Richard Tuttle - Web of Deceit

“We don’t know what is down there,” protested Rejji.

“Rejji!” exclaimed Mistake as her voice started quaking, “I don’t care if there is cliff and a bottomless pit down that trail. If that spider thing sees us we are dead. I am taking Bakhai down that trail and running as fast as I can carry him. Are you coming?”

“Alright,” agreed Rejji as he grabbed one of Bakhai’s arms and draped it over his shoulder.

Rejji heard noises behind them as he helped support Bakhai, but he ignored them. He kept his eyes on the tyrik as they pivoted towards the narrow trail and started running. The trail was barely wide enough for the three of them and Rejji felt the plants ripping at his arms, but he ignored them and raced to keep even with Mistake. Bakhai’s feet were dragging along the ground now as the trio sped along the animal trail. Rejji broke out in a sweat as fear rippled through his body. He felt shivers course through his body and each step seemed to reverberate throughout his body. He could hear Mistake gasping for breath and his own breathing sounded like thunder in his ears.

They rounded a bend at full speed and slammed into an invisible wall. The collision bounced them back, but strangely, they did not fall. Instead they sort of swayed like a tall tree in a high wind. Rejji tried to shake his head, but it wouldn’t move. He tried to remove his arm from Bakhai, but it refused to yield to his demands. His feet likewise would not obey the commands his mind was sending them. His vision swirled and stars winked on and off. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to relax his mind. He opened his eyes and saw the trail ahead of him, but also sensed something closer. His eyes finally focused on the invisible wall and he gasped in horror.

“Mistake,” he shouted urgently, “can you get free? Can you reach your daggers?”

“No,” cried Mistake. “I can’t move. I can’t move at all.”

“What is it?” murmured Bakhai. “I can’t see it and I can’t move.”

“We are stuck, quivered Rejji. “We have been captured in a tyrik’s web.”

“Keep trying, Mistake,” shouted Rejji. “If you can reach one of your daggers, you might be able to cut us free from this tyrik’s web.”

“No,” gasped Bakhai. “Stop. If it is like a spider, it reacts to vibrations. If you struggle it will come to us and we don’t want that until I can figure out how to communicate with it.”

“Can you communicate with it?” ask Rejji.

“I don’t know,” admitted Bakhai. “Spiders have a crude sense of communications. Mostly they sense vibrations, but I think that includes air vibrations, which might work like speech. I tried imitating their clicks one time and thought I was getting through, but I couldn’t be sure. They have a short attention span. A better approach might be to make it think we are one of its predators.”

“So it will stay away?” queried Mistake.

“Yes, at least until we can figure a way out of this,” answered Bakhai.

“Try communicating with it first,” reasoned Rejji. “I don’t see how we will get free even if it leaves, so I think we will need its help. If that doesn’t work then imitate its enemy.”

“That is reasonable,” agreed Bakhai.

Rejji listened intently as Bakhai made a series of clicks with his mouth. He felt the web moving above him and sweat formed on his brow as he wondered if Bakhai was making the right sounds to speak to the tyrik or merely drawing attention to themselves. Suddenly, sounds of movement came from behind the Fakarans. Rejji fought the natural instinct to turn his head, as he knew it would just create vibrations in the web and would not enable him to see anyway. Still, he prepared himself for the jaws he knew were behind him.

“Maybe you should try the predator,” he said softly. “I think one is coming up behind us.”

“I think I am getting through,” whispered Bakhai. “I am not sure. but let me try a bit longer.”

Bakhai started making clicks again and Mistake screamed as the web surged like an ocean wave. Rejji heard clicks similar to Bakhai’s coming from above his head as the web swayed with the movement of something very large. More clicks came from behind the Fakarans and Rejji closed his eyes as he thought about the painful death the trolls had described. He could picture the two tyriks closing in on them, one from above and one from behind. His body started shaking uncontrollably and he bit his lip helplessly.

Rejji screamed as he felt the first touch from behind him as the thing seized his arms. He heard a hysterical scream from Mistake and a groan from Bakhai. Something tore his sword out of its sheath and his teeth drew blood from his lower lip as his body shuddered uncontrollably. He felt things roaming all over his body, from his feet to his head. The next instant, he was pulled back and felt his head moved freely. His arms were held fast from behind, but he could now see the web a pace in front of him.

“Do not seek to fight us or we will leave you to the tyriks,” a deep voice said from behind him.

Rejji almost swooned at the sound of a human voice, as his body fell limp and was only supported by whoever was holding him. His head spun for a moment and he exhaled a long held breath in a sigh. Slowly his body stopped quaking, although tremors still raced through it. It seemed like a great effort for Rejji to turn his head, but he saw that Bakhai and Mistake were still beside him and he could see hands holding them up, human hands. He tried to move and realized that his legs were like rubber, incapable of supporting his body.

The people holding the Fakarans dragged them several dozen paces away from the web and Rejji tried to focus on the sticky trap that had snared them. It was monstrous in size and Rejji could not see the top of it, but he saw part of the massive tyrik that called it home. The people who had dragged them away from the web gently lowered the Fakarans to the trail and Rejji stared upwards at them. He was somewhat relieved to see that they were human. In fact, they looked little different than any other person, except they were dressed only in loincloths and carried spears.

He watched as two men reached down and lifted Bakhai, who appeared to be unconscious. The men carried Bakhai and disappeared down the trail. Rejji tried to rise and object, but his muscles refused to obey and one of the men held a spear to Rejji’s chest and shook his head. One of the jungle dwellers approached Rejji and stared down at him. He was taller than the others and appeared to be dwelling on some issue as he gazed at Rejji.

“I am Mobi,” the man said. “You two will be coming to our village. If you try to fight, you will be killed. If you try to flee, you will be killed. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” Rejji and Mistake said in unison.

“What have you done with Bakhai?” continued Rejji. “He is not well.”

“You will not speak unless told to,” Mobi commanded. “Stand up.”

Rejji tested his rubber legs and found them capable of standing. He rose and extended a hand to Mistake to help her rise. Both of the Fakarans were wobbly on their feet and the group of jungle dwellers stood and stared at them.

“Follow,” Mobi said bluntly as he turned to follow the path Bakhai had disappeared down.

Rejji took Mistake’s hand and they followed Mobi. The rest of the jungle dwellers fell in behind the Fakarans. Mobi walked slowly at first, constantly looking over his shoulder at the Fakarans. When Rejji’s legs felt stronger and less wobbly, Mobi increased his speed as if he had sensed the Fakarans’ regenerated use of their limbs. Gradually, Mobi increased speed until the group was moving at a rather swift pace down the trail. The jungle darkened as night claimed the land, but the group continued walking. They walked for hours and Rejji felt the weariness of the day setting in as his feet scuffed along the trail. Mistake almost tripped twice, but Rejji had been able to help her keep her balance. Finally, Rejji’s arm tugged as Mistake halted in the trail.