Cyberwitch Academy: Learn or Burn

Chapter 60

"This is a trap. Absolutely without doubt, he took Ty to bait you. We know that Marketta is obsessed with you. It's the simplest explanation."

"So where are they?"

"We tracked them across the city, they're holed up somewhere in the Riverside area."

"Riverside, where they burn witches on sight?"

"Yeah. That's the one."

The rain hammers on the windows, rivulets of water come down the brickwork inside, infiltrating through the cracks. The drizzle has turned into a monsoon.

"And you think we can get Ty back tonight?"

"I do. This Golden Boy was working with a couple of other guys. Not in uniform. This is some kind of 'off the record' thing. If it was an official arrest, they'd have to play by the city law. Take Ty into custody, give him a phone call. This is something else."

"Do you think he'll hurt Ty?"

"If they want to interrogate Ty, it's likely. If Ty gives them enough information, maybe not."

I imagine Ty, terrified, alone, in pain.

Vash breaks the silence.

"Ursula, there's only three of them, and we have Weaver backup teams ready to support. We can do this. Only wild card is Golden Boy."

I think back to his performance at the school. The things he did. Could have been some other type of implant I guess, but it sure felt familiar.

"I'm pretty sure he has the Rhizome. And he's an advanced user to say the least."

"It's unusual for a cis-male to host a Rhizome successfully."

"He's Marketta's son, right? Do we really know that for sure? He could be walking lab grown meat."

"We know almost nothing about him. Almost certainly because she interferes with his digital footprint. But you're saying we should treat him as a magic user?"

"I'd say he's more capable with the Rhizome than anyone."

"Yeah well, we're betting you are better than him."

"Jesus why? I wasn't last time."

"Because you have to be. You got us out of there remember? He didn't beat you, not exactly."

A roll of thunder. I look out the window into the night. There is a red brick wall opposite with a river of water pouring out of a black gutter pipe. I think about one of the songs my mother used to sing. Const Incy, const wincy, const spider.

"I have an angle... maybe."

And I acknowledge her existence for the first time since I saw her at the bottom of the black lake. The spider creature with the torso of a woman. Arachne...

"There's a Dark Shiver, she wants me for a host, but she has power, deep, deep power."

Mel gives me a concerned look.

"If you let her in, do you think you can get her back out?"

If(down_came_the_rain) then {return: washArachneOut}.

"You're glitching again. Ursula...?"

Arachne is whispering to me, a string of syllables, a subconscious language going straight into my spine. And I realise how much I want to surrender to her, the gifts she offers. She can help me control the Rhizome, make it do things nobody has ever done before, make me a spider god, and I shake my head. Try to put my own voice back in the centre of my mind.