The Space Merchants of Arachne Read online

  The Space Merchants of Arachne

  By Wendie Nordgren

  Copyright© 2016 by Wendie Nordgren

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, places, and events are fictional and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Stephanie Tkach, PageWeaving Cover Designs

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter One

  An annoying sound woke me from a deep sleep. It was my vid-screen. I rolled over and tapped it.

  "You are still asleep?" Yukihyo asked.

  "Is it late?" I asked.

  He lifted an eyebrow. "I thought you might be dressed by now." I yawned at him.

  "Chitter," Thunderdrop told him.

  Yukihyo asked, "What are you going to do today?"

  "Well, I know we are having dinner at Gina and Sherman's house. I'm sure that will be fabulous. Other than that, I plan on breakfast and lunch. What about you?"

  "I must do chores for myself today," Yukihyo said.

  I gave him a pretended stricken expression, "Poor baby."

  "Get up and get dressed, lady wife. I will look forward to hearing all about food this evening." He ended the call.

  I forced myself out of the cozy bed. I put on a cute dress of pale blue that seemed like a long fancy version of a T-shirt. It had a blouson top, short tight sleeves, and a darker blue belt. It was incredibly soft.

  I was on Arachne safe with my newly discovered relatives while my Laconian husband, Yukihyo, brother-in-law, Hiroshi, and Phillip, my brother by association traveled to Malta without me. We all feared that the Parvac General Valen planned to have me abducted, since we had just found out that I was his granddaughter. My cousin, Captain Eric Alaric of the Galaxic Militia, had assigned his elite soldiers to guard me. I was staying in his family home with his grandmother, mother, father, and brother, all of whom were new family members I was just getting to know. The remainder of our family lived on adjoining property and were just as protective. Along with getting to know my family, came the strange realization that the Laconian heritage some of us shared created emotional bonds between us and allowed our communication with our spider companions. I had begun to think Arachnean Silk spiders were even more protective than the Alaric and Montgomery families combined.

  I opened the door for Thunderdrop, the little spider who bonded with me following an attempt on my life by a Parvac soldier, but instead of running off to the kitchen for his breakfast, he blinked up at me. I kneeled down to the floor in front of him.

  "Is something wrong, spider baby?"

  "Chitter."

  "Did I make you feel guilty about playing?"

  "Chitter."

  "Are you sick?"

  "Chitter."

  "Are you staying right by me because of Yukihyo?"

  "Chitter."

  I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Thunderdrop made a chitter sound when he wanted to tell me no. He chirped for yes.

  "It's okay if you want to go play or eat breakfast. I'm very safe here and so are you."

  "Chirp."

  Thunderdrop followed me into the lift. We found everyone in the sunroom. "Sleepyhead decided to wake up after all," Eliot said. I shrugged and sat in front of a clean plate.

  "That bed is just too cozy and warm. I would probably still be asleep if Yukihyo hadn't called.” ZeeZee entered the sunroom and blinked at me. Then, Thunderdrop scampered off. A large cheesy omelet and fried potatoes got my attention. Sadly, it soon disappeared. ZeeZee continued watching me. "Does anyone think Thunderdrop and ZeeZee are acting strangely, or is it just me?"

  Eliot said, "They appear to be guarding you."

  I asked, "Did you tell them to guard me?"

  "No, I didn't." Eliot looked to his father.

  "I didn't either," Ethan said.

  Thunderdrop came back and played in the flowers, but never strayed far from me. Sydney suggested we spend the morning in the pool. After we changed, we met there, and Sydney tried to teach me how to float. Thunderdrop sat on a towel and chittered at me. I had finally started to get the hang of floating by the time my hands and feet had begun to shrivel. I thanked Sydney for the lesson. She suggested we dry off and change in time for tea with Gram.

