distrust them. Or no reason at all.’
‘The fur trappers and hunters who’ve gone by the isle say they’ve seen some
strange things. Hairy beast-faced dwarfs. Giant spiders.’ She shuddered.
‘Benna died of spider bites,’ Smhee said. The fat little man reached into his
belt-bag and brought out a metal jar. He said, ‘Before we leave in the boat
tonight we’ll rub the ointment in this on us. It will repel some of the spiders
but not, unfortunately, all.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I know.’
They walked silently for a while. Then he sighed, and said, ‘We’ll get bitten.
That is certain. Only … all the spiders that will bite us – I hope so, anyway
– won’t be real spiders. They’ll be products of the mage’s magic. Apparitions.
But apparitions that can kill you just as quickly or as slowly and usually as
painfully as the real spiders.’
He paused, then said, ‘Benna probably died from their bites.’
Masha felt as if she were turning white under her dark skin. She put her hands
on his arm.
‘But … but…!’
‘Yes, I know. If the spiders were not real, then why should they harm him? That
is because he thought they were real. His mind did the rest to him.’
She didn’t like that she couldn’t keep her voice from shaking, but she couldn’t
help it.
‘How can you tell which is real and which magical?’
‘In the daylight the unreal spiders look a little transparent. By that I mean
that if they stand still, you can see dimly through them. But then they don’t
stand still much. And we’ll be in the dark of night. So…
‘Look here, Masha. You have to be strong stuff to go there. You have to overcome