"I was talking to Rakkec"

Aliara slumped against a pillar in the middle of the room. She looked worn out. "I spent the day with Rakkec and Jez'ria. Quz, everything's sore! I got you something, though." She dug around in her belt and pulled out a small leather pouch, then tossed it overhand to Teysa. Teysa snatched it out of the air and gently pulled open the mouth. Inside was a tiny, iridescent stone about two inches across, almost perfectly ovoid; most of its surface was mother-of-pearl, but it was threaded through with tiny amber veins that seemed to throb in time with her heartbeat.

"Rakkec says it's a 'corolite nodule.' You find them near adamite deposits. Some kind of byproduct."

The name kicked a neuron in Teysa's brain. She thought for a moment.

"Rakkec? That's the... the drow, right? The prisoner?"

"Oh!" Aliara sat bolt upright and her eyes shot open. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Tey! I must have forgotten! I meant to introduce you two, but you know... one thing and another..." she trailed off in embarrassment. "Not a prisoner anymore. He's... I guess you could call him a guest? Like us. He was being held prisoner by his friend, the one you killed. He says they unearthed something dreadful and it possessed him."

_That _was what El'keth had meant. Once again, Teysa wondered why she had been kept out of the loop. Pushing Aliara on that point seemed impolite, but she resolved to ask some pointed questions later.

"So? What's he like?" she asked instead. Aliara smiled.

"Oh, he's a lot of fun. All the other drow seem to have sticks lodged up their arses, but not Rakkec. It's because he's common, I think. The others don't like him and the driders scare him, especially Jez'ria. She's a real taskmaster! So I'm pretty much the only one he can talk to. Poor guy, I think he's lonely."

An unfamiliar unease crept into Teysa's throat, an emotion so alien that it took her a moment to realize what it was. Jealousy. "Lonely, eh?" she heard herself say. "What's he doing here?"

"He has nowhere else to go. He says that Lord Lockh-- that's the drow that attacked us, apparently-- Lord Lockh will kill him if he returns to the City. The Matron spoke to him and she says he's not lying. So she has him helping Jez'ria digging out gems and minerals. He was a miner before, he knows where to find all kinds of things underground. Apparently we're sitting on a bonanza down here, if we can just figure out a safe way to excavate it."

"And do you trust him?" Teysa asked. "He could be a spy, you know."

"I thought so as well, but the Matron did something with him. I don't know what exactly-- she says she "saw into his soul." She doesn't think he's a spy, and frankly, I don't think anyone's that good an actor. He's grateful to us for not killing him. I think that's what he expected. He's had a tough life, poor thing."

And he has two legs, said a nasty little voice in the dark corners of Teysa's skull. Two legs, and eyes with pupils... she laughs at his jokes, I bet, no matter whether they're funny or not...

Aliara must have noticed her woolgathering. "Tey?" she asked gently. "What's wrong?" She stood up and padded softly across the cave until she was standing before Teysa. The drider covered her face with one hand and looked away.

"It's nothing," she said, a little muffled. She felt Aliara's soft hands on her own, gently but firmly pulling her around and lifting her hand away form her face.

"It's not nothing. Is it Rakkec? You think I've been hiding him from you?"

"No!" In fact, that thought hadn't occurred to Teysa-- but it sure did now. Instead of saying that, she replied: "I just... I don't have anyone to talk to, Li. Besides you. Sorry!" she cringed. "I know how that sounds. But now you and Rakkec can commiserate about being stuck here in Spiderland, but I... and everything that's happened to me..." she waved her hands helplessly.

Aliara gave Teysa's hands a squeeze. "You know, Tey, you're right. I'm really not the right person to talk to about everything you're going through. I mean, I care, I really do. And I'll listen. But I don't understand, how can I?" She reached up and tilted Teysa's chin so they were looking eye to eye.

"Someone does, though. You're not the only drider who used to be human. Jez'ria, Luneth... they'd talk to you, I'm sure, if you asked. They might have insights I don't. You're not alone, Tey. You really aren't. If you need help, there's no shame in asking for it."

Teysa blinked back tears. She hadn't considered that, but Aliara was right. She wasn't alone, no matter how isolated she felt. She folded her hands over the half-elf's and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Thanks, dear," she said, then almost as an afterthought, added "I love you."

"I love you too, you big oaf." Aliara's reply sounded sincere, but the voice in Teysa's head let out a braying cackle. Heh heh heh... are you so gullible, monster-woman? Spider-thing?

Teysa shook her head to clear it and held the nodule in front of her face. It really was a wonder. She turned it this way and that, marveling at how the amber veins seemed to sparkle and shimmer. "Well, this looks lovely," she said. "Thank you. I wish I had something to give you back. El'keth is teaching me to weave, but it'll be a while before I can make you something... and I don't know if you'd want to wear clothing that came out of, well, came out of my bottom."

Aliara made a face. "Eugh. Thanks for the reminder of where my clothes come from." She plucked at the shoulder of her current garment, a loose silk robe. "Eh. I'm used to it by now. Just don't show me how it gets made, like sausage."

Teysa licked her lips. "Speaking of... would you like some dinner? You look beat. Luneth went hunting today, so there's some kind of cave-beast. She says it's tasty."

"Lead on, then," Aliara said. "I'm famished."