  After tea, I went to my room. I called Mary and spoke to her for a little while and heard about her morning activities on the Hadrian, Eric’s starship. Mary had been my only friend back on Earth. Then, I remembered that Eric had told me that he had loaded something onto my vid-screen. I searched through the menu, and my jaw dropped. Eric had sent me the Fighter Ship Pilot Training Course.

  I began studying at once. The course followed in the same style as the program Phillip had created for me, but it was far more complex. The Fighter Ship Pilot Training Course had seven chapters and seven tests. The first chapter covered the parts of a fighter ship and pre-flight inspection requirements. By the time I had finished reading the chapter, Sydney knocked at my door.

  "You have been quiet this afternoon. Are you alright?" she asked.

  "Yes, ma'am. I was just reading." I closed the program and powered down the vid-screen.

  "We plan to leave in about an hour for dinner."

  I got up from the bed. "Is what I have on okay, or should I change?"

  Sydney said, "What you have on is perfect. Gina picked it out."

  I washed my face, brushed my hair, and followed Thunderdrop to the lift. I heard Ethan as he entered through the front doors and into the foyer. I saw Sydney rushing forward to meet him. I turned back around into the sitting room and waited for a few minutes before walking back into the foyer. Their kiss had just ended.

  "Give me a few minutes to change," Ethan said to Sydney. "Good evening, Teagan," Ethan said on his way up the stairs.

  "Hello," I said.

  Within minutes, we all arrived at the Montgomery Clan home. Gina greeted us affectionately when we arrived. As everyone else trailed into the dining room, Gina held me back. She faced me with her hands on my shoulders, then placed them on the sides of my head. "Are you dealing well with Eric's news, Teagan?" Recently, Eric had informed us that the Parvac Empire had captured and executed my father, Nathan Green, for abducting and murdering my mother, Neema Valen.

  "I am. I promise. I'm okay," I said.

  Gina let go of me to hug me instead. Gina said, "I'm here if you need me."

  I looked at her and said, "I think I'm really starting to believe that now. Thank you."

  "Chirp."

  She released me and kissed my forehead. We turned to go to the dining room and found the three spiders staring at us.

  "Oh, no. You too, Cass?" I asked.<
br />
  "What are they doing?" Gina asked.

  "I don't know. They won't tell me. I think someone is bribing them to keep me under surveillance."

  "Chitter." Thunderdrop disagreed.

  Simon came and took me from his mother. "When are we going to spend any time together? You've been home for two nights, and I haven't had you to myself once." I entwined my arm with Simon's big strong one. I felt very safe with my cousin.

  I said, "We can spend time together whenever you like. You'll need to pick me up, though. I didn't bring my transport."

  Simon smiled down at me. "May I pick you up in the morning and whisk you away?"

  I smiled up at Simon with his pale blue eyes and bright red hair. "You may."

  Gina had planned yet another amazing dinner, and I found myself longing to sneak off to my bedroom at the Montgomery house and go to sleep. Instead, I accepted a cup of coffee. Gram still suffered from yesterday's upset. My mother, Neema Valen, had been the daughter of her sister, my grandmother, Ettie Montgomery. Ettie had gone missing as a teenager during the Parvac War and had never been seen or heard from again. My ability to communicate with Thunderdrop had raised questions among the Arachnean community. Repeated genetic scans had confirmed me to be the granddaughter of Ettie Montgomery and therefore Gram’s great niece. Simon sat close to me and watched me intently, just as Sherman, Eliot, and Ethan seemed to do. I addressed them all with, "I'm fine. I promise."

  Simon said, "Maybe it just hasn't hit you yet."

  I said, "So, you are all just waiting with silk squares ready? Seriously, other than worrying about being abducted by a militant Parvac faction, I'm happier than I've ever been." Cass alone stood guard. ZeeZee and Thunderdrop had gone to eat their dinner. "Cass, would you like to sit with me?" Cass crawled up next to me, and I stroked his back.

  Later that night, Yukihyo and I talked for a while before we went to sleep. He seemed glad that I would be leaving the estate for a while with Simon.

