Spider tricks

A tin whistle—Laurence referred to it as a flute—hung from the side
of the cage. Laurence handed it to Larten. The monk had taught him how to
use it and Larten now played a tune as Laurence unlatched the cage and
took out Madam Octa. He petted her as she rested in the palm of his hand,
then nodded at Larten. The monk couldn’t control the spider, but Larten had
a special way with animals. At his gentle mental bidding, Madam Octa
crawled up Laurence’s arm and over his face. She spun cobwebs across his
eyes and scratched his nose. She tickled his lips until he smiled, then wove
a web around one of his teeth and pulled on it as if she were a dentist trying
to remove a rotten molar.

***

The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Brothers to the Death, Chapter 20