“Look at all the signs,” he said. “I bet one of them is an anagram of ‘the words inside.’”

Tick’s eyes lit up in agreement. “You’re right! Every little place here has a sign out front. That has to be it!”

An abrupt whirring sound made them all return their attention to the metaspides. The creatures had started to move, slowly spreading out in an obvious attempt to surround Paul and his friends.

“We need to split up,” Paul said. “Run around, level to level, look at every sign. It’ll be easy to find the right one. Just keep saying ‘the words inside’ over and over in your head.”

“What do we do if we find it?” Tick asked.

“Scream like bloody murder. We’ll come to you.”

The metaspides had formed a semicircle, still moving slowly, closing their trap. Every few seconds, on each creature, a spinning saw would pop out, or twin blades would scissor shut with a snap. They were like gang members taunting their opponent.

“Are you in?” Paul asked Sally.

“Ain’t got much choice, I reckon. Fine friends you chirrun turned out to be.”

Sofia spoke, her voice steady. “We need to go. Now.”

Paul quickly pointed out directions of who should go where. “Okay . . . ready . . . Go!”

Paul shot down a pathway to the left, having to run in between two of the robots. They snapped at him, but he slipped through easily. Sprinting, he made it thirty or forty feet before something became very obvious. He turned, baffled.

None of the metaspides were behind him.

They’d all gone after Tick. Every single one of them.

Chapter

13

~

Flying Metal

Tick looked over his shoulder when he got to the end of the bridge, shocked to see all of the creatures following him. He caught a quick glance of Paul standing in the distance, staring.

“I’ll keep them busy—you just find the place!” Tick yelled. “Find it!”

He turned and set off running again, winding his way down another cobbled path and then down an alleyway, then back onto a wider, main road. The clicking sounds of his pursuers’ metallic feet sounded like a typist overdosed on caffeine. Tick looked up at the signs of the various establishments as he passed by.

Tanaka’s Feet Barn . . . The Hapless Butcher . . . Ted’s Cups and Bowls . . . The Shack Shop . . . Mister Johnny’s Store . . .

None of them came close to matching an anagram for “the words inside.”

He came to an intersection and hesitated too long deciding which way to go. One of the spider robots caught up with him and jumped on his back, some kind of clamping device shooting out and gripping his neck. Tick shouted out in pain and fell down. He twisted to see his attacker, but could barely move. Two more spiders grabbed his arms, another two grabbed his legs, pinching him viciously.