There was a long, long pause. Then Udide hummed deep, sending out a vibration.

Sunny heard them first. More spiders. Then she saw them. These ones were tarantula-like with hairy abdomens and wiggling tails on those abdomens. They scuttled up to her. Then she also heard the sound of their fangs puncturing the skin on both her hands. She gritted her teeth against the pain. Immediately, even that pain began to fade and she started to feel better. Her muscles loosened and Orlu quickly helped her up. “Okay?” he asked.

“Weak . . .”

“Fake it,” he whispered. “She doesn’t respect weakness.”

When she straightened in Orlu’s arms and looked up, she was positive that the great spider was looking directly at her. Into her. With her many, many eyes. Fffffff! The smell burst from the spider in a soft powerful warm blast. The whole cave could have been filled with a thousand burning houses. Sunny fought not to cough and fought even harder not to sneeze. Udide dumped Chichi on the ground, and Sasha ran to drag the wound-up Chichi away from the giant spider. When he got to Orlu and Sunny, he tore at the webbing. Chichi quickly wriggled out like a caterpillar. “Goddamn insane bug,” Chichi muttered, rubbing her arm. “I think one of those spiders left a fang in me.”

“Shut up,” Orlu hissed.

“Sunny Nwazue,” Udide said.

Sunny felt as if her head would explode from the sheer vibratory force of Udide’s voice. She held her head and as she did, she felt Anyanwu come to her. Then she did the only thing that she could do, even with her friends there. She brought forth her spirit face.

“Greetings, Oga Udide,” she said, her voice low and sultry. She stood up straighter. She could stand on her toes. Udide would see her as poised and graceful.

The great spider gave off her stench again, and Sunny stumbled back. “Anyanwu,” Udide said.

“Yes.”

Udide stared at her. “I know you.”

“I know you, as well.”

“In this life, you’ve been doubled and you live. You’re strong in many ways.”

“It’s a strange life, this one.”

“I want to speak to Sunny Nwazue. Because she wants to speak to me.”

The others stood behind her as she let Anyanwu retreat into her.

“We’re here, Sunny,” Orlu whispered.

“Yes,” Udide said. “But what difference does that make?”

“We’re her friends,” Chichi said, stepping up beside her. She leaned heavily on Orlu, trying to look tough. “We’ll suffer whatever she suffers. She’s not alone.”

“And we don’t suffer without making others suffer,” Sasha added.

“Sasha from America,” Udide said. “My Book of Shadows found you, and it will kill you. That will make a great story.”

“Don’t worry. I know how to use it,” Sasha said with obviously false bravado.

“That’s not how your story goes,” Udide said. “You will die by that book.”

“No, he won’t,” Chichi screeched. “We’ve both used it! We’re . . .”

“I only have business with this incomplete, damaged one,” Udide said. “Sunny Nwazue, why have you come?”