As if in response, there was a scratching sound somewhere to my left. I turned just in time to see a large fern-like leaf tremble as something brushed it from underneath. Definitely an animal, then.
I held my breath – and that was when the first leg appeared. Cumbubbling bollocks.
Chapter
Thirteen
The leg was long, spindly and covered in wiry black hairs. Its narrow, tapered tip tapped the ground three times before a matching version of the same leg appeared. And another. And another.
Although the creature’s body hadn’t emerged, I knew exactly what I was looking at. This was a spider. It wasn’t like the teeny-tiny spider we’d already spotted; if the legs on this version were anything to go by, this was the size of one of the wheels on Hugo’s Jeep. At least.
‘Bloody Amy,’ Hugo muttered. ‘She told us. She told us there was a huge spider. It turns out that she wasn’t exaggerating.’
More of the creature slid out from underneath the fern. I gazed at its rounded, furry belly, which grew more russet in colour as it was revealed. I clenched my jaw, banking down the temptation to blast the thing was as much fire magic as I could muster. It wasn’t doing anything wrong. Not yet, anyway.
It tapped its foreleg again then slipped forward another inch. As I lifted my eyes, I realised I could see the spider’s face. There were two large pincer-type appendages close to its mouth and several furry stripes across its head, which gave it something of a punk-like appearance. But it wasn’t that which caughtmy attention; once I’d caught a glimpse of the spider’s eight glittering eyes, it was impossible to look away.
My mouth was dry and my palms were sweaty. I’d never understood arachnophobia before now but suddenly, confronted by a spider that was the size of a spaniel, I got it. My hand shot out and I grabbed Hugo’s arm. It was a truly dumb thing to do because that movement was more than enough to catch the spider’s attention.
All eight eyes swivelled towards us, then the spider hissed and reared up. I expected it to attack us but instead it jumped away, disappearing from view with a speed that took my breath away. I swallowed with relief; we’d been far luckier than we deserved.
‘Perhaps it’s time to leave after all,’ Hugo said.
There was no perhaps about it. I nodded and hastily re-sheathed Gladys. ‘Let’s go. Now.’
‘Thank fuck,’ Hester’s muffled voice said.
And with that, we sprinted away in the opposite direction. At first we kept pace with each other but it didn’t take long for Otis to pull away, his small body and his ability to fly making him far faster than Hugo and me. He scooted forward, zipping between tree trunks and leafy bushes. By the time I called out, he was already out of sight.
‘Otis!’ I shouted. ‘Stay close!’
If he’d heard me, he didn’t answer. I tried to speed up but the ground was getting boggier and with every squelching footstep it was harder and harder to run with any speed. I gritted my teeth and looked helplessly at Hugo. ‘Can you see him?’ I asked. ‘Can you see Otis?’
‘No,’ he answered abruptly.
That was when we heard the scream. I’d never heard a sound like that from Otis before but it was definitely him – and it was definitely a shriek imbued with pure terror.
Hester rocketed upwards, yanking herself out of her burrow in my jacket. Her face was white with fear and her hands were bunched into fists. ‘Otis!’ she cried. ‘Where are you?’
Again there was no answer and Hester’s body quivered. I snapped my hand out to grab her before she also took off. ‘We can’t lose you too, Hes. Stay with us and don’t go flying off. We’ll find Otis, I promise.’
She struggled for a moment then relaxed. I released my hold on her. Her bottom lip was trembling but she was calm.
‘Come on,’ Hugo said. ‘I think he went this way.’
I called out again, shouting Otis’s name at the top of my voice as we ran in the direction he’d disappeared. There still wasn’t any answer and his silence was more chilling than his scream.
We finally escaped the squishy ground for a firmer section that made it easier to run. Hugo sent out a blast of carefully directed air magic to push aside the low-hanging branches and thick foliage that lay in our way.
I could feel my heart pumping hard in my chest then, when we veered around the thick trunk of a large oak tree, it seemed to stop altogether. Oh.Oh.
We were in a small clearing. Weak sunlight was filtering in from a gap in the foliage overhead. Strung from one tree to another was a glistening, silvery web that stretched horizontally for at least twelve metres and vertically for even more. Drops of water from a recent rain shower clung to it, sparkling in the dim light.
Under any other circumstances I’d have been awestruck by the web’s beauty, but I couldn’t admire it now because in front of the web – and blocking much of our view – was another spider. This arachnid wasn’t the size of the first one we’d seen, nor was it the size of the second monstrous version.
This spider was the size of a car.
I’d withdrawn Gladys again without even thinking about it. Doubtless a creature such as this was covered under the country-wide law that protected magical species in their own habitat. I couldn’t attack the spider, not under any circumstances, but I could certainly use Gladys to hack away at the web. And if Otis was in danger, I’d do whatever I could to protect him.
