2
__________
The ArtistUP TO THIS DAY, Lupianne had never climbed on a runner.
The spider’s legs negotiated the rubble with ease, better suited to the unequal terrain than vehicle tires. The main control was a pear-shaped bulb that the rider clutched with one hand, transmitting his chosen direction to the servo centers of the legs, which in turn knitted an optimal path amidst the ruins.
They were moving fast. Wind blew through her thin strands, carrying salted scent from the sea. The feeling was exhilarating. She barely felt the spider moving under her legs, and the grating of the metal claws on the rocks became a background sound.
Was it the same that their ancestors had felt, shown riding horses on the visos?
Lupianne looked at Sabian’s angular profile, wondering about his age. He
