At the table, Kaelira turned the armguard beneath the window light. One of its overlapping plates had folded into the next, trapping dirt and a wad of pale webbing inside the joint.
She set her small tool beneath the bent edge.
"Quin, could you hold this plate clear while I loosen the strap?"
He came to the table and held the plate up by its edge. Kaelira loosened the leather beneath it and lifted the trapped webbing with her tool. Fine silk threads stretched between the bent pieces of metal.
"Spider silk," Quinlan said. "Or something very much like it."
Kaelira tilted the armguard toward him. "There's quite a bit caught in here."
He looked from the webbing to Edric, who was rubbing his fingertips over the blanket again.
"Celia, I want to test something on your father. He may react strongly."
She looked back at her father. He hadn't followed their conversation, and she smoothed the blanket beneath his restless hands while she considered it.
