Terrin's body forced him to turn away from the freezing boy and walk back toward Damond.

“That's all you wanted, you witch? You could’ve told him before you sent him down. If your ego wasn't so large, maybe you would’ve been better off, Your Highness," Damond ridiculed.

Nitiri's eyes lit up with fury. She smacked the old man hard across the face.

“Don't you dare mock me in front of my men, or I will dispose of you, whether you are needed or not!”

He stared at her for a moment with his deep brown eyes, then turned and left the cavern. Nitiri's nostrils flared, and she stomped after him.

What on Incari is their problem? Terrin wondered as he followed.

Damond turned left, but Terrin swore they had come in from the right. He wanted to ask the man if he was sure they were going the correct way, but his lips refused to open. Despite his unease, they arrived back at the stairs after another labyrinth of turns but emerging from the center passage this time.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Damond said gruffly as he plopped down in his chair and took a long draw on his pipe.

Nitiri mounted the stairs and quickly vanished from sight without a backward glance. Terrin, on the other hand, was stuck walking at a painfully slow pace. Frustration bubbled inside him as he felt Damond’s gaze burning into his back. He wished he could run away. He thought back to when Elurra was under the spider’s curse.

When I knocked her down, she stuttered out a message to me. She must’ve been fighting the spider the entire time, and she finally managed to make her will top the spider’s. If she can do it, then I can too. I know fighting it directly won’t work, but what if I work with it?

Terrin concentrated on the top of the staircase, and to his amazement, his pace increased. His heartbeat drummed inside of his chest.

I can do this. He wasn’t overthrowing the spider; he was simply helping it along. He still felt numb, and most of his actions weren’t his own, but he was doing something.

He let the spider lead him where he needed to go. As soon as he arrived in what he guessed was the servants’ workplace, he turned a corner and bumped into a maid. She was wearing a thick dress and had long, curly, auburn hair. She started, and when she looked up, her brown irises widened. She stared into his eyes for a long time, awe written on her face. The spider let him stop, so it obviously didn’t know where blankets were, either.

“Your eyes. I’ve never seen anyone with eyes that color before,” she finally said.

Her cheeks flushed, and Terrin wished he could respond, but the spider wouldn’t permit idle chitchat. Besides, he was used to the strange reaction to his eyes.

“Do you know where blankets are?” he asked, silently cheering for himself. A small victory, but a victory, nonetheless.

She looked startled but led him down the hall to a room full of pillows, blankets, sheets, towels, and other necessities. Terrin decided to try his luck. The spider might allow a question related to the blankets.

“You…have a lot of…blankets?” he said through gritted teeth.

She gave him a funny look.

“Yes, we have plenty of spares for the guest rooms.”

She pulled down a blanket from one of the shelves and turned back to him with a curious expression.

“How are you able to walk around with such skimpy attire? Here, put these on.”

The girl scooped up a worn long-sleeved shirt and a pair of long pants and placed them in Terrin’s arms. He was anxious to put on anything that would cover up the bracelet around his wrist, but the spider forced him to stand there and stare at her blankly.

“What are you waiting for? There is a closet right there. Put them on, already.”

The spider didn’t let him move.

I can’t get the food until I put on the clothing, he thought, trying to reason with the stupid arachnid.

His arms moved. Within seconds, the spider made him pull the clothing over his other garments. The girl looked at him like he was insane.

“Who are you, exactly?” she asked warily.

He had to speak. He couldn’t ignore the girl. His mind raced for a way to answer.

I must respond. I cannot find food without her.

He hoped the spider would understand. He felt his jaw slacken slightly, and he seized his opportunity.

“I…am a friend of…the princess.”

The girl's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Elurra? Where is she? How do you know her?”

He tried to speak, but the spider was tired of the conversation. He felt it nod his head for him. The girl glared at him.

“What does that mean? She's well?” Terrin nodded again. She let out a sigh of relief and let him go. She looked like she was going to ask him more questions, but he beat her to it.

“Where is food?” He winced at how robotic he sounded.

She bunched her eyebrows together and answered, “In the kitchen. Why?”

Terrin wanted to punch a wall. Trying to communicate was so frustrating.

“Food for prisoner.”

She stared at him like he was from a different world and slowly backed toward the door.

“I’m guessing you want me to take you?”

Terrin nodded again, glad for the simple gesture. She led him down the hall, giving him wary glances the entire time. Terrin noticed how pale she was, just like Elurra and Nitiri.

“You’re really weird. Can you not talk or something?”

Terrin nodded again eagerly. She puzzled over it for a second.

“Is something wrong with you?”

This is like a game of twenty questions, Terrin thought as he nodded. She wrinkled her forehead in thought.

“Have you always been this way?”

This time he shook his head. She sighed.

“Well, I bet you could tell me what happened to the princess. Did you have something to do with her disappearance?” He shook his head as they turned the corner toward the kitchen.

“Did Nitiri have something to do with her disappearance?”

Terrin nodded eagerly. Her expression darkened.

“I knew it,” she muttered angrily.

