at the stake.”
“You’re trying to help us? I don’t understand.”
“I am. Have a little faith in your old Uncle Gaspare, will you? Jeez, one little test and already you’ve abandoned everything we’ve built.”
“I haven’t abandoned…you told the crowd you were going to eliminate us. Are you really going to get us out of here? Where will we go? You can’t hide us. They’ll come after you, too.”
“ I’d like to see them try, ”he rumbled, stomping a heavy foot and shaking his big head. “I could protect you here, ” he said. “ Forever, if necessary. But that’s no life for you. I have another plan. Something…unconventional.”
The mob had stopped waiting for Ewan to reappear, and grown tired of ogling the rhino. Voices and tempers rose again, the crowd’s concerns about dragons still unanswered; their thirst for blood unquenched.
A soul-deep breath did nothing to alleviate the tightness in my chest over the decision to blindly trust Gaspare. “ What’s your plan ?” I asked as the pinch-faced old woman sneered in my direction.
“ I’ll tell you when we get there .” If a rhino could smirk, then this one did.
“‘ When we get’—no. Absolutely not . You’ll never get me out of—” My train of thought derailed and I watched Gaspare's body ripple into another form. His change was smooth, effortless.
I had been so engrossed in Gaspare’s transformation I didn’t notice at first that my ankles had been constrained, followed by my knees.
A muffled groan snatched my gaze to my mother and Bay. They had been wrapped to the ears in an opaque white filament, their entire bodies constricted like living mummies. My mouth went dry, my palms sticky with sweat. The same fate awaited me.
I looked down. The filament had already made its way up to my chest. I yelped and threw my arms wide, managing to get one arm above my head before the clingy web trapped it to my side. The victory was short-lived, for the filament continued to surround my body, pinning my bicep to my ear and forcing my hand to dangle above my head like a spastic periscope.
I was angry, afraid, humiliated. The bonds stopped at our chins, presumably so we could breathe. Bay’s softly weathered eyes—practically the only part of her I could see—held the same emotions. My mother’s eyes lay closed, the freckles across her pale cheeks prominent even in the moonlight.
The filament was opaque, but visible, and I followed the web to its origin. I jerked when I saw the cause of our distress. Gaspare was himself again. Mostly. The bottom half of his body was transformed into the rough, round abdomen of a spider. Four cone-shaped spinnerets threw a web encasing our entire bodies faster than we could form a defense.
“ First a rhino, and now Spiderman? Really ? You’re just showing off. ” I attempted to shake my head at Gaspare, but the movement caused my limp hand to wag dumbly in the air, so I abandoned the effort.
“ These people want a show? I’ll give ’em a show. ”
“ What they want is our heads on a platter. Or a stake. God, just look at them. ”
“ I know, ” Gaspare said, his voice desolate. “ I had hoped they would someday accept you, but now I see they never will. This is the best I can do, given the circumstances. Just bear with me and I’ll get you out of here .”
“ I really don’t have much of a choice, do I ?” My extended arm began to fall asleep and I shook the tingling thing.
“ No. You don’t. ”
“ You realize I can never un-see your spider butt, right ?”
Gaspare’s mouth came dangerously close to a smile, but he quickly schooled it back to an evil scowl.
“ Does Gresham know you’re putting on a show ?” I asked.
“Ha! Look at his face. He’s mortified. He can’t decide whether saving you is worth killing me . This is fun, no? ”
“ No! Don’t you think he’s been through enough? He just found out Livia murdered his wife to get close to him. Now he thinks
“You’re trying to help us? I don’t understand.”
“I am. Have a little faith in your old Uncle Gaspare, will you? Jeez, one little test and already you’ve abandoned everything we’ve built.”
“I haven’t abandoned…you told the crowd you were going to eliminate us. Are you really going to get us out of here? Where will we go? You can’t hide us. They’ll come after you, too.”
“ I’d like to see them try, ”he rumbled, stomping a heavy foot and shaking his big head. “I could protect you here, ” he said. “ Forever, if necessary. But that’s no life for you. I have another plan. Something…unconventional.”
The mob had stopped waiting for Ewan to reappear, and grown tired of ogling the rhino. Voices and tempers rose again, the crowd’s concerns about dragons still unanswered; their thirst for blood unquenched.
A soul-deep breath did nothing to alleviate the tightness in my chest over the decision to blindly trust Gaspare. “ What’s your plan ?” I asked as the pinch-faced old woman sneered in my direction.
“ I’ll tell you when we get there .” If a rhino could smirk, then this one did.
“‘ When we get’—no. Absolutely not . You’ll never get me out of—” My train of thought derailed and I watched Gaspare's body ripple into another form. His change was smooth, effortless.
I had been so engrossed in Gaspare’s transformation I didn’t notice at first that my ankles had been constrained, followed by my knees.
A muffled groan snatched my gaze to my mother and Bay. They had been wrapped to the ears in an opaque white filament, their entire bodies constricted like living mummies. My mouth went dry, my palms sticky with sweat. The same fate awaited me.
I looked down. The filament had already made its way up to my chest. I yelped and threw my arms wide, managing to get one arm above my head before the clingy web trapped it to my side. The victory was short-lived, for the filament continued to surround my body, pinning my bicep to my ear and forcing my hand to dangle above my head like a spastic periscope.
I was angry, afraid, humiliated. The bonds stopped at our chins, presumably so we could breathe. Bay’s softly weathered eyes—practically the only part of her I could see—held the same emotions. My mother’s eyes lay closed, the freckles across her pale cheeks prominent even in the moonlight.
The filament was opaque, but visible, and I followed the web to its origin. I jerked when I saw the cause of our distress. Gaspare was himself again. Mostly. The bottom half of his body was transformed into the rough, round abdomen of a spider. Four cone-shaped spinnerets threw a web encasing our entire bodies faster than we could form a defense.
“ First a rhino, and now Spiderman? Really ? You’re just showing off. ” I attempted to shake my head at Gaspare, but the movement caused my limp hand to wag dumbly in the air, so I abandoned the effort.
“ These people want a show? I’ll give ’em a show. ”
“ What they want is our heads on a platter. Or a stake. God, just look at them. ”
“ I know, ” Gaspare said, his voice desolate. “ I had hoped they would someday accept you, but now I see they never will. This is the best I can do, given the circumstances. Just bear with me and I’ll get you out of here .”
“ I really don’t have much of a choice, do I ?” My extended arm began to fall asleep and I shook the tingling thing.
“ No. You don’t. ”
“ You realize I can never un-see your spider butt, right ?”
Gaspare’s mouth came dangerously close to a smile, but he quickly schooled it back to an evil scowl.
“ Does Gresham know you’re putting on a show ?” I asked.
“Ha! Look at his face. He’s mortified. He can’t decide whether saving you is worth killing me . This is fun, no? ”
“ No! Don’t you think he’s been through enough? He just found out Livia murdered his wife to get close to him. Now he thinks
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