But Arachne had chosen this self-imposed exile on her own.
So, instead of telling her about the lessons, Eva sighed. “I don’t like this. Our current situation, that is. I enjoyed spending time together. Just relaxing in the dorm room with Juliana and Shalise. No necromancers to worry about, no Hell encroaching on the mortal realm.”
The movements of Arachne’s hands slowed to a standstill.
Though she didn’t know what she expected, Eva waited patiently for a response.
“How is school?”
Eva blinked. She couldn’t remember a single time where Arachne had asked such a mundane question. Shaking her head, Eva put on a solemn smile. “Subdued. For me at least. Everyone else carries on like nothing happened.”
“No troubles from Zagan?”
“He teaches his class without acknowledging me any more than any other student.”
“Good,” Arachne said, fingers moving again. After another awkward moment of silence, she started speaking. “I am fond of you, Eva. It gnaws at me that I am not with you. But after recent events, I think I need time to consider what you said regarding trust. Weaving allows me to occupy my hands as much as my mind. Perhaps after my next work, I’ll rejoin you.”
Eva pressed her lips together. That was better than staying inside a dark room forever.
“Alright. I’ll leave you to your weaving then.”
“Farewell, Eva.”
With one last look at the melancholic spider-demon, Eva stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
One last thing before she could turn in for the night.
Eva once again dug out her book,
Setting it open to a page roughly half-way through, Eva put the book on a small stand.
The top of her dresser was where Eva stored all of the nicknacks she had acquired in recent months. Years, even.
The original beacon and necklace that Arachne had fashioned for her hung from a nail sticking out of the wall. Just under was the void metal skull created by Ylva from a lich’s phylactery. An embossed copper engraving was propped up to one side showing a smiling Eva with a spider-mode Arachne sitting atop her head. Her old crystal dagger sat to one side along with Weilks’ partially decomposed bloodstone.
There were a few other odds and ends, mostly the non-perishable Christmas presents she had been given over the course of two years by Jordan and company. The moon pendant he had given a year ago was draped over the copper plate.
Eva’s attention was focused on one specific Christmas present.
“You thought I forgot about you, didn’t you,” Eva said as she nudged the miniature form of a sleeping Basilisk.
Its wide mouth opened in a long yawn as it always did when disturbed from its sleep mode–almost sending Eva into a yawn of her own.
“Alright,” Eva held out her hand. “Hop on.”
The nuisance took one look at her hand before settling its head back onto its coils.
Eva bopped it on the snout.
Basila snapped at her fingers. Whatever mental limitations the Rivases had installed kept it from actually biting, but it wasn’t afraid to show its displeasure.
“Hand. Now.”
With no small amount of lethargy, it slithered over. All the while, it maintained eye contact, trying its hardest to turn Eva to stone.
“So impotent,” Eva said with a chuckle. “But we’ll fix that.”
She carried it over to a pre-cleared section of the floor and dropped it on the ground.
It promptly curled up, glaring at her as if to complain about being woken up in the first place. It was a sculpture, but maybe getting it some exercise every now and again would do it some good.
Shaking her head, Eva reached around her back. Her fingers curled around the smooth hilt of her void dagger. She glanced over the blade once, reaffirming that it was still as sharp as ever, before plunging it deep into the crook of her arm.
Just above where her flesh and carapace mixed.
Pitch-black blood exploded forth.
Eva drew it out, forming a circle around the basilisk. Following the directions in the open book, she drew out lines and diagrams within the circle. A squiggle here, a symbol of venom there.
It didn’t take long and it wasn’t backbreaking work in the slightest. Eva was almost certain that rituals had been phased out of use simply because of how undignified a mage must look hunched over scribbling out intricate patterns with a stick of chalk. Earth mages could alleviate the hard work if they were good enough, but controlling powder to such a fine degree wasn’t easy.
With blood, Eva could control the entire formation with her mind. It was fast, quick, and she could do it relaxed in a chair or standing with her back straight.
Circle finished, Eva withdrew a vial of Arachne’s blood.
