Long John and his spider crew strolled along the aisles in the bazaar, enthralled by all the gewgaws and expensive items for sale. When they passed a large crowd clustered around a tent, Long John paused. He tried to see what the attraction was, but the crowd made it impossible. The spiders were jumping in the air, trying to see, but couldn’t do it.

  He hoisted Limpet onto his shoulder. “Can you see anything?” he asked.

  Limpet shook his head. “Too much people.”

  They made their way forward. When people saw what rode on Long John’s shoulder and the mob of spiders following him, they stepped back and gave him room. Near the front they could hear the huckster.

  “Step right up! See the most terrifying and exciting shows on the planet! The Pull-Apart Man! The Firebreather! The Lion-Rooster-Monkey! And most amazing of all, the beautiful Sleeping Beauty, locked in an enchanted sleep for a thousand years! Only six credits to feast your eyes!”

  “Huh. Sounds like he’s got the scam market cornered,” Long John muttered.

  “Go see! Go see!” said Limpet.

  “Fine, we’ll go in.” He pulled out six credits and dropped them in the huckster’s box.

  “Hold on,” said the man with a frown. “You need to pay for your entourage too.” He nodded at the spiders.

  “Really? My support critters? Don’t think so.” He sauntered in through the curtains and the spiders followed him.

  Inside they found several booths. Before the first one, a pale man wearing only a loincloth stood on a platform. As they watched, he gesticulated with one arm, and pulled his right hand off of his arm. The crowd gasped. He tossed the hand; it circled around, returned, and slapped him on the cheek. He stuck the hand back on and pulled off his left foot. It made kicking motions and then returned to him.

  Shaking his head, Long John moved on.

  “How he do that?” Limpet asked.

  “I dunno. Maybe a screen?”

  Before the next booth stood a woman dressed in a black cloak, who breathed a long stream of fire. As the crowd murmured in astonishment, she picked up a stick with a marshmallow on it and toasted it. She held it out to a man in the crowd. He ate it and said, “Tasty!” to the crowd’s applause.

  The next booth had a creature in a cage. It was about the size of a goat, and had three heads, a lion, a rooster with brilliant feathers, and an unhappy looking monkey. The lion roared as the crowd stopped in front of him. The rooster looked as if it wanted to spread its wings and fly away, and the monkey wiggled as if it wanted to climb a tree.

  “That’s just sad,” said Long John.

  A heavy purple curtain hid the final exhibit. The huckster hurried back and pulled it aside for the crowd. They shuffled in, moving slowly past an area roped off by silken cords. Beyond it, Long John saw a transparent glass enclosure standing upright like an old-fashioned phone booth, and inside a woman in stasis.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  She wore gold and scarlet robes like royalty, a tiara on her dark hair, and her face was serene and placid in sleep. Her mouth had a piquant curve that appealed to him. But he saw the trace of a tear that had run from her closed eyelid down her cheek.

  “Step right up. See the most beautiful princess in the galaxy, frozen in suspended sleep for a millennium. The original Sleeping Beauty, the only one in existence! Please keep moving, folks.”

  Limpet muttered in his ear, “We steal crown?”

  “Not right now,” Long John said out of the corner of his mouth.

  One of the spiders slipped under the silk cord and rapped on the side of the translucent booth.

  “Hey!” said the huckster angrily. “Get out of there!”

  “Come on, Urkis,” said Long John. “Let’s go.”

  They made their way out under the owner’s glare, and went back to their ship.

  “Now we go?” asked Limpet. “Got rid of gold.”

  “Yes, we did.” Long John glanced over the crowd of highly fashionable spiders. “And you all look splendid, I must say. But you might want to put your new clothes away for a later occasion.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re going to go steal something tonight, and it’s better if we wear black.”

  “What we steal?”

  “The princess, if that’s what she is.”

  “Why we need her?” Limpet demanded. “Get in our way.”

  “Because I suspect she doesn’t want to stay in stasis forever. Would you?” Long John looked at Limpet.

  “Me, no. Can’t rescue everybody!”

  Long John shrugged. “No, but now and then, it doesn’t hurt.”

  They waited until the little moons of Kawkab Souk had set, bathing the desert in full darkness. Then they hustled across to the rear entrance. Long John paused to listen; he heard the measured tread of a guard inside, making his rounds.

  He waited until the footsteps had grown dim in the distance, then put his finger to his lips once more and led the way inside. A few faint lights allowed them to see the outlines of objects. They made their way down to the booth where the princess lay in stasis, and entered through the exit.

  All was silent. He crept to the glass enclosure and looked at her. He doubted that the huckster’s boast was true, that she had been in stasis for a millennium, but he had no idea how long it might have been. He pulled an electronic screwdriver from his inner pocket and began to work on the screws holding the door shut.

  He pulled it open with only a faint screech, but it must have been enough. A bulky figure appeared in an inner doorway and yelled “Get away from there!” He ran toward Long John, pulling a scimitar from his waist.

  “Get him!” Long John said. He tried to pull the woman from the enclosure but discovered that her wrists were handcuffed to the cot. Swearing under his breath, he used the screw driver and released her. He pulled her toward him and she collapsed on him.

  The spiders ran in a mass toward the irate owner. From the corner of his eye, Long John saw the little knives flash out.

  “Don’t kill him!” he yelled. “Just trip him.”

  The spiders got under the owner’s feet, shoving and pushing. He waved his arms wildly and fell with a thud.

  Long John flung the woman over his shoulder, staggered away from the enclosure, and made for the exit. The spiders ran to and fro in front of the man, preventing him from getting to his feet.

  Once outside, Long John put down his head and ran. The spiders came spilling after him. They crossed the landing pad and piled into the airlock.

  He dropped the woman on a bunk and slid to the controls. Ignoring the banging on the airlock, he activated the lift off and pushed the button. The ship shivered in preparation for takeoff.

  “Are we all here?” he called over his shoulder.

  “S0und off!” called Limpet. There was a confused babble of sound. “Urkis missing!” Limpet shouted.

  “Whoa. You sure?” Long John jumped up and stared at the spiders. “Urkis, you here?”

  Silence. The spiders looked terrified. Some huddled into balls.

  “I swear, it’s worse than wrangling toddlers,” he muttered. His heart sank at the thought of leaving one of the spiders behind.

  He shut down the control board, sprinted to the airlock and opened it. The large man in the opening growled at him, brandishing his scimitar.

  Long John kicked him in the stomach and he flew back. Urkis jumped over him into the ship.

  “Next time, keep up!” Long John went back to the control board and resumed takeoff. The spiders were blubbering and hugging one another. “Oh for goodness sake—” he muttered.