Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [42]
Slowly turning sideways, the princess reached back and grabbed her hair, pulling it away from the spider's leg that held it pinned against the pillar. Once free, she took one huge step away and spun around. With the pillar between her and most of the spider, Mariko could only see the creature's legs and the parts of its bulbous body that stuck out from the sides of the stone column. The spider was easily four times her height. Gripping the pillar as it was, its back legs touched the floor-its front legs easily reaching the crack in the ceiling.
Staying as close to the wall as she could, Princess Mariko moved deeper into the room. She figured if she could get to the next pillar, she could zigzag her way across to the other side, keeping herself concealed from the hairy beast. She didn't know what she'd find when she got there, but it couldn't be much worse than what she had here.
Two quick steps, and she turned around another pillar- right into the face of a second massive spider. The creature was already standing on the ground. It was so big it didn't quite fit between the stone columns. Two of its legs were bent back, touching the pillars on either side, its body tilted. Any other beast would have looked encumbered, maybe even trapped in such a situation. But the spider only looked like it was at home, wedged in the confined space, its legs pulled back ready to pounce. Slime dripped from the beast's fangs, as they worked their way up and down in anticipation inside the creature's huge mouth.
Mariko held her hands up, and started to back away. "Nice spider," she said.
Spinning around again, she bolted even deeper into the room. She got maybe four or five good steps before being knocked down from behind, her legs pulled out from under her by the spider's spindly limbs. Falling to the floor, Mariko held her arms out to catch herself and skidded across the stone.
Scrambling to get back to her feet, the tapping sound began again, filling her ears and making her skin crawl. Halfway up, Mariko was knocked sideways. She rolled onto her back, up against the wall. A huge spider leg came down on her shoulder, pinning her to the floor. She whipped the jagged stone in her hand around, taking a large gash out of the creature's leg. The thick, natural armor made a popping sound as it crushed under her blow. A thin, reddish-brown fluid gushed out of the newly formed wound, splashing across the princess's shoulder.
If the spider was affected by the blow, it didn't show it. Another-of its legs came down on the princess's other arm. The tips of the beast's legs were sharp, and they dug into Mariko's flesh, holding her in place from the sharp pain. The princess let out a yelp. She didn't want to, but the weight of the spider pushing the sharp ends of its legs into her arm and shoulder was excruciating. She squirmed to get free, but it was no use. She was stuck.
The spider quickly skittered out from between the pillars, using its other six legs to pen Mariko. It positioned its fat, round body over hers and lowered it onto her stomach. The weight of the creature nearly crushed the princess, and she struggled to breathe. Letting up on its front legs, the beast held the princess in place with just its own gargantuan abdomen. It looked down on her with its eight beady eyes.
Mariko grabbed at the wall and the floor, trying to pull herself free, but she couldn't get a good grip. The stones were worn smooth by the claws and nails of earlier victims. All she could get her hands on were two piles of dusty, broken stone, lying at the base of the wall and beside the nearest pillar. With each failed attempt, the princess grew more frantic.
The first spider climbed down, wedging itself now between the wall and another pillar-facing Mariko and the spider that held her down. With the exception of the tapping of their legs against the stone, neither of the beasts had made any noise. Now they both began to make a high-pitched hiss. A thick, stringy substance that looked purple in the dull light of the room, dripped from the