Dialogue Writing

“As annoying as he is…” Pike had returned with a stone jar in her hands. “…he does know how to patch somebody up properly.”

“But how?” I couldn’t comprehend it. It had healed so fast. 

She smirked. “We all have our gifts. I’m sure you know a thing or two.”

I shrugged. I wasn’t sure there was anything I was good at. I couldn’t remember.

Changing the subject, she held up her jar. “The boys and I have a surprise for you.”

She opened the lid and ordered me to look inside. I peered in through the top cautiously, unsure of what to expect. To my surprise, inside the jar were dozens of simple, folded pieces of paper. 

“What are these?” I asked reaching my hand inside.

 She snapped the lid shut quickly.

“Hey! Don’t be so quick to grab!” She swatted my hand away. “You have to choose.”

“Choose?” I stared at her blankly, not sure what she meant.

She rolled her eyes at me. “Well, you don’t remember your own name, right?”

I stared at her. “How did you know that?” I was certain I hadn’t told Pike that bit of information.

“I told you…we all got here the same way as you.” 

It dawned on me. Pike…Felix…Ajax… if they all woke up the same way I did in the woods, they didn’t know where they came from either. They didn’t even know their real names.

“That’s why we have this…” She opened the lid for me again. “…so we can choose a name for ourselves. Choose carefully. Once you pick, it’s yours for life.”

I reached my hand slowly into the jar, taking my time to run my fingers through all the folded bits of parchment. My hand shook a little bit. I didn’t realize how nerve-wracking choosing my own name blindly would be.

 I focused to steady my hand as Pike watched me. My fingers found a smaller piece with a folded corner. I held my breath and took the paper out. 

“That’s the one you’re going to choose?” Pike asked me.

I nodded. Fingers trembling, I unfolded the paper. Written in chicken-scratch handwriting was a single word: ‘Tobias’.

I showed it to her. 

Pike gave me a dazzling white smile. “Tobias! I kind of like that.”

I couldn’t help but smile too.

 Tobias.

It suddenly hit me. 

"It was you from the beginning, wasn’t it?" 

Lord Talon smirked proudly.

"It was you who sent the Reapers in the first place. It was you who kidnapped Felix and turned him into a statue."

Talon began to rub his nails on his robes while I pieced it together.

"...then you convinced me that the only way to get him back was to make a deal with you. Why?"

Talon walked up to one of his many decorated shelves and admired his art. 

"My boy, you haven't even begun to scratch the surface. Do you know how valuable a deal is? What a simple little favor can amount to? Do yourself a favor. Next time you decide to come knocking on my doorstep...reconsider."

He clapped his hands.

"Lucky for us, you didn't think it through!" He danced around happily. "If you hadn't received aid from that pompous deer-prince, I never would have dreamed that I'd be standing in the Veil. Now..." He pulled out what looked like a crystal ball from one of his sleeves. "How about we have a bit of fun?"

I thought for a moment. What was really the worst thing that this guy could ask me to do?

"...and what if I refuse?"

He stared at me blankly, like he didn't understand the joke. 

"If you don't fulfill your end of the bargain..." My raven-band grew tight and hot on my wrist. My arm exploded with pain. "...I'm afraid you will have to get used to fighting with one blade."

Talon waved his hand and the pain subsided. 

"Not only that..." He continued. "...but if you do not keep your end, I may be forced to collect that which I promised you. I always enjoy obtaining more additions to my collection." He looked at me hungrily. 

I couldn't let him take Felix again.

"Fine." I grumbled. 

"Excellent!" he cackled.  

"Yes, dear one. I am Thralia, the Lady of the Spiders, but you may call me Mother. These are my children, and you..." She put a claw under my chin, I could feel the sharp end drawing blood. "...are their entertainment." 

"Wait..." I said in disbelief. This wasn't the first time this had happened to me. I remembered both Lord Talon and Rowan had been able to read my thoughts. "...are you one of the Lord of the Wilds?"

She did something that almost resembled a smile. It’s hard to tell as her mouth kept shifting from a human to mandibles when she spoke. 

"Very good, human." she mocked. "Yes, I am one of the Nine."

For whatever reason, Felix decided it was time to speak up. 

"You're a Lord?..." He paused for a moment. "...but you're a girl?"

The spider-woman's mouth dripped with black venom. 

"Curses to my brothers for leading the faithless, to believe that we the Nine are all men. They can't accept that a woman holds the same power and birthright as they do, but tell me cat..." She stretched her arms towards the ceiling revealing tens of thousands of arachnids, all of different shapes and sizes, crawling over each other to present themselves to their master. "...do you doubt the power I wield?"

"Um...nope I'm good."

She tossed the Reaper in the front, a large ring of rustic keys. 

"Put them with the others. I think these morsels will be..." She licked her mandibles. "...delightfully entertaining.