"Both wrong," I muttered, my brain finally clicking into gear. I'd seen enough corporate contracts and shattered promises to know this one. I looked the Spider Queen right in her many, many eyes.
"It's Trust," I said, my voice steadying. "You weave it between people, you can't touch it, it's the bridge between what you hope for and what you regret doing. and every time it's broken and mended, if it can be mended, the scar makes it heavier. Or, in my world, it's a Binding Merger Agreement, but let's go with Trust for the aesthetic."
The Queen froze. The thousands of tiny spiders on the walls stopped scuttling.
"The girl in the stolen skin has a sharp mind," she hissed, her abdomen pulsing. "Pass, then. But beware... trust is a fragile thread to hang your soul upon in the Heart of the Fire."
The webs in front of us parted like a stage curtain, revealing a glowing red light at the end of the tunnel.
