your fear. A person who lets fear conquer him or her is going to die even if he
knows that the spider is unreal. He’ll make the sting of the bite himself and
the effects of the venom. And he’ll kill himself. I’ve seen it happen in my
native land.’
‘ But you say that we might get bitten by a real spider. How can I tell which is
which in the dark?’
‘It’s a problem.’
He added after a few seconds, ‘The ointment should repulse most of the real
spiders. Maybe, if we’re lucky. You see, we have an advantage that Benna didn’t
have. I know what faces us because I come from the mage’s land. His true name is
Kemren, and he brought with him the real spiders and some other equally
dangerous creatures. They would have been in some of the boxes. I am prepared
for them, and so will you be. Benna wasn’t, and any of these Sanctuary thieves
will get the same fate.’
Masha asked why Kemren had come here. Smhee chewed on his lower lip for a while
before answering. ••
‘You may as well know it all. Kemren was a priest of the goddess Weda Krizhtawn
of the island of Sharranpip. That is far east and south of here, though you may
have heard of it. We are a people of the water, of lakes, rivers, and the sea.
Weda Krizhtawn is the chief goddess of water, and she has a mighty temple with
many treasures near the sea.
‘Kemren was one of the higher priests, and he served her well for years. In
return, he was admitted into the inner circle of mages and taught both black and
white magic. Though, actually, there is little difference between the two