  Morning came too soon. Gram came into my room and woke me up. "Teagan, wake up. Simon is here." Cass had followed her and jumped onto my bed. I moaned.

  "Thank you, Gram. I may have to start sleeping on the floor because this bed makes it impossible to wake up."

  "Do you want me to stay and help you get dressed?" Gram seemed to be in a fragile mood.

  "Yes, I have no idea what Simon has planned or what to wear."

  Gram perked up. "I'll pick something out for you."

  I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair, amongst other things. Thunderdrop and Cass rolled the ball to each other. I put on the pale orange and yellow dress Gram chose. Then, I put on the shoes she handed me.

  She said, "Wear the large opal pendant today."

  I slipped it on over my head. Before we had married, Yukihyo had bought the necklace for me on Scipio, the first planet to which I had ever travelled. The opal reminded me of his white eyes devoid of pupils or irises, but changing with his moods with colorful fluctuations to the small capillaries within the white surfaces. Gram smiled and held my hand on the way to the lift. Simon and Eliot waited for us in the sitting room.

  "I found her for you, boys," Gram said.

  "Teagan, you look beautiful this morning," Simon complimented me.

  Gram seemed cheered by his compliment since she had dressed me.

  I turned to her and said, "Thank you, Gram." She finally smiled and told us to have fun.

  "Stewart sent me with coffee for you," Simon told me, so I would go out to the transport.

  "You should give Stewart a raise," I said. We headed to the transport, followed by three spiders. I sat with them in the back, so they wouldn't have to strain their twenty-four eyes. "I'm going to have a few things to say to whomever set you boys up to this," I told them. Simon drove out to an area I had never seen. "Do my guards know where we are going?" My cousin Eric had assigned a group of his elite Galaxic Militia soldiers to protect me from Parvac abduction. He had no intentions of losing another family member to the Parvacs.

  "One of them has followed us since we left the house," Eliot told me. Eliot, his younger brother, Eric the starship captain, and their father, Ethan, looked almost identical with their black hair, pale blue eyes, dimpled chins, and height. They were breathtakingly handsome and incredibly rich.

  "Don't be afraid, Teagan," Simon said. He parked with other transports at a large warehouse. "Let's go," he said.

  Eliot helped me out, and Thunderdrop leapt to my head. Simon held the warehouse door open for me, and I entered a large space full of people and rolls and rolls of silk in every color imaginable. Various groupings of people were scattered about engaged in either buying or selling.

  "Wow! Has Hiroshi ever seen this?" I asked.

  "Yes, it's one of the ways our fathers have enticed him to change his trade routes," Eliot said.

  "How?" I asked.

  Simon placed my hand on his arm and held it there with his hand. He said, "This, sweet cousin, is all silk that our families have produced, and we have convinced Hiroshi to establish trade agreements for us in the Laconian sector."

  "With Yukihyo at his side, he will have a better chance of success. Also, the Hadrian usually patrols the Laconian sector," Eliot winked at me. My husband, Yukihyo, was Laconian.

  "All of this is from the cultivation of webs from Alaric and Montgomery silk spiders? It's so much. This must be worth a fortune." I thought about how many gowns just one bolt of the silk would make.

  "This isn't all of it. It wouldn't be prudent to put all of our silk in one place," Eliot said.

  I gasped at him. "Shit! How rich are you people?" Simon laughed at me. Eliot gave me a stern look.

  "Teagan, Gram would be disappointed to know you had used that language."

  "I'm sorry, Eliot."

  He appeared somewhat mollified by my apology. I made a face at Simon. "I saw that, Teagan," Eliot said. We walked through the warehouse past tables laden with rolls of silk.

  "Do the people at the tables work for you?" I asked.

  "Yes, they are employees of our families," Eliot answered.

  "Are you still upset with me, Eliot?" I felt as though he had become distant with me because of one bad word. I knew so many that were so much worse. It did hurt that one little slip up could cause him to become so annoyed with me. Eliot turned around to me.

