air started flowing, taking the chill off the room.
Kitty-Sue sat beside me on the bed, nervously scrunching the carpet with her toes.
“Bathroom?” I asked. She shook her head.
“Sleep?” I asked.
“No, I bathe you first,” she said. She exited the bedroom and crossed the hallway to my Japanese-style bath. I heard her rinsing the tub and pressing the button that would fill the tub with hot water.
She came back, pulled me to the bathroom, and removed my ruined clothes. I fumbled through my shirt pocket and removed the fallen teeth I had recovered in Mori Park. I placed the teeth in a warded cabinet. Magicians can’t leave body parts lying around, that opens too many avenues of attack.
I sat on the small stool inside the shower room. Kitty-Sue started the shower, soaped up my sponges, and scrubbed every inch of my body. Looking at myself in the wall mounted mirror, all I could see was wrinkles, wasted muscle, and white hair. My left eyebrow was singed from the blast, and I was still deaf in that ear. Kitty-Sue examined the electrical burns on my palms from the blast, rummaged in the cabinet to find a healing cream, and spread the soothing balm on my hands. With all the other pains, I had forgotten the burns.
It would take a long time to get back to normal.
After I rinsed off, she helped me into the tub. The water was so hot I had to ease in an inch at a time, but I was finally submerged. She placed a small towel under my head and waited patiently for me to relax. Although I had seen no magic deployed, the water was very soothing and eased my arthritic bones.