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“Asking?” Death says, his chin lifted with an air of importance. “They do realize I am their king? I shouldn’t have to ask; they should know to give.”

Yes, but as you saw with the Inmost dwellers, things have changed here, Raila says.I am explaining the best I can that you are still their king.

She goes back to making that chittering sound, and I exchange a glance with Death. He’s not amused, his mouth setting into a firm line before he turns to face the spiders again. This time, he raises his sword.

“Let us pass, and there will be no trouble,” he commands. His voice is gruff and steady, and if I were them, I wouldn’t risk his brand of trouble.

But the spiders don’t move.

Raila lets out a raspy sigh and walks past us so that she’s in front of us, facing her kin.

She starts chittering again, louder now, throwing out her hands.

And yet, the spiders don’t move.

Finally, one in the middle starts tapping a leg against the ground, the weird, human-shaped hand slapping the surface.Then, the rest of the spiders join in until the slapping sound fills the tunnels and dust from the ceiling begins to fall.

“What’s happening?” I ask, my chest growing tight along with the grip on both swords.

This isn’t going as I’d hoped, Raila says, sounding unsure for once. It makes her seem human, and for once, I don’t like it.They are having a rebellion of their own. They say that Louhi has promised them a new life running free on the surface…feasting on anything they see. It’s too tempting for them.

Death growls. “How the fuck has that she-devil been turning everyone in Inmost against me?”

She has her ways, her networks, her spies, just as I have mine. I should have known, master, that this was her plan. For that, I am sorry. I thought my relatives would have listened to reason.

Death grunts. “Reason. There is no reason anymore. Guess we’ll have to fight our way out of it.”

Raila turns to face us.Please. Allow me to make sure you can pass. At the very least, I can get the queen to safety.

“I’m not going anywhere without my husband!” I cry out.

“And I’ll slaughter every creature I see before I let my wife walk off with you,” he sneers.

You’d risk her life on that?Raila questions.

I can tell my husband is two seconds away from driving his sword across Raila’s hidden neck, so I quickly reach out and put my hand on his arm to calm him.

“Let’s try to get past them first,” I implore him. “If they don’t let us through, then we’ll lay waste to them.” I look to Raila. “I’m sorry if they’re your kin, and I’m grateful they came when you called and helped defeat the uprisers, but if they don’t let us through, then we don’t have a choice.”

I understand, she says quietly.

She turns to face the spiders again, throwing her hands into the air, the chirps coming out loud.

“What are you saying to them?” Death asks.

I’m promising things, she says, then continues chittering.

“What sorts of things?” His hand tightens around the handle of his sword.

Promises you won’t keep but might let you live, she says.

And at that, the spider people stop stamping their feet.

Silence fills the tunnel.

We stare at them.

They stare back at us. Or at least, it feels that way, considering their eyes are on their back.