“It was now that Qisib displayed the wisdom for which he was famous. He ordered that all human children should be taken away from their mothers when they were newly born, and brought up by our women. Until the child was old enough to walk, it was not allowed to see another human being. Only then was it taught human language by our slaves. In this way, Qisib created a class of humans who regarded their own kind with contempt, and preferred the company of our people.
“When they were old enough, these humans were sent out among the shepherds of the wilderness to act as spies. They always told the same story — that their parents had been captured by spiders, that they had been brought up as slaves, and had seized the first opportunity to escape. They were welcomed everywhere as heroes. When they came to the city of Korsh, the son of Vaken the Terrible, known as Vaken the Fair, commanded a feast in their honor. Some of them even married maidens from the city. Yet they remained faithful to their task. And those who became shepherds and goatherds were able to bring us information about the defenses of the city.
“Finally, the night came when a million of my people surrounded the city of Korsh. There was no need to launch a surprise attack, for we merely had to paralyze the minds of all its inhabitants. When this was done, the city was ours. The next morning, Vaken the Fair was brought before me, bound hand and foot with spider web, and I made him pledge his loyalty and swear to be my slave for the rest of his days. When that was done, my own subjects proclaimed me the first Death Lord. And from that day forth, my people were masters of all the lands between the two rivers.”
As he ended his story, the Death Lord lapsed once more into human language, which — compared to telepathy — seemed cold and expressionless. This was a gesture of politeness, a recognition that Niall’s loyalties might be divided; yet nothing could disguise the note of triumph and excitement in Cheb’s voice as he described his greatest victory. And although Niall was aware that this victory marked the beginning of human slavery, he still found it impossible not to thrill with sympathy. The spiders had been a subject people; yet in one day, they had displaced man as the lords of the Earth. It was surely one of the most momentous days in the history of the planet.
Cheb was studying Niall’s reactions with interest — unlike the other spiders, he felt no inhibitions about probing Niall’s mind. Now he asked with a kind of rough humor: “Well, human, did we not deserve our victory?”
“Yes, lord, you deserved to live in peace. But there can be no true peace while there is slavery.”
The Spider Lord responded with a sound like a grunt. “Perhaps. But while I was alive, there was no alternative.”
Niall asked curiously: “Are you not still alive?”
“In your sense, no.” The Death Lord suddenly sounded weary. “My brain is kept alive by the strength of these children.” He sent an impulse of affection toward the young spider, who responded with a movement of gratitude, like a dog being stroked. “But now this one is becoming tired, and I must not exhaust him further.”
Niall made a formal obeisance. “I thank you for your courtesy and patience.”
“The pleasure was mine. Before I go, do you have anything further to ask me?”
Niall was reminded of why he had been brought to this sacred place. “Only one thing, lord. Have you ever heard of a race of humans who live underground, and whose leader is a great magician?”
“No. But wait. . .” The Death Lord paused to reflect. Then he sighed wearily. “No, I can no longer remember. Speak to my adviser. He knows everything. Now it is time for me to return. Goodbye and safe voyage.”
A moment later, Cheb was gone. He vanished so quickly that Niall was taken by surprise. His mind, still in contact with the mummified brain, found itself suddenly surrounded by emptiness. The sensation was like waking from a deep sleep. It seemed incredible that this long-dead shell had ever contained a living presence.
For several minutes, no one spoke — spiders were never in a hurry to break silence. Finally Asmak said: “The Great One was in a good humor today.”
His voice sounded oddly hesitant, and it made Niall aware of the momentousness of what had just taken place. Cheb was a legendary being, almost a god; yet he had spoken to Niall as to an equal. Asmak was hesitant because he was overwhelmed by what he had just witnessed: a dialogue between the Mighty Cheb and the emissary of the goddess.
Niall asked: “What did he mean by ‘Speak to my adviser’?”
“The Mighty One was referring to Qisib the Wise.”
“And is it possible for me to speak to Qisib the Wise?”
It seemed to Niall that Asmak was troubled by this question; for a moment, he even wondered whether the request would be refused. Then, without replying, Asmak turned and led the way out of the sacred chamber. Their original guide followed behind. The young spider remained where he was, obviously in a daze of total exhaustion.
Now they were back in the sacred cave, Niall became aware of a strange tension in the atmosphere; it was as if all the spiders were holding their breath. It was when he allowed his mind to blend with that of Grel that he understood the reason. Like Asmak, these young servants of the mighty dead felt that they had been privileged to witness an encounter that would be preserved in legend. Niall himself was feeling oddly relaxed and alive, a feeling that seemed to be a presage of some interesting experience or discovery.
As they stood in the center of the floor, three young spiders descended softly from above, and advanced toward them. Niall was surprised to observe that these were brown wolf spiders — they were physically bulkier and more powerful than death spiders. Since wolf spiders were generally treated as servants — and seemed to accept themselves in this role — Niall was surprised to see them in this sacred place. He was even more surprised when the three spiders ignored Asmak, and seemed to consult among themselves. It seemed clear that they possessed some kind of authority or responsibility. Finally, the largest of the three — he was almost full-grown-turned to Asmak and made a mental gesture of acquiescence. He then led the way across the cave, followed by his two companions. Asmak gestured for Niall to precede him. This time, Grel brought up the rear.
Niall expected to be led to another cave whose entrance was concealed by layers of spider web. He was surprised when the spiders halted at the foot of sheer rock face, then proceeded to climb upwards. At close quarters, he saw that the rough surface of the rock afforded many hand-and footholds. With only a moment’s hesitation, he gripped a small projection a foot above his head, placed his right foot on an inch-wide ledge near the ground, and hauled himself up. A moment later he was relieved to feel himself supported by Asmak’s will-force, which prevented him from falling backwards while he groped for further holds.
When he was about six feet from the ground, he realized that the three wolf spiders had vanished. The mystery was explained a few minutes later when — gasping from the exertion — he found himself looking into a small circular hole in the rock face. It was scarcely more than two feet high, and he was forced to scramble into it headfirst. As he did so, he lost telepathic contact with Asmak, and for a moment experienced a queasy sensation as he found himself in total darkness in a passageway so low and narrow that it induced a feeling of claustrophobia. A moment later, contact was again resumed, bringing an illusion of sight; but his ability to “see” his surroundings brought no comfort. The “hole” was man-made — its sides were covered with the marks of tools — but was so narrow that it would have been totally impossible to turn. Moreover, it sloped downward, increasing the sense of claustrophobia by making him feel that retreat was impossible. A dozen or so yards ahead, the rear of the young wolf spider was disappearing around a corner. In this narrow space, the acrid and distinctive smell of spiders was very strong.
If Asmak observed his alarm, he was too tactful to show it. When he had squeezed his own large bulk through the entrance, the passageway was effectively blocked, and Niall felt as if he was immured in a kind of rocky coffin. For a brief moment Niall struggled with panic that made him feel suffocated; then he forced himself to crawl on down the passageway, keeping his head low to avoid the roof.