The Pearl part 2: Whore Spider
chapter 12
Edited by PennLady
This is a copyrighted work of fiction. All rights reserved.
*
Qiang dismissed Mingzhu from the remainder of her shift and sent her home with Dakota. The move elicited some veiled looks from the staff. Though Qiang owned and managed the restaurant and could do what he wanted with the schedules, he tried very hard not to play favorites or change around the routine of the place. The larger portion of the work force had no idea who it was they worked for, and as it was found their employer to be inscrutable. Sometimes they found him down-right nonsensical. Qiang tried hard to keep the more draconic aspects of his life out of the restaurant. Seeing as this was his workplace, home, and lair, that proved exceedingly difficult. At his stern look people jumped back to their work stations. He knew this incident would be grist for the rumor mill, and it rankled him.
Qiang stalked back to his office. Once inside, he locked the door and crossed through the tapestry to his lair. He had to locate the Jorogumo. The first step would be the opal talisman he left with Sebastian. He was aware there was a strong chance it had been removed, but it was the logical starting place. Qiang closed his eyes, stilled his mind, and reached out.
Qiang arrived in a scrub grass field, confirming his fears. He looked around and his gaze fell on the opal. It was moving through the stunted grass. Puzzled, Qiang walked over to it. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was being carried by a spider.
The body of the creature alone was the size of his human hand, he noted. Once it was aware of his presence, the spider slid the opal under itself and reared back on its hind legs in a classic threat posture. Qiang regarded the fierce guardian for a moment before walking off.
The spider remained in posture until the vibrations of the threat creature's retreat were gone. The spider lowered its legs and preened in its victory. It had scared off the other creature and kept its cargo safe. The mistress would be so pleased. The spider beamed to itself about its prowess. A sudden and sharp pain in its side interrupted its self-congratulatory zeal.
As the spider became air-borne, it reflected that perhaps the big creature was not as frightened as first assumed. When its arc reached the zenith and gravity drew it back to earth, the spider was forced to concede that the intruder hadn't been frightened at all. It didn't have much time for self-flagellation as it smacked the ground and ceased to think about anything at all.
Qiang discarded his stick with a look of disgust and gathered up the talisman. He examined it for any trace of Sebastian, but the fledgling had worn it for too short a time to impress upon it. Qiang sighed and pocketed the opal. He then strode over the where the spider had fallen. He picked up its lifeless form and analyzed it; the spider reeked of the Jorogumo's energy.
Excellent.
Qiang thought.
With luck, this little vile thing will show me the way to the large vile thing.
Qiang sat at the table in his lair, spell paraphernalia spread out around him. Candles, some salt, a cord, incense, and books were arranged on the table. He lit the incense and candles, laid out a circle of salt and lifted the spider carcass. He held it in his hands and began to study the layers of energy that were still attached to the corrupt body. He found what he needed, and decided the moment he was done he would scrub his hands with bleach. He grabbed the cord and wrapped it around the spider. Setting aside his revulsion at the energy, he wove it into the cord. He set the wrapped body inside the circle of salt and laid the tail of the cord across the salt so that it trailed outside the circle.
Qiang laid his arms on the table, outside of the salt and leaned over the spider. He closed his eyes and tracked the energy. In his mind he saw the thread as a thick strand of web with all manner of filth and rot interwoven. His instinct was to pull away, but he pressed on. In his mind he began to see an image of the creature. He was careful in his approach, but not careful enough and brushed against one of the strands of energy. He had an impression of being scrutinized, then the feeling of something striking his eyes. He flinched in his chair and raised his hand to his eyes. He only took a moment to clear them, but it was enough. The contact was gone. He waited, hoping for a counter attack, but the only thing to happen was the spider carcass and cord around it decayed. He snatched at it before it vanished and kept what was left, but the connection was severed. He looked again for the Jorogumo, but she was now well-hidden.
"Damnation!" he spat. He slammed his hand down on the table in frustration. His eyes still stung. This was bad. He had gained perspective on his opponent, but at the cost of an important tool. The previous Jorogumo had been young and easy to goad into action. This one appeared more circumspect, leading Qiang to suspect it was both older and wiser. A bad combination in the game of Go that was developing with Sebastian as the prize.
The Jorogumo hissed and cursed her foolishness. It had been too much to hope that a fledgling dragon would be orphaned and alone, she should have known better. Still, that it had taken this long for the other dragon to realize and act, and that it had had to use a round about conduit to locate her, spoke of an indirect connection at best. Perhaps a member of an allied clan.
But what had alerted the dragon?
She wondered. She stroked Sebastian's mane as he dozed and considered what may have happened. The more the Jorogumo pondered the question, the more obvious the answer became: the accursed female from earlier. She plastered a smile on her face and turned to Sebastian and ruffled his mane to wake him up. He blinked at her and smiled.
"My precious," she said, keeping her tone mild, "who was the female you went to see?"
Even web-bound and partially drained, he beamed at her name. "Dakota."
"Why yes, you had said that. But who is Dakota?"
"Oh, uh, I guess she's my favorite. I really like her a lot." He smiled drunkenly.
The Jorogumo smiled back at him. "Of course you do. Anyone can see that. I'm sorry to have bothered you, why don't you go back to sleep?" With a nod, his eyes drifted back closed.
The Jorogumo crossed her arms and snarled, "What's the world coming to, fledglings taking favorites? Americans. They have no patience!"
She rose up, paced, and worried at this newest problem. The first course of action she considered was to take the dragon for all the sustenance had right now and be on her way. However, haste made waste, and she wouldn't get nearly as much as if she continued to go slow. For now that still seemed the best option. But the female would have to be dealt with. She would have to be careful, however. Striking directly at the female might alert Sebastian and judging by what she'd seen, her sedate meal would turn on her quickly. Whether he was strong enough to harm her was immaterial. She would again lose quite a bit of the nourishment he could offer and that ran counter to her interests. How to remove the female without alerting Sebastian?
She wandered out of the building and stared at the river. She cast out for something she was certain she would find. Death. The Jorogumo had previously had cause to create killers, and found Bakemono, revenants whose angry deaths make them rise again, particularly well-suited to the task. People died often on rivers and bodies weren't always found.
She located what she needed as an angry spirit answered her call within minutes. It was male, large and stoutly built, but missing an arm. With luck, it was just a death wound echo and she would be able to locate the appendage. If not, she would improvise. The spirit regarded her with open hostility.
"What do you want?" Even though the words were whispers upon the wind, they carried the powerful rage of their speaker. The Jorogumo was pleased.
"I will return you to your physical form and semblance of life. In return, you will serve me. Your first task will be the killing of a woman."
Need and mistrust ran across the spirit's face. "What all is involved with this 'servitude' thing?"
The Jorogumo shrugged. She had dealt with this manner of person before, who wanted to answer to none save themselves. She could extend a long leash when necessary. No matter its length, a leash was still a leash. "When I have need of your services, I will summon you. Until then, you are free to do as you please."
