Spiderwork by L. K. Rigel Page A

it," Magda said. "If Lord Ardri is willing to undergo the ordeal, who are we to deny him?"
    "Matriarch," Jake said to his mother. "May I impose upon you to preside over the feast while Lady Char and I take care of Maribel and the Emissary? There is no reason the rest of our guests should go hungry."
    Char looked from Maribel to Durga to the ripped seam in her gown. This was not how she'd expected this evening to go. Jake was about to risk his life in a psychic shredder. And if he made it through that, he'd be off to have sacred sex with Faina.
    -o0o-
     
    Nothing. Silence. Longing. Emptiness. Sadness, sadness. Despair. The Empani's unending sorrow. Samael, Samael. Ugh.
    Nothing.
    Maribel, so beautiful. Maribel, and the universe.
    Jake, and then no Jake. A chasm of nothingness. A never-ending void.
    Silence.
    Music. Guitar music. A baritone, lovely, lovely. The sound vibrated over Durga and washed through her heart. Inhale. Exhale. The musician's voice.
    A kiss like lightning rips through the numbness
    Three seconds and counting, my whole life changes
    A kiss like lightning tears through this frozen
    Underground shelter
    I do believe I'm dreaming
    Feels like I'm dreaming
    Thank god I'm dreaming
    Under cover of darkness or in the glare of the morning light
    Will I ever fall into your arms in this life?
    Khai. Khai was singing to her, singing her back to him. From where? Where was she?
    A spider spins her mystery in silence
    Three minutes and counting, I am bound by her labor
    A spider spins and weaves
    A timeless, amoral endeavor
    I do believe I'm dying
    Feels like I'm dying
    Thank god I'm dying
    Under cover of darkness or in the glare of the morning light
    Do you think I might come to your arms in the next life?
    Khai, don't die! The scion of Luxor. Such beautiful eyebrows. The loneliness disappears when I see you.
    My guardian angel stands at the fountain
    A brush of her shoulder, and I remain human
    My guardian angel takes away all grieving contemplation
    I do believe it's raining
    Smells like it's raining
    Thank god it's raining
    Under cover of darkness or in the glare of the morning light
    I will never fall into your arms in this life, in this life, in this life.
    Yes, you will, Khai! You will fall into my arms. Fall now. Fall now.
    Durga opened her eyes. The window was open. It was early morning, first light. She could hear distant sounds of the bay, the seagulls and the surf. This was her turret room in the citadel. Allel, Jake's city. Oh, Jake…
    She never wanted to do that again. Never wanted to experience that emptiness, like looking off a cliff into a universe of nothing. What did it mean, really? Jake wasn't evil or bad, so lack of a soul didn't affect the person.
    It affected the world. The soul was necessary to existence itself. Asherah had said the material world needed more souls or everything would cease to exist.
    Durga didn't want to think that a soulless person was less than an ensouled person. She didn't want to think it. She didn't want it to be true.
    She turned away from that memory.
    A guitar leaned against the wall. Khai of Luxor was on his knees beside the bed, his head bent down. Her hand was grasped between his two hands. She pressed her fingers against his palm.
    "Praise Asherah, you've come back to me." A smile spread over his face. He radiated joy. His eyes were kind, concerned, and happy all at once. No harm could come to her as long as Khai was near.
    Please, Asherah, let Khai have a soul.
    He leaned forward, and his lips found hers.
     

Get A Dog
     
    The first thing Char noticed was the rough weave of Jake's sheets, the weight of his blankets. They'd slept in his bed last night. Alice was in Char's suite.
    Alice was going to give ghosts a bad name, taking bubble baths and speaking in sentences. Well, two-word sentences. Yes, please. No, please. She was anxious for her bees, and Char had promised to take her to hydroponics to see them today.
    It was early. The sun was probably just peeking