The spider stretched them one at a time, flicking a bit of venom toward me with each movement. The droplets hit the cobblestones with a splat and smelled of death.

I backed up and banged on the door I’d just stepped out of. “Feish, open the door!”

“No, go away!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be sassy!” I yelled, my voice creeping up to an octave I hadn’t known I could achieve until that moment. “There is a spider out here!”

“Crash sleeping, go away!”

I banged harder, but then I had to step back because the big-ass spider was closing in on me.

Weapons, I had weapons! For what good they’d do, I pulled both short knives out of their bundle and slung my bag around to my back. I pointed both tips at the ginormous spider, thinking that it had been too long since I’d actually sparred with weapons. The moves would be clunky at best.

But here I was, pointy parts directed at enemy, check.

Enemy laughing.

Check.

“You don’t know how to fight, do you? Excellent.” The spider lunged at me so fast that I didn’t even see it move—I blinked, and it was on top of me. I had my back pressed to the cobblestone walk and was staring up at the hugely hairy underbelly.

“You should consider waxing,” I spat out as I kicked up with both feet, hitting the belly hard. The spider flailed.

“Right in the lady bits!” it screeched. Okay, she screeched. I scuttled backward on my ass, through puddles of water, dragging the knives with me as the spider lurched around, wailing, legs flailing. This was my chance.

I pushed to my feet and ran for all I was worth down Factors Row, racing for the stairs at the far end. If I could get above, the spider wouldn’t follow.

I hit the stairs, stuffed one knife into my bag and grabbed the railing with my now-free hand, pulling myself up as much with my arm as with my legs, which had once more turned to jelly. I got to the top of the stairs and bent at the waist to catch my breath. A quick glance over my shoulder proved I’d thought wrong about the spider’s supposed limitations. Those long, hairy black legs were following me.

“Gran, you never warned me about this!” I yelled to myself as I moved with speed down the streets that would lead me back to East Perry. I had to believe Corb was still at the loft. Or Sarge.

Something splooshed into the building that I’d just circled around. I looked back at the oozing hunk of what had to be web stuck to the old brick building. Only it wasn’t light and airy, but thick like mucus spit.