The man was startled and turned around with a look of utter shock across his face. He was so flustered that he pulled the bit of Binder away from his spider. He hadn’t expected to find another in the Voidside, and Will took advantage of his sudden surprise.

Will sprinted toward him as Swoop swirled in the air between her two shadows. As Will got closer, the man’s expression faded from shock and into resolve. Will was in for a fight, and he’d have to be smart. This man must be close to twenty.

Swoop dove toward the enemy Darkhand. His spider jumped from his arm to the ground and shot a bit of web up and into one of Swoop’s shadows. Will was nearly there, but just before he got to the man, he looked toward Credic.

It was happening.

Credic had just shoved one of the other Link Masters. All of them were reacting slowly, in that “half-speed” sort of way. Will wished Credic luck but knew there was little he could do to help. He had enough of a job of his own here in the Voidside. Will lowered his shoulder and threw his weight into the man.

The two of them crashed and rolled against the ground which placed them only yards from the house, right against the corner where the Rizzet had moved. Now there was a way in and out, and Will had an idea. But he needed a Binder.

He should have gotten one from his pocket earlier, but he hadn’t thought it through. Still, there was one available. The man had one in his hand when Will had slammed into him. Hopefully he’d dropped the portion. Will scrambled against the cold ground and saw it. He reached out his hand and closed it around the tiny piece, but right as he did so, he felt the man grab him around the collar of his shirt. Almost immediately, Will was off the ground and flying through the air toward the house. He hit the ground and slid against his stomach.

“Swoop, now!” Will made no attempt to prepare himself to fight. That wasn’t his plan, and it would likely only get him hurt. Will threw the bit of Binder into the air and watched as one of the images of Swoop snatched from the sky. Will then began to scramble toward the house on his hands and knees.

“Oh, no you don’t,” the man said as he fell to the ground and snatched a fistful of Will’s pant leg between his fingers.

Will felt his chest scrape against the ground as the man dragged him backwards, but he focused his mind and stretched his hand out toward the house.

“Inside the wall, Swoop. Make the pocket big.”

The man flipped Will over against his back, then sat across his middle and pinned his hands to the ground. Behind the man, Will could see that Credic had caused quite a stir. Everyone was scrambling away and readying to attack.

“You’re not a very smart little boy, are you?” As the man spoke, his large, black spider tiptoed its way up and onto Will’s chest. It’s eight purple eyes glared down toward Will’s face. “You really think you were going to beat me? You’re just a kid.”

The spider stepped out and onto Will’s face. It’s legs felt cold and hairy.

“Just a dumb little kid who’s all alone. You don’t know how to pick a fight do ya?”

“I think he does,” said a new voice.

A new look hit the man’s face. This one wasn’t so much of surprise as it was fear. The spider leapt away, and Will turned his head to try and see what had happened. Swoop had done it, she’d opened the pocket. Hubrin’s enormous head appeared through the wall of the house.

His Mother was in the Voidside.

No Question.