3 Ch3-Cave of the Spider Queen

CHAPTER THREE Cave of the Spider Queen Gentle waves rippled through the cove as Jack and Annie swam to the foot of the cliff. They pulled themselves onto the boulders. Soaking wet, they sat for a moment in the warm sunlight and caught their breath. "That was so cool!" said Annie.

"Yeah. But why—" Jack gasped, "why did he dump us way out here? What do we do now?" "Check the rhyme," said Annie. "What happens after we call for the help of the Water Knight?" Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out the seashell. He read aloud: Call for the help of the Water Knight. Then pass through the Cave of the Spider Queen. "Oh. Right," said Annie. She took a deep breath. "Spider Queen." "Sorry," Jack said softly. "But don't worry, maybe the Spider Queen is just a person. Maybe 'Spider Queen' is her nickname."

"But what if she's half a person and half a spider?" said Annie. "Like the Raven King was half a man and half a raven?" Jack shuddered at the memory of the monster on their last Merlin Mission. "Don't think about that," he said. "Time's running out. Let's just find this cave." Annie nodded and smiled bravely. "Okay, you're right," she said. They stood up and started climbing barefoot around the craggy curves at the base of the cliff. As they rounded a corner, they both gasped. In front of them was the mouth of a cave. The mouth was covered with thick, sticky white ropes.

The ropes were woven tightly together in a crisscross cobweb pattern. "If that's a spiderweb, we're in big trouble," said Annie. Jack tried to sound calm. "Um, the size of the web doesn't actually tell us the size of the spider," he said. "Plus, I once read that no spider on earth is bigger than a dinner plate." "Yeah, and no horse on earth has a giant fish's tail either," said Annie. Good point, thought Jack. "Let's just concentrate on finding the Sword of Light before nightfall," he said. Jack picked up a stone the size of a softball. He hurled it toward the mouth of the cave. The stone

sailed through the giant cobweb and into the cave, pulling the sticky rope-like strands down with it. Jack turned to Annie. "Ready?" he said.

She didn't move. Jack took her hand. "Don't worry, I won't let any monster spiders get you," he said. He nodded toward the mouth of the cave. "Onward?" "Onward," Annie repeated in a small voice. Then together she and Jack stepped over the fallen web and entered the Cave of the Spider Queen. Inside the cave, the walls were black and shiny. The ground was wet and slippery under their bare feet. "Yikes!" Annie said, jumping back. A pale pink crab scuttled sideways across the rocky floor. "Don't be afraid," said Jack. "That's not a spider." "I know," said Annie. "Sorry."