  "I'm not upset with you," he said.

  "It feels like you are," I responded. Eliot took my hand and kissed it.

  "My mood has nothing to do with you, but I will tell on you if I hear any other bad language," his pale blue eyes seemed to hold the truth.

  Simon whispered in my ear, "Eliot saw a man he dislikes, but has to treat politely."

  "Do you dislike him, too?" I asked.

  "I would describe what I think of him, but Eliot would tell on me for using the words best suited for him." That made me laugh. A tall, thin, blonde man approached Eliot.

  "Lord Alaric, how do you do?" He gave Eliot a slight bow. "Lord Montgomery, how do you do?" He repeated the motion with Simon.

  "I am well. How are you, Mr. Sonners?" Eliot politely asked. I knew the name Sonners. Yukihyo and Hiroshi had done business with a Mr. and Mrs. Sonners on one of our trips to Arachne.

  "After beholding the beautiful creature now standing before me, I am perfect," Mr. Sonners said. I turned to glance behind me and saw only a robust older man. Thunderdrop chittered.

  "Lady Alaric Montgomery Lee, may I present Mr. Dade Sonners?" Eliot asked.

  "Hello, Mr. Sonners. It's nice to meet you." Dade Sonners bowed to me from his waist.

  He said, "Lady Alaric Montgomery Lee, you are even more beautiful than I had heard. It is a pleasure to meet you."

  I said, "Mr. Sonners, you are far too generous in your praise, but thank you anyway." A man with a serious expression spoke softly to Eliot.

  Eliot said, "Please excuse me for a moment." He shot a look at the back of Mr. Sonners' head as he walked away.

  "Do you fi
nd our silks to your liking Mr. Sonners?" Simon asked. Simon had adopted his polite, well-bred tone and manner of speech, the same as he had used when we had first met.

  "Yes, Lord Montgomery. My father will be pleased with my selections. I am sure. Lady, I am very happy to have met you," he said, bowed again, and excused himself.

  "He seems nice," I said.

  Simon gestured in front of us. "Care to look around?" he asked. Simon and I walked over to one of the tables, and I saw a beautiful silk of a dark turquoise shade. I reached out to touch it, but pulled my hand back. I decided to ask the lady presiding over the table for her permission first.

  "Is it okay to touch it?" I asked her. Simon gave me a dumbfounded expression. "What?" I asked him. He just shook his head. The fabric slid over the skin of my hand. I wanted to roll in it.

  "You like that one?" Simon asked.

  "Yes, it's gorgeous. Did you make this?"

  He grinned. "I had it produced. My weavers and other employees should get some of the credit."

  "So, you and your parents each have your own harvesting and silk production facilities on your lands?"

  "Yes, and that is why I have paid you so little attention. There are different stages in silk production. When the rains begin, our spiders will create large silk dwellings for themselves where they will spend most of their time. We use the rainy season to sell our cloth. Once the rains end, the spiders will leave their nests and migrate to different areas of the forests where the small mammals they prefer to hunt have replenished their numbers."

  "Then, the men go in with the harvesting poles?" I asked.

  "That is correct," Simon verified.

  We moved to each of the tables, examining silks. I saw another silk dyed a black as deep as the darkest areas of space. Again, I asked permission to touch it before I did so. Eliot returned to us and filled Simon in on whatever had needed his attention. They both seemed pleased about whatever it had been. I followed along as they finished their inspection of the warehouse and approved of deals their sellers had made.

  Then, they suggested a trip to the toy store for the boys. I agreed and listened to excited chirping from Thunderdrop and Cass all the way there. Simon parked the transport, Eliot helped me out, and Thunderdrop and Cass, who wanted to run inside of the store, resisted the urge and stayed with me. ZeeZee seemed bored about the entire trip. However, once we were inside of the store, ZeeZee entrusted me to Eliot and wandered off with the other two. A woman curtsied to Simon and Eliot. I tried to stay out of the way. I followed in the wake of Thunderdrop.