Thothaga's dark shape sat high up in the boughs of the Divine, sheltered from the light drizzle that had started to fall. She had been like that for days, stewing in her own despair. It was painfully clear that Algol was avoiding her now, and the spider blamed no one but her horrid looks; too many legs, too many eyes, a soulless expression not even the Crystal Mother would love. She should have foreseen this. He appeared in the Masked Masked Merchant's cave-of-lies, an illusion made to trick her into jumping in a pit of spikes. She saw through it, and like a fool, she jumped anyway.

However, his vagueness left Thothaga with a strong, dangerous yearning. It left her heart hopelessly ensnared in a web of desire. Divination had failed her to show her a path to take, the right path, to win his admiration, and the spider witch had grown more and more frustrated by the day. Thothaga had never been one to let prey slip away easily. She just had to figure out the right trap...

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

The voices calling below pulled the spider from her web-of-thought, much to her annoyance. WHOMST?. Her eyes burned bright red.

Thothaga was in no the mood for visitors. She was too busy sulking and scheming. Still, thought it better manners to acknowledge them then shoo them off instead of pretending she's not here (unlike a certain horn-head she knew).

After a moment, the branches rustled and the dark shape of a giant spider descended from the shadowy boughs; its many, glowing, red eyes glaring down at them. The blue crystal points on her bulbous abdomen glinted faintly in what little light there was. The Spellweaver had came into full view, climbing down her silken tether. Her eight, spindly legs splayed as she neared the ground, making her appear even larger than Khloros. "Why do you seek me?" The rasped harshly. Her subvocals fluxed with a hint of impatience. "What is it? What do you want?"

Her vampiric, red eyes glared at the duo for a moment and she shuffled her fangs. The black had... a familiar shape.

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

The red glow faded from her eyes when the ram bowed. She chittered in amusement, pleased with him. "Ooh, how chivalrous!" Thothaga touched the ground and her cut her tether. Perhaps it won't hurt to here these lads out. She rested her abdomen again the roots and waited to here what they had to say.

They began to whisper amongst themselves and Thothaga stared. She could tell from the ram's glance that it was about her. She flicked her abdomen and shuffled her fangs self-consciously, somewhat annoyed.

When the black one spoke to her, that's when it clicked. The spider's eyes lit up. She knew this one. "Death Carrier?" She gasped. "Is that you?" Thothaga scurried over to the black horse to get a better look. His coat was clean and healthy, no boil or blister in sight; from what her poor sight could tell. "You no longer carry death." She sensed fire from ram, but from Khloros…

"You carry nothing.." She peered at him, her eyes black as the deep. She had questions for him as well.

Thothaga turned her attention to ram when he asked about Hydra. "Ah, Hydra." She hissed. She tried to bargain for answers from the Collector about the purpose of Hydra and he ditched her. Then, the ram mentioned the Bonebound. Thothaga paused as an idea formed in her brain. Perhaps, if she helped this ram, the Bonebound would help her draw out Algol. After all, they seemed a bit against him living in Canis, and for the moment, she was a miffed at him. "Oh, yes, that horrible cave, I regret helping the Masked Merchant open it." She waved her front leg as if shooing away the memory. "I can't imagine having to live next to that eye-sore... oh, poor Giggle." She sighed and swayed her body in a way that mimicked a head shake.

Thothaga tilted to one side. "Elyon? I can try." She stroked her fangs thinking of ways to divine the gembound's whereabouts. She could try threading together the future. "Perhaps I can tell you where she will be."

Thothaga snapped to Khloros and pointed. "And YOU, Death Carrier, there is much I want to know from you."

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

The spider shuffled closer to the horse, listening intently. She had not expected Khloros to answer so suddenly, and with a lecture of all things.

"Astraea frightened me..." She muttered softly. The memory disturbed her. Thothaga could still picture the malicious glint the stag's eyes. "-And you we're trying to kill us all!" She snapped back, pointing a claw in his face like she was scolding a gemling.

Thothaga stepped back looked over Khloros, perhaps, if she was humaniod, Thothaga would folded her arms. Then, her posture softened. "Did you really die, Death-seer? I watched you as the Spire stripped your flesh away, but a chrysalis formed before you were completely destroyed. Astraea seemed frustrated that it... saved you."

The spider's dark eyes stared at Khloros, deep in thought. "But you did see Her- the one in the Spire, no, of the Spire- or as you put it; 'beyond death'" she said. And She spoke to you.. fascinating." Thothaga felt a twinge of jealousy. She had tried for cycles to speak with the Mother-Spire, and all it took for the black horse was pressing his face against the crystals. Thothaga sighed wistfully. "Oh, what I'd give just to speak with Her.. just once. A sense of longing and melancholy washed over the spider. She knew Khloros did not see Her that way, but she did. Thothaga was born at the base of the Spire, born from and nursed by its magic. She felt the Spire-Mother's distinct presence even as a neonate cradled in her chrysalis. Yet, as a spiderling, the Spire-Mother frightened her. It gave life, but anything that got too close, it reclaimed. Khloros had vastly different definition of a "mother". Apparently they were supposed to "cherish" and feel "warm". She had no idea where he got that idea, maybe it was a vertebrate thing. She tried it with Aether and it seemed to be effective.

"If She is not in the Spire, then She is certainly tied to it." Thothaga pointed out. "Think what you will, but I know they are woven together like you are with Her essence. She was referring to the the butter jade, which was now streaked with veins of iridescence. She did not have to see it to know. Thothaga could taste the Spire's influence when he first trudged up to the Divine.

She stroked her fangs. "I thought I gotten it wrong, who the that being was. Astraea spoke of.. a He.. that we were born from 'this Spire's magic... that there was another who created..'" She paused, the muttered. "See as you do... reborn... what does she- could it be?" Thothaga didn't have all the strands yet to weave a definite answer. Until then, she needed to keep Khloros out of trouble. He was the only one, besides Wlder, to have been touched the Spire and lived. She flicked back to to he and Aries, eyes burning with new purpose . "You mustn't let Astraea find you." She warned. "I am quite sure he will finish you off, permanently, this time," Thothaga turned around and crawled on top of a high root overlooking the both of them. "The Divine and I can shelter you here, if you wish." She pointed a leg in the direction of the Heart. "Dragon and his 'Rot Children' may also be interested in hearing your story- do tell them I sent you." She tacked on that last part in friendly tone.

"Now, about Hydra,"

Thothaga paused to call upon her power of farseeing once again, this time, to see the different consequences of Hydra's reopening. According to Aries, it spelled misfortune for the Bonebound, but Thothaga feared that soon enough, everyone in the caves could be threatened; if not with trials, then by the beasts that lurked within.

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.