The pale strand above the warships tightened.
A patch of smoke moved aside, and Alex saw a white leg against the dark sky. He followed it upward until the clouds broke and the rest of the shape became visible.
Eight legs surrounded a smooth abdomen. White scales covered them, and the head between the foremost legs had the same draconic shape he remembered from Karthos Reach.
Lolth's moon-sized body hung beyond Proxima's atmosphere. A warship crossing Alex's view briefly hid part of one leg, then passed, leaving the immense shape unchanged. Her true body remained far beyond the fighting. Her web had reached the city ahead of her.
Alex felt Mingyue move closer.
"How did she find this place?" she asked through their bond.
"The thing in the yard."
His gaze dropped toward the green smoke. The trace he had felt inside it was much weaker than the presence above them, but he could no longer mistake the resemblance.
