“Arachne,” Eva started. The demon quickly cut her off.
“You were just attacked in your own bedroom. I’m not letting that happen again.”
“The nuns will be on the lookout for demons. You
“She’s not being arrested or lynched.” He batted the spider-woman’s hand away. “At least not until I’ve chewed out Zoe.”
“Arachne,” Eva gripped her hand with her own before she could attack the professor. “Go back inside. I promise I will keep you up to date–”
“No,” Arachne said. “You could have been killed and now there’s a pillar running around town.”
Eva turned to give Arachne a glare.
The demon had a point. As much as Eva hated to admit it, she might not have lost her eyes in the first place had she allowed Arachne to go with her.
But her isolation at the prison was more for the demon’s safety than any actual punishment. Arachne killed one of the nuns herself, after all. Eva didn’t want any revenge seekers to stir up trouble.
Then again, based on her actions the other day, Martina Turner might not allow the nuns to stay around the academy much longer. Something she would have to ask about when she got back.
“Alright,” Eva said. “On the condition that you do not antagonize the nuns at all. No even looking at them unless I am about to die at their hands.”
Arachne smiled at first, but her smile slipped to a frown as she heard the conditions. “Even the one who tried to kill you?”
“Especially the one who tried to kill me.”
“This is great and all,” Wayne butted in, “but I can’t take both of you and I refuse to do two trips. I’m tired and I’m cold and I still need to speak with Zoe.”
“What if Arachne were smaller?”
“Maybe. How small?”
“Arachne?” Eva turned her head to face the spider-woman.
“Can’t we take
“I’m not very fond of our teleportation method. You know this.”
“What makes you think his is any better?”
“Won’t know until we try.”
“Let’s get a move on,” Wayne grunted.
Arachne growled at him even as she started shrinking. Soft squelching sounded in the air as her body folded in on itself until all that was left was a face sized spider.
“Freakiest thing I ever saw,” Wayne said as Arachne crawled up Eva’s arm.
Eva couldn’t honestly disagree. She’d seen a lot of things in her life from the mundane to horrifying, but there was just something about watching a human shrink down to a spider that nothing else ever matched. Watching how the blood pumped out of her heart tube throughout her body change as she shrank only added to the oddity.
Without a single motion from Wayne, everything changed. Her blood wards vanished along with her detection of every speck of her blood she had floating in the air.
Both of their circulatory systems twisted and broke.
She went completely blind. Weightlessness overtook her. She was in a constant free fall. Only Wayne Lurcher’s hand on her shoulder kept her from total sensory deprivation.
The cold settled in next. It plucked at her skin, pulling goosebumps out. It didn’t stop there. Eva tried to take a breath. Ice poured down her throat and settled in her lungs.
It all stopped.
The ground reappeared beneath her. Eva collapsed to it. She couldn’t help it. Shivers tore across her as her body tried to warm itself up. It bordered on convulsing.
The feeling lasted only a few seconds. She got a grip on her muscle spasms and pulled herself to her knees.
Arachne didn’t fare much better. She was on her back, her legs writhing and twitching. Eva might have been worried if the spider hadn’t flipped back over to her legs. Arachne looked like she was going to charge at Wayne in her spider form, but her legs weren’t finished twitching and she slid back to her stomach.
Not caring of Wayne’s circulatory system standing over her, Eva pulled out her dagger and jammed it into her arm. Her blood divided and spread throughout the room. There was a single bed, cabinets of potions and other medical supplies, and a smooth floor. The nurse’s office. Or one of the patient rooms.
“Ah, a blood mage too.”
“Don’t act–” Eva broke down into a short coughing fit. Wayne Lurcher actually patted her on the back. “Don’t act surprised. You had to have seen something in my dorm room.”
“That’s how you see,” he said, ignoring her. “I’ve been wondering. It is good you skip alchemy. You’d contaminate everyone’s brewings.”
“I’m careful to keep it off the ingredients and lab equipment.”
“Even worse. You can’t even tell what is what.”
Eva started coughing again. “I don’t think I like your teleportation. Not that mine is much better.”
“Oh? And what’s yours?”
Eva shook her head. “Some other time.”
Wayne stood up, helping Eva to her feet as he did so. Arachne managed to climb up Eva’s leg and hold on before she started moving.
“You’re right. I need to speak with Zoe.” He turned towards the door. “I’ll let Naranga know you’re back. You can explain how you got out and where you were.”
