Filo makes his way with the flashlight. He is leading Sely to the Spider King where he has been until recently.

The two have left behind the celebrations which only now seem to be coming to life.

“Spiders are noisy when they celebrate, haha” Filo shakes the torch here and there, moving the beam.

“They rarely have to celebrate. I doubt they would be able to catch much prey otherwise.”

“Yeah, anyway, as far as the city is concerned…”

“Haven't we already talked about this?”

Filo sighs and walks Sely to a bushy area. “Follow me, this way.”

After a short walk in silence and a couple of thunderclaps, it starts to drizzle.

Nothing annoying.

Sely is used to much worse. Furthermore, the foliage of the vegetation can partially shelter her.

“Anyway,” Filo continues, “what I want to say is that the king is very surprised. It wants to hear your story, but It's worried that you may be misinformed or worse, in bad faith.”

Yes, it makes sense. In its position it distrusts us. I just hope it's kinder than the mayor of Vanoge...

Oh, these formalities are so annoying! Couldn't they just trust?

No, huh?

Emerging from the bushes, Sely and Filo arrive in an area lit by braziers of spiderweb and rock. The plants surround what appears to be a grassless clearing, whose covering is an intricate tapestry of earth and spiderweb. The reflections of the fire and the torch break into prismatic beams, generating amazement in Sely.

“The spider king's web, like that of its successor, is one of a kind. It is not used for hunting but for building. It is also used in Vanoge for certain structural repairs.”

Filo's words give Sely an idea. They have now arrived at the king and the latter is not just any spider.

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An embassy of four new spiders steps forward.

“Follow us” is all they say.

The journey continues through those illuminated areas for a few minutes, until Sely and Filo are made to stay in another, smaller clearing.

Waiting in the rain is a moment of meditation for Sely and helps her reorganize her thoughts.

Go to Vanoge and talk to Dad about the city: done.

Helping dad: failed…

Help Vanoge by talking to the spider king who protects them: in progress…

And then?

What am I trying to get out of this meeting?

Not revenge, although I want justice.

But, I don't know... going back like this... I feel like I didn't do what I should have done.

And then I'm disarmed. Even if you get the weapon back, it is unusable without bullets.

Immersed in those thoughts, Sely pays no attention to the time passing and sits down.

She exchanges a look with Filo and motions for him to sit next to her. He obeys and she rests her head on his shoulder.

Although wet, Filo is warm and is pleasant for Sely who at the moment cannot rely on the blanket.

“Filo.”

“Tell me.”

“I can't stay in Vanoge.”

“I know, don't worry.”

“So what should I do? after speaking to the king, that is. It may seem ridiculous to you, I don't know how it works among you humans, but for me, it's the first time I've been left to myself for so long.”

Filo sighs. He places a hand on Sely's head and strokes it between her antennae. It feels good and she lets it.

“It's called being an adult. It's normal, when my parents died I found myself in the same situation as you. No recipes exist. There is only time.”

“There's something melancholy about it.”

“Forget about it. Rather, tell me, what would you like to do?”

An unexpected question. Sely didn't ask. All caught up in having to solve the surrounding problems, she didn't ask herself that simple question: what do I want to do?

She can't give herself an answer, not immediately. Better to relax a little and wait in the warmth of that friendly shoulder of hers.

Spiders are patient and have a different sense of anticipation than Sely. The drowsiness advances and from time to time her head slips.

She raises her head and moves her antennae. Filo smiles at her. How much time will have passed?

“Awaaa… Filo, I'm getting sleepy.”

“With a fever, it was better if you rested…”

“You don't get sick?”

“I have some medicine coming from the battery warehouse. They work, they alleviate practically all the symptoms of fever.”

Sely raises an eyebrow. “Why didn't you give me some instead of the infusion?”

“I wanted to give them to you, I did. However, the spiders warned me that they were toxic to them, and, when in doubt, I preferred not to risk it. Do you know how funny it would be if I killed the heroine of the day with medicines?”

“It's not very funny.”

“Sorry, professional humor.”

And nothing. Arguing about this and that to avoid falling asleep, she also stops raining.

Only then does something move among the shadows of the trees?

A brazier?

Two braziers?

Four?

No.

It's something much, much more particular.