And if the legends were true where Arachne was the progenitor to all spiders, then Arachne would be very old. Older than dinosaurs probably. If she heard Eva’s mentor correctly and Arachne was a demon then she could be as old as time itself.
Juliana didn’t know that she believed that. He could have just been calling her a demon meaning a terrible person. That was the theory she wanted to believe, in any case. That and it seemed more plausible with how Arachne and Eva were… cuddling, for lack of a better word. Not to mention all the sitting around not getting into wanton slaughter around the school.
In any case, sitting and drinking tea in the same room as them felt incredibly awkward. Juliana didn’t know if she should look at them or look around. Arachne seemed to be staring right at her, but Juliana wasn’t sure she had a choice. Her eight eyes could narrow, but she had never seen the woman blink in the half hour they were sitting there.
Just as she brought the cup of tea to her lips, Eva spoke. “I trust everything will remain secret.”
It wasn’t a question. “I won’t say anything. In fact I’d rather not have news of me being a part of tonight reaching my mom’s ears, which means me not telling Mrs. Baxter.”
“Oh? I thought you were on good terms with your mother.”
“I am,” Juliana said quickly. “She wanted to home school me after the abandoned house thing. I don’t think she’d approve of me being nearly killed or zombified while running around with–” She cut herself off and stared at her tea.
Eva didn’t seem perturbed.
Arachne was the one who spoke. “Running around with what?” Threatened more like.
“Strange people,” Juliana offered after a sip of her tea.
She didn’t think she was ready for a conversation like this. Especially not in a place where Eva controlled wards that apparently blew off one of Arachne’s legs. If Eva took a sudden dislike to Juliana, she might be in for some serious pain.
Eva seemed to have the same idea. “I understand you must have questions,” she said. “There are just some things I don’t think I’m ready to answer. Suspect all you wish for now, I just ask that you don’t tell anyone anything. In the future I may be more open. After we’ve spent more time together. For now just know that no one in this complex wishes harm on you or anyone in Brakket.”
“That sounds good,” Juliana said. It was concerning that Eva felt the need to explicitly state she didn’t want to hurt anyone.
“Friends then?”
“Were we not before?”
Eva smiled at that. She patted Arachne’s head. “And how are you feeling?”
“I told you, I’m fine.”
“How are your wounds then?”
“Better.”
“Better?”
Juliana gasped as Arachne dug her long, spindly fingers beneath the large gash in her chest. Her fingers were clean when she pulled them away.
“See, no blood. Carapace will take a while to heal, however.”
“Good. Maybe it is time to go back to the dorms then?”
Arachne resettled her head on Eva’s lap. “Not that better,” she said.
“So,” Juliana nodded towards the pile of books they had liberated from the cave, “planning on becoming a necromancer now?”
“Hardly,” Eva scoffed. Juliana felt a bit of relief at the disdain with which she said that. “They may come in handy if we’re going to keep running into necromancers. Even if they don’t, I like adding to my library, no matter the book.”
“Just owning them could land you in prison.”
“Already there,” Eva said with a gesture around the room.
Juliana sighed. She had a feeling there was more to that statement than the obvious.
“Get a few hours of sleep,” Eva said. “We will head back to Brakket before dawn. You can use that couch. If you end up being a frequent visitor, maybe we’ll scrounge up another bed.”
Eva roused Arachne and they retired together into Eva’s room. Juliana wondered at their relationship once more. She decided it couldn’t possibly be anything. Arachne was way too old for Eva no matter what.
The cell door slammed shut. It had been fitted with panels of wood between the bars, as had several other doors on that side of the common room. Juliana could probably fix it up better, using her ferrokinesis.
That thought brought her attention to the heavy metal flowing beneath her shirt. Once she fell asleep, it would either flow off of her and make a mess on the floor, or it would harden and possibly suffocate her. She set to storing it.
She flexed the muscles in her arms out as much as possible before hardening a layer over them as bracers. That gave enough space when she relaxed to keep circulation while keeping them from jiggling around. She repeated the action on her lower legs. There was still a lot of metal left. She thickened the metal on her arms and legs and turned the rest into a ball around the size of a skull.
Juliana shuddered. Not a skull. A cantaloupe.
She hefted it onto the floor beside her. It was much heavier all in one lump than spread around her body.