While she was brooding, Terrin started to form some theories about how the spider’s magic worked. When it was focused on a task, it committed most of its resources to it. If someone asked questions or wouldn’t help with the task without a reply, it would give its victim limited freedom to complete the goal.

“Well, here I am asking you all these questions, and you don’t even know my name. I’m Aleah. I used to be the princess’s governess, until...”

Aleah let her sentence trail off as they arrived at the kitchen. Delicious scents wafted from the room, and workers hurried around them. Chopping, yelling, and crashing pans could be heard all down the hallway.

“I’ll be back. Wait here. You are not allowed in the kitchen,” Aleah told him as she entered the noisy room.

She emerged a few minutes later with a platter. The dish had a silver reflective dome over it to keep the food warm. That in itself was unremarkable. What shocked Terrin most was his own reflection.

What in Yamoi’s name? My eyes are the color of the sun! he thought, bringing his hand up to his face to confirm it was in fact him.

Wait a second; I moved my hand!

The spider lowered his hand as soon as he had the thought, but the feeling of triumph did not diminish.

I get it now. When I think about doing something to fight the spider, my thoughts warn it, and it has time to block my move. If I’m distracted and not thinking about my movements, then it can’t block them.

His revelation still didn’t help him much with talking. It was challenging to speak while thinking about something entirely different. In fact, he wasn’t sure it was possible.

Aleah studied him, then asked cautiously, “Did you not know your eyes were golden?”

He shook his head once again. At least she has developed a knack for asking the right questions.

Aleah lapsed into silence, and Terrin was grateful for the reprieve. Fighting the spider was tiring. He gave up all control and diverted his thoughts elsewhere. He didn't understand why Nitiri hadn't killed Prince Kai yet. Terrin needed to get him out of the castle before that changed. She wouldn’t wait forever. As a citizen of Amora, he couldn’t let his future king perish in a dungeon under a frozen castle, and he had pledged to help Elurra stop her aunt’s evil plans. The only problem was escaping.

So far, he was only able to diverge from the spider’s instructions when they weren’t direct. No one told him he couldn’t talk to the governess, but Nitiri did tell him he could not help Prince Kai escape. The fair-skinned girl descended the dungeon stairs first. Terrin decided to try his luck and was pleased to find with a little forceful will, he could grab a lit torch from the entrance. Aleah shivered ahead of him, and Terrin felt bad for her. The spider’s only positive aspect so far was Terrin’s protection from the temperature. He knew the air must be frigid, but his arachnid captor kept him comfortably warm.

“This place makes me frightfully uncomfortable. I never understood why they couldn’t at least keep a fire going down here,” Aleah said as she descended into the darkness. “Although, I guess with all the earthquakes recently, a fire might easily get out of control in these tunnels.”

He was pleased to know his strange demeanor didn’t perturb the girl. Maybe she was used to rude guests at the castle, or maybe she was just talkative. Either way, it was nice to have company, even if he couldn’t tell anyone about his predicament.

“Trust me, my lady, I wish we could keep a bonfire down here, but the smell of all these unwashed prisoners would be frightful if it were hot,” Damond said from the gloom below.

Aleah stumbled in surprise. Terrin reached out and grabbed her wrist to keep her from falling. He felt thrilled at the accidental act against the spider. She looked up at Terrin gratefully and thanked him as she righted herself.

“Damond! You scared me half to death!” she said accusingly when she reached the bottom step.

The light from Terrin’s torch lit up the old man’s face, which was curled into a grin.

“Forgot about me, did you?” he asked.

“No, I simply didn’t realize Nitiri let you stay down here after she took power,” she said, her tone holding affection for the old man. “She seems to be getting rid of everyone else. Just last week, one of the king’s old advisers asked her why she wasn’t taking a full detail with her to Amora, and she asked to hold a private audience with him. No one has seen him since.”

“She would’ve gotten rid of me by now, but no one else can navigate these tunnels, and she knows it. The only one who has ever come close to understanding their secrets like I do is our dear princess.”

Terrin’s ears pricked up.

“Even she wouldn't stray too deep into the caves; you know that. She was only willing to learn the front part of the maze, but she refused to go past the small criminals," Aleah pointed out.

The old man chuckled.

“Can you blame her? I don't even like going down there, and I'm a grown man. Speaking of which, has there been any news from the search parties?”

Aleah shook her head grimly. Terrin wanted to scream in frustration. Damond sighed dejectedly.

“I miss her cheery voice around here. The prisoners agree. A lot of them were fond of her, although they might just miss the scraps she brought.” Aleah laughed bitterly, and Damond rose from his seat. “Well, I guess we're confusing this poor bloke with our talk.”

Terrin shook his head violently. Damond gave a funny look, and then ruffled his hair dismissively with one large hand. “A bit slow, he seems. It's a wonder Nitiri kept him around. Normally she's not so kind.”

Believe me, she hasn't been kind in the slightest, he thought.

To his amazement, Aleah spoke in Terrin's defense.

“Do not be too hard on him, Damond. I think Nitiri did something awful to him, and that's why he acts so funny.”

Damond studied him and let out a humph.

“It wouldn't shock me if she had, or maybe he’s simply her slave. Either way, it’s a pity.”